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This week's Daily Musings recap is going to read like an autopsy report.
Last Sunday's whacky results messed with fantasy scores everywhere, but especially here. It got ugly, and a post mortem is necessary. Viewer discretion advised.
STACKS OF THE WEEK
FANDUEL
Robert Griffin III III, QB, Washington - 14.38 points, $515 per point
Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington - 1.1 points, $5,909 per point
Avert your eyes! Look away! The horror!
What an awful showing by the Washington offense last week, particularly on the part of Pierre Garcon. A great matchup all around turned into abject disaster. The only saving grace was the combo freed up cash to use elsewhere, but this was just a terrible call.
DRAFT KINGS
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals - 22.1 points, $241 per point
A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals - 27.7 points, $217 per point
Mercifully, this stack worked out rather nicely.
Andy Dalton and A.J. Green hooked up often aganist the New Orleans Saints, and the latter made a nice touchdown catch—one his investors were sweating upon replay review—to turn a nice day into a great one. Both exceeded value in all formats.
PLAYS
QUARTERBACK
Robert Griffin III III, Washington - Draft Kings (DK): 14.38 points, $438 per point
Let's not revisit this ugliness.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints - DK: 14.5 points, $572 per point, FanDuel (FD): 14.5 points, $641 per point
What is happening to the New Orleans offense? Drew Brees and Co. couldn't even use the home-road split excuse—it was just a bad performance all around.
The Cincinnati Bengals defense shut down the New Orleans offense for much of the day, which suffered the loss of outstanding rookie Brandin Cooks. Brees wound up being a complete disaster, given he was touted as a good cash game play.
Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers - DK: 11.62 points, $585
What is happening to the San Diego Chargers offense? Wait, this sounds familiar.
Despite a home game against the Oakland Raiders—before their unlikely victory against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football—Philip Rivers couldn't muster much offensively. San Diego didn't need much in victory, but he fell far short of the 300-yard, three-touchdown game he had against Oakland on the road earlier this season.
Good thing he was so cheap on Draft Kings—and avoidable on FanDuel—making him a bit less disappointing than the far more expensive Brees.
Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia Eagles - DK: 22.84 points, $254 per point, FD: 19.84 points $348 per point
It wasn't quite the big game some had hoped for from Mark Sanchez, but he was certainly better than a lot of the options out there last week.
As expected, the Green Bay Packers got out to a big lead agaisnt the Philadelphia Eagles. Garbage time came early in this one, and Sanchez got most of his fantasy output in the second half. The 300-yard bonus helped quite a bit over at Draft Kings, where he was a good value in all formats.
RUNNING BACK
Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints - DK: 16.7 points, $371, FD: 13.2 points, $606 per point
Once again, the entire New Orleans offense was abysmal last week, Mark Ingram included. Fortunately, Ingram uncharacteristically caught seven passes for 30 yards, which gave him a palatable score in PPR formats. It still failed to meet value in any contests, however.
Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions - DK: 5.6 points, $553 per point, FD: 4.1 points, $1,537
It appears we were chasing points from previous games when Reggie Bush was out with injury.
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles - DK: 11.6 points, $552, FD: 11.1 points, $694 per point
At this point, all you can do is throw up your hands and laugh. Or just not trust LeSean McCoy ever again, apparently. Of course, as soon as you throw in the towel, McCoy is liable to pull a Michael Floyd and score a couple of touchdowns when everybody is off him.
In fairness to McCoy, the Eagles were down early and big, which isn't conducive to the running game. Given McCoy should be a bigger part of the passing game, that shouldn't have mattered too much. But he hasn't seen nearly the targets this season that he has throughout his career, hence the single reception for 18 yards.
Alfred Morris, Washington - DK: 15.2 points, $355 per point, FD: 14.2 points, $514 per point
Sometimes oddsmakers completely get a game wrong. This was one of them.
Washington was favored by a touchdown, but the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers came to town and laid waste to FedEx Field in a 27-7 bloodbath. Despite the beatdown, however, Alfred Morris managed to eke out a decent line that met value for cash games, at least over at Draft Kings.
Alfred Blue, Houston Texans - DK: 18.6 points, $161 per point
Eat your vegetables, kids.
You might recall this column comparing inserting Alfred Blue into your lineup to eating cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. He didn't offer much upside, but Blue was going to get enough opportunity to be a good value. Blue carried the ball an astounding 36 times for 156 yards last week as the Texans grabbed a big lead over the Cleveland Browns in the second half.
He didn't have any receptions or touchdowns, which showcased his limited upside, but Blue was a fantastic value last week nonetheless.
Trent Richardson, Indianapolis Colts - DK: 3.1 points, $1,226 per point, FD: 2.6 points, $2,192 per point
Ahmad Bradshaw, Indianapolis Colts - DK: 5.1 points, $1,137 per point, FD: 3.1 points, $2,419 per point
If Blue was akin to eating vegetables, the Indianapolis backfield was like washing them down with expired milk.
The New England Patriots came to town and punched the Colts in the mouth, staggering the offense away from the running game in what seemed like a good matchup for both backs. In fairness, Ahmad Bradshaw was injured midway through the game—knocked out for the season, in fact—but he wasn't exactly headed for a big game at that point.
Richardson was terrible, too, making this a bad investment all around.
WIDE RECEIVER
Pierre Garcon, Washington - DK: 1.6 points, $2,500 per point
Weeping. Gnashing of teeth. Sackloth and ashes. Pain.
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons - DK: 11.9 points, $588, FD: 8.9 points, $921
Put Julio Jones in the same boat as LeSean McCoy, film it and call it a sitcom. Only fantasy owners aren't laughing.
Jones had a nice matchup this weekend, yet he was unable to get into the end zone once again. He hasn't scored since Week 3.
Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos - DK: 20.3 points, $424 per point, FD: 13.8 points, $659 per poitn
Good thing Demaryius Thomas was the only Bronco in the "play" section of Daily Musings last week. That entire game was a head-scratching debacle from the Denver offense.
Granted, the St. Louis defense had something to do with that, but losing receiver Emmanuel Sanders and tight end Julius Thomas seemed to have a huge effect on the entire offense. You would think that would have actually helped Demaryius Thomas with additional targets, but the Broncos had trouble moving the ball all game long.
Thomas had a decent game in the end—on Draft Kings, anyway—but he certainly didn't meet value. Another great cash game option bit the dust.
Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers - DK: 14.3 points, $315 per point, FD: 10.3 points, $621 per point
Let's start the All Annoying team. Keenan Allen joins McCoy and Jones on it.
At least Allen had decent value in cash games at Draft Kings thanks to the full PPR format. He is getting a ton of targets, but the big game continues to be elusive outside that one time several weeks ago.
Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DK: 7.3 points, $767 per point, FD: 5.8 points, $1,121 per point
There was plenty of cake to eat on offesne in Washington last week, but Mike Evans ate it all.
Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts - DK: 14.1 points, $376 per point, FD: 12.6 points, $548 per point
New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis was tasked with covering Reggie Wayne for much of the night, impacting his output. The only reliable skill player last week turned out to be tight end Coby Fleener, of all people.
TIGHT END
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs - DK: 6.7 points, $597 per point, FD: 5.2 points, $1,135 per point
Anthony Fasano's absence had no impact on Travis Kelce's output. Despite five targets against a Seattle Seahawks defense that had been among the most generous to opposing tight ends this season, Kelce could only muster three receptions for 37 yards.
Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts - DK: 0.0 points, $undefined, FD: 0.0 points, $undefined
An early injury turned a promising night into a nightmare for Dwayne Allen and his fantasy owners. Coby Fleener wound up with all the opportunity. If only we could transfer Fleener's seven receptions for 144 yards to Allen...
Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers - DK: 12.1 points, $273 per point, FD: 9.6 points, $531 per point
Heath Miller bounced back with a decent game against the Tennessee Titans, though he couldn't get into the end zone. Given the wasteland that was the tight end position last week, he was one of the best values despite a mediocre output.
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots - 17.1 points, DK: $426 per point, FD: 15.1 points, $536 per point
Well, Rob Gronkowski was the top scorer at his position. The question was whether he was a good value.
Considering the aformenetioned disaster that was the tight end position in Week 11, it was safer to roster Gronkowski than it was to chance most other options. Were you going to start Coby Fleener or Chase Coffman?
FADES
QUARTERBACK
Drew Stanton, Arizona Cardinals - DK: 21.24 points, $259 per point, FD: 18.24 points, $323 per point
Drew Stanton was well on his way to clowning this call in the first quarter when he tossed two touchdowns to Michael Floyd. Those would be the only two touchdowns he threw, but it was a good day nonetheless, especially considering the fact Detroit's defense has been great all season long.
It was a bit of a fortunate output for Stanton as he seemingly caught the Lions off guard in the first quarter, but luck still has something to do with fantasy football.
Shaun Hill, St. Louis Rams - DK: 12.8 points, $391 per point, FD: 12.8 points, $391 per point
As shocking as the 22-7 victory the St. Louis Rams had over the Denver Broncos, and as well as Shaun Hill played in that game, his fantasy output was impacted by a game script that was completely flipped.
RUNNING BACK
Rashad Jennings, New York Giants - DK: 10.7 points, $439 per point, FD: 8.7 points, $759
While he wasn't held back too much, Rashad Jennings didn't have a great game in a low-scoring affair against the San Francisco 49ers.
Montee Ball, Denver Broncos - DK: 0.0 points, $undefined, FD: 0.0 points, $undefined
C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos - DK: 19.5 points, $246 per point, FD: 15.5 points, $419 per point
It seemed like all systems were a go for Montee Ball returning from a groin injury, but an early aggravation knocked him out with nothing to show for it.
That gave C.J. Anderson all the opportunity in the world, but he was only really fantasy relevant in PPR formats thanks to his eight receptions for 86 yards. He exceeded value because of all those targets he got as the Broncos tried to move the ball any way possible.
Matt Forte, Chicago Bears - DK: 26.5 points, $381 per point, FD: 20.5 points, $454 per point
With all the weirdness we saw last week, Matt Forte was a safe haven. He may not have met value in GPP or even cash formats at that price, but it must have been a relief to see that output in a sea of sadness across the fantasy realm.
WIDE RECEIVER
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals - DK: 5.3 points, $1,189 per point, FD: 4.3 points, $1,535 per point
John Brown, Arizona Cardinals - DK: 11.9 points $319 per point, FD: 9.4 points, $564 per point
As expected, the fantasy output at wide receiver was unpredictable for the Arizona Cardinals. Most of the points were funneled to Michael Floyd and those two touchdowns he scored.
It was a particularly bad day for Larry Fitzgerald, who was injured during the game. John Brown had a decent output in PPR formats, but neither of these guys was worth it in the end.
TIGHT END
Mychal Rivera, Oakland Raiders - DK: 7.0 points, $443 per point, FD: $1,054 per point
As expected, Mychal Rivera ran into a brick wall in the fantasy realm, one he had smashed into earlier this season. He wasn't shut out this time around, but Rivera only mustered three receptions against a San Diego Chargers defense that has not been kind to opposing tight ends this season.
Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings - DK: 0.0 points, $undefined
Well, it's a good thing Kyle Rudolph was simply unavailable over at FanDuel last week—less temptation to put a goose egg into your lineups!
It seems the Minnesota Vikings were content to truly ease Rudolph back after his groin injury, and his fantasy line was nonexistent as a result.
