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The growing volatility in the NFL is sure making for fun times in the daily fantasy space. Injuries, desperation and typical unforeseen circumstances conspired to sink many of Daily Musings' predictions last week.
Let's look at the damage and see what we can glean.
STACK OF THE WEEK
Johnny Manziel, QB, Cleveland Browns - Draft Kings (DK): 2.5 points, $2,080 per point, FanDuel (FD): 2.5 points, $2,680 per point
Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland Browns - DK: 7.8 points, $1,038 per point, FD: 6.3 points, $1,270 per point
Never trust the Browns again. Until the next time it sings its Siren song, at any rate.
PLAY
QUARTERBACK
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints - DK: 30.2 points, $278 per point, FD: 27.2 points, $338 per point
Drew Brees bounced back from a terrible showing against the Carolina Panthers with a huge game against the woeful Chicago Bears.
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons - DK: 25.1 points, $259 per point, FD: 22.1 points, $357 per point
Even with Julio Jones out, Matt Ryan was an excellent source of fantasy scoring against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia Eagles - DK: 8.08 points points, $804 per point, FD: $928 per point
The game script was perfect.
Philadelphia fell behind early, down 21-0 against the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter before the offense started functioning. They roared back to take a 24-21 lead, only to fall behind by double-digits again in the third quarter. They wound up with just three more points, but 27 is a fine total for fantasy purposes, right?
Well, it turns out Mark Sanchez was up to his old tricks, failing miserably in real and fantasy life at home against the Dallas Cowboys. He was blitzed into oblivion, and what seemed like a relatively safe option turned out to be a cinder block instead of a parachute.
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys - DK: 21.5 points, $340 per point, FD: 21.5 points, $391 per point
Sanchez's opposing counterpart had no such troubles, though he probably had Dez Bryant to thank. Romo tossed three touchdowns to his explosive receiver, but his output was stunted by a relatively low yardage output.
Kyle Orton, Buffalo Bills - DK: 4.92 points, $1,118 per point, FD: 4.92 points, $1,544 per point
Another GPP option down the tube here, as the game script was all wrong for Kyle Orton.
The Buffalo Bills defense is proving to be an elite unit, and Aaron Rodgers was its latest victim. The low-scoring affair was not conducive to a big fantasy day for the offensively challenged Orton, and he couldn't get much going in the fantasy realm. If only quarterbacks were awarded big points for unlikely victory.
RUNNING BACK
Alfred Morris, Washington - DK: $5,000, FD: $7,000
Perhaps the New York Giants run defense is really improving. Alfred Morris had trouble getting anything going last week, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry in a plus matchup.
Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals - DK: 31.2 points, $138 per point, FD: 27.7 points, $256 per point
Thank goodness for Jeremy Hill, the solid rock in the foundation of successful lineups everywhere. We were told the Bengals would try to give one back the majority of the work, and that man was Hill. He doused the Browns in kerosene and lit the match early, burning his opponent and lighting up fantasy lineups everywhere.
Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns - DK: 4.7 points, $1,043 per point, FD: 3.7 points, $6,500
Unfortunately for Isaiah Crowell, the entire Cleveland Browns offense stunk to high heaven.
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles - DK: 7.5 points, $880 per point, FD: 7.0 points, $1,157 per point
Some men just like to watch the world burn.
Last week it was Chip Kelly, who donned a Joker mask as he immolated fantasy lineups everywhere by giving Chris Polk and Darren Sporles all of the goal line work, sometimes after LeSean McCoy got the Eagles there.
Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers - DK: $9,600, FD: $9,600
Even without a ton of yardage, Le'Veon Bell just about met value in cash games thanks to a pair of touchdowns. That's all we were looking for here.
Matt Forte, Chicago Bears - DK: 11.9 points, $756 per point, FD: 10.9 points, $826 per point
Had Matt Forte been in on the final drive for the Chicago Bears instead of giving way to rookie Ka'Deem Carey, we might be singing a slightly different tune. Alas, despite running well when he did get the ball, Forte was driven out of the picture as the Bears once again fell behind early and big.
LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots - DK: 10.4 points, $423 per point, FD: $691 per point
How could I fall for Bill Belichick's tricks?
LeGarrette Blount did manage to get into the end zone, but Emperor Belichick once again trolled fantasy owners by giving Jonas Gray the majority of the carries.
Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders - DK: 9.6 points, $417 per point, FD: $756 per point
Opportunity knocked, but Latavius Murray forgot to unlatch the chain when he opened the door. Murray got a ton of touches early, but the Raiders fell behind big to the Chiefs and the talented running back was rendered useless in the second half.
Chris Ivory, New York Jets - DK: 9.6 points, $438 per point, FD: 9.1 points, $571 per point
Chris Johnson, New York Jets - DK: 5.5 points, $655 per point, FD: $964 per point
This stroll down narrative lane was a dead end in a dark alley.
This was a terrible, no good, very bad game. Not even a late touchdown could save Chris Ivory's day, nor could the 37-yard scamper by Chris Johnson immediately preceding that touchdown.
WIDE RECEIVER
T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts - DK: 9.0 points, $889 per point, FD: 7.0 points, $1,257 per point
Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis Colts - DK: 0.0 points, $undefined, FD: 0.0 points, $undefined
Things would have turned out much nicer for Donte Moncrief and his investors had a 48-yard touchdown not been called back. Instead we were all left holding a doughnut.
T.Y. Hilton didn't do much better in a plus matchup, though a hamstring injury likely played a big part.
Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys - DK: 38.4 points, $206 per point, FD: 32.4 points, $262 per point
All the promise Dez Bryant had on Thanksgiving was delivered last week as the stud Cowboys receiver immolated the Philadelphia defense.
Marquess Wilson, Chicago Bears - DK: 10.6 points, $283 per point, FD: 9.1 points, $495 per point
It wasn't a huge output in the end, but a touchdown from Marquess Wilson let him meet value as a cheap option thanks to a short touchdown reception. It just happened to be a touchdown reception that won Drew Dinkmeyer $1 million in Draft Kings' final Millionaire Maker of the year.
Kenny Stills, New Orleans Saints - DK: 11.7 points, $487 per point, FD: 9.2 points, $663 per point
Despite a huge game from Drew Brees, Kenny Stills didn't muster much fantasy output. Marques Colston was the receiver to own in that offense last week, as were tight end Josh Hill and running back Pierre Thomas, in terms of points doled out by their quarterback.
Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles - FD: 0.0 points, $undefined, FD: 0.0 points, $undefined
Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles - 13.8 points, DK: $442 per point, FD: 11.8 points, $678 per point
The entire Philadelphia offense was a factory of sadness, though Maclin provided decent numbers thanks to volume. Jordan Matthews, meanwhile, was an unmitigated disaster. He seemed to get injured early in the game, and he wasn't on the field as much as he had been for most of the season. Still, he was completely eliminated by the Dallas defense, and that big goose egg stung many owners.
Harry Douglas, Atlanta Falcons - DK 26.1 points, $161 per point, FD: 18.1 points, $320 per point
Well, Julio Jones didn't play, and it turned out to be a great thing for Harry Douglas. Atlanta's No. 3 wide receiver had a big game in the fantasy realm—at least in PPR or half-PPR formats—despite not getting into the end zone. He was a hit in GPP lineups everywhere.
Golden Tate, Detroit Lions - DK: 16.8 points, $375 per point, FD: 13.3 points, $564 per point
As ninja performers go, Golden Tate was rather clumsy in the fantasy realm. He caught seven passes including a touchdown, which would seem to indicate a huge fantasy line were it not for the fact most of those passes were near the line of scrimmage—he had just 38 yards receiving.
Still, that was enough to make him a decent value at Draft Kings, which awards a full point per reception. His value was nearly nonexistent over at FanDuel.
Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills - DK: 3.8 points, $1,447 per point, FD: 3.3 points, $2,181 per point
Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills - DK: 4.2 points, $1,024 per point, FD: 3.8 points, $1,812 per point
As we saw with Kyle Orton, the game script was just not right for the Bills to score a ton of fantasy points. Sammy Watkins had just one catch despite seeming like a solid cash game option, and Robert Woods was a GPP dud.
TIGHT END
Larry Donnell, New York Giants - DK: 3.1 points, $1,226 per point, FD: 2.1 point, $2,476 per point
It seems Odell Beckham Jr. has commandeered all the fantasy points in the New York offense. What was a good matchup turned out to be fool's gold for Larry Donnell investors.
Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers - DK: 17.4 points, $259 per point, FD: 14.4 points, $382 per point
Finally, Antonio Gates hits for his fantasy owners. It had seemed like forever since Gates was a viable option, and he proved to be the best value in last week's action as the San Diego Chargers tried to keep pace with the Denver Broncos.
Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans - DK: 13.3 points, $331 per point, FD: 11.1 points, $477 per point
The Jets didn't allow much against Tennesse, but Delanie Walker managed a nice fantasy outing despite not getting into the end zone. He continues to see a ton of targets for the Titans.
FADES
QUARTERBACK
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks - DK: 12.42 points, $644 per point, FD: 12.42 points, $709 per point
The game played out precisely as predicted at home for Russell Wilson, who didn't have a big fantasy day despite playing well against the nemesis San Francisco 49ers.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers - DK: 8.1 points, $1,136 per point, FD: 8.1 points, $1,259 per point
Aaron Rodgers wasn't even "fine" last week—he was atrocious. Credit the Bills defense for turning Rodgers into a mere mortal as he played the worst game of his career. Normally a great cash game option, Rodgers had a miserable output for anyone who chanced him last week.
RUNNING BACK
Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers - DK: 18.8 points, $399 per point, FD: 17.8 points, $472 per point
One big run and a goal-line carry were all Eddie Lacy needed to have a nice game. Despite a low-scoring game for the Packers, Lacy was a decent option in cash games.
Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks - DK: 16.8 points, $435 per point, FD: 16.1 points, $540 per point
Similar to Lacy's situation, Marshawn Lynch had a decent output for cash games thanks to a touchdown and a couple of nice runs against the San Francisco 49ers. Neither of them had huge games, but they were safe havens against the bitter cold of the barren wastelands at running back last week.
WIDE RECEIVER
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals - DK: 9.9 points, $859 per point, FD: 7.9 points, $1,139 per point
All the points flowed to Jeremy Hill last week as the Cincinnati Bengals throttled the Cleveland Browns and controlled the game on the ground.
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans - DK: 12.7 points, $472 per point, FD: 10.2 points, $486 per point
He certainly wasn't held to just one catch, but DeAndre Hopkins was barely viable against Vontae Davis and the Indianapolis Colts.
TIGHT END
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots - DK: 18.6 points, $408 per point, FD: $444 per point
He was the highest-scoring tight end of the week, but Rob Gronkowski barely met value in cash games. He does get a boost due to the fact few tight ends scored in double digits last week—he may not have been a great value, but he had reliable output.