Week 8 was one of those insane ones in the football realm that saw a ton of fantasy scoring. If you had a lineup that included Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton, Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin, Texans running back Arian Foster, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, congratulations—you probably won some money.
I say "probably" because lineups that cracked 200 points over at Draft Kings may not have been in the money, depending on the contest. Here is a look at how the players from Daily Musings fared last week.
Draft Kings
Stack of the Week
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints - 28.04 points, $289 per point
Travaris Cadet, RB, New Orleans Saints - 8.7 points, $345 per point
One half of the stack worked out as Drew Brees put up 28.04 points, though it might have been even better had the Green Bay Packers put up a fight in the second half. Travaris Cadet had a promising first half with a few receptions, but he was scarcely on the field in the second half as the Saints pulled away, ceding the workload to Mark Ingram.
Plays
Quarterback
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys - 12.46 points, $593 per point
A back injury all but ended Tony Romo’s night early after a decent start. His attempted return probably sunk the Cowboys’ chances to win and fantasy scoring chances for certain other Cowboys.
Running Back
Matt Forte, Chicago Bears - 33.8 points, $280 per point
Anchors aweigh! Matt Forte was easily the best high-cost value at running back last week.
Ben Tate, Cleveland Browns - 10.4 points, $423 per point
A promising matchup turned into a defensive slugfest last week between the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders for some Tebow-forsaken reason. Ben Tate nearly put up an abysmal score before a late touchdown salvaged his day. Despite that, he wound up being a poor value.
Wide Receiver
Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys - 12 points, $575 per point
You might think Romo’s back injury sunk Dez Bryant’s chances for a huge night, but he also had several end zone targets that he couldn’t haul in. Had he been able to shake off rookie cornerback Bashaud Breeland’s strong defense, Bryant would have had two touchdowns on the night. All in all, it was a disappointing double-digit total.
Greg Jennings, Minnesota Vikings - 12.8 points, $313 per point
Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings - 15.6 points, $211 per point
Both Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson wound up being solid values, but they were better cash game options in the end. Had Patterson gotten into the end zone, he would have made for a great GPP value.
Tight End
Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers - 2.6 points, $2,308 per point
The entire Carolina Panthers offense is in a funk, and the nice matchup proved to be a huge dud for Greg Olsen.
Fades
Quarterback
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks - 14.46 points, $567
It’s tough to score fantasy points in a 13-9 defensive struggle, even for the great Russell Wilson. For a while it looked like he might be in the single digits when the dust settled, but a passing touchdown salvaged an otherwise abysmal line. He most certainly did not meet value, however.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots - 37.16, $194 per point
Wow. Rob Gronkowski is all the way back. That was one incredible performance by Tom Brady and the New England offense.
Running Back
Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings - 9.2 points, $533 per point
As expected, it was a low-scoring, tight affair in Tampa Bay that stole Jerick McKinnon’s potential. He had a decent effort, but the big day some might have expected never came.
Wide Receiver
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers - 38.8 points, $206 per point
Before Indianapolis cornerback Vontae Davis went out, Antonio Brown had zero receptions and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger scarcely looked his direction. Davis was knocked out with an injury, and Brown took full advantage.
Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers - 13.4 points, $373 per point
It turns out Benjamin was the only player worth picking up last week, and only in cash games. He had a nice output in large part to a great 51-yard reception in between Seahawks defensive backs Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. As expected, however, his upside was limited.
Fan Duel
Stack of the Week
Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals - $7,400
Michael Floyd, WR, Arizona Cardinals - $6,500
Michael Floyd, ruiner of fantasy lineups. Had he not dropped his first target in the end zone, we might be singing a different shanty. Carson Palmer, meanwhile, held up his end of the bargain with a nice outing thanks to receivers Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown.
