Quarterback (Cash/GPP)
Tom Brady (vs New York Giants) Price: $7700
The Patriots come into the weekend at 8-0, one of the three unbeaten teams left in the NFL (The Bengals and Panthers are also 8-0). If there were was one team that has had their number though, it is the Giants. The one difference this year is the Giants defense, a strength in years past, but it is anything but that in 2015. The Giants have given up an average of 35 points to opposing quarterbacks over the last two weeks, and will have their hands full with a Patriots offense that is firing on all cylinders. Brady has thrown for 22 touchdowns, and has recorded multiple touchdown passes in each of his eight games. There are some great matchups to exploit this week at quarterback, but if you are after consistency, Brady is by far the best option against a weak Giants secondary.
Quarterback (GPP)
Blake Bortles (@ Baltimore) Price: $6300
Much like the Giants, Baltimore’s vaunted defense is a thing of year’s past. Instead of having my quarterback sit out the week they play the Ravens, I am plugging in virtually any quarterback that has the opportunity to play against the 29th ranked passing defense. Baltimore is allowing 283 yards passing per game, and Bortles comes into this week averaging 305 yards passing while on the road. Even more impressive is his 9:4 touchdown to interception ratio on the road. The biggest knock on Bortles has been his bad decision making at times, but considering the Ravens have only generated three interceptions on the year, this is not a week where I would even consider that as a factor. Bortles has two emerging talents in Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, although Hurns could miss this week with a sprained foot. Hurns has caught a touchdown in six straight games, so if he is unable to play, it would be certainly hurt Bortles value. Regardless, Bortles makes a great GPP play and should have no problem reaching 20+ points in what projects to be a high scoring matchup.
Kirk Cousins (@ New Orleans) Price: $5500
Kirk Cousins has been a serviceable option at quarterback this season, but his upside has never been high enough for me to recommend him as GPP play, nor has he displayed the consistency to be a cash game option. So what’s changed? Well to start, he faces a Saints defense that has given up ten passing touchdowns (TEN!) in the past two games to Eli Manning and Marcus Mariota. Cousins also has had to deal with a sub-par receiving group led by Pierre Garcon and Jamison Crowder. Desean Jackson and Jordan Reed are now both healthy, which should do wonders for an offense that has only recorded ten passing touchdowns on the season. As bad as the Saints defense has been, their offense has been the exact opposite. Drew Brees has matched his defense by throwing for ten touchdowns and 892 yards over the last two weeks. This is a great game to grab the quarterback on both sides, and sit back and watch the fireworks display. Jordan Reed makes for a great stack with Cousins, but if you want to go the sneaky route, Desean Jackson has a high ceiling and should be fairly low owned.
Running Back (Cash)
Mark Ingram (@ Washington) Price: $5000
Relative to the running backs in the top tier, Ingram’s salary is attractive in a week where he should be featured heavily. The loss of Khiry Robinson to a season ending injury did wonders for Ingram’s stock, as now he has the red zone touches all to himself. He failed to convert two goal line touches last week which would have pushed his totals inside the top five running backs for the week, but historically he has been efficient in those situations so there should be no reason for concern. Ingra faces off against a Washington defense that has allowed big games to Devonta Freeman (27.2 points), Chris Ivory (27.1 points), Doug Martin (18.6 points) and LeGarrette Blount (16.9 points). Each of those running backs rushed for 100 yards, and I fully expect Ingram to do the same. The Saints vs Redskins matchup is one that I want to load up on, and Ingram makes for a great PP$ play. In fact, I have him ranked as the #1 running back in that category this weekend.
Todd Gurley (vs Chicago) Price: $6350
For the second consecutive week, Gurley ranks as the most expensive running back, just edging out Adrien Peterson at 6300. Gurley just missed his fifth straight 100 yard rushing game last week, finishing with 89 yards and a touchdown while also chipping in three catches for 20 yards. That is the one area that has surprised me. Gurley has caught ten passes in his last three games, which goes a long way in cementing his cash game value and bumping up his ceiling in the process. The Bears have been fairly good against the run, but they have had trouble containing physical running backs. Adrien Peterson (20 rushes, 103 yards), Thomas Rawls (16 rushes, 104 yards) and Eddie Lacy (19 rushes, 85 yards) all had success in wearing down the Chicago defensive front. This is an area where I expect Gurley to have similar success, and despite Chicago being vulnerable to the pass, the Rams coaching staff will feed Gurley the ball early and often. Gurley makes for an excellent cash game play, but with Devonta Freeman on bye this week, he has the opportunity to be the X-Factor in GPP’s as well.
Dangelo Williams (vs Cleveland) Price: $5300
The loss of Leveon Bell was a big blow to the Steelers, but as it turns out, DeAngelo Williams still has a lot left in the tank. In his third game as the Steelers lead back, Williams ripped off 170 yards rushing and two touchdowns to go along with two receptions for 55 yards. He and teammate Antonio Brown (17 receptions, 284 yards) were single handily responsible for winning GPP’s last week. In another stroke of bad luck, the Steelers have lost Ben Roethlisberger for what looks to be at least two games. This is where the Steelers will have to lean on Williams to help the move the ball, and with a matchup against a porous Cleveland defensive front, Williams will do just that. The Browns have allowed big games to Chris Ivory (91 yards, two touchdowns), Latavius Murray (139 yards rushing, one touchdown), Danny Woodhead (148 total yards), Justin Forsett (121 yards rushing, one touchdown, four receptions for 49 yards) and Todd Gurley (128 yards rushing, two touchdowns, four receptions for 35 yards). This has all the makings of another huge game for Williams, and I don’t think you can afford to not roster him this week in GPP’s.
Wide Receiver (Cash)
Antonio Brown (vs Cleveland) Price: $6450
I consider Antonio Brown to be the best pure wide receiver in the league, and last week he showed why. Brown racked up an astonishing 17 catches for 284 yards, which heavily contributed to DeAngelo Williams big game by forcing the Raiders into dropping extra men into coverage. Brown loses his biggest weapon in Ben Roethlisberger, but I don’t think Landry Jones is as bad as many are making him out to be. Landry isn’t afraid to throw the ball, and will rely on Brown to be his possession receiver. I don’t think you can count on Brown to be a difference maker in GPP’s, but he should receive enough targets to be steady cash game option.
Wide Receiver (GPP/Cash)
Ashlon Jeffrey (@ St. Louis) Price: $5650
After plugging him in this column as the top PP$ play last week, Jeffrey responded with his third straight 100 yard game. (10 catches, 151 yards). Jay Cutler targeted him almost to a fault, and threw a pick six by trying to force the ball to Jeffrey in the first half. Jeffrey showed why he is a dominant receiver though, and continued to make play after play leading the Bears to a 22-19 victory over the Chargers. Keep in mind he had a touchdown called back (illegal man down the field), which would have capped off an impressive Monday night performance. Jeffrey was injured during the game, and has practiced in limited fashion this week to the point of currently being questionable for Sunday’s game. He missed several games to start the season, but Jeffrey should be able to play through his injury and continue to be a great volume play against a tough Rams defense. Considering his matchup and injury, I wouldn’t blame you for not taking a chance on Jeffrey, but these factors should contribute to low ownership and are the type of situations you need to exploit to win GPP’s. If in fact Jeffrey plays, I will have a considerable amount of exposure to him.
Allen Robinson (@ Baltimore) Price: $5000
Robinson was overshadowed last year by other rookies like Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr, but he has broken out this year and shown why he deserves to be in the same discussion as the rest of the incredible receiver class of 2014. Blake Bortles is a gunslinger, and that suits Robinson’s skillset as a dominant down field receiver. He struggled in the season opener, but since then he has produced very well and been one of the better PP$ plays each week, averaging 5.5 catches for 71 yards and nearly a touchdown per game. Robinson should receive even more targets this week with Allen Hurns hobbled with a sprained foot. The Baltimore secondary has had a lot of trouble stopping similar downfield threats, allowing big games to Amari Cooper (7 catches 109 yards and a touchdown), Michael Crabtree (9 catches, 111 yards and a touchdown), AJ Green (10 catches, 227 yards and two touchdowns) Anquan Boldin (5 catches, 102 yards) and Michael Floyd (4 catches, 92 yards and two touchdowns). Robinson is a bargain this week at an even $5000, and will be the receiver that I have the most exposure to in week 10. Plug him in your GPP lineups with confidence.
Mike Evans (vs Dallas) Price: $5300
Evans has become the centerpiece of the Buccaneers offense, and has seen his targets increase with fellow wide receiver Vincent Jackson hobbled by injuries. He is a prototypical wide receiver, measuring in at 6’5, 230 lbs and can dominate a game in a variety of ways, but his specialty is beating cornerbacks down the field and either out running or out jumping his defenders. He has experienced some growing pains with rookie quarterback Jameis Winston, but that is to be expected in their first year together. The good news is Winston has become much more comfortable in the pocket, and has continued to target Evans down the field. In week 9 against the Giants, Evans caught eight passes for 152 yards, which just fell short of his season high established in week 7(eight catches, 164 yards and a touchdown). This week he gets a Cowboys defense that has not been able to contain other physical receivers like Jordan Mathews (six catches, 84 yards and a touchdown in week 2, nine catches 133 yards and a touchdown in week 9) and Julio Jones (12 catches, 164 yards and two touchdowns). Winston will look to take advantage of the mismatches that Evans is able to create, and I expect him to top 100 yards with a touchdown. Evans is the perfect receiver to roster in GPP’s, as his ceiling is as high as any receiver in the league. He may throw up a dud every now and again, but at $5300, that is a chance I am willing to take in GPPs.
Tight End (Cash/GPP)
Jordan Reed (vs. New Orleans) Price: $4800
Now that Reed is healthy, he is one of my favorite tight ends to plug and play in both cash games and GPP’s. He may not have the ceiling of a Rob Gronkowski or Tyler Eifert, but he is one of the better plays each week because of his consistency and role in the Redskins passing game. The absence of Desean Jackson has allowed defenses to key in on Reed, but now that Jackson is back, Reed should have plenty of room to operate in the middle of the field. He’s averaging just a touch over six catches per game, and Kirk Cousins has started to target him in the red zone, evidenced by his last second-garbage time touchdown in week 9. New Orleans has been especially weak defending tight ends, allowing Daniel Fells (four catches, 82 yards and a touchdown), Greg Olsen (eight catches, 134 yards and two touchdowns), Delanie Walker (seven catches, 95 yards and two touchdowns) and Anthony Fasano (three catches, 33 yards and a touchdown) to beat them in the red zone. This is where Reed thrives, and I like his chances to finish as the #1 PP$ tight end in week 10. I really like the idea of stacking Cousins/Reed and Brees/Watson as a sneaky play in a game that Vegas is projecting to have the highest over/under of the week (50 points).
