Hey guys! It’s Josh McCown here to give you Josh McCown-like fantasy football advice!
Let’s get to it:
Quarterbacks
START: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati – I wouldn’t actually suggest him unless you were out of
options, but I don’t think the Dalton we saw against Baltimore and Houston is the one
we’re going to see the rest of the year. Against Green Bay’s much less intimidating
defense last week, Dalton completed 21-of-27 passes for 212 yards and two
touchdowns with no picks. He’s got an even better matchup coming up with the Browns,
so don’t be surprised if Dalton reasserts himself as a legit fantasy option.
SIT: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh – Stop reading if you’ve heard this already, but
Roethlisberger is a substantially worse fantasy quarterback on the road than at home.
Since 2014, his yard-per-attempt average drops by more than a yard and his touchdown
rate falls from 7.3 percent to 2.8 when he’s away from Heinz Field. Most quarterbacks
play better at home compared to the road, but the splits usually aren’t this drastic. This
week, Roethlisberger goes to Baltimore to face a defense that leads the league in
interceptions and has given up the 4th least fantasy points to QBs
.
Running Backs
START: Frank Gore, Indianapolis – The Seahawks are quietly giving up a league-high
5.3 yards-per-carry. At age 34, Gore is more of a matchup play than an everyday starter
like he was in his prime, but this might be the right week to rev him up.
SIT: Marshawn Lynch, Oakland – Denver has gone against three of the most highly
drafted RBs in fantasy football the last three weeks (Melvin Gordon, Ezekiel Elliot,
Lesean McCoy) and held them to a combined 83 yards on 41 carries, barely more than
two yards per tote. The 31-year-old Lynch, who gained just 18 yards against the
Redskins last week, may not stand a chance.
Wide Receivers
START: DeVante Parker/Jarvis Landry, Miami – The Dolphins offense is off to a bad
start, but it’s not the fault of these two guys. Miami is third-to-last in points-per-game, yet
Parker is 9th and Landry is 16th among WRs in PPR leagues on a PPG basis. Expect
the duo, who have received a combined 45 targets from the gun-slinging Jay Cutler, to
have potential field days against a New Orleans defense giving up the second-most
pass yards in the NFL.
SIT: Jeremy Maclin, Baltimore – Putting Maclin here for the second straight week. He
managed just one catch for eight yards against Jacksonville on Sunday (count it!) and
this week gets a Steeler defense that is giving up the least amount of fantasy points to
WRs.
Tight Ends
START: Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay – Brate is a great streaming option as the
Buccaneers go up against a Giants defense that has allowed a league-high 23
receptions to opposing TEs and the third-most fantasy points.
SIT: Evan Engram, NYG – I know Engram is off to solid start with lines of 4-44, 4-49-1,
and 5-45 in his first three games, but rookie TEs rarely make a splash and Engram gets
a Bucs D that is allowing the least amount of receptions and the fourth least fantasy
points to opposing TEs.
Defense/Special Teams
START: Jaguars – I was shocked to find Jacksonville on the waiver wire in my fantasy
league and quickly put in a claim to pick them up. Jacksonville already had a solid D last
year, then made a couple big moves in free agency by adding cornerback A.J. Bouye
and defensive end Calais Campbell. This week they get to play me, Josh McCown, and
if you didn’t already know, I suck. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_325PYlkPGo)
SIT: Panthers – Carolina had a couple solid games against San Francisco and Buffalo
but then couldn’t hold a candle to Drew Brees last week. Expect the same thing to
happen when Luke Kuechly and crew travel to New England to take on Tom Brady.
