Week 5 Matchups, In-or-Out, Andy the Oil Baron

But they don't get it done, and you're disappointed for fantasy. Similar to what happened when the Falcons played the Saints, I care so much about the defenses here. That's what makes me completely believe that this will be a fantasy feast. I mean, you're going to have two defenses that cannot stop each other, the other offenses. So you're just going to have a tit-for-tat scoring fest, and you want every single player in the game.

What is there to really discuss? I guess one of the biggest questions is Devonta Freeman or Tevin Coleman. Sure. Devonta Freeman, we're talking about games returning from injury. In 2015, week 12, 14 carries, 10 receptions, healthy, healthy workload, 2017 came back, 12 carries, only one reception, but still 13 touches.

I'm playing Devante Freeman over Tevin Coleman. I think that if the coach says he's healthy, he's still the starting running back. I second that. The way I view it. I would do that for sure. Now, what do you do with the pass catchers for the Falcons? Because Matt Ryan is absolutely just torching defenses. He's got his touchdown rate back at that MVP level. In 2016, right around 7%. Do you keep, does that keep going?

And, I mean, Calvin Ridley's been the biggest benefactor, but he's seeing a 15% target share. Those things you don't match up. Calvin Ridley raises Matt Ryan's floor on a week-to-week basis because he has another powerful touchdown scoring potential option. That doesn't mean Ridley's going to stay consistently the, what, touchdown pace of 10,000 of 25 for the season.

I think Ridley helps Ryan, and I think Ridley is a very good player, but I do put him in that riskier category. He's in the category of start that you can place a Sammy Watkins into. Yeah, I agree. I'm more bullish on Calvin Ridley. I think part of that is because some of the fantasy community, you look at the metrics and you say, oh, he's not on the field enough. He's not getting the target share that you want. Right.

And I say, stop it. Stop. Look, he was a great player that they drafted in the first round. He's being used perfectly and being very valuable. He's in a great matchup. Stop with the, oh, sure, he's not going to keep that pace. But you start Calvin Ridley. Like, if I have him on my team, it's not a question to me. I'm starting. Those metrics could easily be bent into the positive Calvin Ridley side. Exactly. Because if you're producing with reduced snap counts, it's not.

It's not outlandish that rookies begin there. I mean, rookies, if he, if he's doing something to earn playing time, like scoring six touchdowns. What if he's on the field? 85% this week because there's room to improve, not necessarily in the touchdown count, but in everything else. Well, in this matchup of all things. I mean, how do you sit him if you're ever going to play him? Right. What about Mosano?

That one is a little bit more difficult. I think he is one of those guys that you could pick up. Six for 111 last week. Yes, you could pick up off of waivers. If you are needing to plug someone in, you know, you had. Could you say meh, sinew? Meh, Samu. Yeah, I would say he is one of those waiver wire pickup and play guys if you need. Let's say you've got the Green Bay Corps and Geronimo's out and Devante Adams is out and you're just stuck.

going, oh, no, I really don't have someone. Then Mohammed's a guy you can find on waivers, pick up, put in there, and you've always got the shot of the touchdown, and his floor should be okay in a game like this. All right, anything else? I mean, look, I think the other player we want to mention start of the week, Vance McDonald, seeing consistent usage running routes. That's all he does. So he's a useful piece of the offense. You can definitely count on him more than Jesse James. He's earning himself a role.

I think some people might say, hey, could you play Austin Hooper in this matchup? The Steelers are 31st in the NFL in Fantasy Points giving up to the tight-in position. 16.7 a game. Austin Hooper, is he good for a double-digit game in this one? It's possible. I mean, you have to take a look back at who they were actually playing. They played Zeus, Travis Kelsey, of course. They're going to give up points to the tight-in position. Yes. They played the Buccaneers, tight-ins, who...

are also, it's a good court. And then the Baltimore tight ends where the offense starts with the tight end. So Austin Hooper is always a lottery ticket. A lotto ticket tight end stream because he is utilized close to the goal line. Three or four games this year, 24 yards are fewer. Exactly. He is the quintessential touchdown or bust. And certainly a chance. I love that over under if I'm.

throwing a dart at a tight end who I just wanted to catch a single touchdown. Would you play Hooper? Would you play Ricky Seals Jones this week? I would play Ricky Seals Jones. So I had to make that exact decision on waivers because I lost O.J. Howard and Evan Ingram. And I went with Ricky Seals Jones. Did you lose them at the mall? Yeah, I couldn't find them. And I was paging them. You need one of those. 9-1-1. Paging them? Yeah. And they didn't show up to the spot where I told them, hey, you know, three o'clock right here. And they didn't show up.

Yeah. The last name to mention. $44 to do that one page. The last name to mention, James Connor, you start him. Yeah. We're not talking Steelers because you play Ben, you play Connor, you play Brown and Smith-Schuster. But I think based on the questions I get on Twitter, a lot of people feel like James Connor is not an automatic start, especially after last week didn't get, I mean, nine carries for 19 yards. Very disappointing.

You absolutely start James Connor. He's an RB1. No question. All right. Let's move on to the Raiders, one and three, taking on the Los Angeles Chargers. Another high over and under 52.5 points. Derek Carr has been putting up a lot of yardage in recent weeks. This is not a Raiders defense that is intimidating. So I think that points will be scored in this game for context. Look, Derek Carr, he's having himself a season.

Yeah, in his four games, 72% completion percentage, 90%, 69%, 60%, 437 yards last week and four touchdowns, 58 pass attempts. He's interesting. Yeah, I mean, certainly. And this is a matchup again where Vegas is saying there's going to be a lot of points scored here. That's why I've got Philip Rivers as my start of the week. But to stay on the Derek Carr side.

I think the real question is always Amari Cooper. What do you do? Do you start him? Do you not? Half of his games have been great. Half of them have been complete duds. This is the type of matchup that I think is more of a trap. Last week I said you could start Amari Cooper. This week I am much more worried. I think just like we saw two weeks ago, when you have one really good cornerback, that really good cornerback is not going to go on Jordan Nelson.

That good cornerback is going to go on Amari Cooper. And Amari Cooper has struggled in those matchups. And the number two is... And Casey Hayward will be on Amari Cooper. Exactly. And that's why you made Jordy Nelson your start of it. Yeah. All right. What are we looking at here? Philip Rivers, light him up. Yep. Marshal on Lynch has been outstanding thus far. You're playing him. Melvin Gordon.

You're throwing him out there. So I guess the decision that a lot of fantasy owners are going to have to make here are the Jordy Nelson, Mike Williams, Tyrell Williams type of decisions. You know, Jared Cook is an auto start right now with the production that he's been putting up. So what do you do with Mike Williams? Right now he is fourth in the NFL with, in terms of average depth of target. So generally, you know.

There's a little bit of risk with those players. Yeah. He's not going to get more targets than Keenan Allen. He's not going to get more work than Melvin Gordon. So he's a tertiary option there at best. Last week, he disappointed fantasy owners. So I think they're afraid to go back to him. What do you guys think? Yeah, it's very difficult to trust those type of players. But I still think you could probably throw him in. This is a game in Oakland that I could see being higher scoring, like we said. And if that's the case,

Just because a player has a down week does not mean that he no longer matters and is irrelevant. I mean, you know, he had five for 81 week one, four for 81 week three. He's kind of done the Amari Cooper back and forth yo-yo. This would be the fourth of the back-and-forth week. So I'm not excited to start Mike Williams a little bit more risky, but he does have the reward that makes it at least worth it. I mean, honestly, I feel like he's kind of like,

Amari Cooper in the sense of they're in the same tier to me. I don't really want to start either. I think you could start either. And I feel like I'd rather start Mike Williams in this specific matchup than Amari Cooper. And to speak to Keenan Allen, people want to know what the heck is going on. He's still getting targets. I mean, 36 targets through the first four weeks. He's got a 26% target share. That's very healthy for a wide receiver one.

The issue is his average depth of target. Last year it was at 9.3 yards. It's dropped to 7.7. So I think that that's the biggest issue going on right now with Keenan Allen. Hopefully that corrects itself. I also believe that the touchdowns will come for Keenan Allen. The targets, I'm just following the history of targets through the NFL. And you've got to be patient. It will happen for him. I've seen a lot of Keenan Allen swaps this year.

Some people acquiring him on the cheap. A lot of Cooper Cup. And I still would. I still would try to acquire him on the cheap. Can we move on to the Vikings game? Sure. I'm excited about this one. Big game for both teams. I think it will be an intense ball game. One two and one. The Vikings need a win. And they have to go to Philadelphia to get it. The two and two Eagles are three-point favorites at home. 46 point over under. Mike with the bold.

incorrect call last week. Kirk Cousins 400 plus yards started him last week. He found a home in the arms of Aldrich Robinson. Two touchdowns. A player that they brought into, I don't know, as an excuse and reason to move Treadwell to the bench as often as possible. But look, Diggs, Thielen, Treadwell, Rudolph, Robinson, Cook.

These are the weapons that made you love Kirk Cousins. Can you start him, though, on the road here? Are you trying to find another option? I'm starting all the pass catchers. Kirk Cousins is a fine play. The Eagles defense has been giving up fantasy points to the quarterback and the wide receiver position. So Cousins, Diggs, Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, no question. I'm starting all of them.

The big question to me is, what do you do with Dalvin Cook? You do not start Dalvin Cook. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. There's no chance that I would start Dalvin Cook in any situation. I would play, I mean, lower to level guys over him because first of all, I don't expect him to play. But if he does play with this hamstring that, you know, they said, oh, he's healthy last week. But they also took him out the second half when they could have really used him. Right.

And then he's been limited in practice. The chance of re-injury, with how bad he's been with that offensive line and the matchup, it's like the trifecta. It's just why would you take that risk? I think the reward, if he, let's say he is healthy, plays the whole game. I don't expect him to have a very good game here. I mean, if you look at what he's done so far, you know, he's, Dalvin Cook has rushed for.

10 plus yards on 2.8% of his carries. It's the worst of qualifying running backs in the NFL. And when you watch him, he gets hit in the backfield so often, which is why I love Kirk and Thielen and Diggs and Rudolph, because they will not be able to run the ball. I'm not starting Latavius Murray if Cook is out. That's the follow-up. Yeah. I'm all- Like you're a psychic. All pass catchers. Psycho? It's a fine line.

Between psychic and psycho? Yes. The crazy is what makes me see. Most crazy people are really close to being able to see the future. But yeah, light up all the passing game for Minnesota and bench all the running game for Minnesota. That's how I see it. What are the other big storylines from this matchup you guys want to touch on? Right now, here's a question I think fantasy owners might have, right? J. Ojai, we know the back is injured. We know he's banged up.

There's the confidence level of starting Ajaii, but there's also the fantasy, you know, the fantasy owner wisdom of like, who do you stash that could benefit long term from a Jai's injury condition? So do you stash a Corey Clement on your bench? Is it Wendell's Smallwood? What is it Darren Sproles? Yeah, I made this decision again because I was wanting to stash one of these guys. I took my stash with Corey Clement because...