Fantasy Football 2017 - Starts of the Week + Week 6 Matchups

because Lane Johnson was able to push his suspension down the road. Then he went out in things, they really collapsed there late or in midseason for Carson Wentz. Yeah, we don't know if that was because of Lane Johnson or maybe his arm got tired or whatever it was. But we'll find out more tonight, but it's just a risky, a risky start, which also has to impact and lower expectations for Alshan Jeffrey. Sure. And it's, it's Thursday night. Things are crazy on Thursday night.

But let's talk the rest of the matchups. Fantasy forecast. The Miami Dolphins travel to Atlanta, where the Falcons are huge favorites, 11.5 points. It's in the dome. Atlanta coming off of by at home, the highest implied point total of the week for a home team, for any team, but also their home, according to Vegas. So you start all your Falcons.

I think Devonthe Freeman is going to have a monstrous week. So as in you're saying, if you have Tavin Coleman play him with confidence? Yeah, I would be happy to play Taven Coleman. RB2 or Flex? Are you talking here? I think RB2. I think he's going to be a safe enough start this week. I expect the Falcons to just run the dolphins into misery. If Aaron Jones is playing with Ty Montgomery.

Would you play Aaron Jones or Kevin Coleman? I would play Kevin Coleman. I'm just more confident. I know what his role will be. We've seen it now for years, whereas Aaron Jones could definitely beat out Kevin Coleman without a doubt, or he could get the ball five times. Sure. Julio Jones should be back. He took that kind of the bad spill a couple weeks ago, but he's had some time to rest.

Taylor Gabriel, I love him in this matchup, so much that we were going to talk about him a little bit later. Yeah, I think Mohammed Sanoos gone. Yes. The tricky part of this game is the Dolphins. What do you do? Well, before we leave Atlanta, there's one other guy I want to throw out there because I do think that if you are in a pinch, you could start him, which is Austin Hooper. Okay. Austin Hooper actually led the team. Austin Deucer? Oh, man.

We're off to a bad start with these jokes. The bad jokes are going to continue until you just accept them. I like that one. Yes. All right. Yes. They've been accepted. So now you can stop. Although he blew it. He got more than two targets. Yeah. That's true. Austin Hooper had, I think, like, eight targets last week, led the team in targets, had five receptions, 50 yards. Two weeks ago.

Well, right. They were on by last week two weeks ago. But that happened because Julio and Sunu were out. And so they used him more than past catching roll. Julio's back. But Sunu is good. So maybe. And the matchup's pretty good against dolphins. So let's talk about these dolphins. The Falcons have only targeted the tight end 17 times. It would be fewest. But he did see the big uptick when every possible option for Matt Ryan was gone. But there certainly could be something there.

The Miami Dolphins, my goodness, they've averaged 10.3 points a game. That's the worst. And I'm not just saying that's the worst. I'm just saying that is the worst. Yeah, that's not, it's just how in today's NFL? How do you average 10 points? What's the craziest, the craziest part about that. The absolute most insane part is not only are they only averaging 10 points, but seven of those points.

came in a game when they were down 21-0 with six seconds left to go in the game, and they had to call a timeout to get a last second garbage time touchdown. It was not. It was the right thing to do, Jason. It was the right thing to do. Yeah, their offense has been putrid, horrific. Okay, so Jay Ajai. I'm starting Jay Ajai. He's got, he's getting the volume. So you're, you're a full start on him, Jarvis Landry. He's been targeted almost 11 times a game. So I think you're, you're safe there. Devante Parker, dealing with the ankle injury. Will he?

Won't he? That's what people are asking. Right now, I lean that he will not. I lean that he's not going to play. We'll have much more information as the week goes on. I've had a lot of people going, why is he so low in your rankings? It's because I currently don't expect him to play. I'm trying to let you know, find another option. If he does play, I think he's a good play. There's going to be a lot of points put up. The dolphins are going to have to throw the ball. You know, you don't know.

Truffant is he going to be, you know, he doesn't really always shadow a guy. So I think, I think Devante Parker is okay if he plays, but I don't expect him to. Bears, Ravens, the Ravens are at home and they're favored by nearly a touchdown, a 40 point over under. Jason, what are your storylines for the Ravens versus the Bears? The storylines here are, the main one for me is that the,

Baltimore Ravens, I think their offense is starting to get it together. That's my main one as well. And so if Joe Flacco can move this team a little bit more, just get back to being an average NFL quarterback, which he's always been. He is the averages of the elite. No, he's, I, yeah, I mean, I've heard that argument, but I just have never believed that Joe Flacco is. I'm referring to Joe Flacco, never mind. You're not in on that, the whole.

Is Joe Flacko elite talk? No, no, because he's not. There's a lot of pieces that I really like. I am okay starting Jeremy Macklin. I don't love him. Really? Look, his targets have still been there, and the bears don't scare me. They're at home. I am okay starting Jeremy Macklin. I'm not in love with it. I am in love with starting Buck Allen. We'll talk about him later. He's my start of the week. Sure.

Anyone else that you're actually going to start, though, from Baltimore? Mike Wallace, back-to-back, pretty big games, but on very low volume, he's just hitting on those huge plays. Yeah, I'm not starting Mike Wallace, can't rely on those few of targets. I would be willing to throw Alex Collins in if I had a bi-week issue, and, you know, he was the best option out there. On the bear's side of the ball, are you starting anybody?

I mean, obviously Jordan Howard is a start every single week because he has running back one upside. He would have been an RB1 had the refs not gotten involved the way that they did last week. I mean, I'll play Zach Miller just based off of the usage and the tight end landscape. Yeah, in the way that Mitch Trubisky played. I mean, he looked, he looked okay. He looked okay, but.

Baltimore's secondary is as good as it gets in the league. So Mitch Trubisky is going to have a really difficult time, I think, going to Baltimore, moving the ball. They're going to need Zach Miller. He's the only other pass catching guy. Basically, you've got Jordan Howard and Zach Miller, Zach Miller in a pinch that you can start. I'm not starting to Rick Cohen. I don't want... We've moved there. Yeah, I don't want anything to do with him. I...

I don't think you can trust Kendall Wright against the Baltimore cornerbacks. So very few pieces there. If you hang, if you hung on and trusted the Ravens through those couple two debacles, you've been rewarded now, the great matchup against Oakland, gets this great matchup against Trevisky. The defense. The Ravens defense. Yes, the DST. Next week, they get the Vikings with presumably Case Keenum. Then they get the dolphins after that. So you have the Ravens.

Hold on to them. Keep rolling them out there. All right. The Browns and Texans next up, before we talk about them in depth, I want to make sure everyone is aware of what's going on with our studio sponsor, Draft. This week is a huge week for Draft. If you haven't yet gone to Draft.com slash Ballers, it downloaded the app and played on draft. We play it every week. We've got it on the show every Friday. It is a blast, but it's a huge, huge week. It's the biggest week ever.

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You can use the promo code ballers. Save 10%. We'll save 10%. Let's move to the next game. The Browns take on the Texans. It is in Houston. The Texans are favored by nine and a half points. We're talking a 46.5 point over under. It is we've, we've gone through three matchups now. And this is not very inspiring. No, no. We, we, uh, we're starting at the bottom and we're going to work our way up.

Got to climb the ladder. Although, you know, Atlanta. Atlanta was all systems, I guess. But then you don't talk about it. They're so good. It's just like start everyone from Atlanta. Here in this game, obviously biggest storylines to Sean Watson. Great matchup. You know, as I was like statting the players out, I still want to kind of not believe into Sean Watson. I'm like, all right. I'm going to give them like just over 200 yards.

and one touchdown, probably one rushing touchdown, one passing touchdown. So it's like, you know, that just doesn't sound that great. And, you know, he'll probably get 40 yards on the ground because he, you know, he rushed. He ends up as my number five quarterback with like that, you know, when you rush, and I hate that quarterback rushing yards are worth so much more than passing yards. But that's the way fantasy football is. So you've got to start him unless you can preferably trade him in my world. I would love.

to trade him for a quality running back or a studly wide receiver because I think you're going to be able to replace Deshaun Watson. He's got a tough matchup next week and a buy week coming up. So, yeah, that's how I feel about him. What do you do with Will Fuller? Four touchdowns last two weeks. You buying in? We talked about this. I think was it a 32 touchdown pace if he played 16. Yeah, I would take that.

This is, I mean, it's like Mike Wallace. I mean, you're just, you're counting on this big play. Now it's come through two weeks in a row four times. I mean, we, the beginning of this show, we talked about looking at your, your opposition's lineup. If you need juice, then I'm okay flexing Will Fuller, but he, that's all he is to me at this point. A high upside. You can't count on two receptions for two touchdowns.

But he is, I will say this, he is the number two wide receiver for Deshaun Watson. Like, he's clearly established that role now. And if Deshaun Watson finishes the year as, you know, a top 10 quarterback, he probably will produce too. So it is tough because the targets aren't there. The volume isn't there. But the offense is there. Now, in this matchup, you've got, the Cleveland Browns are usually a team that you think of as you're going to run on them nonstop.

This year hasn't really been the case. Surprisingly, they are giving up so many points to the quarterback, but they're holding the running backs and check, and they've come up against some pretty darn good ones. So Lamar Miller, he's still, he's still a must start. His volume is great. He's getting involved in the passing game, even more with Deshaun Watson under center. He's, Lamar, I think Lamar Miller is not getting talked about enough.

Since the change in the offense and now you've seen things clicking for Houston, all the Lamar Miller haters, I'm not hearing anything. I'm not hearing from them. That's because you sit next to a Lamar Miller truth. I know. I know. I kind of hold on to your cape as you soar through the Lamar Miller clouds because I like him. I think that he was worth drafting. And Deonti Foreman is just a handcuff at this point. Is there any kind of world where you would start Foreman?