It’s ALREADY Week 4 in the NFL. This sport always goes by so fast, so we better enjoy it while we can.
Week 3 was dominated by controversy with the new roughing the passer penalty that doesn’t allow a player to put his body weight on a quarterback.
Disregarding physics, the NFL felt this would be an easy rule to follow, failing to realize how difficult it is for a person to react and stop momentum in the heat of attempting to keep a quarterback from beating his defense down the field.
I hope the damn rule gets overthrown because it makes the league look bad. I understand wanting to protect quarterbacks, the most important position, but a defense can’t be afraid to prevent a team from scoring for fear of penalty.
Time will tell, but sometimes enough complaints can make change happen, so I hope the fans and the media keep it up as these penalties will continue.
Alright, now to Week 4 DFS instead of lumbering on.
We had a big casualty over the course of Week 3 – Jimmy G’s ACL.
It sucks that San Fran’s franchise QB is out for the season alongside fellow teammate Jerick McKinnon. Now they have to rely on C.J. Beathard, a mediocre college quarterback from Iowa, to shoulder the load. I am not certain he can throw 50 yards down the field without pressure. San Fran is likely going to be bad moving forward, unless they somehow acquire a midseason QB a la their Jimmy G trade a year ago.
This week in DFS is going to be interesting as we don’t have any games that truly jump off the page. There are a couple of games that have some decently high totals, but nothing that looks definitive. I think this will be a week to find that game that no one else is on in tournaments.
Other story lines to consider this week – Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen are both making their first career NFL starts. So with that, let’s segue to this week’s GPP picks.
QUARTERBACKS
Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns – $5,300
Analysis: Oh come on, of course he’s going to be here! But this isn’t a Johnny Manziel type of dart throw, this is a legit, cheap option with tons of upside and who is going to be a legit QB for this franchise. Oakland has allowed 258 yards passing per game this season, including 332 to the Dolphins last week. The Raiders don’t put pressure on the QB, and if they do, Mayfield can make something happen with his legs. He’s still a rookie, so there’s lots of potential for error, making him a tournament-only play for me.
Josh Rosen – Arizona Cardinals – $4,500
Analysis: The Cardinals’ offense is atrocious, thus Josh Rosen gets to be a jolt of energy. We don’t get a starting QB worthy of 2-3 TD upside at minimum price, but he is starting at home and gets to raise this offense out of the depths of hell. DJ and Larry Fitzgerald should make for some easy, short-yardage targets, too.
Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins – $5,500
Analysis: I just can’t recommend Tannehill for cash because he’s still Ryan Tannehill. But he’s cheap enough that volume and opportunity are worth the risk. Up against the Pats, who have allowed 406 yards of offense per game plus 25 points per game, Tannehill should be chucking it in a game where the Dolphins are likely to be behind.
Eli Manning – New York Giants – $5,600
Analysis: Excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. Typing the words Eli Manning make me nauseous. With that said, Manning and the Giants get the Saints, who have allowed 336 yards passing and 34 points per game through 3 games.
