Fantasy to Football

September 23, 2018 7:00 am EDT Mike Feature Comments Off on Fantasy to Football
Fifty Yard Line. Photo by Go Daddy.

Thursday Night Magic

So what happened in the Thursday night thriller in Cleveland? If you missed it, here are some highlights. The game started out with Tyrod Taylor QB Browns vs Sam Darnold QB Jets as the leaders of the two teams.

It did not end up that way. According to NBC Sports, at the end of the 2nd quarter Taylor went down with a concussion and would not return. This opened up the door for the much anticipated debut of the number one draft pick this season Baker Mayfield. With approximately 2:00 minutes left in the second quarter Mayfield stepped out onto the field to cheers from the crowd and even those of us at home could feel something different.

At the time Jets were leading 14-0 with two rushing touchdowns thanks to Isaiah Crowell RB Jets, and the corresponding extra points from Jason Myers K Jets, according to the scoring summery by bing.com. The next 17 minutes were all Mayfield and the Browns. With a turnover by fumble recovery and two field goals from Greg Joseph K Browns. A one yard touchdown run from Carlos Hyde with a two point conversion from Jarvis Landry to Baker Mayfield brought the game to a tie with 42 seconds left in the 3rd.

The Jets respond with a 12 play 65 yard field goal drive in the 4th making it a 17-14 game. Then with just over 2 minutes left, Mayfield orchestrates a 15 play drive with a one yard TD run by Carlos Hyde to seal the win for the Cleveland Browns. For video highlights on these top plays @ NFL.com.

Best Promotion Ever

During the Preseason Bud Light announced they were putting Victory Fridges around the city of Cleveland according to Business Insider. Each refrigerator was filled with approximately 200 aluminum bottles or cans of ice cold Bud Light. On Thursday via tweet Bud Light congratulated the Browns fans, and the Victory Fridges were opened in bars around the city.

The promotion spread through social media and around the city with anticipation of the teams first win. On Thursday thousands tweeted and posted videos of the celebrations taking place in bars around the city.

Even the police department got in on the action and found some humor in it.

Contrary to popular belief the fridges were not opened via Wi-Fi but just a standard chain and lock. However I don’t think it put any damper on the celebrations. Congratulations to the Cleveland Browns and all the fans.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

A full list of games this Sunday, from NFL.com: 

There are 10 early games on Sunday. Games like the Saints at Falcons, Packers at Redskins, Colts at Eagles or 49ers at Chiefs are just a few of the games to watch early. Games in the afternoon are Chargers at Rams, Cowboys at Seahawks and Bears at Cardinals with the night game of the Patriots at the Lions. 

Games that hold importance for teams that are 0-2, like Giants at Texans. With these teams starting out winless, is it too early to think about playoff implications of whether or not they could make it? Or the Bills 0-2 vs. Vikings 1-0-1, could the bill pull off a victory to improve their season.

Historically speaking, teams have made it to the playoffs after starting out 0-2, according to CBS Sports. Teams like 2017 New Orleans Saints, 2016 Miami Dolphins, 2015 Houston Texans and the 2015 Seattle Seahawks are all teams to start their seasons 0-2 and still make the playoffs. In 2007 the New York Giants started the season 0-2 and came back to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I do not think it is time to panic yet, ESPN reports since the 1990 league expansion 3 teams have made the post season even after starting 0-3.

The best game to watch this weekend in my opinion is going to be the offensive match-up between the Saints and the Falcons. Drew Breeze vs Matt Ryan and all the high powered, explosive tools at their disposal. I see this game as having a combined score in the 80’s.

Fantasy

Lets talk bye weeks. With only two weeks left before the byes start it’s time to look forward and see what match-ups you have. If you did not or forgot to look at bye weeks during the draft now is the time to pay attention. See who you have and who you do not have a couple weeks ahead of time.

Look at your opponents byes also. Do not wait till Sunday morning to try to make moves. Look who is available on the waiver wire. If there is a viable player that your opponent may need, get him first, even if it means dropping a player in your lineup.

I have dropped kickers and defenses and picked up players that my opponents need, just to drop them at the last second on Sunday morning before the deadline. Drop players in the last two minutes before the close of lineups, most managers do not refresh the screen and they won’t even see the player until it’s too late. Do not forget to pick up your dropped player so you can refill the slot. Fantasy Football is more like a game of Risk or Chess than it is Checkers or Tic-Tac-Toe.

Bold Predictions

This is my favorite part. This week’s bold predictions include the bold standout player in each game.

First prediction this week is that the Redskins will topple the Packers in a blowout 13-27. Adrian Peterson will rush for 125 yards and catch for another 75 with 2 touchdowns.

The Raiders will beat the undefeated Dolphins by a score of 38-21. Carr will throw for over 400 yards and rush for 50 more with 4 passing touchdowns.

How about the Titans beating the team that beat the Patriots last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yes, the Titans will beat the Jags and the bold prediction will go to the Titans defense. The defense will sack Bortles 9 times this week.

The Chargers will shock the Rams this week with a win 31-17. Bold player this week to watch is Keenan Allen WR with the Chargers who will catch 8 passes for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Last will be the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This game will end in yet another tie for the third this year and the only time a team since the early 70’s will have two ties in a single season. Bold player of the game will be DeSean Jackson WR Bucs with 10 catches for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns.

About the opinions in this article…

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