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Derek Carr, Latavius Murray, Amari Cooper Post-Week 10 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
November 15, 2015

The Oakland Raiders lost at home, 30-14, to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10, and fantasy owners with Raiders on their roster took a hit.

Derek Carr has been a solid fantasy play this year, but two interceptions soured what could have been a strong Sunday for the 24-year-old quarterback:

He has thrown 10 touchdown passes over the past three games and surpassed the 300-yard mark in each contest. Carr is worth a roster spot as a backup at worst, and consider him and his 21 touchdowns worth a start against lower-end defenses.

A matchup against the Detroit Lions in Week 11 is a good one, but after that, proceed with caution for two weeks.

The Tennessee Titans allow the third-fewest passing yards per game, and the improving Kansas City Chiefs held the Denver Broncos to 152 passing yards with five interceptions in Week 10.

Although he struggled against a middle-of-the-pack Vikings run defense in Week 10, Latavius Murray should still be considered a low-end RB1.

His 630 rushing yards trailed only Chris Ivory in the AFC heading into Week 10, and Murray’s 26 receptions add another dimension to his game.

A good matchup awaits Murray in Week 11 against the 30th-ranked Lions run defense. The Chiefs will be a challenge in Week 13, but the 17th-ranked Titans run defense won’t pose much of a threat in Week 12.

In other words, feel good about plugging Murray into one of your running back slots and chalk this up to a bad matchup for the Raiders.

Rookie Amari Cooper has already established himself as a good NFL wide receiver, and despite not scoring in Week 10, he is a solid WR2 play nearly every week.

While he will face some tough matchups in two of the next three weeks, he has shredded defenses for three 100-yard performances this year. Carr has been airing it out, throwing it Cooper’s way 31 times over the past three weeks.

Copper is on pace for 89 receptions this year, and with Carr looking his way lately, he could come close to approaching 100.

Like Murray, feel good about plugging him into a starting spot on your roster, as the top-scoring team in the AFC West should return to form next week.

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Edelman to have surgery on Monday

Fantasy Football, NFL News
November 15, 2015
InjuryBroken bone in foot

Julian Edelman will undergo surgery Monday for a broken bone in his foot, per source. There is hope he will return this season, per sources. (Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Nerdy Football Analysis: It’s been reported that Edelman broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot which is a similar injury that Dez Bryant suffered earlier this season. Bryant missed 7 weeks. In all likelihood, Edeleman’s regular season is over. Danny Amendola should see increased work and should be a high waiver wire priority in Week 11.

Jameis Winston, Doug Martin, Mike Evans Post-Week 10 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
November 15, 2015

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 10-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday was far from aesthetically pleasing, although fantasy football owners who were relying on wide receiver Mike Evans, running back Doug Martin and quarterback Jameis Winston at least received some solid yardage totals.

The Buccaneers managed to win the game despite two interceptions from Winston and a team-high 63 rushing yards from Martin (who boosted his value with four catches). Fortunately for Tampa Bay, Evans turned in a big day, and the defense kept the Tony Romo-less Cowboys in check.

Here is a look at the final outputs from Tampa Bay’s skill-position players as well as some reactions for each:

The yardage numbers were there for Winston, but the interceptions were costly. However, the most important development for fantasy owners was the rushing touchdown, which won the game and salvaged a lackluster outing.

It was only a rollout at the goal line, so don’t expect him to scamper into the end zone every week, especially since his season high in rushing yards is 24.

For fantasy purposes, Winston has flashed greatness at times (his 297 passing yards and two touchdowns against Washington come to mind), but he has been inconsistent. That is to be expected during his rookie campaign, which is what makes him a gamble in 2015.

He counts 10 touchdown passes and nine interceptions on this year’s resume, although he hasn’t thrown for a score since Week 8. Winston is a solid option if your normal starter is injured or on a bye, considering he has topped 200 passing yards eight times this year, but it will be a year or two until he is a must-start in fantasy circles.

Martin finished with a solid but unspectacular rushing-yard total, but the most important number for fantasy owners was the 18 carries. Martin had at least 19 carries in each of the prior four games until he notched a measly 11 in Week 9 against the New York Giants. That was partially because Tampa Bay was playing from behind, but it was a relief to see more touches Sunday.

What’s more, Charles Sims had only five carries against Dallas, and it was clear that Martin is the top back in Tampa Bay.

Martin hasn’t cracked 100 rushing yards in his last three outings, but he has reached the century mark three times this year and was fifth in the league in rushing yards coming into Sunday’s game. He even got involved in the passing attack against the Cowboys, and Luke Easterling of DraftBreakdown.com was impressed:

Martin tallied 1,454 rushing yards in his rookie season but failed to reach 500 in the next two injury-plagued campaigns. Fortunately for fantasy owners, he is healthy and producing this year and should be a lock to start heading into the stretch run.

Ever since Vincent Jackson left Tampa Bay’s Week 7 game against Washington, Evans has been a fantasy star. The latter had 164 yards and a touchdown in that contest, 150 yards in Week 9 and 126 yards Sunday.

More importantly for long-term fantasy projections, take a look at Evans’ recent target totals:

Even when Jackson comes back, Evans is a safe fantasy play. He topped 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and has developed some chemistry over the past few games with Winston. Look for those targets to keep coming Evans’ way, and he has the talent to parlay them into fantasy production.

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AFC Notes: Manning, Osweiler, Manziel

NFL News
November 15, 2015

The latest on some AFC quarterbacks:

  • Peyton Manning‘s dreadful 2015 season reached a new low Sunday when he completed just 5 of 20 passes for 35 yards and four interceptions in the Broncos’ 29-13 loss to the Chiefs. Head coach Gary Kubiak removed Manning from the game in the second half in favor of backup Brock Osweiler, but Kubiak took the blame for Manning’s poor showing afterward. Kubiak said that he “made a bad decision” in playing Manning, who entered the game with a rib injury (Twitter link via Troy Renck of The Denver Post). Kubiak added, “Peyton is our quarterback,” per Renck (via Twitter).
  • Osweiler was better than Manning on Sunday, completing 14 of 24 passes for 146 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But he doesn’t expect to parlay that into increased playing time. After the game, the fourth-year man echoed Kubiak and threw his support behind Manning. “Peyton is our QB,” he said, according to Renck (Twitter link). “We all support him 100 percent. I don’t expect to start.”
  • Browns head coach Mike Pettine will have a hard time taking the starting job away from Johnny Manziel and giving it back to Josh McCown after Manziel’s Sunday showing, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Though the Browns dropped a 30-9 decision to Pittsburgh, Manziel was impressive in completing 33 of 45 passes for 372 yards. In Manziel’s previous start, a 31-10 loss to the Bengals in Week 9, the second-year man hit on 15 of 33 throws for 168 yards. From at least a statistical standpoint, then, Manziel significantly improved this week. Pettine acknowledged as much, saying (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com), “He took a big step forward.”

<div>Charcandrick West, Jeremy Maclin, Travis Kelce's Post-Week 10 Fantasy Advice</div>

Fantasy Football
November 15, 2015

The Kansas City Chiefs did the impossible in Week 10: They vanquished Peyton Manning to the bench. They also got quite a bit of fantasy production from running back Charcandrick West.

Unheralded out of Abilene Christian, West continued his ascent to fantasy stardom Sunday by scoring two touchdowns and triple-digit all-purpose yards. It was his third straight game in triple digits and at least one score.

Things were a little less noteworthy elsewhere, as the Chiefs passing game stayed quiet in the blowout. Jeremy Maclin was held under 50 yards for the third straight game. And while Travis Kelce had his fourth straight game of five or more catches, he didn’t pick up much from a yardage perspective.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how the Chiefs’ top offensive stars fared in Week 10 and assess their statuses going forward from a fantasy perspective.

 

Charcandrick West

West’s an every-week start in all formats. We’re now a month into him being the full-time starter, and he’s had three good games and one bad. That’s the type of production you’ll take from any running back. West has topped 20 carries each of the last three weeks, is starting to get more integrated into the passing game and is playing on an offense that’s trending upward.

There really aren’t any downsides here. The Chiefs don’t have an obvious replacement on the roster and are having trouble deciding on a backup. Spencer Ware ascended to the second-string spot with Knile Davis listed as a healthy inactive, but he carried the ball only two times.

West has reached set-it-and-forget-it status.

 

Jeremy Maclin

Maclin‘s three-week breakout is over and is now starting to feel more like an anomaly than something to expect going forward. He has five games this season with less than 60 receiving yards and three with more. Given Alex Smith’s propensity for avoiding wideouts in the end zone, Maclin is a flex play in standard leagues and a low-end WR2 in points-per-reception formats.

By the end of the season, he’ll probably have something like 80 catches for 1,000 yards. How he gets there, however, is what makes him so difficult to own from a fantasy perspective.

 

Travis Kelce

Not much analysis needed here. Kelce‘s one of the most productive tight ends in any fantasy format, and his consistency makes him an invaluable piece. You’re not going to find a better option whose name is not Gronkowski.

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter

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