News and Notes

•  The Patriots beat the Jets 13-10 on Thursday Night Football, and while I didn’t see a single snap of the game the score indicates how ugly the game was. Tom Brady completed just 19 of 39 passes for only 4.7 yards per attempt. Stevan Ridley only averaged 2.5 yards per carry, and everyone’s favorite tight end sleeper, Zach Sudfeld, didn’t even dress. Despite catching 13 passes, Julian Edelman only gained 78 yards and made me rethink my love of PPR leagues. Anyways, he’s pretty much an every-week starter in most if not all leagues for the foreseeable future.
• Even with Geno Smith’s poor play the Jets managed to rush for 129 yards, 52 of which came from Chris Ivory on 12 carries and 48 of which came from Bilal Powell on 13 carries. Powell scored a touchdown and caught two passes for 22 yards, turning in his second straight performance worthy of a 12-team PPR-league flex start. He’s only owned in 34 percent of ESPN leagues, but with two solid games to start the season and Ivory’s injury history I think he’s definitely rosterable in a lot of leagues.
• In Week 1 Tampa Bay finished tied for 11th among D/STs in fantasy points in ESPN standard scoring, with nine points, against the Jets. Thursday, the Patriots recorded 15 fantasy points, which would’ve ranked tied for fourth in Week 1 D/ST scoring. Smith’s thrown four interceptions in his first two games and has been sacked nine times to begin his NFL career. There’s a severe lack of playmakers for Smith to throw to, so it’s going to be hard for the Jets to score this year. If you’re into streaming defenses, the Jets look like a good team to pick on. Their next three opponents: Buffalo, Tennessee, Atlanta.

DraftKings Running Back Recommendations

If you’ve never played on DraftKings before, you can get a deposit bonus by signing up. And there are different options to pick from at DraftKings for any skill level.

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Here are the rules for the different NFL games DraftKings offers, and I’ll go ahead and list the running back scoring settings here:

• 10 Rushing Yards = +1PT (+0.1PT per yard is awarded)
• Rushing TD = +6PTs
• 100+ Yard Rushing Game = +3PTs
• 10 Receiving Yards = +1PT (+0.1PT per yard is awarded)
• Reception = +1PT
• Receiving TD = +6PTs
• 100+ Yard Receiving Game = +3PTs
• Punt/Kickoff Return for TD = +6PTs
• Fumble Lost = -1PT
• 2 Point Conversion (Pass, Run, or Catch) = +2PTs

Expensive Studs

Reggie Bush – $7,300 – at Arizona – Bush put up 191 total yards last week, which is just nuts. He scored once and had another score taken away due to a penalty, I believe. Arizona only allowed 67 rushing yards and 2.8 yards an attempt last week to St. Louis, but Daryl Richardson ended up with 96 total yards. Bush will be all over the field Sunday and is a lock to go over 100 total yards again.

Matt Forte – $6,600 – vs. Minnesota – Forte had the seventh best day among RBs at DraftKings last week, and now he gets to face the Vikings, who gave up 45 fantasy points (in ESPN standard scoring) to running backs last week, which is by far the most given up to any opponent. Two of the backs who finished in front of Forte in scoring last week, Bush and Joique Bell, played against the Vikings so Forte should have a lot of fun this Sunday.

Reasonable Options

LeSean McCoy – $6,300 – vs. San Diego – McCoy’s 28 points last week against Washington were the third most by a running back in Week 1. Now he faces the Chargers, who gave up 120 rushing yards and 4.3 yards a carry last week, as well as eight catches for 40 yards to running backs. McCoy carried the rock 31 times, far and away the most by any RB last week, and even though he caught just one pass he always figures into the passing game. At $6,300 he’s a steal.

DeMarco Murray – $5,400 – at Kansas City – Murray averaged a respectable 4.3 yards a carry last week, and he ended up with 125 total yards and eight catches. He finished sixth in fantasy points at DK last week, too. The Chiefs defense is going to be pretty good this year, but Murray should be a good play this week, because, like McCoy, he’s always involved in the passing game. So even if the Cowboys fall behind he’ll be on the field a lot of the time and get a bunch of touches.

Cheap Contributors

DeAngelo Williams – $4,200 – at Buffalo – Williams’ 86 rushing yards on just 17 carries were the fifth most in week 1, even though he was facing a good Seattle defense. Buffalo gave up 220 total yards to running backs last week, and Shane Vereen, known more as a receiver out of the backfield than runner, put up 101 rushing yards on just 14 carries. If you go expensive at other positions, Williams is a very good cheap option at RB.

Eddie Lacy – $4,200 – vs. Washington – Washington gave up over 200 rushing yards on over five yards a carry last week, and while Lacy isn’t as explosive as LeSean McCoy he’s still a very good running back. After just four yards on five first-half attempts against San Francisco, Lacy put up 37 yards on nine second-half carries, scoring one touchdown. Lacy’s not involved in the passing game as much as the guys above him are, but, like with Williams, he’s one of the best cheap options out there.