London Games; Ravens Home Losing Streak; Post-Season Baseball
Monday Night Football Snoozer
Denver hosted Indianapolis and it was a Touchdown-less affair as both defenses dominated and both offenses struggled to get any rhythm. The Broncos are struggling to get into a groove. Russell Wilson isn’t playing great, he isn’t really using his legs, and he’s making some bonehead throws. He is 2-18 in the Red Zone this season; they’ve had two games where they’ve gone 0-4 in the Red Zone. You almost have to TRY to play that poorly.
The Colts have a little bit of offensive upside, but they are struggling on the Offensive Line to keep Matt Ryan upright. The Running Back room isn’t exactly lighting it up either, and Jonathan Taylor was the first RB off the board in just about every fantasy league this year. Their defense is top tier which helps, and keeps them relevant in a really bad division in the AFC South. The Colts have kept a revolving door of veteran starting QBs over the last 6-7 years, and it’s not really working out.
This was just awful to watch. These offense’s are anemic and the defenses were the only real entertainment. The NFL was most likely thrilled to have a 12-9 barn burner for a MNF game. We would advise you to avoid watching either of these teams, unless you're a fan of one.
NFL Headlines
Trade Thoughts
Odell Beckham Jr. is being spoken about as an option for a lot of middling offenses around the league. He just tore his ACL in February, so the OBJ we’d see is almost certainly not 100%. That being said, a sub-100% OBJ is an upgrade to a lot of teams - looking at you Tampa, Green Bay, Buffalo, BALTIMORE and others.
Christian McCaffery is in the 2nd to last year of his contract and not getting the touches or targets. The Panthers are awful and might want to “Cash Out” while they can. He is being wasted by that offense. We disagree on value; Chris says a 2nd or 3rd and Tom doesn’t even think anyone really would trade for him.
David Montgomery will be a free agent at the end of this year, and they could get some value out of him. He would demand less of a trade value than McCaffery, and probably give you similar production.
NFL Week #5 Preview
London Game - Packers v. Giants - The good ol’ NFL is taking the circus to England, with winning teams! Aaron Rodgers and company are travelling to Wembley to take on Saquon Barkley and the Giants. This is some real star power in London for the NFL versus the typical matchups that get sent there.
The Giants are still not clicking and Daniel Jones isn’t what one would call “elite”. The defense has been playing well, and the run game is top tier, but there isn’t much more around them in NY. The Packers look to be figuring some things out and Rodgers is finding which receivers he can trust, and that’s a bad thing for ANY defense.
Green Bay is favored by 8, which befuddles Tom, but he’s still taking Green Bay and so is Chris.
Steelers @ Buffalo - The Bills are favored by 14 which is a little much. The Bills are dealing with a lot of injuries. The Steelers are just not good. The Bills should win, but not cover. Oh, and Fitzpatrick might win DPOY without TJ Watt, which is a big deal.
Chargers @ Browns - The Chargers should be able to handle the Browns but NIck Chubb is on fire, and the Chargers Run Defense is suspect. We’re both taking the Chargers though
Bears @ Vikings - Vikings are favored by 4.5 The Bears MIGHT get David Montgomery back,but Khalil Herbert is a great stash pick. The Bears are just terrible. We both think the Vikings win and cover, no surprise here.
Detroit @ Patriots - Monitoring St. Brown’s status is a big one. The Pats are a decent defense, but this Detroit offense is prolific so far this season. The Pats are also onto their 3rd String QB. Tom is taking New England, Chris is taking Detroit
Bucs @ Falcons - Brady & Co. are on a 2-game skid here, but the Bucs have looked better overall. Atlanta is playing better than expected, but the Bucs are still favored. We’re both taking Tampa here.
Dolphins @ Jets How’s Tua’s Back? It was a back injury, right? We’re both taking Miami - even without Tua.
Titans @ Commanders - Tennessee is favored by 2.5, which is disrespectful because the Commanders could be the worst team in football. It’s not just Wentz, the team is not great. We’re both taking th Titans
Texans @ Jags - Jacksonville is favored by 7, and that’s reasonable…maybe. They both aren’t very good but we’re both taking the Jags to win
Seahawks @ Saints - The Saints are favored by 5 with Andy Dalton and no M. Thomas, it’s a little disrespectful to Geno Smith and the Seahawks who have been overachieving. We’re both taking the Seahawks for this one.
Cowboys @ Rams - Cooper Rush is starting again for Dallas, but the Rams are really struggling to find some consistency. The Rams can’t protect Stafford, and Dallas’ Defense is elite. We’re both taking the Cowboys away.
49ers @ Panthers - The Panthers have to be the worst team in football, even the Commanders can’t be this bad. Jimmy G would have to try to lose this game. We’re both taking San Francisco for this one.
Eagles @ Cardinals - Philly is favored by 5, and Chris is very confident for them. Tom thinks this is a trap game for them, and the Cards have been looking a little better on offense.
Bengals @ Ravens - The Ravens are favored by 3.5pts; this is a must-win for the Ravens. They have blown back to back double-digit leads at home, and lost 5 straight at home. This team has an identity crisis at the moment. Tom is taking Cincy, Chris is taking the Ravens.
Raiders @ Chiefs - A ton of offensive fire power on both sides for fantasy purposes. Josh Jacobs and the Raiders are starting to move run-heavy. The Chiefs are just filthy at the moment though. We’re both taking the Chiefs.
MLB Wild Card Weekend
American League
Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay - Game #1 - Shane Bieber was terrific and Ramirez hit the decisive HR, basically how they’ve been playing the entire season. McLanahan pithed really well, too, but he gave up the bomb and sometimes in the Playoffs, that’s all it takes. The Guardians take Game #1 and a lead in the short 3 game series
Seattle vs. Toronto - Game #1 - Toronto dropped a tough one and they could be in serious trouble. Gausman has to save the season tomorrow, after not winning with their horse in Manoah. Seattle put up early runs and chased him out of the game. The ride may yet continue for the Mariners
National League
Philadelphia vs. St. Louis - Game #1 - This game turned on its head without the aid of HRs. Philadelphia blew up in the 9th inning putting up a 6-spot to steal Game #1 in St. Louis. The Phillies don’t look great, but St. Louis needs to respond tomorrow.
New York (Mets) vs. San Diego - Game #1 - The Mets have plenty of storyline but the Padres are peaking at the right time. The lineup is still scary, and the pitching is picking up. We’ll see Yu Darvish vs. Max Scherzer, so this should be a really good game. The Mets limped into the playoffs after blowing a big division lead. They do get Starling Marte back though, so you never know.
College Football Headlines
Georgia Offensive Worries? - They’ve had some slow starts in recent weeks and some media concern has crept in, but they are still arguably the best team in college football, Ranked #2 at the moment.
OSU the Best Team in the Country? - They aren’t very flashy, but they are kicking heads in and CJ Stroud is clearly the best QB in the country, and looks the most “Sunday-ready”. Their O-Line is mauling people up front, and Marvin Harrison Jr. is a dude! They’re favored by 27 against Michigan St.
USC a CFB Playoff Team? They face Washington St. this week and are favored heavily. Caleb Williams is so much fun to watch. The Trojan’s defense gives up a ton of yards, but are opportunistic so this could be a house of cards. They might be the most innovative offense in CFB. They have a tough road ahead with ranked teams in the PAC-12 to go through.