Fortune favours the bold…or the foolish. Fantasy football is all about hoping that you are one of these, as ultimately the result will be the same. It is for these reasons that occasionally it is necessary to take a stand, plant a flag and tie your colours to a mast. That is what I will endeavor to do in this article, while offering you some helpful advice that could tip the balance in your fantasy league this week. Without further ado…
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On Any Given Sunday, Remember the Replacements
Several NFL teams have been faced with the same decision that affects fantasy owners during bye weeks, namely “just who should I plug in at quarterback this week?” As it happens, there are quite a few backup QBs who will be entrusted with calling the signals this week, and I believe that at least two are worthy of your attention. With the likes of Drew Brees and Eli Manning on a bye, maybe one of these stand-ins could help you.
I will go so far as to predict that Mark Sanchez will put up top-10 quarterback numbers this week, as the Eagles take on the Buccaneers. Sanchez averaged nearly 300 yards passing in eight starts last season, and with Tampa allowing just under 25 fantasy points per game to opposing signal callers in 2015, his fantasy ceiling is very high this week.
The biggest enigma will be Brock Osweiler, with only the Broncos’ staff and his former OC Adam Gase truly knowing what he is capable of. With the Broncos’ ground game showing all the consistency of custard left in the sun, “Big Brock” may have to trust to his capable arm against a Bears’ defense in the middle of the pack in terms of generosity towards opposing QBs. While Case Keenum of the Rams is facing a Ravens’ team that has allowed more fantasy points to QBs than any other team barring the Saints this season, the paucity of offensive talent surrounding Keenum puts his fantasy floor so close to his ceiling that it’s essentially a crawl space.
To Be Frank, the Convenient Truth is That Gore is Going to Roll
With Andrew Luck out, the Colts turn their offense over to the veteran Matt Hasselbeck. A capable player over his long and distinguished career (he led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl before people supported Seattle), he is not going to be expected to come out all guns blazing and throw the ball all over the field. In Hasselbeck’s two previous starts this season, Frank Gore has carried the ball almost 20 times per game, and he is going up against a Falcons’ team that have been atrocious against opposing running backs this season.
Only the hapless Chargers have allowed more fantasy points per game to opposing running backs than the Falcons (just a shade under 24), and that’s why I believe Gore will put up top-tier RB1 numbers this week. The Colts have only had five 100-yard rushers since 2008, and none since the 2012 season. That number will rise to six this week. Gore could sneak into your lineup as a flex, but he’ll be worth an RB1.
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Neil Dutton is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Neil, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @ndutton13.