Lucky for you, we have decided to cross reference the millions of 2022 and 2023 team names in our data base with the internet to come up with the most unique names for your fantasy team in 2023.
Trying to find a unique, clever team name for your fantasy leagues isn't easy. The internet has taken over and made it difficult to create or come across anything that your leaguemates haven't already seen. Lucky for you, we have decided to cross reference our data with the internet and come up with the most unique names for your fantasy team in 2023.
Friday Night with JSN Vorhees
Boutte Hole
Abanikanda Forever
The Great Bigsby
The Bryce is Right
Mingo was His Name-O
Get that Achane Moving!
Butt Looks Good in Levis
Is That a Chubb in Your Levis or Are You Just Happy to See Me?
Two's Company, Three's a Stroud
Poppin Charbonnet
Forever Young
I Gibbs Up
Jahmyr I Go Again
Devon A-Train
A Glass of Your Finest Charbonnet
Zay My Name!
Jamo and Ginger
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Double Downs
Mattison and Addison
Dude, You're Getting a Dell!
My Money Don’t Jiggle Jiggle, It Foles
Jameis’ Olave Lamp
Roschon's Johnson
Boutte Shorts
Hendon's Hooker
Stroudy with a Chance of Deep Balls
Bijan's with the Wind
Sean Tucker Must Die
Hill's House is Not a Mahomes
Pop That Charbonette and Boutte
Olave It When You Call Me Big Poppa
Kincaid and Blow
Let Bijans Be Bijans
Downs for Boutte
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Hookers Need Love, Too!
No Fucks Left to Gibbs
Pain Achane
Setting My Lineup On My Dell
Hookers and Boutte
Country Road, Take Mahomes
Fields of Dreams
Sleeping With Cousins
Steelers Cousins Carr
Baby Got Dak
Big Dak Energy
Mitch do my Landry
Wentz in a Blue Mooney
Saving Matt Ryan
Almost Jameis
For my sides, I’ll take Dak n Cheese and Pollard Greens
Tua Much, Tua Little, Tua Late
Trey Lance, Lance Refrigeration
Herbert the Love Bug
WentzTaShit
Jamarkansas BurrowStacks.
My Ex Kelce just Wants Mahomes
Dakstreet’s Back!
Quit Joshin’ Around
Kobra Kyler
50 Shades of Trey
Burks, where’s my Brown???
Pickett Lockett Polka Dotson
Pickens My Jockstrap
My Money Don’t Jiggle Jiggle, It Foles
Jameis’ Olave Lamp
Davante’s New Carr
Raheeming Up That Hill
Hill's House is Not a Mahomes
Olave It When You Call Me Big Poppa
Reach for the Skyy
The Bateman
Came in Like a Wrecking Hall
London Bridge
For Whom David Bell Tolls
Knight Ridder
Guice is temporary, Sauce is forever
Tua Hill and Back
A, B, CeeDee, F-You!
WaddleVision
🎶Wan'Dale, come back to me🎶
Three Little Boyds
Drake It Till You Make It
B-B-B-Breecy and the Jets!
This League's a Breece of Cake
Breece’s Peanut Butter Kupps
Breece Lightning!
Haley’s Kmet
Can You Diggs It?
Kupp Off!
How I Kmet Your Mother
CHRIS Is a GODWIN Healthy
Mumm-Ra St Brown
Hooked on a Thielen
Little Red Fournette
Only Fants
The Catalina Wine Mixon
All Barkley No Bite
My Nut Zach Ertz
Bear Force One
Shaquill a Mockingbird
Jake Fromm State Farm
A Strong Kupp of JuJu
Fresh Prince of Helaire
Dirty Landry
Batman and Dobbins
Etienne StrawBerrios GuiceCream
Nagy and the Ferocious Chiefs
"Josh Jacobs JuJu Schuster Smith", his name is my name too
I Ansah To No One
School of Dawson Knox
Waller If Ya Hear Me!
Montez Sweatin to the Oldies
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Too Kittle, Too Late
Hyde & Zeke
MeNajee a Trois
Make AmeriCam Brate Again
Yippie Kai Yai Justin Tucker.
It Ertz when I pee
Naa jee done(tae) chase(ing) us
Drop the Micah
Get Swifty
Cookies and Kareem
Charks and Beck(ham)
CeeDeeCee Guidelines.
Show Me the Mooney
Life’s a Mitch
Who Gives A-dams?
Lambskin Larges
Blocked by Ben Roethlisberger
Breaking news: Cleveland Twitter is all blocked by Ben Roethlisberger
— NeverDoubt🅰️B (@NeverDoubtAB) December 25, 2019
you heard it here 3rd Ladies & gentleman pic.twitter.com/t0RS7jhSOW
Always the Backup, Never the Bride
28-3 and Me
The Luckness Monsters
I’m Just Here so I Don’t Get Fined
Cayman Nebraska & The Urban Legends
I'm Dreaming of aCorrect Lineup
The Greatest Show on Paper
Sunday Shanahan-igans
Gronk if You Want to See My TD’s
Houston, We Have a Problem
Fantasy football is a great way to have fun with your friends and show off your football knowledge, but it's also an incredibly competitive game - and when someone comes in last place, they should be made to suffer the consequences! Here is a list of the best fantasy football punishments for last place, so you can make sure everyone knows who the real loser is:
Start a Fitness Page on Instagram and do a Post a Day for Three Months
Competing at a Hog Calling Tournament
Fantasy football punishments are unmatched @THNOfantasycast pic.twitter.com/eumU84oxiS
— Dean Blundell News, Sports and Podcast Network (@DBlundellNet) September 24, 2022
24 hours in a Waffle House
Shave Your Head
Let Your Leaguemates Chuck Rotten Fruit at You
Dye Your Hair
Wear an Electric Dog Collar While Your Leaguemates Control It
Shave Your Eyebrows
Drink/Eat Something Gross, Created by Your Leaguemates
Clean Everyone’s Car
Pay for Next Years Draft Party
Pay for the Championship Ring
Donate to a Charity
Wear the Loser's Toilet Seat to Dinner
Dress Up as Something Embarrassing and Parade Around in Public
Compete in a Bodybuilding/Bikini Contest
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Hold the “I Suck at Fantasy Football Sign” at an Intersection
Do Live Standup Comedy
Calendar Shoot Where Your Leaguemates Pick the Poses
Get Your Nails Done with Obnoxiously Large Sizes Before Going to an Event
Run a 5k Dressed in Business Casual
5k in business casual clothes. Yes that’s me and it was awful. pic.twitter.com/9TPywP2Q5a
— Austin Moskowitz 🆒 (@austintatious91) June 18, 2021
Go Streaking Through the Quad and Into the Gymnasium
Get a Humiliating Tattoo
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Do a Boudoir Photoshoot
Get Your Belly Button Pierced
Loser has to Start an OnlyFans and Can’t Shut It Down till They Earn $100
Take a Blowup Doll on a Date
Participate in a Drag Brunch
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So there you have it! The best fantasy football punishments for last place that will guarantee pain for last place. Get ready to suffer, Loser!
For more detailed ways to humiliate the loser in the league be sure to check out this breakdown of some of the funniest for fantasy football losers.
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The 2022 fantasy football playoffs are well underway, with many competing for supremacy and their league’s top award. Of course, if you don’t have an award yet, we have you covered with the best fantasy football trophies, championship belts, rings, and more. While the main focus is on the Championship Trophy, we should also discuss the funniest last place fantasy football punishments for the loser in your league.
It is not too late if you have not decided on a fantasy football punishment for your league’s loser. Below, we have organized some of the funniest last place fantasy football punishments you can adopt to shame the sucker in your group of friends.
Every year, fantasy football loser tattoos are some of the funniest last place fantasy football punishments, as long as you’re not the loser who has to get the ink. This punishment often goes the most viral online. It serves as a permanent reminder that you lost your league and will forever be hilarious.
One of the most fantastic fantasy football loser tattoos comes from Virginia Beach, where a back-to-back loser has to get a pizza tattoo with a d*ck on it. The best part is some of their leaguemates get in on the tattooing process themselves. With four members of the league with the tattoo now, they’re getting close to completing the entire pizza pie.
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The Drag Brunch punishment is fantastic if you are looking to shame your league’s last place finisher publicly. It’s a simple punishment, but it’s effective. Go out to eat, but your league’s loser has to wear a skirt, maybe some heels, or something else to bring as much shame to them as possible.
If you want to amplify it, bring them to an actual Drag Brunch and have them participate!
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TrophySmack has the best fantasy football awards for your league’s winner, but there are also awards and trophies for the loser as well. Get a classic toilet bowl trophy, or you can get a full toilet seat for the last place team to wear. With many hilarious options available as fantasy football punishments, check them all out today, and have your league’s loser even pay for it!
The dog collar fantasy football punishment is extremely funny, especially if you record it to post online later. Have your league’s loser wear a dog shock collar in public, then come up with places to go. You can have your buddy order some fast food while you shock them and see how everyone involved acts.
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Having your league’s loser spend 24 hours in a restaurant of your choice may not seem bad initially, but they are bound to eventually go crazy. This fantasy football punishment went viral a couple of years ago when someone spent 24 hours in a Waffle House, which sounds like a nightmare for many reasons.
While Waffle House may be the worst of the restaurants to choose, they aren’t everywhere. Simply pick a restaurant that’s open 24 hours.
I am coming to you live from a Brandon, Mississippi Waffle House. I, a total loser, came in last place in my fantasy football league. As punishment, I spend 24 hours in a Waffle House. Every waffle I eat shaves an hour off the clock. It’s 4:07 Central. pic.twitter.com/oRugzU7rQT
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
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This column has its ups and down. It makes sense, given the nature of the column is betting on players the industry is down on for a particular week. But I still never want to see a terrible performance as I had in Week 12.
The failure in Week 12 is what makes Week 13 so sweet. We followed up the first 0-4 column with four perfect predictions. All of our dumpster dives finished in the top 12 at their position.
The proverbial clean sweep to wash the awful taste of the previous week out of our mouths. Let’s see if we can do it again after we recap the week that was!
Goff goes off!
Jared Goff finished as the QB4 on the week after throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns with no picks. Not a bad return for a guy ranked as the consensus QB20. Unfortunately, one of our fades had to be among the three quarterbacks who outscored him.
Betting against Geno is never smart; we will take that as a lesson learned.
Touchdown or Bust
We told you in the column: all Zeke does is score touchdowns. Getting in the end zone is what he did again this week on his way to an RB9. Elliott, the consensus RB18 on the week, and teammate Tony Pollard ran wild on the Colts last week. Unfortunately, Tony Pollard, not Zeke, got the extra touchdown leading to another three-for-four lineup advice call.
Second Option
Just as we predicted, AJ Brown overshadowed teammate DeVonta Smith. However, Smith’s performance was still good enough for a WR11 finish. Smith continued to grab targets with Dallas Goedert out, and the consensus WR25 turned eight targets into 102 yards and a TD.
Just Get In the End Zone
In an incredibly messy week for tight ends, consensus TE20 Evan Engram put up 14 PPR points—good enough for TE4 on the week. He was only .8 points off the top spot. Five catches for thirty yards and a touchdown is hardly a massive week, but it is the best we can expect for this wasteland of a position.
So there you have it, four top 12 finishes on the week. I can’t blame you if you didn’t tail these picks after a particularly awful Week 12, but I appreciate all of you still riding with us, and I hope this helped lock up a playoff spot or some DFS cash.
Let’s look at where we stand heading into Week 14.
Trophy Winning Sleepers Record Going Into Week 14:
Top 12 Finishes - 20-33
Lineup Advice - 133-80-1
Not bad at all for the season. But we are only as good as our next picks, so let’s get to another bye week depleted slate and see what we can pull out of the dumpster to lead you to that championship belt!
Sleepers In a High-Scoring Affair for Week 14
Ryan Tannehill is coming in at consensus QB17 despite facing a Jaguars defense that is 26th against opposing quarterbacks. Before an awful week against an outstanding Philly defense, Tannehill had been serviceable for three straight weeks—all you can ask for with six teams out on bye.
Sure, Derrick Henry will get his, but his production could come from the screen game. He is just one week removed for 79 yards receiving, so King Henry could drag Tannehill to a top 12 finish.
I suggest putting Tannehill in over Tyler Huntley, Trevor Lawrence, Kyler Murray, and the trash-bag quarterback in Cleveland.
Jumping Ship On Sleepers for Week 14
Seriously, Jeff Wilson Jr has been fantasy gold before getting shut down by an excellent San Francisco defense, and now he is ranked as the RB22. In Week 14, he faces a Chargers front seven who ranks 31st against opposing running backs despite inferior matchups. Wilson is a smash play of all smash plays based on recency bias. We love exploiting sleepers in these scenarios, especially in a bye-riddled Week 14.
Give me Wilson over Dameon Pierce, James Conner, Latavius Murray, and Najee Harris.
Choo-Choo! Hop On the Hype Train
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Man, this Cowboys team has been fun to watch since Dak Prescott returned. In Week 14 they get the Houston Texans in a game that is over before it starts. Now sure, playing passing game players in what should be a blowout is always scary, but this value was too good to pass up.
Michael Gallup is coming in at WR34 on the week despite seeing 15 targets in the past two weeks and looking ridiculous in the process. Give me Gallup as one of my sleepers to have top 12 numbers in Week 14 before the end of the 3rd quarter.
I’d play Gallup over DJ Moore, Gabe Davis, Adam Thielen, and Mike Evans.
Play Your Sleepers Against the Cardinals—Especially in Week 14
That’s all I need to see when picking one of my sleepers at tight end in Week 14. The Cardinals cover tight ends worse than the quarter zips I used to wear to middle school to cover up hickeys (not sure if those are still a thing, but look them up if you have to, kids—but don’t do it, it’s weird.)
Anyway, Hunter Henry is the guy you want here. He is coming in at TE19 despite the dream matchup and ten targets in the past two weeks. Couple that with a Jakobi Meyers injury; this is the fantasy gold you want at the position.
I expect him to smash his rankings and easily outscore Dawson Knox, Evan Engram, Mike Gesicki, and Tyler Conklin.
Week 14 is critical, as it represents the end of the regular season for most of us. So let’s avoid wearing the Toilet Seat and go hunting for Championship Rings!
And to all of you who have made it this far, thank you! Honestly, I just need your clicks for my boss to be happy, but you went the extra mile and read this nonsense. For that, I am very appreciative. I hope it leads to a few victories!
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As we come to the home stretch of the fantasy regular season, the injuries are piling up, and finding suitable sleepers is becoming more critical. This entire season we have given you players who no one else believed in or wanted to put in their starting lineup. Now with the final stretch starting in Week 13, we will get you those deep sleepers so you can hoist the Championship Trophy.
Unfortunately, our Week 12 results would have led directly to the Toilet Seat. It was just an awful performance across the board that led to our worst outcome on the season. But we keep the same energy with our wins and losses, so hold your nose as we recap the week that was.
When Ron Rivera was asked what Taylor Heinicke was doing to earn the starting role, he said winning. Unfortunately, fantasy managers feel the opposite after another mediocre performance from the Commanders quarterback. Heinicke finished at QB26 for the week and didn’t outscore any players mentioned in the lineup advice.
Scary enough, that isn’t even the worst call of the week.
Jonnu Smith failed to register a target on the week, while Hunter Henry had himself two touchdowns (I refuse to hear a word otherwise). Obviously, he didn’t outscore anyone in the lineup advice since he didn’t score.
Devin Singletary finished at RB36 on the week with only 9 PPR points. He also failed to outscore three of the four running backs mentioned in the lineup advice section. If that wasn’t bad enough, one of those mentioned was Miles Sanders, the RB2 of the week. Just a gross result.
But wait, there’s more!
Darius Slayton was our best call of the week, just narrowly missing two touchdowns, but this isn’t horseshoes or hand grenades, so his almost game resulted in WR55. Unfortunately, he only outscored one of the names mentioned in the lineup, so he continues the worst week of the season for this column.
Well, that didn’t feel good, but transparency is essential in this game. Victory lapping makes while ignoring misses is a weird energy and we take a good look in the Loser’s Mirror every time we need it. Let’s just learn from it and come back stronger with our Week 13 sleepers.
Let’s take a look at where we stand for the season.
So which players will win us the Title Belt in Week 13?
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Jared Goff finally looked in early-season form, putting up a decent showing against a tough Buffalo defense. Things should be much easier in Week 13 with the Jags in town for a showdown of completely inept secondaries.
I like both quarterbacks to put up points, but since Trevor Lawrence doesn’t qualify for this column, give me the consensus QB20 to outscore higher-rated Tom Brady, Marcus Mariota, Aaron Rodgers, and Geno Smith.
Zeke Elliott showed flashes of his old Salvation Army kettle-hopping self on Thanksgiving. In Week 13, he gets a nice matchup against the Colts, who are 19th in points allowed to opposing running backs.
Fun fact: Zeke has six touchdowns in his last four games played. A healthy Zeke gets fed every week, not just on holidays.
Zeke comes in as the consensus RB28 and should smash that this week for a top 12 finish.
Give me Elliott over Jeff Wilson Jr, Miles Sanders, Dameon Pierce, and teammate Tony Pollard as my Week 13 sleeper at running back.
AJ Brown’s former team is awful at defending the pass but stout against the run. So while Brown will show the Titans what they are missing, DeVonta Smith should also go to town. In the past three weeks (with Goedert out), Smith hasn’t seen fewer than eight targets in a game and gets the 31st team against opposing wide receivers.
Give me the consensus WR25 in a smash play ahead of Mike Evans, Chris Olave, Deebo Samuel, and Amari Cooper.
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At tight end, we are looking to avoid goose eggs and are looking no further than Evan Engram to get in on the scoring in the Jaguars-Lions shootout. Lawrence seems to look Engram’s way every other week, and he’s coming off a one-target game. The Lions are 29th in points allowed to opposing tight ends, and Engram should actually be a decent play this week.
I know, I even surprised myself with that sentence, but here we are.
The consensus TE20 outpaces Greg Dulcich, Taysom Hill, Dawson Knox, and Logan Thomas on his way to a top 12 finish!
Finally, we get a rest from bye weeks. Week 12 is a full slate of games, including a triple header on Thanksgiving. Football heaven is amongst us, with a food coma nap in the mix. We are not the same if this isn’t your favorite week of the year.
So throw on some elastic waistband pants, and let’s dive for Week 12 sleepers!
As always, let’s quickly look back on the week before we move on to the main course. It was a mixed bag of results (per usual, I guess), with two top 12 finishes, a mediocre performance, and a downright disgusting showing.
Aaron Rodgers was far from great, but he was serviceable. Let’s call him the mashed potatoes of the week, as he gets the job done but is hardly a star. The consensus QB16 came in at QB12 in Week 11 and outscored three of our four lineup suggestions. It’s a solid result but hardly Hall-of-Fame worthy.
Luckily, we don’t have to cheer for Rodgers as a Week 12 sleeper. Rooting for him felt more disgusting than my Thanksgiving mornings in college when I would wake up after ripping up my hometown with the degenerates from high school.
David League Winning Montgomery should be his full legal name. Monty finished as the RB6 for the week while besting three of our four lineup calls. The high level of production is what we love to see.
It is like great stuffing on the plate covered in gravy, you love to see it, and it never disappoints!
The consensus RB21 got it done both in the running and the passing game. Just a great all-around showing!
Tyler Boyd went three quarters without a catch. Joe Burrow was a mess trying to throw him the ball, which almost led to a catastrophe of a week. Two big catches in the fourth saved the ultimate embarrassment but still not what we wanted to see.
I can’t even blame the refs this time—no touchdowns, just not a good game. But luckily, three of the four players we mentioned in the lineup advice sucked worse. So at least, we have that going for us.
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Rather than talking about how awful Tyler Conklin was (because of how terrible Zach Wilson was), let’s get one thing straight: good cranberry sauce comes from a can and has lines on it.
Don’t accept anything less.
I know that your aunt is quirky and likes to make things on her own, but tell her to stick with crafts that she tries to pressure her Facebook friends to buy and to stay away from the side dishes.
Three of four lineup calls outscored Conklin after Conklin only had two catches. I would be more pissed at him if I wasn’t so focused on the damn cranberry sauce situation. But safe to say both suck, and you deserve better.
So with that performance, let’s see where we are heading into the holiday weekend!
As steady as they come across the board, but we are due a boom week! So Week 12 sleepers have to be it, as I need something football related to be thankful for!
Dang, that is a lot of benchings. But even I am not crazy enough to recommend Mike White, Kyle Allen, or Bryce Perkins.
Hell no.
For our Week 12 sleepers at quarterback, we are going with newly crowned starter (and column favorite) Tyler Heinicke to light up the Atlanta Falcons. Fortunately for Heinicke, their secondary is trash, as they are 25th against opposing quarterbacks.
The Commanders new leader hasn’t had a great go of it lately, but this is the perfect matchup to snap out of that funk and put up some numbers.
Give me Heinicke over Trevor Lawrence, Jacoby Brissett, Daniel Jones, and Dak Prescott on Thanksgiving.
Just like pumpkin pie, this running back will make you happy as hell this holiday. Devin Singletary finally has what he has needed all along, red zone carries. With Josh Allen nursing that elbow, the consensus RB26 is finally getting those high-value carries and should cash in against the Thanksgiving punching-bag Detroit Lions in Week 12.
Give me Singletary over Miles Sanders, Najee Harris, Tony Pollard, and Zeke Elliott.
Who is left standing as a pass catcher for the Giants? Darius Slayton, and that’s about it. Seriously, the rest of the team is either hurt or Kenny Golladay. It is gross.
So expect the consensus WR38 to put up top 12 numbers this week in a huge divisional matchup with the Cowboys.
Slayton should get the nod over Courtland Sutton, Garrett Wilson, Gabe Davis, and Brandon Aiyuk.
Jonnu Smith has been left for dead by fantasy managers ever since joining the Patriots, but there is finally a reason for optimism as the coaching staff finally remembered he is on the team.
Now sure, he just flat-out dropped a football last week trying to switch hands, but he isn’t used to holding a football lately. So expect better this week as New England puts up some big points on this wounded Vikings team.
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The consensus TE23 should outpace fellow tight ends Noah Fant, Hayden Hurst, Austin Hooper, and Foster Moreau this week!
It can be an overwhelming task trying to find good fantasy football advice. There is so much information out there these days that it can be hard to know what is worthwhile and what isn’t.
That’s where I come in.
Every week for the rest of the season, I will tirelessly compile the best of the best in print, sound, and social media. So make sure you follow, like, and subscribe to everything here and get these fine folks in your weekly rotation.
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The wide receiver landscape for dynasty-format fantasy football has been a roller coaster in 2022. Heading into Week 11, a lot has changed. Schuyler from JWB Fantasy has his latest Top 25 pass-catchers and tiers in this tidy little thread.
Crazy how fast the fantasy football dynasty landscape changes!
— Schuyler 🍳 (@TheFFBuffalo) November 16, 2022
TOP 25 WIDE RECIEVERS, who is missing? 🤔
Here's where my most recent ranking updates 👇🏼 Check the my reply tweet for where my tiers lie.@MyFantasyLeague @JWB_FF pic.twitter.com/vqK6Lj4O2e
Of course, we all take this game of fantasy football seriously, and we can be hard on ourselves when things don’t go our way. However, this isn’t a game of exacts. So don’t beat yourself up too much, and check out this fantastic thread from Football Guys’ founder Joe Bryant.
🔷 1. It's not a game of perfect.
— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) November 14, 2022
The reality of predicting fantasy football is there will be misses. It's life.
Winning fantasy football is not about making perfect predictions.
Winning fantasy football is about making better predictions than the people in your league.
Trading in fantasy football isn’t an exact science, but there are some things you can do to make it easier on yourself and your league mates. Don’t be a jerk. Don't be greedy. Listen to John Bosch.
When you send an offer send an offer that is your FINAL offer
— 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙱𝚘𝚜𝚌𝚑 (@JohnBoschFF) November 17, 2022
When you get an offer that’s right just accept it.
Quit with the start low and require a counter BS to get to the right offer. It’s a waste of time.
Some might call Mike Faiella the Sleeper King, while others call him the most intelligent man in the world. We here at Trophy Smack just call him Mike, and his latest offering, “Trophy Winning Week 11 Sleepers,” is here! So put some respect on Mike’s name just like he does with his brilliant Week 11 advice on sleepers. Check it out right here.
https://www.trophysmack.com/blogs/smackzone/trophy-winning-week-11-sleepers
The struggle is real when making start/sit decisions for your fantasy football lineups. Right now, it’s as important as ever as you push toward earning that championship hardware. With bye weeks afoot and injuries continuing to pile up, Matt MacKay has his best bets for Week 11 in his latest article for Fantasy Data.
Are you looking for advice on that under-the-radar fantasy player to toss into your Week 11 lineups and propel you to victory? In his weekly “Studs, Duds & Sleepers article for Get Sports Info, Dan Clasgens has some hot plays to keep you on the path to title town.
Studs, Duds & Sleepers: Week 11 – Get Sports Info
Do you need help deciding who to start in your flex spot this week? Do you want to make a trade to strengthen your rosters ahead of the fantasy playoffs? Knowing the market value of players is paramount to both of these tasks, and Brendan Darr of 4 for 4 Fantasy Football has you covered with his weekly rankings.
Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings: Rhamondre Stevenson Ascending | 4for4
Did Cooper Kupp’s ankle injury sink your dynasty squad? Do you wish you could get your hands on a share or two of Cole Kmet now that he’s balling out? In the latest episode of the “Dynasty Nerds Podcast,” Garret Price and Rich Dotson break down what the events of Week 10 mean for your dynasty rosters moving forward.
It can take a lot of work to come by quality Individual Defensive Player (IDP) format content to help you keep those lineups clean. Luckily, Gary Van Dyke and Johny the Greek can’t get enough defensive end talk. So check out the latest episode of their “IDP Fantasy Football Preview” for Week 11 on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network.
Your time is valuable, and sometimes you don’t have much of it. Whether that’s the case or not, you should be listening to Fantasy Alarm’s “Cash It” with Howard Bender and Adam Ronis. The “one-stop shop” for everything gambling, DFS, and fantasy sports has everything you need to win some money and push towards victory in your fantasy leagues. This week, they talk fantasy football playoffs, late-season survivor pool picks, and more.
Are you looking for short, actionable advice on relevant fantasy football players to make sure you’re setting your best lineups for Week 11? Sleeper HQ’s newest project is just that, with a series of weekly player outlook YouTube Shorts giving you the information you need to keep on trucking toward championship glory!
Customize your turnover champ chain to rock around your neck & flex on your haters!
Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.
Man, I am still mentally recovering from a brutal Week 10. The injury bug has hit hard again, with Cooper Kupp, Dallas Goedert, and Khalil Herbert all heading to IR, essentially ending their fantasy season. The injuries have overshadowed some great football but brings even more value to these columns where people scramble to find replacements for that playoff push.
While we aren’t going to find another Kupp, perhaps a few more points from a sleeper will be the difference between the playoffs and the Toilet Bowl.
Before we give the trophy winning sleepers for Week 11, let’s recap last week’s extremely mediocre results for full transparency.
The Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett needed one more touchdown to produce a top 12 week for us. Just one more to glory, but it was not to be. After an early touchdown to Harrison Bryant, the Browns offense essentially stalled except for a big Nick Chubb run.
Unfortunately, Brissett finished as the QB16 on the week. He did, however, outproduce three of the four quarterbacks listed in our lineup advice section, so it wasn’t all bad—just an average performance.
Brissett wasn’t the only one who failed to put up points. Darnell Mooney struggled to find the end zone, finishing with a very pedestrian four catches for 57 yards on four targets. It was the Justin Fields and Cole Kmet show last week, leaving Mooney to only play a supporting role instead of being the star. He also failed to outscore three of our four lineup advice wideouts, so a pretty disappointing performance all around.
I love what the Bears offense is doing, but the skill positions have been a weekly crapshoot.
Meanwhile, Cade Otton made the most of his minimal targets, turning his three targets into three catches for 35 yards. Unfortunately the lack of volume led to a sub par performance. With Cameron Brate returning, Otton ran a fraction of the routes from previous weeks.
Finishing as the TE18 brings no one joy, and he only outscored two of the four lineup calls. Similar to the players mentioned above, decent but not great.
We told you both Miami running backs were great plays for Week 10, ultimately settling on Jeff Wilson Jr as the call. It worked out great as Wilson finished as the RB7 (with Mostert as the RB10, our first-ever double top 12 call.) He outscored three of our four lineup calls, only allowing a late touchdown by James Conner to surpass him. Wilson was a standout for the second week in a row and should remain a top 20 play for the rest of the season.
So with another 9-7 lineup week and a 1-3 top 12 play week, let’s look at those numbers going into Week 11.
Still keeping pace with our weekly numbers but we are due a smash week soon. Let’s see if we can make it happen for our Week 11 sleepers.
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I am not an Aaron Rodgers fan whatsoever. I once wrote a draft guide that simply said, “Not Aaron Rodgers, No Matter What.” It all started in 2014 when my unbeatable squad needed 7 points from the quarterback position. Well, you can guess what happened (and see how well I hold a grudge).
So while I have been enjoying watching him spiral in 2022, he seemed to find some of the old magic he’s shown early in his career. For the Thursday night matchup he gets a pathetic Titans secondary in Lambeau in a must-win game.
The consensus QB16 will easily outpace high-ranked quarterbacks Marcus Mariota, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, and Taylor Heinicke no matter how much I want him to fail.
The fantasy community (with the exception of my friend Beezy) loves burying David Montgomery every single year. Unfortunately, it’s a yearly tradition of incompetence that will show up again this year when he gets league-winning volume again now that Khalil Herbert is on IR.
Fields will get his, but the Bears are playing the lowly Falcons. There will be plenty of yards to go around in Week 11 for everyone—except for Kyle Pitts because Arthur Smith hates you.
The consensus RB21 should see your lineup over D’Onta Foreman, Miles Sanders, Jamaal Williams, and Devin Singletary.
What does Tyler Boyd have to do to get some damn respect? Thanks to the experts who put Boyd all the way down at 31 for making my job easy. Boyd and the Bengals get a Pittsburgh defense that is as soft as Charmin. I don’t even know what else to say; you play your wideouts against the Steelers. It’s easy money.
Boyd will crush the output of Diontae Johnson, Jakobi Meyers, Adam Thielen, and Joshua Palmer.
Don’t overthink this one!
Tyler Conklin went off against the Patriots two weeks ago for 79 yards and 2 TDs. I guess it seems smart to play him this week when he gets a chance to do it again. It’s not earth-shattering analysis, just common sense. Sometimes that is all I use to make decisions, and it kind of works.
Anyway, Conklin goes in your lineup over Dawson Knox, Gerald Everett, Tyler Higbee and Greg Dulcich.
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
I know what you are thinking, this seems like a cakewalk. However, we work smarter, not harder over here. Not clickbait or outlandish claims, just basic advice to help you win the Title Belt. That’s all we’re about. So let's dominate Week 11 with these sleepers and get ready for those fantasy playoffs!
]]>It can be an overwhelming task trying to find good fantasy football advice. There is so much information out there these days that it can be hard to know what is worthwhile and what isn’t.
That’s where I come in.
Every week for the rest of the season, I will tirelessly compile the best of the best in print, sound, and social media. So make sure you follow, like, and subscribe to everything here and get these fine folks in your weekly rotation.
If you rostered Colts running back Jonathan Taylor in fantasy football this season, it was likely in the first round of your drafts. His lack of production has been terrible, to say the least, and I’m sure you’re in pain. But folks, it’s been worse, as Mason Dodd will tell you from personal experience.
Anyone who says Jonathan Taylor is the worst 1st overall pick of all time...
— Mason Dodd (@MasonDoddFFN) November 7, 2022
Clearly started playing fantasy football in 2022
It’s no secret that PlayerProfiler brings the heat when it comes to fantasy football data and analysis. So in a new weekly thread for the Roto Underworld team, check out 21 key stats you NEED to know heading into Week 10.
🏈21 Key Fantasy Football Stats🏈
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) November 10, 2022
PlayerProfiler's Data Analysis tool gives YOU the ability to find advanced stats to help you to WIN in fantasy football.
A thread of interesting stats heading into Week 10🧵#nfl #football #fantasyfootball
Making trades in fantasy football is a challenging task. However, knowing trends and trade values can save you a lot of frustration and time trying to negotiate a deal. Alex has compiled all the data you need to see what a player is worth and help you make the best deal for your teams.
Reddit Adjusted Trade Value Chart - Week 10
— Alex - PeakedInHighSkool (@PeakedInHS_FF) November 9, 2022
🏈0.0 PPR (STD)
🏈12 Team, 1 QB/2RB/2WR/1Flex/1DST/1Kicker#FantasyFootball @MyFantasyLeague #NFLFantasy pic.twitter.com/wSaIVgmZ9A
Resident TrophySmack Sleeper Specialist Mike Faiella is back with another edition of "Trophy Winning Week 10 Sleepers." One of my favorite writers puts a smile on my face with his deep – but also, not so deep – tight end sleeper and a few more for your consideration.
Trophy Winning Week 10 Sleepers
It’s that time of year when dynasty managers are taking stock of their rosters and starting to look ahead to the next season. Of course, part of being prepared is loading your bench for off-season moves and your 2023 campaign. Andrew Hall has you covered this week with his Dynasty Fantasy Football Stashes for FantasyPros.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Stash Candidates (Week 10) | FantasyPros
As rough as the 2022 fantasy football season has been, we could all use a good laugh. This week, The Fantasy Gazette imagines how crazy Colts owner Jim Irsay could get with personnel decisions after hiring former Indy offensive lineman and ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday as their interim head coach.
Colts Hire Undefeated Fantasy Football Player As New General Manager
With bye weeks afoot and injuries continuing to pile up, streaming players has become the name of the game in 2022. Rob Norton has Week 10 streaming targets to get your lineups ready to go ahead of Week 10. Check out his latest “Week 10 Stream Team” for Last Word on Sports.
Week 10 Stream Team 2022: Jeff Wilson Jr., Terrace Marshall Jr., and More
Smart fantasy players always look at the week ahead to prepare for the challenges. This week, The Draft Sharks “Week 10 Preview” with hosts Matt Schauf and Jared Smola, break down what to expect and how to best prepare yourself to keep driving towards that championship trophy!
If you’re looking for actionable advice - and a good laugh while you’re at it - check out this Week 10 episode of the “Shall We Football” podcast. In-Between Media’s resident data analyst Scott Rinear joins hosts A.J., Ryan, and Colt Snody to break down Week 9, what to look for in Week 10, and some NFL gossip.
Are you looking to freshen up your fantasy rosters heading into Week 10? Alex Johnson has you covered in this week’s edition of ‘The Feed Me Fantasy Podcast” on the Yards Per Fantasy Football Network. This week he covers players you need to target and ones to leave on your bench.
Best Price Guarantee & 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!
TrophySmack is the ultimate destination for custom fantasy football trophies, baseball trophies, basketball trophies, and more.
This YouTube Channel is a no-brainer for some, but if you haven’t noticed, Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life is quickly becoming a favorite go-to for league-winning fantasy advice. Their YouTube channel is new (-ish), but it’s already on fire with content from Dwain McFarland and friends. Subscribe now so you can tell all your friends you knew of them first!
Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.
Hey! Yea you. It’s safe to come out now. The Bengals are on a bye, so Joe Mixon can’t hurt you anymore.
I don’t know what in the name of our Lord and Savior Tony Romo got into Joe Mixon, but his performance in Week 9 was an all-time show. There was nothing you could do but watch and pray you weren’t playing against him in many leagues.
Mixon was the Week 9 storyline. Sure, there were nice games from Austin Ekeler, Davante Adams, and Justin Fields, but Mixon was the star.
So, how did this column do last week? Not so great.
Let’s recap the week that was before dropping some Week 10 gold!
I knew Ryan Tannehill was dealing with an ankle injury when I wrote the column, and I knew it was a late game. However, he traveled with the team and went through warmups, so I thought we were safe.
Nope, it was another Malik Willis mess of a game.
So why not pivot? Well, by the time it was official, there was no quarterback I could say was worth starting. Sure, it means the numbers look bad as we take an 0-4 for the position, but I’ll never recommend a player I don’t think could finish in the Top 12, and I knew the remaining guys weren’t getting it done.
It happens, and we move on from it. Add Mike Vrabel to my Matt Ryan hate list for ruining my quarterback heater.
The touchdown machine finally ran out, and Jamaal Williams gave us an average day, scoring double-digit points in PPR thanks to a two-point conversion. That was good enough for RB22 on the week and a 3-1 record on lineup advice. He didn’t win your matchup but didn’t lose the week for you, either.
Tyler Boyd scored a touchdown. It may not show in the box score, but it happened. Zac Taylor even threw the flag because it was apparent he scored, and somehow, the refs still didn’t overturn it. So thanks to the incompetent officials, we had a single-digit PPR week and only a 2-2 record in lineup advice; not what we are looking for in this column.
Noah Fant came in and saved our week! It was a close call with Fant as he needed a 50+ yard catch late to secure a top 12 spot, but he got it done. Fant finished as the TE7 on the week and had a clean sweep on the lineup advice. While it doesn’t negate the rest of the column's misses, it feels good to produce some benefit each week and stay above .500 on the lineup advice.
Customize your turnover champ chain to rock around your neck & flex on your haters!
So let’s look at where Week 9 leaves us heading into the Week 10 slate.
Week 9 wasn’t spectacular, but still decent numbers overall. So let’s improve our advice this week with some smash sleepers for Week 10!
Quarterback was a tough call. On the one hand, we have a Miami defense giving up a ton through the air, but on the other hand, we have a quarterback who hasn’t thrown a road touchdown since Week 1. So something has to give; obviously, you know which way I am betting.
I expect a high-scoring affair in the Browns at Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa and the high-powered Miami offense will force Brissett to pass in one of his final starts of the year.
I expect the consensus QB19 to have a day and outscore Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, Dak Prescott, and Jared Goff.
Jeff Wilson Jr jumped into the Mike McDaniels offense like he has been there all year. Spending his past few years in the same system likely helped, but Wilson even out-snapped current starter Raheem Mostert. Now, Wilson gets the soft Browns defense and will show the 49ers they made a mistake giving him up for next to nothing.
Expect Wilson (and Mostert) to have great days against the 28th defense against opposing running backs.
The consensus RB25 outscores David Montgomery, Cordarelle Patterson, D’Andre Swift, and James Conner on his way to a top 12 finish.
Justin Fields looks like a world-beater all of a sudden, and he’s been trying to bring early-season bust Darnell Mooney with him. Over the past four games, Mooney has been averaging almost eight targets a game and gets a Detroit defense who ranks 29th in points allowed to opposing wide receivers. With the Lions concentrating on keeping Fields from beating them on the ground, look for Mooney to get loose and smash his consensus WR32 ranking.
Mooney bests higher-ranked wide receivers Diontae Johnson, DeVonta Smith, Gabe Davis, and Josh Palmer this week.
TrophySmack's championship rings raise the stakes of any competition. Celebrate crushing your leaguemates in fantasy football or memorialize a big milestone with your very own custom championship ring!
You’ve heard me say it often in this column, but the Seahawks are just awful against opposing tight ends. They give up an average of 77.44 yards per game through the air (and 12.44 yards per game on the ground, thanks to Taysom Hill) to tight ends. So expect Cade Otton to feast on the Hawks after a big game last week from the rookie.
I am betting the consensus TE19 continues to see steady targets from Tom Brady and easily outpaces Tyler Higbee, Evan Engram, Dawson Knox, and Noah Fant this week.
It can be an overwhelming task trying to find good fantasy football advice. There is so much information out there these days that it can be hard to know what is worthwhile and what isn’t.
That’s where I come in.
Every week for the rest of the season, I will tirelessly compile the best of the best in print, sound, and social media. So make sure you follow, like, and subscribe to everything here and get these fine folks in your weekly rotation.
Currently, I don’t know if there’s a more divisive topic in #FantasyFootball than Justin Fields. Is he good? Can Claypool really help him? Jeremy Popielarz of FTN Fantasy Sports thinks there might be something to the second-year quarterback's recent success.
PA is great, after both Herbert & Montgomery were pounding these stretch plays they counter with this.
— Jeremy (@PopesFFH) November 2, 2022
This false boot leg is a cool concept & Mooney sells the crosser to Diggs like candy & snaps it off nice, Fields hits him & now there cooking with fire 🔥 #FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/IvTp2oq0vf
Confidence is king in fantasy football, and PFF’s Ian Hartitz proves he has that championship swagger.
Logging on to fantasy football twitter to talk shit and assert theoretical dominancepic.twitter.com/Jzi1oUiAGk
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 3, 2022
What’s more infuriating than having Kyle Pitts on your fantasy football squad this season? Leagues that allow vetoing of trades. Don’t be like Ryan Miner’s commissioner. #TeamNoVetoes
I have these kind of leagues #FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/jEHlaQjkgT
— Ryan Miner (@RyanMiner_FFB) November 2, 2022
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
If this 2022 fantasy football season wasn’t hard enough, now we have six teams on bye heading into Week 9. So how do you beat the bye-pocalypse? Check out Marcas Grant’s Week 9 Sleepers on NFL.com and get the advice needed to be in the W column.
NFL Fantasy Football 2022: Marcas Grant's Week 9 sleepers
Setting line-ups can be a daunting task. Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports Edge takes some of the guesswork out of it with his weekly positional rankings. Patrick is a smart guy, and his rankings are spot on. Check them out now and get yourself closer to winning that championship belt.
Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: WR | NFL Rankings
You can make start/sit decisions by simply using the boatload of data available in fantasy football, but who wants to dig through it all? Dave Hartman of ThePigskinPapers.com sifts through all the numbers weekly for you and drops all the pertinent info in his Week 9 Fantasy Preview.
https://www.thepigskinpapers.com/posts-1/pigskin-papers-fantasy-preview-week-9
Mike Faiella is ready with his Trophy Winning Sleepers article for Week 9. Which quarterback will exploit a bad secondary? Is there a particular Detroit back you need to start? Check it out right here.
https://www.trophysmack.com/blogs/smackzone/trophy-winning-week-9-sleepers
The team at Fantasy in Frames is always bringing the fire, and this week is no different. In the latest edition of “Shoot the Gap,” Nate Marcum, Jorge Edwards, and Hollywood get you ready to confidently set those IDP league lineups.
The NFL Trade Deadline left many of our heads spinning. There were a lot of wild player and pick swaps, as well as some non-moves that spoke volumes. So what does it all mean for your fantasy squads? The guys over at The Full Tilt Dynasty Podcast have thoughts. Check out their latest episode with hosts Jakob Sanderson and Thomas Tipple, where they’ll tell you everything you need to know.
There’s so much NFL news that it can be almost impossible to keep it all straight. Lucky for you, Jon Impemba tidies it up and tells you everything you need to know, from player news to injuries to trends and more, every week in his Quick Outs podcast for Fantasy Alarm. Check out his Week 9 preview and get the proper advice.
Customize your turnover champ chain to rock around your neck & flex on your haters!
Dynasty-format fantasy football can be a complicated endeavor. However, my friends Tyler Guenthner, James Kriess, and Doug E. Fresh over at Dynasty Happy Hour help make it less of a brain drain and help you make the moves you need to make to keep your squads in contention now and for years to come. So head on over, and make sure you hit that subscribe button while you’re there!
Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.
Week 8 was bananas, and if you didn’t have multiple players going off, you probably lost your matchup—in many cases, lost badly. As long as you listened to my advice, you had a couple of those players, so congratulations on your well-deserved victory. If you didn’t, you’re likely picking which toilet seat you will wear at next year's draft.
In the business, we call that a segue into the recap section of last week's piece. It’s a smooth transition to the full write-up of Week 8 before giving you those Trophy Winning Sleepers at the bottom of the column for Week 9.
So let’s do that now and close the books on the week that was!
If you take nothing else from this column, at least follow the quarterback's advice. With Taylor Heinicke’s QB8 finish on the week, seven of our eight quarterback choices finished in the top 12.
F you, Matt Ryan!
Heinicke played hero for the Commanders and this author with an amazing comeback against the Colts. The consensus QB16 smashed his projection with the final plunge into the end zone. He also beat three of the four lineup suggestions. Put a tally in the win column.
We had to pivot for the second time this season after our initial choice was ruled out for the week. In this case, it was a great decision as the pivot was the D’Onta Foreman.
Foreman gashed the Falcons for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Usually, that would lead to the weekly RB1 finish, but in this case, it was only good enough for RB5. Still, we hit at running back as he beat out all four lineup choices we suggested for a clean sweep.
Speaking of the Commanders late comeback win, the other hero of the day was local boy and our wide receiver sleeper Terry McLaurin. McLaurin made a colossal catch near the end of regulation to set up the Heinicke run to win the game. The problem for us is he didn’t score, which would have led to a Top 12 finish and a three-for-three start.
Alas, it was not to be, and McLaurin’s big day was only good enough for a WR17 and a two-for-four finish in lineup advice. Some of our fades also had big days making the play decent but not great.
Well, technically, it should be 0-3-1, but I am taking the loss on all four because of how atrocious Harrison Bryant’s stat line was. Zero; he had zero points on zero targets. He wasn’t hurt, benched, or part of the game at all.
I am not sure you can make a worse call than Bryant for Week 8. Just an embarrassment and an awful way to end the week. Luckily, it was Halloween, and there were Jell-O shots to dull the pain of this considerable miss.
So, where does that leave us at the halfway point of this article series?
A decent week of top 12 plays but our worst week of lineup advice in quite a while as we hit just above .500. Let’s be better with our Week 9 trophy winning sleepers.
At quarterback, we are going with the Titans Ryan Tannehill to return from injury and go off against the Chiefs in a shootout. Tannehill was off in Week 8. Although the Titans won, I feel very confident Malik Willis did not take Tannehill’s job. The rookie was unspectacular in his debut as King Henry led the team to victory.
Customize your turnover champ chain to rock around your neck & flex on your haters!
So now, the consensus QB20 returns to face the team who is 31st at giving up points to opposing fantasy quarterbacks. As far as Week 9 sleepers, Tannehill is a smash play.
I like Tannehill over Trevor Lawrence, Andy Dalton, Tom Brady, and Justin Fields this week.
Unfortunately for me - and all D'Andre Swift fans - I am not deciding who gets the carries in Detroit. Jamaal Williams is getting far more touches than expected and making them count. And now, Dan Campbell came out and said he thought they overworked Swift last week.
I expect the insanity to continue for one more week and Williams’ to lead the backfield in touches and red zone touches. The volume should lead to him smashing his RB23 ranking in Week 9 against a Packers team who is 21st against opposing running backs.
Give me Williams as one of my sleepers over David Montgomery, Raheem Mostert, Tyler Allgeier, and teammate D’Andre Swift for Week 9.
With Ja’Marr Chase injured, Tyler Boyd is a must-start every week. Regardless of the matchup, you play Boyd when Chase (or Higgins) is out. So when I saw Boyd at the consensus WR23 for the week, my choice was easy. Couple that with the fact he is playing the Panthers, who are 19th in points allowed against opposing wide receivers, and this is a free square.
Boyd gets the nod over Michael Pittman Jr, Christian Kirk, DJ Moore, and Tyler Lockett (and many others this week, but I only pick 4 in this column).
I am a stubborn man, but I am not stupid. I learn from my mistakes. One of the big ones I made was choosing Will Dissly as my tight end sleeper the last time Seattle faced the Cardinals. Now I was right about the Cardinals being embarrassing against tight ends, but Noah Fant should have been the call. Well, the Seahawks get the Cardinals again, so it’s time to make the change and go with Fant as our tight end sleeper.
The consensus TE17 has a great matchup and should have a big game. Of course, me picking Fant means Dissly is the Week 9 sleeper to go with, but I can’t go with the former in good faith. Hopefully, the choice doesn’t add to my embarrassing tight end selections thus far in 2022.
I would play Fant over Mike Gesicki, Hayden Hurst, Evan Engram, and Tyler Higbee this week.
TrophySmack's championship rings raise the stakes of any competition. Celebrate crushing your leaguemates in fantasy football or memorialize a big milestone with your very own custom championship ring!
It can be an overwhelming task trying to find good fantasy football advice. There is so much information out there these days that it can be hard to know what is worthwhile and what isn’t.
That’s where I come in.
Every week for the rest of the season, I will tirelessly compile the best of the best in print, sound, and social media. So make sure you follow, like, and subscribe to everything here and get these fine folks in your weekly rotation.
Instead of combing through loads of data on your own, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Fabiano has done the work for you! Here are his start/sit recommendations for each position heading into a brutal Week 8:
Your Week 8 edition of Start Em, Sit Em is here! Get those fantasy lineups set! @sinow @SI_Fantasy
— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) October 26, 2022
QBs: https://t.co/SRTHz3wbRD
RBs: https://t.co/bjHuklMLbK
WRs: https://t.co/bSQAlc9CDX
TEs: https://t.co/4dOFXeNLhy pic.twitter.com/suieovfKQy
A lot happened last that will affect how we navigate our fantasy squads in Week 8. Unless you had the week off work, it’s overwhelming information to break down. That’s why Davis Mattek does it for you every week, all tied up in a neat little thread. Here’s what he saw in Week 7:
Every Monday, I do a massive fantasy football thread with relevant fantasy football usage & production takeaways from every team that played on Sunday
— Davis Mattek (@DavisMattek) October 24, 2022
We saw multiple season-ending injuries, so there is loads to parse out!
2022 has been a painful fantasy football season, and no one is feeling more than those of us who invested in Kyle Pitts this offseason. FootballGuys’ Jeff Bell encapsulates the pain perfectly in this hilarious tweet:
Me, an idiot, telling people to draft Kyle Pitts in fantasy football.
— Jeff Bell (@4WhomJBellTolls) October 27, 2022
pic.twitter.com/KjBVAr8H8Q
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
Start/sit decisions can be a brain drain, especially as we get deeper into the season. However, FantasyPros’ Derek Brown has you covered with his weekly article “The Primer.” He breaks down all the fantasy-relevant players in every match-up to save you time and get you on track to winning Week 8.
As the NFL season grinds on, dynasty managers are taking stock of their squads and deciding whether they are contenders or it’s time to look ahead to the next season. In this week's edition of Fantasy Football Dynasty: Buy, Sell, & Hold for The League Winners, Sheldon Hand tackles the AFC West. Who are you keeping? Who are you moving? Find out right here.
One of the keys to a successful fantasy football season is keeping your teams fresh. Adding players on waivers and making trades is a great way to add talent. However, making space on your rosters for wire ads can make for some difficult decisions. Jeff Krisko tells you which players are safe to set free in his “Week 8 Cut Candidates” article for Football Absudity.
Since Week 1, Mike has been spitting hot fire on his lineup advice. Where else could you go to find a column with Greg Dulcich and Jimmy Garoppolo for Week 7. Let's not even discuss his calls on Carson Wentz, Trevor Lawrence, James Robinson, or Tyler Conklin—we don't want it going to his head. If you need some sleeper advice for Week 8, be sure to check out his piece below.
Any time you get Joe Pisapia and Pat Fitzmaurice together, you're going to get excellent fantasy football advice. This week they are joined by the consistently brilliant John Hesterman. They compare their quarterback and running back grades versus the FantasyPros expert consensus rankings, give advice on must-start/sit players for Week 8, and much more.
While injuries have continued to stack up in this 2022 NFL season, that’s not the only thing crushing our championship hopes. We’ve also drafted some players who are getting us closer to a Toilet Bowl than a Championship Ring. On this week’s episode of RotoViz Overtime, Colm Kelly and Shawn Seigele break down what we saw in Week 7 and what it means for your Week 8 rosters.
TrophySmack's championship rings raise the stakes of any competition. Celebrate crushing your leaguemates in fantasy football or memorialize a big milestone with your very own custom championship ring!
Should we be concerned with the lackluster performances from Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews and Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor? On the other hand, was the breakout performance from Carolina wide receiver D.J. Moore for real? Get the boys' thoughts right here.
There’s a good chance your rosters are pretty thin heading into Week 8. Unfortunately, you’re probably not suffering alone in your leagues. If you missed out on some of the marquee waiver wire targets, you’re in luck. Joe Bartel and Jake Letarski have some deeper players in a position turn your week around. Plus, they break down some advice on emerging players you want to keep your eye on entering Week 8, all on the RotoViz network.
If you are a dynasty format manager, you know the importance of making trades to stay in contention. However, it isn’t always easy to figure out the right moves, especially when you lose a marquee player and need a fill-in. That’s why you need to subscribe to Dynasty Trades in Five.
Shane Manila, Scott Connor, and Clay from DynastyPandemic.com can get you headed in the right direction, and not just with trades. They have player insight, rookie draft advice, and general dynasty strategy to bring home the championship trophy.
Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.
Bye weeks are fascinating to me. There can be four teams on bye and have almost no impact on the fantasy landscape; there are also times like Week 8 sleepers. The Chiefs and Chargers have the week off, and half of my teams are in shambles. It’s not likely we replace the production of Travis Kelce, Austin Ekeler. or Patrick Mahomes. However, let’s see if we can’t find a few players who can help you limp to a win while those guys get some well-deserved rest.
Before we do, let’s recap the week that was and talk about what went right and what went wrong.
And we’re going to start by venting, which I never do here, so indulge me for a second.
We didn’t need Jimmy Garoppolo to complete another pass in garbage time to go 3-1 in our lineup calls; just hold onto the damn ball. That’s it! Just don’t give it away. And he couldn’t even do that. A strip sack dropped him below Trevor Lawrence and Kyler Murray, dropping him to 1-3 on the week.
Jimmy G broke my heart like he has so many others during his time as an amazingly attractive man. However, after two Top 12 weeks in a row, I’ll come running back to that chiseled jawline at least once more in 2022.
For those scoring at home, that’s six out of seven Top 12 finishes on the season at quarterback (Oh, how I hate you, Matt Ryan).
Tony Pollard led the Cowboys running backs in snaps and almost doubled his counterpart in yards from scrimmage. Yet, he still wasn’t the guy who ended up in the top 12 as Ezekiel Elliot punched in both rushing touchdowns during Week 7. Pollard delivered a double-digit PPR week and beat three of the four running backs in our lineup advice, so it wasn’t all bad, but it was oh-so-close to being a gem.
Allen Lazard was steady as always, with 11.5 PPR points despite leaving with a shoulder injury. Unfortunately, the injury opened the door for Tyler Lockett to sneak in with the same point total, dropping our lineup advice to 2-1-1 on the week. While Lazard certainly didn’t hurt your team, I would’ve loved to see just a few more catches.
It was a good week to bet on heartthrobs because the beautiful tight end from the Broncos delivered our second Top 12 finish of the week! Greg Dulcich was a target monster, just as we predicted. He hauled in six of nine targets en route to a TE7 finish and a perfect 4-0 in lineup advice. The clean sweep for the sexy beast from Mile High finishes our recap off on a high note.
So, where do we stand heading into Week 8? Let’s have a look.
With 36% of our sleepers finishing Top 12 and 67% of our lineup advice hitting for the season, we hit the jackpot on dumpster-diving goodness.
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
But enough of that, as we are only as good as our last column, so which trophy winning sleepers are bringing home the Championship Belt for us in Week 8?
Coming off a big Week 7 win, the Commanders are rallying around fan favorite Taylor Heinicke, and I am all on board. The consensus QB16 faces a weak Indy secondary and a team that is just a hot mess overall. So I like Washington to strike early, as Heinicke does damage through the air and on the ground.
Heinicke should be in your lineups over Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Tom Brady, and Derek Carr.
James Conner’s season, like most running backs this year, has been a huge disappointment, and now he’s coming back from yet another injury. However, times are tough out here, and the cupboards are pretty bare.
Luckily, the consensus RB24 gets Minnesota this week, who started the season mediocre against the run. Conner should return with fresh legs to a high scoring matchup and far exceed his current ranking. Run him out there and hope he shows signs of last year’s greatness.
Play Conner over higher-rated backs Devin Singletary, Michael Carter, Aaron Jones, and Najee Harris.
**Editor's Note: With Conner out this week, we once again have to pivot at RB. This time, instead of just pivoting to a teammate, we are going with D’Onta Foreman who plays at Atlanta. Foreman gets the Falcons who are 8th against opposing RBs but gave up a TD in 4 of 7 games.
Heinicke and Terry McLaurin looked like Joey Fatone and Justin Timberlake out there in Week 7. McLaurin was average with Carson Wentz, but the quarterback change should translate to fantasy gold. Heinicke has shown a willingness to take shots down the field and a reckless abandonment for keeping his receivers safe.
I’m running out the consensus WR28 over Michael Pittman Jr, DJ Moore, Jakobi Meyers, and Diontae Johnson.
The Browns and Bengals game should be a bonanza of fantasy points, with the red-hot Bengals offense expected to jump out on the Browns quickly. A negative game script will favor waiver wire darling, Harrison Bryant.
Overshadowed by Chief Njoku all year, an injury has allowed Bryant to take over the TE1 duties for this week. At TE18 in a week with Kelce and Gerald Everett out, the bargain is too good to pass up.
Give me Bryant over Robert Tonyan, Dalton Schultz, Dawson Knox, and Darren Waller.
Best Price Guarantee & 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!
TrophySmack is the ultimate destination for custom fantasy football trophies, baseball trophies, basketball trophies, and more.
It can be an overwhelming task trying to find good fantasy football advice. There is so much information out there these days that it can be hard to know what is worthwhile and what isn’t. That’s where I come in.
Best Price Guarantee & 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!
TrophySmack is the ultimate destination for custom fantasy football trophies, baseball trophies, basketball trophies, and more.
Every week for the rest of the season, I will tirelessly compile the best of the best in print, sound, and social media. So make sure you follow, like, and subscribe to everything here and get these fine folks in your weekly rotation.
The Elijah Moore saga in New York has slightly distracted from the Jets' stealth start. The embattled wide receiver requested a trade, but head coach Robert Saleh says the team is standing pat. Who will win out? Our own Mike Faiella has thoughts.
Saleh Me
— Mike 🥪 (@DaddysHomeFF) October 21, 2022
“Not trading “Not drinking
Moore” Tonight”
🤝
Could be easily
talked into it
If you don’t know Scott Rinear, you should get to know him quickly. He’s dropping actionable stats, data, and more every week on Twitter and for Fantasy Data. For Week 7, he highlights his Fantasy Points Allowed rankings, color-coded for easy reading.
📊Adjusted FPTS Allowed: Week 7📊
— Scott Rinear (@MunderDifflinFF) October 18, 2022
Updated FPTS Allowed Ranks (PPR; adjusted for opponents)
Screenshots below. Also available at my Patreon.https://t.co/vyA9YWrCzi
Through Week 6 games. Soon I will start also showing "last 3 games" + season-long points allowed rankings pic.twitter.com/FOzkObrFNP
Football Guys’ Dave Kluge is a master at taking data and film to bring you intelligent takes. In this tweet, he drops a quick video explaining why he’s in on New York Giants rookie wide receiver Wand’Dale Robinson and a few other players he’s targeting.
Wan'Dale Robinson only saw 24% of his team's snaps last week, but his athleticism and skill jumped off the screen.
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) October 19, 2022
On a team desperate for an offensive playmaker, I expect Robinson's role to grow.
Check out who else I'm targeting. 👇@Footballguys link: https://t.co/9QlUBmj2kI pic.twitter.com/blBz1XoRbQ
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
You know someone is dedicated to bringing you league-winning sleepers when they pen an entire column while on vacation in Iceland. Mike Faiella is that kind of guy, and he kicked out his weekly Trophy Winning Sleepers just in time!
What he got right last week, where he went wrong, and what he thinks the intelligent plays are this weekend, all right here.
https://www.trophysmack.com/blogs/smackzone/trophy-winning-week-7-sleepers
It’s Christian McCaffery time in the Bay Area, with the news dropping late Thursday night that the Carolina Panthers running back had been traded to the San Francisco 49ers. The blockbuster trade has brought more questions than answers on both sides. C.H. Herms breaks down the immediate and long-term impact for McCaffery, the 49ers, Carolina, your fantasy rosters, and more for Clutch Points.
Christian McCaffrey to 49ers blockbuster trade is terrific news for fantasy football owners
Being a dynasty fantasy football manager requires constant attention to your rosters. Whether it is October or April, you’re always looking to acquire players at their lowest value. But who has the time for all that research?
This guy right here does.
In his latest offering for The QB List, Dustin Ludke has five dynasty stashes you should consider getting before you’ll have to pay up later.
https://football.pitcherlist.com/october-dynasty-futures-report/
Do you need solid plays to prop up your pick ‘ems contests this week? Are you looking for some sure-fire over/under bets? Well, look no further.
Chris Molina and the team at Club Fantasy FFL have you covered with this week’s edition of “Talking Props.” This week Chris highlights five players he thinks could help you cash in in Week 7.
https://clubfantasyffl.com/2022/10/21/nfl-player-props-week-7/
The guys at JWB Fantasy are always a pleasure to listen to and bring actionable advice at every turn. In this week's episode of “Scare and Prayer Players of the Week,” Wyatt and Schuyler talk about Amari Cooper, a little fantasy accountability, Alec Pierce, Courtland Sutton, and more.
The guys at Dynasty Trades HQ might be some of the most intelligent dynasty minds around. In this week’s episode, Hosts Shane Manila, Michael Cipes, and Jeremy Browand bring in the one and only Pat Fitzmaurice to talk injured quarterbacks and buy-low dynasty trade targets. This is a must-listen for all you fantasy football degenerates out there.
This one isn’t a football podcast per se, but it should be in your rotation nonetheless. Kacey Kasem, formerly of The Fantasy Footballers, sits down with some of the biggest names and most influential people in fantasy football to get real about life on Get Real with Kacey Kacem. Every episode is a great listen, and this week’s episode with Madi Kroll is no different. They discuss growing up in Oklahoma, being on a panel together at the Fantasy Football Expo and more in a fantastic interview.
You can get your fantasy advice anywhere, so why wouldn’t you pick a place that knows its stuff and makes you laugh and have a good time while you’re listening?
That’s precisely what the guys over at Front Yard Fantasy bring you daily. Whether it’s their flagship gameshow on Tuesdays, their morning show for Bettor Sports Network, or their content for Fanduel, JL, Simon, Joey, Jay, and the gang, bring it every time. So subscribe and make your YouTube experience brighter and more consistently winning.
https://www.youtube.com/c/FrontYardFantasy
Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.
If there was ever a week where you need trophy winning sleepers, Week 7 would be it. Bye week hell is upon us, and competing teams are scrambling for replacements. With most waiver wires as empty as the toilet paper section of the supermarkets last year, this creates some opportunities to seize hidden fantasy points.
Fear not, my friends; we are going dumpster diving for Josh Allen and Cooper Kupp replacements. As per usual, these are guys your leaguemates will never see coming. But first, let’s recap Week 7 to discuss the hits and misses from a crazy time when everything seemed upside down from the start.
While our one-for-four performance on Top 12 plays has been par for the course, the lineup advice hit at 81-percent as we had three clean sweeps. So, once again, we give you actionable advice you need in desperate times. Here’s how it all broke down to give you an idea of how we got it done.
TrophySmack's championship rings raise the stakes of any competition. Celebrate crushing your leaguemates in fantasy football or memorialize a big milestone with your very own custom championship ring!
No one was excited about Jimmy Garoppolo. Hell, no one is ever excited about him. But this was a clear Jimmy G week, and he did not disappoint. The consensus QB20 finished at QB10 and beat every quarterback mentioned in the column. That is five hits in six weeks for quarterbacks; clearly our sweet spot this year.
With Cam Akers out for personal reasons, we quickly pivoted to Darrell Henderson. It was a simple swap, as the call was more about the matchup than the player. Akers ranked as the RB29, and Henderson crushed that with an RB16 finish and swept the big-name running backs we told you to fade. While not a top 12 finish as we shoot for, Henderson still far exceeded expectations and gave you a solid start on the week.
DeVonta Smith finished with 15.4 PPR points - good enough for WR22 - taking out all four players we told you to fade. Another solid week for the WR2 in Philly. The only callout here is we had numerous sleepers finish higher such as Brandon Aiyuk. It could have been a better call, but you are likely still in striking distance of the Title Belt if you played Smith.
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
For two weeks in a row, I embarrassingly called the wrong teammate. Noah Fant, not Will Dissly, took advantage of the cakewalk matchup. Huge miss as I went for the bolder call. Getting cute is the type of BS you get on Twitter and shouldn’t get here. Lesson learned, and hope it didn’t hurt your team too much. I apologize to anyone who listened to that overreach.
So where does this leave us after six weeks?
Top 12 Finishes - 8-16
Lineup Advice - 68-32
It is getting fragile out there as we fall deeper into the season. There is so much trophy winning talent on bye for Week 7 in particular, so we had to dig deep and get creative for these Week 7 sleepers.
That’s right, kids; we’re making history today and making a back-to-back pick at quarterback. There are no other options for sleepers in Week 7: it’s Jimmy G’s dumpster, and we’re just swimming in it. Why Garoppolo again? He gets the Chiefs, who are as bad at stopping opposing quarterbacks as I am at spelling Garoppolo (I had to look it up four times, and it still doesn’t look right, but that’s why we have editors).
The consensus QB18 should smash for the second straight week with all of his weapons getting involved in what could be a shootout.
Fire Garappolo up over Trevor Lawrence, Daniel Jones, Jared Goff, and (let’s go bold here) Kyler Murray.
Why the hell not when it’s against the Lions, and the starter is looking rough? Tony Pollard is a home run waiting to happen, and the Lions are a defensive lapse waiting to happen. A pairing more perfect than Tom Brady and Gise… wait, make that Russell Wilson and Ciara. The consensus RB24 should have a big day against the second-worst defense in the NFL versus opposing running backs.
I love Pollard as one of my Week 7 sleepers over David Montgomery, Jeff Wilson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Travis Etienne.
Customize your turnover champ chain to rock around your neck & flex on your haters!
Allen Lazard comes in at WR23 despite having a touchdown in four of his five games played with no less than eight targets in any game this month. In a bye week crippled season, that is gold. With a putrid Washington secondary, Lazard should be an auto-start in most lineups.
Lazard should easily outscore fellow wideouts Tyler Lockett, Amari Cooper, Mike Williams, and Brandin Cooks.
Every tight end I recently picked turns to trash quick, so I’m sorry to all of you Greg Dulcich fans. The TE24 came off the IR with a bang in Week 6, pulling in two of his three targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. If that’s not enough, my man Coop says the underlying numbers are gold, too.
Greg Dulcich's behind-the-scenes usage was just as impressive as his production in his 1st game:
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) October 18, 2022
🔸Ran 81% of routes
🔸Lined up at WR for 61% of snaps
🔸Didn't pass block once
🔸Robust 12 yard aDot
All good things.
So let’s smash Dulcich in our lineups over Evan Engram, Hayden Hurst, Logan Thomas, and Tyler Conklin, regardless of Wilson’s status. I mean, how much worse could Rypien be?
It can be an overwhelming task trying to find a guide to good fantasy football advice. There is so much information out there these days that it can be hard to know what is worthwhile and what isn’t.
That’s where I come in.
Every week for the rest of the season, I will tirelessly compile the best of the best in print, sound, and social media. So make sure you follow, like, and subscribe to everything here and get these fine folks in your weekly rotation.
Best Price Guarantee & 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!
TrophySmack is the ultimate destination for custom fantasy football trophies, baseball trophies, basketball trophies, and more.
When Matthew Berry left ESPN to join NBC Sports, it was exciting for fantasy football nerds. We finally got our moment in the spotlight, wound into the NBC Sunday Night Football contests. We made it, kids!
But that wasn’t enough. Oh no. Matthew had to get Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband, Second Gentlemen Douglas Emhoff, on the “Fantasy Happy Hour” to discuss his love of fantasy football and how he’s passed that love on to his son.
Next up, King Charles III?
It’s not every day the White House calls, but when they do, you answer! Turns out @SecondGentleman is a big Fantasy Football player (he’s 5-0 in his 12 tm lg, has LJax & Andrews). It’s so much fun when prominent people discuss & promote FF. @peacock @NBCSEdgeFB #FFHappyHour pic.twitter.com/L8x1xn4XPu
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) October 13, 2022
For some, it’s been a great start to the season for their fantasy teams. For others, not so much. So, are you feeling like sunshine and rainbows? Lucky you.
For the rest of us, our favorite fantasy football platform, Sleeper HQ* feels your pain.
*If you’re not hosting your leagues on Sleeper, you’re doing it wrong. Go sign up here
POV: you're 0-5 in fantasy football pic.twitter.com/kER1SR5eX9
— Sleeper (@SleeperHQ) October 11, 2022
Building a winning fantasy football team can sometimes feel like an impossible task. There are so many numbers, stats, metrics, and theories thrown around it’s hard to know what’s what or what matters. RotoUnderworld’s Cody Carpentier knows how you feel, so he made it easy. After five weeks of action, he gives you the five most important metrics to follow for the rest of the season in a thread—and he hates threads. Cody is a true man of the people.
We are 5 🆆🅴🅴🅺🆂 through the Fantasy Football Season! 👀
— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CarpentierNFL) October 12, 2022
- I hate threads, so here are those 🅵🅸🆅🅴 key metrics/trends to follow through the season!
Data from @rotounderworld 🤌
>
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
Suppose you’re not already streaming quarterbacks this season in at least a few leagues; congratulations. However, it's unavoidable for those less fortunate, especially managers invested in the Miami Dolphins quarterback room. The fine folks over at FantraxHQ have you covered with this article from Meng Song breaking down streaming options for Week 6.
If you’re a typical fantasy manager, you spend most of the week between games pouring over your line-ups, wondering what to do. Half of your team is on injured reserve, and now we have bye weeks.
Who do I start?
Who do I sit?
Dr. Roto’s Eric Romoff tells you exactly who to play and who to bench in his weekly “Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em” article, full of actionable advice to get you on the road to victory.
“If we don’t learn about the past, we are doomed to repeat it.” Unfortunately, that is true in life and fantasy football.
It’s essential to look back and see if trends are emerging; maybe players are showing a flash we should keep an eye on, or just to remind ourselves of how dumb we were last week and try not to do it again. Jeremy Popielarz does just that every week in his “Fantasy Football Takeaways” article over at FTN Fantasy. This week he reminisces about Geno Smith, looks ahead for David Montgomery, looks at some emerging handcuffs, and much more.
If you want a leg up on your opponents? Do you have league-winner ambitions? Well, look no further. Mike Faiella’s specialty is finding diamonds in the rough that can propel your fantasy squads to championship heights. This week he reflects on his calls from Week 5 and tells you why Jimmy Garrapolo, Cam Akers, and a surprise tight end should be placed firmly in your Week 6 line-ups.
TrophySmack's championship rings raise the stakes of any competition. Celebrate crushing your leaguemates in fantasy football or memorialize a big milestone with your very own custom championship ring!
If you haven’t heard of the Fantasy Football Hustle Powered by PFF with Brian Drake & Dwain McFarland, you’re now welcome. Brian is amongst the brightest minds in the world of fantasy football analysis. This needs to be in your weekly rotation.
In this week's episode, Brian hosts Football Outsiders writer Tom Strachan to look at some fantasy trends as we head into Week 6 of the NFL season.
Injuries affecting your fantasy football rosters are as much of a sure thing as my mispronouncing Jameis. Every. Damn. Time. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. Dr. Edwin Porras talks about the impact of injuries and how to navigate around them every week on his podcast “Injury Prone.”
This week he’ll tell you what to do about Ken Walker, if we should be concerned about Tee Higgins, if Eno Benjamin is worth a roster add, and much more.
The guys over at FF Faceoff are always hard at work, and this week is no different. Hosts Anthony Cervino, Matt Mackay, and Steve DeAngelo have their early Week 6 Start Em Sit Em Report. This episode is chock-full of actionable start/sit advice alongside NFL news and rumors you will want to hear. So let Anthony and company sweat it for you so you don’t have to.
We know you like winning Custom Championship Belts. We assume you like winning money, too. The FF Millionaires Show on YouTube is a one-stop shop for both. Hosts Scott “Stacks” Simpson and Mike “Cash” Collins drop knowledge on season-long format trades, waiver wire adds, DFS stacks, and more ways to win cash. Bonus: They’ll make you laugh, too.
Head over to their channel to check out this week’s sage advice, like and subscribe, and get on your way to pumping some life into your fantasy world.
There aren’t many people in the fantasy football analysis game who are as intelligent and well-spoken as Peter Howard. So whether you’re a seasoned dynasty format manager chasing that championship bling or want to expand your horizons and give it a shot, Peter’s “Dynasty Crossroads” podcast is a must-listen. Even if you have no desire to branch out beyond redraft leagues, the information in this show can get you on the path to glory.
Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.
In Week 6, we have new targets emerging for future trophy winning sleepers. We now see the rise of two new starting running backs (Rhamondre Stevenson and Kenneth Walker) and a new starting quarterback (and head coach) in Carolina. With so many questions needing answers, the league has been crazier than ever. However, the new opportunities bring hope for others to appear and smash their projections.
But before we get to that, we have to close out Week 5, which brought us a little bit of everything. So with the word accountability flying around the fantasy space, we continue to do what we’ve done for two years and cover all the hits and the misses.
So let’s get into it:
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With Carson Wentz finishing at QB6 for the week, we have four top 12 finishes in five weeks. Matt Ryan was the only disappointment—one Falcons and Colts fans know all too well. Wentz ranked as QB19, so he was a true trash heap pick. He also outscored three out of four lineup suggestions, falling only behind the unstoppable Geno Smith.
Travis Etienne came in at RB22 with 14.4 PPR points after being projected to be RB36 and went four for four in lineup suggestions this week. But two things here. First, we only count top 12 finishes as wins, so the four of four doesn’t do much for you unless you rostered one of the other players mentioned. Second, how does one start a game with huge plays and then fizzle?
Etienne should’ve had a monster week but remains a complete enigma in a mess of a backfield after continuously failing to capitalize on missed opportunities.
To quote the Paul Rudd gif, “Not me.” We put our money on Terry McLaurin only to have Brown go off for a Gabe Davis game (and outscore Amon-Ra St Brown just for a funny anecdote). McLaurin was okay (like he tends to be), but definitely not good enough to count as a win. He was only better than two of the four lineup decisions I gave. Just not good enough.
We picked the wrong Saints tight end too. I loved the matchup and expected Juwan Johnson to take advantage, only to watch cement feet Adam Trautman take that top 12 spot. Of course, Taysom Hill also finished in the top 10, but I refuse to acknowledge him as a tight end. Meanwhile, Johnson got one catch for thirteen yards which is a sad state of affairs. He went two for four on lineup suggestions, as he faced two goose eggs this week.
So let’s look at where we stand with our trophy winning sleepers heading into Week 6.
Let’s get a big Week 6 here to get those trophy winning sleepers to where they belong!
Jimmy Garoppolo has a great matchup at Atlanta, and with bye weeks upon us, it is slim pickings for trophy winning sleepers at the bottom of the Week 6 rankings. So give me the consensus QB20 to put up big numbers against a Falcons team ranked 22nd in points allowed to opposing fantasy quarterbacks.
Week 6 may be his only big game this season, but Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle are about to go off with Garoppolo getting all those fantastic YAC points from dump-offs and slants.
I like Jimmy G to outscore Jacoby Brissett, Matthew Stafford, Zach Wilson, and Carson Wentz this week.
Cam Akers looks bad; I mean really bad. The once-promising young running back doesn’t look the same since returning from an Achilles injury. However, the Rams are playing a Panthers defense who just got torched by Jeff Wilson Jr and Tevin freaking Coleman. They are 27th in points allowed to opposing running backs and now have no head coach, which still might be an improvement.
Customize your turnover champ chain to rock around your neck & flex on your haters!
Expect Cam Akers to get you one step closer to that Champ Chain in 2022.
The consensus RB29 should be in your lineup over CEH, Najee Harris, Kareem Hunt, and James Robinson.
**Following the news, Mike is choosing to pivot to Darrell Henderson. He added:
Most importantly, I hope Cam Akers is ok. No idea what is going on with him but hoping for the best. For the sleeper, it’s a pivot to Darrell Henderson as the call. The write up was about the matchup so the same applies. Make sure you grab Kyren Williams in your dynasty leagues.
DeVonta Smith has been an absolute roller coaster for fantasy this year, and I can understand the hesitation in wanting to play him in a division matchup against the Cowboys. But where else will you find 11 targets this low in the rankings? I expect Smith to put up huge numbers in a clash of rivals with big points scored.
The consensus WR28 has to get the nod over Diontae Johnson, Mike Williams, Jakobi Meyers, and Amari Cooper.
Arizona covers tight ends about as well as your old football uniform covers your beer belly now. The only matchup I’d prefer is if Will Dissly played against his own team, but that is illegal, so here we are.
I am all aboard the Geno Smith train and want any piece of this offense I can get. So let’s take Dissly to reach pay dirt this week and push into that top 12 finish despite a consensus rank of TE20.
Dissly has a bigger week upcoming than Dalton Schultz, Evan Engram, Ty Conklin, and Robert Tonyan.
It can be an overwhelming task trying to find championship winning fantasy football advice. There is so much information out there these days that it can be hard to know what is worthwhile and what isn’t. That’s where I come in. Every week for the rest of the season, I will tirelessly compile the best of the best in print, sound, and social media. Make sure you follow, like, and subscribe to everything here and get these fine folks in your weekly rotation.
It’s rough out there on these fantasy football streets, folks. It’s easy to be down losing big-name contributors to our line-ups, but Ian Hartitz reminds us some things are more important than winning.
Keeping Javonte Williams on the fantasy IR instead of cutting him in re-draft leagues to send the right message to the rest of the team and let them know that some things are bigger than fantasy football
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 6, 2022
Best Price Guarantee & 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!
TrophySmack is the ultimate destination for custom fantasy football trophies, baseball trophies, basketball trophies, and more.
ESPN’s Eric Moody is always dropping gems to help you make better decisions when setting your fantasy line-ups for the weekend. Heading into Week 5, the fabulous Mr. Moody has a thread with four stats you’re going to want to see before locking in those rosters.
The 2022 season has been a whirlwind. Knowing what we know now, most of us probably would have built our fantasy teams a little differently. In-Between Media’s Seth Woolcock takes a rear-view look at what the first round of fantasy drafts might have looked like if we could see the future.4 Stats from the Thursday Edition of the Fantasy Football Daily Notes You Should Know About: pic.twitter.com/JU7aM5gamn
— Moody (@EricNMoody) October 6, 2022
Redrafting the first round in August, knowing what we do now:
— Seth Woolcock (@Between_SethFF) October 4, 2022
1) Cooper Kupp
2) Saquon Barkley
3) Stefon Diggs
4) Justin Jefferson
5) Nick Chubb
6) Austin Ekeler
7) Christian McCaffrey
8) Jonathan Taylor
9) Tyreek Hill
10) Travis Kelce
11) Davante Adams
12) Ja’Marr Chase
Noted hot sauce maker and spicy take specialist Bo McBrayer doesn’t disappoint in his weekly “Fantasy Football Hot Takes” for FantasyPros. This week he highlights a wide receiver who is primed to go off, a tight end he thinks will have a mountain of catches, and a running back who is going to burn their opponents on Sunday. So check out his advice and scorch your leaguemates in Week 5 on your way to a championship.
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
Got 99 problems and they’re all fantasy football running backs? Trust me; you’re not alone. So what’s going on with elite running backs heading into Week 5? Can we expect it to change any time soon? Dan Kelly breaks it all down in his latest article for The Ringer.
Where Have All the Elite Fantasy Football Running Backs Gone? - The Ringer
We all love winning sick championship gear, but you know what we also like? Winning money. In his weekly article “Money Makers & Heart Breakers,” Mike Reedy lays out the perfect strategy to make your wallet a little fatter this weekend. Whether you play on DraftKings or Fanduel, he’s got you covered.
https://www.theundroppables.com/money-makers-and-heart-breakers-fantasy-football-2022-week-5/
One of the most difficult things to do in fantasy is finding someone everyone else thinks will fail. More often than not, you're left with a donut in your flex. Mike has - somehow - figured out a way to successfully identify those players so you can have a chance to compete. Be sure to check out Mike's sleepers for Week 5.
Trophy Winning Week 5 Sleepers
Nothing is more important than keeping your fantasy football rosters fresh. You wouldn’t leave rotten fish in your fridge, so why would you leave it in your fantasy cooler?
On this week’s edition of “Drinking and Talking Fantasy Football,” hosts Jake Trowbridge and Dustin Lundt make you chuckle and give you the deets on players it might be time to cut bait on to get that stank off your bench.
The always brilliant Chris Harris is back for Week 5 with a new episode of “The Harris Football Podcast.” This week he talks some “flexual healing” with guest Jake Trowbridge (him again??) along with dropping some money-making Draft Kings picks. If you want to win your week, you need to get this podcast in your rotation, folks.
TrophySmack's championship rings raise the stakes of any competition. Celebrate crushing your leaguemates in fantasy football or memorialize a big milestone with your very own custom championship ring!
Winning in fantasy football is complicated, especially as injuries stack up and players fall flat on their faces. Fortunately for you, Nate Hamilton and Keaton Denlay have you covered in this week’s “Fantasy Tilt.” The gents walk you through some interesting backup quarterback situations, why the new adult happy meal toys from Mcdonald's are dumb, and players that are a stop, some that are a go, or few in-betweeners.
Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride. I’ll be back next week with more musings on the week ahead and a review of the week just behind us, right here in the SmackZone.
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Week 5 will test us with many changes due to ineffectiveness or injury, but exploiting matchups give us an advantage finding our trophy winning sleepers. The ability to find those dark horse candidates are the difference between the Championship Belt and the Loser’s Toilet Seat. We have some entertaining matchups this week to dive into, but first, accountability for all of last week’s calls. So let’s close out Week 4!
Week 4 was a roller coaster starting with our first sleeper in London, as the slate continued to be crazy throughout. Last week’s column brought some good, some decent, and one downright awful calls.
Let’s cover them in that order.
Our Week 4 quarterback sleeper absolutely went off. Geno Smith was an absolute star last week, finishing at QB2 for the week! Just a great result for the consensus QB18 on the slate. Consider this one a strong smash.
Now there was one problem, the lineup calls only hit three out of four as Jared Goff scored 1.5 more points than Smith. Honestly, I’m not even mad; that’s amazing.
You are doing pretty well if you followed the quarterback advice in this column thus far. Let’s see if we can make it four out of five this coming week!
Chris Olave had a very nice game in London. He was a couple of Andy Dalton misses from a monster week, including an underthrow on a sure long touchdown. Unfortunately, we have stringent grading here, so the consensus WR27 finishing WR16 isn’t quite good enough to call it a hit. However, he surpassed three out of four on lineup calls this week, falling behind only Brandin Cooks by two points.
If the youngster dragged his back foot on that last throw, his team goes to overtime, and we are looking at a clean sweep in the lineup calls, but it was not to be.
Devin Singletary got the usage I had hoped for in this game but only managed to turn that into an RB23 finish on the week—a slight improvement over his consensus RB26 ranking. A last-second touchdown was right there, but one of the Ravens linebackers didn’t get the memo to let him score (and I think Singletary was pulling a Westbrook anyway).
The big fault was in the lineup calls, specifically starting him over Dameon Pierce, who broke free for a long touchdown to finish at RB5 on the week. We can’t repeat that mistake..
Evan Engram is officially dead to me. He had one (!) catch in a shootout with Philadelphia. Just an absolute dud from the once-promising tight end. Dalton Schultz was a complete good egg, so the lineup calls were magically one for four. I think that balances out the Smith/Goff miss, to be honest. But overall, this call was complete garbage.
So with Week 4 done, let’s look at where we stand for the season.
Keep in mind all players we pick are outside the top 20 in expert consensus rankings on ESPN.
Top 12 Finishes - 6-10
Lineup Advice - 44-24
A little lower than I’d like but still solid, considering we are going against experts in the industry.
Now to our Week 5 calls, where we have some smashes for our trophy winning sleepers!
Just hearing Carson Wentz’s name makes a fantasy player feel a little nauseous, but this has to be the matchup where he does something. It just has to be. The Titans are 27th against opposing quarterbacks, with multiple passing touchdowns coming in every game and 300 yards through the air in three straight. So hold your nose and put the consensus QB19 in your lineup!
I’ll take Wentz over Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Geno Smith, and Teddy Bridgewater.
Travis Etienne was wildly over-drafted in the offseason. Meanwhile, fantasy managers are starving for even a shred of return on investment on the Jags RB2. Well, this is finally the week as he faces a horrid Texans defense who is dead last against opposing running backs. They have given up over 130 yards from scrimmage to running backs every week, not to mention six touchdowns in only four games.
This is a smash play for the consensus RB36 as he continues to work his way into the Jaguars offense.
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Get Etienne in that lineup over Zeke Elliott, James Conner, Antonio Gibson, and Najee Harris.
Predicting the target share has been impossible in 2022, but I’m putting my money down on Terry McLaurin having a game this week. He has six or more targets over the past three weeks and gets an awful Titans defense who have been getting torched by opposing wideouts.
I like the consensus WR28 over Diontae Johnson, Brandin Cooks, DK Metcalf, and Hollywood Brown for our trophy winning Week 5 wide receiver sleepers .
Here are a few things we know: Seattle is awful against the tight end position, as shown by TJ Hockenson last week, and Juwan Johnson is a tight end. Will those two facts lead to fantasy success? I hope so. Tight ends are a hot mess, and the Week 5 trophy winning sleepers available don’t make it any easier.
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Give me the former wide receiver to get loose against the Seahawks and score a touchdown which will make his consensus TE22 ranking look far too low.
Let’s get Johnson in the starting rotation over Dawson Knox, Dalton Schultz, Evan Engram, and Robert Tonyan.
Week 4 is upon us and trends are starting to emerge. These trends will help us analyze matchups as we dumpster dive for trophy winning sleepers in Week 4. So what will we exploit in our dumpster dives for gold? Find out in a minute, but let’s first recap the week that was to provide full transparency on our results.
In the first two accountability sections, I offered apologies for subpar results. This week will not include that because Week 3 may have been the best column this author has ever published so let’s celebrate some positive results from last week.
Trevor Lawrence (Projected QB18, finished QB4), James Robinson (Projected RB25, finished RB6), and Tyler Conklin (Projected TE16, finished TE4) all absolutely smashed their projections and outscored every player listed in their lineup advice section. So that is a clean sweep at three of four positions, likely getting you one week closer to that Championship Trophy.
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Last week, we said you deserved better, and we delivered. Thanks for sticking around.
Curtis Samuel put up 13.1 PPR points and outscored two of the four names mentioned in the lineup advice. Unfortunately, better picks were available outside of the Top 20 that blew up. Looking back, the writing was on the wall for Zay Jones, so we will take ownership for not recognizing it. Let’s hope we can be better with sleepers at the wide receiver position while looking for Week 4, but 13.1 points should be the floor of a trophy winning play.
With a trophy winning Week 3, our overall record is finally looking more like we expect!
But enough celebrating because a column is only as good as its last results. So let’s dive into these Week 4 sleepers!
So I am sort of joking about quarterback Geno Smith being an upgrade over Russell Wilson, but they are much closer in 2022 than anyone could have expected. Now Smith gets an abysmal Lions team against the pass, while their offense has forced opponents to throw. The high-scoring affair is a recipe for a big game for the consensus QB18 on the week!
Smith outscores the higher-rated Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr, Russell Wilson, and Jared Goff as my trophy winning sleeper for Week 4 at quarterback.
The best game on the slate also produces the best value at the position. Devin Singletary was utilized heavily in the receiving game as he saw 11 (!) targets last week. He turned them into 78 yards and a touchdown. Singletary could top his Week 3 output in Week 4 against the Ravens if his usage continues—and it will. Somehow he comes in at RB26 in the consensus rankings making him a smash for our trophy winning Week 4 sleepers column.
Devin Singletary Week 3
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) September 25, 2022
- 74% snaps
- 9 carries, 13 yards
- 11 targets, 9 catches, 78 yards, TD
It was a weird game due to heat and Singletary is a Florida native so maybe that’s why - but his pass game usage can’t go unnoticed
Baltimore gives up points to running backs - particularly pass-catching ones - as they allow the second most targets to the position on the season. Just a PPR monster game coming.
I would be very comfortable starting Singletary over Jeff Wilson, AJ Dillon, Ezekiel Elliott, and Dameon Pierce this week.
The metrics have shown Chris Olave is on the verge of a breakout. We finally saw the potential shine through during Week 3, as Olave saw 13 targets for the second consecutive week. The rookie went off for 147 yards on nine catches.
So what Toilet-Worthy Losers have him at WR27 this week against Minnesota?
Honestly, I have no idea, but this is probably the last week he will qualify for this column, so I need to take advantage of this opportunity. If Josh Reynolds put up 96 yards against this secondary, imagine what the uber-talented Olave can do.
I would get Olave in my lineup over Diontae Johnson, CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and last week’s sleeper Curtis Samuel.
Probably not; this week is disgusting at the tight end position. That said, the Jags treated me well last week so I am returning to them for one more piece of magic. If you missed last week’s game, you missed an Evan Engram touchdown.
You won’t see it in the box score because the review official hates Engram and overturned it. I can only guess he played fantasy and wanted revenge because he rostered Engram at some point over the past five years. However, you have to trust me; it was a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Jags offense is producing an awful lot of red zone opportunities which is what we like for tight ends. In Week 4, the Jags draw the high-flying Eagles, who have been scoring points in bunches. Let’s look for a shootout against the surprising Doug Peterson offense. Evan Engram gets one back in Week 4 and finishes as a top option at tight end.
Engram comes in at TE19 but should be ahead of Dawson Knox, Robert Tonyan, Dalton Schultz, and Tyler Conklin (who could free fall with the return of Zach Wilson).
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Week 3 is here, and there are finally some trends becoming clear as fantasy managers look to find some trophy winning sleepers from this injury-riddled slate. I need to get more information to avoid the roller coaster that was Week 2. So before reviewing this week’s, let’s hold our noses and dive right into last week's trash can of takes.
Remember, I must pick one player from each position, outside the top 20 to finish in the top 10.
As someone who advised a friend not to trade Myles Gaskin for Justin Jefferson in his rookie year (redraft of course, I am not that stupid), the bar is very low for the worst advice I have given. Whether or not suggesting playing Matt Ryan over Tua Tagovailoa was worse is up to you. The Michael Pittman injury isn’t what made this bad advice either; it was just a terrible read on both the Indy and Miami offense.
Terrible doesn’t begin to describe it. Tack on Wentz as another player I suggested you bench for Ryan, and quarterback was a dumpster fire. After nailing quarterback in Week 1, I came back with a counterbalance for the ages. Only up from here I guess, but I am sorry to anyone who followed my advice.
You deserve better.
While not quite as embarrassing as the quarterback call, Kareem Hunt and Russell Gage (as a pivot from the injured Julio Jones) didn’t exactly bring fantasy gold. Nick Chubb was an absolute fantasy star despite scoring a touchdown to cost them the game—honestly, no one could have seen that coming.
In addition, the Bucs/Saints game was almost as big of a dumpster fire as my article. We found no gold in the first three sections for Week 2.
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Irv Smith had exactly zero catches coming into Monday night and was projected to be TE23 in the consensus rankings. Instead, Smith ended up as the TE4 and was a horrific drop away from being the runaway TE1. However, he still managed to outscore every lineup recommendation in the article to keep us from total embarrassment. I can’t say I am happy about this week, but it felt good to avoid going 0-4.
Top 12 Finishes - 2-6
Lineup Advice - 23-15
With that out of the way, let’s bounce back and find those trophy winning sleepers for Week 3!
Trevor Lawrence has yet to put it together, but the former first overall pick is starting to show signs of life. In Week 3, he gets an average Chargers defense who have given up an average of 265 yards and two touchdowns a game to start the season.
With Herbert’s status up in the air at this point, it could be a neutral game script, and the Jags are coming off an absolute ass-kicking they put on the Colts. A high energy and boosted confidence could result in another big point total for Jacksonville. Lawrence is due for a big game and Week 3 could be worthy of a trophy winning performance as one of my sleepers.
Players ranked ahead of Lawrence, who shouldn’t, include Marcus Mariota, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Tom Brady (some legends in this group).
James Robinson heals better than Wolverine—truly a freak of nature. While fellow Achilles bros Marlon Mack and Cam Akers struggle, James Robinson is thriving yet still finds himself at RB25 in the consensus rankings.
The Chargers are 19th against the run to start the year, and I expect Robinson to get loose for a touchdown again this week. If he's productive for a third consecutive week, watch Etienne fade from the picture as JRob takes over the backfield. Week 3 may be the last week he qualifies as a trophy winning sleeper, so we might as well take advantage.
I would start Robinson ahead of Josh Jacobs, Michael Carter, James Conner, and Najee Harris.
Curtis Samuel AKA Deebo Light (Just kidding; we gotta stop doing that) is getting peppered with targets and even getting a few looks out of the backfield. Much like his fantasy managers, the Commanders are using Samuel as much as they can while he’s still healthy. With twenty targets in two games and the high-flying Eagles offense coming to town, Samuel should have a lot of opportunity. I absolutely love him this week, and at WR28, he is as close to a lock to smash that ranking as we tend to see around here.
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Samuel is currently ranked behind DJ Moore, Hollywood Brown, Brandin Cooks, and teammate Terry McLaurin but should outscore them all.
I am almost scared to make another suggestion at the position. I hit one, and I should probably just call it while I am ahead. But, unfortunately, I get paid to write about one player at each position so I have to put something out there. So let’s bet on an elite quarterback to ensure his tight end gets six this week.
Tyler Conklin comes in at TE16 Week 3 despite hefty usage and an unimpressive Bengals defense as his opponent. Conklin is averaging eight targets a game and should be playing in a negative game script in a get-right game for the Bengals offense. After Pat Freiermuth tore apart the Bengals in Week 1, Conklin follow with a massive game of his own as one of my trophy winning sleepers for Week 3.
Let’s get Conklin in those lineups over Hayden Hurst, Dawson Knox, Zach Ertz, and T.J. Hockenson.
That will do it for this week, hopefully these picks bring you a step closer to the Championship Hardware!
]]>The hindsight should help the process selecting sleepers going into Week 2 as we continue the quest for the Championship Trophy using dumpster-fire fodder.
With a wild Week 1 in the books, it’s time to look back at what went well and where we sucked. The hindsight should help the process selecting sleepers going into Week 2 as we continue the quest for the Championship Trophy using dumpster-fire fodder.
No Championship Belts were given out last week, and I am thankful after tallying only a 25-percent hit rate on the picks. So let’s review the good, the meh, and the downright awful from the last article.
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Kirk Cousins finished the week at QB11 after being projected to finish as the QB17 for the week. Cousins could have been an even stronger play if the Packers had put up a fight in the game. Instead, they fell face down in a pile of crap as Aaron Rodgers and company mailed it in.
More importantly, he outscored every quarterback mentioned in Week 1’s article (Tua, Jameis, Lance, Burrow, Rodgers, Carr, Dak, and Brady). This column strives for that type of league-crushing results every week—solid, actionable advice over hot takes.
Unfortunately, that is where it ends.
ESPN nailed the ranking on Chase Edmonds this week at RB30—his exact finish. In addition, the Patriots got absolutely crushed, giving me two losses at once. So what did we get correct? He outscored all but one of the higher-ranked running backs mentioned, but we are still taking the L.
At wide receiver, Chris Olave finished lower than projected by consensus, which is a huge miss. Coming in at WR51 after being touted at WR48 is the opposite of what this column should bring.
There is a silver lining as he outscored three of the four big names mentioned. He finished ahead of Amari Cooper, Chris Godwin, and Tyler Lockett while only being outscored by Christian Kirk. Maybe I should start writing a column a who belongs in the trash rather than who doesn’t.
I could have just put the names of all active tight ends for Week 1 and probably hit a top-10 sleeper this week. Instead, I went with a gut call of Austin Hooper, who finished at TE47 on the week. He only outscored one of the tight ends mentioned while being crushed by the other three.
The only thing I got right in that section is where I said I am awful at picking weekly tight ends.
For Week 2, I need to look closely at how I am making these choices because you deserve better than the garbage I put out at this position. Following my advice at tight end will lead to nothing but you wearing the Toilet Seat come season end, and no one wants to see that.
With that mess out of the way, let’s aim to do better with sleepers in Week 2 as we have a little more data to work with now.
In what seems to be a pattern, I am going with a boring quarterback ranked in the mid-teens this week as a top-12 play. After the Jaguars made Carson Wentz look like a world-beater, I love the value of Matt Ryan at QB18 in the consensus rankings.
Ryan’s numbers last week were inflated by an entire overtime period. Still, he seemed to have a great connection with his top receiver, Michael Pittman Jr. In addition, I expect the running backs to be heavily involved in the passing game this week as the Jaguars were gashed by both Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic through the air in Week 1. All this should lead to a solid performance for the 37-year-old veteran.
Players ranked ahead of Ryan I prefer this week include Daniel Jones, Carson Wentz, Trey Lance, and Tua Tagovailoa.
Kareem Hunt comes in at RB26 in the consensus rankings despite an incredibly strong Week 1. For Week 2, the Jets aren’t the most accessible team to run on, but backs have succeeded against them in the air. Enter Hunt, who got 15 touches last week and could see even more in Week 2. In PPR, that should easily eclipse his current ranking, and with Jacoby Brissett at the helm, I expect at least another four targets. The talent, situation, and matchup all look as glorious as our Champ Chains.
I am starting Hunt over David Montgomery, Miles Sanders, Josh Jacobs, and CEH.
After the Tampa Bay coaching staff foolishly rushed Chris Godwin back into action, it looks like he will now miss a few weeks. So for Week 2, enter first ballot Hall of Famer and one of the former sleepers in all of your drafts, Julio Jones. You’ve seen all the stats, including Jones reaching the seventh-fastest top-end speed in the league this week.
Jones looks as if he’s back, and the Bucs are doing anything they can to get the ball in his hands. A healthy Julio is a great Julio, and this WR30 ranking in the consensus just doesn’t match up with his likely upside.
I would start Julio over Christian Kirk, DK Metcalf, CeeDee Lamb, and Amon-Ra St Brown this week.
Disclaimer: As of Thursday Afternoon, Julio Jones was not practicing due to a knee injury. Should he sit out the Week 2 matchup, the call would be to play Russell Gage as your Trophy Winning Week 2 Sleeper.
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So my gut was telling me to look at the talent and go Cole Kmet. After all, he was a preseason darling, played in a monsoon, and all those other arguments people are making. But today, we will chase a high point total in hopes we get a piece.
After watching the Lions gash the Eagles in most aspects on offense, Irv Smith has a great chance to outperform his TE23 sleeper rank in Week 2. Hopefully, the Eagles paid attention to Jordan Davis as a stud in the run game. If they continue to give more snaps to Davis, we could watch the Vikings air it out. The high-powered Eagles offense will likely force them to, regardless. With Focus on Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, Smith should see plenty of opportunities.
I would play Smith over Robert Tonyan, David Njoku, Hayden Hurst, and Logan Thomas, to name a few.
So there you have it, your Trophy Winning Sleepers for Week 2. Let’s hope for a better week than last week!
After months of waiting, Opening Weekend did not disappoint, as long as your team won. It was non-stop action. Here's how you can watch Week 2 live.
Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books, and it was a wild one, my friends. Here is a quick recap of what occurred.
After months of waiting, Opening Weekend did not disappoint, as long as your team won. It was non-stop action. How could Week 2 possibly live up to this start? Pretty easily, actually.
The second NFL slate of the season kicks off in Kansas City, where the Chargers take on the Chiefs in an early match-up of AFC West rivals. This is supposed to be the best division in the league, as the Chargers will look to be the only undefeated one left in it.
The Chargers narrowly missed the playoffs last season, losing to the Raiders in Week 18. Week 2 is their opportunity to prove they deserve a shot at the trophy, not to mention Justin Herbert’s chance to outduel Patrick Mahomes. Chargers at Chiefs is shaping up to be a high-scoring affair, much like we expected between the Bills and Rams last week. Hopefully, fantasy managers won’t tear out their hair as much as they did during last Thursday night’s matchup.
The Chargers-Chiefs match-up has to be more exciting than the blowout we saw last Thursday Night. It’s science. Plan accordingly if you want to be on your couch for kick-off.
8:20 PM EST
The 1 PM games for Week 2 aren’t as exciting as last week. It seems like the NFL loaded the Week 1 early slate with revenge games galore. The most exciting thing we’ll have early on is a divisional match-up between Tom Brady’s Buccaneers and Jameis Winston’s Saints. Suppose it’s a revenge game of sorts for Winston, playing against his former team in Tampa. However, this one isn’t as punctuated, as recent, or as big of a slight as Baker Mayfield facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.
While not as dramatic as football's opening weekend, there’s still plenty to enjoy.
Week 2 is excitingly featuring not one but two Monday night match-ups. We have the Tennessee Titans heading to Buffalo and the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. While this is usually a Week 1 tradition, the Denver Broncos versus Seattle Seahawks was too juicy not to stand alone. So here we are in Week 2 with a doubleheader.
Let’s be real here. Yes, anything is possible; that’s why they play the games. However, The Titans couldn’t manage to beat the lowly New York Giants to open up the season. The Bills are loaded on both sides of the ball. Barring a significant injury, suspension, or Josh Allen suddenly retiring before the game, this one will be over by the end of the first quarter.
The second contest of the night should be a far more exciting affair. Philadelphia looked like a complete team this past Sunday in a 38-35 victory over the Detroit Lions, and we all saw what Minnesota did to Green Bay. These are two much-improved squads who will likely be competing for a playoff spot come December. This one is a toss-up and could be the best game of the entire week.
7:15 PM EST
8:30 PM EST
There’s a lot going on this week, folks:
If you took anything away from last week, it might be that kickers kind of sucked to start the season. There were six game-winning kicks that went wide, including a miss by Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship that led to a tie against Houston. Chicago placekicker Cairo Santos missed two extra points. Cincy’s Evan Mcpherson missed one as well, plus a potential game-winning kick in the same game the Steelers' Chris Boswell missed a game-ender before finishing it off as the clock expired in extra time. The lone kicking bright spot from last weekend was Cleveland’s Cade York Champ Chain-worthy 60-yarder to seal the deal against Carolina. Will the trend of wildly inaccurate kicking when it counts continue into Week 2?
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The AFC South heads into Week 2 with a tie for first, with Indianapolis and Houston sitting at 0-0-1. Jacksonville and Tennessee both lost, leaving this division without a single victory. Will this weekend bring us a win in the division? You would think it’s a certainty with the Jaguars facing off against the Colts, but we saw what happened on Sunday.
Next, the Texans face the Broncos in Denver, and before the Monday night debacle in Seattle, I would have said this game is already over. However, Houston looked good to open the season; Denver did not. Finally, the Titans face off against the Bills on Monday night in what should be a blowout snoozefest. My money is on Indy to take the lead in the South, but anything is possible.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, three of the four teams in the historically awful NFC East started their 2022 campaign off with a win. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were the lone loser in more ways than one. Not only were they destroyed by the Tampa Bay Bucs and their 45-year-old quarterback, but they also lost their star Dak Prescott for at least four weeks with a hand injury. That’s bad news for a team that looked lackluster on national television Sunday night.
If you’re among the Green Bay Packers faithful, their Week 2 game is a Godsend. After getting blown out by the most vanilla quarterback on earth in Cousins, getting the Aaron Rodgers-owned Chicago Bears at home is a best-case scenario.
It’s difficult to know precisely what Chicago is after last week’s monsoon game, but we do know whatever they are isn’t good. Justin Fields will have his work cut out for him against one of the best secondaries in the league. Meanwhile, the Bears defense is going to have to buckle down and figure out how to get to Aaron Rodgers if this game is going to be even remotely close.
The biggest question from last weekend that will carry over to this Sunday is the Trey Lance saga. His debut as the starting quarterback in San Francisco was marred by a monsoon in Chicago and an embarrassing loss to an awful Bears squad. You can blame the rain all you want, but this is the NFL, and Lance’s home field is in one of the rainiest cities in the country.
Lance’s rushing upside is undeniable, but this isn’t college football. He will have to throw the ball in an offense loaded with receiving talent. A Week 2 match-up against Seattle brings in much better weather for the second-year signal caller, possibly giving him a chance to rebound and right the ship, but can he?
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Week 2 has a LOT to live up to after an electric Week 1. Here are a few Week 2 predictions straight from my brain to your eyes:
However it all plays out, just remember that the most important thing this week is that football is back!
Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.
I’ll be back next week with more musings on the week ahead and a review of the week just behind us, right here in the SmackZone.
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Can you believe that we are actually here already? It is the start of the NFL season and, as always, we are going dumpster diving for values. It has been like eight months since I wrote a Trophy Winning Sleepers column; some of you probably didn’t even know it existed before this very moment for Week 1. So, let’s go over the ground rules on how this works and what you can expect from this column moving forward.
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Each not-so-sexy start has to be a player outside of the ESPN Fantasy Consensus Top 20 for running backs and wide receivers and outside the Top 15 for quarterbacks and tight end. To be considered a hit, they must finish in the Top 12 at their position for the week.
Every column (besides this one) will begin with an accountability section where we cover the hits and misses from the previous week. Why? Because victory lapping is incredible, but only if you take accountability for the losses. I want to give the reader confidence I know what the hell I am doing. Showing your entire process and owning each pick is a way of building trust.
Don’t like my process? I guess you can find one of the other million people writing articles nowadays. But it is essential to keep everything transparent,
So who is ready to take that first step in securing your Championship League Trophy by playing some of these sleepers in Week 1?
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Man, this almost feels like cheating, but Kirk Cousins comes in as the consensus QB17 for the week in ESPN rankings. What a screaming value for a Week 1 sleeper. The last time Cousins had the Packers at home, he lit them up for 341 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions.
Let me give you a list of players I am starting Cousins over this week so you can properly set your lineups. Play Cousins over Tua, Jameis Winston, Trey Lance, Joe Burrow, and his opponent, Aaron Rodgers. He also is a coinflip to outscore Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, and Derek Carr. He’s not sexy at all but he’ll put up points and you like that!
I will never forgive myself if this misses…
Chase Edmonds has become the back everyone expects to lead this backfield in touches, and he gets New England at home this week. Now, the Patriots are known for being tough on the ground with a line led by Christian Barmore and Devin Godcheaux. However, Edmonds does his damage in the air and is a big-time PPR start.
Coming in as a sleeper at RB30 for Week 1 on ESPN, expect him to outscore big names such as Josh Jacobs, David Montgomery, Cam Akers, Travis Etienne, and Antonio Gibson. So after Week 1, say goodbye to his low acquisition price.
At WR48, we find the route-running extraordinaire Chris Olave. He should find the end zone against the division-rival Falcons—who are already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and just playing for the draft picks.
Coming out of Ohio State, this speedster has to show his coaches they can and should have used him in more intermediate and deep routes. F*ck It and Chuck It Jameis Winston will take advantage of his speed from Day 1. I would start Olave over Amari Cooper, Christian Kirk, Chris Godwin, and Tyler Lockett.
If you followed along last year, you would have seen I hit on basically zero-percent of my tight end calls. The position is an absolute dumpster fire, and trying to figure out who is going in the top ten has as much chance of success as I do with Hailee Steinfeld. But I guess anything can happen, so here we go.
Austin Hooper has a chance to lead the team in targets for Week 1, which would be great because they are playing the Giants, who are barely an NFL team. Sure, we all expect Henry to be the focal point of this offense. However, a big Henry game means red zone opportunities; red zone opportunities mean potential touchdowns. For tight ends to finish top 10, all you need are touchdowns. So give me Hooper as the play over Pat Freiermuth, Tyler Higbee, Mike Gesicki, and Noah Fant.
Whether these picks hit or not, we are all winners this week because the NFL is back, and we can finally stop listening to all the preseason noise.
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Football is back, baby! After what was one of the wildest NFL off-seasons in recent memory, watch Week 1 blow the top off the 2022 campaign out of the gate. With more drama than a week's worth of soap operas, you're going to wanna grab your popcorn, secure your spot on the couch, and prepare to be entertained.
It all starts Thursday night with what could be a preview of Super Bowl LVII and could have been the Super Bowl LVI match-up last season. The Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills face off against the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams. This game is sure to be a shoot-out of epic proportions. It’s not unreasonable to think we could see over 1,000 yards passing between these two quarterbacks with big arms and talented receivers. The real questions in this game are:
Regardless of how these things play out, you'll want to tune into this one, as it's likely the only good game we'll see on Thursday night all season.
The early slate starts Sunday with a bang, featuring a match-up made in revenge game heaven. The new home of maligned signal caller and former Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, the Carolina Panthers will face off against Mayfield's former employer. We are not even two months removed from the nasty split between him and the Browns, one that saw the team essentially call him a child. Baker wants blood, and this one could get deliciously ugly early on. Watch out for an upset in Week 1.
Monday night features newly-minted preseason King of the World (in Denver anyways) Russell Wilson kicking off his tenure with the Broncos at his longtime home field in Seattle in front of a sure-to-be-welcoming crowd. He will be up against many former teammates, including former backup quarterback who will line up behind center as Wilson's replacement. While the storyline is fun, it's likely to be a blowout, with Denver boasting Super Bowl ambitions and Seattle just praying they can win at least a few games. DangeRuss has a lot to prove, and that starts with showing the Seahawks how big of a mistake they made in trading him away.
It's not just revenge tours in the opening week of American professional football. Oh no.
We have:
Trevor Lawrence, anointed a future Hall of Fame quarterback before ever throwing an NFL pass, is free of the mess of Urban Meyer and surrounded by legitimate weapons. Fortunately, the journey to clear his name starts against a putrid mess of a Washington team. Alongside Trevor's quest, Travis Etienne will finally see an NFL field alongside his former quarterback at Clemson. Can he live up to the hype?
These team names are messed up 😅
— TrophySmack (@TrophySmack) September 7, 2022
Want more? @FF_Intervention has you covered. Check out our Top 100!
👇 👇 👇 https://t.co/3uAT7TWXyF pic.twitter.com/tfZBcPItqx
Speaking of college teammates, former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams has reunited with Fresno State teammate Derek Carr. The blockbuster trade that sent the elite pass-catcher to Sin City sent ripples through the league, raising questions in Wisconsin and Las Vegas. Will Aaron Rodgers continue as a dominant passer without his go-to receiver? Will Adams maintain elite status separated from a Hall of Fame quarterback?
Along the same lines as Rodgers, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be sans his safety blanket, Tyreek Hill, in 2022. Instead, Mahomes will look downfield at wide receivers Juju Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Of course, he'll still have old reliable Travis Kelce, but with one of the worst running back corps in football, he will have to be a magic man to repeat the Chiefs' previous success in one of the toughest divisions in football.
Will Jalen Hurts impress? It's entirely possible. The offensive line is improved, and he has a new, elite weapon in A.J. Brown. Head coach Nick Sirianni is in year two, and the running back committee they have assembled should back-up Hurts in the ground attack sufficiently. The real question is will his passing accuracy improve?
The quarterback drama in San Francisco between Trey Lance and Jimmy Garrapolo was finally squashed early in training camp. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan publicly "declared" Lance the starter. Then, last week San Francisco restructured Jimmy G's contract, sending everyone into a tizzy.
Only time will tell, of course, but this was a business move. Or was it?
The great thing about football is we have 18 weeks of regular season action and four weeks of intense, insane, unbelievable playoff excitement to see how all of this will play out.
Immortalize your wins and celebrations with a professional-grade championship belt!
I cannot believe we’ve survived seven months without actual, real, live football. I couldn’t be more excited to see how everything we’ve discussed at Infinitum plays out. Whether you’re chasing a TrophySmack Championship Trophy or are just a casual NFL fan, there is a lot to look forward to on the horizon. All I ask is you enjoy the ride.
I’ll be back next week with more musings on the week ahead and a review of the week just behind us, right here in the Smackzone.
We are on the cusp of real, meaningful NFL football! Hopefully, you’ve done your prep and research and are in a frame of mind to dominate your draft. Over the last two weeks, I’ve touched on a handful of draft strategies fantasy managers employ to build the best team they possibly can to take home the title belt.
So far, we’ve covered the laid-back, take it easy and don’t panic approach, #RobustRB, and #ZeroRB. All are useful strategies that can lead to success if done right. With the season right in front of us, I have three more pieces of advice to carry you through and get you that winner’s hardware.
Last week we touched on my favorite, though usually unintentional, strategy for my fantasy football drafts: RobustRB. Now we’re going to discuss RobustRB’s partner-in-crime, #ZeroWR.
Most managers who employ this in tandem with RobustRB – because you almost have to unless you’re going to take four QBs – also use ZeroWR logic.
It’s relatively simple in principle and execution.
Wide receiver is a deep position in the NFL, with many teams employing a three-receiver on 61-percent of plays. In a standard 12-team, 16-round draft, WR3s slip and start the season as undrafted free agents. Multiple factors allow many of these undrafted players to have an impact during the season. It might be a spot flex play depending on match-ups.
Due to the availability, if you grab an elite receiver in the early round and another mid-level pass-catcher a little later, you can get by with late-round dart throws and waiver wire pick-ups in-season.
Here is how to execute it.
In most drafts, you can get a WR2 with WR1 upside - such as Dionte Johnson - as late as the fourth round. Then, once you’ve grabbed that top-tier talent, you wait until the seventh or eighth round. Hopefully, someone like Rashod Bateman or Elijah Moore are still available.
After rostering two receivers, hold off for one of the last two picks to grab an additional for a bench/flex play. Once the season starts, I monitor the waiver wire for value adds to bolster my bench.
If you haven’t played superflex format fantasy football, that’s okay. I didn’t try it until a few years ago. The quick explanation is this: In addition to your regular positional starting spots and flex spots, you have one superflex spot where you can start any one of QB/RB/WR/TE.
Celebrate crushing your leaguemates in fantasy football or memorialize a big milestone with your very own custom championship ring!
Shop RINGSWith most league scoring settings, quarterback is the most valuable in fantasy football. The opportunity to start two of them is exciting and ups the scoring totals in your leagues. However, if you bungle your draft, the strategy won’t matter. You’ll find yourself at the bottom of the pack, with better chances at a Toilet Bowl Trophy than a Championship Ring.
So then, what do I do, Nate?
I’m glad you asked!
In most superflex drafts, the first round is a free-for-all on quarterbacks, though there are usually one or two non-QBs with a high enough scoring ceiling to warrant an early selection. So unless you can get one of them, go with the pack.
What you do after this will make or break your season.
Once you reach the second round, this is where you can start with your favorite strategy or non-strategy.
If you are dead set on having a second stud quarterback, pay attention to who is taking a second quarterback and when.
If you are okay waiting, pay attention to when and who your fellow managers are taking as their QB2. You don't want to be left praying that Gardner Minshew gets a shot at starting.
Finally, whatever you do, do not draft a third quarterback.
Don't waste a roster spot on a player you are unlikely to need more than twice.
When bye weeks come up, you can occasionally find quarterbacks on waivers, especially with injuries and rookies. If not, you can slide a bench player into the superflex. You'll be fine and still in a great position to drip with the winning wager and a dope TrophySmack Champ Chain.
Nothing beats a live fantasy football draft. Having cold drinks, great food, and big laughs with friends, all while drafting a championship team. Whether it's friends, family, or co-workers, it's sure to be an epic time. Fun will be had, memories will be made, and friendly rivalries will be born.
Remember to keep your cool as you stare at your league's gorgeous Draft Board, imagining the elite team you're about to draft. Of course, everyone is looking for an advantage, whether they try to intimidate you with their pile of draft cheat sheets or throw fake analysis out to see who bites. So take a deep breath, relax, tune out the noise, and fight back.
Drop a whoopie cushion under your usually gassy little brother's seat cushion. The embarrassment will throw him off his game, and he'll draft a kicker in the fourth round. Success.
Every time your boss is on the clock, stand next to them, hand on the table, showing off your massive, blinged-out Championship Ring from last season. Make sure they know you have no intention of handing it over any time soon.
Maybe even draft the best kicker on the board early. Like, really early. Start a run in kickers in the third round and reap the rewards. You'll have the best kicker in your league—you have to start one, right?—and because everyone else panicked, you still grab league winners with a leg up on the field.
Whatever strategy you decide to use or distraction tactics you employ, remember that playing fantasy football should be fun! So, walk into your draft with a six-pack of your favorite cold beverage, eat some pizza, have some laughs, and enjoy your time with friends. Don’t stress so much about your roster. It’s a long season, and anything can happen. But, at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to have fun, whether you take home the Ultimate Custom Title Belt or the Toilet Bowl of Dishonor.
Thanks for reading, and happy drafting!
You can find more of me on Twitter @NatePolvogt
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My goal is to teach you how to employ the best draft strategy. We want to not only help you get sweet championship bling this season but also have a blast doing it. The two we are covering today is #RobustRB and #ZeroRB.
Welcome to part two of my series, Beginner’s Guide to Types of Fantasy Football Draft Strategies! The title is a mouthful, but the information I’m about to give you is not. My goal is to teach you how to employ the best draft strategy. We want to not only help you get some sweet championship bling this season but also have a blast doing it. The two we are covering today is #RobustRB and #ZeroRB.
When fantasy football was invented in 1962 by Bill Wikenbach, part-owner of the Oakland Raiders, I don’t think he had any clue what he was creating. The game has evolved in the 60 years since good ‘ole Bill created that first league. What started as “Fantasy Gridiron Football” has morphed into variations of superflex, TE premium, and IDP madness—some all in one.
Fantasy football is no longer a hobby but a way of life.
It’s bragging rights and wearing your Ultimate Title Belt to your best friend's wedding to remind him you’re still the king. It’s keeping your office league Championship Trophy perched proudly in your cubicle—tall enough to remind the entire office you reign supreme.
There are many ways to reach Mount Olympus. Meanwhile, every Tom, Dick, and Sally has an opinion on the best, sneakiest, or most “in-style” strategy of the moment.
Let’s cover two strategies that have become a hot topic over the last few seasons; the polar opposite #RobustRB versus #ZeroRB.
The ZeroRB draft strategy is somewhat misleading. You still draft running backs, just much later in the draft. The concept behind ZeroRB is to take elite-level talents at wide receiver, tight end, and quarterback to get consistent production. Afterward, you select running backs who can still produce decent numbers above replacement or handcuffs to other positions.
Think of it like this: You go to a buffet. You assume the carved meat will last forever, so you load up on everything else. You’ve got your first choice of salmon, mashed potatoes, a veggie medley, some cheese, Italian meats, and probably a salad – look at me being healthy! So you’re loaded up, and it’s time for some sweet prime rib! Except the prime rib is gone, folks. You waited too long, and now you get carved… chicken. But, of course, no one wants chicken when you could have had prime rib.
There are positives to this strategy. I wouldn’t dare knock mashed potatoes or a good side salad. And sometimes, by the time you get to the carved meats, you’re already full, and it doesn’t matter. Maybe you don’t even like carved meats. If you can hit on an early quarterback-wide receiver stack in your drafts, you’ll be full, and running backs won’t matter nearly as much.
The RobustRB strategy is precisely what you think. You load up on top-tier running backs in the draft's early rounds, ignoring other positions completely.
You run recklessly past the buffet to the carving station in this scenario. You’ll get a salad and some chicken with gravy, but you max out your plate with red meat. You know they’ll refill the pans and restock the rolls and salad, but there’s only one prime rib at this party, and you want the best cuts.
This strategy can work well, depending on your league format and scoring. For example, in points per reception (PPR) leagues, getting a swiss army-type running back - Austin Ekeler, Alvin Kamara - to pair with a touchdown hog – Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb – is a recipe for bowling over your opponents every week on your way to a championship chain.
However, if you deploy this strategy in a superflex or 2QB league, you’ve already secured the Toilet Bowl Trophy, my friend.
Depending on my league and the season, I have unintentionally drafted RobustRB way for a long time. Like anything, fantasy football is a mix of skill and luck, but drafting running backs in the early rounds has typically set me up for success more than it’s been a detriment to my chances at taking home some sick TrophySmack hardware. So there is mitigated risk with almost as much upside.
I’ve tried drafting ZeroRB for research. My teams weren’t awful, but they weren’t contenders. They were also more stressful to manage because I never knew what I would do with my running backs. It wasn’t fun, and it certainly isn’t a strategy that will get you anywhere near a Bling Ring without a serious amount of luck on your side.
If you’re looking for me, start at the carving station, my friends. I’m going all in on the prime rib.
Whatever strategy you decide to use, remember that playing fantasy football should be fun! So, walk into your draft with a six-pack of your favorite cold beverage, eat some pizza, have some laughs, and enjoy your time with friends. Don’t stress so much about your roster. It’s a long season, and anything can happen. At the end of the day, whether or not you take home the Ultimate Custom Title Belt or the Toilet Bowl Trophy of Dishonor, the goal is to have fun.
Thanks for reading part two of my draft strategy series here in the SmackZone. Next week I’m going to guide you through superflex draft strategies and then some of my favorite ways to mess with your leaguemates and have an epic time at your live draft.
You can find more of me on Twitter @NatePolvogt
Figuring out a fun, competitive way to determine the order in your fantasy football drafts is vital to your league's success. We got your covered.
Do you want the 1.01 in your fantasy draft? You’re not the only one. Figuring out a fun, competitive way to determine the order in your fantasy football drafts is vital to your league's success; it’s the kickoff to your season, after all. However, don’t stress about what you should do. We have you covered.
Before we dive into the top 10 ways to determine your draft order, you have to figure out what is important to you. For example, you’re likely not going to do a triathlon for a bunch of dudes whose workouts for the past year consisted of 12-ounce curls. You’re also not going to do drinking contests with a family league while you watch your 12-year-old nephew get hammered off 40s of OE.
When going through this list, keep in mind your entire league, and get the most out of the appropriate games to determine the draft order.
Those of you thinking to yourself, “I’m not running,” don’t worry! No one even has to leave their seats. It’s an entirely random 100-yard dash simulation allowing everyone an equal opportunity to get the top pick while tying their stomachs in knots, watching for the results. 100YardRush works for home and online leagues alike. Of course, it also helps if the entire crew can’t make it to the draft.
Cornhole is a great way to determine your draft position if your league is competitive. Which alfa-minded individual would say no to a one-on-one, trash-talking game of cornhole? Not only do you get the head-to-head nature, but you also get some rivalries built up before the draft. Be careful what you say because figuring out the draft position is just the beginning of the fantasy season, and let me tell you: It’s a long one.
🚨ATTENTION🚨@TrophySmack has entered the building. @theffexpo #ffexpo22 pic.twitter.com/05Rq8GBwPF
— TrophySmack (@TrophySmack) August 14, 2022
Beer pong arguably takes a little less skill and involves a bit more alcohol than cornhole, but they are on the same page. Much like cornhole, nothing beats going head to head with your leaguemates with the draft order on the line. You can do teams, but the recommended approach would be mono e mono with three cups a piece. The type/amount of alcohol (if any) is up to you.
A physical activity such as a skills challenge will pop up more than once in this fantasy football draft position article so let’s start with the arm talent. Think you are the best quarterback amongst the crew? Prove it in a quarterback skills challenge. Line up the buckets, throw out some targets, and grab a net with pockets if you’re feeling real froggy. Then, just like at The Fantasy Football Expo, get in line to show off.
We know Uncle Rico isn’t the only guy who can throw the ball over the mountains, so let’s see what you got.
If most of your drafts feel like a test you didn’t study for, wait till you hit the Wonderlic. One of the most demanding tests you will never practice, the Wonderlic will make you second guess your intelligence in just 12 minutes. Even the most intelligent people could fail the Wonderlic in moments. Compiling the pressure with a few beers creates an intense atmosphere, great for any draft beginning.
We have a new idea for @theffexpo in 2023😏😏 pic.twitter.com/VovMK7dN6u
— TrophySmack (@TrophySmack) August 16, 2022
This one is likely the most expensive idea but also the most fun. Grab $50 and hit Dave and Busters! Each person gets to choose one game. The person with the highest score gets the number of points as people in your league (E.g., for a 12-team league, the highest score would get 12 points). After all twelve of the games are played, and scores are assigned, the person with the most gets their choice of draft position.
Any video game simulator works to determine draft position. You could use Mario Cart, Super Smash Brothers, or Madden. Wrestling is especially fun if you’re into designing your guys to look like the players in your league. Simulators are not a game of skill, as no one actually plays. You put it fair across the board with a royal rumble and watch everyone go to town! The last player standing wins the Title Belt!
A wing-eating contest could be one of the best or worst ways to select your draft position, pending on how you value your leaguemates. You could choose the route of heading to Buffalo Wild Wings and do the #BlazinPunishment. Log the times it takes for each person to take down all six Blazin Wings. If multiple people can’t finish all of them, they wear the loser's bib while the amount left will determine their draft positions.
The #BlazinPunishment was originally meant to be the punishment for the losers, but why not take it a step forward and torment the entire league?
The other route is still punishing the loser from last season while also doing a contest. Everyone competes in an all-you-can-eat wing contest. The draft order would fall in line with whoever finishes the most. The catch is the loser would have to start out with six of the Blazin Wings before ordering any flavors a sane individual would eat.
Of all the ways to determine the draft order, the NFL Combine is the most time-consuming. Who can run the fastest, jump the highest, and lift the most? We are about to find out. The forty-yard dash is up first, followed by the shuttle run, verticle jump, broad jump, then finish it up with the bench press. Scoring for each event follows the same route as Dave and Busters.
The NFL Combine is a great way to show off your skills but the Fantasy Combine something so much more. Throwing together some games we have already discussed, this combine lets everyone know who is the elite of the elite. Golfing, football, beer pong, cornhole, and flip cup possesses a special set of skills to be great at all. Step up your game with this draft decider.
@sokrispyyyy The only correct way of determining draft order. #fantasyfootball #draft #football #nfl ♬ original sound - SoKrispyyyyt
My friends and I created this game one year ago because someone didn’t want to do an entire beer pong tournament. So instead, we decided to take 36 cups and fill them all about halfway. However, before doing so, we wrote numbers one through twelve on the bottom of twelve cups.
We then went in random order shooting for cups. If you missed one, your turn got skipped. If you made one, you had to finish your cup to know if you got a draft spot. If your cup contained a number on the bottom, you were out. You received your draft spot and could stop drinking. However, if your cup was blank on the bottom, you had to finish your beer and shoot again when the ball came back around. The process would repeat until you ultimately found a number. Hopefully, it won’t take you till the last cup to find a number, like our buddy Zach.
Regardless of how you decide to build out your draft order, remember it’s not complete without acknowledgment of the previous year’s champion or shaming the loser. It’s about having fun with your friends and constantly pushing the limits. If you’re not looking forward to next year, you probably didn’t do it right.
]]>For redraft, there are 10 good ones here but for the commissioner in me there can be only 1.
— Bob Gilchrist (@BobGilchristFF) August 25, 2022
Order in which dues are paid. https://t.co/RAjaH72gLI
Each year finding team names funny enough to put on your Customized Fantasy Trophy becomes a challenge—especially in 2022. Unfortunately, most you see across the internet are lame, and the lists become repetitive. So we cross-referenced our data, took polls on Twitter, hosted competitions to eliminate the terrible ones, and ended up with hilarious team names for the 2022 season.
Enjoy.
Only Fants
Haley’s Kmet
Can You Diggs It?
Kupp Off!
How I Kmet Your Mother
Hooked on a Thielen
Little Red Fournette
The Catalina Wine Mixon
All Barkley No Bite
My Nut Zach Ertz
Bear Force One
Jake Fromm State Farm
Fresh Prince of Helaire
Dirty Landry
Batman and Dobbins
I Ansah To No One
School of Dawson Knox
Waller If Ya Hear Me!
MeNajee a Trois
Make AmeriCam Brate Again
The Luckness Monsters
I’m Just Here so I Don’t Get Fined
I'm Dreaming of aCorrect Lineup
The Greatest Show on Paper
Sunday Shanahan-igans
Gronk if You Want to See My TD’s
Get Swifty
CeeDeeCee Guidelines.
Show Me the Mooney
Life’s a Mitch
Who Gives A-dams?
Lambskin Larges
Came in Like a Wrecking Hall
For Whom David Bell Tolls
Knight Ridder
Drake It Till You Make It
B-B-B-Breecy and the Jets!
This League's a Breece of Cake
Breece’s Peanut Butter Kupps
Burks, where’s my Brown???
Pickens My Jockstrap
My Money Don’t Jiggle Jiggle, It Foles
Jameis’ Olave Lamp
Davante’s New Carr
Hill's House is Not a Mahomes
Olave It When You Call Me Big Poppa
Reach for the Skyy
The Bateman
A, B, CeeDee, F-You!
🎶Wan'Dale, come back to me🎶
Three Little Boyds
Country Road, Take Mahomes
Sleeping With Cousins
Baby Got Dak
Big Dak Energy
Mitch do my Landry
Wentz in a Blue Mooney
Almost Jameis
Yippie Kai Yai Justin Tucker.
It Ertz when I pee
Drop the Micah
Trey Lance, Lance Refrigeration
Herbert the Love Bug
WentzTaShit
My Ex Kelce just Wants Mahomes
Dakstreet’s Back!
Kobra Kyler
50 Shades of Trey
Blocked by Ben Roethlisberger
Always the Backup, Never the Bride
28-3 and Me
That will wrap up our funny teams names for 2022! Didn't find one you loved?