Post by Cincinnati Bengals (Chris) on Oct 10, 2019 2:27:48 GMT -5
1. Miami 0 (7-0)- The #1 team stays the same for another week following a comeback win over Baltimore that was too close for comfort for Miami. Jay Cutler’s downright bad performance threatened to undo the Dolphins undefeated streak, but Demaryius Thomas and DeMarco Murray saved the day.
2. New England 0 (7-0)- Despite a slow start, New England managed to hang on against Cincinnati. A horrid offensive showing (24.3 points) nearly knocked the Pats from the list of the unbeatens, but a near-90 point defensive effort was more than enough. NE gets to keep its #2 spot for at least one more week.
3. Philadelphia 0 (6-1)- This week’s top-scorer (172 points) is making it hard not to move him above the current top-two. Those two teams, however, acquitted themselves well enough to last one more week, and the Eagles, though they shouldn’t expect weekly 40-point outings from Russell Wilson, will have plenty of chances to reclaim the top spot. The top-3 stays intact this week.
4. Jacksonville +1 (6-1)- Jacksonville has ripped off 6-straight wins, and with Bishop Sankey coming around, looks to be more-or-less unstoppable on offense in future weeks. The 82+ points led the way to a 17-point victory over a tough SD team this week. Three games clear in the AFC South with 5 to go, Jacksonville is the closest to wrapping up a guaranteed playoff spot of any team in the league. The Jags climb into the top-4 for the first time this year.
5. Arizona +1 (6-1)- The runaway favorite for rookie GM of the year, Mett has turned this Arizona team into NFC West favorites, even with the weekly threat of a 0 from the TE position. The offense was propped up by Golden Tate, as Andy Dalton had a Dalton in the playoffs type of game, and several other bigwigs had down weeks. In the end, it was just enough to put away MIN and climb into the top-5 for the first time this year.
6. Dallas +1 (5-2)- Dallas dropped the first two games of the season and has roared back with 5-straight, despite receiving zeroes (or effective zeroes) from three offensive players, and a 1.3-point game from Alshon Jeffery. That’s called good, clean living. The defense was a revelation, and Tom Brady’s 28+ point game carried the Cowboys as far as they needed. DAL moves up one spot and reaches #6 for the first time this year.
7. Seattle +3 (5-2)- Climbing 3 spots and passing DET in the process, the Seahawks managed a win despite a less than stellar day from the offense, which totaled only 47 points. Additionally, Seattle lost C.J. Spiller for the year (or at least the fantasy year), though Mike Evans (off of a bye) and eventually Montee Ball can plug that gap. In the good news column, Robert Griffin III is nearing a return, which is as sweet a sound as Cecil can hear with Brian Hoyer showing us new levels of suckitude this week.
8. Detroit -4 (5-2)- Cam Newton was decidedly average, Julius Thomas was downright bad, and the offense as a whole put up a tremendously-underwhelming 48 points. Perhaps next time Ryan will leave Jerick McKinnon in the lineup. As it is this week, the Lions score barely half of their record-setting Week 6 total, and fall 4 places due to the loss to SEA. There will be better weeks in Motown.
9. Pittsburgh +2 (5-2)- With Cincy’s loss and Pittsburgh’s blowout win, the Steelers take full control of first place in the AFC North. Alex Smith was back to doing sort of good things, and seven players in all scored more than 15 points en route to 158 points in all. That’s balance. Also, Garrett’s kicker was on a bye. Pretty impressive from a team that is just now hitting its stride. PIT climbs 2 spots this week to #9.
10. Kansas City +3 (5-2)- The 122+ points was impressive considering that three players didn’t contribute to the scoring and Matt Ryan is on a streak of 1-touchdown games that has turned him into a fantasy non-factor (as in he’s not going to decide games either way with these performances). But, back in the win column and in the top-10 is the team that has held pole position for the longest this season.
11. Denver -3 (4-3)- Only Anthony Barr stood out on defense, and Reggie Wayne and Brandin Cooks underperformed on offense. Even with 43 points from Romo and Ellington, who strangely claimed he let Stepfan Taylor vulture two of his touchdowns on purpose, Steve found himself 10 points short of Houston’s nearly 126-point effort this week. Still alive in the AFC West, the Broncos fall one game behind the Chiefs and DEN drops 3 spots to #11.
12. Cincinnati -3 (4-3)- Unable to ride out Foles’ bye, a surprise Justin Tuck inactive and Gio Bernard’s worst career game (with an assist to a hapless Hue Jackson), the offense was a miserable 25 points. Even with 47 points coming from a trio of new starting middle linebackers Chris Borland, Malcolm Smith and Don’t’a Hightower, New England was simply superior in that aspect of the game. CIN drops 3 spots to #12.
13. New York Giants +2 (4-3)- The Giants are another team that has turned it on as of late, hitting a season-high 153 points and more than doubling up Tampa Bay despite a 0 from Zac Stacy (though that could be more commonplace now) and only 1 point from a non-first down converting Terrance West (also see above). That Peyton guy can work some wonders. Up 2 spots goes NYG, who are over .500 and one game out of first in the NFC East.
14. San Diego –2 (4-3)- A good effort on the Chargers’ part was for naught with Jacksonville posting a 137-point game. Perhaps he could’ve Leif could have used the 14 points he left on his bench with two players on byes (one of whom is out for the season) in his lineup. Then again, it’s been nearly a month since he’s been on. Anyone know of a person who wants to take over the Bolts? SD falls two spots this week.
15. Washington +2 (3-4)- Every Washington offensive player, save Chris Johnson, scored double digits this week, and Johnson scored 8.4. That’s kinda good. It was even enough to offset a 0 from Cliff Avril and two empty spots due to byes. But even with that, the defense managed a more than passable 53+ points on its own. For that, and an 18-point win over the Falcons, Washington moves up 2 spots to #15.
16. Minnesota -2 (4-3)- Last week’s vote for the most criminally underranked team (which didn’t even include a vote from MIN himself) got a bunch of surprises this week, none of them good. The combination of Jordan Cameron, Markus Wheaton, Geno Atkins, Brian Cushing, Matt Elam and Kevin Minter totaled 8.3 points this week. Regardless of how good Andrew Luck has been, you’re not going to survive many of those weeks. MIN drops even further, this time to #16 overall.
17. Tennessee +1 (3-4)- Ryan Tannehill had the game of his young career for Kirk, approaching the 30-point mark. That, plus solid contributions from three members of the usual cast and 12 points from Blair Walsh pushed Tennessee to nearly 120 points and level with Houston in the AFC South. One game short of .500, the Titans rise a spot.
18. Baltimore -2 (3-4)- Baltimore made a bid at perhaps the biggest upset of the season so far, a near-win over the top-ranked Dolphins. If Derek Carr had outdueled Cutler and/or Stephen Tuitt had contributed at all, perhaps we’re talking about the Ravens rising and a new #1. However, with the loss, BAL drops 2 spots.
19. Houston +1 (3-4)- On a surge after an 0-4 start, Houston is back in this thing, sitting just one game under .500. The near 126 points is all the more impressive when considering that Damien Williams, Robert Woods, Jace Amaro, Prince Shembo, Mario Addison and Robbie Gould all combined for 8.5 points. The other 9 players nearly combined for 120. The Texans, however, are limited from climbing higher due to the number of winning teams above them. If they keep it up, expect to see Erik’s team climb more than 1 spot per week.
20. Green Bay +1 (4-3)- Green Bay torched San Francisco in Week 7, earning perhaps the first legitimate (irrespective of schedule/opponent) victory for the franchise this season. Even with two offensive zeroes, the unit hit 50 points and the D manufactured nearly 67 on its own. Still the league’s worst winning team, the Pack is only one game out of first in the NFC North. GB climbs only one spot, but that is not a reflection of their body of work this week, only with those above them.
21. Buffalo -2 (2-5)- Blake Bortles continued his weekly roller coaster, as is to be expected, with a 4-pont day. He, however, was not the only player to let the Bills down, as the team only scored 47 points on offense and 36 on the defensive side. Outside of Bennie Cunningham and Jordy Nelson, Shaun Suisham was tops in points with 12. That’s no bueno. BUF drops 2 spots and takes the position of the league’s top 2-win team.
22. Cleveland +2 (3-4)- The cruel truth that everyone must have come to during this week’s games was that someone was going to come away from that Cleveland-New York Jets game with a win. That team was Cleveland, with an anemic 77 points. Here’s betting you’re your team scored more. Insert curse word here. The Browns rise 2 spots, and are the league’s worst 3-win team.
23. St. Louis +4 (2-5)- Two weeks in a row now, St. Louis has flipped the script. While this was nowhere near as impressive as the 137-spot they put up against Minnesota last week, 101 is still a marked improvement from a team that two weeks ago was siting in dead last Only three players hit double digits, but again, it’s hard to be critical of a team that has improved this much this quickly. With the easy win over CHI, up 4 more spots this week is STL.
24. San Francisco -2 (2-5)- At 2-5, San Fran has more-or-less been eliminated in the NFC West. 50-point blowouts have become commonplace every other week, although a zero from Eric Reid, a bye from a LB and four other players at or below the 2.4 mark. Particularly at RB, doused any chance the 49ers had of competing this week. SF dives 2 spots further towards the bottom.
25. Tampa Bay -2 (2-5)- Two offensive zeroes, a 2.5er from Isaiah Crowell and a 1.3er from Antone Smith put the Tampa Bay offense in quicksand. Also Philip Rivers looked surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, depending where you stand on that) human. The defense wasn’t terrible, but also lost Brian Orakpo for the season, and will have to try to find ways to be more productive if they want to win the NFC South. Face it folks, a team with AT LEAST 5 losses is winning that division. Thanks Obama.
26. Oakland -1 (2-5)- Fading fast, Oakland relied too heavily on Ryan Fitzpatrick, which should never be anyone’s plan in fantasy or in real life. He was the only player for the Raiders who topped 10 points, and I feel like I don’t have to say anything more than that. 95 points doesn’t usually cut it. OAK drops one place and will try again next week.
27. Carolina -1 (2-5)- Carolina had one of its better weeks in Week 7, which at 93 points is saying something. Some of the defensive players played very well, and Trent Richardson had one of his best outings in a full year. In fact, CAR would have topped 100 points if Sze had started the right backup quarterback (HOW DARE HE!?), as Gabbert tossed a garbage time touchdown. The Panthers slide one place this week to #27, but are still very much in it in the repugnant NFC South.
28. Atlanta +1 (1-6)- Tough luck for Tim again, who suffered a negative-point game from Kirk Cousins (who will now most likely revert to zeroes), and 0-pointers from Eric Ebron (inactive) and Damontre Moore. Also, Dontari Poe and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had 1.2-pointers. Despite that, it was a good overall effort with six players topping double digits, and three players over 20. The team also hit the 125-point mark. However he does it, if Tim’s Falcons score that on a weekly basis, he’s walking away with that NFC South. Even with the loss to Washington, ATL rises a spot.
29. Indianapolis -1 (1-6)- When Geno Smith has an exemplary day (by his standards), J.R. probably should expect better things than 88+ points and a 34-point loss to the ailing Chiefs, but that’s what happened this week. The 25-point defensive effort didn’t do the Colts any favors, and losing Pierre Thomas for several weeks is going to wreck the RB position of this offense, as he’s the only eligible RB on the roster. IND drops another spot to 29 in this train wreck of a season for them.
30. New Orleans 0 (1-6)- Despite a sub-100 point game, 29 of which came from an uncharacteristically good Eli Manning, the Saints don’t drop a spot in this week’s PRs. Young players making an impact is always a good sign, and I contend that N.O. is primed to make a move next season at some point, provided they can peddle the newly-acquired Jake Locker to the next unsuspecting GM looking for the player who he’ll never be.
31. Chicago 0 (1-6)- Chicago perhaps took a record number of zeroes this week with six. Granted Percy Harvin was changing teams and didn’t play, but many of those were legitimate and a serious cause for concern. More reason for concern: Chicago started Matt Schuab over Drew Brees in 2014. That should pretty much be an immediate boot out of the league right there. Way to be, bud. That’s one reason you’re in 31st and just lost by 32 points.
32. New York Jets 0 (0-7)- Still at the bottom and still performing like the real-life Oakland Raiders, the Jets are having a hard go of it. Progress for Teddy Bridgewater has been slow, and as an offense, failing to reach 20 points is just never going to do anything for you. The defense more than double that, but still didn’t do much, especially if not for the 19 (which, yes, outscored the entire offense) from Tashaun Gipson. Also, I see you there Matt Bryant with your 1-point contribution.
2. New England 0 (7-0)- Despite a slow start, New England managed to hang on against Cincinnati. A horrid offensive showing (24.3 points) nearly knocked the Pats from the list of the unbeatens, but a near-90 point defensive effort was more than enough. NE gets to keep its #2 spot for at least one more week.
3. Philadelphia 0 (6-1)- This week’s top-scorer (172 points) is making it hard not to move him above the current top-two. Those two teams, however, acquitted themselves well enough to last one more week, and the Eagles, though they shouldn’t expect weekly 40-point outings from Russell Wilson, will have plenty of chances to reclaim the top spot. The top-3 stays intact this week.
4. Jacksonville +1 (6-1)- Jacksonville has ripped off 6-straight wins, and with Bishop Sankey coming around, looks to be more-or-less unstoppable on offense in future weeks. The 82+ points led the way to a 17-point victory over a tough SD team this week. Three games clear in the AFC South with 5 to go, Jacksonville is the closest to wrapping up a guaranteed playoff spot of any team in the league. The Jags climb into the top-4 for the first time this year.
5. Arizona +1 (6-1)- The runaway favorite for rookie GM of the year, Mett has turned this Arizona team into NFC West favorites, even with the weekly threat of a 0 from the TE position. The offense was propped up by Golden Tate, as Andy Dalton had a Dalton in the playoffs type of game, and several other bigwigs had down weeks. In the end, it was just enough to put away MIN and climb into the top-5 for the first time this year.
6. Dallas +1 (5-2)- Dallas dropped the first two games of the season and has roared back with 5-straight, despite receiving zeroes (or effective zeroes) from three offensive players, and a 1.3-point game from Alshon Jeffery. That’s called good, clean living. The defense was a revelation, and Tom Brady’s 28+ point game carried the Cowboys as far as they needed. DAL moves up one spot and reaches #6 for the first time this year.
7. Seattle +3 (5-2)- Climbing 3 spots and passing DET in the process, the Seahawks managed a win despite a less than stellar day from the offense, which totaled only 47 points. Additionally, Seattle lost C.J. Spiller for the year (or at least the fantasy year), though Mike Evans (off of a bye) and eventually Montee Ball can plug that gap. In the good news column, Robert Griffin III is nearing a return, which is as sweet a sound as Cecil can hear with Brian Hoyer showing us new levels of suckitude this week.
8. Detroit -4 (5-2)- Cam Newton was decidedly average, Julius Thomas was downright bad, and the offense as a whole put up a tremendously-underwhelming 48 points. Perhaps next time Ryan will leave Jerick McKinnon in the lineup. As it is this week, the Lions score barely half of their record-setting Week 6 total, and fall 4 places due to the loss to SEA. There will be better weeks in Motown.
9. Pittsburgh +2 (5-2)- With Cincy’s loss and Pittsburgh’s blowout win, the Steelers take full control of first place in the AFC North. Alex Smith was back to doing sort of good things, and seven players in all scored more than 15 points en route to 158 points in all. That’s balance. Also, Garrett’s kicker was on a bye. Pretty impressive from a team that is just now hitting its stride. PIT climbs 2 spots this week to #9.
10. Kansas City +3 (5-2)- The 122+ points was impressive considering that three players didn’t contribute to the scoring and Matt Ryan is on a streak of 1-touchdown games that has turned him into a fantasy non-factor (as in he’s not going to decide games either way with these performances). But, back in the win column and in the top-10 is the team that has held pole position for the longest this season.
11. Denver -3 (4-3)- Only Anthony Barr stood out on defense, and Reggie Wayne and Brandin Cooks underperformed on offense. Even with 43 points from Romo and Ellington, who strangely claimed he let Stepfan Taylor vulture two of his touchdowns on purpose, Steve found himself 10 points short of Houston’s nearly 126-point effort this week. Still alive in the AFC West, the Broncos fall one game behind the Chiefs and DEN drops 3 spots to #11.
12. Cincinnati -3 (4-3)- Unable to ride out Foles’ bye, a surprise Justin Tuck inactive and Gio Bernard’s worst career game (with an assist to a hapless Hue Jackson), the offense was a miserable 25 points. Even with 47 points coming from a trio of new starting middle linebackers Chris Borland, Malcolm Smith and Don’t’a Hightower, New England was simply superior in that aspect of the game. CIN drops 3 spots to #12.
13. New York Giants +2 (4-3)- The Giants are another team that has turned it on as of late, hitting a season-high 153 points and more than doubling up Tampa Bay despite a 0 from Zac Stacy (though that could be more commonplace now) and only 1 point from a non-first down converting Terrance West (also see above). That Peyton guy can work some wonders. Up 2 spots goes NYG, who are over .500 and one game out of first in the NFC East.
14. San Diego –2 (4-3)- A good effort on the Chargers’ part was for naught with Jacksonville posting a 137-point game. Perhaps he could’ve Leif could have used the 14 points he left on his bench with two players on byes (one of whom is out for the season) in his lineup. Then again, it’s been nearly a month since he’s been on. Anyone know of a person who wants to take over the Bolts? SD falls two spots this week.
15. Washington +2 (3-4)- Every Washington offensive player, save Chris Johnson, scored double digits this week, and Johnson scored 8.4. That’s kinda good. It was even enough to offset a 0 from Cliff Avril and two empty spots due to byes. But even with that, the defense managed a more than passable 53+ points on its own. For that, and an 18-point win over the Falcons, Washington moves up 2 spots to #15.
16. Minnesota -2 (4-3)- Last week’s vote for the most criminally underranked team (which didn’t even include a vote from MIN himself) got a bunch of surprises this week, none of them good. The combination of Jordan Cameron, Markus Wheaton, Geno Atkins, Brian Cushing, Matt Elam and Kevin Minter totaled 8.3 points this week. Regardless of how good Andrew Luck has been, you’re not going to survive many of those weeks. MIN drops even further, this time to #16 overall.
17. Tennessee +1 (3-4)- Ryan Tannehill had the game of his young career for Kirk, approaching the 30-point mark. That, plus solid contributions from three members of the usual cast and 12 points from Blair Walsh pushed Tennessee to nearly 120 points and level with Houston in the AFC South. One game short of .500, the Titans rise a spot.
18. Baltimore -2 (3-4)- Baltimore made a bid at perhaps the biggest upset of the season so far, a near-win over the top-ranked Dolphins. If Derek Carr had outdueled Cutler and/or Stephen Tuitt had contributed at all, perhaps we’re talking about the Ravens rising and a new #1. However, with the loss, BAL drops 2 spots.
19. Houston +1 (3-4)- On a surge after an 0-4 start, Houston is back in this thing, sitting just one game under .500. The near 126 points is all the more impressive when considering that Damien Williams, Robert Woods, Jace Amaro, Prince Shembo, Mario Addison and Robbie Gould all combined for 8.5 points. The other 9 players nearly combined for 120. The Texans, however, are limited from climbing higher due to the number of winning teams above them. If they keep it up, expect to see Erik’s team climb more than 1 spot per week.
20. Green Bay +1 (4-3)- Green Bay torched San Francisco in Week 7, earning perhaps the first legitimate (irrespective of schedule/opponent) victory for the franchise this season. Even with two offensive zeroes, the unit hit 50 points and the D manufactured nearly 67 on its own. Still the league’s worst winning team, the Pack is only one game out of first in the NFC North. GB climbs only one spot, but that is not a reflection of their body of work this week, only with those above them.
21. Buffalo -2 (2-5)- Blake Bortles continued his weekly roller coaster, as is to be expected, with a 4-pont day. He, however, was not the only player to let the Bills down, as the team only scored 47 points on offense and 36 on the defensive side. Outside of Bennie Cunningham and Jordy Nelson, Shaun Suisham was tops in points with 12. That’s no bueno. BUF drops 2 spots and takes the position of the league’s top 2-win team.
22. Cleveland +2 (3-4)- The cruel truth that everyone must have come to during this week’s games was that someone was going to come away from that Cleveland-New York Jets game with a win. That team was Cleveland, with an anemic 77 points. Here’s betting you’re your team scored more. Insert curse word here. The Browns rise 2 spots, and are the league’s worst 3-win team.
23. St. Louis +4 (2-5)- Two weeks in a row now, St. Louis has flipped the script. While this was nowhere near as impressive as the 137-spot they put up against Minnesota last week, 101 is still a marked improvement from a team that two weeks ago was siting in dead last Only three players hit double digits, but again, it’s hard to be critical of a team that has improved this much this quickly. With the easy win over CHI, up 4 more spots this week is STL.
24. San Francisco -2 (2-5)- At 2-5, San Fran has more-or-less been eliminated in the NFC West. 50-point blowouts have become commonplace every other week, although a zero from Eric Reid, a bye from a LB and four other players at or below the 2.4 mark. Particularly at RB, doused any chance the 49ers had of competing this week. SF dives 2 spots further towards the bottom.
25. Tampa Bay -2 (2-5)- Two offensive zeroes, a 2.5er from Isaiah Crowell and a 1.3er from Antone Smith put the Tampa Bay offense in quicksand. Also Philip Rivers looked surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, depending where you stand on that) human. The defense wasn’t terrible, but also lost Brian Orakpo for the season, and will have to try to find ways to be more productive if they want to win the NFC South. Face it folks, a team with AT LEAST 5 losses is winning that division. Thanks Obama.
26. Oakland -1 (2-5)- Fading fast, Oakland relied too heavily on Ryan Fitzpatrick, which should never be anyone’s plan in fantasy or in real life. He was the only player for the Raiders who topped 10 points, and I feel like I don’t have to say anything more than that. 95 points doesn’t usually cut it. OAK drops one place and will try again next week.
27. Carolina -1 (2-5)- Carolina had one of its better weeks in Week 7, which at 93 points is saying something. Some of the defensive players played very well, and Trent Richardson had one of his best outings in a full year. In fact, CAR would have topped 100 points if Sze had started the right backup quarterback (HOW DARE HE!?), as Gabbert tossed a garbage time touchdown. The Panthers slide one place this week to #27, but are still very much in it in the repugnant NFC South.
28. Atlanta +1 (1-6)- Tough luck for Tim again, who suffered a negative-point game from Kirk Cousins (who will now most likely revert to zeroes), and 0-pointers from Eric Ebron (inactive) and Damontre Moore. Also, Dontari Poe and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had 1.2-pointers. Despite that, it was a good overall effort with six players topping double digits, and three players over 20. The team also hit the 125-point mark. However he does it, if Tim’s Falcons score that on a weekly basis, he’s walking away with that NFC South. Even with the loss to Washington, ATL rises a spot.
29. Indianapolis -1 (1-6)- When Geno Smith has an exemplary day (by his standards), J.R. probably should expect better things than 88+ points and a 34-point loss to the ailing Chiefs, but that’s what happened this week. The 25-point defensive effort didn’t do the Colts any favors, and losing Pierre Thomas for several weeks is going to wreck the RB position of this offense, as he’s the only eligible RB on the roster. IND drops another spot to 29 in this train wreck of a season for them.
30. New Orleans 0 (1-6)- Despite a sub-100 point game, 29 of which came from an uncharacteristically good Eli Manning, the Saints don’t drop a spot in this week’s PRs. Young players making an impact is always a good sign, and I contend that N.O. is primed to make a move next season at some point, provided they can peddle the newly-acquired Jake Locker to the next unsuspecting GM looking for the player who he’ll never be.
31. Chicago 0 (1-6)- Chicago perhaps took a record number of zeroes this week with six. Granted Percy Harvin was changing teams and didn’t play, but many of those were legitimate and a serious cause for concern. More reason for concern: Chicago started Matt Schuab over Drew Brees in 2014. That should pretty much be an immediate boot out of the league right there. Way to be, bud. That’s one reason you’re in 31st and just lost by 32 points.
32. New York Jets 0 (0-7)- Still at the bottom and still performing like the real-life Oakland Raiders, the Jets are having a hard go of it. Progress for Teddy Bridgewater has been slow, and as an offense, failing to reach 20 points is just never going to do anything for you. The defense more than double that, but still didn’t do much, especially if not for the 19 (which, yes, outscored the entire offense) from Tashaun Gipson. Also, I see you there Matt Bryant with your 1-point contribution.