Big Blue View
Welcome to Week 9, and Happy Halloween! The NFL just gave us one of the most lopsided slates of games in recent memory. Sunday was a good day to mow the lawn or put up spooky decorations. NYJ 39 – CIN 38 was the only game out of 13 played in Week 8 that was decided by less than 10 points. Favorites won outright in 11 of 13 contests. Boo, and boo.
An interesting tidbit from Week 8: There were eight interconference games played, and the AFC team won seven of them.
Six teams were on Bye last week, and that number drops to four this week. That’s a bit of a reprieve, although rampant injuries are still hindering lineups. Several starting QBs should return to action this week, which is welcome news for fantasy managers.
Stats of the Week:
Jonathan Taylor has scored 3 TDs in half of his team’s eight games.
Taylor has 14 total TDs. That’s more than four NFL teams (Titans, Raiders, Falcons, Saints), and the same number as a fifth (Browns).
In seven of the last eight seasons, the Giants have been either 1-7 or 2-6 after eight games.
The Broncos have scored 77 points across their last five quarters.
The Patriots are the first team since 1950 to not allow an opposing rusher to gain at least 50 yards in a game in the first eight games of a season. New England hosts the Falcons and Bijan Robinson this week.
Joe Burrow is injured, but the other four starting QBs from the class of 2020 (Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, and Jalen Hurts) combined to throw 14 TD passes this past weekend, against just one INT.
Joe Flacco has targeted Ja’Marr Chase 42 times across the Bengals’ last two games. 42!
The 2-5 Baltimore Ravens are currently the betting favorite (-110) to win the AFC North.
Week 9, here we go!
**Bye Weeks: CLE, NYJ, PHI, TB
Week 9 Rides, Fades and Sleepers
For those who are familiar with this column, you know the drill. For everyone else: The Rides, Fades, and Sleepers is an analysis of players that I think are primed for an especially strong or poor performance, often as compared to consensus expectations. This isn’t a straight-up Start/Sit exercise. As a general rule, start your studs. I’ll rarely list the most obvious names at a position as “Rides” because those players are almost always expected to have strong performances. You don’t need me or anyone else telling you to start Josh Allen or Jonathan Taylor. While this analysis is intended for season-long play, it works for DFS formats too. Half PPR scoring and Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) are used for the column.
Each week, I’m picking a Ride, Fade,and Sleeper of the Week. The rules: The Ride of the Week can’t be a truly elite option, the Fade can’t be someone who nobody is starting anyway, and the Sleeper must be an...
