Mike the bar manager at Scarborough Fair in Sea Girt, N.J. wouldn’t tell me the name of his Fantasy Football team. “It’s too embarrassing” he said. But there’s nothing embarrassing about his lineup that includes Breece Hall, Jordan Mason, Travis Etienne, Rashee Rice and Brandon Aiyuk. Mike, with a fire squad like that, might I suggest calling your team the Scarborough Flares?
GIDDY UP!
QB Derek Carr (vs. Eagles) — I know, I know. Last week I despised Carr. But the Eagles’ pass D is putrid, and with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak calling inventive plays, Carr is suddenly the second-best QB in Fantasy.
QB Gardner Minshew (vs. Panthers) — Tired of waiting for Caleb Williams or Trevor Lawrence to pan out? Give the mustachioed Minshew a start against the worst team in the NFL. The Panthers have given up five TD passes in two games.
RB Kenneth Walker III or Zach Charbonnet (vs. Dolphins) — Walker (check status) missed last week with an oblique injury. Charbonnet filled in admirably with 18 Fantasy points. Whichever Seattle RB gets the nod against Miami, expect 100 yards and a TD.
RB Jerome Ford (vs. Giants) — The G-Men surrender almost six yards per carry. Ford averaged nine yards per carry last week in Jacksonville. The math says Ford will score 14 Fantasy points on Sunday.
WR Jameson Williams (at Cardinals) — The motto displayed on the front of every bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey is “Sine Metu,” which is Latin for “without fear.” So, don’t be afraid to start Jameson in Phoenix. He’s the eighth highest scoring WR in Fantasy.
WR CeeDee Lamb (vs. Ravens) — If the Cowboys are to recover from last week’s shellacking by the Saints, they’ll need Lamb to have one of his crazy statistical days; something like 10 catches for 120 yards and a TD or two.
TE Mike Gesicki (vs. Commanders) — The former Penn Stater leads the Bengals in receiving yards and has more Fantasy points than TE stalwarts Andrews, Kelce, Pitts, Kincaid and LaPorta. Time to get him in your lineups.
WHOA DOWN!
QB Matthew Stafford (vs. 49ers) — Losing superstar WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp in back-to-back weeks means Stafford finds a comfy spot on your Fantasy bench, especially against San Francisco.
QB Daniel Jones (at Browns) — I hate to pick on Jones. I sincerely do. But putting up solid numbers against the lowly Commanders last week might give some folks a false sense of security. Havoc awaits Jones in Cleveland. Too early to see a Drew Lock appearance?
RB Ezekiel Elliott (vs. Ravens) — Zeke faces his third tough run defense in a row. Averaging 3.5 yards per carry, the old guy won’t win any games for Fantasy managers. Maybe he gets lucky and falls into the end zone. But I doubt it.
RB Carson Steele/Samaje Perine (at Falcons) — Pump the brakes on the K.C. run game while injured star Isiah Pacheco is out. Head coach Andy Reid can’t be trusted. For all we know he’ll give Kareem Hunt the starting role.
WR Quentin Johnston (at Steelers) — “Q-Tip” is sure to be a hot waiver wire addiction this week but remember that his recent success (22 Fantasy points) came against the lowly Panthers. That will be a distant memory when he lines up against Pittsburgh, who has yet to give up a TD to a WR.
WR Jaylen Waddle/Tyreek Hill (at Seahawks) — NASA’s space station, SkyLab, reentered earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated in 1979, scattering chunks of debris across the Indian Ocean. Skylar “SkyLab” Thompson (replacing the injured Tua Tagovailoa), who has thrown one career TD, will disintegrate in Seattle and scatter footballs like chunks of debris across Lumen Field.
TE Mark Andrews/Isaiah Likely (at Cowboys) — Legendary coach John Madden once said, “If you have two QBs, you actually have none.” Picking between Andrews and Likely every week is a nightmare no Fantasy coach wants.
Thursday Night Special: The Jets and the Patriots split their series last year with no-name QBs. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers will not lose the Jets’ home opener to Jacoby Brissett. Jets 21, Pats 13
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Bill Reinhard is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and a columnist for FantasyGuru.com. Catch Bill every Thursday night at 6:45 on “This Week in Pro Football” on YouTube TV.
