My fraternity, Zeta Psi, had a reunion at Syracuse University last weekend. It was great catching up with a wonderful group of men, one of which was Ben Kaminow. His Fantasy league, “Kettle It Up,” is as old school as it gets, only awarding points for TDs. With an amusing team name like Fourth and Drunk, Benji has always had a great sense of humor and a love for life. And it’s no small wonder; Benji was sitting at his desk on the 25th floor of the North Tower on Sept. 11 when the first plane struck. The harrowing, yet touching, story of his escape is lionized at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in NYC. Compared to the events of that day, Fantasy Football is a walk in the park. Keep smiling, Benji. It’s always good to see you.
GIDDY UP!
QB Josh Allen (at Texans) — Don’t panic after the Bills were buffaloed in Baltimore. The Texans are 25th against the pass and Allen will have to throw early and often to keep pace with C.J. Stroud.
QB Deshaun Watson (at Commanders) — If you have Hurts or Goff on a bye, I recommend the unimaginable: start Watson. Washington has given up 10 TD passes on the year. Watson should be good for two TDs and 200 yards.
RB Justice Hill (vs. Bengals) — The electric scatback has had a decent Fantasy season, with two double-digit point efforts. Surprisingly the second leading receiver in Baltimore (16/161/1), Justice is getting the receptions that used to go to TE Mark Andrews.
RB Chuba Hubbard (at Raiders) — Let’s enjoy the ride on the Chuba train for another week against a Chicago defense that gives up over 16 points per game to RBs.
WR Jayden Reed (at Rams) — The Rams will have no answer for Reed, who has blossomed into the third-highest scoring WR in Fantasy, even with QB Jordan Love missing two games.
WR Brandon Aiyuk (at Cardinals) — Hopefully you haven’t lost patience with Aiyuk and traded him away, because he’s about to explode for his first TD of the season and at least 80 yards.
TE Jake Ferguson (at Steelers) — It’s a sad statement when 10 points is the new benchmark for TE success. Fergy is as likely as any to reach that total.
WHOA DOWN!
QB Sam Darnold (vs. Jets in London) — The Jets said “cheerio” to Darnold, their former first-round pick, trading him away in 2021. Now Darnold has the undefeated Vikings on a roll. But the Jets have only given up two TD passes on the year. Darnold will find himself in a sticky wicket in London against his old team.
QB Patrick Mahomes (vs. Saints) — The Saints held Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Kirk Cousins to one TD pass between them. Mahomes hasn’t thrown more than two TDs in a regular season game since Week 7 of last year. With WR Rashee Rice out, lower expectations for Mahomes even further.
RB Alexander Mattison (at Broncos) — Head coach Antonio Pierce promises more work for Mattison over Zamir White. But the Broncos just shut down the far superior Breece Hall: four yards on 10 carries. I’m not gonna lose my shot on Alexander Mattison.
RB Zack Moss (vs. Ravens) — After cupcake matchups against the Panthers and Commanders padded his stats, Zack faces a ravenous Ravens team that gives up less than three yards a carry.
WR Stefon Diggs (vs. Bills) — Revenge works both ways in Fantasy Football. As much as Diggs wants to exact a pound of flesh from the Buffalo secondary, the Bills are sure to give him extra attention, and an extra chuck or two.
WR Jordan Addison (vs. Jets) — Addison returned from injury last week to catch his first TD of the season. He won’t catch another against the Jets.
TE Mark Andrews (at Bengals) — Despite his previous superstar status, you’re braver than I am if you start Andrews after two catch-less outings.
Thursday Night Special: The Bucs have the better defense and the better offense. Not sure why the Falcons are favored by 2.5 points. That line is for the birds. Tampa Bay 24, Atlanta 21
Enter the code NEW30 for 30% off the subscription price of FantasyGuru.com, the finest source for Seasonal, DFS and Sports Gaming advice.
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.
