Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 16.
This is the time of year when memories (and nightmares) are made. Of the 13 NFL games played Sunday, nine of them had a team that scored 30 or more points with three scoring 40 or more.
Dozens of players put up monster numbers. If three or four of them were in your lineup, you won. If those players were on the opposite side, see you next year. For those who survived, don’t expect the gigantic individual to move you forward. Fantasy football will return to old school quick enough.
Talking NFL news, playoff lineup management, DFS tips, and more!
In this episode, Steve and Harley bring you NFL news, picking starters for your playoff lineups, and “DFS Pay-ups, Stay-aways, and Value Plays.” So Huddle up, tune in, and get Blitzed!
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 15.
With the bye weeks over, we’re officially in the home stretch of the season when more teams get eliminated from playoff contention and turn their focus to 2025. While the NFL is quick to point out that teams don’t tank, draft stock routinely changes when a team with a woeful record puts together a couple late wins.
However, for veterans with injuries, we’re getting to the time where “business decisions” start being made. Great players play hurt – it’s why they’re remembered – but the money people in the organization have an investment beyond a lost season. Those are the teams to keep an eye on if you have any of their banged up key players on your roster. Their seasons aren’t over, but they’re starting to make plans for the second week in January.
Talking NFL news, lineup management for the playoffs, DFS tips, and more!
In this episode, Steve and Harley bring you NFL news, receiving handcuffs for the playoffs, and “DFS Pay-ups, Stay-aways, and Value Plays.” So Huddle up, tune in, and get Blitzed!
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 14.
The NFL clearly doesn’t care that most fantasy leagues have the final week of their regular season in Week 14. In yet another example of the inequity of the bye-week system (and how easily solvable the issue is), we will see six teams on bye in Week 14 (Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Washington Commanders).
With the exception of the Patriots, the other five teams not only have multiple regular fantasy starters, the list includes a lot of fantasy MVPs for the teams that will be missing them this week. C’mon, NFL. You’re better than this.
Talking NFL news, handcuffing for the playoffs, DFS lineups, and more!
In this episode, Steve and Harley bring you NFL news, QB and RB handcuffs for the playoffs, and “DFS Pay-ups, Stay-aways, and Value Plays.” So Huddle up, tune in, and get Blitzed!
Talking NFL news, a deep-dive into DFS lineups, and more!
In this episode, Steve and Harley bring you NFL news and a special holiday double helping of “DFS Pay-ups, Stay-aways, and Value Plays.” So Huddle up, tune in, and get Blitzed!
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 13.
Something has morphed this year when it has come to kickers. To start the season, the narrative was pretty much every kicker routinely hitting multiple 50-plus yard bombs and making a profound difference in weekly fantasy matchups that reward distance.
Over the last few weeks, the narrative has been missed field goals and extra points that are spreading throughout the league. Everyone has their own missed field goal malaise story.
If your fantasy kicker is reliable, hold onto him tight. If not, make a change. This will only get more worrisome when more games are subject to the elements and misses end seasons.
Fact – No previous NFL season has ever reached Week 9 without a shutout.
There have been exactly ZERO shutouts in the NFL through Week 11.
You know, that horrific happening when a team plays sixty minutes and yet produces no points to prove they were even there. In fantasy football, you don’t even have to look at the box score to know your player didn’t have a big week. For any offense, shutout is a dirty word.
Fact – No previous NFL season has ever reached Week 8 without a shutout. This is a record setting year.
It’s a brave new world now, but it always includes at least a field goal.
There were plenty of shutouts over time – 505 since the 1970 merger. But none this season. Here’s also proof how much better offenses are than back in the 1970’s when defenses ruled. The NFL prior to the merger had plenty of shutouts as well, but they played shorter seasons.
Fact – The worst shutouts were Titans 0, Patriots 59 (2009) and Falcons 0, Rams 59 (1976).
Fact – The lowest total points scored in an NFL game was three, reached in 7 games and most recently 2023 when the Vikings beat the Raiders 3-0.
Ths contains teams by their city, so there are more than 32. The AFC East had three of the Top-7 offenses that were shut out. These are over 54 years.
Interesting that over the 54 years, most of the best defenses at shutting out an opponent are still among the top defenses.
Statistics courtesy of stathead.com, a part of Pro Football Reference
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 12.
For those who had Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell in their lineups last Sunday, good for you. In the history of the NFL – regular season and postseason – nobody else had made six field goals in a game more than twice. On Sunday, Boswell did it for the fourth time.
Never underestimate kickers in your lineup, especially with the potential of bad weather coming during the fantasy playoffs.
