🏈 Free Brandin Cooks

Good morning everyone, and welcome to a thousand new subscribers. We’ve now passed 5,500! I appreciate each & every one of you. If you want some background on the Morning Huddle, I wrote a thread on it yesterday.

Before this positivity pulls me out of my CMC-induced depression, let’s get into it:

Thursday Night Lights

A quick preview of every fantasy-relevant player in the Cardinals & Packers game, with excerpts from a great Fantasy Points article.

Passing:

• Aaron Rodgers - Rodgers has been better in games without D. Adams; Maybe WRs don’t matter? The QB4 on the season hasn’t posted less than 18 points since that Week 1 disaster.

• Kyler Murray - Since picking up a shoulder injury in Week 5, Kyler has just 17 rushing yards total. The good news is he’s getting it done in the air and the Packers are giving up the seventh-most passing TDs per game (2.0) to QBs.

Rushing:

• Aaron Jones - Jones goes nuclear in games without Davante Adams (17.5 PPG vs 26.3 PPG). It’s possible he goes full on Alvin Kamara vs Seahawks and becomes the entire Packers offence. He’s a great buy on Prediction Strike (needs to outscore 17 points).

• AJ Dillon - Dillon didn’t get a touch in Week 7 until after rookie Kylin Hill, which is concerning, but its worth noting that Jamaal Williams was also very good in splits w/o Adams due to increased receiving volume and TDs, which should translate to Dillon. Mid-level RB3.

• Chase Edmonds - After posting season-bests in snap share (69%) and carries (15), Edmonds is clearly over his shoulder injury. Still yet to score a TD, Edmonds is averaging 97 total yards per game in his five contests when he isn’t listed on the final injury report (which he isn’t).

• The Guy Who Vultures TDs from Chase Edmonds - He who shall not be named is 5-for-7 on inside the five-yard line carries and is a TD dependent RB who played 30% of snaps in Week 7.

Receiving:

• Davante Adams won't travel with the team to Arizona & will miss the game against the Cardinals. Allen Lazard will also miss the game. Randall Cobb may play on the perimeter more with Amari Rodgers getting some run in the slot. Both are risky starts.

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling appears set to return but could be blanketed by 2021 breakout shutdown corner Robert Alford (0.62 YPCS, fourth-best). Too risky for my blood.

• Robert Tonyan makes life difficult: Tonyan averaged 70+ yards and 2 TDs in two games without Adams last season, but the Cardinals are giving up a league-low 5.5 FPG to TEs this season. The Card’s haven’t faced any premier TEs, but their defensive stars Isaiah Simmons & Budda Baker make TE production difficult (no TE has more than 40 yards against them).

• DeAndre Hopkins didn’t practice all week but is expected to gut it out tonight. He’s too good for you to consider sitting, especially against the NFL’s second-most banged-up secondary, one that got torched last week by Terry McLaurin

• Per Wes Huber, the Packers often play coverages against which Christian Kirk specializes, and Kirk’s been good (17th in yards/route (YPRR) at 2.24) - making Kirk a high-value start this week. Rondale Moore is tough to trust as he fights for snaps with Zach Ertz, who should’ve had two TDs last week. Ertz is a high-end TE2.

Memorable Quotes

"I feel good. That bye week was necessary." - Dalvin Cook on his injured ankle.

“F*** it. Let’s trade for Mark Ingram” - Saints GM (probably) after seeing his RB depth chart.

“I don’t not feel wanted” - Tua, when asked if he feels wanted by the Dolphins.

Reddit comes in clutch (yet again)

Not only have Reddit users been kind to this newsletter (bless ur souls), but it’s also the home to some great fantasy football content. Don’t miss anything:

• Reddit Adjusted Trade Values Week 8 (The NFL trade deadline is looming and the fantasy deadline is not far behind it).

• Is it better to trade your depth to upgrade your starting lineup or hold onto your depth incase of injury?

• What preseason narrative did you fall for and how did that turn out?

• Has anyone actually successfully “bought low” in fantasy football deals?

• Dynasty 2021 Rookie Stock Watch - Week 7 Update

Tweet of the Day

Brandin Cooks after the Mark Ingram trade is me checking my still outstanding student debt:

I’m investing, Karen

You know what sucks? Not having bought Shiba coin. Some kids are making millions while I sit in a rented basement writing this newsletter.

But there’s hope. We can buy fantasy football player shares on Prediction Strike. It’s the fantasy football stock market we’ve all been dreaming of - if players outscore their projections, their value goes up. Last week’s best buy might look familiar:

Quick Slants

• Yup, Mark Ingram is going back to where it all began after being the Saints' first-round pick (way) back in 2011. He spent the first eight years of his career in New Orleans, and like a thief in the night, returns to steal work from AK41.

• D’Andre Swift might keep improving. He’s head & shoulders above RBs in receiving stats and the Lions are “inching closer to removing limitations.” Dan Campbell said “We can’t get [Swift] the ball enough.” Oh SH*T.

• Trey Lance (knee) returned to a limited practice Wednesday and looked good. Shanahan was quick . Shanahan said he expects George Kittle (calf) back for Week 9.

• The Packers & Texans are in talks to trade Brandin Cooks, freeing up our boy Nico Collins (who was featured in yesterday’s deep-dive).

• The Bears are shopping Allen Robinson ahead of the trade deadline.

Who do you want us to do a deep-dive on tomorrow? Click here to vote.

PLEASE LOOK HOW OPEN HE GETS

As always, thanks for joining me. Crush it today.

- Jake

There’s been a lot going on, so we want to make sure you didn’t miss our giveaway: Refer friends to the Morning Huddle this week and you’ll receive entries to win an NFL jersey of your choice - and someone you referred would win one too. 1 referral = 1 ticket.

• Yesterday I messed up the link: Click here for your unique referral link

• We’re drawing for the two jerseys on November 1st and less than 150 people have tickets…

• Also check out Prediction Strike