🏈 Matt Rhule’s $20M Mistake

Good morning to everyone except the head of the Competition Committee Rich McKay, who helped create the taunting rules. McKay claimed it was the NFLPA who pushed for taunting penalties, to which NFLPA president JC Tretter said:

Let’s get into it.

Deep Dives

The idea is you pick up a player before everyone wants to grab them off the waiver wire. These players, available in almost every league, are worth stashing. Think of it like having Elijah Mitchell or Cordarelle Patterson before Week 1.

• RB: Eno Benjamin (2.2%) - Without Chase Edmonds, Eno is poised for a bigger role in the Cardinals backfield behind oft-injured James Conner. The Cardinals consistently used two RBs weekly; Benjamin may have stand-alone value.

• RB: Royce Freeman (1%) - With Ingram in NO, the Texans backfield a mess, and a soft playoff schedule, Freeman could be a sneaky ROS pickup if he wins the Texans starting role (and isn’t in a committee). It’s a long shot, but Adam Gase was an NFL coach. Anything is possible.

• TE: Brevin Jordan (0.2%) - In his first game, he had 3 catches for 43 yards and 1 TD while playing just 15 snaps. Last week, Jordan played nearly as much (20 snaps) as starter Jordan Akins (25 snaps) and should see more work coming off the bye. This is almost too deep.

Thursday Night Lights

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

Passing:

• Lamar Jackson - Last week, Jackson became the first QB with over 40 passes and 20 carries in a regular season game. Yeah, he’s #goodatfootball.

• Jacoby Brissett - Unless Tagovailoa’s fractured finger improves today, Brissett’s starting. The Dolphins will decide a few hours before the game.

Rushing:

• Myles Gaskin - The Ravens recently held Austin Ekeler to 9.5 points (Week 6), Joe Mixon to 11.9 (W7), and Dalvin Cook to 15.2 (W9). Gaskin should see check-downs but has a limited ceiling.

• The Ravens Committee - Devonta Freeman led the backfield in production in three straight games (58% snaps last week) and is an RB3. Le’Veon Bell is a “hope he gets a TD” prayer start.

Receiving:

• Dolphins: With DeVante Parker (hamstring) on IR and Will Fuller (finger) still out, the Dolphins are relying heavily on Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki.

• In the 4-games Parker missed, Waddle sees 9.3 targets/game with Gesicki at 8/game. They should see even more tonight as the Dolphins try to keep up with the Ravens’ high-powered O. Gesicki is only $0.94 on Prediction Strike, a screaming value.

• The Dolphins are giving up the fourth-most receiving yards per game (192.8) to WRs. Marquise Brown shredded Miami for a 4/147/2 receiving line on five targets the last time these two teams played. Also in that matchup, Mark Andrews posted 8/108/1 on eight targets.

• Rashod Bateman is an intriguing FLEX against a Dolphins defense giving up the 3rd-most fantasy points to opposing WRs this year.

The last three matchups between Baltimore and Miami haven’t been close, but let’s hope tonight is at least good for our fantasy teams.

Memorable Quotes

“I’m going to take my time and choose my next stop. It’s my decision.” - Odell Beckham Jr. on his situation: Chiefs, Packers, Pats and Saints are frontrunners.

“We’ve already got AB, we don’t need OBJ. Too many letters.” - Bruce Arians

“Situation changes faster than talent” - @AdamHarstad explains how good players drafted into bad situations still find a way to shine. Another good article by Adam highlights why you’re incorrectly thinking about age in fantasy football.

“OH F*** ME” - (Probably) Matt Rhule when he realized the Panthers missed the trade deadline, passed on drafting Mac Jones or Justin Fields, let Teddy Bridgewater go and spent two days finding an excuse to sit Sam Darnold. The Panthers also picked up Darnold’s option for next year at almost 20M.

The best reads of the day

Not only have Reddit users been kind to this newsletter (bless u), but it’s also the home to some great fantasy football content. As is PFF & Fantasy Points.

• The Fantasy Football Utilization Report: Week 10 waiver, trade and drop candidates (partial paywall): “Sony Michel is the primary backup to Darrell Henderson in an elite offense and is a must-roster RB5-stash in most formats”

• The XFP Report: Week 10 - Scott Barrett breaks down the volume side of fantasy football (paywall, with code AMHUDDLE for 15% off). One hint: He loves Tee Higgins this week (Who is averaging more targets than Chase).

• Reddit Adjusted Trade Values Week 10 – Don’t taunt me, bro

The Dalvin Cook Situation

Cook has been accused of physical and emotional abuse in a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend. On the other hand, Cook claims to be the victim of domestic abuse and extortion. Yesterday, we published that Cook was the victim (per Adam Schefter), which isn’t true (based on what we know). I apologize for that mistake. Read below for the story:

Cook's long-term outlook remains uncertain, but all signs point to the league waiting until the situation is clarified before taking action.

Quick Slants

• "Carson Wentz's wife is due on Sunday. He said he told her he's playing in Sunday's game against Jacksonville if she goes into labor that day." “Sundays are for the boys?” - Reddit User Jumboshrimp93.

• WR: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Chase Claypool (toe) is considered "week-to-week." Diontae Johnson could see 30 targets this week.

• TE: Broncos activated TE Noah Fant from the reserve/COVID list, while Dawson Knox (hand) returned to practice and could return this week. Tyler Higbee sees some of the best usage at the position, but can't cash in. Buy.

• RB: Alvin Kamara (knee) did not practice Wednesday and there's a chance he could miss Week 10 against the Titans, making Mark Ingram an RB2. The Seahawks have designated RB Chris Carson for a return to practice

• Mike White is starting Week 10, so Michael Carter will have a huge game:

THANK U for joining me this morning. Your support keeps me motivated to write these every day.

- Jake

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