Wow, it's Week 9 already? The RotoWire & FanDuel Fantasy Football Championship is flying by and before you know it, Aunt Betty will be up for the holidays to pinch your cheeks and comment on how much you've grown, regardless of how old you are. Before you subject yourself to that, be sure to enter the Week 9 contest for a chance to trump the experts and qualify for the $20,000 Championship Contest to be held Week 11.
Week 8 Recap
Brett Goldhammer (Bretskyball) finished first with 155.50 points thanks to an Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. combination. In case you somehow forgot, Manning put up numbers last week that only people get when playing against me in Madden. Anyway, we're talking about 350 yards and six touchdowns from Manning, with half of those scores going to No. 13. Those Giants accounted for 47 percent of Goldhammer's point total, making me a true believer in the strategy of selecting a QB and his top wideout.
Expert Leaderboard Top 10 - See full standings here
- Tate McInyre (tamc10) 1,020.50 points
- Adam Wolf (rotosomething) 1,10.24 points
- Peter Merrill (black26) 1,010.0 points
- Josh Collacchi (JCollacchi) 1,008.82 points
- Ed Kensik (chicagoed) 998.12 points
- Brian Pelowski (brianp) 989.34 points
- Andrew Fiorentino (akf1986) 974.80 points
- Shannon McKeown (rotoshannon) 969.96 points
- Jake Letarski (rotojakeski) 966.20 points
- Nathan Lutterman (luttermanf29) 965.84 points
Week 9 Value Picks
Bucs QB Jameis Winston $6,700 - Winston has just 10 touchdown passes in seven games this season, but the rookie is starting to look more comfortable in the pocket having gone without a pick in three consecutive weeks. As an added bonus, he may be getting talented TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins back from a shoulder injury. Before ASJ sustained the ailment, he had a great rapport with Winston as he watched his target rip off 139 yards and two TDs in just as many games. Of course, Mike Evans will also be on hand to stretch the field for Winston.
Panthers WR Ted Ginn Jr. $5,300 - Here's a guy who has seen his targets increase in each successive game since Week 4. He leads all Panthers with 17.1 YPR and is utilized on punt returns, giving him a chance for some sneaky special teams points. Since wide receivers account for one-third of the daily FanDuel roster, it's not a bad idea to pay up for some of the bigger names like Julio Jones ($9,200) and Alshon Jeffery ($7,900) in the first two spots and lock in Ginn Jr. as a value play.
High Risk/High Reward
Jaguars TE Julius Thomas $5,600 - Thomas is $3,300 cheaper than the highest price tight end (Gronk), but there is at least marginal risk in the fact that he dealt with a groin and abdomen issue heading into the Week 8 bye. The former college hoops star has had just one big game and that was a seven catch, 78-yard output with a TD against Houston on Oct. 18. However, the Allen duo (Robinson, Hurns) have 11 scores and 1,099 yards between them and that figures to draw enough attention away from Thomas in Sunday afternoon's road game against the Jets.
Patriots RB LaGarrette Blount $6,400 - You know that Belichick is going to don his trademark hoodie every game, but far less predictable is how he will call the plays, hence the risk for choosing Blount. No. 2 tailback Dion Lewis is officially questionable to play with an abdomen injury, but he reportedly hasn't experienced any setbacks and should be out there against the Redskins, a team with a banged-up defense that has allowed an average of 128.4 yards per game on the ground. While Lewis probably won't steal more than a handful of carries from Blount, he will undoubtedly be a threat on passing downs. Still, the upside for Blount is that he could get plenty of garbage time killing the clock with the Patriots favored to win by two touchdowns. I love Blount's chances for pay dirt in this one.