Week 3 Recap!

Week 3 started out with a bang in the SF and LAR game.  Todd Gurley, Sammy Watkins, Carlos Hyde and Pierre Garçon all made the team's that started them feel great.  Unsurprisingly every team that had 1 of them - aside from my dad, who went against Ory the Gurley owner - won their matchup.  Starting out with 20+ points from a player seems to definitely help 🤔.  That of course wasn't it, there was a lot of strange happenings this week, including the Dolphins losing to the Jets, the Broncos losing to the Bills, and the Raiders getting decimated by the Redskins.  Who knows what the answer is, are the Jags really that dominant?  Is Diggs the best WR since Randy Moss?  Does a broken joint make Howard even better?  Will every single week make different players seem garbage and others seem godly?  That's my guess.  This game causes more confusion than a painting of a floor on a ceiling.

TOP 5

QB:

1. Tom Brady (90 points)
• Something that makes a lot of sense, and finally Alex Smith isn't number 1.  Cone's investment is making sense, Brady in the first round is now putting up numbers (45 in week 3!). Their defense still looks pretty bad, and that can only mean that Brady is going to have to throw it, and that's always a good option for them.
2. Alex Smith (74 points)
• He's still here, and he's been providing consistency.  He has 18 points the last two weeks, and is still being carried by that ungodly first week.  His team looks good though, and that consistency will probably continue, there are better options but he lets you know what you're getting.
3. Aaron Rodgers/Drew Brees (69 points)
• Rodgers is getting better as the season is getting deeper, improving his numbers each week.  Brees is playing consistent, and for Brees that means 20+. The studs are showing up finally, and if they keep it up then their owners can probably be happy.  There's not much to say except here they are.
4. Matt Stafford (67 points)
• After that first amazing week he's been okay.  His left tackle is just absolutely garbage, and it hurts.  That means going deep won't ever be easy for him, and I don't think the offense can get into a huge groove, but Stafford is good.  He might actually provide some consistency this year, and that's new and great for him.
5. Carson Wentz (65 points)
• His worst game so far, but against a good D.  His schedule isn't awesome, but suddenly they may have a run game and with the way he throws it downfield that could help.  RIP Sproles though.  

Funny enough, Wilson scores 40 and couldn't even crack this list.  That's awful awful for the first two weeks.  Maybe that means something is looking up for him?  Also missing out on Matt Ryan for an early pick.

RB

1. Kareem Hunt (94 points)
• Well week 1 helped, but he keeps doing it.  He has scored more than the QB1.  The Chiefs are dedicated and this has been an amazing year.  Barring injury even if he starts doing absolutely nothing I have a hard time seeing him dropping out of the top 12.  Shits been wacky, except for him, so guess we will see.
2. Todd Gurley (82 points)
• This dude killed the 9ers.  He could have had 6 TDs in that game too, ridiculous stuff.  I'm thinking this is absolutely the easiest part of his schedule though, it really gets brutal from here.  There is no question though, he actually looks better in this season then he did last season.
3. Chris Thompson (69 points)
• Well, it kept up.  He killed the Raiders, and he literally is scoring once every 7 touches.  It's doubtful that he can keep that up, but if he does it's something special.  It's Chris Thompson bough, someone that I think Matt has had on his bench since 2014.  
4. Ty Montgomery (58 points)
• Nothing huge but something solid.  Those catches seriously help in our league, and if the Packers keep winning they probably won't shy away from him much.  
5. Devonta Freeman (56 points)
• Atlanta won on some weird bollocks call against the Lions, but Freeman is really showing that he was worth the money.  Coleman is there but at this point that seems more helpful to Freeman than hurtful.  Good news for him all around really, and he looks good.

WR

1. Stefon Diggs (69 points) 
• Hahahahahahah, Andrew.  You could have beat me by like 90 damn points.  Week 1 and week 3 were huge and now he holds the number 1 spot thus far.  Sammy Sleeves is still out, but does it matter?  Was this a bad day for TB D or was it Keenum actually looking his way and Diggs capitalizing?  
2. Antonio Brown (67 points)
• Minnesota held him to 11, but he looks the part of the Steelers offense.  Bell got a TD but didn't get a ton of yards, Brown however just catches 10+ balls every chance he can and if there's a TD to go with that it's gravy.
3. Tyreek Hill (53 points)
• Boom or bust?  More boom than bust?  A WR being supported by Alex Smith?  Matchup dependent?  We will see in the next two weeks with Washington and Houston up the next couple weeks.  As a Raiders fan, I'm rooting against his production.
4. Larry Fitzgerald (51 points)
• 33 points in MNF.  Look, we know he can do it, but can he do it consistently?  He certainly did it in the spotlight,  and the rest of his team slowly dying probably helps boost his stock.
5. AJ Green (50 points)
• Look this guy on a bum ass team actually is doing okay again.  Was it the OC or did Dalton have a moment of clarity?  Green is wonderful, but he's still on the 0-3 Bengals with Dalton throwing him the ball.  

TE

1. Rob Gronkowski (50 points)
• After the stinker of week 1, Gronk is back where he belongs.  Him and that Brady flexibility workout are looking as Gronky as ever.  He has enough points to be WR5 on the year.
2. Zach Ertz (48 points)
• 17,14,17.  Dudes got it figured out I guess.  Wentz likes him and gives him consistent targets.  His yardage this week was down, but he did catch a TD.  
3. Jason Witten (44 points)
• 1 catch for 3 yards.  Well, he fell down to earth, and he fell far.  As a testament to him, he's still number 3 on the year with a 1 point outing.  The dude is incredibly old.
4. Delanie Walker (37 points)
• Pretty bad that the TE4 is averaging just over 12 points.  TEs aren't all doing great.  Delanie had a tough matchup against Seattle and it showed, he gets Houston next though so there may be some silver lining there.
5. Charles Clay (35 points)
• When he gets a TD he is good, when he doesn't he is bad.  It's hard to say there should be trust in a Buffalo player, but I guess after Shady he's probably the best?

Where is Kelce?  Where is Reed?  Where is Graham?  What is TE?

D/ST

1. Lions 
• What in the hell is this?  The Lions are number 1?  I actually legitimately don't know what to say to this.
2. Jaguars 
• I think this list is actually just more for the lols.  Jags did dismantle a garbage looking Baltimore offense.
3. Steelers
• Just mediocre enough to not get -6 points.  Maybe after week 1 defenses just suck.
4. Redskins
• Yeah they really screwed the Raiders.  They good or were the Raiders just playing like garbage?
5. Rams
• Still number 5?  The 9ers scored 39 points on em.

Game Write Ups

Chris Cone versus Jake Yorke

Cone comes up with another solid outing despite literally doing an exodus on his bench. Chris, having players on your bench doesn't count against you, and bye weeks will be flying up real soon.

Jake:  -6 from a defense really sucks doesn't it.  I feel your pain.  Let's say you play Jimmy Graham instead of Kelce, you win.  I think your team is fine, there's just logjams for you.  With the TEs switching off on 1 point weeks, that could be a fun carousel.  You almost played the right RBs but Powell scored more than Buck Allen and White.  Ravens RBs and Patriots RBs are going to be tough to handle me thinks.

Cone:  I just want to hear why you are dropping your bench, I mean I won't tell you it's awful, you've won 2 in a row now. That Brady pick we gave you shit for seems to be working out, 45 is a goddamn revelation.  Your WRs scare e hell out of me, but Brady, Leo Four, and Gore are doing alright for you. Hope you pick up someone good, and it's not someone too good.

Cone wins 116-105

Yuriy Yedinak versus Daniel Smith 

Yuriy great looking team doesn't look all that good. Well actually, it looks pretty good but it's not impossibly good.

Yuriy: Melvin Gordon got hurt, but only after putting up a good game.  Freeman did great, and your WRs did alright if unspectacular. Aside from benching Hogan and playing Cam you made all the right plays.  Your TE position seems scary, and if you don't have anyone blowing up consistency can be cool, but it can also be frustrating.  Incredibly frustrating.  

D Smith:  oh hey look, your WRs actually showed up.  AJ Green had a great game and Michael Thomas provided points to help bring Hydes heroic Thursday a W.  Your RB2 spot is scary as all get out, Forte, Kamara, or Peterson?  Sproles is dead so it might be a bit scary for you, and Forte broke a toe or finger so.....  a nice victory all the same, bringing Yuriy closer to the rest of your division.

D Smith wins 132-92 

Ory Yaslinskiy versus Oscar Meyer

What a game!  So many points scored, a late comeback and some crazy high points.  You were both 0-2 heading into the game, it truly was the 9ers versus the Rams.

Dad:  I might actually tell you that Pryor is single-handedly making your team worse.  He hasn't done anything and he doesn't look motivated to get better.  Gillislee is good, but Patriots plan differently for every game.  Howard and OBJ both paid off this week, which must be refreshing.  Watkins had a huge day, but his schedule doesn't get any easier. You keep playing the wrong D each week, and that TE slot is a gigantic hole for you.  But don't feel bad, if Howard and OBJ keep playing like that you will win some games.

Ory:  DangeRuss and Gurley did that for you.  That's some ridiculous stuff.  CMC might be good with the others getting injured, but maybe he gets more tough defense?  Relying on anything Panthers is just not a good look really right now.  Evans eventually has to put up better points right?  Kearse might not be as great as he seemed to be, but one bad week doesn't make it too terrible.  Your ST slots are garbage, but a wins a win.  

Ory beats Oscar 144-135

Jared Grube versus Alex Gomez

All these 2-0 teams sure look great huh? The battle of two juggernauts early in the season left both of them looking like dwarves.

Alex:  ouch eh?  That's gotta have you missing DJ.  Crowell is just this way man, he ain't great and right now they just don't get leads.  Golladay is not getting a good number of snaps, and Maclin almost got a concussion in a stupid London game that didn't make any sense.  Chris Carson was your best back and as such you left him on your bench to save him embarrassment from being on your team this week.  You were the metaphorical Raiders this week, a strong undefeated team just coming out completely limp and without life.  You need a fire, and I'm not certain where it comes from man.

Jared:  Kareem and Zeke are carrying you, so I guess you don't have to worry much.  Cooper is looking really good and definitely a WR in the Julio range huh?  Speaking of Julio, is he what you've been hoping for?  Tyreek is performing the best of your WRs, and the Chiefs look good so something favorable your way.  Your bench doesn't actually look strong, when Blount is your best non-QB that's a bit scary.  3-0 is always a good start, and it helps your playoff chances a lot.  Just don't pull a Buffalo Bills and look good early and ONLY early.

Jared wins 116-77

Valeriy Shishkin versus Matt Burke

The highest scoring player was on the bench, and that sums it up.

Matt:  you should probably take Chris Thompson and put him in one of your RB slots.  I know I know, "but it's Chris Thompson," well I'm just saying, I don't want to keep bringing this up man.  It makes my write ups feel like Griundhogs Day, only your the hole and Chris Thompson is the groundhog.  The good news is your weakest position is QB, the bad news is your TE and D positions aren't giving you any positive traction.  

Val:  Rodgers made a good day for your squad great.  Ajayi was the weakest link, and that can be frightening, but I'll leave the decisions up to you.  Jeffrey appears to be boom/bust, but it isn't like 9 is bad.  That KC D is a good pickup, but question, when will both of your top 2 picks play well at the same time?  Ever?

Val wins 139-99

Andrew Gomez versus Nic Meyer

Well, in the end I got completely blown out so whatever.

Andrew:  whatever bro, you benched Stefon Diggs.  GG, feel shame, bad win, Larry Fitzgerald is better at football than you are at fantasy, CJ Anderson has more syllables in his name then you, Higgins.

Seriously though, if you can hope for more weeks like that you probably should.

Nic:  it's because my week was set up with Kupp and Baltimore D.  At least I have some good players.

Andrew wins 168-106

PLAYER PROFILE 

(POWERED BY JAKE YORKE)

 

MATTHEW BURKE

Here at my apartment in Eugene, we sometimes wonder what makes the fantasy players of For Reals Guys league tick.  Well one of our top statisticians and former league champ Jake Yorke brang us some sweet sweet statistics and an idea of what to do with them.  So we are pleased to present you with our first player profile, on a player that is the returning champ, a college grad, and overall a good dude.

Are current reigning champ seems to be having something of a super bowl hangover with a current 3 game losing streak, which at this point means a huge 0-3 record.  If we were to have a cold reading of this leagues fantasy teams I could 100% tell you which team was Matt's just by listening for the names Phillip Rivers and Greg Olsen and finding out which bench Chris Thompson is on.  Matt's all-time win record is totally dank with .420 overall (tune in during future weeks for everyone's overall win percentage).  Throughout his history he has a fairly solid 126.68 point per game average, which is something that I'm certain Matt would kill for right now, which if he played Chris Thompson he could have.  

His best regular season w/l total is 7-6, or just 1 game over .500, that means that this guy who hasn't won 8 regular season games has more championship wins then:  Alex, Ory, Oscar, Andrew, Jared, and Yuriy.   When Matt has made the playoffs, he's won 4 games and only lost 1.  So if we were to compar e him to an NFL team, his closest comparison would probably be the NY Giants.  He never does just plain awful, and he doesn't do anything crazy but sometimes as a huge underdog he can come up big, as it currently shows by the trophy he has in wherever the heck he is.

This is MATT BURKE.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Jared Grube (3-0 400 PF) (previously 1)

2. Andrew Gomez (2-1 383 PF) (previously 7)

3. Chris Cone (2-1 374 PF) (previously 5)

4. Yuriy Yedinak (2-1 356 PF) (previously 2)

5. Nic Meyer (2-1 348 PF) (previously 4)

6. Valeriy Shishkin (2-1 340 PF) (previously 8)

7. Alex Gomez (2-1 320 PF) (previously 3)

8. Ory Yaslinskiy (1-2 356 PF) (previously 10)

9. Daniel Smith (1-2 346 PF) (previously 9)

10. Jake Yorke  (1–2 340 PF) (previously 6)

11. Oscar Meyer (0-3 302 PF) (previously 12)

12. Matt Burke (0-3 273 PF) (previously 11)

Good luck this week to everyone.  Thanks for reading

Week 2 Recap!

When I finished watching football this week, I remember there was about 6 games without a score.  I harkened back to last year and my abysmal 0-4 start, how even though some of my team was doing well, there was no one consistently scoring TDs. I waited and waited and waited and then finally when it clicked, it was too late.   We are still but young in this season, and time definitely hasn't ran out for everyone, but don't forget that a hole can easily form that you can't get out of.

Before I get any further, I want to give huge props to Cone!  Looked good dude.

Top 5 by position:

QB

1. Alex Smith: 
• This guy holds out as number one for the season so far with a solid week 2.  Against a pretty damn good Philly defense he puts up 1 TD and no interceptions and 250 yards.  This is what I'd expect as an actual good game for Alex Smith, dude not taking chances, and as such not blowing doors off.  This dude will probably be in the top 5 for a bit.
2. Trevor Siemian:
• This dude, this guy is upsetting me.  The Broncos are garbage tier franchise but somehow Siemian is looking like a damn savant against the Cowboys.  He looks better than he has any right to, and CJ Anderson is keeping the defenses honest.  I'm surprised he's putting up such large numbers with such a good defense, I would guess that he'll regress but only because the rest of his team starts keeping the other team down.
3. Matt Stafford:
• Well that didn't really look great did it?  122 yards and 2 TDs?  What is that?    He had a stat line that looks like a good WR game.  I don't know if Giants D is that good, but Stafford still managed 16 points out of this game.  I think Stafford will regularly have games like this until they can get a running game going or get a new LT.
4. Carson Wentz:
• This dude does look pretty good, and scored 28 points against what is supposedly a good defense in the Chiefs.  I remember last year he got off to a good start and kind of petered out, but until that happens the dude can keep you more than just afloat, ahead of most other teams.  
5. Derek Carr:
• The truth.  That passing game looks good, although as always good luck guessing which of Julio/Roddy White will go off.  I mean Cooper or Crabtree.  The Jets are bad, but the Raiders are clicking (😎) and that could keep up.  Also, what I find most interesting is that 3 of the top 5 QBs are in the AFC West.  The one missing is the great Phil Rivers.  

Could there be a changing of the guard happening or is it just early in the season?  Notable names missing:  Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Phil Rivers.

RB

1. Kareem Hunt:
• Maybe I was wrong about him, he put up a hell of a game week 2 as well with 2 more TDs.  But before I fully admit to that, he's due a regression, unless you think he can score 40 TDs this year, in which case Jared can take home the trophy now.  He did have over 100 all purpose yards, which is pretty respectable.  I can't truly hate on him though, he is #1 through the first two weeks.
2. Ty Montgomery
• If I told you that 10 rushes and 6 catches would be good for RB2, would you believe me?  TyMo looks good, and it's unsurprising to me, he's had this potential.  What does surprise me is that the Packers coach is actually using him, maybe McCarthy has finally figured shit out.  The RB2 through two weeks, and now Jordy might be out and Cobb might be out, he could continue to get absolute huge usage.
3. Todd Gurley:
• I was a year too early with TyMo and Todd.  Dammit.  Anyhow, the Rams look like an actual team and this helps out Todd Gurley.  He still doesn't have a good YPC but if they are going to just force feed him the points will be there.  That hurdle I put up top looked good, but I didn't watch the game, because both teams sound damn boring.
4. Chris Thompson:
• This dude.... the catching back in Washington is apparently working.  Somehow the guy has sneaked up to RB4 after the first two weeks and he's been sitting in Matts bench.  Thanks for that Matt.  I don't really see this sticking but Rob Kelly is out too.   Idk.
5. Melvin Gordon:
• The only back taken in the first round to be here after two weeks.  9 rushing attempts for 13 yards and this dude still scores 20.  The Dolphins defense doesn't scare me, but Gordon is putting up.  Yura chose correctly in the first round, and so far so good.

One day soon I imagine Bell and Shady and Ajayi and Demarco might make it here, but so far that first round looks sad.

WR

1. Michael Crabtree:
• Grabtree grabs, get used to it.  Seriously though, he caught 3 TDs in a huge blowout and he looked good.  I don't think that's something you can expect but he can be solid and every once and a while blow up.  Number 1 right now is cool though.
2. Antonio Brown:
• Even in the bad matchup that is Minnesota, he can still score points.  I won't pretend that 11 this week makes me ecstatic, but also it isn't bad and if this is what he does against top tier defenses then he should stick around here all season.
3. JJ Nelson:
• Us this the guy of the future on the Cardinals?  They've played the Colts and the Lions, two defenses that definitely are not scary.  But uh, just think about this one guys, two weeks in JJ Nelson is the number 3 receiver.  
4. Tyreek Hill/Jermaine Kearse:
• This game by Hill doesn't surprise me, he's probably a boom or bust player the whole way through.  Kearse though, a WR on the Jets that almost got cut by the Seahawks, is tied for WR4.  He has a solid game week 1 and then did even better in week 2.  Mind you I know first hand that the Oakland defense is not good.
5. Keenan Allen:
• What's there to say about Keenan?  He isn't injured yet so he's doing well.  I expect that to continue until he ruptures his Gallbladder. Also I wonder if his beard will get pulled at some point...

Beckham and Evans have only each played once thus far, but we will see.

TE

1. Jason Witten:
• Yuriy thus far is kinda making a killing in these top 5.   Witten is the ancient question of how does a man so slow beat so many fast people in coverage?  I dunno, but Dak is using the hell out of him, and if Zeke struggles anymore this could keep up.
2. Travis Kelce:
• He dominated, and there's a chance that he could just keep going as the KC WR position might not exist all the time.  Dude looked good, and if the run game keeps going he can keep scoring.  Kelce is a top 5 whiny asshole though.  He's an idiot.
3. Zach Ertz:
• Consistency so far throughout 2 weeks.  Carson Wentz has looked pretty good.  Zach still did good even with Alshon going off, that bodes well for the offense, what doesn't is that their RB situation is just absolute garbage.  Teams might start figuring it out.
4. Delanie Walker:
• He scored a rushing TD, and that's weird.  That game was boring as all hell through the first half, but apparently something started happening after that and Delanie ran for a TD.  TE rushing TDs are probably something we can rely on.
5. Rob Gronkowski:
• That TD drop made me angry, but the 69th receiving TD certainly did not.  He is good, this we know.  With all the WRs around him dying as long as his groin ain't too hurt he can do damage.

RIP Greg Olsen :(.

D/ST

1. Ravens D:
• Easy matchups so far, but 4 ints in both the first two games.  They look real good.
2. Lions D:
• Carson Palmer and Eli both looked like garbage, maybe it is the D, but I'm not betting on it.
3. Rams D:
• Only scored 1 against Washington, riding high off that Colts game.
4. Jags D:
• They looked good until Mariota awoke and the Titans did something good.  Is their offense even okay enough to make these guys viable?
5. Steelers D:
• Cleveland and then Minnesota without Bradford.  They don't look bad, but they've gotten an easy start.

Seahawks? Broncos? Panthers?

GAME WRITE UPS:

The most real game of fantasy football, you pick up a card and it tells you what play you run and then you roll two dice and that tells you how many yards you've gained.  More skill required than fantasy football for sure.  

Daniel Smith versus Chris Cone

Maybe we were wrong, maybe Cone has a fantastic team.  

D-Smith:  there were things you could have done better, but I'm not going to sugar coat it, you got stomped by the second highest score in your game. Forte looked better than he has in a while, and Peterson doesn't seem like he's going to break out.  Carlos Hyde looks good, and Landry literally caught 13 passes, so that's the good.  The bad is that your top two WRs don't look fantastic and those situations they are in don't scream a huge chance to change.  Be worried about the Dalton, be scared.  

Cone:  oh boy man, you blew the doors off.  Crabtree and Brady were elite plays.  The rest of your team leaves something to be desired.  Leo Four and Gore scored TDs but without that their days would have been awful.  Lafell is not someone I would personally feel comfortable starting, and Thielen could be worse if Bradford sits out for a while.  You should definitely fill your last two bench spots, or maybe try and trade for more consistent starter depth.

Cone wins 144-108.

Jake Yorke versus Yuriy Yedinak

Yuriy scores the highest points for the week and his whole damn bench goes off too.... 

Jake:  I think your RB depth is pretty good, but also worrisome.  You can't play all those guys and you can't really bench Shady, what do you do?  Brandin Cooks isn't looking amazing, but he also keeps staying healthy while everyone else around him is dying.  Dez did good on like 20 targets, but Jimmy Graham and Seattle do not look good.  You had a pretty good week though, all things considered, just Yuriy had a better week.

Yuriy:  I don't know what to tell you, your starters did great and your bench did great.  Your weakest spot is QB, and it's not the absolute worst.  I do like that your team is named after objectively your worst player, so that's something.  Now I do have a prediction:  you refuse to trad all season, someone gets hurt, you make the playoffs and lose.  I've seen this before somewhere...

Yuriy wins 146 - 124.

Jared Grube versus Oscar Meyer

Dad, that whole week did not work for you.  

Dad:  Thomas Rawls and Jordan Howard situations are terrifying.  0s from both, and other starters on those teams that looked better. Brees did fine and Trevor Siemian is hot fire, so your QB position is set.  Your WRs did not look good, and Beckham is back but the Giants look like serious garbage.  Good news, Funchess played TE once or twice in college, so maybe he takes over for Olsen. Hunter Henry actually looked good and seemed like he was playing.  Pryor isn't looking great, Watkins is looking inconsistent, but he was covered by Josh Norman, Ginn may just not be great.  Gilislee is a good look, but there are some serious holes there.  I wouldn't expect weeks this bad often though.

Jared:  how bout that Zeke?  Maybe he should have started his suspension.  Kareem Hunt is still killing it, so your RBs probably don't need to be worried about.  Julio looked like he was in for a big game, but immediately stopped making catches, fun fact Sanu has more targets than Julio.  Amari Cooper had one of those weeks where Crabtree scored every TD, as a Cooper owner in the past, get ready for that.  Coby and Delanie looked good.  I wonder if you can figure out which if Wentz and Mariota to play each week, you may have gotten a coin that can cost you games.

Jared wins 112-70

Alex Gomez versus Orest Yaslinskiy

This game was pretty close, at least closer than it looked.

Ory:  you might want to start playing Kearse.  If you had played him over J Stew, Tate, Cobb, or McCaffrey you would have won.  Some of your players definitely underperformed and you have some solid production on your bench.  This wasn't a terrible showing and you would have beat Grube if you played this week, but that's fantasy. A cruel mistress. I don't know if you'll feel comfortable starting Wilson this year, and Rob Kelley getting destroyed might hurt.  

Alex:  a win without DJ is still a win.  Ebron looked good and Stafford had points despite awful awful stats.  Crowell is a scary guy to own isn't he?  He could bust something out, but if he doesn't then you get what you have here, 3 points.  Chris Carson looks good at least, but Seattle doesn't have a good o-line.  Your RBs now leave something to be desired, but you tell me if you're panicking (spoilers: you will say you aren't). Burkhead and Henry provide some upside too, but are they trust worthy?  Will you okay them over the Crow and then watch him score 20 on your bench only for the other to receive no carries?  

Alex wins 122-113

Andrew Gomez versus Valeriy Shishkin

Andrew and Matt would have tied this week.

Andrew:  Palmer gave you points but man does he look bad.  Jordy leaving the game with 0 points is brutal for you, and really not much went well for you.  CJ was a nice showing against Dallas, and 29 points should hopefully win you weeks, but unfortunately Cook looked pedestrian Eifert is eh, Fitz was actually not force fed.  You made mostly the right start sit choices, Engram looks to be headed in the right direction.  

Val:  well thankfully we didn't play this week.  Murray is not looking good at all, and Henry is looking pretty good behind him.  Your WRs blew up, Sanders and Jeffery looked pretty damn good.  Pierre Garçon and Crowder both are okay, but on offenses that don't appear to have much fantasy value behind them.  Ertz can be consistent it seems, and Ajayi busted 100 yards.  I'm curious on whether or not your team can continue to put it together at the same time.

Val beats Andrew 126-100

Matt Burke versus Nic Meyer

Matt:  I have to be honest I was worried about a potential Brandon Marshall comeback win, but after watching the game last night I'm more surprised he even got you 2 points.  Somehow, someway he looks bad.  TyMo is a goddamn beast and I'm jealous you have him this year, treat him well.  Bell is not looking great, I wonder if missing preseason really hurt him that bad or if he will pick it up at some point.  D Jax missed a couple big plays, and Olsen broke his foot.  Just uh, thank goodness you didn't play Thompson and Sanu haha.

Me: GRONK GRONK GRONK GRONK GRONK GRONK GRONK.  Kerwynn was a dumb play, but a win is a win.

I beat Matt 122-100

POWER RANKINGS

1. Jared Grube (2-0 284 PF) (previously 1).
2. Yuriy Yedinak (2-0 264 PF) (previously 4)
3. Alex Gomez (2-0 243 PF) (previously 2)
4. Nic Meyer (2-0 242 PF) (previously 3)

5.  Chris Cone (1-1 258 PF) (previously 7)

6.  Jake Yorke (1-1 235 PF) (previously 6)

7.  Andrew Gomez (1-1 215 PF) (previously 5)

8.  Valeriy Shishkin (1-1 201 PF) (previously 11)

9. Daniel Smith (0-2 214 PF) (previously 8)

10. Orest Yaslinskiy (0-2 212 PF) (previously 9)

11. Matt Burke (0-2 174 PF) (previously 12)

12. Oscar Meyer (0-2 167 PF) (previously 10).

Thanks for reading guys.

Week 1 Recap

Much like smoke from a fire settles in the valley and then dissipates, much like sawdust falls to the floor only to be picked up by the wind and become one with the larger world, much like time only exists once it's in the past and has become nothing more than a memory, Week 1 of the 2017 fantasy football season has ended.

This week didn't have the sheer huge number of injuries that last year week 1 had, however David Johnson and Allen Robinson are gone, presumably for a long time.  

This weeks biggest story actually ends up being the lack of TDs.  Last year opening week there were 79 TDs, this year we got a measly 44.  That's a total of 210 points that just disappeared, and it definitely shows in some of the scores your terrible teams had, not mine, but some of yours.

We will get into that.

I've got a feeling that there's few surprises in the top 5 of each position this week, but why not take a quick little gander:

QB

1. Alex Smith - 38 points.  Yeah seriously guys, Alex Smith starts as the #1 QB in fantasy.  I'm here to warn you that if this doesn't strike you as proof the Chiefs are fools gold, I don't know what will.  The Patriots D must be real bad, especially considering I bet Hilland Hunt show up on these lists.
2. Matt Stafford - 34 points.  In true Stafford form he looked like he was going to have a bad game until well into the 3rd quarter.  He had one of his good weeks, and definitely was part of the magic that helped Alex win his first matchup.
3. Sam Bradford - 31 points.  Noodle arm Sam shredded up the Saints, something that pretty much everyone can do.  Thielen and Diggs look great, so maybe just maybe we're seeing someone that could become a pretty damn good weekly start.
4. Trevor Siemian - 25 points.  What the hell is this week.  Siemian? Bradford? Alex Smith?  Anyway, I don't think his throws looked very good but he did look confident in the team.  Chargers D isn't bad, but they don't look like world beaters either.
5. Philip Rivers - 23 points.  Rivers is pretty good so this doesn't particularly surprise me, MNF was pretty lucrative.  Keenan Allen survived so his team is about 400% healthier than it was week 2 last year.

RB

1. Kareem Hunt - 44 points.  A pattern emerges, my intense dislike for the Chiefs and two top players at their position.  Hunt looked good, I don't think this good but it is probably very reassuring for Jared to see that Hunt is capable of it.
2. Tarik Cohen - 24 points.  Who are these people?  Anyway, this is like a WR in the RB slot, and considering that there are no longer any WRs in Chicago, this guy is valuable.  He's totally not on waivers though so please don't check.
3. Mike Gilislee - 22 points.  Dude settled into the role that once was Blount's.  Pats RBs aren't typically easy to understand.  However, the Pats are going to be angry most likely so expect some good offensive showing.
4. Leonard Fournette - 21 points.  I didn't catch this game, but I do know that the Texans were garbage.  Was this a good game by Leo Four or just a huge game of kill the clock.  Either way, that's a pretty damn good stat line for his first game.
5. Shady McCoy/Todd Gurley - 20 points.  Gurley still had a god awful ypc, but he had some nice catches and a TD.... sounds oddly like last year to me.  Shady looked good, but it was against the Jets, but I can't imagine that he'll get worse.

WR

1. Antonio Brown - 29 points.  I'm not going to brag much but it makes sense you know.  And it was pretty rad.  11 of 11 sounds pretty sweet.
2. Stefon Diggs - 28 points.  It was against the Saints, but the fantasy community knew he was capable.  Dudes a beast, and if those injuries were just flukes before he could have a special year.
3. Tyreek Hill - 26 points.  Oh boy another Chiefs player.  Dude is fast though, and if Alex Smith has truly learned how to go deep than dammit that's probably gonna be a good connection. I'll believe Alex has learned that when I see it though.
4. Adam Thielen - 24 points.  This is actually a similar pattern to the Chiefs, this is a lot of Vikings players.  Could be the Saints are just bad.  What I think is that the Vikings are going to be solid, they probably won't blow up like this every week, but they should be alright.
5. Kenny Golladay - 22 points.  Is he Ogletree or is he some other WR that actually played well the whole season?  Your guess is as good as mine, but since he's on Alex's team I know what most of the league is hoping for.

WEEKLY MATCHUPS:

Yuriy Yedinak vs Chris Cone

The game came down to MNF, Denver D vs Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen.  

This was the battle between the best draft and the worst draft from what I had seen in the beginning, and it was a close close game.  A 4 point difference, and if Cone had played either of the 2 QBs of his bench over the 1st round pick Tom Brady he would have won.  Cone definitely needs to get an RB that's going to be helpful though, cause Samje Perine isn't going to get you any points at all.  

Yuriy, I have to ask if you know that Mixon was involved in DV, because your name fits that.  Just curious.  I think you got yourself a pretty good team even if Martavis looks bad with Roethlisberger and Bennett is probably going to get himself into some sort of suspension.  You got yourself some good pieces so keep up with em.

Yuriy wins 118-114.

D Smith versus Jake Yorke

The second closest matchup, and the only other one where both teams score above 100 points.  

Adrian Peterson really blew this game for D Smith, and my guess is that's why he was so mad at Sean Payton at the end of the game.  He was yelling "but what about D Smith!"  He knew, but how can you bench AD the first game of the year?  Of course knowing what we know now, I wouldn't be surprised if he got traded but just remember if you had played Sproles or Kamara you would have won, hell if you had played Forte you would have tied.  Good news is as long as Landry isn't suspended you won't have to worry about his bye week anymore.

Jake, you didn't have your best RBs out either, of course Shady will carry you when asked, but Dez, Graham, Powell and Brown have to have you a little worried.  You leave week 1 with a win, but it was close, and those guys all have major issues.  Your division looks to be pretty damn close as every team scored within 12 points of each other (seriously, 12 is the biggest deficit from one team to the next in your division).  Feel good about the early lead, but be careful.

Jake wins 111-106.

Alex Gomez vs Oscar Meyer

This one became something of a blowout after looking like it was going to be close heading into Monday.  

Dad, I know Brees put up respectable points, but is it worrisome to you that Payton seemed to want to use his insane RBBC instead of trust his HOF QBs arm most of the night?  Hunter  Henry didn't receive a target, and Hooper only received 2, so not a lot of usage there, but Hooper at least capitalized.  Your starters are pretty good but the depth behind them leaves something to be sought after.  The good news is that you have Beckham coming back soon and Rawls could be pretty useful after the disaster that was Lacy on Sunday.

Alex,  you came out with a win and the second highest score in the league, that has to feel good.  What I know doesn't feel good is the injury of the #1 overall pick DJ.  Now I know you have some RB depth, but at the same time the backups behind DJ are completely underwhelming.  So idk, but Golladay and Snead on your bench gives some room for an RB upgrade.  The most bittersweet of victories I must imagine.

Alex wins 121-97

Ory Yaslinskiy vs Jared Grube

One of those god awful matchups that's over on Thursday before the real games begin, Hill and Hunt gave Ory a gigantic Hill to climb and he was only able to make it up halfway before his team surrendered the Hunt.  

Ory, I don't think this was an awful showing by any means.  I think you need to replace Wilson because that shit is gonna happen all season long with that terrible o-line.  Rob Kelly isn't going to do you any favors, but do you have trust in the Panthers enough to play both of their RBs?  Could have been the good play this week.  ARob died, but at least Cobb and Kearse looked good on your bench.  You should probably look at this week as a test after how it went down, and know where you passed and where you failed.

Jared, I know I'm not going to be able to convince you but be wary, when that many players on one team have a huge week it usually ends up being because the other team is bad.  Hunt and Hill are relatively new, but Alex is a known commodity and suddenly he looked like Brett Favre out there minus the ints.  The rest of your team looks solid too, if Zeke is back all year (sometimes it looks that way other times it doesn't). You'll be strong, but as far as I remember, the team that's looked the best in regular season hasn't one the Chip yet.  So don't get complacent.

Jared wins 172-99

Matt Burke vs Andrew G-Mos

Andrew ended up winning rather convincingly despite a whole -4 from the Red Rocket (remember, I told you not to rely on him).

Matt, you played Eli the dead over Rivers, you should not do that until Rivers loses every single one of his receivers.  Bell had an uncharacteristic terrible outing, but TyMo actually got a lot of use as a RB. Your WRs do not inspire anything that even slightly looks like confidence at this point though, BMarsh couldn't catch even 2 passes with Beckham out?  TY Hilton is good but man, Tolzien is just so so bad.  Chris Thompson as the best RB on the Skins was one I would not have called though.

Andrew, Dalton lol.  Dalton Dalton Dalton Dalton Dalton Dalton.  Your WRs looked great because of Diggs.  I don't think 28 is his average as it was against the Saints, but it shows he's got himself a nice ceiling.  Eifert looked like death but then again Dalton Dalton Dalton.  You've got yourself a GLARING hole at QB DaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDaltonDalton.

Andrew wins 115-74.

Nic Meyer vs Valeriy Shishkin

This one was over before SNF.

Val, your team fell so damn flat.  I don't think it's awful, and you were missing Ajayi but holy shit this shows your lack of RB depth is serious.   Lacy did absolutely nothing.  Worse than nothing really, it was embarrassing.  Crowder almost scored negative points for you, and still only got 2 by the end of the game.  Demarco didn't look bad but the Raiders scored too quick to let him get rhythm, and Henry played more snaps than I thought he would.  I mean, really the positives for this week for your team are:  Rodgers is good, and Ertz caught some balls.  Also seriously, drop your second kicker dude.

Me, shits good.  Didn't have Parker or JizzRod, but AB looked like AB, Kupp is probably gonna catch 90 passes this year, and Benjamin didn't need to catch anything because the Niners can't keep it competitive. Third highest score in the league, so I'll take what I can get.

I win 120-75

POWER RANKINGS:

1. Dog Don't Mind (draft grade: B-)

2. Chicken Parm (draft grade: B)

3. 12 Bar Bruisers (draft grade: A)

4. Mixon Up Her Face (draft grade: A-)

5. Duke Nukem (draft grade: C)

6. DonSeans Underdogs (draft grade: B)

7. Facecleaters (draft grade: C-)

8. Run N Hyde (draft grade: C+)

9. Runs n Throwses (draft grade: B-)

10. Rip Lips (draft grade: B-)

11. Greenbowl Packers (draft grade: D+)

12. Buffalo Soldier (draft grade: C+)

Also congrats Yuriy on winning the poll for best draft.  YAY