4-EYED OBSERVATIONS FROM WEEK 6 (2018)
Another week of NFL action is in the books and with it comes new storylines for us fantasy football fans to get excited about. If you’re anything like me you’ve probably been overwhelmed with the sheer number of plays and storylines that went on this weekend that you can’t decide which ones can actually help you going forward in your fantasy football leagues. That is where the 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS come in handy.
The goal of the 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS is to provide you insight that might help you this season in terms of picking up OR getting rid of players with the hopes of helping you bring home a fantasy football championship this year!
Speaking of celebrating a fantasy football championship……
Without further adieu, here are my 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS FROM WEEK 6:
4-EYED OBSERVATION #1: Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson are back to being viable weekly starters in fantasy football!
Dak Prescott reminded everyone in week 6 just how elite he can be in fantasy football. He didn’t need to play like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady. He needed to play like Dak:
His dual-threat ability in rushing and passing the ball has always been his greatest strength, but to put up the performance he did on Sunday against league’s number 1 defense (29.5 fantasy points) just goes to show you that when at the top of his game Dakota Rayne Prescott is the quarterback you want leading your fantasy team all season long! For now stash him on your bench and see if he does it again, and if so put him in your lineups!
Another quarterback, who is also heralded for his passing and rushing ability, has also returned to fantasy relevance and that is Russell Wilson. However, he didn’t need to make plays all by himself for his offense in order to be fantasy relevant. He needed an offense which took the pressure off him, i.e. an offense that emphasized running ball with their actual running backs rather than their quarterback.
Well that’s exactly what he has now in Seattle with the offensive line and running back committee doing their jobs in establishing a run-first offense. Doing so has allowed Wilson to decrease the number of plays he has been used to executing and instead has increased the number of quality plays he performs. Let’s take a look back at his passing performances from week 5 AND 6:
In week 5 the Seahawks’ running game shouldered the load for Wilson allowing him to only need to throw the ball 21 times which resulted in a completion percentage of 61.9% for just 198 yards and 3 touchdowns. In week 6 the threat of a previously established running game allowed Wilson to only need to pass the ball 23 times, but now going for a completion percentage of 73.9% for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns. What does this all mean? As long as the Seahawks keep committing to the running game look for Wilson’s fantasy numbers to return close to the fantasy dominance he had just a season ago. And that’s with him just throwing the ball. Can you imagine what his numbers will look like once/if he starts running again?!
4-EYED OBSERVATION #2: Jordan Howard has become the bane of our fantasy football existence so far in 2018!
Rushing for 4.92 yards per carry in Sunday’s loss to Miami, Jordan Howard was a touchdown away from putting forth a somewhat respectable game. Howard instead of the 6 points he would have gotten you on that goal-line play, he got you -2 points for fumbling the ball and ended up with just 4.9 fantasy points in 0.5 PPR leagues.
As many managers did this past summer I drafted JOHO with my third round pick thinking I was getting RB1 value in the third round. And… I still believe that. However, my gut feeling is that his performance will take a turn once it starts getting colder, as is customary for teams to rely more heavily on the running game in the colder months, or if he gets traded to a team in need of a stud running back. Until either of those things happens he’s a RB2/FLEX at best and a stash and bench at worst. The way things are trending, however, the latter is looking like the more realistic option.
4-EYED OBSERVATION #3: Adam Thielen is the hero we deserve in fantasy football!
.@Realrclark25 wants @athielen19 to get the respect he deserves. pic.twitter.com/cAhepJJvKE
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 15, 2018
Adam Thielen has been putting up ridiculous numbers all season long:
Week 1: 6 rec, 102 yards, 0 TD, & 13.2 fantasy points
Week 2: 12 rec, 131 yards, 1 TD, & 25.1 fantasy points
Week 3: 14 rec, 105 yards, 0 TD, & 17.5 fantasy points
Week 4: 8 rec, 135 yards, 1 TD, & 23.5 fantasy points
Week 5: 7 rec, 116 yards, 1 TD, & 21.1 fantasy points
Week 6: 11 rec, 123 yards, 1 TD, & 23.8 fantasy points
Averaging 20.1 fantasy points per game in 0.5 PPR leagues Thielen is currently, in terms of fantasy points, #1 in the NFL in terms average fantasy points per game and #1 in total 0.5 PPR fantasy points scored at the wide receiver position. Some might argue this type of production is unsustainable. I disagree. This offense is firing on all cylinders and while it does look for Thielen to be as matchup-proof as it gets!
4-EYED OBSERVATION #4: Leighton Vander Esch is an LB1 as long as Sean Lee is out rest of season!
Since taking over at weakside linebacker for the often injured Sean Lee, Vander Esch has totaled double-digit tackles in 3 out of the last 4 games played averaging 9.75 fantasy points in that four-week time span. While Jaylon Smith has been getting a bulk of the praise at middle linebacker, as he rightfully should, Vander Esch has seen his snap percentage rise each week rarely taking any snaps off while producing at a consistently high level. As long as Sean Lee is out you can count on him in your IDP spot and/or your dedicated LB position week in and week out.
Those, my friends, are my 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS from Week 6!
Stay tuned later this week for our 4-EYED PREVIEWS and our Fantasy Football Podcast!
Thanks for checking out FANTASY IN FRAMES!
*Also don’t forget to go back and read over our previous IN SEASON ARTICLES. You might find some nuggets of fantasy football gold that could propel you into the fantasy playoffs and even help you win a fantasy football championship!*
