Six weeks into the season, we have reached the Dennis Green portion of the season, meaning that when it comes to the guys both on your fantasy team and any potential free agent that you can pick up, “they are who we thought they were”. With that being said, there are some intriguing matchups going into this weekend’s games, if you have these guys on your roster, look for them to provide you with a potential boost to your total score.
4-EYED PREVIEW #1: Andy Dalton – Quarterback – Cincinnati Bengals
While he has not been the most spectacular QB this year, Andy Dalton has consistently put up numbers that would probably make most of his fantasy owners, particularly those that start him, not too unhappy that they waited until the later rounds to take him. He is averaging 279 passing yards and two TDs per game, taking out his terrible four interception performance against Carolina in Week 3, he is averaging less than 1 interception per game. That gives him a fantasy average of just under 19 points per game, heading into this Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. For all the good that has happened to the Chiefs this season, it has been their woeful pass defense that could prove to be their Achilles heel. Currently their defense is last in the NFL in total passing yards allowed and they have given up an average of 23 points a game to opposing QBs. If you have Dalton on your roster, this matchup looks to be a very favorable one for him especially if you were able to draft and match him up with some of his primary targets.
4-EYED PREVIEW #2: Kerryon Johnson – Running Back – Detroit Lions
It has been a long time that any fantasy owner can look to a running back for the Detroit Lions as someone that would have favorable status to start. This week, Kerryon Johnson looks to be a pretty good option to crack many fantasy lineups. Coming out of their bye week, it is looking like the Lions coaching staff is starting to warm up to their rookie second round running back out of Auburn. After a very slow start, Johnson did something in Week 3 against the Patriots, that no Lions running back has done since Reggie Bush in November of 2013, he rushed for over 100 yards. That is 70 games, the Lions went almost five full years without having a RB rush for over 100 yards. Johnson is averaging 5.7 yards per carry in limited action. To give a little perspective on what he might be able to do when he is given the full carrying load, in his 101 yard performance against New England, Johnson had his most rushing attempts for the season, which was 16, averaging 6.3 ypc. Two weeks ago, against Green Bay, Johnson averaged 5.8 ypc on 12 rushes. If you have Kerryon Johnson, there is only one thing that could give you a little twitch in your mind as to whether to start him or not, and that is not the Miami rushing defense; they are giving up an average of a whopping 28 points per game to opposing teams running backs. No, as his fantasy owner, the biggest issue that you will have to deal with is whether Matt Patricia and the Lions coaching staff finally decide to let Mr. Johnson shoulder the rushing load.
4-EYED PREVIEW #3: Taylor Gabriel – Wide Receiver – Chicago Bears
It may not be a surprise that as Mitchell Trubisky has started to heat up for the Chicago Bears, another person on fire in the Chicago Bears offense has been Taylor Gabriel. In his last two games, Gabriel has caught a combined 12 passes for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns. While Allen Robinson is still currently seen by many as the Bears #1 receiver, Gabriel is currently the team leader in yards and receptions. He has been targeted 34 times in the Bears first five games this season, using the Fantasy in Frames scoring system, which is a standard scoring system, he is averaging just over 10 points per game. Going into a very favorable matchup against a suspect New England Patriots secondary, look for Gabriel to increase that scoring output, particularly in PPR leagues, as this looks like a game that could become a shootout with Gabriel being one of the clear beneficiaries of that.
4-EYED PREVIEW #4: Jordan Hicks – Linebacker – Philadelphia Eagles
In his fourth season out of the University of Texas, Middle Linebacker Jordan Hicks has firmly cemented himself as one of the key pieces to a strong Philadelphia Eagles defense. Going into their week 7 matchup with the Carolina Panthers, it will be Hicks job to not only stop the rushing attack led by Christian McCaffery, but he will also more than likely have the job of shadowing Cam Newton for most of the game and make sure that he doesn’t kill the Eagles with his running. Hicks and the Eagles defense currently sit 5th in the NFL in total rush defense, while allowing opposing offenses only an average of 80 yards a game, which is good for 2nd in the NFL. Hicks leads that charge, as he is averaging over 8 tackles a game. What makes Hicks an attractive option in an IDP league is that he is remarkably consistent, he is not prone to have too many down games. He will have the occasional blow up game where he is going to get you 12-15 tackles, but he usually stays in the 8-10 tackle range. For a Fantasy squad that is looking for consistency from that position, Jordan Hicks is a nice luxury to have. He is averaging 10 fantasy points per game and should be a very active figure in this week’s matchup.
*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!*
