2019 Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings

The bye weeks haven't felt too bad yet, have they?  The NFL eased us into it way back in Week 4 with just the Jets and Niners on bye.  There were other weeks sprinkled in there with only two teams on bye, including just the Ravens and Cowboys last week.  But those days are over.  There are 4 teams off in Week 9 and then 6 teams off next week!  Then four more teams are off again in each week after that.  Luckily that's all over after Week 12, but until then you'll have to navigate with the waiver wire and you might want to consider even making a trade (*gasp*).

And if you haven't started looking a week ahead, now is the time.  In fact, try to make a trade with someone who you might be playing in a couple of weeks.  If it means you can get an edge on an RB or WR spot over that opponent, why not?  Of course consider the long term impact too, but depending on your record, you might need that win in the next few weeks just to make the playoffs!  Oh and keep an eye on your league's trade deadline too because it's probably soon.

If you're not into trades, then at least work the waiver wire.  Don't only look ahead and pick up a defense for Week 10 (like I did with the Patriots off that week), but take a look at who gets dropped the next couple of weeks.  Other people might be forced to cut someone like Jared Goff (I did) or Saints D (someone else did in my money league).  You never know who might hit the waiver wire.  Maybe your team isn't getting hit hard with the byes until Week 11 or 12 and you can stash someone like Brandin Cooks who could find himself out multiple weeks with a concussion.  Their owner might be 4-4 and can't afford to waste the roster spot through the bye weeks.  Like I said...you never know.  Don't just look at waivers on Wednesday and forget about it until Sunday.  There could be guys available later in the week who were dropped on Wednesday.

OK.  Enough of the intro.  Short version is this: pay attention and keep grinding.

Let's do the rankings!

2019 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ - Expert Consensus Rankings

QBs

I had Ryan Tannehill as a top-10 play in Week 8 (+4 vs ECR), and I was 6 spots lower than the ECR on Kyler Murray.  Tannehill finished 11th and Kyler Murray 26th, so I was relatively right on those guys.  In fact I wrote that the Saints would beat the Cardinals 24-10, and a late Michael Thomas touchdown made the final score 31-9.  Pretty close!  This week I'm still a little high on Tannehill versus the ECR, but we'll see how the ECR shakes out come Sunday because it tends to be pretty variable as the week goes on.  

RBs

I wasn't too high/low on many RBs versus the ECR last week, but I was down on studs with bad matchups like Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry.  The ECR had them as top-12 plays, but I did not.  Neither finished as top-20 RBs in Week 8, and Henry especially struggled against Tampa's stout run defense.  The Seahawks face the Bucs this week, so Chris Carson is down in the rankings a bit for me.  I realize you're probably starting him regardless, but I'd much rather start Wilson/Lockett in DFS instead of Carson.  And I'm not ranking Chris Carson anywhere near a top-12 RB this week.  You can't make me!

WRs

I ended up being way down on T.Y. Hilton last week (-14 vs ECR), and he struggled against Denver (I assume mostly due to Chris Harris).  In fact, if it wasn't for a late scramble and deep pass by Brissett, Hilton would've easily finished outside of the top-50.  In my top-40 WRs, I was highest on Devante Parker (+14 vs ECR), but he wasn't great on MNF.  He finished ahead of T.Y. Hilton though!  :)

I'm not sure how many times I can be high on Phillip Dorsett before I finally give up on him, but maybe this is the last week!  But I don't think it will be.  I say he gets 60 yards and a score on Sunday night, and I'm ranking him in my top-30 (about 15 spots higher than the ECR).  I'm also super high on Danny Amendola, but I'm not sure if I'm being irrational or not.  Maybe I'll back off him a bit come Sunday, but for now I also have him as a top-30 WR.  Yeah that's right...

TEs

I thought Josh Hill would score against Arizona, which is why I was 7 spots higher than the ECR on him last week.  That didn't happen.  You know what else didn't happen?  Mike Gesicki having a decent game against the Steelers.  I was 13 spots higher on HIM versus the ECR, and now I'm really wondering why I was high on multiple Dolphins last week.  What was I thinking?!?

If I could figure out how to rank tight ends better, I could probably be closer to top-30 or 40 in Expert Accuracy for the season.  As it is, I'm outside of the top-100 at the TE position, and it's really bringing me down!  I'm hoping I can at least crack the top-50 overall rankers in the next couple of weeks, so I have to just keep grinding.  As for the tight ends...while I like Darren Fells and Jason Witten more than the ECR this week, I'm not so sure you should take my advice on that due to my track record at the position.  But then again, it's the tight end position, right?  If you don't have one of the guys in my top-5 this week, just take your pick.  You can feel free to pick anyone from 8-18 off the waiver wire and see what happens!

DEFs

I didn't end up too high/low on defenses versus the ECR last week. This week I like the Browns as a top-10 play...like...EASILY.  I liked them when I thought Flacco was going to be the QB, but now against Brandon Allen?  Yes please!  In that same game, I'm down on the Broncos, as I think this is the week Cleveland gets back on track.  I'm looking for Nick Chubb to go off in this game and the Browns are going to score at will.  You heard me correctly  I know that sounds crazy with how this season has been going, but I just have a feeling...

Another good week for my ATS (5-4) & O/U (4-2) picks in Week 8.  Let's see if I can keep it rolling here in Week 9!

Cheers,
Bart

2019 Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings

It's been a busy week, so I'm going to skip the intro and get right into the rankings.  The Ravens and Cowboys are the only teams off this week, so hopefully you're not getting hit too hard with players on a bye here in Week 8.

Let's get to it!

2019 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ - Expert Consensus Rankings

QBs

A guy I had near the top-5 in Week 7 and a few spots higher than the ECR was Carson Wentz.  He had multiple touchdowns in every game this season except for the Week 5 blowout of the Jets in which he didn't even throw the ball 30 times.  He flat out sucked against Dallas though, and that was a bad call on my part.  I was actually highest on Dak last week, as I had him 6 spots higher than the ECR and in my top-5.  He finished 8th, so you were definitely happy if you started him, and he certainly did better than Wentz.  This week I have Matthew Stafford as a top-5 play, and I'm 9 spots lower than the ECR on Kyler Murray.  I think the Saints are going to beat the Cardinals something like 24-10 at home.

RBs

Even though he's clearly the bellcow back for the Bengals, I was still down on Joe Mixon versus the ECR last week.  In fact I was 10 spots lower than the expert consensus ranking of him, and he finished at #28 exactly where I ranked him.  If it weren't for his 2 yard receiving touchdown, he would've been one of the worst running backs in Week 7.  If you haven't been benching already, now is the time.  He's now outside of my top-30, and the ECR more or less agrees with me now.

I'm not high/low on too many RBs versus the ECR this week, but I kind of like Tarik Cohen against the Chargers.  He's been getting plenty of targets lately, and David Montgomery has NOT looked good.  Cohen was a slow starter last season too, and it's possible he gets it going this week.  If you're looking for a FLEX, you could certainly do worse than a guy who could break a huge TD at any moment.

WRs

My top-10 was a lot different than the ECR last week.  I had guys like D.J. Chark and Brandin Cooks up there, and that didn't work out too well.  Deeper into my WR rankings I liked Geronimo Allison (+20), Duke Williams (+24), and Kenny Stills (+24).  Duke dealt with an injury.  Geronimo dealt with not being a very good receiver.  As for Stills, he finished in the top-20 after Will Fuller left with a hamstring injury.  This week I actually like him more than the ECR (+10), and I'm ranking him inside my top-25.  I'm really high on DaeSean Hamilton (+28), but maybe that will change in the next couple of days when the rankings catch up to the Emmanuel Sanders news.  Maybe not though.  I think the hole Sanders leaves will quickly be filled by DaeSean, and I think he could end up being a WR3 the rest of the season.  

TEs

In Week 5, Tyler Eifert broke the trend of tight ends going off against Arizona, but we all knew Austin Hooper would start another streak in Week 6.  But in Week 7, it wasn't Evan Engram against the Cardinals but rather Rhett Ellison who found the end zone.  With Jared Cook likely out again, don't sleep on Josh Hill this week.  He faces Arizona and could get a touchdown for the second week in a row.  I currently have him 8 spots higher than the ECR, and he could be a decent streamer if you're desperate.

DEFs

I was down on the Cowboys for the second week in a row, but they actually finished as a top-10 unit against the Eagles on Sunday night.  That was a big surprise to me, but they do tend to be better at home.  I guess I should take that more into consideration.  This week I like the Jags as a top-10 play against a Jets squad whose quarterback is seeing ghosts.  I realize Jacksonville is nowhere near the defense that New England is this year, but I think they could still put up some decent numbers.

I've definitely done better with my O/U picks this season, and that trend continued in Week 7.  While I was only 3-3-1 ATS, I went 7-4 with my over/under picks.  We'll see what happens here in Week 8!

Cheers,
Bart

2019 Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings

I didn't end up watching a lot of football last Sunday.  My nephew was in town playing in a soccer tournament (which they won!), and I hadn't seen him play in a solid 5 years.  So I spent a good amount of my time watching his U-11 team last weekend, and it was really cool to see him so excited when they won their last game against a team who had beaten them the day before.

NOTE: In a 12 team fantasy league, that's also known as Weeks 12 & 13.  :)

So I was watching kids playing soccer while the Bucs/Panthers game started in London.  I had the start/sit decision at QB between Jared Goff and Jameis Winston.  I wasn't crazy about either, but I gave the edge to Goff because of the total points expected, and I just thought Winston would have a bad game.  Turns out I was right about Winston.  He turned the ball over 6 times, but he still managed 400 passing yards and a 4th quarter touchdown.  Still, I felt good about my start/sit decision as I waited for the later games to kickoff.

I wasn't watching the Rams/Niners game when it started, but I saw on my phone they had a great opening drive that ended with a Robert Woods rushing touchdown.  While I wasn't too happy about that as a Goff owner, I figured this had the makings of a shootout after that good looking opening drive.  Oh how wrong that was.  That was virtually all the offense the Rams would produce in the entire game, and Goff barely finished with positive fantasy points.  I really shouldn't say "points" because he actually ended up with more than zero but less than 1 point in my league.

It's crazy to think that after the Winston debacle of a game, I'd actually want those fantasy points I left on the bench with him.  Luckily I didn't need those fantasy points to win my matchup because fantasy football is just like that sometimes.  In a week where I scored under 100 for the first time all season, I still managed to squeak out the W.

I definitely feel fortunate getting that win, and it's time to refocus and get my team back over the century mark for weekly fantasy points.  With the Bucs, Browns, Panthers, and Steelers all off this week, there are a lot of holes to fill on fantasy rosters.  Hopefully my rankings can help you out!

2019 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ - Expert Consensus Rankings

QBs

After Kirk Cousins torched a bad Giant secondary in Week 5, I was willing to roll him back out there as a streamer against an even worse Eagle unit.  I had him 6 spots higher than the ECR, and that worked out pretty well since he finished as a top-5 QB.  A guy I have near the top-5 this week and currently 5 spots higher than the ECR is Carson Wentz.  He's had multiple touchdowns in every game this season except for the Week 5 blowout of the Jets in which he didn't even throw the ball 30 times.  He'll definitely throw the ball more than 30 times against Dallas.  He has 7 touchdowns in his last 3 games against the Cowboys, so 2-3 scores feels likely.  If he somehow gets DeSean Jackson back this week, I might bump him up another spot or two.

RBs

My biggest hit in Week 6 was that I was 10 spots higher than the ECR on Tevin Coleman, and he had a solid game in that somewhat surprising victory over the Rams.  He's in my top-12 this week against Washington, and I have Breida nearly in my top-24.  If you happen to have both, start em both!  A guy I'm down on versus the ECR this week is Joe Mixon.  I realize he's the bellcow for that offense, but that offense is the Bengals.  Mixon has fewer than 40 total yards in half of his games this season.  You're probably starting him with all of the bye weeks and likely how your roster is constructed if you own him, but I wouldn't feel great about it.

WRs

With all of the byes and injuries piling up, I ranked Jakobi Meyers as nearly a top-50 WR last week.  I realized that was pretty far down my rankings, but he was a serviceable play in a deeper league catching 4 balls for 54 yards.  I liked Calvin Ridley and Curtis Samuel a lot more than the ECR, and that worked out nicely.  But I also liked guys like Willie Snead and Demarcus Robinson more than the ECR, and that was not so good.  It's always a mixed bag, and I'm sure this week will be the same.  Right now I'm more than 25 spots higher than the ECR on guys like Tavon Austin, Phillip Dorsett, and Allen Lazard.  That could totally change between now and Sunday, but just some guys to think about if you're scrambling for a receiver and the waiver wire looks thin.  I bet those guys are all still out there.

TEs

In Week 5, Tyler Eifert broke the trend of tight ends going off against Arizona, but we all knew Austin Hooper would start another streak.  As long as Evan Engram is healthy here in Week 7, he's a lock for a top-5 finish against the Cardinals.  I got a goose egg from the tight end position last week because Will Dissly tore his Achilles and had no catches before leaving the game.  I feel bad for the guy, as he was having a great start to the season.  I thought he'd be my starter the entire year, but now I'm scrambling to make a trade.  This week I picked up Jason Witten who I like slightly more than the ECR against the Eagles.  With Amari Cooper and potentially Randall Cobb also out for this game, I expect Witten to at least get plenty of targets.  And with the tight end position, after the first few guys, that's about all you can ask for.

DEFs

Speaking of the Cowboys, I didn't buy them as a top-5 fantasy defense against the Jets, but the ECR had them at #2 last week!  They didn't do much in another surprising loss, and I'm down on them again this week.  I know they play better at home, but I have them outside of my top-20.  It's tough for me to recommend a streaming defense this week that I like more than the ECR, so just check the rankings and see if you can grab someone in my top-12.

I was a terrible 1-7-1 ATS in Week 5, but I did better in Week 6.  Still not great though, as I was 4-4.  I was 4-1 with my over/under picks in Week 5, and I kept it rolling in Week 6 going 6-2.  I've definitely done better with my O/U picks, and let's see if that continues here in Week 7!

Cheers,
Bart

2019 Fantasy Football Week 6 Rankings

For the second week in a row, I left fantasy points on my bench due to a player having a questionable tag and a late game.  Fortunately for me, it didn't matter in either case (I still won both matchups).  It's a lesson I almost learned from Week 4 with Chris Godwin, but not quite.  In Week 5, I picked up Jordan Wilkins in preparation for Marlon Mack potentially sitting out the Sunday night game.  But I got cold feet at the last minute and plugged Wayne Gallman into my lineup.  Of course that turned out to be the wrong choice due to Gallman leaving the game super early with a concussion, and Mack had a solid game against the Chiefs.  If this happens again, I'll try the backup plan strategy and hope my starters continue to play through the questionable tag.

This week, with Mack on a bye and Saquon/Gallman both out tomorrow night, I won't really have any lineup decisions to make.  I'm basically starting everyone on my team who is healthy.  If you're also struggling with byes/injuries here in Week 6, hopefully my rankings can help navigate you to a win!

2019 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ - Expert Consensus Rankings

QBs

My QB rankings don't deviate too much from the ECR.  That's just the nature of the position as we're now almost halfway through the fantasy regular season.  But after last week's performance against a bad Giant secondary, I'm willing to trust Kirk Cousins as a streamer against what may be an even worse Eagle unit.  As a Dalvin Cook owner, I don't like to see Philly on the schedule.  But if you own Thielen, you should be licking your chops.  And I think Cousins could have a 300 yard day and 2+ touchdowns in Week 6.  

RBs

I liked David Montgomery to finally break out against the Raiders last week in London, but his numbers just haven't been there yet.  He still got plenty of touches and found the endzone, so you were fine if you started him.  But the breakout will have to wait until at least Week 7.  This week, I like Kenyan Drake a bit more than the ECR against a bad Washington defense.  I tend to like teams coming off their bye week because everyone gets a little healthier with the extra time off.  In the case of the Dolphins, they can use every edge they can get.  Still, I think Drake could pile up some yardage and maybe even find the endzone in what is expected to be a low-scoring affair.  With two bad defenses, I think it could actually go over the total, and Drake is a borderline RB2 for me this week.

WRs

I really liked Phillip Dorsett last week, who had a great matchup in Washington.  I even liked him enough to plug him into my FLEX spot...How did I still win my matchup last week?!?  Oh right.  Everyone else balled out.  Anyway, Dorsett left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and didn't return.  He's already been ruled out for tomorrow night's game, which has me ranking Jakobi Meyers as a top-50 WR.  I realize that's still pretty far down my rankings, but with all of the byes and injuries, maybe you take a flyer in a deeper league.

TEs

In Week 5, Tyler Eifert broke the trend of tight ends going off against Arizona, but Austin Hooper should be ready to start another streak this week.  The tight end position is so awful to rank.  After the top 6 or so, just throw a dart.  Jimmy Graham on Monday Night Football?  Sure, especially if Davante Adams misses another game.  Jared Cook finally found the endzone last week.  Can he do it again?  Probably not, but whatever.  If you don't have one of the top-6, just follow your heart.

DEFs

I'm having a hard time buying the Cowboys as a top-3 fantasy defense this week like the ECR currently has them.  With the Jets getting Sam Darnold back, I have to think this offense will look much better this week.  Dallas looked terrible against the Packers and couldn't stop Aaron Jones.  This could be a big day for Le'Veon Bell, and if Darnold can take care of the ball, I'm not so sure the Cowboys are an elite play this week.

Last week was one to forget for my picks against the spread.  I was a terrible 1-7-1.  YIKES!  I made up for it slightly going 4-1 with my over/under picks, but those ATS picks were awful.  It's crazy the ups and downs with the betting picks.  I had the #1 rankings of all of the FantasyPros experts for Week 3, and I was nearly the worst in Week 5.  I'm still above the Expert Consensus line for the season, but I'd like to bounce back to get my overall ranking back up there.  For now, here are my picks for Week 6.  I'll adjust them as the week goes on, so feel free to check back if you care to see my updates.

Cheers,
Bart

2019 Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings

I've been using the FantasyPros platform for my rankings for about a year now, but this is the first season I've been included in the accuracy rankings.  So I was pretty pumped when I saw I cracked the top-10 for Week 4!  But much like your fantasy team, there's no time to bask in the glory of a win.  OK.  Maybe you can bask for an hour or so, but that's it!  Basking time over!

It's time to get back to the grind, make those waiver claims, and adjust your roster for Week 5.  The bye weeks are in full force now, but it hardly feels like it since I can't imagine many people missing Dolphins from their fantasy teams.  Lions, sure.  Dolphins?  Just waive them and move on.  Or for most of you, just continue to scroll over them as you look at the waiver wire.

The Antonio Brown drama feels like it's finally over, and October suddenly feels like Melvin Gordon SZN.  Week 5 means also means our first game of 2019 in London, but it's the Chase Daniel-led Bears against the mediocre Raiders.  At least the game isn't on at 9am EST though, right?  It can blend into Red Zone with the rest of the 1:00 games, and we can see those David Montgomery highlights along with all of the other TDs.  Yeah, I like for the rookie to break out in this one.

Let's check out the rest of my Week 5 rankings along with my picks versus the spread & over/under at the end!

2019 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ - Expert Consensus Rankings

QBs

I was actually a little high on Derek Carr versus the ECR last week, and he played well against a banged up Colts defense.  Don't trust him against the Bears though.  There are much better streaming options this week like Jacoby Brissett or Andy Dalton.  Yes, I realize Dalton was terrible on Monday Night Football.  That's what he does.  You can trust him this week against the Cardinals at home.  

RBs

I liked Darrel Williams as a potential FLEX play last week, and he didn't disappoint with over 50 total yards and two TDs.  But this week it looks like Damien Williams might be healthy for the Sunday night game against the Colts, so it's time to mix that group up a bit again.  I tend to think Damien and Shady will split time and Darrel will be the odd man out, but we shall see.  I mentioned how I like David Montgomery to finally break out against the Raiders this week.  He's been getting the touches.  He just hasn't done much with them.  You have to like the usage though, and I think Oakland's defense is just what the doctor ordered.  I'm also ready to trust Melvin Gordon right away, and I've already lowered Austin Ekeler well below the ECR.  We'll see if that's how it plays out, but that's how I see it.

WRs

I was WAY high on Marquez Valdes-Scantling last week, who broke out a little bit against the Broncos in Week 3.  I thought he would go for 99+ yards and a score for the second week in a row, but that didn't happen on Thursday night.  With Davante Adams likely missing a week or two though, I'm keeping MVS high in my rankings, and I've moved Allison way up as well.  This week I also really like Phillip Dorsett who has a great matchup in Washington.  He was peppered with targets last week, but Buffalo's defense is just flat out good.  Washington's is not.  I'll probably be plugging him into my own FLEX spot this week because I trust 7 or 8 targets from Tom Brady in a game where I think he'll look to put up some numbers after a down week.

TEs

Will Dissly (aka Big Montana!) kept it rolling against a Cardinal defense that continues to give up the most points to tight ends.  Can you trust Tyler Eifert this week against Arizona?  Yeah, I think you can.  I continue to be down on Jared Cook, which is probably helping my tight end position accuracy.  The guy doesn't even have 100 receiving yards combined in his first four games.  I know the tight end position is a wasteland, but I don't see how you can really consider playing him right now.

DEFs

I'll admit I was kind of high on the Packers defense in the Thursday night game.  They had been really good through 3 weeks, but Wentz and the Eagles made them look pretty terrible.  In fact, Jordan Howard owned them.  Yes, that Jordan Howard.  I wasn't down on many defenses, but I doubled down on the Browns and slightly faded the Ravens.  That turned out to be a good call.  This week I'm rolling with Sacksonville as a top-5 unit.  Kyle Allen had some bad turnovers last week against the Texans, and I think this defense could cause a few this week as well.  I'm not as high as the ECR on the Bengals because I just don't think that defense is very good, and I also like the over in that game.  I can see both of these offenses putting up a lot of points in this one.

Let's see who else I like with my Week 5 picks!

Cheers,
Bart