Fantasy football playoffs and COVID-19 don’t make for great dance partners. The coronavirus is threatening to mess with the NFL’s stretch run, with players such as Dalvin Cook, Travis Kelce and Tessum Hill landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Cook will almost certainly miss Minnesota’s game at home against the Rams on Sunday.
Maybe you’ve got Cook handcuffed with Alexander Mattison. There are no handcuffs for keels. And if you were starting Hill at quarterback in the last few weeks, your team was already messing around at quarterback, and the options would be slim.
It’s really going to turn up the fantasy playoffs that can negotiate the discount strings fastest and most efficiently.
In most fantasy football leagues at least the quarterfinals, if not the semifinals, we are not asking each team a question. Rather, we’ve asked an ESPN fantasy sports researcher Kyle Sope To limit your questions to the most relevant questions from post-season. Here’s what he came up with this week. (Teams are listed alphabetically.)
Shouldn’t QB Kyler Murray be seen as a lock in the fantasy starting lineup anymore?
No. Look at it this way: If you don’t start him and he comes back on track, throws for 300 yards and two touchdowns and runs for 50 more touchdowns, will you regret it? The problem with not starting the undead is the risk of it blowing up. The risk of introducing him is that the Cardinals might play like they did in Detroit again and you’re out of the playoffs. It’s a gamble, but the upside could outweigh the downside – but it also depends on who else is on the bench. — Josh Weinfuss
The WR Russell gauge has been good for a month now. Can we count on him with two plus matchups?
Yes you can. While Arthur Smith’s offense can sometimes be as unpredictable as it used to, Gage has become the closest thing Atlanta has to his passing game. Gage has been hit at least six times in each of the last five matches and four or more catches in each of those games. No one will mistake him for the No. 1 wide receiver, but he has shown enough consistency and the ability to play big where you can understand that he will get at least some work every week. Put him on your roster and, depending on how deep your league is (10 teams and up), maybe keep him in your lineup. — Michael Rothstein
Should fantasy managers consider RB Amir Abdullah as a flex substitute, scripting a near-heavy game against the Buccaneers?
No, not if Cam Newton is playing quarterback. The Panthers will lean on Newton as a runner after he ran 71 yards in Buffalo last week. By the time the game is close, Chuba Hubbard will get more than his fair share of carries as the lead back. Abdullah will be more viable if Tampa Bay makes a big lead, but even so, Carolina’s inaccuracy in the passing game doesn’t lend itself to big production. — David Newton
Is this the rookie wall for WR Ja’Marr Chase, or should we just trust the talent and keep getting him out there?
Chase had his biggest game of the season in 7 weeks against Baltimore. But the defense received significant attention from the rookie, and the Bengals launched a limited passing attack. The target share of the chase and the reduced passing volume pose a significant risk to the chase. — ben baby
With all the talent in RB/WR, is there enough meat on the bone for Dalton Schultz to be viable under the stretch?
If defending QB Dak is going to force Prescott to walk down the field, then yes, there should be. Schultz was a major part of the offense early in the season, when the Cowboys were rolling, catching at least five passes in five of the first six games. Prescott will have to be patient, and if the defenses are going to do their best to pull off big plays, Schultz should be a factor like he did last week versus the New York Giants. — Todd Archer
The future is bright for WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. Can fantasy managers rely on strong play to complete their rookie season?
Yes. The stars are aligning for St Brown, who has established himself as a reliable receiver from day one of training camp and is now taking advantage. St. Brown has earned the respect of his teammates and filled a much-needed void in wideouts for the Lions, especially without Pro Bowl tight end TJ Hockenson, who will likely miss the rest of the year. Expect him to achieve more, which will lead to more production. He has had at least eight receptions in the last three games with 70 or more receiving yards. — Eric Woodyard
Did you see enough of Sunday to shut down RB James Robinson for the remaining weeks of the post-urban mayor era?
Looks like this. Robinson tied his season at a high with 18 carries, but remember, Carlos Hyde was out with an injury, and the interim head coach is offensive coordinator Darrell Bevel, who was responsible for the problem with Robinson’s inconsistent use throughout the season. were part. Hyde was placed on the IR, so Robinson had to – needed – Be behind the primary by now. But, as it happens this season, it’s the Jaguars, so… who knows? — Michael Dirocco
What should fantasy managers do with a big Duke Johnson game (127 yards and 2 TDs)?
It was a good day for a motivated player in a rewarding matchup. Let’s make no mistake, Johnson handled the ball better than any Dolphins this season, especially the way he fought through contact. The Dolphins’ offensive line has (rightly) been criticized as a pass-blocking unit this season, but it actually owns the ninth-best run block win rate in the NFL. If Johnson can continue to take advantage of the opening of his offensive line, he has a chance to save the Dolphins and your fantasy seasons. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
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Field Yates and Matthew Berry react to Duke Johnson’s impressive fantasy game in Week 15, as well as what’s next to run.
Are we chasing ghosts in hopes that the big Saxon Barkley game comes under the stretch?
Yes, we said if it didn’t happen against the Chargers and their 31st-ranked run defense, it wasn’t going to happen this year. In that competition he had a run of 64 yards, a total of 95 yards and a touchdown. That’s the roof. Nothing is going to get bigger than the way Barkley is running and moving forward. It is clear that he is not the player we saw during his rookie season and, again, he is on an injury report this week with an ankle problem. It won’t stop him from playing, but it will keep him away from the monster game that everyone has been hoping for. — Jordan Queenie
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