If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.
We take this adage to heart when it comes to playing NFL DFS. The Fantasy Alarm Playbook isn’t just about handing you a list of players and a lineup to use each week. It is designed to help you learn to be a better DFS player. It’s about teaching you the process used in selecting which players to scout and, eventually, which ones to use.
Therefore, we will begin each week with the Weekly NFL DFS Watch List. We’ll still have our Weekly DFS Rankings, but the Watch List is designed to keep tabs on marquee names, chalk plays and, of course, the weekly bargains who may not see the same coverage and exposure. This piece will be continuously updated based on the most recent news and injuries which means you may see a name or two removed as we get closer to kick-off. You may also see a few late-week additions who pique our interest for some reason too, and by the end of the week, this watch list will eventually become your Playbook. Again, it’s about teaching you the process.
With Week 4 data in the books, it's time to start looking ahead to Week 5 and see who looks good.
PLAYERS ADDED -- 10/4 @ 11am ET (see below for breakdown)
PLAYERS REMOVED -- 10/4
Amari Cooper , WR OAK -- Jon Impemba hooked me up with some disturbing numbers for Cooper when facing cornerback Casey Hayward . I'm inclined to side with the data.
Thursday Night Thoughts:
If playing Thursday-Sunday or Thursday-Monday slates, bith Tom Brady and Andrew Luck should be in play tonight. Even if Brady doesn't have Gronk, he's got Julian Edelman returning from suspension and another week of practicing with Josh Gordon under his belt. The Colts secondary has been awful and if Brady wants to put the hurt on them like he and the rest of the team did against the Dolphins last week, he will. For Luck, he's simply going to have to air it out as much as possible to keep pace. That's what happens when you don't have a running game. The problem for him is he will be without T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle , once again, so he's going to have to vibe with his secondary receivers in order to get it done. If you're playing the Monday-Thursday slate and looking for high upside, I'd go with Luck who will, again, be forced to throw. If just looking to maintain a lead, roll with the higher floor of Brady.
I'm looking at both Nyheim Hines and James White asd the ones to watch this week. I don't think I would use either given most of the Sunday match-ups, but if you're still maneuvering from the Monday-Thursday slate, I'll take either of these two over Sony Michel or Jordan Wilkins . Usually the pass-catching backs fare better then the between-the-tackles guys on the short rest.
On the Patriots side of receiving, I'm leaning Edelman and Gordon. Chris Hogan has been non-existent the past few weeks and Phillip Dorsett will probably just split snaps with Hiogan as the two play opposite Gordon. That is, assuming Edelman works out of the slot. The latest reports from Adam Schefter have Rob Gronkowski playing tonight, but there is some hesitancy regarding how much he'll be used given the bum ankle and it being a game the Patriots are favored by 10. If needeing a tight end for the Monday-Thursday and looking for a possible contrarian play, maybe Dwayne Allen sees more work if the Pats go up big. You could use Eric Ebron , but the Pats actually rank second in the league in tight end coverage according to the most recent DVOA numbers. As for Colts receivers, Chester Rodgers really made a splash last week and I like both him and Ryan Grant as heavy target favorites for Luck as the Colts try to keep pace.
Neither defense is worth playing if looking ahead. I flooking back at Monday-thursday, just go the oppositie of most of your remaining players.
Stacks
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