The Patriots reigned supreme in the Super Bowl rematch against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7. Tom Brady led the charge in the 23-7 victory for the Pats, completing 21-29 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns – good for 18.46 DraftKings Fantasy Points (DKFP). Brandin Cooks and James White were on the receiving end of his touchdowns, and they amassed 16.5 and 15.7 DKFP respectively.
It was also an impressive performance by the Patriots defense, who nearly shut out the Falcons – a late Julio Jones touchdown ruined the goose egg. The Pats D has now held opponents to under 20 points in three straight weeks, and have averaged seven DKFP per game.
This week, the Pats will take on the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium, in what should be another tough test. With all that said, we have a number of other solid games and matchups to explore. Let's jump right into all the info, and, as always, you can reach me on the ol' Twitter machine **@SBuchanan24**.
GAME NOTES
Highest Scoring Game
Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins – 50.5 Projected Points
The highest projected total of this nine-game slate belongs to the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Washington Redskins. The Cowboys opened as slight 2.5-point favorites in this one with a 26.5-point projection. Ezekiel Elliot should be a participant in this game, as his next hearing isn't scheduled until Monday, Oct. 30. He'll face a Redskins defense that's allowed the third-fewest rushing yards in the league at 394 with three rushing touchdowns. With his huge salary of $9,200, this is a fairly tough spot to justify paying up for Elliot, even with him carrying the ball more than 20 times in all but one game this season.
It's also worth keeping a watch on the status of Redskins CB Josh Norman (ribs), as he would most likely be on Bryant if he's in. I personally think this is a game to target Kirk Cousins, as his $6,400 salary is too good to pass up. With rumblings that Redskins WR Josh Doctson is also going to be more heavily involved in their passing game, his $3,900 salary could end up being a steal this week.
Lowest Scoring Game
Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals – 41 Projected Points
The Colts are projected at just 15.2 points in this matchup as they take on a Bengals team that owns a 25.7 projection. Normally, I shy away from the lowest projected game of the week, but with Cincinnati owning such a high projection, I'm comfortable targeting it. The Colts' defense has been extremely generous to opposing teams, so the Bengals should be able to coast in this matchup. Andy Dalton ($5,700) is extremely cheap, and a pairing with A.J. Green would only cost $14,300. Even with only five targets in Week 7, Green is still averaging 9.3 on the season and should see heavy work early. My only concern is if the Bengals go up big early and focus on a more run-heavy approach. Joe Mixon is a name to consider operating as the Bengals' lead back at only $4,700.
DVP MATCHUPS
Format: Team vs. Opponent, Defense vs. Position Rank
Worst QB Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | Seattle Seahawks | 4th |
| Oakland Raiders | Buffalo Bills | 6th |
| New Orleans Saints | Chicago Bears | 7th |
Best QB Matchups
| Team | opp | dvp rank |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Chargers | New England Patriots | 32nd |
| Philadelphia Eagles | San Francisco 49ers | 31st |
| Carolina Panthers | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 30th |
Worst RB Matchups
| team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | Houston Texans | 3rd |
| San Francisco 49ers | Philadelphia Eagles | 4th |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Carolina Panthers | 5th |
Best RB Matchups
| team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | San Francisco 49ers | 32nd |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Indianapolis Colts | 31st |
| Los Angeles Chargers | New England Patriots | 27th |
Worst WR Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | Seattle Seahawks | 4th |
| Dallas Cowboys | Washington Redskins | 7th |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Carolina Panthers | 8th |
Best WR Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 31st |
| Los Angeles Chargers | New England Patriots | 29th |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Indianapolis Colts | 28th |
Worst TE Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | Los Angeles Chargers | 2nd |
| Philadelphia Eagles | San Francisco 49ers | 3rd |
| Indianapolis Colts | Cincinnati Bengals | 4th |
Best TE Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | Washington Redskins | 31st |
| San Francisco 49ers | Philadelphia Eagles | 27th |
| Atlanta Falcons | New York Jets | 26th |
TARGET REPORT
Last Week's Leaders
| player | team | last week's opp | targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amari Cooper | OAK | KC | 19 |
| Julio Jones | ATL | NE | 13 |
| Doug Baldwin | SEA | NYG | 12 |
| Michael Thomas | NO | GB | 11 |
| Dez Bryant | DAL | SF | 10 |
| Mike Evans | TB | BUF | 10 |
| Jordan Reed | WAS | PHI | 10 |
| Mohamed Sanu | ATL | NE | 10 |
| Cameron Brate | TB | BUF | 9 |
| Zay Jones | BUF | TB | 9 |
Last Three Week's Leaders
| NAME | TEAM | LAST 3 WEEKS TARGETS | AVG TARGETS YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierre Garcon | SF | 33 | 9 |
| Christian McCaffrey | CAR | 30 | 8.4 |
| Keenan Allen | LAC | 28 | 9.7 |
| Amari Cooper | OAK | 27 | 8.3 |
| Cameron Brate | TB | 26 | 6.5 |
| Mike Evans | TB | 26 | 9.7 |
| Kelvin Benjamin | CAR | 25 | 6.3 |
| Michael Crabtree | OAK | 25 | 6.8 |
| Devin Funchess | CAR | 25 | 7.4 |
| Marquise Goodwin | SF | 24 | 6.1 |
LINEUP QUICK HITS
QB To Build Lineups Around...
Cam Newton ($6,600) –This feels like a huge bounce-back spot for Newton this week after his 10.4 DKFP performance against the Bears. Newton now faces a Tampa Bay defense that has allowed an average of 22.48 DK fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Even more impressive is that Case Keenum, Eli Manning and Carson Palmer have the top-three fantasy points of the QBs that have gone against the Buccaneers. This should be a fantastic spot for Newton at a $400 discount from Week 7.
WR To Pair Him With...
Kelvin Benjamin ($6,400) – I was a bit torn on who to feature here between Benjamin and Devin Funchess ($5,900). Funchess has been targeted more (7.4) than Benjamin (6.2) and brings a $500 discount, but Benjamin has the more favorable matchup against Tampa Bay CB Vernon Hargreaves. On the season, Hargreaves has been targeted 41 times and has allowed 28 catches for 404 yards with two touchdowns. Benjamin remains the WR1 on this team and should get the opportunities in this game.
The Top Running Back Will Be...
LeSean McCoy ($8,700) –McCoy finally reached the end zone, not once, but twice in Week 7 in a favorable matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He should be able to follow that up with another favorable matchup against the Oakland Raiders. Heading into Week 8, the Raiders have allowed an average of 105 rushing yards to opposing running backs and 366 yards on 37 catches out of the backfield. McCoy is nearly a lock for at least six targets out of the backfield and at least 15 carries on the week. With the Bills looking to get him going, this is another ideal spot to take Shady McCoy.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Steveazors) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
