I wanted to admonish the lot of you for your Week 17 championship week. But you're either brand new to fantasy, or you know better and have lobbied your commissioner to no avail. Which is cool. I can understand that. I still have a league which insists on having a Week 17 championship. The drama, the commissioner insists. And he's just so lovable, I can't quit the league either.
So I feel your pain.
The getting is thin, though. Even with a ton of teams with plenty to play for still. And if you can unearth some gems, do you want to play them? We got lucky with Toby Gerhart last week, but that was born of necessity. We did well with Eddie Royal, too. But the less we say about Donte Moncrief the better. So I limited the number of sleepers because most of you fantasy enthusiasts are pot-committed at this point.
Guys with great matchups this week:
The Falcons defense has allowed the second-most points to fantasy running backs over the last week. Stewart has been one of the most reliable backs over that time. Do I need to put any more words in this space before you get the point?
Wilson has moved past Dwayne Bowe as the favorite to break "the streak" for the Chiefs. Not that I'm particularly wild about either guy. But Wilson is also targeted a (expletive) ton by Alex Smith.
San Francisco 49ers D/ST
Many thought Logan Thomas would play tight end after the Cardinals drafted him last year. He's the starting quarterback this week.
Daily Fantasy League Guys:
Josh McCown, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($5,200)
McCown is a better value than Bridgewater and has a great matchup against the Saints who don't have much to play for. He could be the sneaky play of the week.
Matt Asiata, RB, Minnesota Vikings ($5,000)
Asiata has become the Vikings featured back. He also gets a ton of looks at the goal-line to push his value through the roof. His $5K price tag makes it possible to get values at other positions.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants ($9,600)
Don't start. I know he's not a sleeper. I just want to tell you to make sure he's the first guy you need to plug into your lineup each week. Because everybody else is going to play him, too.
Cole Beasley, WR, Dallas Cowboys ($3,500)
The Cowboys still have some playoff seeding to play for. Which I like. I also like his affordable price tag. You need at least one guy at this value to play well. Beasley can do it.
Dudes for next year:
Frank Gore looked good in some limited work. But for real; next year is the year Gore finally declines. It has to be. That leaves Los Hyde to start doing work.
Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis FC
Mason might be more of a true breakout candidate for next season. But I would like to see what he could do outside of a Brian Schottenheimer offense. He can become a three-down back if he continues to work on his hands.
Freeman showed a lot of burst in his touchdown run against the Saints. A lot of fantasy enthusiasts would have liked that this season. I'm not sure what the Falcons' deal was. Freeman could have done great things. Not like they needed it, though, since seven wins gets you the division. Freeman is going to have a monster 2015 and I vow to draft him way too early next season.
He's already made a name for himself in "That Helps No One" this year. He will become a name to watch next season. Bill O'Brien helped mold tight ends in New England and will do it again in Houston. He might not land another Rob Gronkowski, but another Owen Daniels would suffice.
For the record, you can submit your fantasy questions to NFL Fantasy Live, Michael Fabiano or me on Twitter. But realize, NFL Fantasy Live has 270K followers, and Fabiano has 165K. Me? Just four. See, the odds are better I will answer your question, so hit me up both via Twitter or via Facebook. And if you follow him on Sundays, he'll quote "The Wolf" from "Pulp Fiction" and then it's game on! Although, it's tough to catch me on Facebook. Twitter is your go-to." Plus seriously people, I'm not taking your tweets after Midnight. I'm into the #HashtagWars via @Midnight.
