Happy football Sunday! Not to toot our own horn, but last week The Machine crushed it with our Fantasy advice. Tyrod Taylor threw for 3 tds (and rushed for 1), and both David Johnson and Larry Donnell scored. You’re welcome, America. Let’s look at who’s still out there that can help your team this week.
Dexter McCluster, RB Tennessee (5% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Tennessee, like most of the league, has a running back by committee approach, with Dexter sharing time with Bishop Sankey and Terrance West. But Dexter has carved out a nice little niche as the pass catching running back. In a PPR league, he makes a lot of sense this week. He’s got a great match up against the Colts. Sankey and West aren’t exactly lighting it up, which equals more opportunities for the shifty McCluster. If you’re one of those teams already plagued with RB injuries (Andre Ellington) or on a team whose coach doesn’t like black people (Demarco Murray) Dexter could fill in.
Blake Bortles, QB Jacksonville (11%)
For the reasons we like Tyrod last week, we like Blake. It’s all about matchups, and there is much to like about Bortles this week. First, he’s going to be throwing a lot. The Pat are 13.5 point favorites and will probably cover. This means the Jags will abandon the run early and throw the ball. Second, New England’s secondary is weak, which will allow Blake to rack up yards. Third, Bortles is coming into his own. He played great last week against Miami – a team with a much better defense than New England – throwing for 273 yards, 2 tds and 0 ints. A repeat of those numbers this week isn’t out of the question. We like him better than guys like Alex Smith, Joe Flacco, and Carson Palmer this week. Fourth, see below.
Rishard Matthews, WR Miami (28%)
Matthews has put together two solid weeks, and he’ll look to make it three today against Buffalo. His problem is that he’s (at best) the #3 WR, behind Jarvis Landry and Devante Parker. However, if he keeps balling like this, they’ll have to find room for him. Devante Parker is still not 100%, which slides Matthews up to #2. We like him as a 3WR/FLEX today against a Bills D that gave up 466 passing yards last week.
Crockett Gillmore, TE Baltimore (45%)
If you asked yourself, “who the fuck is Crockett Gillmore”, you’re not alone. But he has established himself as a TE1 through two weeks. Averaging 5 targets a week, Crockett has become a reliable passing option for Joe Flacco. He grabbed 2 tds last week. Jason Witten’s status is iffy this week, so you’re looking for another option at TE, Crockett’s a good play.
BONUS PICK:
Rueben Randle, WR Giants (28%)
Here’s a sneaky play. Yes, the Giants already played this week, but if you got a spot on your bench, make room for Randle. With Victor Cruz’s status still uncertain, and with Preston Parker cut (thank you), Reuben will see plenty of action as the #2 receiver behind Odell Beckham, Jr. Rueben is streaky, but he pulled it together this week, catching all 7 of his targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. He will quickly be added in leagues next week, but because you read The Machine, he’ll already be on your team.
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