Week 5 Sleepers: Now is the time in the season to take educated chances on the waiver wire, possibly burn that waiver priority you’ve been carefully cultivating. I’m right there with you, friend. Trade if you can but you’re probably in a league much like mine where deals can’t happen unless the other side feels like they will come out way on top. Once in a while you get a trade rejection on social grounds; maybe domestic violence is what powers this guy to peel off 2 TDs. Nonsense.
[Also See: Week 5 Waiver Wire Adds | Week 5 Trade Targets]
Speaking of half-cocked: when playing cute goes horribly, terribly wrong. Those who started Ryan Fitzpatrick this past weekend should read my article on confirmation bias here. You played chicken bone voodoo and crapped out. Whose fault was that? Don’t blame the Fantasy Gods for that one; all the signs of a bad play were there. Do yourself a favor next time and heed them. Those watching this unfold on the sideline with a snicker in glee (I’m guilty of this!) should take note moving forward as to not repeat such a grave miscalculation; square pegs don’t fit in round holes, guy.
At a quarter of the way into the 2018 NFL season, sure bets are off the table. It’s time to realize the chances of landing a perfect “10” – in all things – is closer to zero percent than a mere one. The lowering of those heavy expectations you saddle moving forward in an intelligent way this season will be necessary if you have any hope of adapting to the cards The Curse will deal you.
Play for today with an eye on tomorrow.
Week 5 Sleepers
Geoff Swaim, TE, Dallas Cowboys, 0% owned (FanDuel: $4,400; DraftKings: $2,800)
Imagine if you lived in the barren wasteland of Judge Dread and things actually got worse. Well, here we are with the tight end landscape. Whatever you do, don’t watch the Tyler Eifert video here. Gronk went down with an ankle injury, O.J. Howard is out with MCL sprain – just the latest victims of the godforsaken Curse. Enter Geoff Swaim. The Cowboys are not looking good at the receiver position. Someone has to catch the balls and it’s not long before defenses just bury Ezekiel Elliott to take that option away. Swaim has been targeted 13 times in the past two weeks. At this point, that is a warm meal and shelter from the Cursed Earth.
Taywan Taylor, WR, Tennessee Titans, 3% owned (FanDuel: $5,000; DraftKings: $4,000)
Still sore from Derrick Henry, I’m hesitant to full bore recommend a Titans player. Marcus Mariota, however, appeared to flash a little of his past prowess. Can it last? Corey Davis is definitely pleased Rishard Mathews has moved on, and Taywan Taylor should be too. His target count was up almost 100 percent last game for a 7-9 and 77 yards performance. That’s a lot of production for a PPR league and Tennessee is off to a shocking 3-1 start. Buffalo is up next for the Titans (cue sinister laugh).
Nyheim Hines, RB, Indianapolis Colts, 15% owned (FanDuel: $5,800 DraftKings: $4,600)
It’s not pretty in Indy but it’s looking like Andrew Luck is back. This is certainly good for a run-catching back like Nyheim Hines. This past Sunday, he pulled in 9-11 for 63 yard and 2 TDs. The lack of ground production is concerning but it seems like Indy is starting to click more on offense. Hines could turn into a solid RB2 option in PPR leagues if this keeps up with the soft schedule ahead. I would be willing to take wagers that T.Y. Hilton sits this Thursday after his hammy issues this past weekend, further making Hines an attractive pick up. If starved at RB I’d burn an early priority going for this guy.
Keke Coutee, WR Houston Texans, 3% owned (FanDuel: $5,400; DraftKings: $4,200)
Usually playing from behind and having to air it out, the Texans wide receivers are putting up big points. A bit of an underdog when you see the fiery countryside left in wake of the destruction wrought by Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins, the rookie WR Keke Coutee should be on your roster. Bottom line: Will Fuller is an unreal talent but injury prone. Keke is a great speculative investment whose 11-15, 109 yard performance when his number was called Sunday should be turning your head. Coutee could make a great DFS play this week against Dallas who got torched by Golden Tate this past Sunday.
Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24% owned
O.J. Howard down with a sprained MCL; The Curse strikes like a merciless cobra. I feel, perhaps, Greg Olsen owners fled to Howard and are now again without a home. Exposed to the elements, biblical. This world is rough, get used to it. The Fantasy Gods might be arranging a match made in heaven here for Cameron Brate, though. We have proof from last year that Jameis Winston has chemistry with Brate and Fitz-Tragic is as the name suggests at this point. The outlook on TE keeps getting worse, even with a bye this week; you’re going to want to roster up on this one.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 11% owned
Ex: Jimmy Garappolo owners should be eyeing this pickup. A plug and play QB1, yes please. Off-field issues aside, Jameis Winston could salvage the season for an unlucky manager or two. With a soft schedule, a proven arsenal of areal weapons and the ability to peel off 30 yards for a touchdown, I’d burn a low draft priority to secure this prize if hurting at quarterback.
Zach Pascal, WR, Indianapolis Colts, 0% owned (FanDuel: $5,100; DraftKings: $3,600)
A deep sleeper here, Zach Pascal is going to be the direct beneficiary of T.Y. Hilton’s hamstring injury. As with everything hammy, it could be a week but it could also be 4-6 or beyond. Ask Leonard Fournette. The 2nd year receiver, Pascal was targeted 10 times this last Sunday when his number was called after Hilton went down. The Colts will be taking on the Pats, Jets, Bills and Raiders in the month of October. Yum-yum.
Tyler Kroft OR C.J. Uzomah, TE Cincinnati Bengals, 1% and 0% owned
As you can tell, pain and misery rule the day with tight ends and I keep talking about them because it’s probably the sorest spot on any roster. I think Tyler Kroft is the pick of these two but so far this season the numbers favor C.J. Uzomah. The Bengals are playing up-tempo and love getting in the red zone this season – paydirt territory for tight ends. Kroft had a quiet 7-TD outing last season when Eifert went down. As dart throws go, you could do worse here.
Crypto Corner (NOT financial advice)
- Coinbase made a big announcement last week that they’re going to increase dramatically the number of crypto assets that can trade on their platform. For those that are scratching their heads right now, this is significant news. Coinbase is the main on/off ramp into digital assets like Bitcoin ($BTC) in the United States. This move will solidify their hold on this market.
- Mentioned in Week 3 as possibly something on the horizon. Ripple, not to be confused with XRP, announced this week that their product X-Rapid is now live with a few commercial banks transacting on their system. X-Rapid uses XRP to bridge currency transactions across borders. This could considerably increase the daily trading volume once more adoption ensues. Cross board payments landed in the range of $29 Trillion last year before accounting for derivatives and such.
- Members of Congress have sent a letter to the SEC chairman asking for clarification on guidelines to determine if a crypto asset is a security or not. A strongly worded reply could have massive implications to this sector.
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