#TagsStrong
I planned on leading off with a joke about how Scott’s chances to beat me twice in a row were as small as the hands of the sitting president the last time he prevailed. Even such a stunningly hilarious joke is not the same today. The fantasy football community lost a friend and the industry lost a titan in Mike Tagliere. I emulated him as much as I could as a content creator, husband, and father. He was great at all of it. He was beloved by all of us who share the same obsession with this incredible game.
If you create fantasy football content today, you can thank Tags. I doubt I would be even a sliver of the host I am on Chalk Blocked without emulating his wit, professionalism, and knowledge. He belongs on our Mount Rushmore. “Heroes get remembered. Legends never die.” Live on in paradise and rest easy, Tags. We will cherish your family and give them whatever they need on this earth. We owe that to you after what you gave us while you were here.
Bo’s Lineup
QB – Justin Fields – Chicago Bears – $5,200
It is a little risky to play a rookie quarterback in his debut, but this is no ordinary rookie. I predicted Fields to be Offensive Rookie of the Year and that campaign starts this Sunday. If the scoring in this game pops off, we could see that 300-yard passing and 100-yard rushing talent that the young Buckeye possesses. He’s also never going to be a better value again.
RB – Austin Ekeler – LA Chargers – $7,200
Full disclosure: I know that we’re matching both running backs this week. We shared lineups earlier today and we hold a lot of the same opinions. Ekeler is primed to be a major contributor in a shootout game with the Chiefs. He scored 22.5 points last week without a touchdown, for goodness sake!
RB – DeAndre Swift – Detroit Lions – $5,800
Nimble and I are both super high on Swift this week against the Ravens. His salary is much too low to not play him with his PPR volume. He also has the upside you want in multipliers and tournaments.
WR – Stefon Diggs – Buffalo Bills – $7,600
Is it just me or is nobody talking about Diggs this season? I guess since he only scored a pedestrian 16 points in each of the first two games, we’ve filed him away for a rainy day. With how poorly the Washington cornerbacks have played, Josh Allen will likely be peppering the elite Terrapin with targets on Sunday. I’m ready for his reminder game.
WR – Cooper Kupp – LA Rams – $6,800
Is it just me or is everyone talking about Kupp this season? The WR1 in fantasy football so far has apparently fused his brain with Matthew Stafford’s and they are now an unstoppable force. The Bucs defense is exploitable through the air, especially from the slot. Kupp is going to surf an avalanche of targets in this game.
WR – Chris Godwin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $6,100
I have Godwin rostered everywhere this week in DFS. I feel so strongly about this play that I think I’ll name my favorite Sea Monkey “Chris.” Don’t let Chris down this week, okay Chris?
TE – Kyle Pitts – Atlanta Falcons – $4,900
I’m such a homer. I painted myself into the Pitts corner, climbed up the tallest ladder, and shouted through a megaphone that he was going to produce elite numbers from the jump. I guess a watched pot never boils, so I’ll just plug him into every lineup until the moment arrives. Then, we can party.
FLEX – Darnell Mooney – Chicago Bears – $4,300
Starting Sunday, the world will fall in love with this stack. I just picture the Browns pass rush flushing Fields from the pocket, where he buys an extra second for the speedy kid from Tulane to get absolutely wide open down the field. Touchdown Bears! Andy Dalton’s cheeks redden to the point where his face, hair, and Chicago “C” are monochromatic.
DST – Cincinnati Bengals – $2,100
I don’t know. They haven’t been that bad. The defensive line has an advantage over the Steelers’ offensive line. Pressure on Big Ben, no Diontae to force-feed. JuJu runs the same five-yard hitch every play and Claypool is not yet an alpha. This could be great, or it could be a nothing burger.
Celebrating Mike Tagliere
Fantasy Football has taken a hit today. Mike Tagliere, long-time Fantasy Pros fantasy football writer, podcaster, grinder passed away today after a battle with COVID-19. The fantasy community loved Mike. He was smart and thoughtful and he loved football. He worked like a man possessed each week breaking down all the matchups, creating a dossier outlining all the games. It was just tremendous, just like he was.
I’m new to the world of fantasy football content producing, but I’ve been a fan of Mike’s for years and even credited him as one of my inspirations in my very first blog post ever two years ago. I am grateful that I got to enjoy Tags doing what he enjoyed and won’t soon forget the sound of his voice breaking down a slate. This week is for you Tags. We love you and will miss you brother.
QB – Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens – $7,800
Lamar Jackson has the highest projected Week 3 ceiling out of any quarterback according to RuntheSims.com. The Ravens quarterback is averaging over 28 DraftKings points per game, rushing for close to 200 yards and passing for over 440 in the first two weeks. Lamar’s defense is down most of its starting defensive front, which means this game has the potential to be a high-scoring shootout. Lamar has a solid floor and TONS of ceiling. Bo is gonna be cursing him all day long.
RB – Austin Ekeler – LA Chargers– $7,200
Austin Ekeler has a juicy matchup in Week 3. He’s facing the 29th ranked Kansas City Chiefs defense that gives up 31.6 points to running backs per game. Vegas has this game slated for a 54.5 point shootout. After being targeted zero times in Week 1, Ekeler rebounded with nine receptions for 61 yards in Week 2. I expect Ekeler to continue to see both rushing and pass-catching volume against the Chiefs. Ekeler has yet to see the end zone this season, but that will change this week, as he’s a prime candidate to score at least once.
RB – D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions – $5,800
D’Andre Swift is averaging over 18 DraftKings points per game this season after scoring over 20 DraftKings points only three times last year. This week he has a chance to make it two out of his last three with a strong performance against a weakened Ravens squad. His PPR upside provides a strong floor with a high ceiling. The Ravens are down a defensive line, which should aid Swift around the goal line. The smart money is on Swift this week.
WR – Mecole Hardman – Kansas City Chiefs – $3,900
The Vegas OVER/UNDER is 54.5 points. Mecole hasn’t had a breakout performance, but he’s been targeted 11 times, second behind only Tyreek Hill for wide receivers. I expect the LA Chargers to spend their time bracketing Hill, leaving Mecole in single coverage. His value is hard to ignore this week priced below $4,000. He’s a sneaky Cash play that I hope hits big.
WR – Tyler Lockett – Seattle Seahawks – $7,400
Tyler Lockett has been DraftKings gold the first two weeks of the season!! This week, he’s only priced up $200, which makes him a tremendous upside play. What’s even better is that he’s currently only being rostered on 9.6% of GPP builds according to OccupyFantasy.com. Lockett and Metcalf are facing a Minnesota Vikings defense that has given up 107 fantasy points to wide receivers through the first two weeks.
WR – Cooper Kupp – LA Rams – $6,800
Cooper Kupp is the number one scoring wide receiver on DraftKings, just like we all predicted. This week he is only priced up $800 and it’s completely crazy that he’s priced under $7,500. This week he faces a Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ secondary that has given up 110 fantasy points to wide receivers through two weeks. Kupp is a lock for 20 points this week, which makes him my number one Cash play.
TE – T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions – $5,200
T.J. Hockenson is a monster! He’s second in targets to only Darren Waller and is averaging over 23 DraftKings points per game. This week he faces a depleted Ravens defense that will be missing most of its starting front and a few linebackers. Huge advantage for Hockenson and Jared Goff. I expect Hockenson to score 20 plus points this week and come close to hitting the 4x.
WR – K.J. Osborn – Minnesota Vikings – $3,500
K.J. Osborn has been a revelation through the first two games of the NFL season. He is currently the WR2 on the Minnesota Vikings, outproducing second-year star Justin Jefferson in the process. I don’t expect this trend to continue all season, but Osborn is a great value given the Vikings need to pass the football and the other dynamic weapons creating mismatches. He’s a great low-price play in Cash this week.
DST – Cincinnati Bengals – $2,100
Paying down for defense is my Cash and GPP strategy all season. Big Ben has not looked himself this season and without his best weapon in Diontae Johnson missing this week due to a knee injury, I’m rolling the dice this week that the Bengals can get home and sack Big Ben a few times, possibly turning him over.
Nimble w/Numbers 