Well, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. It’s hard to get a solid point total when your quarterback scores just shy of 12 points against one of the worst secondaries in the league. This is a series where I construct a hypothetical fantasy football lineup using players that are owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. The goal of the series is to top 100 PPR fantasy points using the make-shift team. The premise is to show that there is readily available value at all times across most waiver wires. You can find last week’s results below and the result of previous weeks at the bottom of this article
We were led last week by the homerun potential in Tre’Quan Smith in the absence of Michael Thomas. He scored 13.6 points, which shows how our week went on the B-Team. I had much more hope for Philip Rivers against the Vikings’ dreadful secondary. Peyton Barber was a non-factor after being a goalline preference in Week 1 for the Washington Football Team. Corey Davis was our third and final double-digit scorer with his 12.6 point performance. We’ll strap the cleats on (figuratively) for Week 3 and give it our all for the 100 points we oh so cherish.
Week 2 Results
Philip Rivers (Indianapolis Colts) - 11.86 points
Peyton Barber (Washington Football Team) - 0.10 points
Frank Gore (New York Jets) - 6.3 points
Corey Davis (Carolina Panthers) - 12.6 points
Scotty Miller (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - 3.2 points
Logan Thomas (Washington Football Team) - 6.6 points
Tre’Quan Smith (New Orleans Saints) - 13.6 points
Seattle Seahawks - 3 points
Total: 57.26 points
Week 3 Picks
Quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky (Chicago Bears) - Owned in 10% of Yahoo and 12.7% of ESPN leagues
All of me wanted to go Nick Mullens as my starting quarterback for this week of the B-Team. I think the 49ers vs. Giants’ game is much closer than people are projecting due to the plethora of injuries the 49ers are facing. This is coming from a Niners’ Faithful. Anyhow, Mitchell Trubisky is getting the Atlanta Falcons’ defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks through the first two weeks of the season. I know this isn’t a sexy pick but Trubisky has posted 24.28 and 15.2 fantasy points in back-to-back weeks, better than the “sexy” picks I had in the previous two weeks.
Runningbacks
Jeff Wilson Jr. (San Francisco 49ers) - Owned in 21% of Yahoo and 12% of ESPN leagues
Because I didn’t go Mullens with my quarterback, I feel better in taking Jeff Wilson Jr. as my first runningback. Both Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman will miss Sunday’s game with the New York Giants, leaving Wilson and Jerick McKinnon to man the backfield. McKinnon is far from a between-the-tackles type of back, which allows Wilson to get early down work and goal line touches. All he needs is a touchdown and 40 yards on the day to be relevant.
Frank Gore (New York Jets) - Owned in 16% of Yahoo and 17.4% of ESPN leagues
Lord help me with some better runningback options for the B-Team. I’m kind of forced to play Frank Gore due to his 21 touches he saw last week. Even in a blow-out against the 49ers, Adam Gase continued to feed Frank Gore. The Jets get the Colts this week, expect them to play from behind. Any runningback who gets 20+ touches that’s eligible for this series will almost certainly see their name listed.
Wide Receivers
K.J. Hamler (Denver Broncos) - Owned in 7% of Yahoo and 3.3% of ESPN leagues
I’m swinging for the fences here and hope that Hamler has a huge game with the likes of Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy out this week. Hamler will almost, by default, be the WR1 for the Broncos. I know they will be without Drew Lock but Jeff Driskel is one of the better back-ups in the league. The Broncos will almost certainly be playing from behind, forced to throw the ball. Look for a lot of Noah Fant and Melvin Gordon, but also a lot of Hamler, who saw eight targets last week. This Tampa Bay offense is going to put up numbers, the homerun hitter in Hamler will have to show up for the Broncos to stand a chance.
Cole Beasley (Buffalo Bills) - Owned in 9% of Yahoo and 10.4% of ESPN leagues
It’s about time we roll out the B-Team’s most used player in 2019 and arguably it’s MVP. Beasley has quietly seen 13 targets through the first two weeks and gets a nice matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. As Stefan Diggs and John Brown are too play against Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill respectively, Beasley could very well become Josh Allen’s guy this week. Looking for a safe floor due to the targets and reception potential in PPR scoring format here.
Tight End
Logan Thomas (Washington Football Team) - Owned in 31% of Yahoo and 15.6% of ESPN leagues
The Cleveland Browns are god awful against the tight end and have allowed the most fantasy points thus far this season to opposing tight ends. On top of that, Logan Thomas has seen 17 targets through the first two weeks. As this Washington Football Team continues to find its offensive identity, look for Dwyane Haskins to continue to target his favorite target. It's just a matter of time before Haskins and Thomas improve this connection they’re developed and complete more of these targets. Against the league’s worst defense against the tight end is a great place to do that.
Flex
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Green Bay Packers) - Owned in 40% of Yahoo and 24.3% of ESPN leagues
Davante Adams is doubtful to play this week with a hamstring injury, leaving Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard scrambling to get Aaron Rodgers’ WR1 against the New Orleans Saints. This same Saints’ defense allowed Derek Carr to throw for 284 yards and three touchdowns on Monday Night Football. In what will be a high scoring affair, both Valdes-Scantling and Lazard will have to step up. I’m giving the edge to Valdes-Scantling and playing him this week.
Defense
Cleveland Browns - Owned in 32% of Yahoo and 37% of ESPN leagues
This Cleveland Browns’ defense showed up on Thursday Night Football a week ago against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. They have a great pass rush and a quality secondary, both of which could force Dwayne Haskins to make a bad throw, resulting in an interception. Turnovers are the name of the game when it comes to lowly owned defenses. I think the Browns have a better chance than most to do so against Haskins and company.
Week 1 Results
Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) - 13.56 points
Boston Scott (Philadelphia Eagles) - 7.4 points
Jerick McKinnon (San Francisco 49ers) - 13.4 points
Kendrick Bourne (San Francisco 49ers) - 5.4 points
Bryan Edwards (Oakland Raiders) - 1.9 points
Jack Doyle (Indianapolis Colts) - 7.9 points
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Green Bay Packers) - 19.6 points
Detroit Lions - 1 point
Total: 70.16 points