PHERSY:Boy Nate Dogg, Monday night was painful. I really thought you finally were going to find the cash in our weekly contest. I should have known better. Travis Benjamin swooped in and took money from your pockets. It was, however, a solid week for you all-around, and I know you made money elsewhere. There were more injuries last week, and some of the backups excelled, while others laid an egg. Nate Dogg, it's up to us to find the value again this week.
MUST-PLAY OF THE WEEK
NATE DOGG: My Monday night collapse was about as Browns as the Browns Browning as time expired. Brutal. Back to the drawing board. As I said last week I rarely choose to pay up at QB, but I think Cam Newton could be the exception this week. At $7,400 he gets a dream matchup with the hapless Saints defense, which has given up 400 or more yards of offense three out of the last four weeks. Not only can he throw it, but he gets a lot of the goal-line carries, so rushing TDs are possible. Quite frankly, I'd take anyone at QB against the Saints — even you, and you can't throw.
PHERSY:Lies. Several lies, actually. Brian Hoyer threw for just 205 yards, two touchdowns and a pick against that defense last week. You said anyone can throw on them ... turns out you were way off. But yes, Newton should feast on that secondary; my only fear is a quick Carolina lead, which could slow Newton's production. And if you're paying that much for a QB, he must produce. Nate Dogg, I'm actually considering Eric Decker a must-play this week. He's played 10 games this season and has put up 700 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. He's just $6,300, and he's playing the Giants, who have surrendered more passing yards than any other NFL team.
CHEAP PLAY OF THE WEEK
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NATE DOGG:Decker scoring a TD is almost as sure of a thing as any on a week-to-week basis in the NFL. So, some guy named Gronkowski was injured on Sunday night, which opens the door for a lot more tight end plays. Kansas City TE Travis Kelce possesses many Gronk-like attributes and gets to face the 30th-ranked Oakland defense against TEs. At $4,700, I like Kelce's chances to grab a handful of catches with possible two-TD upside. Where are you finding the value this week?
PHERSY:Again, Nate Dogg is going with an expensive tight end for his cheap play of the week. He's the eighth-most expensive TE on the board. While I don't mind Kelce, he's far from "cheap" for his position. My favorite play of the week is Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief. He's just $4,600, and he's facing the Steelers secondary, which is allowing loads of fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Moncrief has had 17 targets the last two weeks and more than 150 yards receiving. He'll continue that trend this weekend.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS
NATE DOGG: It's not about position, it's about price, and $4,700 is about as cheap as the cologne you buy at the dollar store. I know this may sound blasphemous, but I won't be boarding the Todd Gurley train this week. His price ($7,300) still is reflecting his monster games from Weeks 7 and 8. He hasn't topped 100 yards rushing since his Week 8 matchup against San Fran. Against Arizona in a game in which the Rams likely will trail, I don't like the matchup or the game script at that price. Am I completely off base here, Phersy?
PHERSY:That makes no sense. So, then every defense is super cheap in your book? Cheap is relative to the position. Otherwise you'd play two tight ends every week and play the top defense every week because they're so "cheap." No wonder you've never found the money, Nate Dogg. Blasphemy? Gurley hasn't topped 100 yards rushing in more than a month, and he bottomed out against the Bengals defense. He gets the fourth-ranked rushing defense this week, so he shouldn't be in anyone's lineup. Here's another guy I'm avoiding this week — Adrian Peterson. Yes, AP is awesome, and his price tag is very reasonable at $6,600. However, Seattle is very good against the run, and my guess is they'll be stacking the box and attempting to put the game in Teddy Bridgewater's hands. I'm off AP, at least for this week.
THE CONTEST
PHERSY: Congrats to Bradson37 for running away with first place in last weekend's contest. Andy Meyer rallied for second, followed by msdeluca10, DolphinFan21 and Ilonien20. ... The contest is back again this week. Jump in, take our money ... search for my username on DraftKings (phersy123) or hit me up on Twitter or email and ask for an invite. It's just $10. Good luck, everyone!
