NFL

This new season-long mini-series is brought to you by the RotoUnderworld Game Analyst Team. The Game Analyst Team consists of over 75 individuals that chart and re-watch every snap from every game in the NFL between game end, and Monday afternoon. The guys you have generally not heard from before stop in to drop some tidbits from their weekly game charting process in hopes to give us a sneak peek into the depth of the games each Sunday.

Another week of the NFL season flies by. Attending the Carolina Panthers vs Minnesota Vikings game was the highlight of my weekend and I think would have been my favorite game to watch regardless. We are through six weeks in the NFL season, and currently looking at 3 three-win teams in the playoffs and multiple under .500 that are very much in the hunt. The 18th week and the seventh playoff team will surely make this one interesting heading into the middle six of the season.

Start Antonio Brown and Leonard Fournette every week. Play Chris Godwin and Mike Evans as needed, but expect volatility; Antonio is Tom’s WR BFF. When Gronk returns, there’ll be (cliché alert!) even more mouths to feed… but Antonio will get his targets.

If you don’t already have Ja’Marr Chase on your roster, there isn’t much you can do now. If you drafted him very early in rookie drafts as directed this offseason by PlayerProfiler and the Breakout Finder, you’ve won. If you didn’t, there’s no way you’ll get him now. As to his Bengal teammates, if you have Tee Higgins or Tyler Boyd, they are still OK as a WR2 or WR3, but don’t expect much more out of them.

In a Baltimore offense that is now pass heavy, even if out of necessity, Rashod Bateman may be just what doctor Lamar ordered. Dude has the workout metrics, the college production and is Best Comparable to Stefon Diggs. Remember Odell Beckham’s rookie year? Ready yourself for a bit of Deja Vu.

Taylor Heinicke is running out of pass catchers. Aside from stud Terry McLaurin, the pass-catching talent is lacking. However, DeAndre Carter is a compelling option. After a touchdown catch in Week 4, Carter went on to have a solid game last week, posting four receptions for 62 yards, adding one rush for 11 yards. He’s been around for some time, but does have intriguing aspects to his player profile. Gotta love the cheapies for DFS.

This new season-long mini-series is brought to you by the RotoUnderworld Game Analyst Team. The Game Analyst Team consists of over 75 individuals that chart and re-watch every snap from every game in the NFL between game end, and Monday afternoon. The guys you have generally not heard from before stop in to drop some tidbits from their weekly game charting process in hopes to give us a sneak peek into the depth of the games each Sunday.

Through five weeks, it is all but clear in the NFC who the top dog is, The Arizona Cardinals beat the Rams in Week 4 and the Rams beat Tampa in Week 3. The Cowboys are 4-1 with one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, and we haven’t even talked about Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay or the two most underrated defenses in the NFL in Minnesota and Carolina.

The Seattle Seahawks are on pace to give up the most yards in NFL history at over 450 yards a game. They are No. 30 against the run and No. 29 against the pass. After surrendering 476 yards to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, Seattle has given up almost 500 yards per game since their Week 1 slog with Indianapolis. Opponents have scored in over 42-percent of their offensive drives. Play anyone & everyone against the Seahawks. Start your Steelers, Saints and Jaguars before the Seahawks Week 9 bye.

Carolina will live or die on their defense, Christian McCaffrey, and D.J. Moore. When McCaffrey comes back, he’ll get the goal line carries. Take that away and Sam Darnold won’t do much for your fantasy team. Sell him now to QB-needy squad. If you don’t see much interest after Darnold’s weak Week 5 showing, hang on for upcoming matchups against Minnesota and Atlanta and then move him if you still can.

Welcome to Week 5, Mad Caps. In previous years, this was considered the unofficial “quarter mark” of the football season. It is at this point that the fantasy community realizes some things; no one knows as much as they thought they did, and football really hurts (hence, the piling up of bodies in The Infirmary). It’s not likely to get any prettier as the season goes along, but it’s OK! As Aaron Rodgers once said, R-E-L-A-X… The Infirmary has your back!

Dalvin Cook is iffy for the Vikings, but the smart choice is Alexander Mattison in this spot. Even if Cook plays, he’s not likely to get a full workload. Sure, The Infirmary has been low on Mattison, but in his relief appearance against Seattle, Mattison rolled for over 170 all-purpose yards. There’s no reason he can’t do the same against a porous Lions run defense.

This new season-long mini-series is brought to you by the RotoUnderworld Game Analyst Team. The Game Analyst Team consists of over 75 individuals that chart and re-watch every snap from every game in the NFL between game end, and Monday afternoon. The guys you have generally not heard from before stop in to drop some tidbits from their weekly game charting process in hopes to give us a sneak peek into the depth of the games each Sunday.

Buffalo is doing the small things to beat every team they should beat, what are we supposed to make of the Week 1 game against Pittsburgh, though? There is a recipe to beat Josh Allen, will Kansas City expose him in Week 5? Denver was finally brought down to earth after playing an AFC powerhouse in Baltimore. The Ravens looked strong despite barely cresting 100 rushing yards for the 43rd straight week, and will have a tough matchup in Week 5 against Indianapolis on Monday Night Football.

Kyler Murray took the Arizona Cardinals on the road and stomped Sean McVay’s previously-unbeaten Los Angeles Rams, leaving Arizona as the NFC’s only remaining undefeated team and +55 in Points Scored differential. Heading into Week 4, his 29.7 Fantasy Points per Game, 83.0-percent True Completion Percentage, 73.3-percent Deep Ball Completion Percentage and Rushing TDs were all ranked No. 1 at the quarterback position.

Starting 2020 with lackluster performances against two of the NFL’s top defenses, Clyde Edwards-Helaire had been all but written off at age 22. In 2021 Weeks 3 and 4 though, Edwards has now put up back-to-back 100-yard rushing games. Although KC’s goal line carries have been going to Darrel Williams, Edwards-Helaire has been efficient when given the opportunity, ranking top 12 in both Evaded Tackles and Juke Rate.

The Infirmary is loaded up heading into week 4 and there are some big time names currently tending to their individual ailments. Running backs are beat to hell everywhere, a QB visiting the “Big Apple” will have no one to throw to and the Gronk-a-Saurus will miss a return to his old stomping grounds. Football cares not for an individual’s star power or grand narratives made for television; no, football is cold and heartless. It’s not all bad, though. The Infirmary explains why.

With oft-relied on veteran James White out for the season, the opportunity here lies with J.J. Taylor. While his workout metrics won’t wow you, he did have an 11.15 (78th-percentile among qualified running backs) Agility Score. In addition, his Target Share in college was a stout 11.9-percent, which ranked in the 85th-percentile. The Patriots have been careful to hang on to Taylor; perhaps they’ve been prepared for just such a circumstance. 

As we close in on the first quarter of the NFL season, we’ll break down the high and low-efficiency outliers at wide receiver. Most of these receivers end up in starting lineups more often than not, while a couple may fit more in deeper leagues with multiple flex spots. It’s a fun and eye-opening exercise to use the Data Analysis Tool to sort through the efficiency outliers at different positions.