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The Optimist

The student news site of Bloomington High School South

The Optimist

The student news site of Bloomington High School South

The Optimist

Fantasy football playoff special

After a long and grueling year of fantasy football, it is finally time for the playoffs. This year was unlike anything we have ever seen as injuries, running back committees, and the continual irrelevance of tight ends made it very hard for fantasy owners to put out a competent team week in and week out.

However, back-to-back Southside League champion, John Law, and perennial league punching bag, John Kelly, are here to provide you with the most trustworthy fantasy advice on the internet.

Here are our favorites for Week 14:

Quarterback

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Kirk Cousins (vs Detroit)

You would’ve thought that the absence of Adam Thielen would completely destroy any fantasy value that Cousins had, but he has still been able to put up good numbers since then. The Vikings return to US Bank Stadium to take on a struggling Lions team whose secondary has been notably disappointing this year. Dalvin Cook may be out as well which could open up more opportunities for Cousins.

Aaron Rodgers (vs Washington)

Rodgers bounced back from a dismal performance at San Francisco and was able to turn in a four touchdown performance last week against the Giants. The Redskins do force opposing quarterbacks into a fair amount of interceptions, but with such a seasoned QB like Rodgers, I wouldn’t worry too much. Additionally, Davante Adams has still been warming back up after his toe injury and it’s only a matter of time before him and Rodgers combine for a monster game.

Russell Wilson (@ LAR)

MVP! MVP! MVP!

Anyone who says that Wilson isn’t the MVP doesn’t know what they’re talking about. While Lamar Jackson is the more attractive pick, Wilson has just been able to do more with less this year. Don’t expect him to slow down this week either. The dude just gets it down and balls out every week. Last time he played the Rams, he went for 268 yards and four touchdowns, so I would definitely expect a big day out of him, especially now that the Rams are somewhat spiraling.

 

Running Backs

Christian McCaffrey (@ Atlanta)

Now onto the other most deserving candidate for MVP, as C-Mac has absolutely blown up this year. He leads all RBs in TDs and is second in yards, and I wouldn’t expect that to slow down. The Panthers are on a four-game skid and just fired their head coach Ron Rivera, but sometimes the firing of a head coach relaxes a team and allows them to play more loose. That could very well happen this week as they face one of the worst defenses in the whole league in the Falcons. Expect McCaffrey to catch fire this week.

Leonard Fournette (vs LAC)

There’s no other way to put it, the Jaguars stink. However, the amount of touches Leonard Fournette has been getting is absurd and he has only been a bust once all season. He hasn’t been able to find the endzone as much as he only has three touchdowns, but his yard totals are extremely impressive as he has over 1400 yards on the year. Not to mention, the return of Minshew Magic should help as Fournette really flourished while the rookie QB was under center. The Chargers are demoralized after blowing last week’s game against the Broncos and Fournette should tear them apart.

Josh Jacobs (vs Tennessee)

Jacobs has been one of the most impressive rookies in the league all year and should be able to have a nice day against the Titans middle-of-the-road run defense. Despite the Raiders getting blown out last week, Jacobs still had 100+ yards and a touchdown which shows that he almost always has value. It is also notable that the Raiders will be returning home after a two-game road trip in which they got obliterated in both games. The Coliseum has been very nice to them though, as they have only lost one game at home all season and a lot of the time the secret to fantasy is finding winning players because they are more likely to find the endzone and perform well. Fire up Jacobs as an RB1 this week.

Pass Catchers

Chris Godwin and Mike Evans (vs Indianapolis)

The Colts secondary has been struggling mightily as of late and this matchup against the Bucs air-raid offense looks like an absolute nightmare. Jameis Winston pulling one of his signature turnover fests is the only thing that could ruin this juicy matchup. Godwin and Evans are 2nd and 3rd in receiving yards, and they’re both in the top five in receiving TDs as well. The Colts are coming off of a demoralizing loss at home too while the Bucs have won three of their last four and are returning home after a two-game road trip. Both Godwin and Evans are high-end WR1s this week.

DeVante Parker (@NYJ)

Parker has been a bright spot for the struggling but improving Dolphins offense this season. He has had three straight game of 90+ yards and went off for 159 yards and two TDs last week against the Eagles. Considering that the Jets’ defense really isn’t any better than the Eagles’, I would expect to see Parker have another great day. He has also undoubtedly solidified himself as the No.1 receiver in Miami, and Ryan Fitzpatrick absolutely loves throwing to him. We just don’t see Parker not having a solid performance yet again in Week 14.

Stefon Diggs (vs Detroit)

Naturally, an expected big day for Cousins would mean an expected big day for Adam Thielen, but Thielen is out so that leaves Diggs as the undisputed top receiver for the Vikings. Diggs is quite possibly the definition of a boom or bust and you can never know when he’s gonna carry your team to victory or be the reason for defeat. However, he is facing a Lions’ defense that he put up 143 yards on in Week 7. Also of note is that in his past three home games he has exceeded 120 yards in all three. This is just about as close as you can get to being sure of a solid performance by Diggs.

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About the Contributors
John Law
John Law, Editor
Only true athlete on staff. Plans to dominate the Gothic-Optimist softball game.  Holds the Optimist record for most David's Sunflower Seeds unshelled and eaten in one day. Two-time Fantasy Football Champ
John Kelly
John Kelly, Editor
Third year with the Optimist.
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    Adam SchefterDec 7, 2019 at 11:01 pm

    I’m not sure I can trust this JT feller. SHOW ME DA RINGS

    Reply