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Author: Steven Van Tassell (@SteveVT33)
NFL coaches make hundreds of decisions every week. What play to call on offense, what defensive formation best suits the down and distance situation, should we go for it on fourth and short or punt and whether or not to kick an extra point or go for two in certain game situations. It’s decision after decision after decision all game long. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer had an especially crucial decision on Sunday night against Seattle – whether to go for it on fourth and one from the Seattle 6-yard line up by five points to pretty much clinch the game or kick a FG to go up by eight points with two minutes left to go. Zimmer chose to go for the first down, Alexander Mattison got stopped short and the Vikings turned the ball over on downs. After that, Russell Wilson drove the Seahawks down the field for a game-winning TD.
Dynasty Owners had a big decision this week as well. Start your Tennessee and Buffalo players who were supposed to play on Tuesday night and hope the game was played, or play it safe and insert someone on a team playing on Sunday or Monday and take the guarantee of your player actually playing. Tough decision, especially for Dynasty Owners with Josh Allen and Derrick Henry on their teams. Unlike Mike Zimmer who gambled and lost, Dynasty Owners who gambled that the Titans-Bills game would be played on Tuesday were correct. Whether or not it helped them win their Dynasty Owner game is a completely different story. Everyone can feel free to comment about this or other decisions on Twitter, Facebook or just to yourself in the privacy of your own home.
This is our fifth regular season Dynasty Owner weekly recap article for 2020. Good thing that I decided to turn in this article on Wednesday AM instead of Tuesday or I would have missed out on including one player in the Bench players section. Just like every week, this article will name a Dynasty Owner Player of the Week and a Value Player of the Week, highlight a player at every position who should have been one of your Starters and one who should have been on your Bench or Practice Squad. We’ll also look at what happened in the Dynasty Owner Match-up of the Week and take our weekly look at the Chase for the Ring standings.
All stats are based on the Standard Dynasty Owner scoring system as outlined in the updated Dynasty Owner Constitution. Standard Dynasty Owner scoring gives you .1 points for every yard rushing or receiving, .1 point for every 2 yards passing, 1 point per reception, 6 points for a rushing, receiving or passing touchdown and 2 points for a successful 2-point conversion (rushing, receiving, or passing). Interceptions or fumbles lost cost you 3 points, while a fumble that is recovered by the player’s team is a loss of only 1 point. Bonus points are available for 100-199 yards rushing (2 points), 200 yards rushing or receiving (6 points), 300-399 yards passing (1 point) and 400 yards passing (4 points). There is also a 3 point bonus for clutch scoring, which is a score that results in a lead change in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter or overtime. Kickoff and punt return touchdowns are worth 6 points for the player and kickoff and punt returns are worth 1 point for every 40 yards.
Standard Dynasty Owner scoring for kickers gives you 1 point for every extra point, while a missed extra point will cost you 1 point. It’s 2 points for a field goal of between 0 and 39 yards, 4 points for a field goal between 40 and 49 yards and 5 points for a field goal of 50 yards or longer. A missed field goal of between 0 and 39 yards will cost you 3 points, while a miss of 40 yards or more is a loss of 2 points.
For the purposes of this article, ADP and Dynasty Owner ownership statistics were current as of October 14th.
Dynasty Owner Player of the Week
Our fifth Dynasty Owner Player of the Week for 2020 is: Chase Claypool
Like a RKO out of nowhere, Chase Claypool is the first WR and first rookie to win the Player of the Week honor this year. Daniel Jones was the other rookie Player of the Week winner back in the Playoff Finals last year. The Pittsburgh rookie WR had only scored 26.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points through the first three weeks of the season (Pittsburgh had an unexpected bye in Week 4). This average production left many of his Dynasty Owners to make the decision to keep him on the Bench or even leave him on the Practice Squad (am I right Tim?). All of them who decided to keep him on the Bench or Practice Squad missed out on Claypool’s breakout performance with 42.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (7 receptions, 110 receiving yards, 3 receiving TDs, 6 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD). Moving forward, I’m sure more of them will be making the decision to put him in their Starting lineup.
- Week 5 Points: 42.6
- 2020 Salary: $1,654,156
- Cost per Point: $38,830
Congratulations to Chase on your first Dynasty Owner weekly honor in just your fourth game!
Dynasty Owner Value Player of the Week
Because this is Dynasty Owner and we’re all looking for value from the players on our roster, we also have the Value Player of the Week. The fifth Dynasty Owner Value Player of the Week for 2020 is: Travis Fulgham
A most unlikely winner in a most unusual year. Fulgham has played as many weeks in the 2020 season as teams who have released him this year (two). The Eagles are his third team of the year after he was released by both the Lions and Packers in late August. He was signed to the Eagles’ practice squad, suited up last week for the first time due to multiple WR injuries and ended up catching two passes for 57 receiving yards and a receiving TD (13.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). That was good enough to get him and his $540,000 minimum salary picked up in 4% of Dynasty Owner leagues in advance of Week 5 (take a bow David Brady of the Wannabees). If any of those Dynasty Owners made the decision to start Fulgham (or even put him on their Bench this week), it paid off as he scored 31.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (10 receptions, 152 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD). Not bad for a guy who would have been on bye this week if he had still been on the Lions or Packers roster.
- Week 5 Points: 31.2
- 2020 Salary: $540,000
- Cost per Point: $17,308
Congratulations Travis on playing your way onto the Eagles roster and securing your first Dynasty Owner Value Player of the Week honor!
Players Who Should Have Been Starters This Week
Next, we look at those players who should have been in one of your Starters based on their performance in Week 5. We aren’t going to write that you should have started Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce this week because that’s an easy decision. Both of them should always be in your Starting lineup. Instead, these are players who might be Free Agents or on your Bench or Practice Squad, but likely weren’t Starters in Week 5 when they should have been.
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick (MIA) – 38.1 points
Four good weeks in a row for the 37-year old Fitzpatrick makes it so he probably shouldn’t be eligible for this spot anymore. He’s now the #8 QB in Dynasty Owner and has scored more than 30.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in three of the past four weeks. He did it again this week against a good 49ers defense. It makes all of the talk during the week about the Dolphins playing Tua Tagovailoa seems like ancient history. Fitzpatrick just edged out Ryan Tannehill, who had 38.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points on Tuesday night, for the top QB spot this week. Fitzpatrick should have been in your Starting lineup this past week and probably should be in it next week when the Dolphins face off against the hapless New York Jets.
RB: Chase Edmonds (ARI) – 21.0 points
Who’s the RB with the most fantasy points on the Arizona Cardinals? After his Week 5 performance of 21.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (36 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 5 receptions, 56 receiving yards, 31 return yards), it’s Chase Edmonds. Edmonds is the #26 ranked RB in Dynasty Owner with 60.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points now, ahead of teammate Kenyan Drake who is ranked #33 with 51.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. You know who knew the answer to that question? Everyone who drafted Drake (ADP 30.4), that’s who. And it wasn’t even Edmonds’ Week 5 performance that put him in front of Drake as Edmonds had more Dynasty Owner fantasy points coming into Week 5 as well (39.6 for Edmonds vs. 38.4 for Drake). If you have both of them on your Dynasty Owner roster, it’s decision time moving forward on which one of them to put in your Starting lineup and which one to leave on the Bench. This past week, it was Edmonds who should have drawn the Starting nod.
WR: Brandin Cooks (HOU) – 30.1 points
What a difference a week makes. After putting up a Blutarsky (0.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points) in Week 4 and averaging just 5.95 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per game through the first four weeks, Brandin Cooks was likely not in many Dynasty Owner’s plans this week. He should have been as he was the third best WR of the week behind Chase Claypool and Travis Fulgham. Cooks’ ownership had dropped to 55% despite an ADP of 156.7. His ownership might not rise much due to his $16.2 million annual salary, but those people who have him on their Dynasty Owner roster might give him a second look when setting their Starting lineup in Week 6 since he should have been there in Week 5.
TE: Darren Fells (HOU) – 13.7 points
What a difference a week makes – part 2. Last week in this spot, it was Robert Tonyan of Green Bay with 33.8 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. This week, it’s Darren Fells from the Houston Texans who scored 20.1 fewer Dynasty Owner fantasy points with just 13.7 points. That was still good enough to make Fells the #6 TE for the week. Fells only had two targets, but he turned them into 2 receptions for 57 receiving yards and a receiving TD (13.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). Pretty good for a player who is only owned in 16.5% of Dynasty Owner leagues and thus, not in many Dynasty Owner Starting lineups.
K: Graham Gano (NYG) – 19.0 points
While the New York Giants haven’t been scoring many TDs, they have been giving Graham Gano plenty of FG chances and he’s taken advantage by making 9 out of 10 FGs (as well as both PATs), through the first four weeks of the season. This week, Gano had three FGs of 50 yards or more, accounting for 19.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (FGs of 28 yards, 50 yards, 54 yards and 55 yards plus 2 PATs). He wasn’t signed by the Giants until mid-August after being cut by Carolina, but has seized the opportunity presented in New York and is one of the few Giants worth having in your Dynasty Owner Starting lineup.
Honorable mention to Jason Sanders who also had 19.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points to go along with previous weeks of 11.0 and 16.0 points in Weeks 2 and 4. Gano received the nod because he is owned in fewer leagues (80% vs. 100% for Sanders). Sanders shouldn’t be sitting on anyone’s Bench or Practice Squad moving forward as he’s perfect on the season (14 out of 14 on FGs and 10 out of 10 on PATs) and the #1 kicker in Dynasty Owner right now.
Players Who Should Have Been on the Bench or Practice Squad
For every player who should have been one of your Starters but wasn’t, we have some players who probably were Starters, but were better left on your Bench or Practice Squad. Here are some likely Starters who should have been riding your Dynasty Owner Bench or hanging out on the Practice Squad in Week 5.
QB: Matt Ryan (ATL) – 7.2 points
Matt Ryan has been a pretty steady QB to play in Dynasty Owner as he had scored 20.0 or more Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 12 out of 19 weeks between this year and last year. And only twice had he failed to score at least 10.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points over that same time period. Make it three times now, as Ryan only scored 7.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (226 passing yards, -1 rushing yard, 1 INT, 1 fumble) for his owners this week. It’s looking like Falcons owner Arthur Blank is leaving the decision on Ryan’s future up to his new coach and GM next year (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30102371/atlanta-falcons-owner-arthur-blank-says-team-see-matt-ryan-future). Dynasty Owners with Ryan on their roster can decide every week whether or not to put Ryan in their Starting lineup. This week, he should have been on the Bench or Practice Squad if you’re fortunate enough to have three NFL starting QBs on your roster.
RB: Devin Singletary (BUF) – 4.3 points
Dynasty Owners waited through the seemingly endless number of Titans COVID tests on Sunday, Monday and even Tuesday AM to find out if keeping Singletary in their Starting lineup was the right decision. Finally after no positive tests on Tuesday AM, the Bills-Titans game would move forward and all of Singletary’s Dynasty Owners who had decided to roll the dice and Start him had gotten what they waited for – Tuesday Night Football and Singletary earning points for their Dynasty Owner team. It was all for nearly nothing as Singletary had only 4.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (25 rushing yards, 1 reception, 8 receiving yards). Being conservative and leaving Singletary on the Bench or Practice Squad was the better decision than waiting and having him in your Starting lineup.
WR: Amari Cooper (DAL) – 4.1 points
No crying “not fair” about Cooper’s inclusion on this list because of Dak Prescott’s injury as Cooper had 0.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points before Prescott’s injury and all 4.1 of his points (2 receptions, 23 receiving yards, -2 rushing yards) after Andy Dalton entered to play QB for Dallas. Cooper had earned his spot in your Starting lineup on a weekly basis by putting up an average of 21.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points over the first four weeks of the 2020 season. He was also playing at home where he had been a much better performer since coming over to Dallas and was playing against the Giants who he averaged 20.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per game against in 2019. All signs pointed to another big fantasy week for Cooper and the Cowboys cooperated with 37 points and 288 yards passing, but Cooper had very little of that production. As a result, the smart decision would have been to put him on your Dynasty Owner Bench, not Starting lineup, this past week.
TE: Mo Allie-Cox (IND) – 0.0 points
Mo Allie-Cox had TD receptions in each of the past two weeks and had averaged 10.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points over the first four weeks of the season heading into his Week 5 game versus the Cleveland Browns. He was just outside of the Top 12 TEs coming into Week 5 at #14, but many people expected another quality performance from him. They had him in their Starting lineup based on his hot start to the season and the fact that the Browns were giving up an average of 14.65 Dynasty Owner fantasy points to TEs over the first four weeks of the 2020 season. Starting Allie-Cox was a bad decision as he put up the dreaded Blutarsky (0.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points) for everyone who decided to trust him to do well this week. He should have been on your Bench or better yet, on your Practice Squad.
Dishonorable mention to a quartet of TEs who all put up fewer than 3.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in Week 5. If not for Mo Allie-Cox and his Blutarsky, any of the following TEs could have been the choice for Bench TE this week: Logan Thomas (1.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points); Dalton Schultz (1.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points); Zach Ertz (1.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points); and Hayden Hurst (2.8 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). None of them belonged in anybody’s Dynasty Owner Starting lineup although many Dynasty Owners probably make the incorrect decision to start them.
K: Michael Badgley (LAC) – 0.0 points
The 50 yard FG attempt that bonked off the right upright cost Badgley’s Dynasty Owners 10.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. At that time, he had made 3 out of 4 PATs and had 2.0 points, but the missed FG led to a two point deduction which gave him a 0.0 for the week. If the kick had gone through, Badgley would have gotten an additional 8.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (5.0 for the 50-yard FG and the 3 point clutch scoring bonus since it would have won the game at the end of regulation for the Chargers). Badgley didn’t have the worst kicker week as Stephen Hauschka, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars, had -3.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points because he missed two FGs (24 and 49 yards), while making two PATs. Hauschka was only owned in 4% of Dynasty Owner leagues last week (second shout out this week to the Wannabees who were one of those teams) because of his release earlier in the year by the Bills combined with his $4 million annual salary. Hauschka should be released now as he was by Jacksonville and Badgley should have been on the Bench this week.
Dynasty Owner Matchup of the Week Recap
Neither team lived up to their lofty projections this week, but it was F.F. Express who won the Match-up of the Week by nearly 50 points (128.3 to 78.8) over YayareaBoogiemen. F.F. Express moves to 5-0 on the season and still sits in 24th place in the Chase for the Ring standings. YayareaBoogiemen’s record falls to 4-1 with the loss.
F.F. Express made a decision in setting their lineup which cost them 15.8 Dynasty Owner fantasy points and eight places in the Chase standings. The decision to leave Brandon McManus in their Starting lineup and keep Graham Gano on the Bench didn’t matter in the game outcome, but is the difference between 24th place and 16th place in the Chase. F.F. Express has another decision to make now because his Starting QB was Dak Prescott. Does F.F. Express drop Dak and his $30.144 million, 1-year contract and pick up another high-priced QB to maintain their lead in their league standings and place in the Chase for the Ring, or do they hold on to Dak for future seasons and possibly sacrifice their chance to win this year? Maybe they can do both, but that’s a huge decision for F.F. Express and other Dynasty Owners with Dak on their roster.
Chase for the Ring Leaderboard
The flip flopping of the top two places in the Chase for the Ring standings continues as All Might is back in first place with The Human Fund falling to second place.
However, in a fascinating development, both All Might and The Human Fund are not undefeated. In fact, only four of the Top 10 teams in the Chase are in fact undefeated this year. Overall, just 13 of the Top 25 are undefeated and two Top 25 teams sport 3-2 records (Rimmerworld Smegheads in 20th place and Russell Wilson’s War in 23rd place). So much for the myth that some of these teams at the top of the Chase might be in non-competitive leagues! On the other hand, the teams in the 6th to 10th position in the current Chase standings are all new to the Top 10. The five teams that dropped out of the Top 10 are all still in the Top 25, including the two 3-2 teams mentioned above who were in 6th and 9th place just last week.
Conclusions
It was a week of tough decisions for the NFL, NFL coaches and Dynasty Owners alike. The decisions on who to start, who to play on your Bench and who to keep on the Practice Squad continue for Dynasty Owners with four teams (as of now) on bye in Week 6. This is along with the added decision for some Dynasty Owners about what to do with Dak Prescott.
Please read the preview article which comes out on Friday throughout the Dynasty Owner season to see how my Week 5 recommendations did and who should be a Starter and who should be on your Bench in Week 6. Besides the weekly recap and preview articles, we will also have at least one article every week from one of our other Dynasty Owner writers: Chris Wolf (@ckwolf21), Matt Morrison – The Jerk (@Dynastyjerk) or Jay Poundsee (@jaypoundsnfl).
Hopefully, you didn’t miss this week’s Tuesday Live YouTube podcast featuring three of the Dynasty Owner writing crew (myself, Matt and Jay) along with Dynasty Owner CEO Tim Peffer and Uncle Don at the controls. If so, then head over to YouTube or one of the many other places (iTunes, Spotify, Spreaker) that you can watch or listen to it.
The podcast series with myself and Dynasty Owner CEO Tim Peffer will continue with weekly videos that will be posted on the Dynasty Owner YouTube page as well. You can catch up with older videos and tutorials there as well. Tune in to learn more about Dynasty Owner, see how our predictions did and help you set your weekly lineup. Subscribe to the YouTube channel and make sure to “Like” all of the videos to help promote them. Dynasty Owner is up to 530 subscribers on YouTube and gaining more every week. All of this great content is available to help you win your Dynasty Owner league and make your way into the Top 25 in the Chase for the Ring standings.
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