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A new study indicates that the best time to go to sleep is between 10 and 11 p.m., and that going to sleep either earlier or later increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
This is alarming news for all those East Coast NFL fans who routinely stay up until midnight or later to catch the end of the three night games each week. Football might be killing you, friend.
Last week, a few buddies and I traveled to Phoenix to visit friends of ours who moved there a few years ago. It was the first time I had flown anywhere since pre-COVID, and it was the first time I had watched an NFL game in a time zone other than the Central since a family trip to Disney World about seven years ago.
In fact, I watched games in two different time zones during the Phoenix trip. The Jets-Colts game on Thursday night started at 5:20 p.m. local time, three hours behind the Eastern time zone. Then, overnight Saturday, daylight saving time kicked in, but not in most parts of Arizona, where they don’t observe it. So kickoff for the early Sunday games was at 11 a.m. local time, two hours behind the Eastern time zone. Weird, huh?
That got me thinking about time zones and NFL viewership. What’s the best time zone to live in if you’re an NFL fan? What’s the worst?
I’ve lived in the Central time zone my entire life. It’s always seemed normal to have the early Sunday games start at noon. You have the morning free to go somewhere for breakfast, go to church, read the Sunday paper, sneak in nine holes, whatever. But when noon comes, it’s football time. Then come the 3 p.m. games, which end a little after 6 p.m. – the perfect time to fix dinner before the Sunday-night game begins. The night games usually end at a reasonable hour, and then it’s off to bed.
Those poor people in the Eastern time zone … boy, I wouldn’t like that setup at all. The later start for the first wave of Sunday games would drive me crazy. Sometimes noon seems too late. But 1 p.m.? In that last hour before kickoff, I’d be pacing around like a caged lion in a Brazilian steakhouse. And then the late games ending around midnight? If you’re a parent or someone who works a 9-to-5, those late finishes are merciless sleep thieves.
The Mountain and Pacific time zones certainly have their appeal. Earlier kickoff times and earlier finishes make for easier living in a lot of ways. No long waits for the early kickoffs. No late bedtimes.
But are the Pacific start times too early? Is there enough time to make breakfast and play with the kids before games start? What if you’re a churchgoer who never misses Sunday services? What if you had one gin rickey too many the night before? And what if you work a 9-to-5, have a lengthy commute and can never make it home in time for the start of the Monday-night game?
I put the question to my Twitter followers this week and ran a poll: Which time zone is best for NFL viewership? Some 3,700 people cast votes.
Here are the results …
Eastern: 20% – No doubt all of the people who voted this way live in the Eastern time zone and are simply used to the schedule. Has there been anyone who lived in the Eastern time zone, moved west, and wound up longing for later start times and later finishes? No way.
Central: 31.6% – Yeah, the Central is OK, I guess.
Mountain: 15.7% – Obviously, the Mountain time zone got short shrift because only about 300,000 people live in it, and there are more grizzly bears than people. Actually, the replies to my poll tweet were full of people making excellent cases for Mountain time. In fact, I think it would be my first choice – as long as I didn’t have to live in a log cabin. I’ve grown fond of indoor plumbing.
Pacific: 32.6% – The winner! Earlier games would definitely be better at this stage of my life. Not sure I would have loved it as a 20-something night owl, though. It’s 10 p.m. on a Thursday night and there’s no game on? Boo!
But I think we can all agree that all our friends on the East Coast need to buy home treadmills and start banging out miles while they’re watching night games to offset all the damage they’re doing to their hearts.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
MATCHUP LINKS:
NO vs. TEN | BUF vs. NYJ | DET vs. PIT | JAC vs. IND | TB vs. WAS | CLE vs. NE | ATL vs. DAL | CAR vs. ARI | MIN vs. LAC | SEA vs. GB | PHI vs.DEN | KC vs. LV | LAR vs. SF |
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New Orleans Saints vs Tennessee Titans
Date/Time: Sunday November 14, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Titans -3
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 44.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Titans 23.75, Saints 20.75
Quarterback
Trevor Siemian: Siemian’s respectable-looking numbers from the Saints’ 27-25 loss to the Falcons last weekend (25 of 41 for 249 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions) don’t reflect how ineffective he was for much of the game. Most of his production came in the last 11 minutes of regulation after the Saints had fallen into a 24-6 hole. Siemian deserves credit for his part in the Saints’ late rally, but anyone who watched that game knows that Siemian is at risk of being replaced by Taysom Hill. Obviously, Siemian is only playing because Jameis Winston is out for the year with a torn ACL, and he simply isn’t playable in fantasy except perhaps in superflex leagues.
Ryan Tannehill: Will the Derrick Henry injury force Tannehill to throw more often? It didn’t happen in the Titans’ first game without Henry. They grabbed an early lead against the Rams last Sunday night and had the luxury of maintaining a balanced attack. Tannehill completed 19 of 27 throws for a season-low 143 yards with one touchdown and one interception. It’s possible the Titans will have to be more pass-heavy in a Week 10 matchup against a Saints defense that’s better against the run than the pass. New Orleans ranks first in DVOA against the run, 13th in DVOA against the pass. Tannehill lands at QB15 in this week’s rankings.
Running Backs
Mark Ingram: Alvin Kamara is out with an unspecified knee injury, leaving the recently acquired Ingram as the Saints’ lead back against the Titans on Sunday. Ingram, who logged 26 carries in Week 1 as a member of the Texans, should be in for a hefty workload. He vaults into high-end RB2 territory in the Week 10 rankings and is now a supersaver DraftKings value at only $4,500. If you have Ingram on your roster in season-long leagues, find a way to get him into your starting lineup.
Adrian Peterson, Jeremy McNichols, and D’Onta Foreman: It was interesting to see how this new-look backfield played out in the Titans’ first game since the season-ending injury to Derrick Henry. McNichols led the way with 26 snaps, Peterson had 19, Foreman had 12. Peterson had a team-high 10 carries for 21 yards and a touchdown, but, um, he looked a lot like a 36-year-old running back who had been unsigned just a few days earlier. Let’s just say the Titans aren’t getting the Adrian Peterson who ran for 2,097 yards in 2012. McNichols had 7-24-0 rushing and 3-11-0 receiving. He’s likely to remain in a passing-down role, and there’s probably not much of a chance for him to become the Titans’ lead back. The wild card here is Foreman, who had 5-29-0 rushing but didn’t catch a pass. Foreman looked good on his handful of carries, running with the sort of burst and power he flashed when he ran for 2,028 yards and 15 touchdowns in his final season at the University of Texas in 2016. This is still an evolving situation. Peterson ranks RB35 this week in a bad matchup against a rugged New Orleans run defense. McNichols checks in at RB38, Foreman at RB49.
Wide Receivers
Marquez Callaway: There’s a good chance none of the New Orleans receivers will be fantasy-relevant as the Saints try to navigate the rest of the season with either Trevor Siemian or Taysom Hill at quarterback. Callaway is probably the best bet to at least remain rosterable. He was targeted six times last week and had 3-25-1. The touchdown was his fourth of the season. The Saints’ opponents this week, the Titans are allowing 27.7 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, but Callaway is still only a mid-range WR4. His splash-play potential and his modest $5,100 price tag on DraftKings make him an interesting option in GPPs.
Deonte Harris: Harris played only 23 snaps against the Falcons in Week 9, but he drew eight targets and caught 6-52-0. That’s kind of how things have been going for Harris lately: He’s a part-time player, but the Saints have been scheming him touches. Harris has played just 82 offensive snaps over his last four games, but he has 15-211-1 on 24 targets over that stretch, along with one carry for 22 yards. So over the last month, Harris has gotten either a target or a carry on 30.5% of his snaps. Harris only ranks WR66 this week, but he’s worth monitoring.
A.J. Brown: AJB has averaged 10 targets a game since Week 6, racking up 30-421-2 over that span. His 5-42-0 stat line against the Rams in Week 9 was slightly disappointing, but it’s not surprising that Brown’s production slipped in a game where he had to face Rams CB Jalen Ramsey, one of the best cover men in the league. AJB faces New Orleans this week. The Saints haven’t been moving Marshon Lattimore from his usual spot on the right side of the formation very often, which means that Julio Jones will probably get most of the face time with Lattimore, while Brown gets to work against rookie Paulson Adebo. This looks like a potential smash spot for AJB, who ranks WR5. *Editor’s Note: It was announced on Saturday that Julio Jones will be out for Sunday’s game
Julio Jones: Jones was placed on IR on Saturday with a hamstring injury and will miss at least the next 3 games.
Tight Ends
Adam Trautman: Trautman still isn’t playable, but he’s on the cusp of fantasy relevance. He’s played close to 90% of the Saints’ offensive snaps over the last month, and he’s seen 13 targets in his last two games. Trautman still has only 15-151-0 for the season, and the Saints’ QB situation doesn’t bode well for a breakout, but Trautman is worth pursuing in dynasty leagues.
Geoff Swaim: Swaim has replaced Anthony Firkser as the top pass-catching tight end for the Titans. Over his last two games, Swaim has played 99 snaps, with 8-52-2 on nine targets. He’s not quite fantasy-relevant, but he’s close.
Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets
Date/Time: Sunday November 14, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Bills -3
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 47.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Bills 30.25, Jets 17.25
Quarterback
Josh Allen: After a nightmarish 9-6 loss to the Jaguars in Week 9, Allen and the Bills will try to right the ship against a slumping Jets pass defense. Robert Saleh’s defense gave up 342 passing yards and two TDs to Atlanta’s Matt Ryan in Week 5, 307 yards and two TDs to New England’s Mac Jones in Week 7, 259 yards and three TDs to Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow in Week 8, and 272 yards and three TDs to Indy’s Carson Wentz in Week 9. The Jaguars vexed Josh Allen with a Cover-2 shell that took away the deep ball, and opponents will probably keep throwing more of the same at Allen until he solves the puzzle. Allen’s average depth of target against the Jaguars was 6.1 yards, and his Week 8 aDOT was 5.6 yards in the win over the Dolphins. Injuries on the offensive line are another concern for the functionality of the Buffalo offense, with starting linemen Spencer Brown and John Feliciano both hurt. Allen is too good to stay down for long, however. He’s the QB2 in this week’s rankings and a worthy spend-up option at $7,900 on DraftKings.
Zach Wilson or Mike White: Wilson has missed the last two games with a sprained PCL, and the Jets probably aren’t going to rush their rookie QB back into action before he’s fully healed, especially with backup Mike White having acquitted himself reasonably well thus far. White himself left the Jets’ Week 9 loss to the Colts with a forearm injury and was replaced by Josh Johnson, but White is expected to be back for a Week 10 matchup against the Bills. White completed 37 of 45 passes for 405 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the Jets’ Week 8 upset of the Bengals, and he was off to a good start against the Colts in Week 9 before leaving the game. Still, he’s not a reasonable fantasy option this week against a league-best Buffalo pass defense that’s giving up just 5.6 yards per pass attempt and has only yielded five TD passes all season.
Running Backs
Zack Moss and Devin Singletary: Moss left last week’s game with a concussion, so you’ll have to monitor his status throughout the week. Moss hasn’t topped 37 rushing yards or scored a touchdown since Week 4, although he’s had 13-127-0 receiving over that span, salvaging a small bit of fantasy value. The expanded usage in the passing game might last for Moss if opposing defenses continue to play a Cover-2 shell against the Bills in an effort to take away the deep passing game. The Jets are giving up a league-high 29.9 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs, making Moss a playable option if he can get out of the concussion protocol. If Moss is out, Singletary will be a must-start against a Jets defense that has allowed 15 TD runs and is giving up 4.6 yards per carry. Even if Moss is able to play, Singletary will be a usable RB3.
Michael Carter and Ty Johnson: Carter’s streak of games with double-digit carries is now at five after a 13-49-0 rushing day against the Colts in Week 9. But after seeing 17 targets in his two previous outings, Carter was targeted only once against Indianapolis. He turned that target into a 37-yard reception, so perhaps the Jets should endeavor to keep Carter more heavily involved in the passing game. The Jets’ defense is a skull-and-crossbones matchup for all opponents, but Carter still rates as a mid-range RB2 this week based on bankable touch volume. I’m not crazy about him as a DraftKings option even with a reasonable $5,600 price tag. Johnson continues to be prominently involved in the Jets offense. He had 4-21-0 rushing and 2-40-1 against the Colts in Week 9 while playing 32 snaps. Johnson is playable in some matchups, but not this week against Buffalo.
Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs: Stefon Diggs investors probably wouldn’t have complained about a 48-588-3 stat line through eight games if we went back in time a couple of years and Diggs were still wearing Vikings purple, but his epic 127-1,535-8 performance in 2020 raised the bar. Diggs is coming off yet another ho-hum performance (6-85-0 on eight targets) in a 9-6 loss to the Jaguars. Diggs has a Week 10 date with the Jets, who don’t have a cornerback capable of handling him one-on-one, but of course, we can expect a receiver as talented as Diggs to get some extra defensive attention at times. He’s the WR4 this week.
Emmanuel Sanders: With opponents giving the Bills more Cover-2 shell looks to take away the deep ball, Sanders becomes a less appealing option for fantasy. He was shut out in Week 8 and had 4-65-0 on eight targets in Week 10. Through the first six weeks of the season, Sanders had been the WR16 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring. Against a Jets defense that’s better against the pass than the run, Sanders is just a boom-or-bust WR3 option for Week 10.
Cole Beasley: A lot of the write-ups for Bills players this week mention the Cover-2 shell defense that Buffalo struggled to solve in the Week 9 loss to Jacksonville. The one Bills player who stands to hit the fantasy jackpot is defenses continue to throw Cover-2 looks at the Bills is Beasley, who’d get a ton of action as Buffalo’s primary short-area receiver. Over his last three games, Beasley has 25-231-0 on 33 targets. In the loss to the Jaguars, Beasley had 8-33-0 on 11 targets and undoubtedly would have gotten more looks if not for a foot injury that limited him to just one fourth-quarter snap. We’ll have to monitor Beasley’s status, though there didn’t seem to be any immediate concern that it might be a longer-term injury. Assuming Beasley is good to go for the Week 10 matchup against the Jets, he’ll be a mid-range WR3.
Corey Davis: Davis is expected to return this week after missing Weeks 8-9 with a hip injury. Davis has been solid this year, catching at least four passes in 5 of 6 games and recording 24-349-4. If active, he’ll be a high-end WR4 in a tough matchup against the Bills.
Elijah Moore: The rookie had his best game of the season in Week 9, with seven catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-30 Thursday-night loss to the Bills. We’ve been looking for reason to get excited about Moore after a summer of buzz didn’t translate to the early part of the regular season, and Moore’s last two games have certainly been promising. (He had 6-67-0 against the Bengals in Week 8.) One reason to pump the brakes just a bit: The Jets attempted a whopping 52 passes in the loss to the Colts, making Moore’s eight targets seem a little less substantial. Still, the needle is undoubtedly pointing up for the rookie. Unfortunately, his matchup against the Bills this week is as daunting as it gets. Consider Moore a midrange WR4.
Jamison Crowder: Crowder continues to produce a steady diet of solid but unspectacular PPR performances. He’s averaging 7.4 targets and 5.6 catches a game, but he’s averaging just 8.4 yards per catch, and Crowder has never been a frequent visitor to the end zone. Elijah Moore‘s emergence could eventually put the squeeze on Crowder’s target load. Crowder is a lower-end WR4 against the Bills this week in half-point PPR.
Tight Ends
Dawson Knox or Tommy Sweeney: Dawson Knox will be back from a broken hand soon, but perhaps not this week. If Knox returns, he’ll be a low-end TE1 against a Jets defense that’s giving up 9.8 fantasy points per game to tight ends. If not, Tommy Sweeney will be a sleeper low-end TE2 option. In the two games Knox has missed so far, Sweeney has 5-40-0 on six targets, but there might be potential for something more.
Ryan Griffin: With Tyler Kroft on IR, Griffin is basically the only game in town as far as pass-catching Jets TEs. (Trevon Wesco is purely a blocker.) The exclusivity may or may not make Griffin fantasy-relevant. Jets’ tight ends have thus far combined for 26-219-2 on 44 targets. Griffin is a back-end TE2 this week and might be worth a dart throw for bye-afflicted fantasy managers in deep leagues.
Detroit Lions vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Date/Time: Sunday November 14, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Steelers -3
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 42.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Steelers 25.5, Lions 17
Quarterback
Jared Goff: Goff is averaging 38.5 pass attempts a game, putting him third in that category behind only Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. The difference is that Brady and Mahomes are good. Goff is averaging just 6.5 yards per attempt and has a 7-11 TD-INT ratio, which is less appealing than a convenience-store hot dog. The Steelers aren’t the nightmare matchup for quarterbacks they used to be, but you’re still not playing Goff unless you’re desperate or in a superflex league. He’s the QB26 this week.
Mason Rudolph: With Ben Roethlisberger landing on the COVID-19 list on Saturday, Rudolph will make his 10th NFL start Sunday against the Lions. Rudolph hasn’t been that bad in his two years in the league, completing 61.7% of his passes and averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. He had 15 career TD passes and 10 interceptions. Those are backup-caliber numbers, sure, but there are worse backups in the league. Rudolph also gets the benefit of a cushy matchup, facing a Detroit defense that has a league-worst opponent passer rating (112.7) and is giving up 9.3 yards per pass attempt, the highest defensive YPA in the league by almost a full yard. However, the Lions have an extreme run-funnel defense, with opponents running the ball against them 52% of the time, so it’s possible the Steelers will try to hide Rudolph as much as possible and let Najee Harris carry the ball 25+ times. Rudolph lands at QB24 in the rankings.
Running Backs
D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams: A lot of people have noted that a high percentage of Swift’s 2021 production has come in garbage time. Psssst … (stage whisper) there’s a lot of garbage time for 0-8 teams. Swift is the rare running back with more receiving yards (415) than rushing yards (289). Cordarrelle Patterson is the only running back with more receiving yardage than Swift, and Swift leads all RBs with 47 receptions. The Steelers aren’t a great matchup for running backs, allowing just 15 fantasy points per game to RBs, but Swift’s run/catch versatility makes him more matchup-resistant than other backs. He’s the RB13 this week and a reasonable DraftKings option at $6,800.
Najee Harris: The Lions’ opponents are running the ball on 52% of their offensive snaps – as if the Steelers needed an excuse to feed Harris a boatload of carries. Harris is starting to shoulder a Derrick Henry-type workload, having logged at least 22 carries in each of his last four games. He also has 14 catches over that span. His touch total could be even higher this week with QB Ben Roethlisberger landing on the COVID-19 list and Mason Rudolph making the start in his place. The Lions are giving up 24.3 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs, the third-highest total in the league. This is a good spot for Harris, the RB3 for Week 10. He’s a fine foundational cash-game play on DraftKings at $7,900.
PRISTINE MATCHUP OF THE WEEK
Each week, we’ll pick a matchup of the week, presented by Pristine Auction. For Week 10, Najee Harris is our Pristine Matchup of the Week.
Wide Receivers
Amon-Ra St. Brown: I’m only listing St. Brown because I feel compelled to list at least one wide receiver for each team and because the rookie is the most promising member of the worst WR corps in the league. That said, St. Brown has given us only 27-250-0 on 38 targets and is the WR64 in this week’s rankings. Pass.
Diontae Johnson: JuJu Smith-Schuster is already out for the season, and with Chase Claypool out due to a toe injury, Johnson’s target total could go through the roof against the Lions this weekend. Johnson only saw six targets against the Bears in Week 9, but he’s had double-digit targets in 5 of 7 games this year. The problem is that Ben Roethlisberger is on the COVID-19 list, leaving backup Mason Rudolph as the starting quarterback for Week 10. Johnson is the WR13.
James Washington: He has only 12-154-0 on the season, but Washington has played 75 snaps over the last two weeks and is fantasy-viable against a bad Lions pass defense in Week 10 with Chase Claypool is sidelined by a toe injury.
Tight Ends
T.J. Hockenson: Hockenson broke out of a slump with a 10-catch, 89-yard game against the Eagles in Week 8 just before the Lions’ bye. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 2, but Hockenson is nevertheless on a 102-catch, 952-yard pace. He’s a midrange TE1 this week in a neutral matchup vs. the Steelers.
Pat Freiermuth: The rookie from Penn State is on a heater, with 16-145-3 over his last three games. Ben Roethlisberger is starting to look as comfortable throwing to Freiermuth as he was throwing to Heath Miller back in Big Ben’s heyday. The problem is that Roethlisberger is on the COVID-19 list this week, making Freiermuth a dicier play. He lands at TE15 in the rankings.
