Fantasy Football Hot Takes: Tyrone Tracy, Bo Nix, George Pickens (Week 10)

I winged a couple of them last week. Two of my very spicy predictions were half correct, which means I could spin it to say I was right. That’s not how I roll. Politicians can do the spinning and half-truth slinging. I’ll stay the course and try to feel that rush of a perfect prediction again.

The first one of the day I’ll at least take credit for was the Falcons’ stomping of Dallas that seemed to have started a tear-down of sorts at The Star. On the other hand, the Joneses also gave away a fourth-round pick for a guy The Panthers weren’t using. Truthfully, America’s Team has been a laughing stock among realist fans for a couple of decades now. This wasn’t so much the last straw as it was a punchline to a terrible “all-in” joke.

The other spicy prediction had to do with another loathsome billionaire in Indianapolis who dropped the gavel on his first-round quarterback after 10 starts in favor of a legendary has-been. Jim Irsay’s greasy fingerprints were smudged all over Shane Steichen’s “decision” to bench Anthony Richardson to help the team win now. Joe Flacco‘s offense performed exactly as I expected, with zero touchdowns in their loss to the Vikings on Sunday night. Justin Jefferson indeed went ballistic with an aerial display but was a couple of receptions and 40 yards shy of achieving perfection.

Not to get political, but football is both universal and fully inclusive. Officiating and coaching can be abysmal, but we’ll always have fire zone blitzes and tight window throws off a play-action bootleg. It’s not a hot take to expect the NFL can bring us all back together in relative harmony this week.

Fantasy Football Hot Takes: Week 10

Big Blue Takes Das Boot to Carolina’s Lederhosen With Six Sacks and Three Turnovers; Tyrone Tracy Rushes for 150 Yards and Two Touchdowns in Double-Digit Giants Win

Germany is still dealing with the repercussions of World War II 80 years later. Their game in Munich on Sunday morning is a real barnburner between two of the worst teams in the NFL. I don’t think the Giants are quite as bad as the Panthers, but Carolina did just “upset” the Saints. New York has a really strong pass rush and has been successful running the ball this season.

I foresee Bryce Young having a lot of trouble finding his illustrious receivers while under duress. On the flip side, the Panthers’ defense is abhorrent and will have no success slowing down Tyrone Tracy. Tracy leads all rookie running backs with more than 400 rushing yards this season. He is in line for a massive game of strudel and schnitzel.

Bo Nix Rushes for 70 Yards and Passes for 250 in Stunning Upset Win; Chiefs Lose First Game After Failing to Score 20 Points Against Stout Broncos Defense

This prediction struck me while watching the Chiefs struggle to vanquish the Buccaneers in overtime on Monday night. Tampa Bay’s depleted secondary allowed DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Kelce to vault my DFS showdown lineups to victory, but the Chiefs still weren’t as explosive as we thought they would be. Kansas City’s defense was gouged by the Bucs on the ground and Baker Mayfield had his way with a stout secondary, despite not having his two best receivers.

Denver might not move it as well as Tampa Bay did, but their defense is multitudes better. I expect this division rivalry to be low-scoring and come down to which team can win the field position battle. While the Chiefs should win and improve to 9-0, Denver has given them fits in recent years with lesser rosters.

Steelers Curtain Drapes Over Jayden Daniels and Commanders; George Pickens is a Top-Five WR in Two-Score Drubbing

Much like the Chicago Bears, who suffocated Jayden Daniels before the miraculous walk-off Hail Mary, the Steelers will have the rookie under duress. I believe Daniels to be a star in this league already. He is also unlikely to continue his incredible fantasy production in really tough matchups like this one. That’s ok.

The Steelers and Commanders are both playing above expectations. One tipping point that has me favoring Pittsburgh in this one is the boundary passing game. It is unlikely we see a full go from Marshon Lattimore for Washington, leaving George Pickens to continue his torrid start to the season. Pittsburgh is fresh off their bye and simply built better in all three phases.

Texans Drop Third out of Four Games, Even With Nico Collins Back; Lions Drop Another 40-Burger on Houston Behind 300 Scrimmage Yards From David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs

C.J. Stroud really missed Nico Collins. The Michigan alum was Houston’s rock on the outside, especially on in-breaking routes. His return to play from a hamstring injury is eagerly awaited for many of my fantasy rosters, but Houston is overmatched in this one. Detroit’s running attack is lethal. Ben Johnson has woven a play-calling masterpiece and it hinges on “Sonic and Knuckles.”

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have been completely unstoppable this season, so much so that Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta‘s decline in production hasn’t hindered the Lions one bit. Jared Goff has operated with near-perfect efficiency, especially on play-action. The Texans’ defense is really good, but they have no answers for Dan Campbell’s gritty squad. The Lions are the best team in the NFL.