Week 10 in the NFL was another reminder, as if fans needed one, that football is an unpredictable and heartless sport. The Green Bay Packers fell to the Detroit Lions, the New Orleans Saints to the Washington Redskins, the Denver Broncos to the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Cincinnati Bengals to the Houston Texans. Most notably, Broncos future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning was benched and will not start in Week 11, sending many fantasy football owners scrambling for a replacement. Let’s turn the attention to some key fantasy football takeaways:
A tough break for Julian Edelman
Only a week after losing running back Dion Lewis, the New England Patriots find themselves mourning the loss of sure-handed wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman broke a bone in his foot during Sunday’s tilt with the New York Giants and will be shelved for the remainder of the regular season. Though the Pats sit at a perfect 9-0, this is a huge blow to the team’s red-zone offence. The lifelong Patriot finishes the season with 61 catches, 692 yards, and seven touchdowns. Wideout Danny Amendola will slide into Edelman’s spot and possess instant fantasy value with quarterback Tom Brady at the helm.
SuperCam stays hot
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton carried his team to another win this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to climb to 9-0 on the season. The fifth-year signal caller threw for 217 yards and scored two all-purpose touchdowns. Newton has continued to put up big numbers this year despite playing with arguably the worst receiving corps in the NFL, Carolina currently ranks 28th in the league in passing yards. He should continue to roll with upcoming matchups versus some of the league’s weaker defences (Redskins, Cowboys, and Saints). He is a no-brainer, top-five play.
The Green Bay Slackers
Following the Packers’ third loss in as many weeks, people are asking “what’s wrong with Aaron Rodgers?” Rodgers has seen his numbers drastically decline over the course of the season—the team has not scored more than 30 points since Week 3, and have failed to reach 20 points in two of their last three games. In Week 10 against the abysmal Lions, Rodgers consistently failed to move the chains due to sloppy catching and poorly placed throws. Though it’s hard to lose faith in Rodgers, fantasy football owners can only hope that Head Coach Mike McCarthy improves his offensive game plan.
Captain Kirk
Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins obliterated the Saints for 324 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-14 blowout win. He notched a perfect passer rating and season-best 80 per cent completion mark against the historically bad Saints defence. Cousins has also shown good chemistry with oft-injured tight end Jordan Reed—they’ve connected for five touchdowns in the last three games. Facing the undefeated Panthers in Week 11, however, Cousins is better off left on fantasy benches.
