When setting a starting lineup for my fantasy team, I have a ‘system” I follow religiously. It’s been working so well that I have ten championships and a lifetime .750 winning percentage. Part of my system includes analysis of how opposing defenses fare against certain positions. Through Week 8, the Chiefs had the fifth toughest defense against tight ends, allowing just 36 yards per game and only one TD. Therefore, benching the Bills’ Dalton Kincaid was a no-brainer. Of course, Kincaid exploded (6/101/1 TD) and I lost my game as a result. On Monday I was driving my truck, still upset about my decision, when I heard my boss at FantasyGuru.com, Jeff Mans, on SiriusXM radio. “Always start your studs!” he commanded, “I don’t care who they are playing!” Lesson learned, my wise Fantasy Guru. I’ll adjust my system. Mans is a genius. After all, he hired me.
GIDDY UP!
QB Jaxson Dart at Bears — The only player to not have a huge statistical day against the Teddy Bears’ defense was the Ravens’ Tyler Huntley. Dart is no Huntley. Dart has been playing his heart out and should be starting every week for your fantasy team.
QB Justin Herbert vs. Steelers — Herbert has had multiple TDs rushing or passing in all nine games this season. That compares favorably to a Pittsburgh D that’s given up multiple TDs to a quarterback in eight of nine games.
RB Josh Jacobs vs. Eagles — It’s not Jacobs’ fault the Packers are losing. He’s been an iron man gutting out injuries and playing lights out. Green Bay needs QB Jordan Love to stop throwing ridiculous interceptions and keep handing off to Josh. That would be a win for both the Packers and Jacobs.
RB Kyren Williams at 49ers — Williams is a San Francisco slayer. He has averaged 27.6 fantasy points over his last three games against the Niners. Giddy up!
WR Wan’Dale Robinson at Bears — Let’s double down on the Giants and watch Robinson go Bear hunting. His 27 targets over his last three games are reason enough to expect a point palooza in Chicago.
WR Stefon Diggs at Buccaneers — Diggs has been “meh” since his 27-fantasy point explosion Week 5 in Buffalo. The Falcons just showed the NFL that the first place Pats have cracks in their armor, and Diggs will need to step up to keep New England ahead of the Bills in the AFC East.
TE Tyler Warren vs. Falcons — Atlanta boasts the NFL’s best numbers against tight ends. But they’ve played nothing but tomato cans: Tanner Conner, Luke Farrell, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Tommy Tremble to name a few. Warren will easily put up the most fantasy points for TEs against the Dirty Birds.
WHOA DOWN!
QB Marcus Mariota vs Lions — With a bevy of QBs out this week (Flacco, Mahomes, Stroud, Daniels, Prescott), don’t be tempted to trot out Mariota. While Detroit’s pass defense doesn’t scare anybody, the Commanders are a mess on both sides of the ball.
QB Sam Darnold vs. Cardinals — Sam threw four TDs and completed his first 17 passes on his way to a 40-point fantasy outing last week at Washington. The competition gets a bit stiffer against an Arizona squad that held Sammy to 242 yards and a TD in Week 4.
RB Breece Hall vs. Browns — I hope you enjoyed Hall’s 38 fantasy point outburst in Week 8 against the lowly Bengals. Cleveland will bring the Dawg Pound to the Meadowlands, and Hall will revert to his 14-point fantasy days.
RB Woody Marks vs. Jaguars — Marks can’t make a living as a fantasy RB1 when he’s getting just 10 carries a game. His only decent outing was against the Titans (17 carries, four receptions and two TDs) but now he has to face a tough Jags defense with the feeble David Mills at QB.
WR Jakobi Meyers at Texans — Trade rumors and low morale forced Meyers out of Vegas and into Jacksonville this week. Give him time before you plug him in your lineup. He’ll have to learn how to catch bounce passes from Trevor Lawrence.
WR Christian Kirk vs. Jaguars — He’s hurt. He’s not hurt. He’s a sleeper. He’s awake. He’s hurt again. He sucks. This is the 2025 fantasy season of Kirk in a nutshell, the most annoying WR in the NFL since Odell Beckham, Jr. (without the one-handed catches).
TE Harold Fannin Jr. at Jets — The Jets are very good against tight ends. Temper expectations for the talented rookie, especially if TE teammate David Njoku suits up for the Browns as well.
Thursday Night Special: The Broncos beat the Raiders by 16 and 10 points in their matchups last year. You always want to be cautious betting divisional matchups as they are very familiar with each other. But the Raiders are familiar with losing, and the Broncos have won six in a row. Broncos 28, Raiders 14
Enter the code NEW30 for 30% off the subscription price of FantasyGuru.com, the finest source for Seasonal, DFS and Sports Gaming advice.
Bill Reinhard is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and a columnist for FantasyGuru.com.
