I’ve been doing business with Joe Migliore for a few years now. Little did I know I was in the company of college football royalty. I ran into Joe at the Monmouth University-Villanova football game and came to learn that he was a star running back for Monmouth in the early 2000s, leading them to a share of two NEC championships. Joe was the first Monmouth player to ever rush and receive for over 100 yards in a single game, and the Asbury Park Press counts him among the top four RBs in school history. Joe was the NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2002, but he joked that his real claim to fame was being named MU’s Most Valuable Player over teammate and future NFL wideout Myles Austin in 2004. Wow, Joe! Congrats on a great career.
GIDDY UP!
QB Tommy DeVito (vs. Buccaneers) — Pass the gabagool! On a bye week with Burrow, Allen and Cousins off, you could do worse than Tommy Cutlets against the worst secondary in the NFL. Plus, won’t it be fun rooting for the paisano?
QB Bo Nix (at Raiders) — Bo has 14 TD passes, which ties the Broncos’ rookie record set by Marlin Briscoe in 1968. The historic ride continues against Vegas, who have surrendered 10 TD passes in their last three games.
RB Bucky Irving (vs. Giants) — Bucky just put up 17 Fantasy points against both the 49ers and Ravens. A matchup against the Giants will be a welcome reprieve.
RB James Conner (at Seahawks) — The Cards are surging under QB Kyler Murray, but Conner is no slouch. In his only appearance against Seattle last year, Connor had one TD, 150 yards rushing and 54 yards receiving.
WR Ladd McConkey (vs. Ravens) — You can’t run on the Ravens, but you sure can throw. Ladd has become QB Herbert’s favorite target with 350 yards in his last four games. Giddy up!
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (at Texans) — NWI has scored a TD in five of his last six games. Ordinarily I would avoid him as he certainly can’t keep this pace. But the Texans have given up multiple TDs to WRs in eight of their last ten games. Bombs away.
TE Jonnu Smith (vs. Patriots) — Would you believe me if I told you Smith is the TE6 on the year and is only rostered in 43% of leagues? He needs to be in every lineup this week.
WHOA DOWN!
QB Jameis Winston (vs. Steelers) — Cleveland weather for Thursday night’s game calls for rain, 39 degrees and a 24 mile per hour wind. Success will be hard to come by for Winston, who just lost his starting left tackle for the season.
QB Anthony Richardson (vs. Lions) — Should we ride with AR, whose three total TDs destroyed the Jets’ season? Considering the Lions have given up nine total TDs to QBs all year, AR is an easy sit.
RB D’Andre Swift (vs. Vikings) — Here’s a bad combination for Swifty: The Vikings’ second-ranked defense hasn’t given up a rushing TD since Week 7 and he lost red zone carries to backup Roschon Johnson in Chicago’s new-look offense.
RB Chuba Hubbard (vs. Chiefs) — Chuba facing a ticked-off K.C. team and the possibility of rookie Jonathon Brooks cutting into his time is a lot to overcome.
WR Christian Watson (vs. 49ers) — From Week 5 to Week 10, Watson had 152 receiving yards. He had 150 last Sunday. This looks more like a blip than a breakout.
WR Tyler Lockett (vs. Cardinals) — The 32-year-old vet with just six receptions in his last three games has lost his WR2 spot to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
TE Zach Ertz (vs. Cowboys) — Ertz only has two games scoring over 10 Fantasy points. More often he’s in the five-to-eight-point realm. Proceed with caution.
Thursday Night Special: Watch this game near a fireplace with a hot chocolate (or better yet a hot toddy) as the chilly rainy Cleveland weather will send shivers down your spine. So will this lousy matchup. The Steelers should run roughshod over the Browns, paving the way for Mike Vrabel to become Cleveland’s next head coach according to Browns expert Ryan Wiley. Steelers 20, Browns 13
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. Catch Bill every Wednesday night at 6:45 on “This Week in Pro Football” on YouTube TV.
