There are moments when you do acts that you regret.
You change your mind about an item when you reach the opposite side of the store, so you place it on an empty shelf across the store’s aisles. You failed to see that a traffic lane was ending and had to cut someone off to reach your destination. You portray a player in fantasy football that you dislike in real life. All disgraceful conduct were justified in their own circumstances.
In the past, you may have done this with Michael Vick, Adrian Peterson, and Ben Roethlisberger, among others, on your fantasy teams. If you want to blame someone for these decisions, blame the NFL for allowing these guys to play, not the fantasy managers who are navigating the terrain the NFL created by allowing these players to participate.
Whether or not this explanation makes logical sense is unimportant, as long as you can persuade yourself it does, hence eliminating any feelings of guilt over the decisions you make regarding your fantasy team.
Using this agnostic umbrella of fictional morality, we are now free to examine Deshaun Watson’s football-centric characteristics. Sunday, the quarterback with extraordinary abilities will return to the field. The last time we saw him, he was leading the Texans and the NFL in throwing yards in 2020. He was in route to his third consecutive Pro Bowl berth. He was one of the golden boys of the league.
Deshaun Watson AP
This week, he will make his first appearance for the Browns against his previous team, the Texans. The Texans are terrible, which is good news for Watson fantasy managers who are agnostic. Therefore, it should be an excellent fit, correct?
Well, the problem isn’t just that the Texans are terrible; it’s also because they are so horrible that opponents frequently don’t need to continue throwing on them all day, therefore fantasy QBs don’t do well against them. Houston ranks third in allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposition quarterbacks.
And now for the second painfully apparent point: Watson has been inactive for about two years. There will be a large amount of rust. In addition, he is making his debut for a new team in a new offensive system in which he has never played, with guys he has never played with, against a squad that carries a tremendous amount of emotional baggage on both sides.
There is no indication whatsoever that a big fantasy film is in the works. However, given the dismal status of fantasy quarterbacks this season, we will play him. Over any quarterback other than Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert, including this week. And according to Madman tenets, we’re going to do this for the remainder of the season – force him out of our lineup via his performance.
The moral of the story is to bench your morality and draft Watson instead.
Big weeks
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars quarterback, vs the Lions (FanDuel $7,500, DraftKings $5,500)
Lawrence just had his greatest throwing performance of the year against a middle-of-the-pack Ravens defense. Now, he faces a Lions pass defense that allows fantasy quarterbacks almost three points more each week than any other team.
Trevor Lawrence Sports Illustrated
Kyren Williams, running back for the Rams, vs the Seahawks (FD $5,500/DK $5,200)
Each week, Seattle surrenders approximately 7 PPR points more than the league average to running backs. Williams might be a sneaky desperation option or deep DFS play due to Cam Akers’s sickness and declining role.
Cobb, Randall, Packers vs Bears (FD $5,400/DK $4,500)
Cobb’s matchup against the Bears’ slot cornerback Jaylon Jones is rated as “outstanding” by Pro Football Focus. This week’s Flex option and good DFS option.
Garrett Wilson WR, Jets, at Vikings (FD $6,600/DK $5,300)
Received two touchdown passes from the new quarterback Mike White last week. That is two more than he caught with Zach Wilson in seven weeks. The Vikings are among the five worst teams in the league in defending fantasy WRs.
Jaguars WR Zay Jones vs the Lions (FD $6,400/DK $4,800)
Has had 24 targets in the previous two weeks, which is more than the Jaguars’ No. 1 wide receiver Christian Kirk. We’ll take that increase in production in what could be a shootout in Detroit, provided his chest issue won’t prevent him from playing.
Small weaks
Kirk Cousins QB, Vikings vs. Jets (FD $7,400/DK $5,700)
Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen are the only quarterbacks this season to have posted league-best performances against the Jets. We do not believe Cousins is affiliated with that firm.
Rachaad White, Buccaneers running back, vs the Saints (FD $7,000/DK $5,600)
PFF ranks the Tampa Bay offensive line poorly against the Saints’ defense. The Saints are in the top third vs opposition fantasy running backs. In addition, Leonard Fournette is expected to return and steal some carries.
Terry McLaurin, wide receiver, Commanders, vs the Giants (FD $6,900/DK $5,500)
This game’s Over/Under is one of the lowest of the week. Scary Terry does not receive enough “money looks” to take advantage of favorable matchups; he has scored only two touchdowns this season.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb vs the Colts (FD $8,000/DK $7,300)
Each week, Indianapolis allows WRs 7.1 fewer PPR points than the league average. Expect a PPR between 10 and 12 at the low end of his usual range.
Insanity’s Daily Combat
Site: FanDuel
Slate: Sun. main (12 games)
Type: $9 event
Top prize: $25K
Pot: $125K
Drew’s Group
Quarterback – Trevor Lawrence (Jac, at Det) $7,500 RB was awarded to David Montgomery (Chi, vs. GB) $7,000 Running Back: Nick Chubb (Cle, at Hou) $9,600 Wide Receiver: Randall Cobb (GB, at Chi) $5,400 Wide Receiver — A.J. Brown (Phi, vs. Ten) $8,100 Wide Receiver — D.J. Chark Jr. (Det, vs. Jac) $5,300
TE — George Kittle (SF, vs. Mia) $6,200 Flex — Garrett Wilson (NYJ, at Min) $6,600 DEF — Falcons (Atl, vs. Pit) $3,900
Wilk’s Soldiers
Quarterback — Jared Goff (Det, vs. Jac) $6,800 RB — Austin Ekeler (LAC, at LV) $9,200: Aaron Jones (GB, vs. Chi); $7,400: Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR) (Det, vs. Jax) $8,000 WR — David Bell (Cle, at Hou) $5,000 WR — George Pickens (Pit, at Atl) $6,700 TE — George Kittle (SF, vs. Mia) $6,200 Flex — Dameon Pierce (Hou, vs. Cle) $6,500 DEF — Commanders 4,100
Follow @NYPost Loftis and @NYPost Roto on Twitter for roster updates.
Season risked: $90
Season gains: $40 for Jared and $12 for Drew
»Fantasy football: Bench your morality and play Deshaun Watson«