By: Jonathan Goad

I was completely wrong on my “Starts” last week. My bad. Boyd and Coleman disappointed in games they should have done very well. Crowder didn’t play which I mentioned, so I’m not apologizing for him.

I was also wrong about Kerryon Johnson and Allen Robinson. Also, my bad. I was correct about Marlon Mack though.

Look, you can’t win them all. Sometimes I’m going to be wrong. These are simply predictions that I base on matchups and recent performance as well as potential volume. Don’t hate me for trying.

Let’s go.

START

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

If you have T.Y., you’re starting him. He’s had an up and down year so far. I expect him to break out sooner rather than later. The Colts still have a shot at a playoff appearance. Andrew Luck and T.Y Hilton are going to go on a tear. I think it will start this week against division rival, Tennessee. I believe in this so much that I traded for T.Y Hilton in one of my leagues. Don’t be surprised if T.Y. looks like T.Y. from a couple years ago.

Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Lockett has scored in all but two of Seattle’s games. With as little as the Seahawks throw the ball, the volume won’t be the same as other number one receivers. Lockett appears to be that number one WR for the Seahawks, though. Doug Baldwin has done practically nothing this season. Tyler Lockett is emerging as the best WR in Seattle. He also has a solid matchup with the Packers this week. Seattle may need to pass a little more if they end up playing catchup.

Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

Speaking of Green Bay, there’s a clear cut number one back. That is Aaron Jones. He exploded for 145 yards and two TDs last week and that’s just his rushing stats. He’s going to see the vast majority of snaps behind Aaron Rodgers. Any defense game planning for the Packers is going to consider Rodgers are as primary weapon number one. That should free up lanes for Jones. This is another guy I traded for recently. He’s going to be a monster going forward.

BENCH

Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

I’m focused on this game for some reason. These guys just stand out. Carson didn’t suit up last week due to injury. Did you see Rashaad Penny run against the Rams defense? He looked like the back Seattle drafted. I imagine Penny will get a bigger role in the offense after his breakout game last week. Mike Davis will still factor into the game plan as well. Seattle will at least have a RBBC (running back by committee) approach going forward. That doesn’t bode well for Carson, Davis, or Penny. Be very cautious with any of them.

Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears

Howard is a fine back, but as we approach playoff time, you’re not looking for “fine.” Chicago faces Minnesota this week. Their defense is solid against RBs. With the way the Vikings and Bears offenses are playing, this could end up being a shootout. That works much better for Tarik Cohen than it does for Jordan Howard. If I’m starting either, it’s Cohen. Hopefully you don’t have to rely on Howard.

Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers

Funchess has been fairly inconsistent all year. He hasn’t topped 74 yards all season and only has 3 TDs. When the Panthers traded Kelvin Benjamin, it seemed like Funchess would take over number one WR duties. We’ve yet to really see him dominate the target share like a true number one, let alone put up WR1 numbers. It’s hard to trust him.

FLEX

Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Fournette had a very nice return from injury. What’s a little concerning is his 24 carries for only 53 yards. That’s an average of 2.2 yards per carry. The reason I say “flex” him instead of “bench” is because he had 29 total touches last week. There aren’t many players who are going to touch the ball that many times. Obviously, Jacksonville is going to get the ball to their playmakers, and Fournette is about their only one. The Jags face the Steelers this week who are very solid against RBs. Fournette will likely see a lot of touches again, but don’t expect a repeat of last week of his 2 TD performance.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington Redskins

Peterson has been a frustrating player in fantasy this year. At times, he looks like AP from his early days. Other times, he looks like Father Time has finally caught him. Chris Thompson may sit out again this week, so that bodes well for Peterson or you’d think it would. You’re probably safe starting AP as he’ll likely see a healthy amount of carries, but we can’t be sure of the result. Use caution.

Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

With the Cowboys playing the Falcons, Dallas may be forced to throw more than they’re comfortable with. That should be good news for Cooper. However, he’s had back to back decent fantasy performances since his arrival in Big D. That means he’s due for a poor performance. Maybe I’m biased. The good thing is Cooper has seen 18 targets in two games as a Cowboy. Don’t be surprised if he regresses though. Either way, he should see plenty of opportunities. We’ll see what he does with them.

Side Note: If you have any Ram or Chief starter, put them in your lineup this week. That’s going to be a fun game to watch. Expect both teams to score 50. Start all of these guys: Goff, Gurley (duh), Woods, Cooks, Kupp, Mahomes (also duh), Hill, Kelce, Hunt, heck even Watkins. I would also advise to not start either defense.