The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

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The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

Week six: Fantasy football start or sit

Injuries riddle fantasy football currently. Star receivers, running backs and wide receivers are all going down as we start to hit the middle of the season. Sadly, without these star players, there aren’t many highly productive players who can really fill these roles. This week, we’re going to cover the spread for all sorts of players, from the stars to the sleepers. Right now, the key to winning in fantasy is having the guys who nobody is expecting to go off, and we’re here to help you find them. So without further adieu, let’s jump right into who should start, who should sit and which waiver wire guys you should be picking up.

Michael’s Picks

Quarterbacks:

With the Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson going down last week with a broken finger, you might need a new quarterback for a week or two. The Washington Football Team’s quarterback Taylor Heinicke is a great waiver wire pickup for your team. Rostered in just 18.3% of ESPN leagues, Heinicke is averaging around 20 points per week and is coming into Kansas City to face a very weak Chiefs defense. Heinicke is a great guy to pick up and start this week.

Taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is a bad idea to be starting. Hurts has played well all season, but the Buccaneer defense has played better. The Buccaneers have let up an average of about 21 points per game, most of those games being against the leagues top offenses. Hurts and the rest of the mediocre Eagles offense will get shut down and he should not start in week six.

Tre’s Picks

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is due for a breakout game this week. The past two weeks he hasn’t been as good as he was when the season first started. As the Rams get ready to face the New York Giants, Stafford and the Rams offense should have a field day against the Giants terrible defense and we should see them use this game to their advantage to get back on track after a tough loss to the Arizona Cardinals and almost losing to the Seattle Seahawks last week. . 

With the Minnesota Vikings getting ready to take on the Carolina Panthers this week, Kirk Cousins is going to struggle against Carolina’s defense. The Vikings have already struggled this season with a two and three start and with their starting quarterback, Cousins already having his struggles to start the season. I can see him being in a slump for a long time. Do not start Cousins this week.

Running backs:

List of players who should start or sit this week. (Michael Lolley)

Michael’s picks

Back to the Thursday night game, Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette has gotten hot recently. He’s ran for 150 yards and one touchdown over the last two games. The Eagles have also struggled stopping the run all year. I foresee Fournette breaking out for another big game and he should definitely start this week.

Buffalo Bills running back Zack Moss has been disappointing all year. On a team that’s played against no good defenses, Moss hasn’t been able to produce yet this season. Now that they have to match up with a good run stopping defense, the Tennessee Titans, Moss will continue to struggle with his production. Do not start Moss this week.

Tre’s Picks

Start Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler. He had an outstanding performance this past week rushing for two touchdowns, one being the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to help them secure a win against the Cleveland Browns. This week Ekeler takes on the Baltimore Ravens, although their defense is solid, I still think Ekeler will strive and have another big performance this week.

Do not start Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner. For years he has been lacking in performance and has not gotten any better. He has had a couple breakout games, but they happen every once in a blue moon. Conner is not reliable, do not start him. 

Wide receivers/tight ends:

Michael’s picks

Josh Gordon is back. After being suspended for two years, the star wide receiver has been signed by the Chiefs. With Chiefs the tight end and best wide receiver being questionable, they’re going to be looking to incorporate Gordon more this week. I can see Gordon having a great game, resembling what he used to do on a weekly basis. He should start this week.

Odell Beckham Jr has been terrible. Ever since coming back from his ACL tear he hasn’t been able to breakthrough. Against Arizona it won’t be any different. The Cardinals have been stifling teams all season long, especially in the passing game. OBJ should see the bench for a long time.

Tre’s Picks

After a great week five performance, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool is someone to start next week in fantasy. He had a great performance against the Denver Broncos with five receptions for 130 yards. Now with wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster out for the season, Pittsburgh’s number one option at receiver is now Claypool. 

After a poor performance, Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson is someone that should not see your lineup for the next couple weeks. Hockenson only had two receptions last week for 22 yards and he can improve, but not by much. Detroit’s offense is not very good and it’ll take a miracle for them to improve by the end of the season.

Wrap up:

With it being week six of the season, teams are starting to settle in and beginning to get to know their strengths and weaknesses and it makes the games that much better to watch. There have already been upsets and games that people will remember for the rest of their lives. Now that your lineups are set, let’s get ready for another great week of football. Good luck to you all in week six of the Fantasy football season.

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Michael Lolley, Staff Writer
Pronouns: he/him I am a senior, and this will be my fourth year on staff. I first decided to join the Pathfinder when I was failing yearbook, and realized maybe page design wasn’t for me. The fact that I enjoy all sports has helped me as a writer because I feel a passion for my writing when the story is about sports. Outside of school, you will most likely find me practicing baseball or in the weight room. Beyond the Pathfinder, I spend my time playing different sports, this summer I really picked up golfing and disc golf. After college, I hope to become a sports broadcaster, or any other career path in journalism.
Tre Bell, Staff Writer
Pronouns: he/him I am a senior, and this will be my fourth year on staff. At first, I wanted to do yearbook because it seemed like that's what everyone was doing, so I wanted to be with them. Klevens, however, told me she thought I would be a great writer and I took her word for it. Now, I am really glad I did. I think my friends love that I am always in a positive mood, that I always try to light up a room and that I am always there to be an ear for them when things aren’t going their way. I love hanging out with my friends. I also spend all of my time playing sports. I play football, basketball and run track, so I am always working out. I like actually listening to the lyrics of songs to understand what is being said; sometimes it’s very relatable. I hope I have a very fun and eventful senior year.
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Week six: Fantasy football start or sit