Round Table Week #5
Welcome back to Truth Serum Football’s Round Table discussion! Week #5 is here and there’s plenty to discuss! Let’s get right to it with a few questions for David from Genesis Sports Cards and Truth Serum Football, head writer at Truth Serum Football Mr. Anthony Fortunato, the one and only Ben Kayser of TSF and Cricket from Sports Picks!
Q1. What is your upset of the week?
David: I have over half the games as upsets this week, but if I had to pick the most "upset" of them all, it'll be the Vikings over the Chiefs. The Vikings offense reminds me a lot of the Lions, with a slightly better passing game and slightly worse running game. That's not good for the Chiefs defense. Another side note is Patrick Mahomes has never played in Minnesota, coming off a game with multiple picks, I like the Chiefs to be distracted by a short week before their TNF game against the Broncos in week 6.
Anthony: Favorite upset this week would be the Texans over the Falcons. Not a huge spread but the Texans are 1.5 point underdogs at home and they’ve been on fire lately coming off a huge 30-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Texans offense has been gaining steam and the defense has been surprising. I don’t think the Falcons are going to be able to slow the game down as they like to do. I think Houston wins by 3.
Ben: I don't know how much of an upset this is but I think the Steelers defense helps them grind out a win against the Ravens. These two teams generally have very competitive games and I think this one will be as well.
Cricket: Jacksonville Jaguars Over the Buffalo Bills
- The Jaguars, to me, feel like a team with a "Back Against The Wall" mentality right now. Even at 2-2, it seems like they're already approaching "Must Win" territory to keep the season from slipping away. Buffalo, on the other hand, comes in riding high after last week's win over the NFL's hottest team the Miami Dolphins. This just feels like a "Let Down" spot for Buffalo. Jacksonville played in London last weekend, and remained there this week for game preparations. Their "Body Clocks" should be more adjusted, and honed in, than the Bills. Couple that, with the fact Buffalo exhausted A LOT of energy and emotion in that Miami game last week... I just got a funny feeling about the Jags this week.. I do think Buffalo is the better team, but I don't think we'll get their best performance this weekend.
Q2. Is there a rookie you see breaking out down the stretch?
David: I want to say Quentin Johnston but Herbert seems to hate that kid. I'll swivel instead to Roschon Johnson. Playing in a run heavy offense, Johnson has the talent to overcome Herbert and become the RB1 in Chicago, especially if Fields can show more of what he showed this week against Denver.
Anthony: A common answer most likely but Roschon Johnson has all the tools and opportunity to take over the backfield job in Chicago. He was an early season sleeper favorite and he’s gotten a decent amount of work so far but as the season goes on I think he takes over more. Outside of a cupcake matchup against the Broncos, Khalil Herbert has been underwhelming and the opportunity is there for Johnson to seize.
Ben: Yep, Roschon Johnson, it hasn't happened yet but he has already supplanted Foreman and as much as I like Khalil Herbert, I just think in the long run Johnson will eventually overtake the backfield before the end of this season.
Cricket: WR Jalin Hyatt - New York Giants
- Yes, I know New York's Offense is REPULSIVE, and downright hard to watch at times, but hear me out... The Giants have no proven threat on the offensive side of the ball, other than Saquon Barkley IF he's healthy. Even off-season acquisition, Darren Waller, has been a bust so far this season. Why not give the Rookie a shot to solidify his spot in the Offense? He's a sure-handed deep threat, who could also become heavily involved in the screen game. With the Giants allowing the most sacks in the league so far, they need to look for ways to get the ball out of Daniel Jones' hands quicker, and Hyatt offers opportunities to do that. Now, I'm not saying he's going to win Offensive ROY or anything crazy like that.. But I do think his volume in the offense is going to take a significant uptick.
Q3. Which aging veterans should “win now” dynasty owners be looking to target for cheap?
David: With so many tight ends in this draft showing their talent, I'd say go for Travis Kelce, before he goes on his rampage and takes the number 1 spot back.
Anthony: Depending on the trade market in your league, not sure how cheap these guys can come but these are the vets I would want to add. Cooper Kupp, James Conner and Adam Thielen. Kupp probably won’t come very cheap, but he seems very close to returning to the field and probably doesn’t have many elite years ahead. Stafford looks back to his old self for the time being and once Kupp returns he should dominate targets again. James Conner is overlooked every year and does nothing but produce. Game script doesn’t matter for Conner since he has put up great production regardless. Adam Thielen can certainly be acquired the cheapest of these three. He has a higher ceiling with Dalton under center, but he’s been the clear #1 in the offense and been over double digit points in several straight weeks.
Ben: I believe Adam Thielen, Latavius Murray, and Zach Ertz are three older veterans to go after in dynasty. Thielen is obviously the best of those three, he is Young's safety valve and as bad as the Panthers are, passes have to go somewhere and Thielen is getting most of them. Murray might be second fiddle on the Bills offense but he also has two touchdowns and so at the very least he is potentially a waiver add that can cover your bye weeks in your push for the championship. Ertz is in a similar spot but McBride is still learning, while Ertz is a reliable and cheap tight end to fill out a roster depending upon matchup.
Cricket: A.) Aaron Jones RB - Green Bay Packers
- I feel like AJ's stock is fairly low right now, after returning from a Hamstring injury, and a tough performance against a good Lion's defense. He could be targeted for relatively cheap right now, and as he gets back closer to 100% healthy, his role and production in this Offense should increase quite a bit.
B.) Alvin Kamara RB - New Orleans Saints
- I think a lot of people have forgotten, but this is still one of the most talented RB's in the League. Returning from a 3-Game suspension, he had 11 carries for 51 yards, and 13 CATCHES for 33 yards. Now, I know the receiving yards aren't where we want them, and he didn't find the Endzone... But the PPR points alone are worth their weight in GOLD!! He may be a little more expensive to acquire, than Aaron Jones, but for "Win Now" Dynasty owners.. I feel like he is a MUST HAVE!!
Q4. Two teams remain undefeated, who falls first?
David: One of my other upsets this week is the Rams over the Eagles. If the 49ers handle business against the Cowboys, which I believe they do, they should head into their bye at 8-0
Anthony: I think the 49ers fall first. They have a tougher schedule over the next few weeks starting in Week 5 with Dallas. The Eagles don’t have a tough matchup for several weeks.
Ben: I believe the Eagles will have their wings clipped well before the 49ers take a loss, as long as Purdy and CMC stay healthy. In the upcoming weeks, the Eagles get to face the Jets defense that just made things difficult for Kansas City, then the Dolphins high powered offense, then get the Cowboys, followed by the Chiefs and Bills in back-to-back weeks, oh, and then they have to play the 49ers as well. I don't know who the Eagles pissed off but that is a brutal stretch of games with the only 'easier' matchups being the Rams and Commanders this week and before the Cowboys game. I just don't see them running the table on all those teams. By comparison the 49ers have weaker teams to face in that time period.
Cricket: Philadelphia Eagles
- I never thought I'd say this but... Brock Purdy is playing better, MORE EFFICIENT Football than Jalen Hurts at this juncture of the season. Purdy isn't turning the ball over, and simply drives the "Big Red Machine" to PERFECTION. With a plethora of weapons around him, he realizes he doesn't have to win the game for his team... He knows by not committing turnovers, he gives his guys an excellent shot to win each week. Hurts looks like he's pressing at times, so far this season, and forces some throws that may end up costing his team in spots. Both teams have exceptional defenses, but I believe San Fran's is the best in the entire League. When you pair all that, with the fact the 49ers have the BEST all-around Football player, in the entire NFL, in Christian McCaffrey.... This team may not lose at all if they can stay HEALTHY.
Q5. With all 4 teams in the AFC South at 2-2, who is your favorite to pull ahead and take the division?
David: I still feel like this is the Jags division to lose. The Texans have surprised a lot of people but folks will start to be able to game plan for Stroud and his wideouts. Same goes for Anthony Richardson, if he survives the season. The Titans are honestly the worst team in the division in my opinion so far, but they have Vrabel so they should be mediocre at worst.
Anthony: I think the Titans end up at the top. It’s a tough division every year and I don’t expect them to win more than 9-10 games at most. Even though they’ve looked mediocre, Vrabel has them in position every single year and the Jags look to have taken a step back.
Ben: I think ultimately the edge has to go to the Colts and their athletic young QB, Anthony Richardson. That comes with a big asterisk that if Richardson gets hurt and misses multiple games that obviously won't happen and unfortunately, so far Richardson has not always played it safe, even when he could have done so. It makes him exciting to watch, it could also ruin his career, but I think he figures it out faster then Stroud and I just don't see the Jags or Titans figuring it out this season.
Cricket: Indianapolis Colts
- Early on, the Colts have looked like the team with the most potential to me. Anthony Richardson is adjusting to the speed of the game far better than ANYONE could have ever expected, and looks like the future of the franchise that they drafted him to be. Even if he gets banged up, they have the BEST BACKUP QB in the league in Gardner Minshew. Jonathan Taylor is returning from the PUP-List, and Michael Pittman Jr. is no slouch on the outside. Combine all that with, what I believe, is one of the best Defenses in the League.. I see the Colts coming out on top in this division.
Reasons The Other Teams Won't Win This Division
Tennessee Titans - Ryan Tannehill
Jacksonville Jaguars - Lack of Offensive Efficiency & Costly Turnovers
Houston Texans - Lack of Overall Depth
Check out Cricket from Sportspicks.locals.com
Thanks for reading and drop a question in the comments section and we’ll get to it in next week’s Round Table discussion!
