THURSDAY NIGHT OBSERVATIONS
This is why it’s better to watch the five minute highlights. I got the 40-minute version this morning, everything was going great — I had Bills -8.5, I had subbed out Baker Mayfield in a league for Mac Jones (Don’t ask it’s drawing dead, but I still want to make the right decision), I have Chris Godwin everywhere and Mike Evans nowhere.
The Bills are up 14, they sack Baker Mayfield to ice the cover (this after they already should have gotten off the field but for a defensive hold), but there’s a facemask. First down. It gets to 4th-and-10, touchdown to Mike Evans. I lose the cover, Evans salvages the day for someone in my league, and it’s no longer a perfect game. (Plus there was some extra garbage time for the Bills on the ensuing drive.)
Granted, it’s my low-stakes home pool, but I was in second heading into that game, and now I’m in third. Just an annoying loss, but I guess after what happened in the Browns game for me in Survivor, I shouldn’t bitch too much.
The story of this game was Dalton Kincaid — he was available in one NFFC league this week, but I didn’t bid nearly enough. He looks like a receiver out there and very nearly had a second touchdown. He’s a top-10 TE already and easily could be top-five ROS.
It was nice to see Stefon Diggs have a modest (16-point) game. Josh Allen played well and spread it around. I faded the early QBs, but Allen in the early third looks very good right now.
James Cook runs well, but he’s strictly between the 20s. Hard to earn a living fantasy-wise with that role and modest target volume.
Mayfield is tough, and he’s not a terrible athlete, but he thinks he’s more athletic than he is. Good arm, though — that Hail Mary made it to the end zone, though oddly it hit the ground with no one touching it. Once the Bills blew the cover, I would have loved to see them lose outright as punishment.
Rachaad White passed the eye test for me as a runner and receiver. He’s no Christian McCaffrey, but competent and a little slippery.
It was odd at the end of the half that Todd Bowles didn’t even try the 59-yard FG after Chase McLaughlin had just made one from 57.
Bills punter Sam Martin was in the zone. It seemed like the Bucs started with the ball inside their own five for half the game.