First things first, DraftKings have left the UK-market and frankly left us void of options on a DFS-front, of course, they did it after I had my best week in a few years on there and now being forced to withdraw money is proving painful. I’ve had to fill in a W-8BEN form before to withdraw, it was irritating but not too strenuous, hopefully all withdrawals will get processed quickly.
FanTeam are still operating in the UK, but I’ll be giving FantasyGamedayApp a go this weekend and seeing how it goes. They had their first full season last year and should now grow quickly without many other options. If you want to give them a go and get a Free contest entry then use code TDTIP when creating an account, enter a contest and you’ll be credited a free entry.
It’s that time of year again, October rolls around and the London games arrive on the schedule, this week we’re looking at the unbeaten Vikings and the stuttering NY Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Jags v Bears next week and the Jags staying in London for their matchup against the Patriots at Wembley (my god, what a fixture) in Week 7. Unfortunately, I can’t justify the cost of going this year for some very average-looking fixtures but I hope that all heading down there this week and in future weeks have a great time and we get some interesting games.
Jets +2 vs. Vikings: 40.5
I must admit I loved the Spurs stadium when I went down last year for the Bills game, by some way the best atmosphere I’ve been involved in at a London game and the stadium itself is brilliant, so having Aaron Rodgers and Justin Jefferson on the field should be a good sight for everyone going to the game this weekend.
I’ll be watching on ITV with the game kicking off at 1430 and over before RedZone comes on in the evening. It should at least be nice weather in London this weekend, looking like 17-18c and should be finished before the rain hits on Sunday evening, although take a brolly if you’re walking home.
The Jets are sitting at 2-2 in a division that’s blown wide-open with Tua out for the Dolphins, the Patriots being terrible and the Bills stuttering every time they face a half-decent team, they do need to get back on track this weekend though to keep themselves in touch of the Bills at the top. The Vikings on the other hand are the surprise team of the league so far this year with Sam Darnold guiding them to an unbeaten start, something that I highly doubt would have happened with JJ McCarthy under center.
New York Jets
I’m not going to lie, and if you’ve read anything I’ve written over the last few years about Aaron Rodgers you’ll know my opinion on him… I think he’s over-rated and he won’t live up to the heights that people seem to expect of him; Case A), scoring 9 points against the Broncos last week. I know, I know, the weather was horrible, but he’s played nearly 250 games in his career, many in Green Bay, you’re telling me he falls apart due to a bit of inclement weather? Nah. He’ll probably go out and have a great game here but I said when he signed that the Jets weren’t going to win anything, and I stand by that now. (I might regret this mini-rant come February, but I doubt it).
They’ve got talent across the offensive, led by Breece Hall on the ground who now has a bit of help with Braelon Allen taking snaps to give Hall some time off, something that looks like it might actually be hurting his productivity as he’s failed to really get going so far this year, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry on the season although his receiving yardage is ticking up and he’s scored in 3 of 4 games this year, unsurprisingly he’s the shortest price Jets player in the TD market (11/10). Braelon Allen was talked about over the summer but I doubt many of us thought he’d be getting the amount of work he is at this point in his career but he has looked good doing it, a better YPC on fewer carries but not as much work in the passing game for the youngster in his first few starts, 11/4 the best price for Allen to score.
The passing game has been tough to call, mainly due to Rodgers loving his bestest buddy in the whole wide world, Allen Lazard who leads the team in yards and TDs after the first month of the season, not Garrett Wilson, not Mike Williams, but Allen Lazard with 203 yards and 3 TDs so far, he’s 16/5 on BetFred, 3/1 most of the others. Wilson was expected to lead the team, he has done in targets and he will in yards by the end of the season but it’s taking a bit of time for him and Rodgers to gel which makes sense, he’s 15/8 to find the endzone. Mike Williams has been easing his way back into things at WR after a serious injury ruled him out of last season, his stats have gone up week-on-week and he’s usually good for a deep shot or two during the game.
Tight end isn’t pretty for the Jets Tyler Conklin 11 receptions, no TDs for him or Jeremy Ruckert so far this season.
The Jets defense should be the area of the team winning games for them and only allowing 29 points in the last 3 weeks is pretty impressive even if it was against the Broncos, Patriots and Titans. Sauce Gardner has a juicy matchup with Justin Jefferson which should be fun to watch and they’re sitting at 2nd in Sack percentage this year, again, not the best of opposition, but some good numbers.
Minnesota Vikings
So here the Vikings are at 4-0, the only unbeaten team in the NFC as we enter October, just as we all know, right?! They’ve beaten some good teams as well, in good fashion, the 49ers, they hammered the Texans and were 28 points up against the Packers last week before letting their foot off the gas and letting the Packers make it respectable in the end.
Sam Darnold has the most TDs in the league and sits 3rd in QBR so far this season, 70% completion percentage and with a good defense on the other side of the ball he’s not had to throw 30 attempts in any game so far this year, I don’t see that changing this weekend in London. He faces the team who drafted, and ruined him this week and despite him saying nice things about them I’ve got to think he wants to destroy them, and to think, it wasn’t even meant to be him under center this year.
It helps that Aaron Jones (11/10) has come in and looks as good as he ever did at running back for the Packers, 5 yards per carry and 5 receptions a game is enough to make him very good in fantasy but you’d want more than the 2 TDs he’s had through 4 games this year on a winning team. Behind him is Ty Chandler who gets a little, but not enough to make him value and Darnold is still pretty mobile.
Having the best and highest paid WR in the league definitely helps things, I admit I was down on Justin Jefferson (21/20) this year due to the QB situation but a TD in every game and sitting 6th in yards with 358 so far this season shows that he deserves the money he’s getting for the next few years, his TD against the 49ers a few weeks back was arguably the highlight of the season so far, a 97-yarder where he cut inside a couple of backs and they had no chance once he got going. Jordan Addison (11/4) came back from injury last week and scored a rushing and receiving TD, he’s a great WR2. Jalen Nailor (5/1) had scored 3 games in a row before 1 for 31 yards last week with Addison back in the picture. It’s not great at TE for them but Johnny Mundt (6/1) and Josh Oliver (9/1) 11 receptions and 2 TDs for them so far this season, they may well pop up with a score, but good luck picking it.
The Viking defense is probably the best performing unit in the league, it’s not filled with talent but Brian Flores is a genius, and he’s got this defense playing beyond it’s talent.
The Verdict.
Honestly. I’m not sure. I think the Vikings will win and cover but I wouldn’t be backing that. I’ll definitely be looking under the total, both defense are very good units.
Sauce v Just Jeff is the key to the game really, if you can hold Jefferson to minimal gains then you’ve got a decent chance of beating this Vikings team and I think Gardner might be able to do that. I’m not convinced by the Jets offense as of yet, it is getting better but it’s nothing I want to be backing.
Mike Williams longest receptions o17.5 yards – 5/6 is probably my best bet for the London game and I’ve got the following Bet Builder on at PaddyPower.
It’s definitely the best game on paper, but might not be the most entertaining for neutrals.
TouchdownTips 