Fantasy Football
Matthew Berry, ESPN Senior Writer 7y

Love, Hate and getting along in a Twitter world

Fantasy NFL, Fantasy

Everyone's wrong, OK? Let's just start there.

There are no winners here; everyone is wrong -- including me -- and I hope we can fix that.

It started in the preseason, when Green Bay Packers tight end Martellus Bennett tweeted this:

And what has followed in recent weeks is a slew of tweets from NFL players on the same subject, including Tyler Eifert, Odell Beckham Jr., LeGarrette Blount and Golden Tate among others. Some are nicer than others, some are more aware than others, some use -- ahem -- saltier language than others. But the message is the same.

"I don't care about your fantasy team. Stop tweeting at me about it. I don't care."

This is not a new phenomenon. I remember getting into a 2015 preseason Twitter back-and-forth with Jeremy Maclin over the same subject. Over the years, Arian Foster and Ray Rice have been very vocal about fantasy football and their disdain for having it pushed on them.

And here's the thing: They are right. No NFL player should care about someone's fantasy football team. Professionally, all that should be expected of them is that they concentrate on helping their NFL teams win games.

Let me take a moment here to get on my soapbox. Stop. Just stop. Don't tweet at NFL players. Don't do it. In the words of coach Herm Edwards: Don't press send. I have a solution for you at the end of this column, but in the meantime, tweeting to players is a waste of time -- for you, for the player, for the universe.

I understand that there is a statistical and transactional nature to fantasy football. It contributes to people thinking of NFL players as statistical pieces of meat rather than as real people with emotions and personal challenges. That doesn't make it right. And if you don't get that, I strongly recommend reading Kevin Van Valkenburg's great piece on Seahawks running back Eddie Lacy and his public battle with weight management.

But either way, I assure you: Whatever NFL player you are tweeting at gave it his all on the field. He is working hard at getting healthy and trying to come back. If he had a bad game, I promise you, he is already well aware of it. No need to let him know.

There's plenty of things in this world that deserve your attention, your passion and your thoughts online. This ain't one of them.

So I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to every NFL player who has ever received online grief from fantasy owners. It's not right, I'm embarrassed by it and I hope I can help contribute to improving the situation.

I also want to personally and specifically apologize to Martellus Bennett.

After he tweeted his "real football guy" line, well, I took exception to it. If we are all just an amalgam of our experiences, I'm one who has waved the flag for fantasy football for over three decades. I've heard enough nerd/Dungeons & Dragons/mom's basement jokes to last five lifetimes -- and working on the sixth. You should see the mentions on Martellus' timeline after this tweet.

I've written before about the not-always-smooth path that fantasy football has taken in major media companies, including ESPN. So I am sensitive (overly, if I am being honest) and protective of this little game we play, and it just seemed so weird for Bennett to just tweet that, out of the blue. The "real life football guy" part struck me as condescending and passive-aggressive toward the game we play. Anyway, I responded to his assertion that he doesn't care about our fantasy teams.

So I want to apologize to Martellus here because I shouldn't have used jerk. That was too aggressive, and that's on me. I'll own my role in this and cop to the fact that I'm not perfect either, especially on social media. So that's on me and me alone. And so when I am sitting here lecturing people about how they treat NFL players online, realize I am including myself there as well.

After that tweet, Martellus and I went back and forth in a more civil discussion about it, which I was glad about. My disappointment, however, is that while I see his point, he didn't see mine. He retweeted an easy Dungeons & Dragons barb; he joked back and forth with Eifert (who also doesn't care about your fantasy team, by the way) and most specifically, disagreed with my point that fantasy football helps him in any way.

And that's what I mean when I say everyone's wrong. Fantasy players should not be tweeting anger at NFL athletes. And those same athletes should not care about fantasy football at all. But they also shouldn't be dismissive of it.

The truth is, fantasy football is great for the NFL and, ultimately, great for players. For the most part, fans care about teams. They like the Packers or the Patriots or the Redskins or whomever. They care about the league.

But the one place where fan interest in more about individual players than teams? Fantasy football. Later in the conversation, Martellus tweeted

"Football was the most popular sport in the world before [fantasy football] and will be after fantasy football. All [fantasy] did was cross-pollinate fans."

He then added "Y'all act like FF is responsible for all football fans that are watching the game these days. [Fantasy] is not the powerful bruh"

My response to Martellus was this:

"For all? No. Of course not. But it's certainly helped fuel interest & ratings. And that helps you guys get paid more-as you should be.

"FF is a reason that there will be millions of additional Martellus fans that are NOT GB fans. How is that a bad thing for you?

"You don't need to embrace it. You shouldn't care about anything other than GB winning. But no reason to dismiss those that play. That's all."

It's those last two points I wish I could get through to players like Martellus, Odell, LeGarrette and others. Odell Beckham doesn't need fantasy football to be famous, well paid or any of that. But players like him are few and far between. There's a lot more players like Tarik Cohen, Jack Doyle, Rashard Higgins, Cooper Kupp and Austin Hooper, to name a few. You think anyone, anywhere, is talking about Rashard Higgins outside of Cleveland other than fantasy owners?

Football has always been popular, and it would still be a huge business without fantasy football. But it wouldn't be as big. On Thursday the 49ers and the Rams are going to play, and you know who outside of California is going to watch that game? Fantasy players, that's who. Because, let's be honest, that ain't a sexy game, Mr. Bennett.

I'm not delusional. I'd be shocked if any NFL players read this column, but I know that agents, as well as NFL public relations and NFL Players Association people, do read this, so I'm hopeful they will help spread the message. No one is asking you to care. Just don't be dismissive. Or just keep it to yourself. Because that's not helping the conversation either.

I interviewed Cardinals running back David Johnson this summer, and when I asked him about fantasy football, he said, "Fantasy has blown up. I never knew much about it; I've been forced into it, but it's a great opportunity. A great opportunity to see more fans of different teams, but they are fans of me and it's just cool to see."

Just this week, when Johnson was asked if he'd thought about fantasy football players as he recovers from his wrist injury, he said, "Fantasy is the last thing on my mind right now."

As it should be, and we should respect him enough to keep it that way.

He has exactly the right attitude. Every agent should copy and paste that first quote and give it to their players. Tell them, when asked about fantasy, they should just say that and move on. And not check their Twitter accounts. Because while I don't agree with the attitude of some players, I certainly understand where it comes from. My Twitter gets blown up with awful, hateful things every Sunday, and that's just me. I'm just some dumb guy on basic cable. I can only imagine how much worse it is for players.

So here's my solution. I have created a Twitter account: @StanleyStink.

Stanley is a player. He is a player on your fantasy team. And he just killed your hopes this weekend. Crushed your team. It is all his fault. He sucks. He is brutal. And you should let him have it.

Instead of channeling your anger at a specific person, send it to Stanley. He'll listen. He has all the filters off, and he will never block anyone -- he promises. So go to town on Stanley. Get it off your chest, blow off some steam and save your tweets to real athletes for gratitude, when they carry your fantasy team to victory. Because that's gonna be the case more often than not.

Quarterbacks I love in Week 3

Cam Newton, Panthers: A year after being drafted as QB1 and finishing as QB17, Newton's comeback tour has hit a bit of a snag, as he has scored fewer fantasy points than Josh McCown and Sam "one game" Bradford. Which is why it's a perfect time to take a dip in the healing powers of Lake Minnetonka, otherwise known as the Saints' secondary. New Orleans is last in the NFL in completion percentage allowed, yards per attempt allowed, fantasy points allowed and tied for the most touchdowns allowed. The Saints have even allowed more deep touchdown passes (three) than deep incompletions (two) this season. The past three times Newton has gotten a full week of prep time prior to facing the Saints, he has thrown for at least 315 yards against them. I like his chances at making it four in a row.

Matthew Stafford, Lions: So after two weeks on the "hate" list, Stafford and I are tied. He was a rock star in Week 1 (bad call by me) and not much in Week 2 (yay me). So let's see if we can work together, Mr. Stafford, and bring it home for the both us. Although he looked locked in, I was down on Stafford in the preseason not because of his talent (he's a terrific real-life QB) but because of the ball-control offense the Lions wanted to run, something you saw on full display on Monday night. And I fear that will be the case more often than not. But back at home in the dome in a game where the Lions will have to throw to keep up? I'm all-in. Since the beginning of last season, only two teams have allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks than the Falcons, and that doesn't figure to improve with Vic Beasley Jr. out. Stafford is locked in as a high-end QB1 this week in what should be a shootout.

Carson Wentz, Eagles: So, the Eagles can't run and it doesn't seem like the Giants can tackle. Even if the Giants get Janoris Jenkins back (expected as of Wednesday night), this is still a recipe for fantasy success for Wentz, the only quarterback in the NFL with at least 300 yards passing and multiple passing touchdowns in each of the first two games this season. It's a pass-first, pass-second and pass-third offense -- since Week 8 of last season, no QB has thrown more passes -- and much like Stafford on Monday night, Wentz's mobility will allow him to avoid the Giants' pass rush. I have no idea why I am the only ranker to have Wentz in the top 10 this week.

Others receiving votes: Carson Palmer drives me crazy, but at home on Monday night -- and as another QB in an offense that can't run -- he should be able to put up points against a struggling Cowboys secondary that just gave up four scores to Trevor Siemian. I like Palmer's chances of another solid game. ... The rushing keeps DeShone Kizer's floor high and the Colts' defense keeps his upside pretty high. ... While I don't expect Alex Smith to remain the No. 1 QB in fantasy by the end of the season, he should usable once again this week against a Chargers team that he has had at least 13.4 fantasy points against in every game since joining K.C. in 2013. He scored 52.68 total points last season in two games against the Bolts.

Quarterbacks I hate in Week 3

Russell Wilson, Seahawks: Remember the last season in which the Seahawks didn't allow Wilson to be pressured at a top-three rate? No? Don't feel bad, it has never happened. With limited protection, it shouldn't be surprising that Wilson has completed just 57.9 percent of his passes against the blitz (19th) since 2015. It's not just the offensive line struggles, but potentially being without Jimmy Graham doesn't help and you can't ignore his road struggles (19.1 percent fewer fantasy PPG on the road since 2015). A slow starter, Wilson has averaged 14.32 points per game in September the past three seasons (QB25 last year), but has averaged 19.82 points per game from October on (QB6 last year). Which means patience with Wilson, but maybe look elsewhere for Sunday.

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: This is another surprising one to me as well, as many of my colleagues have Ben inside their top 10 this week. We know how much Roethlisberger struggles on the road (just 15 points at Cleveland in Week 1, he averages just 13.59 away from Pittsburgh since 2015) and very quietly, the Bears are actually pretty tough against QBs at home, where they rank as a top-10 unit since the start of 2016. In that span, the Bears have given up just seven passing touchdowns in nine home games. Ben is outside my top 10 this week.

Running backs I love in Week 3

Carlos Hyde, 49ers: The talent was never in question, it has always been the health. He's healthy now and in a run-first offense that plays to his strength. After an impressive performance on the road in Seattle last week, everyone is starting him, but I wanted to highlight him as I am the only ranker to have him in the top six and feel he is worth the price for those playing DFS. The volume is there and in a short week, I'd expect even more of an emphasis on the running game. And I also expect that to be successful, as the Rams are allowing the seventh-most yards per carry and fifth-most running back points this season.

Frank Gore, Colts: What are the Colts gonna do, let Jacoby Brissett throw it? They won't have to against the Browns, so while a vulture TD from Marlon Mack is always a possibility, Gore looked spry last week and the Browns have allowed 4.49 yards per carry since the start of last season. Expect another heavy workload and a top-20 finish from Gore in Week 3.

Theo Riddick, Lions: Death, taxes and you start pass-catching running backs against Atlanta. Since the start of last season, the Falcons have allowed the most receptions, the second-most receiving yards and most receiving touchdowns to opposing running backs. With two high-powered offenses on the turf in what should be a high-scoring game, expect Riddick to be used enough to be worthy of a top-20 play in PPR leagues.

Others receiving votes: Javorius Allen has out-touched Terrance West in two straight weeks and I expect that to continue, especially in the passing game, as Baltimore struggles with its vertical passing game. Also, West didn't practice on Wednesday. ... With Corey Coleman going down to injury, Duke Johnson Jr. is now leading the Browns in overall targets and on targets 15 yards downfield. Indy is tied for the most pass attempts of 15-plus yards allowed downfield. I like the Browns' chances of moving the ball through the air here and Johnson will be a part of that. ... OK, it would be a gutty call, no doubt, but with a change in offensive coordinator the Bengals need to do something, so how about increasing Joe Mixon's touches against a Packers team giving up the second-most yards per carry before first contact this season. The Bengals have to do something different and I believe that includes more Mixon.

Running backs I hate in Week 3

Jordan Howard, Bears: Howard was out-snapped 40-29 by Tarik Cohen last week and he really hasn't looked great when he has had the ball in his hands (73 yards on 25 touches). Digging further, Howard has been outgained by Cohen (6.6 yards per carry to 2.7) and only three of Howard's carries have come with eight men or more in the box. The Steelers have been a top-10 run defense (in terms of yards per carry) since Week 9 last season. Whether it's injury, sophomore slump or some combination, Howard is hard to trust as anything more than a flex this week.

Bilal Powell, Jets: Powell has fewer carries and targets than Matt Forte this season and has been out-snapped by Forte in both games, too. Hey, anytime you can get the backup RB on a terrible offense you gotta do it, amirite? Small-sample-size alert, of course, but the fact that the Dolphins held Melvin Gordon to 13 yards on nine carries last week can't make you feel great about Powell's chances, either. Eventually, I believe Forte gives way to Powell, but not this week, and not against Miami.

Adrian Peterson, Saints: If Sean Payton isn't gonna use him, why should you? So far it would appear this is one helluva a bad call by me. I still have hope, but it's fading and I certainly don't see a lot of daylight for him against a Panthers team that has given up just 2.4 yards per carry to opposing running backs this season, third fewest in the NFL (and they've faced Carlos Hyde and LeSean McCoy). They are, however, tied for the fourth-most receptions allowed to opposing running backs this season, which means Alvin Kamara could be interesting for those in deeper leagues.

Wide receivers I love in Week 3

A.J. Green, Bengals: Just in case you were thinking of getting cute ... don't. I like him in DFS this week as well, as the Packers have surrendered the third-most deep completions and the most deep touchdowns since the beginning of last season.

Kelvin Benjamin, Panthers: Well, you know I am in on Cam this week, so it stands to reason I'm also a fan of the guy who leads the Panthers in targets on passes of 15-plus yards downfield this season. This may come as a shock, but the Saints have allowed opposing QBs to complete 87.5 percent of those throws, including more TDs (three) than incompletions (two) on those throws. Especially with Greg Olsen out, Benjamin is a top-20 play for me.

Golden Tate, Lions: Since the beginning of last season, the Falcons are allowing more than 110 yards per game to slot receivers. No other team is allowing even 90 yards per game. I'll take volume against Atlanta every day of the week and considering that Tate leads the league in routes run since joining the Lions in 2014, he has top-10 potential this week in a shootout in Detroit. And if for some reason he doesn't, you know, don't tweet him.

Others receiving votes: One knock against Jarvis Landry is that he never scores, but that may change this weekend, as the Jets have allowed the fourth-most yards per catch to slot receivers (12.6) and the fifth-most slot TDs (12) since the start of last season. You were already using Landry in PPR, but I'm good with him in non-PPR this week as well. ... Cooper Kupp makes his third appearance in as many weeks on this list, as he has accounted for 91.3 percent of the Rams' slot yardage and his scoring upside is higher than usual. Opponents have completed a league-high 75 percent of their red zone passes when targeting the slot against the Niners since the beginning of last season, thus landing Kupp on the PPR WR3 radar Thursday night. ... Rashard Higgins impressed with seven grabs in Week 2 and the Browns' offense could be as potent as ever -- a low bar to set, but still -- against a vulnerable Colts secondary that has allowed a league-high 14 deep completions. Gimme some Rashard Higgins.

Wide receivers I hate in Week 3

Dez Bryant, Cowboys: Mike Clay's WR/CB matchups column is among the articles I make sure to check weekly before setting my lineup, and he has Patrick Peterson extending Bryant's struggles. How can you not agree? Peterson (6-foot-1 and 203 pounds) is one of the few corners who can match up physically with him. This is still a good offensive line despite what we saw last weekend and I think the Boys look to get their identity back. This passing game isn't as inept as we've seen thus far, but this isn't the week to right the ship. Dez is merely a touchdown-dependent, low-end WR2/3 this week.

Alshon Jeffery, Eagles: This is with the assumption that Janoris Jenkins plays, since that's the expectation as of this writing. Since the start of last season, the Giants have allowed the second-lowest completion rate to WRs both overall (56.3 percent) and on passes of 15-plus yards downfield (31.9 percent). Carson Wentz has 640 yards passing this season and yet, just 130 of them have gone to Jeffery. Wentz has been spreading it around and I'm not sure that changes Sunday given the coverage I expect Jeffery to get. I can't imagine you have better options, but he's not a DFS play for me and is merely a high-end WR3 this week.

Tight ends I love in Week 3

Jack Doyle, Colts: No Andrew Luck, and yet I'm in on a pass-catcher for Indy? You betcha, he said, because apparently when talking about Indy players it helps if you talk like you live there. Doyle seemed to have a bit of a connection with Jacoby Brissett last week (eight catches for 79 yards) and if you're a tight end, it doesn't get any better than a date with the Browns. They've allowed the most fantasy points, most receptions, third-most receiving yards and are tied for the most receiving scores to opposing TEs this season. That's while facing the likes of Jesse James and Benjamin Watson.

Charles Clay, Bills: From 2002 to '16, there were exactly two instances in which a defense generated pressure on at least 34 percent of dropbacks for a season: the 2015 Broncos and the 2016 Broncos. Why am I putting that stat beneath a Love tight end? Well, since the beginning of last season, Clay's reception share jumps from 19.1 percent when Tyrod Taylor is not under pressure to 24.6 percent when he is feeling the heat. The Broncos just got lit up by Jason Witten, so yeah, in a desperate tight end week, you could do worse than Clay.

Austin Hooper, Falcons: He has yet to see much in the way of targets, but he should be able to make the most of what opportunities he does get against the Lions. Since the beginning of last season, Detroit ranks as a bottom-five defense in terms of completion percentage and touchdowns allowed to tight ends. There should be no shortage of points in this one, so look for Hooper to bounce back after a disappointing Week 2.

Others receiving votes: Zach Miller has run a route on 82.1 percent of his snaps this season (the highest rate among the 81 tight ends who have played at least 15 snaps), a trend that is worth a roll of the dice against a Steelers defense that has allowed the ninth-most TE receptions since the beginning of last season. ... Benjamin Watson caught all eight of his targets last week and I think the Jags' ability to pressure the quarterback is real (league-high 44.9 percent pressure rate this season). Since the beginning of last season, the majority of Joe Flacco's targets when under pressure have gone to non-WRs ... and Watson is basically the lone non-WR standing at this point.

Tight ends I hate in Week 3

Jason Witten, Cowboys: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that Witten has nearly as many catches as any other tight end has targets this season and that he has scored in back-to-back weeks to open the season. But what is most likely to occur? This stretch in which he has scored once every 11 targets, or his career average of one score every 24 targets? Witten has never been a consistent source of touchdowns, and with the Cardinals having held tight ends to the second-fewest receptions (and the fewest PPR points) since the beginning of last season, I just don't see TE1 upside on Monday night.

Martellus Bennett, Packers: Aaron Rodgers leads the league in pass attempts and is second in passing yardage ... and Marty B has 90 yards. Even in a shootout last week with Atlanta and every pass-catcher banged up, Rodgers and Bennett just couldn't connect. The Bengals have given up just 19 yards to opposing tight ends this season. Now, that's skewed because Houston literally had no one at tight end and Baltimore didn't need to throw much in Week 1, but still. Based on what we have seen so far and an expectation that Cincy comes to play in this one, I have Bennett outside my top 10 this week.

Defenses to stream in Week 3

For updated order of preference, check out my rankings.

Miami Dolphins (at Jets, 89 percent available); Baltimore Ravens (vs. Jaguars, 43 percent available); Tampa Bay Buccaneers, especially if Bradford doesn't play (at Vikings, 89 percent available); Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Giants, 88 percent available).

Matthew Berry, The Talented Mr. Roto, also thinks you should tweet mean things to celebrities. He is the creator of RotoPass.com, the founder of the Fantasy Life app and a paid spokesperson for DRAFT.

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