London’s Calling: NFL Week 5

I love the smell of NFL Football in the morning! Since 2017, the NFL has treated us to part of its NFL International Series with a game held in London in front of the rabid NFL supporters from across the pond (the other part of the Int’l Series being the Mexico City games). 

This year, the Falcons and the Jets head off to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in an attempt to impress the crowd and show them what American Football is all about. I’ll say this… the chants we get yearly at the London games are well worth the price of admission (admission, in this case, being getting up early and rolling out of bed to slap on the football game on your tv). The English supporters put American fans to shame when it comes to their fanhood, and it’s absolutely a blast to watch. Especially for the occasional error the fans will make as their understanding of the game still grows. Cheering at the wrong time on an offsides or holding call will always get a chuckle out of me.

But before I take you through the matchup at hand, I wanted to give you a few quick reminders and pieces of interesting info that relate directly to the game and to its early 9:30am Eastern start time:

1. First and foremost… DO NOT FORGET TO SET YOUR LINEUPS SATURDAY NIGHT OR WAKE UP SUPER EARLY TO DO IT SUNDAY MORNING. The info about injury designations should already be out Saturday night, and info can be slow to break on Sunday morning with most American beat reporters still hitting their snooze buttons and battling off the Saturday hangover. So be on top of your lineup tinkering the night before. Nothing worse than having to battle back all day because you left Calvin Ridley in your starting WR spot. 
2. Roger Goodell, as much we in New England all may hate him, has been crucial in the expansion of the NFL abroad and the NFL Int’l Series is really his brainchild. Prior to the series, NFL’s expansion overseas was really limited to NFL Europa, which folded in 2007. There are rumors that with the expanded 17 game schedule, Goodell will push for all teams to play one game in London each year (or Mexico City, depending on logistics). 
3. For now, all the games have been played in London, but there is the possibility other European cities will be involved in the near future. Germany has several stadiums they have offered up for a game, as have France and Italy. So it is only a matter of time. 
4. For every NFL Int’l series game, ticket sales have been met with insane popularity, selling out in less than 2 days each time………and each time tickets go on sale 9 months(!!!) in advance. 
5. The potential of a London based NFL team is still in talks, but the logistical nightmare of that time zone difference still remains the ultimate hurdle. Most teams have their bye weeks following the London game, but that wouldn’t be as manageable if there is a team expecting half their schedule to be played there. But hey, I’m sure they can find a way! 

As for the game at hand, the trend in London games seems to typically be heavy on the rushing attacks, field goals, and solid defense. I’m not sure if it’s an issue with limited practice time with the additional travel or what, but it seems that, to this point, the NFL coaches bringing their teams to London have thus far used basic/limited gameplans. Now, this isn’t to say we’ve never seen high scoring games. On the contrary! But I still tend to believe the running backs will be the people to focus on when the NFL heads to Great Britain. 

So in saying that, let’s shift our focus to the people actually playing in this game. Mike Davis is my number one pick of the game to outperform his weekly 8-10 pt games so far this season. He was also TSF Craig’s RB Start of the Week. Great pick. Davis should see a steady diet of work between the tackles as the Falcons will be without top pass catchers Calvin Ridley and Russel Gage. 

The other interesting play here is Cordarrelle Patterson, who was actually TSF Craig’s RB Sit of the Week. And for good reason. The Jets defense has been stout against pass catching RBs, and that really is Patterson’s niche. He can run the ball too, but he is primarily used as a receiving/third down back. If this trend continues, he is surely a risky play. However, if you picked him up and need to start him as a flex play because you were the Monty or CMC owner… I get it. And you could probably do worse than the 6-8 pts he will probably net you in your flex spot, but the expectations of another 30 point outburst should be tempered. 

For pass catchers in ATL, you really just have Kyle Pitts and Olamide Zaccheus. If you are looking for the last minute waiver pickup/dart throw, Zacchues is that guy. In games last year where he saw at least 6 targets, he totaled over 80 yards (in 2 of the 3 games this happened). Last week he caught 3 passes for 32 yards and a TD with Ridley still on the field. He has huge upside being the only outside WR on this team, other than Tajae Sharpe, who it’s slightly harder to bet on. 

As for Pitts, you’re looking at TSF Tom’s TE Sit of the Week. And again, the reasoning is solid. Pitts was highly touted coming out of college and that hype is yet to die. So the Jets should key on him and make Zaccheus be the one to beat you. If they can take away Pitts, which the data says they should, as they have locked up TEs through this point of the season, then they should position themselves in a spot where they have their best chance to win. 

On the NYJ side… we have slightly more well-known options for Fantasy Football. Jamison Crowder is now in must start territory, as the clear security blanket for Zach Wilson, who has struggled through the first few weeks of his NFL career. Look for Crowder to be heavily involved. Both TSF Craig and Scott are suggesting that you start him this week. Then you have Corey Davis, who will likely be relegated to more of a boom or bust role with Crowder back, but who has every opportunity to boom this week, as the Falcons are far from an elite defense. He is still a primary red zone target for the team as well….if they can ever get down that close to the goal line. 

At the RB position, Tevin Coleman has been completely erased from relevancy, as TSF Cory has been predicting every year since ‘Nam. But Michael Carter got his first NFL TD last week and has slowly begun to edge out Ty Johnson, pushing Johnson into unplayable territory (where he belongs). That’s not to say MC3 has been a dominant force either, but he appears to be the most involved back and the one being used nearest the goal line, and as we say every week, opportunity is king. Carter is the only startle Jets running back, and there’s really no argument to be had. 

As for the QBs, I am staying away from both, even in 2 QB leagues I would be hesitant, and say that you need to know you are taking a flyer that very well could fall flat. You could get lucky and hit, but your odds are slim. 

That pretty much wraps up it up, enjoy your morning NFL Football and have a mimosa or 8 for me! 

And if you’re planning on starting your game day festivities early this Sunday, follow this link (https://www.topshelffantasy.com/nfl-london-gameday-eats/) for some great recipes to make your early morning football experience even more special!