by Bo McBrayer
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Bo McBrayer brings the spice with his Week 4 fantasy football advice, giving you the musings and information you need to keep your lineups “hot-n-ready.”
It might be weird, but I romanticize cookouts on television more than anything else. Whether I’m hosting or taking part, sharing homemade food is an essential thread in the fabric that holds my life together. Last weekend, I was fighting an uncontrollable craving for fried chicken. My immediate thought was who I would invite over this weekend to share my extra crispy thighs, drumsticks and biscuits. I always forget how much of an undertaking it ends up being.
Try as I may, it’s impossible to shake the dread of washing dishes after a big cook. What happened to guests volunteering to do that after a lovely meal? Begrudgingly, I still do it. A Frilly apron and goofy yellow rubber gloves adorn my 300-pound frame as I let the suds fly with the colorful language. I know my place: in the kitchen like a 1950s housewife.
For how far out in the country I grew up, you’d think I would have already been able to fix a leaky faucet. I learned how to do that from YouTube at age 26. Sure, I can bait a hook and track a deer down in a rattlesnake-infested ravine, but mounting a new ceiling fan was a real pain in my ass. Adulting truly sucks.
Setting a valid lineup in Week 5 is just another mundane chore. Between rampant injuries and the first round of teams on bye, finding fantasy points is as annoying as clearing gutters on a shaky ladder. Instead of stomping around in a tiff, the grown-up thing to do would be to roll up our proverbial sleeves and finally hang that hummingbird feeder by the front window.
Now I can watch those little fluttering nectar suckers while I scrape hardened oatmeal from the bowls my grandma gave me as a wedding gift.
~ Check out our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings ~
Week 5 Fantasy Football: Dead Batteries & Cracked Windshields
Wish & Chips
Our second international affair is the first one in London this season. Kickoff is at an unreasonable 6:30 am in California, so I’ll be unbelievably hung over and hardly prepared for a 14-hour day of pigskin. The Vikings will try to keep their unbeaten season alive against Aaron Rodgers and the 2-2 Jets. The media has fawned over a less-terrible Sam Darnold but has suppressed the fact he has committed at least one turnover in every game.
The Jets defense has looked stellar since they were gashed by the 49ers in Week 1. Rodgers is savvy against aggressive defenses like the one Brian Flores is running in Minnesota. I expect a huge game from Garrett Wilson and a rebound from Breece Hall. Darnold has done well in finding Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison so far, but I expect him to struggle on Sunday. Allen Lazard just won’t go away, so it’s still safe to plug him in as a sneaky good flex start.
No One Diggs Like Stefon
Most “revenge game” narratives are corny and cliche. The Bills didn’t wrong Stefon Diggs; they traded him to a good team. Houston and Buffalo square off in a clash of powerful offenses. Josh Allen has donned a cape this season and is an early MVP frontrunner. He has spread the wealth among his receivers, not necessarily favoring any of them. Khalil Shakir is a favorite, but we’ve seen vastly overrated Dalton Kincaid start to heat up the last two weeks.
James Cook is a matchup nightmare for any defense. The Texans have made do without Tank Dell and a limited Joe Mixon, but Diggs has been vintage, and Nico Collins is going thermonuclear into the tippy-top tier of fantasy wide receivers. As usual, C.J. Stroud is ripping big boy throws all over the yard.
The defenses on each side of this game are no slouches, but we’re in for a rocket launch of a shootout in Houston.
Wicks with Just a Pencil
My heart was in my throat watching Jordan Love‘s knee buckle on the soccer grass in Sao Paulo. I had invested heavily in the Green Bay offense this year across my entire portfolio. The talented Packers receiving corps runs deeper than the holler, so I count my blessings they only had to go run-heavy for a couple of weeks with Malik Willis. In August, I predicted both Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks would surpass 1,000 yards this season. That forecast is heating up with a ferocity with Christian Watson‘s injury, especially regarding Wicks.
We also cannot ignore the job Tucker Kraft has done to distance himself as the passing game breadwinner at tight end. Josh Jacobs is healthy and running like he’s back in Tuscaloosa. Los Angeles is in for a reckoning.
The Rams have been a sieve on defense this season, regardless of run or pass. Matthew Stafford has done fine without Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, but Kyren Williams is the fantasy prize and the key to a Rams win over the Packers. If the Rams can’t establish a solid running game and keep the chains moving, I can definitely imagine Green Bay hanging a huge number on the scoreboard.
Doomsday Curtain
Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith are perfectly content playing ball like in the 1970s when the Steelers and Cowboys were legendary. Mike McCarthy…well… I’m not sure he always remembers he’s the head coach. Physically dominant line play on both sides of the ball has always been trademark Steelers football, while Dallas has abandoned that with their winning ways for the last 28 years.
Justin Fields might never relinquish the saddle to Russell Wilson. He has been fantastic and steadily improving all the while. Najee Harris poses a huge problem for the Cowboys, who have been bullied by physicality during their 2-2 start. Big games by George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth might not be needed for the Steelers to earn their fourth win on the campaign.
Dak Prescott has been wildly inconsistent. I don’t necessarily blame him. The offensive line has been horrendous, while only CeeDee Lamb and a gimpy Jake Ferguson have offered themselves as open receivers on a consistent basis. Brandin Cooks will miss time with a knee infection, leaving a void to be filled by a gaggle of young and unproven pass catchers. I suppose we can hope Jalen Tolbert will step up since he has flashed a few more times than the others.
One thing is for certain: the Cowboys have zero running game. Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle are not serious starting running backs at this level in 2024. Unless the beat-up Dallas defense can force some uncharacteristic turnovers, Pittsburgh will annihilate America’s Team. Dallas is easily the weakest 2-2 team in the NFL.
Find more spicy advice from Bo McBrayer on X (formerly Twitter) @Bo_McBigTime & up your kitchen pantry game with his custom spices and sauces at hotboxbatch.com.
by Bo McBrayer
Share
Bo McBrayer brings the spice with his Week 4 fantasy football advice, giving you the musings and information you need to keep your lineups “hot-n-ready.”
It might be weird, but I romanticize cookouts on television more than anything else. Whether I’m hosting or taking part, sharing homemade food is an essential thread in the fabric that holds my life together. Last weekend, I was fighting an uncontrollable craving for fried chicken. My immediate thought was who I would invite over this weekend to share my extra crispy thighs, drumsticks and biscuits. I always forget how much of an undertaking it ends up being.
Try as I may, it’s impossible to shake the dread of washing dishes after a big cook. What happened to guests volunteering to do that after a lovely meal? Begrudgingly, I still do it. A Frilly apron and goofy yellow rubber gloves adorn my 300-pound frame as I let the suds fly with the colorful language. I know my place: in the kitchen like a 1950s housewife.
For how far out in the country I grew up, you’d think I would have already been able to fix a leaky faucet. I learned how to do that from YouTube at age 26. Sure, I can bait a hook and track a deer down in a rattlesnake-infested ravine, but mounting a new ceiling fan was a real pain in my ass. Adulting truly sucks.
Setting a valid lineup in Week 5 is just another mundane chore. Between rampant injuries and the first round of teams on bye, finding fantasy points is as annoying as clearing gutters on a shaky ladder. Instead of stomping around in a tiff, the grown-up thing to do would be to roll up our proverbial sleeves and finally hang that hummingbird feeder by the front window.
Now I can watch those little fluttering nectar suckers while I scrape hardened oatmeal from the bowls my grandma gave me as a wedding gift.
~ Check out our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings ~
Week 5 Fantasy Football: Dead Batteries & Cracked Windshields
Wish & Chips
Our second international affair is the first one in London this season. Kickoff is at an unreasonable 6:30 am in California, so I’ll be unbelievably hung over and hardly prepared for a 14-hour day of pigskin. The Vikings will try to keep their unbeaten season alive against Aaron Rodgers and the 2-2 Jets. The media has fawned over a less-terrible Sam Darnold but has suppressed the fact he has committed at least one turnover in every game.
The Jets defense has looked stellar since they were gashed by the 49ers in Week 1. Rodgers is savvy against aggressive defenses like the one Brian Flores is running in Minnesota. I expect a huge game from Garrett Wilson and a rebound from Breece Hall. Darnold has done well in finding Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison so far, but I expect him to struggle on Sunday. Allen Lazard just won’t go away, so it’s still safe to plug him in as a sneaky good flex start.
No One Diggs Like Stefon
Most “revenge game” narratives are corny and cliche. The Bills didn’t wrong Stefon Diggs; they traded him to a good team. Houston and Buffalo square off in a clash of powerful offenses. Josh Allen has donned a cape this season and is an early MVP frontrunner. He has spread the wealth among his receivers, not necessarily favoring any of them. Khalil Shakir is a favorite, but we’ve seen vastly overrated Dalton Kincaid start to heat up the last two weeks.
James Cook is a matchup nightmare for any defense. The Texans have made do without Tank Dell and a limited Joe Mixon, but Diggs has been vintage, and Nico Collins is going thermonuclear into the tippy-top tier of fantasy wide receivers. As usual, C.J. Stroud is ripping big boy throws all over the yard.
The defenses on each side of this game are no slouches, but we’re in for a rocket launch of a shootout in Houston.
Wicks with Just a Pencil
My heart was in my throat watching Jordan Love‘s knee buckle on the soccer grass in Sao Paulo. I had invested heavily in the Green Bay offense this year across my entire portfolio. The talented Packers receiving corps runs deeper than the holler, so I count my blessings they only had to go run-heavy for a couple of weeks with Malik Willis. In August, I predicted both Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks would surpass 1,000 yards this season. That forecast is heating up with a ferocity with Christian Watson‘s injury, especially regarding Wicks.
We also cannot ignore the job Tucker Kraft has done to distance himself as the passing game breadwinner at tight end. Josh Jacobs is healthy and running like he’s back in Tuscaloosa. Los Angeles is in for a reckoning.
The Rams have been a sieve on defense this season, regardless of run or pass. Matthew Stafford has done fine without Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, but Kyren Williams is the fantasy prize and the key to a Rams win over the Packers. If the Rams can’t establish a solid running game and keep the chains moving, I can definitely imagine Green Bay hanging a huge number on the scoreboard.
Doomsday Curtain
Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith are perfectly content playing ball like in the 1970s when the Steelers and Cowboys were legendary. Mike McCarthy…well… I’m not sure he always remembers he’s the head coach. Physically dominant line play on both sides of the ball has always been trademark Steelers football, while Dallas has abandoned that with their winning ways for the last 28 years.
Justin Fields might never relinquish the saddle to Russell Wilson. He has been fantastic and steadily improving all the while. Najee Harris poses a huge problem for the Cowboys, who have been bullied by physicality during their 2-2 start. Big games by George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth might not be needed for the Steelers to earn their fourth win on the campaign.
Dak Prescott has been wildly inconsistent. I don’t necessarily blame him. The offensive line has been horrendous, while only CeeDee Lamb and a gimpy Jake Ferguson have offered themselves as open receivers on a consistent basis. Brandin Cooks will miss time with a knee infection, leaving a void to be filled by a gaggle of young and unproven pass catchers. I suppose we can hope Jalen Tolbert will step up since he has flashed a few more times than the others.
One thing is for certain: the Cowboys have zero running game. Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle are not serious starting running backs at this level in 2024. Unless the beat-up Dallas defense can force some uncharacteristic turnovers, Pittsburgh will annihilate America’s Team. Dallas is easily the weakest 2-2 team in the NFL.
Find more spicy advice from Bo McBrayer on X (formerly Twitter) @Bo_McBigTime & up your kitchen pantry game with his custom spices and sauces at hotboxbatch.com.
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