“Alluhring Strategy” had a great bounce back week during Week 6. Several of my CBs hit big this week thanks to return yardage mixed in with some impact plays. Overall a nice showing.

Big Hits — Adam Jones, TJ Carrie

Hits — Vontae Davis, Brandon Meriweather, Antoine Bethea

Meah! — Kam Chancellor, Deone Bucannon

Miss — Jahleel Addae

Crash & Burn — Alterraun Verner, Chris Harris Jr.

Let’s break it down by points. If you are not a regular reader of this column, I break down my previous week’s picks by two balanced IDP scoring systems. Real Deal Dynasty Football is a 32 NFL team, single player universe IDP dynasty league. The defensive scoring system is tackle heavy and impact plays are weighted by position to DL and DB an even playing field with LBs. Major League Fantasy Football uses standard tackling scoring rewards impact plays (INTs, Forced Fumbles, Sacks, Passes Defensed, etc) with weighted points to balance scoring with RBs, WRs and TEs.

Position Player Team Real Deal MLFF Verdict CB Alterraun Verner TB 5 2.5 On a day when TB gave up 48 points, Verner only managed 3 tackles CB Chris Harris, Jr. DEN 1.5 1 Other than Decker, not many Jets receivers caught passes for limited opportunities for Harris to make impact plays CB Vontae Davis IND 11 16.5 Big night for Vontae with 5 tackles, Forced Fumble and PD CB Adam Jones CIN 24.5 18.7 Pacman had a stellar 8 tackles for a CB with a PD and 97 kick return yards CB TJ Carrie OAK 24.5 22.5 My rookie pick pays off with 4 tackles, Fumble recovery, 2 PDs and 115 kick return yards S Kam Chancellor SEA 10.5 5 Kam was not the Man. Mediocre game with only 6 tackles for a SS and no impact plays S BrandonMeriweather WSH 12.25 14.5 Solid game thank to two stuffs along with his 5 tackles S Antoine Bethea SF 15 11 Sack with 7 tackles gives him a productive night S Jahleel Addae SD 5.25 2.5 This WTF pick didn’t pan out. Only 3 tackles and no impact players S Deone Bucannon ATL 8.25 4.5 Quiet 5 tackle game with no impact plays

All in all a satisfying week. No time to enjoy as “Alluhring Strategy” is back on the job and getting you ready for Week 7. If you do IDP leagues, you are painfully aware of the crapshoot fantasy defensive backfields are from week to week. That being said, I find that the best way to determine tough roster decisions is by evaluating matchup and opportunity. It’s not like the offensive skill positions where you play your best players regardless as long as they are active. In IDP (especially CB) the best players don’t usually score the most points. Often it is because they are avoided by the opposition’s game plan. On the flip side, many sleepers can arise when given opportunity to fill in for injury. QBs like to pick on the new guy. There is no perfect science when it comes to predicting DBs but I will arm you will enough knowledge to help you make a sound decision. Only Philly and Tampa on a bye this week. There are plenty of great plays out there.

This week, I am trying a new format…NFL Matchups! I will be reviewing several games and providing a few names of cornerbacks and/or safeties that could be nice players for Week 7.

Houston @ Pittsburgh

HOUSTON TEXANS PITTSBURGH STEELERS FS – Kendrick Lewis CB – Cortez Allen

Houston and Pittsburgh is an intriguing matchup this week. Surprisingly, Houston’s defense has been pretty bad this season. They are giving up nearly 400 total yards per game. They are 22nd against the run and 29th against the pass. The Texans stay competitive due to their league leading 2.3 takeaways per game. Lewis has 40 tackles in six games this season with a pick and PD. I expect Big Ben to be slinging it around this week and Lewis could be in line to add a pick. The Steelers should be pretty pissed about the way they’ve been playing recently and look to make a statement. If they get out to the early lead, it puts Houston in the predicament of having to air it out. Houston sports the leagues lowest passing play percentage of 48.31%. They are a run first team and forcing them to throw from behind may lead to turnovers themselves. Cortez Allen has been a force this season with 37 tackles, 2 INTs and 9 PDs. I like his chances to rack up some impact plays in the second half.

Minnesota @ Buffalo

MINNESOTA VIKINGS BUFFALO BILLS CB – Xavier Rhodes CB/S – Corey Graham

After a promising debut, Teddy B came down to earth in his second career start. He looked like a rookie last week and it doesn’t get any easier as the Vikings head to Upstate New York to take on the Bills. Buffalo doesn’t wow you by dominating any particular defensive category, but lands in the top 12 in most. Corey Graham isn’t a household name but has been given an opportunity. With Searcy seeing limited snaps and Aaron Williams inactive last week, Graham started at FS despite being listed as their DIME cornerback. He picked up 8 tackles last week which is a solid total for a player listed as a CB in most formats. He has been quiet on the impact players in recent weeks, but with the rookie in their, this may be his week to shine. He does have a pick and 7 PDs on the season, but they all came in the first three weeks. Xavier Rhodes is my dynasty pick for this week. In redraft leagues he is probably on the waiver wire and in deep dynasty leagues, he’s a good start this week. Rhodes has only one big week (5 tackles and 4 PDs vs. the Falcons) but he is the starting Right Corner and he gets tons of snaps. Buffalo throws the ball just under 60% of all the offensive plays. This equals opportunity. I like Rhodes chances of picking up some impact plays in line for a nice IDP week in deep leagues.

Seattle @ St. Louis

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS ST. LOUIS RAMS CB – Byron Maxwell CB – EJ Gaines

Seattle looks to get back on track this week after a defensive let down at home against Dallas. They should recover nicely as they visit Austin Davis and the Greatest Show on Turf…for about a half a game. Maxwell has slid into the starting RCB roll this season as Walter Thurmond and Brandon Browner both left the “Legion of Boom” over the off-season for a bigger payday. He has performed well with 26 tackles, 1 INT and 5 PDs in just five games this season. Good chance we see a turnover in this game as STL averages two giveaways per game and the Rams throw nearly 40 times per game. Maxwell is a good play in all formats this week. EJ Gaines is a great story has he has become the staring LCB due to injury and has come through with many impact plays. He doesn’t have a high tackle count, but the rookie 6th round pick out of Missouri has racked up a Fumble Recovery, INT and 5 PDs. I considered writing on him a few weeks back as a dynasty pick, but he is safe start in most leagues 12 teams or more.

Tennessee @ Washington

TENNESSEE TITANS WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM FS – Michael Griffin FS – Trenton Robinson

What’s not to love about this matchup. This game pits two desperate teams trying like hell to hang on to their season. Loser is likely looking toward next year. Winner…gets another week before its looking toward next year. Michael Griffin in a veteran known for his ball-hawking skills. Although his impact plays have been down in recent seasons, he has begun the year with a sack, 2 INTs and 2 PDs. This week’s matchup could help him pad those stats as the Washington NFL Football team turns it over 2.2 times per game and a league worst 3.3 per game over the last three games. Griffin will be playing centerfield waiting for a Kirk Cousins errant pass to come his way. I could see him with the highest point total this week for DBs without KR/PR yardage. Trenton is waiver wire fodder that could fill in for a short-term injury or to cover Malcolm Jenkin’s bye week. He is really just a depth safety, but with Clark and Meriweather banged up, Robinson could see increased snaps this week. He will try to add to his INT and PD for the year. Deep league play only.

Kansas City @ San Diego

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS SAN DIEGO CHARGERS FS – Husain Abdullah SS – Marcus Gilchrist

San Diego is a beautiful city. So many things to do, movies to see and weather to enjoy. The Chargers have long had a home town advantage that had nothing to do with their stadium or fans, but the fact that it is the best city to visit in the country, hands down. Mild, low-humidity weather with the most days of sun per year can make players forget that they are on a business trip. I doubt Alex Smith and company will lose track of time watching Ben Affleck, but San Diego’s “D” is no joke ranked 3rd giving up only 308.3 total yards per game. Smith doesn’t turn the ball over a lot, but I just feel that Gilchrist is primed to make some impact plays this week. He will be involved in trying to shut down Jamaal Charles and the screen game and could be shadowing arguably KC’s best receiving weapon, TE Travis Kelce. Consider him to cover an injury or a deep league starter. Husain is a good play in most leagues this week. He is solid season has been overshadowed by his 15 penalty for praying in the end zone. Regardless on how you feel about that, he is the starting FS and capable of making impact players with his pick 6 and 4 PDs this season. San Diego has a very balanced offensive attack (52% passing plays), but Abdullah should be in the middle of most of them and should be a safe play in most IDP formats.

Bryan Luhrs

Real Deal Dynasty Sports, Creator & Executive Commissioner

MajorLeagueFantasySports.com, Fantasy Baseball and Football Writer

@realdealdynasty

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