The New England defense from last Thursday night and the touchdown eruption from the Indianapolis running backs group were the must haves in last week’s Main Event, while some other big-name options that haven’t landed in a Main Event winner did so for the first time this week. Let’s dive right in.

Main Event Winner: “vtlaxer09”

Green Bay Quarterbacks: The Green Bay passing game stack was a difference maker for “vtlaxer09” as Minnesota vs Green Bay ended up playing as a shootout, one that was largely carried by Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay end.

Indianapolis Running Backs: Jonathan Taylor went absolutely crazy in Buffalo with 5 touchdowns as this group put up one of the biggest scores of the season so far in The Owners Club. The Indianapolis running backs card has been the top performer at the position in recent weeks, but they were in a difficult road matchup as 7-point underdogs in Buffalo. There are a few running backs and wide receiver cards that should be played regardless of matchup, and this is one of them, though I don’t think anyone was expecting this kind of a performance in this setting out of this group.

Green Bay Wide Receivers: As we discussed in last week’s Friday analysis, this game had shootout potential and we could reasonably expect reduced running back volume with Aaron Jones sidelined. This game did shootout and Green Bay wide receivers benefited from outstanding quarterback play by Aaron Rodgers as well as the reduced volume from their Aaron Jones-less backfield.

Las Vegas Tight Ends: This was a top play in a strong game environment that hit as headliner Darren Waller went over 100 yards and Foster Moreau caught a 19-yard touchdown against Cincinnati.

New England Defense: This unit smashed Atlanta last Thursday night and was thus a lock button play for your best Main Event lineup this week. Great overall lineup by “vtlaxer09” that won decisively, enjoy your late-season trip to Miami.

Side Hustle Winner: “ajsavat”

Indianapolis Running Backs with Green Bay Wide Receivers: This was a really interesting pairing, as the Indianapolis running backs card has been the best at the position recently, but they were in a tough matchup in Buffalo. The Green Bay wide receivers have largely underwhelmed to this point in the season, but they had greater than normal upside in a potential shootout in Minnesota. Both sharp plays that hit big.

Lowball Winner: “Michael.luchak1997”

Detroit Quarterbacks: In Lowball we play the worst plays, and that’s what Tim Boyle was in Cleveland last week.

Chicago Running Backs: I wouldn’t have viewed this as a Lowball option as Chicago is pretty reliant on their running game, but Baltimore’s defense is built in a way where they already have a strong run defense and they would have little to no fear of the Chicago passing attack, which would enable them to be more aggressive on the defensive side of the ball. Sharp stuff.

Detroit Wide Receivers: In Lowball we play the worst plays, and the Tim Boyle passing game stack in Cleveland was one of the lowest upside passing game stacks that I’ve ever seen.

Carolina Tight Ends: You could consider the 4.2 points out of this unit as a borderline spike week for this tight ends group.

Jacksonville Defense: This one is a consistently solid Lowball option and they were 6 ½ point home underdogs to a surging San Francisco team last week.

Island of Misfit Cards Winner: “itsmattmobruh”

Las Vegas Tight Ends with New England Defense: Las Vegas tight ends are a standard top play at the position that were in a high upside matchup against Cincinnati last week and we already knew New England’s defense completely crushed it last Thursday night in Atlanta. Both of these cards were also in the Main Event winning lineup.

Various Things

I haven’t actually done the math, but the top lineups in this week’s Main Event were more unique than normal and very sharp. Even the plays that didn’t land in those high-end cashes were either extremely logical or contrarian options with greater than normal upside. Similarly, I was surprised how many high-end Main Event lineups didn’t have New England’s defense. Not all of us have that option, but getting into the top 50 without that card was a real uphill battle this week.

Something that I was curious about that I didn’t mention in last week’s Friday analysis was how many users would play the New England defense in the Island of Misfit Cards contest? You were basically drawing dead in that one without them, but they had such a difference making score for Main Event lineups that it wouldn’t have surprised me if only a few members used this option in the Misfit Cards contest. It looked like there were roughly 30 members that used New England’s defense in the Island of Misfit Cards contest, which is more than I was expecting.

Thanksgiving Thursday

Detroit vs Chicago: If Jared Goff is able to return to action on Thanksgiving, Detroit has a real chance of winning their first game against Chicago. Chicago’s cover zero blitz against Baltimore’s backup quarterback that needed a touchdown with under a minute to play that resulted in Sammy Watkins late 29-yard reception is one of the most situationally inept defensive play calls that I’ve ever seen. The consistent strategic ineptitude from Chicago’s coaching staff, paired with their litany of injuries to relevant players makes this a genuinely winnable game for Detroit, who could be far more motivated on this short week than Chicago. The running back groups for both teams are interesting as is the Detroit tight ends card. There’s also a solid chance that one of these two defenses could end up being usable this week.

Dallas vs Las Vegas: It looks like Amari Cooper will be out again for this one while the recently concussed CeeDee Lamb was somehow back at practice today. If Lamb can go, Dallas wide receivers are still not at full strength but much more viable. If Lamb can’t go, that will likely give a boost to Dallas’s already strong running backs group while potentially creating more opportunities for their tight ends. If Lamb can’t go, the Dallas quarterbacks and wide receivers both have less upside. On the Las Vegas end they are now a reeling team that has gotten crushed at home in consecutive weeks. The Las Vegas tight ends and running backs have some upside here, and their quarterback isn’t an automatic cross off, but these options are all more volatile now than they were a month ago. Ultimately, this is a great game to have the option of seeing how it plays out before setting your lineups in our contests.

New Orleans vs Buffalo: New Orleans is dealing with a litany of relevant injuries, and they could be entering this one down several key players on offense (just like they were last week when they got blown out in Philadelphia), making all of their options on that side of the ball potentially viable in Lowball. For Buffalo, they have been largely struggling since their mid-October loss to Tennessee, which makes all of their position groups more volatile, high-upside options that we’d have expected. With that said, this will be an indoor game against a reeling/ injured New Orleans team. While road games in New Orleans are notoriously difficult, this is a potential correction spot for Buffalo’s defense as well as their passing game.