Football is back, and so is one of our favorite weekly articles, Pace of Play, which highlights the fastest and slowest-paced games of the week.
Pace has become a very important variable in the last couple of seasons in DFS, but it can also help break the tie when deciding between players in season-long leagues.
The more plays a team runs, the faster they get to the line to call a play, how pass-heavy they are and whether they run a lot of no-huddle plays are factors that create more opportunities for fantasy points.
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way and get to the game I am most excited about this week, it’s two of the fastest-paced teams from last season with no changes in play callers. This game is indoors in the dome, with an O/U of 49 (2nd highest total of the week). HC Shane Steichen is a freak of a pace play-caller; he had the Colts running the most no-huddle play last season, near the top of situation-neutral pace and total play volume. The Texans weren’t quite as fast, but they were by no means slow, nearing the top in play-seconds remaining. You can stack this game several ways and run it back with multiple players. My SOS ranks have both offenses in pretty good shape vs the opposing defenses across the board positionally in the game. It’s going to be a fantasy smorgasbord!
This game is as good as the one above, but you’ll have to wait until Sunday night to have players for DFS, props, or your seasonal leagues. It is included with the main slate on FanDuel. This game has the highest O/U of the week, with a 51 total. It’s indoors in the dome. The Lions should have very little difficulty moving the ball on an extremely soft Rams defense, and while the Lions are good vs the run, they are getable in the air. Both teams didn’t blow you away in pace numbers last season, but I think we get a good amount of back and forth in this one, and it will be well worth the wait!
When I first saw this game, the first thing that came to mind was “shootout.” The game has an O/U of 49 in hot South Florida temperatures. Jacksonville was playing fast at the end of last season, something they had success with and should carry over. They were #1 in the NFL in neutral pass rate, and Miami was also in the top half of the league in this category, so we should get plenty of passing in this one. This game also has the two quickest QBs in “first read targets.” Tua was #1, and TLaw was #2 last season. Both guys lock in and get the ball out quickly. On paper, the Jaguars’ defense looks pretty weak going into the year, and the Jaguars may be in catch-up mode trying to keep up with this high-octane Dolphins offense they led the NFL in all-purpose yards in 2023.
