Sonic’s MME Pool 17.24
Sonic is a Milly Maker winner and large-field tournament mastermind who focuses on mass-multi-entry play
Too Many Cooks?
Sure, there’s that dusty proverb about “spoiling the stew,” but with James and Brandin on this menu, I’m ignoring all that. Let’s heat up something that’s different from what everyone else is eating.
I’d mention Dane Cook, but he still sucks.
These are contrarian moves I’ll be mixing into my rosters to differentiate from the masses. Sometimes we’ll miss, but the ones that do hit will help us lap the field.
Secondary Core-Relations
We’re always hunting for those high-ceiling combinations to add to our existing game stacks. It’s better to aim at getting four things right instead of trying to hit a nine-way parlay. I’ll lean on a handful of core secondary stacks that will be finessed into lineups whenever feasible.
James Cook/Davante Adams
The Bills have kept Cook fresh all year, and that strategy is paying dividends with his recent explosive outings on relatively limited touches. The matchup here isn’t great and his floor remains low, but we’ve seen him flash ceiling performances a handful of times this season. If this game environment turns into a shootout, it’s likely that Cook and Adams are the primary catalysts.
Adams will draw decent popularity, but pairing him with Cook (at around 3% ownership) balances that out nicely. The Bills are also susceptible to pass-catching running backs, so I don’t hate the idea of mixing in Breece Hall here as well. Heck, you could even toss a 1%-owned Aaron Rodgers into the mix with all three for a truly unique stack — then fill out the rest of your roster however you’d like.
A.J. Brown/Brandin Cooks
Rumors that A.J. Brown keeps a Jalen Hurts voodoo doll on his nightstand haven’t been verified, but there might be some truth to them. He clearly loves getting targets, and once Kenny Pickett stepped in last week, Brown ended up with 18 looks (including penalties). That’s wild. Inexperienced quarterbacks often cling to their first read, so while another 18-target game is a stretch, Brown should remain plenty busy. Plus, at around 8% projected ownership, he’s a solid leverage play against the (finally!) popular Saquon Barkley.
On a slate this tight, it’s challenging to find truly low-owned players who see reliable volume, but I’ll take a shot on Brandin Cooks as the guy who benefits from the absence of CeeDee Lamb. Current projections are driving the crowd to Jake Ferguson at an uncomfortable rate. In large-field contests, I like building a few rosters that pivot off that potential chalk by targeting Cooks or the electric KaVontae Turpin.
Jerome Ford/Jonnu Smith
I became interested in Ford once Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s top passing target, David Njoku, was ruled out. Njoku saw 10 targets last week, and I doubt Jordan Akins will simply step in to handle that same workload. Plus, the Dolphins have funneled the third-most targets to running backs over the past four weeks.
Meanwhile, Jonnu Smith’s salary has reached its highest point of the year. Add in the fact that Jaylen Waddle is back, and it’s understandable why the field might hesitate to click Smith’s name. However, he remains a favorite red-zone target for Tua Tagovailoa, making him a nice leverage play off the chalkier De’Von Achane.
If Miami jumps out to an early lead and forces Cleveland to pass, I can see Ford pushing for eight targets. On the flip side, if the Browns happen to take a lead, we’re likely looking at a high-volume rushing attack for Ford, especially given the lack of quality depth behind him.
