Ben Roethlisberger has tossed the ball
300 yards or more in five of his seven games this season.
Grab a Helmet
Ben
Roethlisberger v. IND: Concussed? Not concussed? Who
knows…but at this point does it matter? Roethlisberger has seemingly
suffered an injury per game this year, and it hasn’t slowed him
a bit. Fantasy’s No.11 scoring quarterback in points-per-game, Big
Ben roasted the vaunted Seattle secondary for 456 yards and a score
last week in a loss to the Seahawks. He’s gone over 300 yards in
five of his seven games this year, and gets a skin of their teeth
Colts defense at home in Week 13. Vontae Davis is no Richard Sherman,
so expect options a-plenty for the Steelers passing game. His turnover
rate (9 INTs this year after 9 all of 2014) and his frequent traveler
miles on the injury cart are worrisome, but no quarterback in the
league has a higher ceiling right now.
Ryan
Fitzpatrick @ NYG: Road game in your home stadium against
a beat up Giants team yielding the second most fantasy points to
quarterbacks? Get in there Fitzmagic! Sure he’s a little shaky at
times, and will never win you a week by himself, but as we approach
the fantasy playoffs, and quarterbacks and their weapons are getting
hurt each week, Fitzpatrick still has the luxury of a stable of
healthy skill position players, and has thrown for 2-plus touchdowns
in all but three games this season. He was stellar last week in
dismantling the Dolphins as he finished with 277 yards and 4 touchdowns.
This offense has balance, and elite red zone options, giving Fitzpatrick
legit low-end QB1 upside for the near future.
Marcus
Mariota v. JAX: For a player many fantasy pundits thought
was very raw professional passer, Mariota has easily surpassed rookie
expectations. He’s proven he can play from the pocket, and read
defenses (only 8 INTs in 12 games) better than most predicted. Even
with a limited set of receiving weapons, Mariota has proven to be
a useful fantasy option. Sure, he wasn’t great last week vs Oakland,
but I expect a bounce back game against a Jacksonville defense that
is much better against the run than the pass. The Jags have yielded
21 touchdowns in the air, but have only picked off 5. Look for a
big play or two outside the pocket, and a potential 3-plus touchdown
day, making him a great value pick in DFS leagues especially.
Grab a Headset
Philip
Rivers vs. DEN: Even with a healthy cast of characters
last season, Rivers was only able to muster 484 yards and a 4-3
touchdown to interception ratio versus the Broncos in 2014. With
no threat of a running game and injuries a plenty to every area
of the offensive line, an attacking, aggressive Denver defense
is not a winning proposition. Rivers was his vintage self with
4 touchdowns last week, but that came against a poor Jacksonville
team. The week prior, against a hostile Chiefs defense, Rivers
fell flat with his worst game of the year. He’s got a ton of heart
and moxie, but touchdowns win fantasy games. Look for other options.
Sam
Bradford/Mark
Sanchez @ NE: Someone please let the Eagles know the
season is 16 games long, because they haven’t shown up for a game
in nearly a month. After being crushed the previous two games
by a combined score of 90-31, the Eagles get to travel to a grumpy
New England team ripe off losing their first game of the season.
They are beat up on offense, but the Patriots can still play some
defense, as they’ve given up only one multi-touchdown game in
the last five games. Eagles quarterbacks continue to throw gas
on the fire with drive crushing interceptions. I actually think
the Eagles will hang around in this one for a while, but neither
Bradford (coming off an injury) or Sanchez (coming off being a
bad quarterback) provides rosy fantasy prospects.
Eli
Manning vs. NYJ: When a tight end from Stony Brook
college is your 2nd leading receiver, things are bleak. Manning,
and the whole Giants offense sputtered in a loss to the Redskins
last week. The G-men lost another starting lineman, and are being
forced to sign guys off other teams’ practice squad just
to patch together a starting five. Sure, tossing passes up to
OBJ a few times a game is usually a plausible strategy, but this
offense is going to struggle to sustain drives with no running
game, and few legit weapons outside of Beckham. The Jets got some
defensive swagger back last week, and might have Revis back to
solidify the secondary. Either way, look for Manning to be under
siege, and a big fantasy day to be as unlikely as a fresh smell
in the swamps of Jersey.
