Break the Streak: Six weeks into the 2016
season and Alshon Jeffery has yet to score a touchdown.
Grab a Helmet
Alshon
Jeffery and Cameron
Meredith at GB (THU): With Green Bay’s top three corners
on the shelf, and the rush defense still holding down the fort,
I expect the Bears to throw the ball around the yard with abandon
Thursday night. Meredith has a silly 27 targets in his two starts,
and Jeffery had a season high 13 last week against Jacksonville.
Hoyer failed to throw a touchdown pass last week, but he’s been
over 300 yards in four straight. It’s going to be five this week,
with a few touchdowns to boot. There’s a fantastic chance that each
of these guys can have WR2 or better evenings. Load them up and
take advantage of the juicy match-up.
Tyler
Eifert vs. CLE: Granted, this one is a stretch, but with
such weekly turnover at the position, and a mouthwatering match-up
against a defense giving up gobs of points to tight ends, you have
to at least consider Eifert as a TE1 option. Eifert has missed offseason
work due to an ankle injury, and just when he was about to return
from that he suffered a back injury. Monitor practice reps before
you go all in, but this offense desperately needs a spark from their
dominating tight end, especially in the red zone. Eifert would immediately
slot in as the No.2 option in the passing game, making his upside
worth the risk.
Torrey
Smith vs. TB: Smith rose from the grave last week when
he notched a season high 76 yards to go along with his first touchdown.
It’s the most yards he’s had since Week 13 of last year, and a sign
that the insertion of Kaepernick could bode well for his fantasy
prospects. It’s funny because while Kaepernick has the legs for
this Chip Kelly offense, he lacks the finesse in the passing game,
but his big arm lines up well with Smith’s deep speed. Tampa is
going to put up points, and San Fran will need to go pass heavy
to stay in the game. The Bucs aren’t stopping anyone in the air
and the 49ers will be without Carlos Hyde, so the match-up and circumstances
are nearly as good as it gets for Smith.
Grab Some Pine
DeAndre
Hopkins @ DEN: Either Hopkins simply isn’t as good
as he showed last year, or Osweiler is worse than the motley crew
of quarterbacks Houston had to trot out last year, but whatever
it is, Hopkins has quickly fallen from an elite WR1 to a cross
your fingers WR2. This is especially true this week against a
dominant Broncos secondary that is just stone cold filthy against
opposing wideouts. Denver is soft in the middle, but Hopkins game
isn’t predicated on his after the catch game, so the opportunity
for big plays probably won’t be there. I’m not sure if his subpar
numbers have anything to do with his contract situation (remember
the mini-holdout), and I haven’t watched film (ha!) to see if
the effort level is down, but I know the human highlight film
that was his 2015 season is nowhere to be found. The poor line
play is killing the skill position players on this team, and they
are very matchup dependent, and frankly this week’s matchup sucks.
Antonio
Brown vs NE: Yes, I do realize that my first two picks
in the “Grab Some Pine” section are two of last year’s top 5 receivers.
But the current reality is Brown’s upside is severely hampered
with Big Ben on the shelf. Just looking at the weekly numbers
from last year, you can easily pick out the games Roethlisberger
missed because Brown’s stats were way down across the board. Landry
Jones lacks the timing and quick release of Big Ben, and isn’t
as nearly as adept at extending plays in the pocket. New England
is going to bang Brown around to keep the timing off, and not
allow him to get deep. You’ll have to hope Antonio can take a
bubble screen or slant to the house for a big play. You’re never
going to sit him, but prepare for a few frustrating weeks.
Jordan
Matthews vs MIN: The only saving grace the Eagles have
this week is that they are home. But even that isn’t enough for
me to feel good about a rookie quarterback going up against a
dominant Vikings defense. Matthews runs most of his routes from
the slot, so there’s a chance he’ll avoid the gaze of corner Xavier
Rhodes, but no pass catcher has surpassed 72 yards against the
Vikes, and the only touchdowns surrendered to receivers have been
from Jordy Nelson and DeAndre Hopkins. Matthews is always a threat
to score in the red zone because of his size, but I’m not sure
how many opportunities the Eagles will get from that close. The
ceiling is real low for Matthews this week, so if you have better
upside options roll in that direction.
