One of Ben Roethlisberger's two six-touchdown
games last season came against the Baltimore Ravens.
Grab a Helmet Blake
Bortles @ NO: I’ve been streaming offensive players all
year against the Saints defense, so why stop now with fantasy titles
on the line! With T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson banged up, the
Jags passing game should rule the day as it has for most of the
year. Bortles has been a fantasy beacon with 33 total touchdowns
and nearly 3,900 yards passing this season. Sure he’s collected
plenty of garbage time points, but this one projects similarly to
the Lions/Saints game this past Monday. If Brees is healthy look
for these two offenses to put up loads of points in the dome. There
are few options at quarterback with the ceiling of Bortles this
week, so fire him up!
Ben
Roethlisberger @ BAL: Big Ben has put up monster numbers
against some of the league’s best defenses. He catches a huge break
in the schedule this week when they head to Baltimore. I’m targeting
fantasy players on squads that still have playoff hopes, and the
Steelers certainly qualify. Even without Le’Veon Bell, this offense
has been running on all cylinders, especially in their dismantling
of Denver last week. Ben put the ball in the air 55 times, and I
expect another 35-40 attempt afternoon against the hapless Ravens’
secondary. There’s always a rivalry factor between these two AFC
North squads, but Baltimore just doesn’t have the talent to slow
this Steelers offense down.
Matthew
Stafford v. SF: I’m going to the well here two weeks
straight, but it’s only because Stafford is quietly one of the hottest
quarterbacks in the league right now. With a 12-1 touchdown-to-interception
ratio over his last four games, Stafford gets a 49ers team eager
to get to the offseason. The Niners have given up some monster games
to quarterbacks on the road this year and with the confines of Ford
Field in their corner, the Lions have a chance to build off their
35 point explosion against the Saints on Monday night. Stafford
has crept back into the low end QB1 realm with a hot few weeks,
so take advantage.
Grab a Headset
Aaron
Rodgers @ ARI: Something stinks in Green Bay, and it
has for quite some time. Even though he’s put up decent numbers,
Rodgers and the Packers offense haven’t been consistently productive
for 4 quarters. Despite a win on the road in Oakland last week,
the Packers offense couldn’t get much going on the ground or in
the air. Rodgers has a career low (as a starter) 60% competition
rate and sits at only 11 yards per competition with two games
to go, which is down about 2 yards from last year. The big plays
have dried up, as Green Bay is 27th in the league with only six
pass plays of 40-plus yards (Pittsburgh is 1st with 19). The Packers
have been swallowed up by strong defenses, and even with the loss
of the Honey Badger, Arizona can bring the wood. Rodgers has a
really low ceiling right now, which is scary going into the fantasy
championship. If you have a guy with a better matchup it wouldn’t
be blasphemous to sit A-Rod.
Alex
Smith v. CLE: Alex Smith is the perfect quarterback
for this offensive system. He’s been accurate, efficient, and
has taken care of the ball; all great things for a surging Kanas
City team on an eight-game win streak. The problem is he simply
doesn’t have the volume to be a starting fantasy asset right now.
He hasn’t topped 30 attempts since Week 10 and has 9 zero or one
touchdown games this season. Game flow totally favors the Chiefs
in this one, as they should have control of this game throughout,
which means a conservative offensive game plan. The upside just
isn’t here in such an important week.
Philip
Rivers @ OAK (THU): Buoyed by playing possibly his
final game in San Diego, Rivers went out and torched the hapless
Dolphins for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns last week. Those crafty
schedule makers have turned the tables on Rivers and the Chargers,
as they hit the road to play what could be the final game in Oakland.
Sure there won’t be the same emotions running wild in this
one, but the Raiders are a young squad playing hard, and being
at home helps a ton. With injuries still killing his receiving
options, Rivers upside is also limited. He’s a gamer, and
one of the finest competitors at the quarterback position in the
league, but for my money, I want someone else leading me to a
fantasy title.
