Anything less than 300 yards and 2 TDs
for Drew Brees will be a disappointment against the Lions.
Grab a Helmet
Drew
Brees vs. DET: As aging quarterbacks bathing in the fountain
of youth go, Brees takes second to only TB12. Even though Brees
is two years younger, he’s ancient in football years and yet you
couldn’t tell by the way he’s playing some of the best ball of his
career. Brees hit the 30-touchdown plateau for the ninth straight
year on Sunday, extending his own consecutive streak. He’s currently
at a career high 71.5 completion percentage, and is on pace to approach
his own career highs in touchdown passes and yards passing. Even
more impressive is that he’s putting up these silly numbers with
a very young corps of pass catchers. His gaudy numbers in the Super
Dome are legendary, and the Lions defense, while improved recently,
will be hard pressed to slow Brees down. These two teams combined
for 62 points in Week 15 last year, and it could be even higher
this week. Brees is easily my No.1 overall fantasy player this week.
Eli
Manning @ PIT: Manning was incredibly shaky in a game
he should have dominated against the Browns. He uncharacteristically
missed several wide open throws, and failed to get any receiver
outside of OBJ involved. Despite the “bad” game, he still finished
with 3 touchdowns and over 20 fantasy points. The Steelers are near
the bottom of the NFL in pass defense, but have only given up 13
passing touchdowns on the season, which is actually 5th best in
the NFL. Buoying this stat is the fact that Pittsburgh has faced
a slew of terrible to mediocre passers, and Manning not only has
the experience, but the explosive weaponry to exploit the Steelers’
secondary. I expect a very pass heavy game plan for the G-men, and
for Manning to take advantage. He’s been a season long QB2, but
he makes my QB1 list this week.
Russell
Wilson vs. CAR: Ok, so the Seattle offense inexplicably
came off the rails on the road in Tampa, but I expect a big bounce
back for Wilson and Hawks. The offensive line is still a problem,
so I look for a now healthy Wilson to be able to make plays with
his legs. The Carolina secondary still can’t stop anyone consistently,
and is much easier to attack in the air than on the ground. Wilson
narrowly missed Tyler Lockett on a few deep balls last week and
I see them connecting at least once for a long touchdown this week.
He’s been hard to trust most of the year, and was just getting hot
before last week. Don’t let that scare you away. Get Wilson is as
top flight option in a must win game for your squad.
Grab a Headset
Brock
Osweiler @ GB: Osweiler has been an absolute train
wreck. I know it and you know it. Unfortunately Houston doesn’t
seem to know it as they keep trotting him out week after week
only to watch him fall flat on his face. His timing is way off,
his mechanics look like trash, and it’s obvious his confidence
is in the toilet. I only have Osweiler on here because there may
be some enterprising young owners looking at the Green Bay match-up
as a reason to take a shot. I’m here to tell you….DON’T. It’s
not out of the realm of possibility he bumps into a long touchdown,
or scrambles for a score, but if you have ANY hope of getting
your team to the fantasy playoffs please do it with anyone BUT
Brock.
Trevor
Siemian @ JAX: For a second-year 7th round pick, Siemian
has surpassed any and all expectations that could have been placed
on him. He’s actually played better on the road at times, and
comes off one of his best statistical games of the season, a 368-yard
three-touchdown game in the loss against Kansas City. Jacksonville
has obviously been a mega bust this season, but it’s the offense
that’s been the culprit, not the defense. The Jags quietly sport
the league’s third best pass defense, and could make the sledding
tough for Siemian with his bad wheel and the struggling Denver
offense. Siemian’s biggest Achilles heel has been his efficiency,
as he’s been below 60% completion percentage in four of his last
five games. He’s been very big-play dependent, and isn’t getting
much support from his run game. I’m afraid owners starting Siemian
will be chasing points, and that’s a scary proposition this late
in the year.
Cam
Newton @ SEA: Before sparking a 25-point barrage late
in the 3rd quarter, Newton was 5-12 for 88 yards against an Oakland
defense that hasn’t exactly made teams shake in their boots.
He struggled to connect with his receivers, and was being harassed
by Khali Mack on nearly every throw. A few bombs to Ted Ginn and
Kelvin Benjamin certainly bailed him out, but Newton and this
offense continue to look out of sync. Of course a player his magnitude
is tough to sit, but on paper this is a nightmare match-up for
the Panthers. Seattle should be getting back three impact players
on defense, is fresh off an embarrassing loss to the Bucs, and
needs a conference win to wiggle with playoff positioning. If
you have other options with better match-ups I’d certainly
consider them before blindly going with Newton…something
unthinkable last season…but with season on the brink, tough
decisions need to be made.
