Bench Brees: In 2 games on the road this
season, Brees is averaging 235 yards and 1.5 TDs per game.
Grab a Helmet
Kirk
Cousins at DET: Would it surprise you to know that Cousins,
who finished 2015 as one of the hottest fantasy quarterbacks in
the league struggled mightily during the first six games of last
year? After six games last season he had a 6-6 touchdown to interception
ratio and went over 300 yards just once. This season he’s sporting
a 9-7 ratio and has gone over 20 fantasy points in four of the six
games. He’s left a ton of points on the field this season due to
some accuracy issues, but I think the breakout comes this week.
The Lions secondary has been run out of the building on multiple
occasions this season, most recently making Case Keenum look like
the second coming of Kurt Warner. They’ve surrendered a league high
17 touchdown passes, and have only forced 3 interceptions. Washington’s
big play receivers should have a field day this week, and Cousins
could be looking at a 3-plus touchdown day. Roll the former Spartan
out as a QB1.
Andy
Dalton vs. CLE: The Bengasl offense is a smoldering fire,
failing to score more than 23 points in a game this season, but
lucky for Dalton and his offensive teammates, the Brown defense
comes to town carrying a gallon of kerosene to throw on the fire.
Cleveland has given up the second most fantasy points to quarterbacks,
and will have a heck of a time trying to stop the Dalton-to-Green
machine this week. The Browns have given up 2-plus touchdown passes
to every quarterback they’ve faced, and 66 total fantasy points
over the last two games. Dalton had 3 touchdown passes in his last
home game against Cleveland, and I think history repeats itself.
Dalton should be a bargain, especially in daily leagues, or as a
sneaky streamer.
Blake
Bortles vs OAK: Bortles was the darling value pick at
quarterback a year ago, far surpassing the fantasy expectations
of most. Those expectations were raised this year, as the Jaguars
returned all of their skill position starters. Bortles has largely
fallen flat on his face, as he’s failed to generate much offense
this season, and sits a disappointing 18th in fantasy scoring. The
offensive line has struggled, but Bortles has shown a real lack
of poise, continuing to turn the ball over. So how in the world
can you trust Bortles this week? Well you really can’t but the Jags
picked up a big win last week in Chicago on the back of a late game
51-yard touchdown pass. Sure it was a bit fluky, but this passing
game has a chance to get on a roll, especially at home against the
Raiders who continue to struggle defensively. 300 yards and 2-plus
touchdowns isn’t out of the question, putting Bortles squarely in
the QB1 conversation.
Grab a Headset
Carson
Palmer vs SEA: I’m going to take a break picking quarterbacks
vs Minnesota (sit Wentz) and instead look for the trusty Seattle
secondary to help me out. True, the Legion of Boom looked quite
ordinary last week against Atlanta, especially in the 3rd quarter.
Missed assignments were the culprit, and I expect the Seattle
to clean that up this week against a familiar foe. The problem
for the Arizona is that Palmer looks anything from familiar. Old
Man Time seems to be catching up to Palmer, as he’s off to a very
shaky start. Combine the concussion issues with a shaky completion
percentage, and sorry looking 6-5 touchdown to interception ratio,
and Palmer looks like a very weak option this week. He has replacement
and injured guards and with no ability to step up to avoid pressure,
Palmer and the Cards could struggle. Brock
Osweiler @ DEN: For 58 minutes Osweiler looked like
a quarterback on the fast track to the bench. Then the Colts imploded,
Osweiler made a few nice throws, and just like that a crisis has
been avoided. This week Osweiler gets a shot against the team
he spurned, and the Texans hope their return on investment gets
a lot better. That isn’t likely to happen, as the vaunted Broncos
defense will be rested after 10-days off, and have a chip on their
shoulder against their former teammate. The Texans offensive line
is in shambles, DeAndre Hopkins is struggling against a bevy of
double teams, and a long, long afternoon awaits Osweiler and this
passing game.
Drew
Brees @ KC: The ageless Brees continues to put up legendary
numbers for a team that needs him to play lights out every week
to even have a chance to win. But it’s no secret that Brees
has an entirely different ceiling when playing in a stadium without
one. An unstoppable force when in the confines of a dome, specifically
the SuperDome, it’s not without reason that Brees can and
will struggle in hostile Arrowhead. The Chiefs have been lights
out at home against Rivers and Fitzpatrick this season, and should
give Brees his toughest test on the road so far this season. In
two road games this year, Brees has failed to top 276 yards, and
has a total of 3 touchdowns. Of course you have to roll with the
future Hall of Famer, but temper expectations.
