Even the most ardent Jackson supporters didn’t see this coming.
After absolutely shredding the Dolphins in Week 1, (this might be
a reoccurring theme this year), Jackson followed that up with a
dominant performance over the Cardinals last week, rushing for over
100 yards and throwing for two scores. Finally facing a varsity
level defense this week against the Chiefs, the bigger story is
the duel between the two hottest quarterbacks in the NFL. KC, while
fielding better defensive units than the Dolphins and Cards, still
is a middle of the pack unit against quarterbacks. Jackson won’t
be intimidated playing in Kansas City, as he made a start there
last season and played well in a narrow loss. This game has some
insane fantasy potential, so keep rolling Jackson out as one of
the biggest difference makers at the position.
The Cowboys are the next team to eat at the fantasy buffet that
is the Miami defense. The Boys are favored by over 20 points in
what should be another massacre. Trading Minkah Fitzpatrick mid-week,
means there will be a shuffling in the secondary for the Phins.
Look for Prescott and the offense to be aggressive early to build
a big lead before leaning on Elliott to run out the clock. Along
with Jackson and Mahomes, Prescott is running circles around the
rest of the quarterbacks in fantasy football.
Allen is showing maturity and poise in his second
season, and the Bengals are fresh off getting roasted by the Niners,
making this a great breakout spot for the former 1st round pick.
Yet to truly bust out on the ground this season, Allen has still
managed over 20 fantasy points per game during the season’s
first two weeks on the back of two rushing touchdowns and a near
65% completion percentage. Cinci barely slowed down a mediocre Niner
offense as they went off for over 570 total yards. This is the Bills
home opener and the Bengal offense can’t seem to sustain drives,
meaning Allen should have plenty of opportunity to put points on
the board.
Even in their laugher against the Jets,
this offense didn’t look right. Mayfield in particular was
a mess on Monday, turning the ball over for the 4th time this
season, and missing several wide open throws. Perhaps still feeling
the effects of a Week 1 hand injury, Mayfield has been jittery
and inaccurate behind a line that isn’t blocking much of
anything. The Rams and their aggressive front pose a stiff challenge
for a Cleveland offense that will likely be more conservative
than usual to protect Mayfield. Until they get their blocking
figured out, the offense won’t be able to realize their
potential. With a run heavy game-plan a distinct possibility,
sit Baker this week.
Underwhelming even when he plays decent, Flacco
attempted 50 passes last week against the vaunted Bears defense,
completing 70% of them. Despite 35 completions, Flacco didn’t
sniff 300 yards and the Broncos failed to score more than 14 points
for the second straight week. As a game manager extraordinaire,
Flacco’s big arm seems to be wasted in a dink and dunk conservative
offense. I don’t expect Denver to start slinging it around
the yard against one of the best defenses in the league, so pass
on Flacco in Week 3.
The Jones-Eli debate has raged on since Jones,
the much maligned 6th overall pick tore it up this preseason.
Talk radio was rampant with hot takes this week about the Eli
benching, and frankly I can’t take it anymore. I know many
a player has lit up the preseason only to wilt when the lights
came on for real, but Jones did impress me every time he took
the field this summer. The biggest problem he faces this week
is a lack of healthy weapons out wide, and a Tampa secondary playing
MUCH better than anyone could have imagined. The Bucs have given
up as many touchdowns as they’ve made interceptions, and
this has come in games against Garoppolo and Newton, so not exactly
slouches. Look for an incredibly run heavy offense in this one
as the G-men try to protect both their rookie, making his first
start in the NFL on the road, and carrying one of the league’s
worst defenses. With such a low ceiling this week, don’t
gamble on the rookie just yet.
