EXPLOITABLE MATCH-UP ALERT! There has been much fuss about the state
of the Viking passing game this week, with Adam Thielen grumbling,
and Cousins and Coach apologizing for the lack of plays downfield.
Well, what better remedy for passing sickness than a Giants secondary
that’s gotten blazed a few times this season. The G-men looked
strong against the Skins last week (most defenses will!), but Minnesota
is more physical and talented of an offense. Look for Cousins to
feed his receivers this week, and hit on a few deep shots in the
process. It’s been a dismal start for Cousins’ numbers,
but this game makes the whole offense feel better about themselves.
Take advantage.
I’m simply going to employ the “every
other week” strategy here for Watson. Week 1 and Week 3
he was over 30 standard fantasy points, while Weeks 2 and 4 were
disasters. Atlanta’s season is already circling the drain,
as they are scraping the barrel in the secondary, trading for
other team’s castoffs just to fill slots. Watson should
hit more than enough big plays to offset the duress he’s
sure to be under. How this team hasn’t surrounded him with
a better offensive line is an Andrew Luck level crime. Look for
Watson to use his legs a little more to help with the rush, as
his rushing numbers are WAY down from last year. Houston has to
do something different with the scheme, and this is a great week
to get healthy.
If you had Jacoby Brissett tied for the
NFL lead in touchdown passes (10) after Week 4 there are some betting
apps you should have installed on your phone and maybe a place for
you in the Shot Caller’s Report! Although the yardage totals
haven’t been there, Brissett has kept the offense afloat after
the retirement of Luck. Coming off a career high 46 attempts against
Oakland last week, look for the Colts to have to sling it another
45+ times in what should be a shootout in KC. Detroit held Mahomes
in check last week, but still gave up 34 points, so the Colts are
going to have to score plenty to stay in this game. Brissett makes
for a sneaky streamer play at the position with a 2-touchdown floor.
Just how low has the Atlanta defense
sunk? They allowed Mariota to look like a world beater! Just a
week after a near benchworthy performance against the Jags, Mariota
held off haters with his second 3-touchdown performance of the
season. I do suppose this is a major letdown game for the Bills,
as they hit the road off an emotional loss to the Pats, and facing
a nasty Titans defense. But this is a better defense than Mariota
faced last year in an embarrassing 129-yard, 1 interception day
also in Week 5. I think the Titans go run heavy rather than try
to force things against one of the best pass defenses in the league.
This game currently sports the lowest under/over at 38.5 for Week
5, so Mariota’s ceiling is just too low to warrant a spot
start.
For what it’s worth Carr and
the Raiders have been more competitive on offense than most people
thought after the AB debacle in the offseason. But let’s
be real, the Raiders go across the pond, continuing a marathon
road trip to face the most ferocious defense in the league. Carr
has yet to sniff a 300-yard passing game, or surpass two touchdowns
in a game. The fact he offers a near zero running the ball gives
him way too low of a floor to trust as a starter, as a streamer
or in two-quarterback leagues.
With a new coach-quarterback combo and a
mighty defense to fall back on, no one would have figured the
Broncos to be dead in the water after the first month of the season.
With their season on the brink of no return, Denver heads to the
division rival Chargers. Rivers has been solid as always, currently
the 11th scoring quarterback in fantasy. He has at least 300 yards
and two scores in all but one game (that Detroit pass defense
is LEGIT!), but has turned the ball over 4 times in his last two
games against Denver. I know the Denver defense is a terrible
fantasy defense, and they just lost Bradley Chubb for the season,
but they are giving up the 2nd fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks,
and are incredibly familiar with Rivers. While still possessing
a solid floor, I think the limited ceiling this week makes Rivers
more of a QB2.
