Despite a flaming hot start, Wilson has
cooled some the past two weeks against Baltimore and Atlanta.
The Seahawk run game won it last week, but I get the feeling that
Seattle is going to have to throw a bit more this week against
Tampa. Not only are the Bucs one of the best run defenses in the
NFL, but their offense can score points in bunches, and the Seahawk
defense just gave up a 400+ yard day against the ghost of Matt
Schaub (I didn’t know he was even still in the NFL!). The
offensive line is going to have to compensate for the loss of
their starting center so look for Wilson to be forced to make
some plays with his legs this week. Fire him up as a surefire
QB1.
Prescott has been a harbinger of doom is his
last two games against the Giants, smashing the G-Men to the tune
of 792 yards and 8 touchdowns. Fresh off a bye, and in a dogfight
for the division, Dallas should continue to carve up a New York
secondary that has yielded five 300-yard passing games so far
this year. Miscommunication and general lack of talent cost NY
multiple times last week against the Lions, and Prescott, with
a stable of healthy weapons, should again be a great bet as a
QB1. Plus there’s that whole contract motivation thing still
going!
I’m actually flabbergasted at the level
of quarterbacks the Patriots defense has gotten fat against this
season. Four of the eight quarterbacks will likely be out of the
league in the next several months, and the other starters were
old and broken vets (Roethlisberger, Fitzmagic) or guys 22 or
under (Jones, Mayfield, Darnold, Allen). This defense showed some
cracks last week, and had Cleveland not imploded with self-inflicted
wounds, that game could have gone very differently. Much has been
made about Belichick’s record vs young gunners, but Jackson
possesses a skillset that is very difficult to scheme against.
With two weeks to prepare, and at home, I’m not scared to
start Jackson. Baltimore has the tools to be physical against
the Pats and take it to them. With the position in shambles at
the moment, I’m sticking with Jackson as a QB1 despite the
on-paper matchup being unfavorable.
The buzz saw that is the San Fran
defense has chewed and spit out multiple quarterbacks this season,
and Murray is in grave danger of being the latest. The Cards yield
3.4 sacks per game, good for 6th worst in the NFL, and that is
music to the Niner front seven. Led by rookie phenom Nick Bosa,
San Fran has unleashed a ferocious and unrelenting pass rush this
season. Their 27 sacks are good for 4th in the NFL. Murray struggled
mightily against a similar Saints defense last week. Over the
first half of the season there are some clear splits in his efficiency
numbers when playing against top tier defenses. Scoring enough
to reach QB1 status is just going to be too much of a slog this
week to risk Murray as a starter.
The quarterback position is a downright
mess this season with a host of guys like Mason Rudolph being
thrust into starting roles. Some shoddy defensive schemes and
a solid 2nd half helped Rudolph overcome a near disaster against
Miami last week, but with a hobbled running game, the Colts might
be able to tee off and come after the young signal caller. He’s
shown flashes of effectiveness this year, and has a strong 9-3
touchdown to interception ratio, but it’s clear he’s
not ready to put this team on his shoulders and win games just
yet. He might be forced to do that this week against a game Colts
team, and I don’t like his chances.
Another guy forced into a starting role, both
in real life and fantasy is Kyle Allen. Solid in his four starts
in place of Cam Newton, the nightmare game finally arrived last
week against the Niners. A 3-interception, 158-yard day probably
silenced all those who wanted to see Allen keep the job when Newton
gets healthy. I think the ship has sailed on Allen as a fantasy
possibility, even in two-QB leagues. Against a stout Titans defense,
look for Carolina to play conservatively on offense and try to
slug it out with the Titans. This game has the 4th lowest over/under
of the week at 41.5, and I’d avoid Panther offensive players
not named McCaffrey.
