One of the best rookie quarterback seasons of all time comes to
its conclusion this week against a KC team that will likely rest
all of their impact defensive starters. Despite not having Keenan
Allen for the finale, Herbert should be able to move the ball
at will. The former Duck has had one of the highest fantasy floors
of any quarterback this season and with a topsy-turvy Week 17
on tap, the rook makes for a top-5 play in any flavor format.
The only thing stopping Tannehill from a big week is that Henry
might rush for 300 yards! 8th in the NFL with a career high 32
passing touchdowns, the Titans need this game to keep their playoff
hopes alive. Until last week’s dud in Lambeau this Titan
offense had been one of the hottest in the league. They get back
on track against a Houston team dragging their corpse into the
offseason.
The Lions gave up a historic first half against Brady last week
and with no Dalvin Cook, look for Cousins and this passing game
to come out firing in the finale. Half of the Detroit sideline,
from players to coaches, are dead men walking and it showed last
week. Over the last 5 weeks this defense has gifted BY FAR the
most fantasy points to quarterbacks, including 17 touchdown passes
and over 1,600 yards. Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Saints
means Zimmer will have this team prepared to play well and win
going into the off-season.
Beat up against a defense like the Rams isn’t where you
want to be. Suffering a lower leg injury on the last play of the
game last week against the 49ers, Murray is going to play at less
than 100%. Murray had one of his lower scoring games a few weeks
ago in their 38-28 loss to L.A. and any limitation to his scrambling
ability will be a huge production downgrade. In a desperate game
for two teams running on fumes, I don’t trust Murray and
the offense.
Hurts is the perfect example of what a mobile quarterback can
do to jumpstart an offense. With a horribly disfigured offensive
line, Hurts’ mobility has allowed the Eagles offense to
sustain drives and keep the team in games. Hurts has combined
his rushing floor with surprising passing prowess going over 300
yards in his last two games. Unfortunately Washington sports the
deadliest D-line in the NFL, and Hurts is going to have to pull
off major heroics to reach the lofty stats he’s put up since
becoming a starter.
With little to no playoff seeding mobility, I think there is a
scant chance the starting offense plays more than a few series.
In fact, as soon as Evans sets his yardage record, I bet Arians
pulls them all off the field. As favorable as this matchup would
likely be, it’s simply too risky to rely on Tampa Tom.
