Purdy had a miserable Monday night, turning the ball over four
times and leaving the game late with an injury, but the healing
salve of the Commander defense should be all you need to trust
Purdy this week. With a chance to clinch home field, the Niners
offense should roll against one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
Despite having one of the worst statistical seasons since he
became a starter in 2018, Mahomes has remained a top-10 fantasy
quarterback, and faces a fading Cinci defense that has allowed
the 8th most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. The Chiefs
are a wounded animal right now, and I trust Mahomes in a pivotal
Week 17 game at home.
Prescott and the Cowboy offense has cooled the last few weeks
after a torrid mid-season run. Losers of two straight, Dallas
can and should rebound against a Detroit defense that’s
vulnerable in the secondary, giving up 5th most yards-per-attempt
in the league. Throw in fact the Lions also have a weak pass rush
(8th fewest sacks in the league with 34) and Prescott should have
an opportunity for a big afternoon.
Flacco has come off the couch to have a renaissance month for
the Browns. He’s thrown for the most yards in the NFL over
the last four weeks, and has 10 touchdowns. While known to have
a big arm, it’s not a total shock Cleveland has taken advantage
of a string of struggling defenses to win three in a row. The
Jets pose a significantly bigger challenge for the statuesque
Flacco. His big statistical games have not come without plenty
of blemishes (7 interceptions) and I’m not sure the game
plan will call for the 43 average pass attempts he’s had
either.
Browning has more than held his own since coming in for the injured
Joe Burrow. With at least 227 yards (including three 300-yard games)
in each of his five starts, Browning has found a place in the history
books. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily against the Steelers
last week, and on the road against KC, likely without Ja’Marr Chase,
is just not a place I need my starter to be.
It’s hard to be down on a quarterback on such an explosive
offense, but that’s just how highly I think of the Baltimore
defense. While San Fran was able to attack the middle of the field
with George Kittle, Miami doesn’t have someone to do that
with the injury to Jalen Waddle. With only Tyreek Hill to neutralize,
Miami just doesn’t have another respectable threat in the
passing game.
