Gus Swayze is ballin’! If you haven’t seen the Netflix short with
an undercover Mayfield playing superfan Gus Swayze check it out.
There is no hiding on the field anymore, as Mayfield slots in as
fantasy’s QB2, and has officially reached must-start status. He
leads the NFL with 15 touchdowns passes, and faces a Raven defense
that is much weaker against the pass than the run.
Goff and the Lions offense have hit their stride. Only five of
the last 43 passes Goff has thrown have hit the ground, and the
running game is a devastating 1-2 punch. Minnesota has been playing
transformative defense this season, but has given up a few big
games to Purdy and Love so far. With the Lions defense missing
key pieces, this could be a shootout in Minnesota.
Kirko Chainz took a backseat to the running game last week as
Atlanta controlled the Panthers from start to finish. After looking
strong defensively vs Nix, Brissett, and Skylar Thompson, the
Seahawk defense has gotten thumped by Goff, Daniel Jones, and
Purdy the last few weeks. This Seattle defense is reeling, and
this is a positive matchup for all Falcon skill position players.
Andy Reid is notoriously successful with his team coming off
bye weeks when the other team hasn’t. 28-3 to be exact! While
this bodes well for the Chiefs chances against the Niners, it’s
impossible to start Mahomes with any confidence, as he sits just
a slot ahead of Deshaun Watson in the QB scoring rankings. Outside
of raw Xavier Worthy, this offense lacks explosive RAC threats,
meaning lots of short passes and screens.
Fields has been more than adequate as a fantasy starter this
season, piling up 10 total touchdowns, and leading the Steelers
to a 4-2 record. On the flip side, he’s had four games under 200
yards passing, and the passing offense is too often inconsistent,
and drive killing. With Russell Wilson getting starters snaps,
talk of a possible committee and an 8:20 pm Sunday night start,
there is too much doubt surrounding Fields to risk keeping him
in.
While the yardage totals have been there (he leads the NFL with
1,778), Smith barely cracks the top-20 with only six passing scores.
To make matters worse Smith was off target a bunch last week,
and despite difference makers in Metcalf and Walker, this offense
lacks a true identity. The Falcon pass rush could be a problem,
so look for a heavy ground attack, limiting Smith’s chances.
