The Panthers are opting to start rookie signal-caller Will Grier
the last two weeks of the season, adding some definite risk for
Moore’s owners in Week 16. Grier, a third-round pick from West Virginia,
was uneven during the preseason and hasn’t yet taken a regular season
NFL snap. Nevertheless, the setup couldn’t be much better for a
newbie. Indianapolis just allowed Drew Brees to set the single-game
accuracy record in Week 15 (29 of 30) and, not surprisingly, has
been the very best matchup for opposing flingers the past five weeks
of the season. That bodes well for Grier and his new battery mate.
Only Michael Thomas, Brees’ pigskin vacuum, has more targets than
Moore since Week 11 and the former Terp is now suddenly sitting
at WR10 on the season. That didn’t seem possible a month or so ago.
Assume the risk and start him.
Sitting right beneath Moore in the rankings is an even more surprising
pass-grabber, Chicago’s WR1. Dysfunctional most of the season,
the Bears’ passing game has suddenly sprung to life of late
and Robinson has been the chief beneficiary of that resurgence.
In his last four games, the former Jaguar has averaged 15.75 FPts/G.
In the four games prior to that, he averaged a paltry 4.2 FPts/G.
That’s a nearly 400% production increase and cause for excitement
as the Bears head into a Week 16 matchup against Coach Matt Nagy’s
former mentor, Andy Reid. The Chiefs haven’t been the consistent
play-against defense they were in 2018, but need some help to
change playoff seeding, help they may already know they didn’t
get by Sunday evening. I like Chicago to play hard and for Robinson
to continue being featured in a more functional offense.
I was bearish on McLaurin as recently as the last time we spoke
(Week 14), but all he’s done since then is reestablish some
chemistry with his college teammate, register 180 yards and a couple
scores on nine receptions, and score over 30 fantasy points. Put
another way, he’s reemerged from a midseason swoon to look,
again, like the 2019 draft class’ best WR prospect. Sims wasn’t
in that draft class (because he wasn’t drafted) but is also
starting to look like a difference-making rookie for Washington.
Could this team actually be closer than we think to relevancy? OK,
they’re probably still a couple years away (more than enough
time for Daniel Snyder to tinker away the promise), but I like what
the immediate future holds for both, namely that Giants defense.
Start McLaurin for sure and Sims if you need flex help.
The Niners laid a collective egg against Atlanta last Sunday and
Sanders was particularly brutal coming off a 21.7-point performance
against NO the week prior. He was targeted four times and only
managed to snag two of those targets for a grand total of nine
yards and 0.9 fantasy points (zero for you Luddites still using
integer-only scoring). I think he’ll be better this coming
Saturday, but a matchup with LA’s newly acquired, trash-talking,
shutdown corner (Jalen Ramsey) isn’t necessarily a recipe
for consistent success. ESPN’s “Shadow Report”
notes the Rams have allowed the fewest points to perimeter receivers
the past month, and Sanders typically lines up wide as opposed
to in the slot. Maybe the game turns into another points-splosion
a la that Week 15 tilt in the Big Easy, but the two squads only
scored 27 the first time around. Pass.
Hardman’s averaging 20.3 yards/reception in his first season as
a pro, which would be good for second overall behind LA’s Mike Williams
if he qualified. He doesn’t, unfortunately, because he doesn’t have
“at least 1.875 receptions per team’s games played.” My quick math
tells me that’s about 25 receptions on the season (OK, I cheated
and looked). If you like to play things fast and loose and are looking
for a boom-or-bust candidate heading into Championship Week, he’s
definitely your guy. If you’re looking for someone a bit more predictable/reliable,
you might want to consider...well, literally almost anyone else.
If this helps you make up your mind, the Bears’ secondary gives
up only 6.6 yards/pass attempt on the year, good for fourth overall.
That means they’re good at keeping opposing wideouts in front of
them, even the really speedy ones.
We’ve already documented Aaron Rodgers’ 2019 production
dip and, to be fair, much of that can be attributed to Adams’
prolonged midseason absence (turf toe). Green Bay’s star
wideout is currently WR35 but jumps to WR15 on a FPts/G basis.
What should be most concerning to Packer backers, however, myself
very much included, is that nobody was able to fill the void when
Adams was on the shelf. You’d have to scroll down to page
two to find the rest of the GB wide receiver corps (Marquez Valdes-Scantling,
Allen Lazard, and Geronimo Allison, bunched in the mid-70s &
low-80s). No wonder Matt LaFleur’s talking about a larger
role for his de facto WR5, Jake Kumerow. If you want or need to
play the Week 16 lottery, Kumerow might be the sneakiest of options.
I’d steer well clear of the others, though.
