Top Picks
QB Sam Darnold $6,200/$7,800 9.4 Pts ❄️
Darnold is averaging 237.5 passing yards per game, 8.52 YPA and has thrown 17 TDs. He’ll face a Jaguars defense allowing the 2nd most passing yards per game. The Jags have the 5th lowest pressure rate over expectations. Darnold should be operating from a clean pocket most of the day. He averages 9.34 YPA in a clean pocket, compared to only 5.94 YPA when pressured. From a coverage standpoint, the Jaguars play the 2nd highest rate of man coverage (41%) and they allow the 6th most fantasy points per drop back when they run it. Against man coverage, Darnold averages 10.71 YPA and an insanely efficient 120.4 QB rating. They also run two-high at the 5th highest rate (51.6%). Against 2-high, Darnold has negative splits, averaging only 6.95 YPA. Darnold should be able to torch this defense
QB J. Hurts $7,800/$9,400 30.7 Pts🔥🔥
The Eagles have a full bill of health heading into this week against the Cowboys, when they entered the week with questionable tags on all of Jalen Hurts' weapons: AJ Brown, Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. Hurts has been great this year, and has only had all three of his top weapons in one game this season, Week 1. In that week, Hurts went off against a tough Green Bay Packers defense, where he went 20/34, 278 passing yards, two TDs and two INTs. Since then, Hurts has had one game where he had more passing yards than that. With all of his alotment of weapons, Hurts should have no reason to not bounce back. This marks the first matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on the season, but Hurts has typically struggled in this matchup, surpassing 210 passing yards just once in the previous two seasons. However, this is a different Cowboys passing defense, still allowing the 18th most passing yards (230.1) but on the second-fewest passing attempts against (27.6). This indicates that the Cowboys are allowing a high number of big plays against. And that reflects in them allowing the second most yards per pass attempt (8.3) and sixth most deep ball percentage allowed (12.7%). The Cowboys run the sixth most zone coverage (82.9%). Against zone, Hurts has the 19th most pass completions (111), 23rd most passing yards (1,218). BUT, he has the second-highest completion percentage (75.5%) and the ninth most yards per pass attempt (8.3). What does that mean? Hurts should be able to take advantage of a weaker Cowboys defense.
RB Alvin Kamara $8,100/$8,500 13.4 Pts🟡
Kamara leads the NFL in combined RB touches (when considering both receptions and carries) at 196. He has been relied upon heavily with the injuries at QB and WR throughout the year for the Saints, and is being relied upon even more so without Jamaal Williams at RB, who is also injured at the moment. The injury to Shaheed seemed to correlate with a massive spike in volume in the receiving game, as he has been targeted on an impressive 36.0% of his routes run with no Shaheed. In the rushing game, the Falcons are vulnerable as well, having the 4th lowest stuff rate in the NFL at only 37.0%. He is asked to be their everything right now, even with Carr now back. He should have a big week
RB B.Robinson $7,700/$8,800 30.9🔥🔥
Robinson has asserted himself as valuable threat for the Falcons at RB both on the ground and through the passing game. He has slowly and methodically taken more of the rush share away from backup RB Tyler Allgeier, taking 76% of the carries last week for the Falcons. The Saints defense has really struggled on the season, giving up 5.08 YPC to opposing RBs, which is the 3rd highest in the NFL. They also have the 3rd lowest stuff rate in the NFL at only 36.8% on the year. He struggled against the Saints back in Week 4, but only got 7 carries in that game, which I would be shocked to see happen again. This is a great matchup for Robinson to run free against, especially if the Falcons can open up an early lead and use Bijan to hang on.
WR Josh Downs $6,200/$7,100 10.7 Pts🟡
Pittman has been ruled out so Downs takes over as the primary focus, which he has honestly already been with Flacco under center. With Flacco this season, he has 60+ receiving yards in every game, averaging 77.2 per game. We need Flacco to be decent to get Downs the ball, but there is plenty to like here, especially given a likely negative game script early. Downs is the Colts primary slot WR this season, playing there for 85.3% of his passing snaps. BUF is allowing the 7th most receiving yards out of the slot per game (87.4 yards). Given the chemistry with Flacco, the matchup and predicted game flow, this looks like a solid spot for Downs.
WR J.Jefferson $8,800/$9,500 7.3 Pts❄️
JJetta averages 97.9 receiving yards per game, 3.29 YPRR and has been targeted on 29% of his routes. He has a 1st read rate of 38.4%. The Jaguars allow the 4th most receiving yards to opposing WRs. From a coverage standpoint, the Jaguars play the 2nd highest rate of man coverage (41%) and they allow the 6th most fantasy points per drop back when they run it. Against man coverage, Jefferson averages an insane 4.73 YPRR and has been targeted on 33% of his routes. They also run two-high at the 5th highest rate (51.6%). Against 2-high, Jefferson has negative splits averaging 2.05 YPRR and 26% TPRR. Jefferson has lined up out wide on 69.3% of his routes and in the slot 29.8% of his routes. The Jags allow the 19th highest target share to wide alignment (39.5%), and the 26th highest target share to the slot (29.7%).
WR D.Adams $7,000/$7,600 6.1 Pts❄️
I think this might be the game where he can finally make a true depiction of how this Jets receiver role will shake out for the rest of the season. Since getting traded to New York, Adams has taken a little bit to regain that level of chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. They're not on the same page as their days in Green Bay, but that's to be expected after a couple years off and a couple years older. One thing I noticed was Adams' snap count went down as the weeks went on, but Adams left with an injury for a while. What didn't take a dip was his route percentage, as that rose from 85.3% to 100%. Last week was also the first game as a Jet, where he led the team in targets with 11. The Cardinals run the 18th-most man coverage at 25.1%, just below the league average. This is a nice tick in Adams' corner, as he does much against zone coverage, catching 79.3% of his targets compared to 33.3% of his targets against man. Adams runs most of his routes on the right outside (37%) and is projected to line up against Max Melton. Melton has had a fairly impressive rookie year, only having one game where he's allowed more than three receptions in one game and a 69% (nice) catch rate on the season. However, the Cardinals still allow the seventh-most receiving yards (158.6) and the eighth-most receptions (12.6) per game.
TE T. Kelce $6,000/$7,000 16.4 Pts🔥🔥
Kelce averages 54.4 receiving yards per game, 1.84 YPRR and has been targeted on 26% of his routes. Since Rashee has been out, his averages have increased to 69.3 receiving YPG, 2.08 YPRR and targeted on 32% of his routes. The Broncos currently allow the 11th lowest YPG to opposing TEs. Kelce lines up all over, 28.4% out wide, 43.2% in the slot and 27.1% inline. The Broncos allow a 11.5% target share to inline and a 33.1% target share to the slot, both middle of the pack. They allow the 5th lowest target share to wide alignment (36.1%). Scheme wise, the Broncos run single-high at the 6th highest rate in the league (58.8%) and run man at the 4th highest rate (36.8%). Against single-high, Kelce averages 2.66% YPRR and a 30% TPRR. Against man coverage, Kelce averages 2.45 YPRR. These are both positive splits, setting up Kelce for a lot of production. In his last 2 games against Denver, Kelce has 124 and 58 receiving yards.
TE Taysom Hill $4,000/$6,300 6.0 Pts🟡
Hill played his season high in snaps last week at 35, and it makes sense considering how decimated the Saints are in terms of injuries just about anywhere else. He had 5 rushes for 19 yards last week, and also 4 receptions for 41 yards. It is tough to predict exactly where the Saints will use Hill since he can line up just about anywhere and make plays, but because of the load that we can expect from Kamara as well as Carr’s struggles (and the lack of WR options), I could see the Saints looking to diversify their rushing attack with many QB wildcat looks from Hill against a vulnerable rush defense.
Sleepers
QB A.Rodgers $5,700/$7,100 4.0 Pts❄️
Oh boy, this Jets team was not saved by Aaron Rodgers like they thought they would be. He's starting to show flashes of his 40-year-old age as he doesn't have the same speed or quick instincts as he used to have, which is reflected in his play. This season, Rodgers is averaging 234.1 passing yards and 6.7 yards per attempt, which all rank as his second-worst statistical season since becoming a full-time starter in 2008. He's also not airing the ball out as much as he has a 7.5 aDoT, the third lowest aDoT of his career and a full 1.3 yards lower than his career average. But in this match against the Cardinals, Rodgers might have an advantage. Arizona runs man coverage around league average at 25.1%. Rodgers has been tested against man coverage the most in the league, with 131 of his dropbacks, resulting in him leading the league in passing yards against man coverage (734). But, as we discussed earlier, Rodgers hasn't been a deep ball guy this year, which perfectly aligns with this Cardinals defense, who allow the seventh-lowest aDoT (8.3) and deep throw percentage (9.9%) in man coverage. The Cardinals pass defense allows the ninth most passing yards (242.44) and pass completions (22.1). However, they rank 16th in pass attempts, meaning that they're allowing a high percentage of their passes completed. In fact, the Cardinals allow the sixth-highest completion percentage at 69.7% (nice). Look for Rodger's to possibly have a breakout game.
QB B. Purdy $6,500/$8,100 26.8 Pts🔥🔥
Purdy continues to be steady for this 49ers offense, even if they aren’t the juggernaut from a season ago. He holds 200+ passing yards in every game this season. His biggest issue has been turning over the ball, but with McCaffrey back some pressure may come off of his shoulders. I think we are going to get some positive regression in the touchdown category. While only holding a 4% touchdown rate, he still ranks 2nd in dropbacks within the redzone. This Bucs defense has been bad against the pass. They have allowed the 3rd most passing yards to QB’s per game (274 yards), 2nd most completions per game (25.8) and are allowing 2 passing TD’s per game. TB plays a ton of zone, currently ranked at the highest rate in the NFL. Purdy has been good vs zone this season. He holds a 75% completion rate, 100.5 passer rating and 9.6 aDOT. TB has only forced 5 interceptions this season in 9 games, while giving up 18 touchdowns. This looks like a nice spot for Purdy in what could be a sneaky shootout game.
RB T.Tracy $6,000/$6,100 17.9 Pts🔥🔥
Tracy is a breakout star at who has broke onto the scene over the past few weeks, running away with the majority of the backfield touches for the Giants. Tracy has at least 16 carries in 4 of his last 5 games. The Panthers defense has been carved by rushing attacks this season. They have only put up a 34.2% Stuff-Rate this year, which is the 2nd lowest mark in the NFL. They have done a good job of avoiding explosive runs nevertheless, with only 3.8% of opponent runs breaking free for an explosive play. It has been through intermediate runs that teams have had success against the Panthers. 61.8% of Tracy’s runs have been 3 yards or more. This provides us a good formula for the Giants to use him often to stay ahead of the sticks on early down, which should result in high volume.
RB Najee Harris $6,200/$7,100 11.3 Pts🟡
Najee has averaged 74 rush yards per game on 4.35 YPC. 33.3% of his rush yard production has come from explosive runs, which is up from 26.9% from last season. He’ll face a Commanders' defense that allows the 2nd most YPC (5.13) as well as the 3rd most adjusted yards before contact per attempt (2.67), which tries to isolate the defensive line ability. The Commanders’ defense has also been the #1 run funnel in the NFL, ranking 1st in rush rate over expected. Looking specifically at run schemes, 66.2% of Najee’s attempts have come in zone concepts, where he averages 4.48 YPC. The Commanders’ defense has had much better success against zone concepts, allowing 4.17 YPC (19th highest) compared to 6.17 YPC (#1 highest) against man/gap concepts. However, looking at QB positioning splits paints a better picture. The Commanders allow the most YPC against under center positioning, but only the 8th most against the shotgun formation. 100 out of 124 Najee rush attempts have come under center.
WR Noah Brown $4,300/$5,300 4.4 Pts❄️
Brown averages 39.8 receiving yards per game, 2.32 YPRR and has been targeted on 23% of his routes. He joined the team late, so he had a slow start in terms of playing time, but he has a route rate of 71.7% and 76.0% the last 2 weeks. That has resulted in his top production of the season, with 73 yards and 60 yards respectively. The Steelers are running single-high at the highest frequency in the NFL (68%). They specifically run Cover 3 at the 2nd highest rate (45.6%). Against single-high, Brown averages 2.23 YPRR and is 2nd behind Terry in 1st-read rate (19.8%). Looking more specifically at Cover-3, Brown averages 2.44 YPRR and has a 26% 1st-read rate, that’s only slightly behind McLaurin (27.3%). With Terry likely shadowed by Joey Porter, I love this spot for Brown to produce.
WR X.Legette $5,700/$5,900 5.5 Pts🟡
Diontae Johnson started the season as the Panthers’ primary target. However in his absence, it appears Xavier Legette will take over as the team’s primary option. Over the course of the season, Legette has been targeted 13.8% of the time. However, over the past 2 weeks, this has shot up to 20.3%. Legette has been a prolific red zone threat for the Panthers. He leads the team by a wide margin in red zone targets with 6. Johnson was also a major red zone threat prior to his trade, so I see this number not only sustaining itself but potentially even growing. Teams are having success against the Giants pass defense, with them giving up 8.60 yards per target, which is the 4th most in the NFL.
WR D.Vele ($3,400/$4,900) 11.9 Pts🔥
Josh Reynolds has been out the past 4 weeks with an injury, and he was more recently involved in a shooting incident. I wouldn’t expect him to return this week. With Reynolds out, Vele has seen some playing time. He has a 49.8% route participation rate when he has been active. He averages 35.2 receiving yards per game. His aDOT (7.3) is much lower than Sutton (14) and Franklin (15.4), he’s being used as the underneath guy. This should be a difficult matchup against a Chiefs defense that allows the least receiving yards per game to opposing WRs. However, the Chiefs do allow the highest target share to the slot (39.6%). Vele has been the primary slot guy, running 81.6% of his routes from this alignment. The Chiefs play 2-high safeties at the 2nd highest rate in the NFL (63.3%). Against 2-high, Vele leads the Broncos in YPRR (2.5). If there’s one guy I’d choose to produce against this elite pass defense, it’s Vele.
TE George Kittle $5,800/$8,000 13.2 Pts🟡
This looks like a nice spot for Kittle. The Bucs are allowing the second most receiving yards to opposing TE’s this season (69.7 per game) and 5th most receptions per game (6.11). Kittle owns a 9.3 aDOT, 21.3% target share and 13.43 YPR vs zone this season. Vs man, he owns a 6.2 aDOT, 19.4% target share and 12 YPR. He’s the one guy we can look to that really stands out in this matchup. Not to mention, he’s been awesome this season and probably the most reliable pass catcher in this offense. He holds 4+ receptions in every game and 40+ receiving yards in every game. He has 6 touchdowns in the 7 games he’s played in. Look for Purdy to look Kittle’s way often in this one.
TE Hunter Henry $3,900/$5,300 1.9 Pts❄️
Hunter Henry has been the most reliable pass-catcher for New England this season. The TE leads his team in targets (53), receptions (39) and yards (414), and he’s the only weapon that seems to consistently show up for every game. Henry has caught all 10 of his targets for 100 yards vs. Cover 3 defense this year, and when Drake Maye is playing QB he’s hauled 19 of 23 targets for 200 yards. The Bears have an excellent pass defense, but they’ve proven to be a little softer against the TE position, where they allow 7.9 YPT (21st in NFL).