Bottom 5 Passing Matchups Week 7
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Top 5 Passing Matchups Week 7
Bottom 5 Passing Matchups Week 7
Top 5 Rushing Matchups Week 7
Bottom 5 Rushing Matchups Week 7
Rushing Matchup Chart Week 7
Passing Matchup Chart Week 7
Chicago at LA Rams
The Bears may not be able to throw effectively against anyone for the rest of 2020, let alone against the Rams. Lacking a starting-level quarterback and dynamic playmakers, this attack is consistently one of the NFL’s weakest. To be fair, Nick Foles has faced a daunting run of strong defenses since taking over the job. But he still struggles mightily just to hit on basic throws, and when he does, it rarely makes much of an impact. His 4.97 adjusted net yards per attempt, which factors in sacks and interceptions, sits 28th among 33 qualifiers. It speaks volumes about this point of Mitchell Trubisky’s career that he’s yet to find his way back into the lineup. Poor Allen Robinson continues to overachieve - he’s averaging 79 yards on 11 targets a game. But beyond him, there’s just not enough talent to rely upon for fantasy purposes, and not enough under center to bring out any production anyway.
The Rams’ star-studded pass defense continues to hum along as one of the game’s most consistently dominant units. Only one opposing offense has topped 270 yards through the air, and only two have put up more than one touchdown. Much of the credit goes to the cornerback tandem of Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams, who have consistently locked down outside wideouts. Ramsey needs no introduction - he’s been a premier shutdown guy for several years now - but the undrafted veteran Williams has been a pleasant surprise. They were the driving factors in keeping the likes of Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, and Terry McLaurin mostly contained (a combined 5.8 yards per target) in those matchups. Of course, as strong as the secondary has been, it owes plenty to the always-stellar play of Aaron Donald up front. Donald remains the pass-rushing gold standard, and he alters nearly every passing snap just by existing. On his best snaps, he’s forcing errant throws into a secondary that’s prepared for them. This isn’t a fun matchup for any passer, let alone Foles and his ineffective arm.
LA Rams vs Chicago
The Rams pass game is gradually working its way back into shape. Jared Goff has his warts, but he’s enjoying a strong start to 2020. He’s not throwing with much volume (32 attempts per game), but does sit top-10 in many efficiency metrics. There’s just not much ceiling in play, what with middling volume and most of his attention focused underneath the secondary. Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Tyler Higbee are all strong, polished options, but they offer more fireworks to the Rams’ real-life prospects than to fantasy players seeking a stable WR2. Through 6 games, the trio has combined for just 5 games of 70+ yards. When Goff does go deep, he typically looks for Josh Reynolds, who’s registering all of 2.3 receptions a game. At this point, a peak Goff game from the 2018 era would be quite the surprise, and almost impossible to predict.
The Bears pass defense has opened 2020 in truly dominant fashion. They’ve faced an array of strong passers, yet not a single one has reached 300 yards or thrown multiple touchdowns. Armed with a pair of aggressive, playmaking cornerbacks in Kyle Fuller and Jaylon Johnson, opponents don’t see much relative success on quick-hitting man routes. Carolina’s D.J. Moore put up 93 yards last week, but needed 11 targets to do so, bullied and neutralized for much of the day. The likes of Mike Evans (41 yards), T.Y. Hilton (29), and Darius Slayton (33) haven’t been so resilient. That’s not a great indicator for Woods and Kupp, who tend to rely on their fundamentals and guile when working down the field. Perhaps just as importantly, the Bears showed in last week’s win that they’re capable of winning a game in the trenches with more than just Khalil Mack. When this unit both swarms the pocket and sticks its downfield coverage, it’s hard to project much offensive success at all. Goff could be ticketed for a season-low type of stat line here.
Las Vegas vs Tampa Bay
The Raiders pass game is on a bit of a tear right now, having topped 300 yards in back-to-back weeks. They made for just the sixth and seventh such games for Carr over 37 starts under Jon Gruden; perhaps he’s beginning a big upward trend. Week 5 saw him pin his ears back and attack Kansas City deep over and over, defying reputation and winning more often than not. Henry Ruggs, Nelson Agholor, and even slot man Hunter Renfrow took turns finding cracks down the field en route to a huge day. That’s certainly out of character for Carr - he still ranks 26th league-wide in air yards per attempt - and it’s unlikely he’ll seek to test the Buccaneers on quite the same level. Carr is an accurate, fundamental passer who tends to keep things short and safe, so his receivers’ upside is fairly spotty and hard to predict.
The Buccaneers pass defense has developed into one of 2020’s most aggressive, stifling units. They’ve faced a host of elite receivers of all types, but have forced most of them to dig hard for what they earned. In high-volume matchups with Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Keenan Allen, Michael Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders, this group gave up a minuscule 5.2 yards per target, with just a single touchdown to the bunch. It’s been a major turnaround from previous years, and the catalyst has been cornerback Jamel Dean, who’s blossomed into one of the game’s most dominant cover men. Dating back to the middle of last season, few have offered the same blend of shutdown dominance and playmaking ability when he’s actually tested. Carlton Davis continues to make strides across the field, and rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr has been a gem in coverage. There are occasional lapses on deep balls, as seen scattered around the early chunk of the season. But there’s been real consistency Besides, deep balls aren’t a hefty concern when facing Carr and the Raiders. This unit will likely funnel Carr’s attention to Waller and Renfrow underneath, keeping their volume-driven upside relatively low and unexciting.
Tennessee vs Pittsburgh
The Titans are riding the crest of Ryan Tannehill’s triumphant bounce-back. Sometimes, a player simply needs a change of venue and scheme to tap into his strengths. Tannehill sits fourth in effective completion rate and 10th in yards per attempt, with just 5 sacks and 2 interceptions through 5 games. Just as importantly, the Titans are enjoying a pair of rising-star seasons from a pair of young pass-catchers. A.J. Brown has proven far more than a one-trick deep threat (a 71% catch rate), while Jonnu Smith is making good on his potential as a playmaker (scoring on 5 of his 19 grabs). Smith’s ankle sprain bears watching through late-week practice reports, but early indications are positive. That’s important, though Anthony Firsker has developed into one of the league’s better No. 2 tight ends. The only real concern over this unit’s Week 7 prospects lies in the matchup, which is admittedly an ugly one.
The Steelers pass defense has been dominant by most advanced metrics, making for Tannehill’s toughest matchup of the young season. They’ve allowed a moderate amount of raw yardage - 4 of their 5 opponents have topped 250 - but very little overall efficiency. Those yardage numbers have been inflated a bit by game scripts, and last week’s dominant performance showed just how stout this group is on a good day. Baker Mayfield and the Browns were riding a mini-wave of success turning play-action into crucial splash plays, but had no answer for the Steelers’ swarming unit. Mayfield managed just 119 yards and 1 touchdown, with 2 interceptions, before injury and ineffectiveness sent him to the bench in the third quarter. The secondary has been somewhat hit-or-miss in coverage, but when a defense can generate this amount of pressure (first in pressure rate and sacks) and steal the ball away often (eighth in takeaway rate), it’s never a fun matchup. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who ran back a Mayfield interception last week, always looms as a dynamic wild card. There are proven stars on every level of this defense - even with linebacker Devin Bush shelved by an ACL tear - and Tannehill will need to keep his composure to find windows.
New Orleans vs Carolina
The Saints definitely aren’t throwing with the vigor we’re used to seeing. Drew Brees continues to complete everything in sight, yet sits dead-last in air yardage rate - a stat he’s already heard and dismissed. With all due respect to Brees, that matters in terms of making a deep impact in the passing game, and it certainly hampers his fantasy outlook. At least Michael Thomas is set to return Sunday; he’ll stabilize things and take some pressure off Emmanuel Sanders, who was a bit overextended as the No. 1 option. Thomas is a top-tier play in literally any circumstance, while Sanders, Alvin Kamara, and Jared Cook will all lose some volume reliability. In any event, it’s still hard to project much of a deep-ball game here, particularly considering the matchup.
The Panthers’ surprising start has been spearheaded by a near-dominant pass defense. Through 6 games, only one passer (Justin Herbert) has topped 240 yards against them, and only one (Kyler Murray) has thrown multiple touchdowns. The cornerback tandem of Donte Jackson and Rasul Douglas has been stout when healthy together, and Jackson (toe) should be closer to full-go by Sunday. He played half the defensive snaps last week and is likely done easing back in. There are some vulnerabilities on the inside, where rookie Jeremy Chinn has struggled mightily with the likes of Keenan Allen and Calvin Ridley. Still, even if Thomas and Kamara are able to bully their way into a bucketload of catches, there’s not much upside to be seen elsewhere. This unit is designed to keep receivers in front and without huge, game-tilting plays.
