Quarterback
Daniel Jones (vs Washington)
Maybe this will be the week? Washington has allowed at least two total touchdowns to every quarterback they have faced, and three total scores to three of them, including at least one rushing score. Jones played better against Dallas, but both offensive scores came on the ground and the team settled for field goals. Washington’s defense is reeling after the Rams toyed with them last week.
Kirk Cousins (vs Atlanta)
Make sure this game goes off as scheduled before trusting Cousins, but as long as it does, he has a high ceiling against a Falcons defense that has given up four total touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in four of five games and at least 300 passing yards in every game. Even the Bears passing game went off against the Falcons, and they had a dropped touchdown in the end zone and another taken away by a defender in the end zone. Cousins is usually efficient against bad defenses and Justin Jefferson and Irv Smith have come on to give him a deeper set of weapons.
Andy Dalton (vs Arizona)
Dalton is facing a Cardinals defense that gave up two passing scores to Matthew Stafford and two passing scores plus a rushing score to Teddy Bridgewater in losses, but they weren’t challenged much by Jimmy Garoppolo, Dwayne Haskins, and Joe Flacco in wins. That trio had a floor of 195 passing yards and a score despite bad play, bad surrounding offenses, or both. Dalton has a fantastic running back and top three receivers, and the Cardinals just lost their best pass rusher - Chandler Jones - for the season. Dalton should be at least modestly successful Monday night.
Teddy Bridgewater (vs Chicago)
The Bears pass defense has been strong on paper, but they’ve also faced Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan nursing huge leads, Daniel Jones after he lost Saquon Barkley, Philip Rivers in a hyper-conservative offense, and Tom Brady with no wide healthy wide receivers. Bridgewater threw for 281 and two scores against them last year as a member of the Saints, and he looks more comfortable every week in the Panthers offense.
Running Back
Phillip Lindsay (at New England)
Melvin Gordon was back at practice after his mid-week DUI arrest, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll be active on Sunday, or get his normal workload if he is active. Lindsay was due back from turf toe last week, but the game was postponed, so he should be more than ready for a big workload in the service of a Denver offense that will probably have a lot of trouble passing downfield on the Patriots pass defense that frustrated Patrick Mahomes II the last time they played. Lindsay should be the centerpiece of the offense this week.
Mike Boone (vs Atlanta)
The Falcons season is swirling down the drain and they just lost their head coach and general manager. How will they respond this week? If they don’t answer the bell, the Vikings running game could turn their defense into mulch. Boone had a terrific Week 17 after his infamous Week 16 and a positive game script could get him double-digit touches against a stressed-out defense.
Matt Breida (vs New York Jets)
The Jets have already given up long touchdown runs to Melvin Gordon, Jerick McKinnon, Raheem Mostert, and Chase Edmonds this year. If the Dolphins add a name to that list, Breida is likely to be it, and his touches are trending up after the team made Jordan Howard a healthy scratch last week. The Jets have also given up four short touchdowns to running backs, and Breida could get his number called in the red zone instead of Myles Gaskin if he gets hot in this one.
DAndre Swift, Adrian Peterson (at Jacksonville)
The Lions had the bye week to reassess priorities and one that should be addressed is playing the second-round pick Swift more against the Jaguars this week. He has already been fantasy relevant in two games with receiving touchdowns (and should have had a second in the season opener). If he can get some more carries, he’ll be a bonafide fantasy RB2. Peterson has performed admirably as the lead back and he could still lead the backfield in carries against a Jaguars defense that has given up six touchdowns to opposing backs already, and the best games on the ground this year for David Johnson, Joe Mixon, and Myles Gaskin.
Frank Gore (at Miami)
Gore should lead the Jets backfield in touches after Le’Veon Bell was released, and he’ll be going back to Miami to face a Dolphins defense that has allowed eight touchdowns to opposing running backs. Gore had at least 14 touches in every game Bell missed, so his touches are probably cheaper than any running back in the league right now.
Wide Receiver
Marvin Jones (at Jacksonville)
The Jaguars defense has given up five scores to wideouts in the last four games, and in the game that they didn’t allow an opposing wideout to score in that span, Joe Mixon scored three times, so you know that offensive touchdowns are coming from the Lions this week. The Jaguars have given up three scores to #2 receivers (Adam Humphries, Preston Williams, Brandin Cooks/Will Fuller), and Jones tends to score in bunches, so this could be one of his biggest games of the year.
Keelan Cole (vs Detroit)
It doesn’t look like DJ Chark is going to play this week, which should get Cole on the field more. He led the team in wide receiver snaps last week and has already scored three times this year. The Lions have allowed six wide receiver scores this year, and two score games to both Andy Isabella and Tre’Quan Smith. Cole is the best bet for a wide receiver touchdown from the Jaguars this week.
N’keal Harry, Damiere Byrd (vs Denver)
Denver’s secondary has been a sieve this year, allowing five wide receiver scores, and 100-yard games in the two contests that they didn’t give up multiple wide receiver touchdowns. Jeff Smith and Scott Miller went over 80 yards against them as outside receivers and they’ve allowed at least 18 wide receiver receptions in three of four games. In the one that they didn’t the Bucs let up in the second half and had three wideout scores on only 10 receptions. Byrd could score from distance and Harry could be the preferred target for Cam Newton in the red zone.
Randall Cobb (at Tennessee)
The Titans secondary is on a three-game streak of allowing at least 200 receiving yards to opposing wideouts, which means there should be enough to go around for Brandin Cooks, Will Fuller, and Cobb to all get fed. Cobb could be a top target if the Titans pass rush is getting home and Deshaun Watson needs to get the ball out quickly. He caught all six of his targets last week.
Miles Boykin (at Philadelphia)
The Eagles had a nightmare game against a big, athletic, young receiver from Notre Dame last week as Chase Claypool made his presence known with four touchdowns. This week, another big, young, athletic receiver will face this beleaguered secondary that could be without Darius Slay, who is recovering from a Week 5 concussion. Even if Slay is available, he’ll likely be assigned Marquise Brown, leaving the lesser corners for Boykin to possibly have his breakthrough game against this week.
Tight End
Irv Smith Jr./strong> (vs Atlanta)
The Vikings made a point of getting Smith involved last week, and he made them look wise for doing it, but foolish for waiting until Week 5. He could be even better this week against a Falcons defense that has already given up seven scores to opposing tight ends this year, despite facing Dalton Schultz, Jimmy Graham, Robert Tonyan Jr, and Greg Olsen - not one a top receiving tight end.
Eric Ebron (vs Cleveland)
Ebron has at least five targets in each of the last three games, and five catches in each of the last two. He could be a point of emphasis this week against a Browns defense that has allowed four scores to opposing tight ends, and at least four receptions to an opposing tight end in every game. That includes players like Logan Thomas, Drew Sample, and Trey Burton.
James OShaughnessy (vs Detroit)
Tyler Eifert is likely sitting this week with a neck injury, which could allow O’Shaughnessy the chance for a big target load against the Lions. Detroit has given up two scores to opposing tight ends, and in the other two games faced the Saints without Jared Cook and the Cardinals, who don’t feature the tight end as a frequent target in the passing game. Gardner Minshew has targeted the tight end at least seven times and as many as 10 times in each of the last four games. This week, most of those will go to O’Shaughnessy.
Jordan Akins/Darren Fells (at Tennessee)
Monitor Akins recovery from a concussion as we can’t be sure who will be the top receiving tight end for the Texans this week, but whoever it is will have a chance to run free against a Titans defense that will be preoccupied with the talented Houston wide receiver group. Texans tight ends have already scored three touchdowns this year and posted at least 50 receiving yards in four of five games. The Titans gave up touchdowns to opposing tight ends in three of four games, with only Buffalo failing to post one last week.
