Quarterback
Jared Goff, Detroit (vs Seattle)
Is Goff a sleeper anymore? He’s piloting one of the best offenses in the league. The Lions are pretty banged up with DAndre Swift likely out and Amon-Ra St. Brown and D.J. Chark missing multiple practices, but the Seahawks defense is vulnerable and should yield enough through the air to make Goff a viable streaming QB1 this week.
Zach Wilson, New York Jets (at Pittsburgh)
Wilson’s 2022 debut will come against the Steelers, who got dismantled by Jacoby Brissett and the Browns on Thursday night. There’s great risk here, but also the possibility that a whole NFL offseason to study plus one of the better wide receiver groups in the NFL will show us a new and improved Wilson. The only pitfall here is that the Steelers don’t have the offense to open up a big lead and force the Jets into pass-first mode.
Geno Smith, Seattle (at Detroit)
Smith is a willing and able passer, and he’s facing a Lions defense that has allowed at least 27 points in every game this year. The Seahawks running game has been the lesser part of the offense, and the Lions offense should be effective enough to put the offense on Smith’s shoulders. The Lions have allowed at least 243 passing yards to opposing quarterbacks in every game this year, and in the one game that they didn’t allow multiple passing touchdowns, Jalen Hurts scored on the ground and rushed for 90 yards.
Jacoby Brissett, Cleveland (at Atlanta)
Brissett appears to have mastery of Kevin Stefanski’s offense and great chemistry with Amari Cooper already. This week, he’s facing a Falcons defense that has allowed at least 269 passing yards and two scores in every game this year. The only potential pitfall here is that the Falcons won’t be able to keep this game competitive and instead allow the Browns to lean on the backfield.