QUARTERBACK
SWIM
Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers):
Despite being in the concussion protocol, Rivers expects to play this weekend and he should be in for a good day against a Bills team that is rapidly becoming more and more dysfunctional. If he is active on Sunday, he should be started as a solid QB1 option.
Eli Manning (New York Giants):
Manning was good enough last week to work as a streaming option and should be in for another high floor game against a Chiefs pass defense that has really struggled this season. There may even be a little more upside this week for him, with the Chiefs likely to score points in bunches, leaving the Giants forced to keep up by airing it out all night.
Blake Bortles (Jacksonville Jaguars):
It’s not the best week for streaming QB’s, as their seems to be a top 10 consensus and then everyone else. Bortles has produced solid fantasy value the past few weeks and gets to face the winless Browns this week, so he’s definitely in play for those who are desperate. I give him a slight edge over Jay Cutler at least.
SINK
Matt Stafford (Detroit Lions):
Somewhat surprisingly, the Bears pass defense has been one of the best in the league this season, so I’m staying away from playing Stafford if possible this weekend. He’s been good most of the season, but is still really only a must play in certain plus match ups, this obviously not being one of them.
Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams):
Similar to Stafford, Goff has been mostly great this season…when the match ups have been in his favor. The Vikings are still a tough team to move the ball on and get healthier this week with Everson Griffen returning. It’s tough to count out Goff and Sean McVay coming up with a gameplan that will work, but I’d still lean towards sitting Goff this week.
RUNNING BACK
SWIM
Orleans Darkwa (New York Giants):
He should be in for another solid workload, and while the ceiling isn’t high, he has provided a solid floor 4 of the past 5 games and should continue to be considered a safe RB2.
Joe Mixon (Cincinatti Bengals):
Another solid if unspectacular RB2 at the moment, Mixon should see an uptick in touches against a Broncos team that proved last week how vulnerable they can be to RB’s and TE’s. Brock Osweiler and co. won’t blow out this Bengals team, so Mixon should be involved plenty on Sunday..
Jamaal Williams (Green Bay Packers):
He’s production will be strictly based on volume, but that shouldn’t be an issue in a game that figures to be low scoring. This is assuming Ty Montgomery sits, but Williams should be in for 15+ touches and hopefully some goal line looks against a hit or miss Ravens defense.
Deep Dives–Alex Collins, Kenyan Drake
SINK
C.J. Anderson (Denver Broncos):
He continues to lose snaps and touches to the other Broncos RB’s and draws an unfavorable match up against a good Bengals defense. There are better RB2/flex options out there for this week.
Alfred Morris (Dallas Cowboys):
The Eagles run defense has been great this season, and this game figures to be controlled by them so the negative game script will lead Dak to throw a ton which will take Morris off the field. He’s likely a TD or bust option this week.
WIDE RECEIVER
SWIM
Jeremy Maclin (Baltimore Ravens):
Maclin’s quietly put up a pair of nice fantasy days since returning from injury two weeks ago, and gets a great match up this weekend. He should be plenty involved in the passing game and has a chance to top 100 yards for the first time this season.
Jamison Crowder (Washington Redskins):
He seems to be benefiting from Jordan Reed’s latest injury and should see a ton of targets this week as the go to option in the passing game. The Saints defense has been much better, but that’s mostly due to the addition of Marshon Lattimore who stays on the perimeter.
Mohamed Sanu (Atlanta Falcons):
He’s a solid flex option with the Seahawks secondary hurting, and his red zone targets give him a reasonable WR2 ceiling perhaps. With no Richard Sherman, the Seahawks may be forced to double Julio Jones, opening up things for Sanu.
Deep Dives–Paul Richardson, Bruce Ellington, Dontrelle Inman
SINK
Jordy Nelson (Green Bay Packers):
Nelson has yet to be a top 40 receiver since Aaron Rodgers went down and this likely isn’t the match up that helps him change that. Davante Adams has been getting most of Brett Hundleys targets, which should continue with teams looking to take Nelson completely out of the game and Hundleys refusal to force the ball that way.
Kelvin Benjamin (Buffalo Bills):
He gets a tough match up against Casey Hayward this week while 5th round rookie Nathan Peterman makes his first career NFL start. As mediocre as Tyrod Taylor may be, it’s still incredibly tough to trust any Bills receiving option with Peterman at this point.
TIGHT END
SWIM
Tyler Kroft (Cincinnati Bengals):
Kroft was held to just one catch last week, but things should be easier for him Sunday against a Broncos defense who have struggled to contain opposing tight ends much of the season. He should see close to a quarter of Andy Daltons targets in this game.
Austin Hooper (Atlanta Falcons):
Since inexplicably having no role when the Falcons traveled to New England in week 7, Hooper has seen 6 targets or more the past three weeks and is finally someone to trust as a low-end TE1. The Seahawks can be vulnerable to the position, and with a banged up secondary, Hooper has a good chance to finish as a top 10 tight end this week.
Marcedes Lewis (Jacksonville Jaguars):
Don’t expect a ton of yards or receptions, but he’s a decent bet to score a touchdown and may see an increase in targets with Allen Hurns out.
SINK
Charles Clay (Buffalo Bills):
He wasn’t used much in last weeks game and until he is fully healthy, will be hard to trust. Especially with a rookie QB behind center.
Hunter Henry (San Diego Chargers):
He has been on the other side of this list a bunch this year and has burned me, so he’ll probably have a career game on Sunday. That would be completely unexpected though, considering the Chargers refuse to use him in the passing game. (averaging just 16 routes over the past two weeks).