QUARTERBACK
SWIM
Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams):
The Giants have all of a sudden become the worse passing defense in football, allowing each opposing QB to finish as a QB1 over the past 4 weeks. The Rams have been one of the higher scoring offenses, with Goff having QB1 fantasy value when able to capitalize against bad defenses. He should finish in the top 10 this week as well.
Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions):
With Golden Tate healthy and Marvin Jones playing well, Stafford should have an easy go of it Monday night. 300+ yards should be in the cards, as long as the Packers are able to keep the game close enough so Stafford has to drop back and throw it instead of handing it off to kill the clock.
Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts):
The Texans can’t catch a break on the injury front, and its left them really vulnerable on the defensive side, especially when it comes to the passing game. Brissett has been pretty solid lately, going over 200 yards in his past 4 games and his rushing ability is another plus.
SINK
Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins):
Cousins will probably be missing roughly half of the teams typical starters on offense (including 4 offensive lineman) for this game, on the road, in Seattle. That should be enough to keep him out of your lineups this week.
Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals):
He’s only be worth using in positive match ups, and this obviously ranks among the worst he could possibly see. This Jacksonville defense is just too good right now to trust any QB going against them and with the Bengals O-Line still struggling, the Jags defense should feast.
Eli Manning (New York Giants):
Manning has yet to finish as a top 25 QB in the 3 weeks since Odell Beckham tore up his ankle and gets another stiff test this weekend with a solid Rams pass defense. Sterling Shepards return helps a little, but not enough to make Manning a worthy streaming option.
RUNNING BACK
SWIM
Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Bucaneers):
He has struggled a bit the past two weeks but the workload continues to be consistent, leaving space for a solid floor. The Saints have been vulnerable on the ground most of the season and with Jameis Winston hurting, a heavy dose of Martin would make sense. Expect 20+ touches and a good chance at a TD.
Adrian Peterson (Arizona Cardinals):
This could be AP’s last real chance at an RB1 finish for the season, as the Cardinals should be able to keep the game close enough for him to see 20+ touches. The 49ers are arguably the worst team in the league against the run and are dealing with a bunch of injuries, so AP’s floor for this game at least should be pretty high.
Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers):
He hasn’t found the end zone often and isn’t running the ball particularly well since he isn’t great at making people miss, but his work in the passing game keeps him in the RB2 discussion each week. The Falcons are terrible at defending opposing passing down backs, so look for McCaffrey to capitalize on that and the fact that Kelvin Benjamin is not there anymore.
Alex Collins (Baltimore Ravens):
Collins continues to see his stock increase on a weekly basis, and should be in line for a heavy workload this weekend in Tennessee. Along with his 18 carries last week, he also finally saw some goal line carries and also caught his first two passes of the season. Expect him to out touch Buck Allen again this Sunday.
Deep Dives–Orleans Darkwa, Kenyan Drake: The Rams run defense is among the worst units in the league currently so Orleans Darkwa gets a great opportunity to strengthen his grip on the Giants lead RB role. My best logical guess would be that Kenyan Drake operates as the Dolphins early down back Sunday night, giving him some flex appeal. His usage (or lack thereof) around the goal line and in the passing game limits his ceiling however, despite the plus match up vs Oakland.
SINK
Eagles RB’s (Philadelphia Eagles):
Not only is the match up brutal for these backs, there really is no telling how carries/snaps will be divvied up yet. Legarrette Blount may start, but newly acquired Jay Ajayi figures to have a role and Wendell Smallwood probably won’t be phased out completely. Definitely a situation to avoid if possible.
C.J. Anderson (Denver Broncos):
The other RB in this game should also be avoided if possible, as the Eagles have been just as dominant against opposing RB’s on the season. The Eagles are expected to be in control for most of the game, meaning a negative game script for Denver and the potential to see a lot of Devontae Booker.
WIDE RECEIVER
SWIM
Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders):
Cooper went off in his last prime time match up, and this Dolphins secondary is certainly in danger of letting him reach his ceiling again Sunday night. Michael Crabtree is still a better play, Cooper makes for a safe option in most leagues while being a potential tourney winning play in DFS given his upside.
T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts):
The Colts keep talking about getting Hilton more involved in the offense, and this seems like the perfect week to make that happen. The Texans are extremely vulnerable to big plays in the air as we saw in last weekends shootout with the Seahawks. The targets should be there this week, hopefully he can make at least a big play or two with them.
Davante Parker (Miami Dolphins):
Sure his floor is low after not playing the past 3 weeks, but his ceiling is also massive in a game that may need Jay Cutler to take numerous shots down the field in. The Raiders secondary isn’t anything to be afraid of, so feel free to fire up Parker this week and hope he and Cutler regain the chemistry they showed early in the year.
Mohamed Sanu (Atlanta Falcons):
When Sanu has been able to stay on the field, he has finished as a WR3 or better this season. With Julio Jones shadowed by James Bradberry, Sanu could very well lead the Falcons in targets on Sunday.
Deep Dives–Robert Woods, Ted Ginn Jr: The Rams current leader in targets, receptions and yards, Robert Woods will be looking at another solid floor game against a Giants secondary missing Janoris Jenkins. Ted Ginn Jr. has sneakily been a top 30 receiver in 4 of the past 5 weeks and gets a dream match up this weekend against Tampa Bays leaky secondary.
SINK
Alshon Jeffrey (Philadelphia Eagles):
Jeffrey did what was expected last week in torching the 49ers secondary for at least one big play, but now I’d expect him to do next to nothing against this Broncos secondary Sunday. Even in a tough bye week, I’d be looking elsewhere for a WR3 or flex this weekend.
Redskins WR’s (Washington Redskins):
Don’t expect the Seahawks secondary to get torched at home for a second straight week. Jamison Crowder has the best match up, but he is banged up and not a guarantee to suit up in this one. The rest of the group (a huge downgrade from DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller) will have their hands full with Richard Sherman and Shaq Griffin.
TIGHT END
SWIM
Jared Cook (Oakland Raiders):
Cooks been more involved in the passing game over the past two weeks and has a great opportunity here against a Dolphins defense allowing the 2nd most receptions to tight ends on the season. He’s a must start option this week.
Vernon Davis (Washington Redskins):
Not the greatest match up for Davis, but he should still see a big slice of the target pie with the Seahawks funneling passes towards the middle of the field. He is one of the better streamer/DFS options this week.
Tyler Kroft (Cincinnati Bengals):
He’s been targeted plenty in the red zone, leading to TE1 status in all but 1 game. With the Jaguars ability to lock down perimeter receivers, Kroft should be in line for a bunch of targets this weekend.
SINK
Eric Ebron (Detroit Lions):
Ebron’s name was floated around in the days leading up to the trade deadline and a move elsewhere could have definitely benefited his career. As is, he continues to lose snaps in Detroit and is a distant afterthought in the Lions offense.
Martellus Bennett (Green Bay Packers):
Both of these NFC North tight ends have proven to be useless this season and are safe to be dropped, even with the tight end position being mostly a wasteland for fantasy purposes. There are still 20 or so better options out there.