The man with the magnificent facial hair makes his Thursday night
primetime debut as he leads the surprising Jags against the struggling
Dolphins in a battle for Florida bragging rights. Minshew currently
sits as fantasy’s No.8 QB, and has shown poise and talent in just
his 2nd season. He’s spreading the ball around (75% completion rate)
to a cast of characters that doesn’t include any high drafted stars
and putting up numbers in the process. As a young player he's still
prone to ill-advised throws, but he should be able to move the ball
against a Miami defense who is likely to be without Byron Jones
and has yielded the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. 250
yards and 2 scores seems the floor here this week.
Despite looking a little rusty early on against the Giants in Week
1, Roethlisberger has proved to be nearly back in form as he’s
put up two solid fantasy weeks to start the year. Sure there are
a few guys at the quarterback position playing lights out, but if
you are streaming the position, or just waited really late in your
draft, Roethlisberger is returning value. He has thrown well on
the run, seems to be as creative as he’s always been, and
displayed plenty of arm strength and touch on his 84-yard rainbow
touchdown to Chase Claypool. Big Ben has a diverse set of pass catchers
and gets a Houston defense that has defended the pass well, but
isn’t a matchup to shy away from.
Risky pick of the week! I know Wentz has been a bust to start the
season, and flashy rookie Jalen Reagor is gone for a few weeks with
torn ligaments in his thumb, but this is a great “get right”
spot for this offense. Wentz has been erratic, inaccurate, and largely
unsure of himself behind a shaky offense line and a constantly rotating
set of pass catchers. On paper, the Bengals are putting a wet blanket
on fantasy quarterbacks, but that has more to do with the fact they’ve
been gashed on the ground. This is a “must win” game
for the Eagles or the Grim Reaper will come calling, so look for
a simple, compacted game plan from Doug Peterson. Don’t expect
a big yardage day, but I think Wentz accounts for a few scores,
and has a measure of redemption...as least for a week.
The 367 yards passing look impressive from last week, but Bridgewater
has only a sole touchdown in two games this season. Losing McCaffery
hurts the pass game as much as the run game, as Teddy B. is going
to have to push the ball down the field more, and that isn’t
the best idea behind a shaky like, and the pass rushing tandem of
Ingram and Bosa coming at you. Even with the high powered Saints
last season he only had one fantasy worthy start and he’s
only the QB21 to start this year. With the position as deep as ever,
there are so many better options this week.
The loss of DeAndre Hopkins has been devastating for Watson, as
he sits as the current QB15 in standard leagues. The opening slate
of opponents (KC, BAL) hasn’t helped, and it doesn't get easier
having to go on the road against an aggressive Pittsburgh defense.
It seems Watson has to create on EVERY drop-back, and not having
a reliable go-to receiver has made nearly every passing play an
adventure. According to Football Outsiders Houston’s 1.89
points per drive is a sad 26th in the NFL. It’s likely you
aren’t in a spot to sit Watson, but he’s a good bet
to score under his expectation this week.
Carr has been quietly sensational leading the Raiders to a pristine
2-0 start. He’s completed over 73% of his passes in both games,
has yet to turn the ball over, and seems to finally be comfortable
in the Gruden scheme. The reality check comes this week on the road
against a grumpy Patriots team that lost a heartbreaker to the Seahawks.
Look for Belichick to send the kitchen sink at Darren Waller, and
I don’t know the rookie receiving duo of Edwards and Ruggs
is quite ready to pick up the slack on their own. As good as Carr
has been, he’s barely cracked the top 15 at the position,
and is tough to trust in this rough matchup.
