Go here for this week's Rushing Matchups.
Top 5 Passing Matchups
NY Giants at Minnesota
The Giants had more or less stalled out in their postseason quest before Sunday‘s divisional win restoked hopes. Daniel Jones remains a limited passer in every regard, though it’s not his fault that his “top” Week 15 wideouts were Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, and slot man Richie James. That said, when paired with his running ability, Jones looks like a solid stream for the week. The matchup could hardly be more attractive, and he’s shown the ability to spin at least passable numbers out of those. At the very least, he should turn in an efficient line that gets the ball into Slayton’s (and, of course, Saquon Barkley’s) hands. For his part, Slayton has drawn 20% of Jones’ targets since Week 11, and he’s shown great downfield skill as well.
The Vikings have major questions to answer on defense as they careen toward the postseason. Specifically, how do they plan to slow playoff-caliber quarterbacks? They’ve been gutted by virtually everyone through the air: six of their last eight opponents have cleared 325 yards, and a seventh got to 307, with five of them throwing multiple touchdowns. They kept Matt Ryan and the Colts in check last week, but that’s not much of a boast. There simply isn’t enough talent surrounding aging legends Patrick Peterson and Harrison Smith in the secondary. Cornerbacks Chandon Sullivan, Akayleb Evans, and Duke Shelley have been shaky even on their best of days. The team badly misses rising star Cameron Dantzler, who doesn’t appear ready to return to the field. It doesn’t help that the pass rush, led by a pair of true superstars in Danielle Hunter and ZaDarius Smith (a combined 18.5 sacks), has underperformed so badly overall (just 24th in pressure rate). The Giants don’t bring a scary offense to the table, but everyone gets a big projection boost against this snake-bitten unit.
Carolina vs Detroit
The Panthers know they can’t lean too hard on “new” starter Sam Darnold, who’s thrown just 47 passes over his first two games back. Darnold remains a flawed and limited passer, and coach Steve Wilks will continue to lean on the ground game. That said, it’s actually harder not to produce against the Lions, who have allowed virtually everyone to put up numbers. And Darnold does come fresh off a strong week, posting 9.8 yards per throw against the Steelers’ swarming defense. There remain issues along the line (Darnold was sacked four times Sunday), and top wideout D.J. Moore needs more playmaking help. But the matchup is golden, and Moore is plenty capable of burning his way through one of the league’s worst secondaries. After all, he shredded the Broncos’ elite defense for 103 yards and a touchdown just last month. If Darnold can carry over his efficiency and find him deep once or twice, this whole unit will overachieve.
The Lions continue to field one of football’s worst pass defenses, as they have for what seems like decades. There’s been a middling effort and little success in building the secondary; no NFL team is more in need of a talent infusion back there. Top cornerback Jeff Okudah continues to flash elite coverage skills, but he’s far from enough on his own. The team can only surround him with names like Jerry Jacobs, Mike Hughes, and Amani Oruwariye – all mediocre cover men of their best of days. There’s not much safety help, either, from the overwhelmed Will Harris and DeShone Elliott. These are largely backup-caliber players pushed into near-every-down roles by the desperate Lions. The results have been brutal: only the Titans and Vikings have given up more yardage (280 per game), with 7 of the Lions’ 14 opponents topping 290. It was one thing to see Kirk Cousins (425 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Tua Tagovailoa (382 and 3) post big stat lines. It was another when Geno Smith (320 and 2), Daniel Jones (341 and 1), and Zach Wilson (317 and 2) all did it.
NY Jets vs Jacksonville
The Jets continue to grind toward the playoffs, even with draft bust Zach Wilson under center for the time being. At least Wilson is coming off his best game in seemingly forever, throwing for 317 yards and 2 touchdowns (with an interception) in last week’s loss to the Lions. And at least he’ll bounce from one of the league’s worst secondaries to another with the toothless Jaguars on tap. It’s hard to imagine how they’ll hold down super-rookie Garrett Wilson, who’s emerged as a weekly fantasy WR2. He’s averaged 5.5 catches and 93 yards over his last seven games; if we filter out one disastrous date with the Patriots, those numbers jump to 6.1 for 107. Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, and tight end Tyler Conklin are all situational players, but even they’ll enjoy a fantasy boost in this matchup.
The Jaguars remain one of fantasy football’s most consistent pass-game matchups. Still struggling to find talent in their beleaguered secondary, this group can always be counted on to give up a big day. They’ve now allowed 10 of their 14 opponents, including the last 7, to top 250 yards – and 7 of the 14 have thrown multiple touchdowns. And it hasn’t just been elite passers doing them in: two of those performances came from Matt Ryan (42 of 58, 389 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Jared Goff (31 of 41 for 340 and 2). Cornerback remains an extremely sore spot in Jacksonville, with only rising star Tyson Campbell to be relied upon. After shedding talent over the past few years, the team is forced to lean on Tre Herndon and Darious Williams, two of the season’s lowest-graded cornerbacks, in full-time roles. Safety Andre Cisco is a bright spot, and his return from injury isn’t for nothing. But as long as they’re playing practice-squad cornerbacks in soft downfield zones, they’ll serve as fantasy gold. Even Zach Wilson gets a boost here.
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