Last week’s fantasy preview noted that the game against the Seahawks featured two of the worst defenses in the league and that it would be a huge matchup for fantasy managers to watch.
Well, prepare for a repeat because this week features two of the worst six defenses in the league — and even more offensive firepower than last week.
Last week we predicted Derek Carr would continue his streak of throwing 2+ touchdowns (check) and that Josh Jacobs and Tyler Lockett would exceed their weekly fantasy ranking (check, check).
Can we repeat another solid week of predictions with two of the best NFL bets today?
As a reminder: “start” implies that a player will exceed their consensus fantasy ranking, while “sit” implies they won’t. This isn’t a list of which three guys will be this week’s top performers!
Start: Derek Carr
Until he lets us down, we’ll keep riding this train. We’re now at four straight games with 2+ passing touchdowns, and I think that streak reaches five against a Chargers defense, giving up 6.9 yards per pass (22nd) this season. I think this game ends up being a shootout, and Carr bounces back from a shaky performance in Seattle.
Prediction: 290 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
Start: Foster Moreau
While the yardage hasn’t quite been there for Moreau, the red zone opportunities have — and in a weak tight-end market, I think there could be some value here. Moreau received seven targets last week against the Seahawks, catching three for 33 yards and a score. He posts a season-high in yards this week — making him better than the No. 10 tight end.
Prediction: 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD
Sit: Austin Ekeler
Going to zag here a bit, betting against the consensus No. 1 fantasy running back this week. Why? Ekeler has struggled to run the ball this season (just 554 yards on 128 carries) — and has done most of his damage through the air (80 catches for 497 yards), while also continuing his ridiculous touchdown production (12 touchdowns in 11 games).
I wonder if this week the Raiders will make Ekeler the focal point of their game plan and force Keenan Allen and others to beat them, considering Allen struggled against the Raiders earlier this season.
Prediction: 75 total yards, 0 TD
