It’s safe to say last week was an all-time bad week on my part. I pretty much missed the mark on everyone, but thankfully James Conner came through on Monday night to somewhat salvage my predictions. Just to remind everyone, I also had Kyle Allen, Tyler Lockett, and Delanie Walker on my love list to go along with Jameis Winston, Dalvin Cook, Taylor Gabriel, and Austin Hooper on my hate list... So yeah, let’s put that behind us and look forward to bigger and better things. Like this week’s predictions that will put me back on course.
Who I love:
QB: Some might call me crazy for putting someone that didn’t even get 5 fantasy points on my love list this week, but that’s what I’m doing with Andy Dalton. If you watched the game on Monday night, you know how absolutely awful Dalton and the Bengals looked. And honestly, the Steelers exposed the biggest weakness the Bengals have which is their offensive line and their inability to stop the blitz. Good thing for Dalton this week though, they get to face the Arizona Cardinals who give up the second most yards per game on defense.
Moose’s Prediction: 348 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
RB: Melvin Gordon is expected to get his first start of the season this week after another week of live practices, and he couldn’t get a juicier matchup if he wanted. He plays against the Denver Broncos who allowed 225 rushing yards to Leonard Fournette, so I expect a big time game from Gordon who wants to show the Chargers and the rest of the league he’s worth a new giant contract.
Moose’s Prediction: 162 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 receptions, and 44 receiving yards.
WR: It’s no secret the Giants are a bad team, a really bad team. It’s also no secret that Kirk Cousins has played horrendously this season, worse than he’s ever played. But Cousins and the Vikings passing game gets on track this week because of their matchup so look for Stefon Diggs to have a breakout week and remind everyone the type of receiver he is. I also expect Adam Thielen to have a big game too, but Diggs will be finding the endzone multiple times in this game.
Moose’s Prediction: 8 receptions, 115 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns.
TE: Darren Waller is pretty much Derek Carr’s only threat this season and he’s been taking advantage of that performing well week in and week out. This week will be no different and Waller will be the lone bright spot in that passing game taking on a tough Chicago Bears defense. There may not end up being much scoring in this matchup, but Waller can still put up points with his high targets and receptions he always ends up with.
Moose’s Prediction: 9 receptions, 123 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown.
Who I hate:
QB: The Dallas Cowboys defense has been quite stout this season and the Green Bay Packers have the unfortunate draw of playing them this weekend. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t looked particularly great this season, except against the Eagles (who every quarterback looks good against), and he will have another lackluster performance this week. This is another game that should end up being a low scoring affair with two strong defenses going at it.
Moose’s Prediction: 266 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions.
RB: The New York Jets are a hot dumpster fire and Le’Veon Bell will have another subpar performance this week against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have been getting torched through the air, but have an elite front seven that makes it difficult for opposing running backs. If you have Bell, it may be time to move him because it’s shaping up to be a rough season for the Jets and everyone involved.
Moose’s Prediction: 39 rushing yards, 5 receptions, and 40 receiving yards.
WR: Chris Godwin is coming off a career performance against the Los Angeles Rams, but this week has a tough matchup against the New Orleans Saints where he’ll likely be guarded by Marshon Lattimore who just locked up Amari Cooper last weekend. I know it’ll be tough not to start him after his 35 fantasy points, but that’s what you may have to do this weekend to avoid defeat.
Moose Prediction: 4 receptions and 52 receiving yards.
TE: Ricky Seals-Jones appeared out of nowhere last weekend and finished as the second highest scoring tight end, but there is no repeat performance in his future. This is the hype train I’m slowing down because with bye weeks in full swing people will be looking for fill-ins, but you must look beyond Seals-Jones to find your guy. The Cleveland Browns have just been too up-and-down this season and RSJ will never be above the fourth option on that team, so he’s not likely to help you out.
Moose’s Prediction: 2 receptions and 21 receiving yards.
That’s all I have for you this week folks so let’s hope they turn out better than last time, or else I may not be allowed to write these much longer. But, if it’s anything like the rest of my predictions this season, these picks should be looking good.
~Moose~