Jalen hurts Not being able to play this week, and possibly beyond, is a blow to the Eagles and the participants in the fantasy football playoffs. Hurts has been one of the top difference makers in real and fake games this year. He is the central gravitational force of the Eagles offense. The unit revolves around its skill set.
Luckily, when it comes to screening star passers in Philadelphia, we have a film about Hurts’ backup. Gardner Minshew started two games last year and averaged 8.0 adjusted yards per attempt. I’m not a true “Minshew should be a starter,” but he’s definitely a capable NFL backup.
Minshew is just a little different stylistically from the Eagles main man.
Hurts has been on fire as a passer this year, especially on the tee routes, where he’s been one of the most productive pitchers in the league. As I discussed with A.J. Brown on Ekeler’s Edge a few weeks ago, it revealed a hidden strength in the star receiver’s game:
That scream you hear now is the last gasp of a thousand hilarious bad takes on Hurts’ passing ability.
Minshew is a bit more midfield focused than Hurts. Less than 45% of Minshew’s career passes have come off the numbers.
Dallas Goodert He had his best game of the 2021 season in Minshew’s start against the Jets last year, getting 100 yards and a pair of scores. This passing inclination in the middle of the field lines up perfectly with the tight finishing position. Goedert returns this week just in time.
The mere fact that Goedert is back doesn’t mean anything negative for the top two receivers, though. It’s the most concentrated passing game in the league. Last week, Brown and DeVonta Smith went well over 100 yards; no other pass receiver cleared 10. There’s plenty of room to re-enter Goedert and get those two wides where they need to go.
Even though Minshew doesn’t take as many sideline shots to Brown as Hurts, we have reason to believe he’ll be effective when he does. Is take them. Minshew has completed 69.6% of his career throws outside the numbers for 24 touchdowns to just four picks.
It’s also an interesting stat for Smith, especially against Dallas.
The Cowboys have a huge weakness at the corner in front of Trevon Diggs. This has been a problem all season which has become extremely problematic since Anthony Brown discharged with a torn Achilles tendon. The Jaguars went after Kelvin Joseph Over and over like it was a game of “Where’s Waldo” last week. ZayJones really highlighted what has been a problem for Dallas all year: a production imbalance between opposing teams’ top receivers.
Smith is such an underrated talent. He’s a 1B receiver for Brown, not second fiddle. We’ve seen him make huge plays for this team on repeat this season. I could see him leading the team as he received yardage in this crucial NFC East game.
It all comes down to the backup quarterback. Minshew is a different quarterback than Hurts, but he’s more than enough to keep the ship afloat. And that ship is built so well that players positioning skill, offensive line and play calls may be the waves that propel Minshew into the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks this weekend.
Mayfield Baker had 4.1 adjusted yards per attempt in Week 15
He ranked ahead only Desmond Rider, McJones, Tyler Huntley and the Cardinals’ two quarterbacks. Hopefully we don’t have to act like he’s a revelation anymore.
Mayfield driving the Rams downfield for a game-winning 98-yard drive against the miserable Raiders defense right after joining the team was awesome. But that doesn’t erase the reality of who he is as a player, nor should it change the narrative about him as a quarterback.
Outside of his stretch in 2020 in a perfectly crafted ecosystem, he just hasn’t been a player anymore in that position. Mayfield was a bad quarterback in Carolina this year. He’ll probably be a bad quarterback for the rest of the season in Los Angeles.
If you want to let your in-laws know how little you appreciate their presence at your holiday gatherings this weekend, keep them glued to the TV during Broncos vs. Rams in the middle of Christmas Day.
It’s not hard to get excited about Alvin Kamara this week. He is coming off his best performance on the ground since Week 6 and few running defenses have been as generous as his Week 16 opponent, the Cleveland Browns.
And yet, the fact that the Saints seem so eager to play his saves at least raises an eyebrow at me.
I can get a trusted veteran Marc Ingram Getting his reps, to some extent, but for the Saints using David Johnson fresh off the practice squad against Kamara in the passing game is another matter.
That’s right; more than Kamara in the who passed Game. Few fullbacks have been more prolific than him as a receiver in the last five years. Something is wrong there.
You can still project Kamara for a solid outing against the Browns in a bad weather game as he should walk the moon in 18-20 runs minimum. However, there is something else going on between the Saints and their star. At least, that’s what their use of the player all season suggests.
Drake London leads all pass catchers since Week 13 with a 46% share of team goals
Yes, he has the advantage of only playing two games in that streak, but we’ll take what we can get with positive volume stats.
I think Arthur Smith got too much heat from fantasy managers this year. He designed a very nice passing game with good effective plays. he was just hampered by poor quarterback play. Still, I’ll admit I wanted to see London more regularly throughout the season after a strong start, but we’ve been back to that stage here in the past few weeks.
London also looks set to prosper this week if volume holds. The Ravens ruled out veterans like Marcus Peters and Calais-Campbell and has already allowed the fifth-highest yards per attempt on throws to wide-lined receivers.
Desmond Cavalier It remains a huge question mark, but this game is expected to remain close with Baltimore’s offense unable to mount many scoring records. That should keep Ridder in neutral or positive play scripts and keep the Falcons offense running on schedule. When they get the ball in the air, it will go to No. 5.
Geno Smith ranks 15th in EPA by decline since week 10
It feels like things are unraveling a bit for the sea hawks over the past month. Geno Smith deserved his Pro Bowl nod and his regression from one of the NFL’s most effective quarterbacks to just about average is hardly a big blow.
However, we’ve seen recently that when the Seahawks’ passing game isn’t white-hot, the rest of the roster isn’t ready to elevate the operation. The racing game has really come to a standstill since Kenneth Walker hit a wall and then injured himself. The defense never found its place. It’s hard to imagine the passing game returning to its most effective state if Tyler Locket is not on the ground.
The Seahawks now have a 31% chance of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight. It just seems right. It’s been a successful discovery season for Seattle the first year without Russell Wilson but it doesn’t look like it will end in a magical playoff run.
Jahan Dotson Washington leads with 28% target share over past two weeks
He ranks second in target share at 22.4% behind only Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin. It’s going to be tough playing Dotson — or almost any commander — this week in a tough game against the 49ers, but he’s been playing fantastic lately.
Personally, I like that Dotson sticks it to anyone who has size-based biases regarding receiver position.
If I told you that a receiver was a downfield dealer who was dominant on contested targets, especially in the red zone, you might think of a big 6-foot-3, 220 pounds. No. He’s just a good old Dotson under 6 feet and 180 pounds. What an awesome player.
JK Dobbins leads the NFL with 245 rushing yards over the past two weeks
The Ravens running back said he lacked his explosiveness from the start, but he filled the stat sheet nonetheless. Dobbins still splits races with Gus Edwards and is flanked by a poor passing game that hasn’t stopped him. It won’t slow him down this week either.
Dobbins had a stunning game in Week 15 against Cleveland, but this week’s runout against Atlanta is just as smooth. The Falcons rank 31st in rush success rate this year. The passing game might even be able to find open lanes against this defense. It will also help Dobbins’ efforts as he looks to score his third floor score of the year.
Saquon BarkleyLast week’s 50% pass rate was his best mark of the season
The Giants offense is so much more functional when Barkley can function as the engine. When he fires on all cylinders, the whole unit becomes that much more dangerous.
The Giants’ passing game is in a great position this week. The Vikings secondary has been one of the most exploitable units throughout the year. We know the Giants’ pass-catching corps isn’t littered with talent. They will find their job much easier if Barkley can get a repeat of his Week 15 performance.
Jerick McKinnon averages 6.4 meters per touch
Only Brece Room checks higher among running backs and he only played seven games before getting injured. McKinnon has been legitimately good all year.
Now the veteran has been put back into a great role. It is not cataloged as a two-minute late exercise. He rushes early and receives work. It’s hard to imagine him not continuing to produce great numbers this week against a Seattle running defense.
Dawson Knox has the 4th most targets among TEs since week 14
I begged the Bills to get something from a non-Stephen Digg passing attack all season. Don’t expect it to come from the reception hall – these guys are what they are – but I’ll be at least cautiously optimistic that Knox’s recent play is durable.
Knox is a guy this team extended in the offseason. He has all the talent to be a big tight end and we saw flashes last year. I’ve admittedly been burned by him in the fantasy all season; I can never get the right weeks to get it going. But I think I’m buying a solid finish for the Bills tight end.
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