Even though it doesn’t feel like the Eagles are passing as much as they have in the past couple of seasons, this is still one of my favorite matchups on the board. The Jaguars are pretty tough against the run, but their secondary is leaky, and they play a lot of man coverage, which should allow the Eagles receivers to dominate. Hurts is especially dangerous if he gets close to the goal line, as the “tush push” is always in play. The Eagles still run that play better than any team in the league, and they don’t appear like they are going to abandon it any time soon.
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
We all know that the Buccaneers are very tough against the run, which should force the Chiefs to throw more. The Tampa 2 cover defense will allow Mahomes to find those pockets in the zone where he can look for Hopkins and Kelce to make chunk yardage downfield. There’s a good chance that Mahomes might finally break 300 yards passing this week with a couple of touchdowns.
Bo Nix, Broncos
Part of me feels like this is going back to the well after his good game against Carolina, but it also feels like Sean Payton is slowly opening his playbook and allowing Nix to take more downfield shots. Baltimore has been bad against the pass, allowing tons of yardage to opposing quarterbacks. What makes Nix even more tempting as a fantasy play is his ability to run. I think he could have both a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown this week.
Joe Flacco, Colts
I don’t blame Colts head coach Shane Steichen for replacing Anthony Richardson. Richardson was completing no more than 10 passes a game, and it was really putting his receivers at a tremendous disadvantage. When you play the Vikings you’ve got to be able to see the blitz coming and find those open receivers, and that’s something we know that Flacco can do. Look for him to have 250+ passing yards and multiple touchdowns.
Justin Herbert, Chargers
Although we think of the Chargers as a run-first team, it does feel like Herbert has been allowed to throw the ball more in recent weeks. Cleveland has a very good pass rush, but their linebackers are not great in coverage, and outside of Denzel Ward, their cornerbacks are terrible. They also play a ton of man coverage, and that should allow Herbert to pick his spots and make some big plays downfield.
