My weekly matchup chart highlights the best positional matchups vs. the toughest. Translation: green is a good matchup for the position, red is bad, and yellow is neutral. This information is updated weekly based on fantasy points against (to date) and a few other factors and presented in no particular order per tier.
My Guys This Week
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Two weeks in a row, I KNOWWWWWW, but the matchup is too juicy to pass on. If it hadn’t been for the two picks, Love would have hit last week as well. Even with the Week 7 performance (19 points), Love is averaging nearly 27 points per game, which is good for fourth in the league at the position. Like my guy below, he has all his weapons healthy and ready to go this weekend when the Pack faces Jacksonville. And if you hadn’t noticed, Jacksonville is terrible against opposing QBs, ranking dead last. The only issue would be if the Packers jump out early and hit cruise control, but I’m not too concerned about that. The O/U for this one is currently sitting at 50.5, the highest of the week. This one is not rocket science – one of the best at the position, with the absolute best matchup for Week 8, in a game expected to be north of 50 combined points.
LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS – APRIL 26: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears speaks answers a question from the media during his introductory press conference at Halas Hall on April 26, 2024 in Lake Forest, Illinois. Caleb Williams was drafted first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
So if you throw out Weeks 1 and 2, Caleb Williams numbers a pretty damn good. With 25.0 points or more in three of his last four (including two 30.0+), he’s settling in nicely. He’s also one of the only QBs in the league to have his full complement of weapons healthy. And with the running game finally taking shape, this offense has opened up wide. It’s tough to call each week from a WR standpoint, as CW18 hasn’t quite settled on a top dawg, but with so many viable options, he’s set to cook. This week the Bears travel to Washington D.C. for their tilt with the Commanders, who have actually been much better lately against the position after a tough first few weeks of the season (less than 11.0 points allowed in three of the past four games). But, they also didn’t face elite talent in those games, other than Lamar Jackson – who put up a top 12 week. Let’s hope Jayden Daniels plays in this game so we can see these two go head-to-head. I’m giving the nod to Williams because – of the two – he’s got a much more favorable matchup.
Honorable mention: Bo Nix (DEN), Kirk Cousins (ATL), Tua Tagovailoa (MIA)
My Fades This Week
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 06: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders rushes against the Cleveland Browns at Northwest Stadium on October 06, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Jayden Daniels/Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
Let me acknowledge first that there is a very good chance Jayden Daniels doesn’t play this week. This one isn’t about Daniels, who has been magnificent this season. But he’s hurt. And while there is a chance he’ll play, he wouldn’t be 100% in what will be a tough matchup. If he doesn’t play, the sit reco would transfer to Mariota. Marcus looked pretty DG in relief of Daniels last week, but that was the Panthers. The Chicago defense ranks second against the position on the year and has only allowed four passing touchdowns in six games. This will be a tough one for the pass catchers as well, as the Chicago secondary is elite against the pass. Tough spot if you have to start him, and I’ve got him outside the Top 12 on the Week.
Gardner Minshew II, Las Vegas Raiders
From the “maybe this is too obvious” department, I present to you Gardner Minshew II. I initially had Jared Goff pegged for this space, but a closer look at his seemingly tough matchup revealed that the Titans success against QBs has come at the hands of some terrible QB play (early Caleb Williams, Tyler Huntley, and Joe Flacco). So we move on down the line to Gardner Minshew II. Fresh off what may have been the worst QB performance of the season (-0.1 points), Minshew hasn’t topped 16 points all year. In fact, he’s only cracked the top 20 just once all year. He has just one real weapon in Brock Bowers (who’s gonna eat every week), but the rest of the offense is in shambles. Plus, it’s the Chiefs this week, who – aside from Lamar gouging them in Week 1 – have held their own against some decent signal callers. I would guess you already knew, but in case you didn’t – Gardner is a NO this week (and every week hereafter).
Honorable mention: Anthony Richardson (IND), Patrick Mahomes (KC), Drake Maye (NE)
