Injuries and an aging roster have conspired to sink the Commanders
this season. Their defense has been mostly putrid all year, surrendering
the 4th most fantasy points to the QB position. Dak has put together
one of his best seasons, and should feast against a division foe
looking to get to the offseason as quickly as possible.
Shough has led the Saints to a 4-3 record as the starting quarterback,
including a 3-game win streak that has seen him top 20 in fantasy
points each contest. Coming off his first 300-yard game, he gets
a Titan defense that isn’t some great shakes. A few extra
points per week via his legs has put Shough into the conversation
in fantasy’s finals.
Has the switch finally flipped for Lawrence? Over the last four
games Lawrence has played nearly flawless football, piling up
14 total touchdowns, pushing the Jags to the top of the AFC playoff
pyramid. After routing the Broncos last week, Lawrence gets to
face a belly-up Colts defense that just gave up 40 points to Brock
Purdy and the Niners. Ride the heater and trust Lawrence in the
championship game.
There’s a few things I don’t like about trusting
the old man this week. Cleveland’s defense, while knocked
down a few pegs from earlier in the season, is still hungry to
get Miles Garrett the sack record and they won’t have to
worry about DK Metcalf. Also, there is a chance that by Saturday
night the Steelers will be locked into the No.4 seed, and this
game won’t mean anything. It’s possible Rodgers and
some other starters get pulled early because of it. That’s
enough to spook anyone away from A-Rod.
Playing against a neutered Cowboy defense that couldn’t
generate any pass rush, Herbert looked dominant last week in a
34-17 win. But this other Texas team can certainly get after it.
9th in the NFL with 41 sacks, Houston also leads the NFL in yards
allowed. If they want Herbert alive for the playoffs, LA is going
to have to lean on the run game, and short passing game. This
has been the recipe for the better part of the last month, so
expect Herbert's numbers to return to mediocrity.
With a revolving door of interior lineman this Lions offense
has struggled to generate consistent offense. Sure the final numbers
look good, but Detroit has gotten fat off blowouts, or comeback
attempts. Interior pressure is Goff’s Achilles heel, and
the Vikings have some incentive to drive the final nail into Detroit's
coffin. Goff and the Lions might find some coal in their stocking
on Christmas.
