The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

Quarterback: Ryan Tannehill

Tannehill should be getting A.J. Brown back this week and his presence will catapult this offense back to its high-scoring self against this Jets defense. Thus far this season most teams have gained most of their yards in the game on the ground, leaving very little work for the opposing quarterbacks to do – that won’t entirely be the case in this affair. Henry will get lots of touches as usual, but there should be plenty of scoring opportunities for the Titans which will open up the field for Tannehill to take control of the game.

Running Back: Damien Harris

Nothing says bounce-back game like facing the Houston Texans. This team has fallen apart since the injury to Tyrod Taylor. Harris has pulled a disappearing act for the past two weeks but is in a good spot especially with the absence of James White which should further solidify his touches.

Wide Receiver: Terry McLaurin

The Saints just gave up 400 passing yards to Daniel Jones and Taylor Heinicke has been more than serviceable under center so far for the Washington Football Team. McLaurin had 13 targets and caught six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns last week and will need to have a good game for Washington to stay afloat in this match-up.

The Bad

Quarterback: Baker Mayfield

Baker has looked lost without the services of Jarvis Landry who has been on injured reserve with a knee injury. That trend will continue until his return and the consistency of this Cleveland running game. Baker is being used as a game manager and cannot be started under current circumstances outside of Superflex leagues. He has only gained more than 300 passing yards in a game once this season in week one against the Chiefs.

Running Back: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Clyde had two good games in a row and is heating up but he faces a Buffalo defense that is fourth-best in both yards per carry allowed and total rushing yards allowed through four weeks. The over/under in this game is 56.5 so there will be plenty of opportunities to score with two high-powered offenses but Clyde will likely not be rushing for 100 yards in a third straight game.

Wide Receiver: Dionte Johnson

Johnson’s target volume gives him a safe floor every week and he will likely still reach double-digit fantasy points but expect floor results this week against a Denver defense that has done well against the pass thus far this season. The Steelers offense has not been clicking due to Big Ben’s deficiencies at this stage of his career and this isn’t an ideal match-up for Johnson.

The Ugly

Quarterback: Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan will be without Calvin Ridley and you don’t need to look any further than the production level with and without Julio Jones over the years to realize that he is Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde when it comes to production levels with and without his number 1 option. Even against a Jets offense and the consistency of Cordelle Patterson thus far this season, Ryan will not be a recommended option this week which is a shame because he is coming off his best game of the season thus far against Washington with a 283 passing total and four touchdowns.

Running Back: Antonio Gibson

News recently broke that Gibson is dealing with a stress fracture in his shin and that the injury is not likely to improve throughout the entire 2021 season. That is not ideal and Gibson is facing a Saints defense that is only allowing 66 total rushing yards per game thus far in the young season. Washington will likely rely on J.D. Mckissic more often than usual in this affair.

Wide Receiver: Brandin Cooks

The Patriots are known for taking away a team’s go-to weapon and that method works even better when that weapon is one that is a former Patriot. Belichick will have his Stephen Gilmore-less defense focus on Cooks and make the rookie quarterback try to make do without him which is a recipe for disaster for this Texans offense. Avoid Cooks for the week and use the steal of your draft in a different match-up down the line.