4) Josh Jacobs @ The Cardinals
Jacobs broke out in Week 4 with 150+ combined yards and two scores right before the Packers took Week 5 off for their bye. Many of his fantasy owners may have worried that he would lose that momentum with the week off, but he quickly laid those worries to rest as he did basically the same exact thing in Week 6 against the Bengals.
This week, he gets an Arizona defense that is more vulnerable to the pass than the run so far this season, but the game script should allow Jacobs plenty of volume to put up big numbers. Keep him in your lineup and expect another TD or two as well as enough touches to total north of 80 yards.
5) Saquon Barkley @ The Vikings
Saquon has been a disappointment for anybody who drafted him as a top 5 pick this year. The warnings were out there that he was due for regression after the immense workload he enjoyed while piling up north of 2,000 scrimmage yards last season. Through six games, we’ve noticed the regression, but it doesn’t seem like it’s completely Saquon’s fault. The massive holes he had to run through last year have tightened, and the Philly defense has allowed opponents to control the ball much more than they did last year.
Last year, the Eagles ranked #1 in the league in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of over 32 minutes per game. This year, they rank #19 in the league, and while the blame can be shared by both the offense and defense, Saquon is the one paying the price either way. This week, they get a Vikings defense that ranks 24th in the league against the run, and I expect the Eagles to lean on Saquon all game long. Hopefully, you’ve stayed patient with your first-round pick, as good things are coming.
6) Jahmyr Gibbs vs The Bucs
He’s a first-round stud who’s coming off his quietest performance of the season. Don’t be a donkey and panic because this is usually the week when the sharks in your league will hit you up to see if you might be willing to trade him away. Last week is behind us, and while we expect more than 7 fantasy points, we don’t mind the fact that he got 80% of their backfield touches.
This week, the Lions might be in for a bit of a shootout with Baker and his Bucs, and that means plenty of fantasy points for everybody. When these two teams combined for over 50 points in the 2023 season’s playoffs, Gibbs was right in the middle of the scoring with 114 total yards and 21.4 PPR fantasy points. No matter how we cut this, you aren’t going to bench this guy, and you shouldn’t consider trading him unless the other owner is giving you two top performers like Drake London and a top 12 running back. The best is yet to come for Gibbs.
