4) Baker Mayfield @ The Lions
Baker has been magical this season as he’s been playing at an MVP level, even with his teammates dropping like flies. He lost All-Pro lineman Tristan Werfs before the season even began, then he lost Mike Evans. Chris Godwin returned from his off-season surgery for a whole two games before he was reinjured, and then last week, rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka went down with a hamstring injury.
Baker hasn’t skipped a beat, as he’s made the best of working with the guys he has left. These two teams were matched up a year ago in what we expected to be an exciting rematch of the previous season’s playoff game, where Baker threw for 349 yards and 3 scores. The rematch left much to be desired as Baker acted more as a game manager in a 20-16 win for the Bucs. This week, the Lions will look to come out firing after a Week 6 loss in Kansas City, and I expect a bunch of points to be scored. Look for Baker to put the ball in the air closer to 40+ times, like he did in the playoff game, rather than 19 times like last year.
5) Patrick Mahomes vs. The Raiders
Mahomes enters this matchup against Las Vegas after his second consecutive 30+ point fantasy game with even more weapons at his disposal than he has had all season. Rashee Rice comes back after his six-game suspension, and we will finally get to see Patrick operate this Chiefs offense with his full arsenal. Mahomes is on pace to set a career high in rushing yards as he’s already compiled 222 in six games; his career high is 389 in a full season.
Typically, we would have a player who has posted 23+ points in five of his six starts much higher on this list, but our slight concern here lies with the opponent. Mahomes has been running more, but it’s really just been in games when he needs to. In the two games against the Giants and Ravens, who are ranked 28th and 29th against the pass, respectively, he totaled only 7 rushing yards as the Chiefs were able to win by multiple scores. In the other more contested matchups, he’s averaged almost 54 yards per game on the ground. While I don’t expect Mahomes to rack up rushing yards, he should still give us a 20+ point day between passing yards and scores.
6) Jared Goff vs. The Bucs
Goff has only played two of his first six games in the cozy confines of Ford Field. This week, he finally returns home after two consecutive road games, including a road loss in Kansas City last weekend. The Lions will look to come out shooting, much like they did in Week 2 at home against Chicago after their only other loss on the season. In that game, Detroit hung over 50 points on the Bears, led by Goff throwing for 334 yards and 5 scores. The Bucs can be beaten through the air, and I expect the Lions to keep their foot on the gas no matter what the score is through all 4 quarters. Goff is in a great spot this week to flirt with 30 fantasy points; get him in your lineup.
