7) Baker Mayfield vs. Saints
Baker put up a dud on Monday night against the Lions in a game that fell well short of our expectations. Both Mayfield and Goff had down games in a matchup that failed to come close to the expected 50+ point total that fantasy owners and fans alike were hoping to see. Not only did Baker lose the game, but he lost Mike Evans for the foreseeable future with a broken collarbone as well as a concussion, both of which he suffered on the same play. The Buccaneers will look to regroup this week against a Saints team that hasn’t been able to get things going at all this year. The worry would normally be that the Bucs won’t need to score much to win this game, but I feel like Mayfield is going to look to score early and often to get his young receivers involved as they prepare for tougher matchups ahead after their week 9 bye. Emeka Egbuka was able to make it through Week 7 without issue after a hamstring injury forced him from the Bucs’ Week 6 game. Look for Baker to connect with the rookie phenom as well as one or both of his other young pass catchers on multiple scores.
8) Caleb Williams vs. Ravens
Williams has been a bit up and down thus far this season, but I really like this matchup in Baltimore for a few reasons. The Ravens defense has been extremely beatable so far this season, and even though they will welcome back both Roquan Johnson and Chidobe Awuzie, they are still far from a shutdown unit. Add in the fact that Lamar Jackson should return for a Baltimore team that needs this win, and we have a nice setup for a potential shootout. Williams and the Bears will need to put up 24+ points to have a chance of staying in this game, and I expect the second-year signal caller to put up a solid fantasy day in the process. Look for Williams to get involved with the running game more this week, as that aspect of his game has been lacking in the Bears’ last few games. Remember, for fantasy, we want to start the quarterback who will be chasing in the second half rather than playing with a lead.
9) Jackson Dart vs. Eagles
Speaking of quarterbacks that will be chasing in the second half, Dart is set up for a big game this weekend against the Eagles. Two weeks ago, he was able to use both his arm and his legs to put up an impressive 23.6 fantasy points as the Giants shocked the Eagles on Thursday night. This week, the G-Men travel to Philly to take on an Eagles team that will be looking for revenge. I expect the Eagles to put up a big number on New York, forcing Dart to have to throw the ball all game long. We saw last week that even when he’s inefficient, he can pile up yards, as he was able to amass 283 yards and three scores with only 15 completions in 33 pass attempts. This week, I expect Dart to eclipse 300 yards for the first time in his career, as well as contribute fantasy points with his legs. In his 4 starts thus far, he has averaged almost 9 (8.95) fantasy points per game on the ground alone. For comparison, Lamar Jackson has averaged 5.1, Josh Allen has averaged 7.2, and Jalen Hurts has averaged 7.1. Dart has worked his way into the must-start conversation as he has been a top 12 QB every week since being named the starter.
