6) Emeka Egbuka vs. Patriots
The Buccaneers are coming back after their bye, and the hope is that Ebuka used that time to get fully healthy. He’s not on this week’s injury report, so we’re going to go ahead and call it “mission accomplished.” The Bucs will still be without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, so Baker is going to have to pepper his rookie standout receiver with targets against the Pats and their 19th-ranked pass defense. Last week, we saw what Drake London was able to do against this same unit, so let’s hope Baker Mayfield was taking notes. Egbuka had been a bit quiet over the three games leading into the break, and I’m going to chalk that up to his sore hamstring. At full health, I expect him to convert the majority of his 10+ targets and flirt with 100+ yards and a score.
7) A.J. Brown vs. Packers
The trade deadline came and went, and A.J. Brown is still an Eagle. It was pure silliness to think this team would trade their most impactful wide receiver when they are trying to repeat as Super Bowl champs. Brown has had a few weeks to heal his aching hamstring, and I expect him to have a big game with everybody watching on Monday night. The Packers secondary is masked by their pass rush, and they just don’t have anybody who can cover Brown. This should be a close game, and the Eagles will need to move the ball through the air if they want to win a game that may ultimately decide the location for the playoff game when these two teams meet again.
8) Nico Collins vs. Jaguars
Davis Mills will be under center for the Texans as they take on Jacksonville and their 27th-ranked pass defense. When Mills entered the game in the second quarter last week, he immediately looked for Collins. As the game progressed, he seemed more intent on spreading the ball around and ended up targeting Nico on just 6 of his 30 pass attempts. We would like to see that number increase, and it should, against a much softer pass defense than what Denver puts on the field. We love the matchup, but Nico will be slightly held back by the quarterback. He’s still an elite talent and needs to be in every starting lineup.
