This week, our panel discusses the recent struggles of the Rams offense, risky plays with great matchups, difficulty lineup decisions, and wild Week 15 predictions.
- Slumping Rams Offense
- Week 15: Risky Plays-Great Matchups
- Difficult LIneup Decisions
- Wild Week 15 Predictions
Let's roll...
The Slumping Rams Offense
Matt Waldman: For the past two weeks, the Rams offense has sputtered. The Lions found a way to limit the effectiveness of the Rams' screen game by running twists that worked into Todd Gurley's release lanes while confusing the line and getting pressure to Jared Goff as a by-product.
The Bears not only adopted that technique but it's front was successful at earning pressure against the Rams' line while dropping as many as eight into deeper coverage.
The Eagles have a dangerous front that can collapse the pocket and win from the edge. However, the secondary is a shambles.
A. Can the Eagles limit the Rams passing game like the Lions and Bears? Explain why or why not.
B. Presuming that there are enough Week 15 fantasy competitors that survived Week 14 with their Rams player(s) underperforming, give us your prediction for each player and brief commentary.
1. Jared Goff
2. Todd Gurley
3. Robert Woods
4. Brandon Cooks
5. Josh Reynolds
6. Anyone else who might surprise.
Jason Wood: As you noted, the Eagles secondary is decimated. The team is giving meaningful snaps to practice squad players and nary a cornerback on the active roster has appeared capable of playing league-average defense, much less elite-level. While Amari Coper has been exceptional in Dallas, Dak Prescott did not suddenly become Andrew Luck. Yet, Prescott was able to torch the cornerbacks. Goff should have a field day against the Eagles secondary, even if the defensive front can generate pressure.
The good news if you rostered Toddy Gurley is he quite possibly helped you earn a Week 14 bye. If you got a bye, it couldn't have come at a better time. If you didn't earn a bye, it's likely the consolation round or bust this week.
Because the Eagles secondary is awful, Jared Goff needs to bounce back in order to quell lingering questions about his ultimate place on the NFL quarterback pecking order. Goff has been a boom-or-bust player. He has four top-5 fantasy finishes in 13 games, but also has 7 games that fell outside the top 12. There are no reasons Goff shouldn't put up QB1 numbers this week.
When Cooper Kupp was healthy, the Rams defied conventional wisdom by fielding three every-week fantasy receivers. So it stands to reason both Woods and Cooks would be can't-miss options after Kupp was removed from the equation. Oddly, that hasn't been the case as Kupp's absence seems to have impacted the overall size of the Rams offensive pie.
Cooks hasn't had a top-5 performance even once this year, while Woods has one top-5 game. On the other hand, Cooks has four top-12 weeks while Woods only has two. Woods, by definition, has been a solid WR2 and should be viewed as no more (but no less) against the Eagles. Cooks has a higher ceiling, and his ability to win vertical routes makes him especially compelling. I would confidently start Cooks and Woods, and expect Cooks to yield WR1 value while Woods offers WR2 returns.
Reynolds hasn't been the "Kupp fill-in" everyone expected. The Rams offense is dynamic, but talent still matters. There's no way you can count on Reynolds in a key fantasy semi-final matchup.
Mark Schofield: One of the things that the Chicago Bears did this past week, which they learned from watching the Detroit Lions, was to ignore the eye candy. One of the staples of Sean McVay's offense this season has been the usage of jet motion. Most of the time the Rams just use it as a misdirection element, incorporating the movement into a play as either a pure run fake to set up play-action or as a misdirection element to give Gurley a more advantageous look from the defensive front. But the Bears, following the lead of the Lions, simply ignored the motion, taking the gamble that nine times out of ten, the Rams are not going to hand the ball off. That enabled Chicago to get very good run fits up front and stymie Gurley.
Waldman: Astute analysis, Mark.
Schofield. Looking ahead to this weekend, however, I would imagine we'll see two things: First, McVay is going to learn from this and either move away from the jet motion designs or, as is more likely, he'll start using them more and handing the football off. A few plays like that and you'll see the Eagles defense start to respect those pre-snap movements more, which will help the Rams' offense get back to their earlier level of production.
The other thing to keep in mind is just how banged up this Eagles' secondary is. Right now they're relying on rookies, practice squad players and second-year players across the board, except for Malcolm Jenkins, and Jim Schwartz had needed to play more basic coverages in the secondary to try and get everyone on the same page.
Putting these pieces together, I'm looking for a bounce-back of sorts from McVay and company.
Jeff Haseley: One important note to consider is that both of the last two games where the Rams struggled were on the road. They will return home this week and face an Eagles team that has allowed eight touchdowns to running backs in the last five games. Todd Gurley is next in line to take advantage of the Eagles struggles against the run. Six of the last eight games, Philadelphia has allowed a rusher to gain 98 yards or more.
This game points in the favor of Gurley for sure. As for the passing game, we know Philadelphia has struggled with their secondary. They could not contain Amari Cooper last week and gave up 455 yards and 3 touchdowns to Dak Prescott. All angles appear to favor the Rams in this game. Jared Goff should be able to reach 250 yards with at least two scores.
I'm anticipating a game with mid-30's pass attempts with 250+ yards and 2 scores for Goff. This has the makings of a big game from Gurley: Low 20's in carries with 115 yards rushing and 60 more receiving and 1-2 scores.
The success of Woods depends on his ability to score this week. I'm calling for 5 receptions for 65 yards and 0-1 touchdowns. Like Woods, Cooks' level of success will depend on his ability to score. I'm expecting 4-5 receptions for 70 yards and 0-1 touchdowns.
Let's go with 4 receptions for 55 yards and a potential score for Reynolds. His size makes him a red zone threat. If Gurley doesn't score, Reynolds has decent odds of finding a touchdown.
Andy Hicks: Sean McVay has demonstrated in his short coaching career that he is a smart operator and is unlikely to get caught out like that again. Against the Eagles, Jared Goff will have a significant advantage due to their decimated secondary and Philadelphia’s inability to stop the run will make it difficult to put pressure on Goff.
As Jeff pointed out, two hard road games fresh off the bye will mean that a return to their home field will be welcomed. Jim Schwarz is capable of an imaginative scheme to counteract the Rams, but the lack of talent at his disposal, away from home will make it that much harder. The Eagles best chance will be to keep their own offense on the field for as long as possible and get an early lead.
If Goff can get some early success with the deep ball then the Rams are likely to shove any advantage they can right down Philadelphia’s throat. If the plan is to run the ball early and often, then Goff may have a limited impact. I suspect that unless the Eagles can control the pace of play, that the Rams should have an easy game. I am not sure how fragile Goff’s confidence is, but if McVay feels he needs to build it back up, then he could be in for a big day. Goff doesn’t seem that type though so I feel his day will be muted.
Gurley is the safest bet amongst all Rams. I would expect the Eagles to try the same thing that worked for the Lions and Bears, but McVay won’t fall into that trap and will utilize Gurley in a different way. If as expected, a lead is maintained then the Rams will just run Gurley giving anyone starting him a good week.
In theory, this should be a must-start for all Rams receivers, but unless the Eagles offense comes out hot then the Rams will dictate play all day and Gurley will be the prime weapon. Woods and Cooks are must-starts, but I would temper expectations. Jeff’s projections are about right, but they would be bottom end expectations. If either Carson Wentz has a good game or the Rams are aggressive then long touchdowns are in play for all Rams receivers. Reynolds is a boom or bust play, but he is worth a risk.
Mark Wimer: As Jason is the Philly Fanatic on staff, I am going to defer to his narrative: "Goff should have a field day against the Eagles secondary, even if the defensive front can generate pressure."
I will also note that the Lions and the Bears have been built to deal with the Packers' usually-awesome Packers' passing attack, so Goff ran into units tailored to key on opposing passers. The Eagles don't have an Aaron Rodgers in their division (with all due respect to Eli Manning, Dak Prescott, and Alex Smith/Colt McCoy/Mark Sanchez) - rather they have to deal with Ezekiel Elliott and Dallas' offensive line, so their defensive personnel are not as focused on the passing game in general.
Goff has a high ceiling so you should start him as usual. Gurley is a must-start. Woods has WR1 fantasy potential, as does Cooks. Reynolds offers flex appeal but you should consider other options if they have better matchups.
Gerald Everett has seen 16 targets for 10/100/3 receiving over the past four games - he isn't much of a threat to rack up big yardage, but the TD production in recent weeks makes him a possible fantasy starter in TE required leagues if you are willing to risk a boom/bust option in your lineup for the playoffs.
Week 15: Risky Plays-Great Matchups
Waldman: Week 15 has intriguing contests for deeper fantasy leagues than your typical 1 QB, 2 RB, 2WR, 1 TE format. Predict the best producer for each team and rate their likely range of performance on this scale:
Hot (Must-start)
Warm (Comfortable start)
Lukewarm (Worth a Flex)
Cool (Risky Flex)
Cold (Desperation Only).
Let's begin with Arizona-Atlanta...
Hicks: Since Byron Leftwich took over from Mike McCoy he has tried to utilize his best weapon, David Johnson. Unfortunately, this has not been in the end zone. In the six games since the departure of McCoy, Johnson only has one game with a touchdown and it was two of them against the Chiefs. Under McCoy, it was six touchdowns in seven games. The rushing attempts, yards, and receptions are all there though, so I would expect the dam wall to break sooner or later for frustrated Johnson managers.
Wimer: Atlanta went back to basics last week and made Julio Jones a centerpiece of the passing game. I look for that to continue in this home contest so I consider him a comfortable start. With Christian Kirk now on IR, Larry Fitzgerald figures to see a blizzard of passes in this game and the Atlanta secondary stinks in the middle of the field. I would consider him a Hot prospect for Week 15.
Wood: Byron Leftwich isn't a miracle worker, and his playcalling has not turned David Johnson back into an elite fantasy runner. However, the Falcons are reeling and Johnson possesses the same size, speed, and vision that allowed him to dominate two seasons ago.
Remember when Jones couldn't score touchdowns? This year has obliterated that myth, and generally speaking teams on the skids return to their comfort zones. Matt Ryan's comfort zone is Julio Jones, understandably.
Waldman: Let's move on to Oakland-Cincinnati...
Wood: In a year where tight end has befuddled everyone who didn't roster Ertz, Kelce or Ebron, Jared Cook has been the best of the rest. He leveled off after a blistering start but has returned to prominence of late.
Joe Mixon showed in Week 14 why he's deserving of star status. Many avoided Mixon because of the Bengals passing attack being neutered; the fear was game script would rob Mixon of opportunities. Instead, Mixon dominated and defied the game script to help many teams advance into the playoff semifinals. The Raiders defense is terrible, and Mixon should have his way both as a receiver and running inside.
Schofield: The Pittsburgh Steelers tried a variety of players last week to try and contain Cook, but they could not come up with the right answer. Cook's huge game came against a team that was giving up the fourth-most points per game to tight ends.
This week he plays the team giving up the third-most.
It's true that Mixon defied the game script concerns, as Jason so accurately points out. My one hesitation with Mixon this week is that the Raiders' run defense looked fairly capable last week, for the first time in a long time. Granted, it came against a duo of Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley, but it's something to at least mention.
Haseley: Oakland's defense has been porous all year. Jeff Driskel can take advantage, which makes Boyd a must-start as the top target. Cincinnati's weakness is their run defense, but Cook is such a big part of the Raiders passing game, he should still see a decent number of targets in this game.
As indicated above, Cincinnati's weakness is their run defense. Doug Martin has six consecutive games of double-digit carries and he has scored in three straight. I will add, he's definitely worth a flex this week in a favorable matchup. He's a luke-warm option.
Derek Carr and Jeff Driskel. Carr showed well last week, but Cincinnati has been decent against the pass (probably because their run defense has been so poor). Driskel is an option to consider against Oakland, but he has yet to have a game with more than 1 touchdown pass. His ceiling isn't too high right now. Both are risky flexes.
Jordy Nelson has 16 receptions in the last two games, but they have all been of the short or at best, intermediate variety. I don't see this as a game that will yield a game script that is favorable to the Raiders passing game, therefore Nelson is not even a lock for flex duty this week.
Hicks: Cook has four of the seven hundred yard games for receivers in Oakland and with Amari Cooper now enjoying Dallas stands alone as the primary threat in the passing game. With consecutive seven catch, hundred-yard games it will be impossible not to start him this week.
With the Bengals sorely missing A.J. Green and to a lesser extent Andy Dalton and Tyler Eifert, Joe Mixon should have one of his best games of the season. The Raiders have allowed well over 200 yards rushing in three of their last five games and I expect Mixon to hammer home the Bengals here.
Wimer: Oakland's Marcell Ateman is seeing a steady diet of targets for the wide receiver-starved Raiders' offense - while he hasn't approached the 10 targets we saw him handle in Week 12 with four targets in each of the last two games, he has been improving in his opportunities and should remain a threat for a garbage-time TD or maybe even two. I'd consider him a luke-warm start.
The Bengals hand the ball to Joe Mixon a lot and throw the ball to him a lot (26/111/1 rushing with six targets for 5/27/0 last week) so as long as the Bengals keep this game close (and Oakland's defense is just about as sorry as Cincinnati's), we should see another RB1 outing from Mixon. I rate him a comfortable starter for Week 15.
Waldman: Let's continue with Cleveland-Denver...
Wimer: Nick Chubb is a no-brainer starter (must start) in this game and every game for the foreseeable future. Phillip Lindsay is also a no-brainer (must start) back for this battle of mediocre teams. Temperatures are predicted to be moderate in Denver this weekend (high of 57 F, low of 32 F) so conditions should be good for both backs to show off their moves.
Hicks: Thankfully Jarvis Landry overcame a succession of poor games with a couple that justifies his price tag. He is still on pace for an 80 catch, 1000 yard season and is just in the WR2 category for the season to date. There were doubts as to whether he and Baker Mayfield were on the same page, but that seems to have been put to bed.
It’s a lot to expect an undersized, undrafted rookie free agent to be carrying a team, but with Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and a half-dozen Tight Ends not around anymore, the Broncos will rely on Phillip Lindsay to keep the chains moving. I would expect the Browns to try and shut him down as the 49ers successfully did last week. Case Keenum really has inexperience everywhere at his disposal and will find it difficult to overcome a much better Browns defense.
Schofield: Maybe this seems like more of an outside the box selection, but Njoku is someone I'll be relying on this week. Three of his best games this season came against the Bengals, the Chiefs, and the Raiders. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those are the three teams giving up the most points per game to tight ends.
Despite their growth, this season, the Browns' run defense is still an area where they could use improvement. They're giving up over 133.3 yards per game on the ground and an average of 4.7 yards per carry. They've also given up some huge days to opposing running backs in fantasy terms. Kareem Hunt had a 39-point outing against them in Week 9 (standard scoring) and Christian McCaffrey had a 21-point outing against them last week (standard scoring) in a loss. Lindsay should have a decent day
Wood: Landry hasn't lived up to preseason draft expectations, but is coming off a monstrous game. With the Broncos secondary in disarray, the Browns will have success throwing the ball, and Landry remains the highest odds to dominate in that kind of game script.
Lindsay has been a marvel, but the Broncos offense lacks punch with Emmanuel Sanders out for the year. The Browns defense is up and down but should be able to frustrate Case Keenum. Lindsay is the best bet on the roster, but it's not an ideal gambit.
Waldman: Let's wrap it up with Washington-Jacksonville...
Wood: No one for Washington...
Waldman: You're just sore about the Adrian Peterson faceoff this summer.
Wood: Seriously, who would you pick?
Waldman: If Josh Johnson plays well, which isn't as much of a stretch as it seems...Peterson. But yeah, even a great back working with a fourth-string quarterback and third-string guards isn't a good idea.
Wood: That's what I thought. Fournette should get enough touches to deliver for his fantasy teams, but the Jaguars are chaotic and it's hard to imagine a stellar, league-winning performance. Consider him a flex.
Schofield: Let's put it this way. If you win a league thanks to starting Josh Johnson on a flier in Week 15, you'll have stories you'll tell your grandchildren. Might be worth it for that reason alone.
Waldman: And they'll be just as bored as your friends when you tell them about your fantasy team's heroics...
Schofield: No doubt. Let's go with Fournette by default. Going with an option in the passing game means relying on Cody Kessler so, here we are.
Hicks: I have to agree with Jason here. With Jacksonville much more comfortable at home and a fourth-string quarterback up, this has got mismatch written all over it, despite the Jaguars playing horribly for major parts of the season.
With Washington all but giving up on the season, the Jaguars just have to feed the ball to Leonard Fournette all day to get this game over with. He won’t torch them like Saquon Barkley did last week, but 2 touchdowns and a 100 yards rushing are all within reach.
Wimer: Not even Adrian Peterson can salvage this dumpster fire of an "attack" against the Jaguar's under-performing but talented D. Jacksonville is almost as scary on offense, but they, at least, field Leonard Fournette, who both David Dodds and Maurile Tremblay project close to 100 yards combined with a 50-50 shot at a TD in this ugly contest - he's a comfortable start if any of his fantasy teams are still in contention during Week 15. .
Difficult Lineup Decisions
Waldman: Tell us about tough lineup choices you're facing this week and where you're leaning and why.
Hicks: I have some tough choices in the Footballguys staff dynasty league. At quarterback, I am not confident about starting Aaron Rodgers. The other choices I have are Nick Mullens and Mitchell Trubisky. I have to default to Rodgers, as the others are too risky when I am attempting another Super Bowl. I think Rodgers will be able to deal with the Bears better than Goff, primarily due to experience. Rodgers had a solid outing against them on opening day, but that was in Green Bay.
At Running Back I’m facing my biggest dilemma. I have to make a choice between Gus Edwards, Kenneth Dixon, Kenyan Drake, and Frank Gore for the flex spot. I don’t like the Miami backs at the Vikings, so my real choice is which Ravens back to start against the Buccanneers. All common sense and logic tell me to start Edwards, but I really want to start Dixon. For a start, it’s a point per reception league and Edwards is useless here. Add in only one touchdown for Edwards and I have even more doubt. Edwards is banged up and John Harbaugh is saying that Dixon’s role will “grow going forward”. For me, that is three strikes for Edwards and Dixon has looked great with limited touches in his two games back.
By process of elimination due to three tight ends out for the year, I have to start Vance McDonald and my last choice is whether to play the Seahawks defense or the Browns. Both teams are away, but the Seahawks just have too much to play to allow the 49ers any hope here.
Waldman: I just picked up the Seahawks and dropped the Broncos to start them ahead of Cleveland if that helps at all.
Wimer: In one league, I start two running backs but have a stable of Christian McCaffrey (must starter), Nick Chubb and Leonard Fournette (two respectable options in Week 15 given their matchups). I am leaning toward Chubb just because I can see Cleveland/Denver scoring a lot more points in their game than the sorry, likely to be hard-to-watch Washington/Jacksonville affair.
Haseley: I'm stuck between Philip Rivers at KC, who has lost nine straight games against the Chiefs, with 9 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in those games. Or... Cam Newton, who is dealing with shoulder soreness that is keeping him from making throws that he usually can make.
Newton's game is limited now and it's showing in the Panthers inability to perform when needed. I'm leaning Rivers. He passed for over 400 yards and 3 scores in the first matchup against the Chiefs defense this year. I'm hoping for more of the same or at least a game that gives a game script that feeds the passing game for Los Angeles.
Schofield: In basically every league I'm in, the quarterback is where I am struggling this week. Basically, the question is this: How much I trust Tom Brady at this point? I will say that it was a much tougher question for me last week when Brady was facing his house of horrors down in Miami, than it is this week, when he gets to square off against the Steelers. I rolled the dice with Brady last week and it panned out, but it was a bit of a knee-knocker of a decision.
This week, I'm feeling more comfortable riding with him against the Steelers. In his 13 games against Pittsburgh (10 regular season and 3 playoffs) Brady is a combined 25/4 TD/INT versus the Steelers. In the 10 regular season games, his quarterback rating is 111.8 with adjusted yards per attempt of 9.14. Those numbers actually jump a bit to 118.6/9.95 in the playoffs. So sure, maybe this is me talking myself into one last rodeo with TB12, but that's how I'm leaning.
Wood: I've got tough decisions to make in a number of playoff matchups, at quarterback and receiver. At quarterback, I've generally got some combination of Kirk Cousins, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, and Tom Brady to choose from. Those are my most rostered quarterbacks (I have a few other leagues where Andrew Luck is a sure-fire choice), and it's a bit of a crapshoot as to how to proceed.
I initially thought Rivers would be the choice against the others, but the Chiefs game looks to have vicious wind and weather emerging. Roethlisberger is hurt but plans to play. And Cousins is on the road in Miami. If the weather clears up toward Thursday, and Roethlisberger's status is clarified, I'll rank them: Rivers, Roethlisberger, Brady, and Cousins.
At receiver, it's mainly a bunch of choices at the WR3 spot. Mostly boom-or-bust choices like Tre'Quan Smith (who has become a goose egg recently), Zay Jones, Chris Godwin, Dante Pettis, and D.J. Moore. I'm leaning toward Godwin because he's been elite in almost every game without DeSean Jackson, and last week's performance was an anomaly (1 catch on 10 targets).
Waldman: In one league, have one spot at receiver that could be for Godwin, Robert Foster, or John Ross. I could also add Taywan Taylor from waivers if Tajae Sharpe is out.
In another league, I can choose from Justin Jackson, Chase Edmonds, Peyton Barber, or Duke Johnson Jr. as my one running back in a 19-starter IDP dynasty league with 1.5 PPR for TEs where I can start both Travis Kelce and Njoku. I'm leaning towards Jackson with Spencer Ware doubtful and Barber facing the Ravens.
I'm also torn between safeties Curtis Riley (versus Tennessee) and Eric Reid (versus New Orleans). Reid has the matchup but Riley has been steadily more productive as of late.
Wild Week 15 Predictions
Waldman: Give us a Week 15 fantasy prediction that doesn't match the current trends or observations about a player, a unit, or a team that will have implications for fantasy lineups.
Wood: The weather and combination of Tyreek Hill's injury will have the Chiefs laying a relative goose egg in the most important week of the fantasy year. The Chargers defense will have at least two turnovers, and Los Angeles will control the game script by running effectively with some combination of Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler, and Justin Jackson.
Schofield: Maybe I'm building off the previous point, but much of the talk this season has been how Rob Gronkowski was becoming more "Robert Gronkowski, the football player" and less "GRONK!" This stems from, at least in my viewing of him this season (and in line with the many questions I get asked about him daily on the Locked On Patriots podcast) his stiffness and lack of explosiveness. Things we did not associate with him in years past.
GRONK is going to be back this weekend. Similar to Brady, Gronkowski tends to shine against the Steelers. With both players, this used to be because the Steelers would insist on spot dropping into Cover 3 schemes against the Patriots, giving New England the ability to attack up the seams with their tight ends. But even last year, when the Steelers used more Cover 2 Man against New England, Gronkowski had a huge day with 9 catches for 168 yards. In his six career games against the Steelers, Gronk has eight touchdowns. He'll have a big game Sunday.
Waldman: To definitely build off this point, I predict that the Patriots rebound from its last-second collapse with a last-second win that occurs on an end-around, throw-back pass from Cordarrelle Patterson to Tom Brady from the one-yard-line, who then lobs a 39-yard "bomb" with his geriatric arm to Josh Gordon, who's about to get cut off by Joe Haden when out of nowhere the stadium audio system goes haywire, blares Toto's "Africa" at excruciating decibels and stuns Haden into tipping the ball skyward.
James White makes the catch and, as the system tech in the booth adjusts the volume to manageable levels, dances into the end zone for the game winner. The "Africa" game will become part of the Patriots' lexicon, Mark Schofield becomes even more of a regional celebrity than he is, and New England plays the song during the two-minute warning of every game until the end of time.
Haseley: Doug Martin will have over 17 carries in the game at Cincinnati and extend his scoring streak to four games. He's worthy of a flex spot in your lineup. Leaving him on the bench in a deeper league would be a mistake in what is the best rushing matchup he'll see all year.
Hicks: think I just explained it in my tough lineup choices, but I really think Kenneth Dixon is going to have a big game against the Bucs. He has played sporadically over the last two weeks but has been much more explosive than Gus Edwards. Dixon has been a fantasy tease for three years and it would be very amusing him to see him break out in the fantasy playoffs when no one expects him to.
As long as Lamar Jackson is giving fits to opposing defenses then the other running back in Baltimore will be very useful to fantasy managers. Gus Edwards has taken advantage with pure volume, but he is a limited back that cannot take what Dixon will this week.
Wimer: Detroit at Buffalo has the lowest projected total points for Week 15 according to Vegas, at 38.5 points. I can see a scenario where Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford blow this game up with their unappreciated/non-fantasy-starter wide receivers Zay Jones and Brandon Powell, those two surprising everyone with 150+ yards receiving and multiple TDs each. The game deadlocks at 42 points each on an answered-prayer Hail Mary from Allen to Patrick DiMarco, who then also scores the game-winner in overtime and DiMarco winds up with 2/95/2 receiving. The Lions and the Bills crush the 38.5 point line with 91 total points scored in the game.
Hey, you asked for a wild scenario. But seriously, someone has to step in and start claiming the reps/receptions that used to go to Marvin Jones and Golden Tate, and Powell was hailed as the-next-Tate-in-waiting during the preseason. Zay Jones has also shown the ability to put up respectable fantasy numbers on the weekends when Allen is "on". If you are desperate for an injury fill-in or need an extra wideout for this week's playoff game Zay Jones has some real upside potential.
