Ah man, Carson Wentz, too?
I'm reminded of when I went to go see "Rogue One" last year. Which might have been the second-best Star Wars movie I've seen (as of this writing I have not seen Episode VIII. But if you're reading this on Friday morning, then I have). But I remember getting to the end and watching K-2SO, Chirrut, Baze Malbus and the rest of the cast get picked off one-by-one and thinking to myself, "Oh man, none of them are going to make it to the end of this picture." Because I'm starting to get that feeling about the starting NFL quarterbacks.
And this one was particularly awful because he had become one of my favorite players to watch over the past two years. And it's gutting because the NFC race was about to get lit and I was going to love seeing these teams duke it out.
But you know what, I don't think it's over for the Eagles. I have some faith in Nick Foles this season, too. I love what Doug Pederson has done to help develop Wentz. But I do feel like he's going to help Foles come along as well. I'm sure you've all seen the tweets about "Nick Foles has better stats than Wentz in the first 20 games of his career."
Or something like that. And he's credible as a starter. He went 8-2 with 24 touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 118.9 in 2013. He was 14-4 under Chip Kelly. He can do similar things. I would imagine the Eagles still make a run to the postseason. But what all of you jackals care about right now is can he get me to the finals this week with his matchup against the Giants?
He can.
Is Kenyan Drake really a sleeper? Nah, dog. He's legit.
I've instantly regretted that "dog" thing. And it might be easy to just erase it, but my brand is real. (Darn, I regret that passage, too.)
Drake was great against the Patriots on Monday night, and for some that was the first time he got a chance to shine on the big stage. Now you kind of get why the Dolphins were so apt to deal Jay Ajayi away to the Eagles. I love Drake's matchup this week against the Bills. The Bills have allowed the most fantasy points to running backs this year. So I don't want to see his name pop into my mentions this week. He's a legit fantasy starter.
How about a real sleeper running back? Kerwynn Williams
He's had more than 85 scrimmage yards in back-to-back games. And he's got Washington this week. The Redskins have allowed more than 25 points on average over the last month to running backs.
I need a deeper sleeper than that: Andre Ellington
He's played 43 percent of the snaps for the Texans in the last two weeks, which is just behind Lamar Miller. The Texans are seventh in the NFL with an average of 28.6 rushing attempts this season.
Nope, let's dig a little deeper. I'm talking true dumpster dive: LeShun Daniels Jr.
The Redskins have gone super deep on the depth chart at running back. Even the backup to the backup has been hit by injuries this year, too. So it makes some sense here to look at Daniels as a possible fill-in. Although this is like walking into Chipotle and finding out they are out of steak, chicken, carnitas (pork) and the only thing left is queso. At that point it might just be better to walk out of the restaurant.
Is your guy Dede Westbrook legit? He is.
He might not have come out and had 200 receiving yards in his first NFL game. But damn it, lofty goals are a good thing. And that 200-yard game will happen at some point. Will it be this week against the Texans? I'm not sure that it will. But Houston has allowed 24 receiving touchdowns this year, which is tied for the fifth-most in the league this season. And I know a lot of you like to knock Blake Bortles. But you need to stop doing that.
Wait, can I start Blake Bortles? Yes
Do you mean can you start him as in is he position eligible? Or was this more rhetorical like, Can I start this guy? Because you really should start him. He's been a Top 10 quarterback for three consecutive weeks. The Texans have allowed a Top 10 quarterback in seven of 13 games this year. Which doesn't seem that great, but I'm crafting a narrative here, so roll with it.
How about another receiver: Paul Richardson
Richardson leads the Seahawks with six touchdown receptions. Of course, the caveat there is Richardson is the team leader only because Wilson hasn't figured out a way to throw the ball to himself. But he's also topped 70 receiving yards in two of his last three games. It's not a great matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. But I do expect this one to be a bit of a shootout.
What's going on with the Chargers offense. I want a piece, who should I play? Tyrell Williams
This isn't a fluke. The Chargers are the best team in the AFC West. Something I was roasted for a few years ago here. But who is laughing now? That would be me. Williams is coming off a monster performance. I can't guarantee you a repeat this week against the Chiefs. But that's a bad defensive football team. Just about any team in the NFL could have taken advantage of the Chiefs. Just not the Raiders. The Chargers won't let them off the hook this week. So get in on the action if you can.
What about that guy in Tampa Bay? Chris Godwin.
The Bucs have been a huge disappointment this season. Like, really bad. Like you know how proud I am of call in the Chargers? I'm equally as bummed about picking the Bucs to make the Super Bowl. The damn Super Bowl. But the Bucs are going into evaluation mode. Godwin is coming off a team-leading five receptions for 68 yards last week. His touchdown is coming this week.
A defensive stream? New Orleans Saints
They have Bryce Petty this week. That should be enough to sway you.
That's great, Chief. How about one I can actually pick up? Miami Dolphins
There is a chance this team played the game of its life against the Patriots and mails it in harder than the people milling around your office hours before the annual holiday party kicks in. The people who made a trip to Starbucks, but somehow their coffee cup smells more festive. Yes, those people. But if the Bills are forced to once again go with an inexperienced quarterback, this could be a big game for the Dolphins defense. I'm ready to get on a "the Dolphins will make the playoffs next year" kick.
Speaking of kickers, can you recommend a kicker?
I cannot.
-- Follow Adam Rank on Twitter @adamrank
