I'm pretty bummed to see Aaron Rodgers out for an extended period of time with a busted collar bone. And I know everything that comes out of my mouth (or fingers in this case) comes across as sarcastic (it's a gift), but I'm sincerely bummed about this.
I mean, I loved "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" because afterwards you wanted to see your heroes beat Darth Vader and Boba Fett. Mostly Boba Fett. The movie wouldn't have been as great had the big bad been Jar Jar Binks. Although, that's a pretty bad example, because we would have loved to see him (or at least George Lucas) get his comeuppance. (Well, he does kind of) But the point is, if your villains are lame, then it's not going to be as much fun once you reach the top. And for Bears fans (and most of the NFL) trying to beat Rodgers was often a maddening experience of futility. I mean, shoot. I still consider the Bears win over Rodgers on Brett Favre appreciation night one of the best Bears wins since Super Bowl XX. And I'm not kidding.
So godspeed Aaron, I hope that we meet again soon
But now to the business of fantasy football. Let's run through some of the best quarterback (and other sleeper) options for this week and beyond.
The best quarterback sleeper is: Josh McCown
I know that everybody is going to say Tyrod Taylor, but I don't really like a lot of these teams coming off a bye week unless it's Andy Reid's team or Drew Brees. Hell, even Brees didn't have a "Brees" like game coming off of his bye. They scored 52 with Brees throwing just two touchdowns. But this is about McCown, who has been solid over the last month. I had predicted on Good Morning Football Weekend that he'd have 300 yards and three touchdowns. Which he did. But, uh. Well. There was a questionable call that prevented the third. So I guess I missed. But look, he's going to be good against the Dolphins. Hell, he's already been good against them.
But what about Tyrod Taylor?
He's got a good matchup against the Buccaneers. So if you want a purely straight matchup play, then it's Tyrod. But he has just six touchdowns in five starts and all of his best pass catchers are either hurt, or playing for the Los Angeles Rams right now.
Speaking of the Rams, Jared Goff?
I'm down. I love what Goff has done so far this season. Great matchup this week against the Cardinals. Having a shutdown corner like Patrick Peterson doesn't concern me here because Goff has done a great job of hitting the open guy. He didn't have a ton of points against the Jags on Sunday, but that's the Jags.
What about Blake Bortles?
Oh man, this would be a pretty saucy pick. He did attempt 35 passes against the Rams on Sunday, but the Jags were kind of put out of position by the special teams that allowed a kickoff return to start the game and some other issues that were related to Bortles making poor throws. I know a lot of folks saw that one pick and said, 'but the ball was tipped.' Which it was. But it was an inaccurate throw by Bortles that led to the pick. It goes without saying you're just locking into the matchup here against the Colts who have struggled against quarterbacks. But the Colts were a little frisky against Marcus Mariota, so there is some life there.
But if you really want to play a Jaguar: Chris Ivory
We got a scare from Leonard Fournette who briefly went to the sidelines with an injury. Ivory was pretty big in the passing game, though. He had 10 targets that he turned into nine receptions for 74 yards and a receiving touchdown. Is this a trend, or a one-week blip? This could be a low-scoring game which wouldn't be suited for Ivory to get 10 targets again. But he's somebody I added all over the place this week and will continue to monitor. So shoot, this really didn't answer the one Jaguar to play. Yeah, I'm out.
That's great, ace. How about a running back to actually start: Dion Lewis
He had 11 rushes for 52 yards and a touchdown, which means he's probably never going to see the field again. I kid, I kid. He's scored a touchdown in two of his last three games. And look, you're always taking a risk on a Belichick running back, but he's a good risk at the moment. Because you know ...
Why must you die on this hill: Rex Burkhead
I'm low-key picking Burkhead back up all over the place this week. Although, Matt Harmon beat me to the punch in the one league we are in together. Don't feel bad for me. If you knew what I did to his coffee mug, then you would probably be ashamed of me, but a little proud. Which kind of explains my existence at this pub crawl on Saturday evening. Yes, that's right. I said a pub crawl. But in actuality, Burkhead does a lot of things the Patriots would like to have in their offense right now. And unlike Mike Gillislee, he isn't in the dog house for fumbling the football. And sorry if I'm giving you something to look at for the future.
Another running back, please: Samaje Perine
The Redskins offense is capable of having two running backs who can peacefully co-exist. Kind of like the way Marvel and DC fans can exist. It's only the fringe extremes that limit people from enjoying content from both companies. I'm not really that way. It's just that a lot of Marvel movies are really bad, but for whatever reason, people have this narrative that Marvel has never missed on a movie yet! Well, none of that really matters here. And what I should tell you is The Rhine (wait, are we not calling him this?) was a better early-down back. I love Chris Thompson, who is a must-start in PPR. But Perine still seems like a guy who can give you some value in standard leagues. And Thompson is going to just keep doing Thompson things.
Who was that one receiver? Josh Doctson
Terrelle Pryor is likely another hill I'm going to die on this year (what, you learn a new position and new offensive system), but he's probably going to keep getting chances. I'm not so sure about Jamison Crowder. Jay Gruden has already talked about getting Doctson more involved. Which is great because even on just 26 percent of the snaps, he's provided a touchdown in two of his last three. So I'm very comfortable with him this week. The matchup is pretty good against the Eagles so the future starts today.
Hit me with another receiver: Robert Woods
Oh my gosh. He's had at least five receptions and more than 50 yards in three of his last four. He's yet to reach the end zone. Which is troubling. But he's highly-involved in the Rams' offense. So that's good, right?
I'm not starting a USC receiver, hit me with another: Bennie Fowler
How about a defense? The Saints
This defense is pretty legit. And they have an inexperienced young quarterback making his first start this week. I'm in.
-- Follow Adam Rank on Twitter @adamrank
