MOST INTRIGUING MATCHUPS- WEEK 7
Kansas City Chiefs @ Tennessee Titans
In a matchup of teams performing under the standards that have been expected of them, we see the 3-3 Chiefs take on the 4-2 Titans. While the Titans record reflects what we expect from them, the play on the field hasn’t been as impressive as it may seem. Their defense has struggled mightily to stop anyone or anything, and it hasn’t helped that they’ve had so many injuries in all areas of the defense. The offense has performed well, literally being carried by Derrick Henry, who currently has more rushing TDs than the rest of his team’s offense have accrued themselves. He is the sole reason the offense has looked anything but poor. Ryan Tannehill played well last week against the Bills on Monday night, but he hasn’t been producing good fantasy numbers. He has 5 passing TDs on the season and the injuries by A.J. Brown and Julio Jones certainly haven’t helped in that regard. Jones is banged up again and may miss another game while Brown finally showed up and showed out for his first big game of the season. The Chiefs, on the other hand, have struggled to keep possession of the ball, turning the ball over a league high 14 times, which accounts for nearly 23% of their drives. Their defense is putting the offense in the position of always playing from behind, which forces Patrick Mahomes to force the ball downfield and into tighter coverage; this has led to him throwing more interceptions. Despite these challenges, Mahomes and Travis Kelce are the #1 players at their positions, with Tyreek Hill slacking off by falling all the way to #2 for wide receivers. The offense has nothing to worry about from a fantasy perspective; they just need to clean up the sloppy play in order to cash in on more TDs. This game has a high likelihood of both teams scoring in the 30s, which is great for fantasy managers and fans of explosive offenses.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Both teams are coming off dominating performances in Week 6 and look to keep it rolling heading into this week. While their level of competition may have differed just slightly, with the Ravens defeating the Chargers and the Bengals taking care of the Lions, the results show just how impressive both teams have been. The Ravens were back to displaying their rushing prowess in Week 6 and didn’t rely on the arm talent of Lamar Jackson; they chose to get rushing TDs from three washed up running backs. The Ravens are a complete offense that truly can defeat you by will of their own choosing. Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews are must starts every week, with Marquise Brown still showing slight inconsistencies. However, he’s been reliable enough to garner weekly starter status, until proven otherwise. On the other side, the Bengals have looked like they are the most improved team in the NFL. Joe Burrow hasn’t had to light up the box score to show he’s recovered from his knee injury and come back a better quarterback. Ja’Marr Chase is showing that he may in fact be the football prince that was promised, especially while Tee Higgins gets back up to game speed recovering from his shoulder injury. Joe Mixon missed a game and just didn’t look good in his first outing back, but he performed well last week. He accrued 153 total yards and a receiving TD, giving fantasy managers exactly what they thought he was capable of. This team is showing they may be for real, and this week will prove it, as I am predicting the upset on the road in Baltimore.
