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Wild Card Weekend Picks

Justin Fuhr — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 20:26:29 +0000

The 2023-2024 NFL playoffs have arrived with some intriguing matchups on deck. Wild Card weekend is usually filled with some surprising upsets, will that be the case this year? Find out below as we break down the six games and make our Wild Card weekend picks.

Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans +2.5 (Saturday 4:30 PM EST on NBC)

Our first matchup of the weekend features two teams that many of us didn’t think would be here. The Browns have shuffled through 5 starting quarterbacks this season yet managed to finish an impressive 11-6. That is in large part due to their dominating defense which finished #1 in total team defense allowing just 270.2 yards per game.

The Texans meanwhile are playing with house money and are led by their star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud continues his strong rookie campaign where threw for 4000+ yards, 23 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. The lack of turnovers was the most glaring stat as Stroud plays with the poise of a seasoned vet.

This game will come down to the wire and will be low-scoring. Expect Stroud to do just enough to pull off the upset at home and continue the Texans surprising season.

Game Pick: Texans 21 – Browns 14

Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs -4.5 (Saturday 8:00 PM EST on Peacock)

Next up on Saturday night, we have a banged-up Dolphins team taking on the Chiefs in chilly Arrowhead. The weather will absolutely play a part in this matchup as temperatures as expected to be in the single digits come kickoff. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are somewhat flying under the radar but you can’t count out Andy Reid and Mahomes in the playoffs.

Miami has been struggling lately as they come in losers of 2 straight. The Dolphins offense has come back down to earth a bit and is hoping star receiver Jaylen Waddle can return as he has been missed.

It’s hard to see the Dolphins coming out victorious in this one. Miami hasn’t been a good cold-weather team as Tua Tagovailoa has struggled in these types of games. Mahomes and the Chiefs move on setting up an intriguing Divisional round matchup.

Game Pick: Chiefs 24- Dolphins 16

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills -10 (Sunday 1:00 PM EST on CBS/Paramount+)

Our first Sunday game features the red-hot Bills vs. the Steelers. The Bills wrapped up the AFC East title last week in Miami and are starting to look dangerous. This will also be a cold weather game with temperatures expected to be in the low 20s.

Pittsburgh is a heavy underdog in this matchup and rightfully so. They will be without their defensive star T.J. Watt who went down last week with a knee injury. Quarterback Mason Rudolph is set to start and he will have his hands full with this Buffalo defense.

This is a tough matchup for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. They certainly weren’t expected to be here but just don’t have enough firepower to hang with the Bills. Look for a late backdoor cover for the Steelers in this one.

Game Pick: Bills 27 – Steelers 20

Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys -7.5 (Sunday 4:30 PM EST on FOX)

The first NFC matchup of the weekend will be in Dallas where the NFC East champions take on the surprising Packers. Dallas has been dominant at home where they posted a perfect 8-0 record. Most of those games haven’t been close with the exception of the Lions game that featured the controversial 2-point conversion.

Jordan Love and the Packers will be playing with nothing to lose as they were expected to have a down year in Love’s first year under center. It has been anything but that and Love has shown he can be the quarterback of the future in Green Bay.

The playoff atmosphere is different and with the lights on I think the Cowboys come out flat. They will eventually find their groove but expect the Packers to hang around until the end.

Game Pick: Cowboys 31 – Packers 24

Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions -3 (Sunday 8:00 PM EST on NBC)

In the Sunday nightcap, we have the Matthew Stafford Bowl in Detroit. To me, this is the best game of the weekend with so many storylines to explore. Along with Stafford coming back to Detroit you also have Jared Goff looking for revenge against the team that gave up on him.

You have to be impressed with what Dan Campbell did for the Lions this season. Not only did they capture their first-ever NFC North title but they have turned this once lowly franchise into one of the best teams in the league. The Lions also feature one of the most coveted head coaching candidates in Ben Johnson. Johnson is the next great offensive mind and it looks like this is the year he becomes a head coach.

The Rams come into Detroit with confidence as they are winners of 4 straight. They are led by impressive rookie Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams who both look to be late-round steals. While I do think the Rams will hang around for most of the game Detroit will be too much at home in this one.

Game Pick: Lions 28 – Rams 21

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Bucs +3 (Monday 8:15 PM EST on ABC/ESPN)

Finally, we end Wild Card weekend with a Monday night showdown in Tampa Bay. The Eagles, who were once favorites to win the NFC come in losing 5 of their last 6 games. They have key injuries on both sides of the ball but their defense has let this team down all year.

The Bucs are another one of the surprising teams to make the playoffs. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Tampa but they were able to sneak into the playoffs thanks to the lowly NFC South. They now get a home playoff game and will look to avenge a week 3 loss against the Eagles.

This game comes down to who is the healthier team and right now that’s Tampa Bay. A.J. Brown has a knee injury and is not practicing while quarterback Jalen Hurts has a sprained middle finger on his throwing hand. Philadelphia is reeling and this game will put an end to a season that had so much promise.

Game Pick: Bucs 24 – Eagles 14

The post Wild Card Weekend Picks appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

2023-24 Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings

Justin Fuhr — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:27:21 +0000

Below you find our latest fantasy football rankings for week 12. Thanksgiving week is always a hectic one for fantasy football managers due to the spread out schedule. Along with the three games on Thursday there is now also a Black Friday game. With that said injuries will play a big part this week so let’s break down those below.

Aaron Jones – Jones suffered an MCL sprain in last week’s game and his game status for Thursday is up in the air. It looks as of now he is unlikely to play. If that’s the case AJ Dillion would get a bump in our rankings.

Kyren Williams – Williams looks set to return from the IR this week vs. the Cardinals. Nothing is official as of yet but the Rams recently released Darrell Henderson which is a good indication Williams will start.

Justin Jefferson – Jefferson has been in this section for several weeks now as fantasy managers are still waiting for him to return. His status for Monday night is still not clear which makes it tricky to start him this week. The Vikings then have a BYE which would mean a week 14 return if he doesn’t play this week.

Zay Flowers (@ Pit) – Despite decent production, Flowers has yet to find the end zone. That will change on Sunday versus the Steelers. The volume has been there for Flowers but he has yet to have a breakout game. Pittsburgh is allowing an average of 31.3 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and just gave up 168 yards to the Texans Nico Collins. This is the week we see big returns for Flowers.

The post 2023-24 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Week 5 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

NFL Snap Count Leaders So Far

Justin Fuhr — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 23:38:49 +0000

When trying to predict a player’s fantasy value there are several stats to look at. One important area is the total number of snaps they play during a given week. Generally, players with higher snap counts get more opportunities and that means more ways to score. Obviously, this stat is not as important for quarterbacks so we took them out of the chart below. The rest of the offensive skill players are listed in order of their total snaps played for the first two weeks of the NFL season. Here are a couple of names that stick out.

Kyren Williams – Williams quickly took over the backfield for the LA Rams and has been one of the early surprises of the season. The Rams are so sold on Williams they decided to trade away Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings. Williams played in 95% of the team’s snaps in week 2 and will continue to get the majority of the workload.

Jonathan Mingo – Mingo hasn’t yet had a breakout game but the rookie is playing the majority of the snaps on offense. He played in 98% of the Panthers snaps in week 2 and could be a sneaky flex play in the coming weeks.

Jahan Dotson – Dotson was one of the hottest names coming into this season as a potential 2nd-year breakout player. The production hasn’t been there as of yet but it’s only a matter of time. Surprisingly Dotson outsnapped fellow wide receiver Terry McLaurin in week 2.

Player	Pos	Team	1	2	Total Snaps	AVG
Tyler Higbee	TE	LAR	91%	92%	148	92%
DeVonta Smith	WR	PHI	98%	100%	142	99%
Donovan Peoples-Jones	WR	CLE	89%	87%	142	88%
Van Jefferson	WR	LAR	93%	82%	141	88%
Tutu Atwell	WR	LAR	79%	94%	139	86%
Keenan Allen	WR	LAC	91%	94%	138	93%
Cade Otton	TE	TB	97%	97%	135	97%
Dallas Goedert	TE	PHI	92%	96%	135	94%
A.J. Brown	WR	PHI	91%	96%	134	94%
Puka Nacua	WR	LAR	78%	86%	132	82%
Hunter Henry	TE	NE	79%	92%	131	85%
Robert Woods	WR	HOU	75%	86%	130	81%
Kyren Williams	RB	LAR	65%	95%	129	80%
Durham Smythe	TE	MIA	100%	97%	128	98%
David Njoku	TE	CLE	73%	85%	128	80%
Michael Pittman Jr.	WR	IND	97%	98%	126	98%
Jonathan Mingo	WR	CAR	87%	98%	126	92%
Stefon Diggs	WR	BUF	84%	87%	126	86%
Jahan Dotson	WR	WAS	87%	85%	124	86%
Alec Pierce	WR	IND	92%	100%	123	95%
Gabe Davis	WR	BUF	94%	74%	123	84%
Mike Williams	WR	LAC	77%	90%	123	83%
Dalton Schultz	TE	HOU	81%	71%	122	76%
Justin Jefferson	WR	MIN	98%	100%	121	99%
Adam Thielen	WR	CAR	88%	87%	120	88%
Elijah Moore	WR	CLE	69%	77%	118	73%
Terry McLaurin	WR	WAS	89%	74%	117	81%
DJ Moore	WR	CHI	92%	91%	116	91%
Christian McCaffrey	RB	SF	85%	100%	115	92%
Amon-Ra St. Brown	WR	DET	94%	74%	115	85%
K.J. Osborn	WR	MIN	91%	97%	114	93%
Courtland Sutton	WR	DEN	86%	89%	114	88%
Drake London	WR	ATL	90%	82%	114	85%
Ja’Marr Chase	WR	CIN	96%	98%	113	97%
Marquise Brown	WR	ARI	84%	94%	113	89%
Dawson Knox	TE	BUF	84%	71%	113	77%
Sam LaPorta	TE	DET	83%	82%	112	82%
Zay Flowers	WR	BAL	84%	77%	112	81%
Michael Thomas	WR	NO	80%	78%	112	79%
Chris Olave	WR	NO	78%	79%	112	79%
Rhamondre Stevenson	RB	NE	73%	73%	112	73%
Saquon Barkley	RB	NYG	64%	97%	111	80%
Chris Godwin	WR	TB	85%	75%	111	80%
Juwan Johnson	TE	NO	75%	81%	111	78%
Kendrick Bourne	WR	NE	91%	51%	111	72%
Deebo Samuel	WR	SF	87%	89%	110	88%
Calvin Ridley	WR	JAC	81%	79%	110	80%
CeeDee Lamb	WR	DAL	79%	72%	109	75%
Amari Cooper	WR	CLE	62%	72%	109	68%
DK Metcalf	WR	SEA	94%	83%	108	88%
Cole Kmet	TE	CHI	97%	68%	108	85%
Tyler Lockett	WR	SEA	88%	86%	107	87%
Nico Collins	WR	HOU	71%	62%	107	66%
Tee Higgins	WR	CIN	95%	88%	106	91%
Zay Jones	WR	JAC	89%	66%	106	77%
Rachaad White	RB	TB	79%	72%	105	76%
Travis Etienne Jr.	RB	JAC	80%	72%	104	76%
Allen Robinson II	WR	PIT	89%	87%	103	88%
Darius Slayton	WR	NYG	67%	82%	103	75%
Tank Dell	WR	HOU	48%	79%	103	64%
Tyler Boyd	WR	CIN	84%	92%	102	87%
George Pickens	WR	PIT	89%	85%	102	87%
George Kittle	TE	SF	69%	96%	102	82%
Josh Reynolds	WR	DET	70%	80%	102	75%
Michael Gallup	WR	DAL	67%	72%	102	70%
Dalton Kincaid	TE	BUF	80%	60%	102	69%
Evan Engram	TE	JAC	73%	75%	101	74%
Chase Claypool	WR	CHI	78%	79%	100	79%
Josh Downs	WR	IND	79%	75%	100	78%
Adam Trautman	TE	DEN	72%	82%	100	77%
Mike Evans	WR	TB	84%	61%	100	72%
James Conner	RB	ARI	84%	72%	99	78%
Treylon Burks	WR	TEN	90%	65%	99	77%
Darren Waller	TE	NYG	54%	90%	99	72%
T.J. Hockenson	TE	MIN	75%	86%	98	80%
Tyreek Hill	WR	MIA	66%	86%	98	75%
Noah Gray	TE	KC	88%	61%	98	74%
Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	BAL	92%	52%	98	71%
Chigoziem Okonkwo	TE	TEN	83%	69%	97	76%
Marquez Valdes-Scantling	WR	KC	63%	82%	96	73%
Christian Kirk	WR	JAC	60%	81%	96	70%
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine	WR	TEN	81%	68%	95	74%
Raheem Mostert	RB	MIA	73%	73%	95	73%
Jake Ferguson	TE	DAL	72%	60%	94	65%
Garrett Wilson	WR	NYJ	93%	91%	93	92%
Isaiah Hodgins	WR	NYG	60%	75%	93	67%
Tony Pollard	RB	DAL	64%	64%	93	64%
Joshua Kelley	RB	LAC	48%	79%	93	62%
Zach Ertz	TE	ARI	77%	68%	92	72%
Bijan Robinson	RB	ATL	63%	72%	92	69%
Parris Campbell	WR	NYG	67%	66%	92	67%
Alexander Mattison	RB	MIN	73%	76%	91	75%
Mack Hollins	WR	ATL	63%	71%	91	68%
Curtis Samuel	WR	WAS	65%	62%	91	63%
Davante Adams	WR	LV	90%	92%	90	91%
Luke Musgrave	TE	GB	75%	88%	89	81%
Jaylen Waddle	WR	MIA	64%	73%	89	68%
Kyle Pitts	TE	ATL	62%	70%	89	66%
Joshua Palmer	WR	LAC	64%	54%	89	60%
Brandon Aiyuk	WR	SF	85%	53%	88	70%
DeAndre Hopkins	WR	TEN	78%	60%	88	69%
Logan Thomas	TE	WAS	82%	40%	87	60%
James Cook	RB	BUF	59%	59%	87	59%
JuJu Smith-Schuster	WR	NE	54%	59%	87	56%
Allen Lazard	WR	NYJ	78%	94%	86	85%
Mike Gesicki	TE	NE	41%	72%	86	56%
David Montgomery	RB	DET	79%	45%	85	63%
Tyler Conklin	TE	NYJ	80%	87%	84	83%
Rondale Moore	WR	ARI	68%	65%	84	66%
Michael Wilson	WR	ARI	90%	43%	84	66%
Skyy Moore	WR	KC	69%	58%	84	64%
Gerald Everett	TE	LAC	68%	41%	83	56%
Joe Mixon	RB	CIN	62%	78%	82	70%
Kylen Granson	TE	IND	61%	65%	81	63%
Jonnu Smith	TE	ATL	50%	67%	81	60%
Miles Sanders	RB	CAR	57%	62%	81	59%
Brian Robinson Jr.	RB	WAS	61%	52%	81	56%
D’Andre Swift	RB	PHI	29%	75%	77	54%
Josh Jacobs	RB	LV	80%	72%	76	77%
Irv Smith Jr.	TE	CIN	54%	77%	76	65%
Calvin Austin III	WR	PIT	56%	76%	76	65%
Kenneth Walker III	RB	SEA	63%	61%	76	62%
Jordan Addison	WR	MIN	56%	69%	76	62%
Derrick Henry	RB	TEN	48%	71%	76	59%
Jalen Tolbert	WR	DAL	28%	68%	75	52%
DeVante Parker	WR	NE	0%	100%	74	100%
Hayden Hurst	TE	CAR	53%	55%	74	54%
Donald Parham Jr.	TE	LAC	49%	50%	74	50%
Dameon Pierce	RB	HOU	47%	45%	74	46%
Pat Freiermuth	TE	PIT	51%	76%	73	62%
Marvin Jones Jr.	WR	DET	56%	52%	73	54%
Rashid Shaheed	WR	NO	54%	49%	73	51%
Jerome Ford	RB	CLE	41%	49%	73	45%
Daniel Bellinger	TE	NYG	63%	41%	72	52%
Isaiah Likely	TE	BAL	72%	33%	71	51%
Jaxon Smith-Njigba	WR	SEA	59%	56%	70	57%
Terrace Marshall Jr.	WR	CAR	90%	0%	69	90%
Rashod Bateman	WR	BAL	39%	59%	69	50%
Romeo Doubs	WR	GB	48%	76%	67	61%
Jamaal Williams	RB	NO	75%	23%	67	47%
Lil’Jordan Humphrey	WR	DEN	70%	32%	66	51%
Trevon Wesco	TE	TEN	40%	62%	65	51%
Isiah Pacheco	RB	KC	48%	51%	65	49%
Tyler Allgeier	RB	ATL	56%	44%	65	49%
Najee Harris	RB	PIT	52%	57%	64	55%
John Bates	TE	WAS	37%	52%	64	44%
AJ Dillon	RB	GB	48%	68%	63	57%
Darnell Mooney	WR	CHI	84%	0%	62	84%
Dontayvion Wicks	WR	GB	62%	50%	62	56%
Samaje Perine	RB	DEN	45%	50%	62	48%
Brandon Johnson	WR	DEN	50%	45%	62	48%
Justice Hill	RB	BAL	30%	57%	62	45%
Jayden Reed	WR	GB	53%	56%	60	55%
Antonio Gibson	RB	WAS	35%	48%	60	42%
Mark Andrews	TE	BAL	0%	79%	59	79%
Khalil Herbert	RB	CHI	36%	60%	59	46%
Javonte Williams	RB	DEN	45%	45%	59	45%
Peyton Hendershot	TE	DAL	48%	36%	59	41%
Colby Parkinson	TE	SEA	43%	50%	58	47%
Tyjae Spears	RB	TEN	54%	37%	58	45%
Trey Palmer	WR	TB	34%	49%	58	42%
Zack Moss	RB	IND	0%	98%	56	98%
Trey McBride	TE	ARI	37%	51%	56	44%
Braxton Berrios	WR	MIA	52%	33%	56	43%
Kayshon Boutte	WR	NE	69%	0%	55	69%
Nick Chubb	RB	CLE	49%	21%	54	34%
Will Dissly	TE	SEA	31%	51%	53	43%
Mo Alie-Cox	TE	IND	42%	40%	53	41%
Harrison Bryant	TE	CLE	36%	30%	53	33%
Quez Watkins	WR	PHI	79%	0%	52	79%
Noah Brown	WR	HOU	68%	0%	52	68%
Deon Jackson	RB	IND	71%	0%	51	71%
Roschon Johnson	RB	CHI	39%	42%	51	40%
Jahmyr Gibbs	RB	DET	27%	48%	51	38%
Josh Oliver	TE	MIN	47%	34%	50	41%
Justin Watson	WR	KC	29%	46%	50	38%
Chuba Hubbard	RB	CAR	36%	37%	50	36%
Deven Thompkins	WR	TB	26%	45%	50	36%
Ezekiel Elliott	RB	NE	35%	30%	50	32%
Jauan Jennings	WR	SF	32%	47%	49	39%
Austin Hooper	TE	LV	53%	42%	48	48%
Jaylen Warren	RB	PIT	40%	43%	48	41%
Jakobi Meyers	WR	LV	80%	0%	47	80%
Kalif Raymond	WR	DET	27%	42%	47	35%
Gus Edwards	RB	BAL	23%	43%	47	34%
Tony Jones Jr.	RB	NO	11%	52%	47	33%
Devin Singletary	RB	HOU	21%	36%	46	29%
Jerry Jeudy	WR	DEN	0%	68%	45	68%
Michael Mayer	TE	LV	49%	40%	45	45%
Randall Cobb	WR	NYJ	41%	49%	45	45%
River Cracraft	WR	MIA	40%	29%	45	35%
Dalvin Cook	RB	NYJ	50%	36%	44	44%
Samori Toure	WR	GB	35%	46%	44	40%
Travis Kelce	TE	KC	0%	64%	43	64%
Jerick McKinnon	RB	KC	31%	33%	42	32%
Dyami Brown	WR	WAS	27%	32%	42	29%
Kenneth Gainwell	RB	PHI	62%	0%	41	62%
Austin Ekeler	RB	LAC	51%	0%	41	51%
Ben Skowronek	WR	LAR	26%	25%	41	25%
Taysom Hill	TE	NO	14%	40%	40	28%

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Los Angeles Rams running back outlook right now

jakrajal — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 21:29:08 +0000

What is the Rams running back outlook?

By: Jake Rajala

The Los Angeles Rams flexed their talent at quarterback (with Matthew Stafford) and wide receiver (with Cooper Kupp) in 2021, but they were missing a key ingredient at running back. Cam Akers, who recorded 625 yds in 2020, sadly tore his Achilles in the 2021 training camp. His injury caused him to miss 16 games last season. It’s safe to say that Sean McVay is thankful to have his talented running back healthy and ready to unleash havoc moving forward.

The Rams had the 25th-ranked rushing attack last season — after having the 10th-ranked rushing offense in 2020. The Rams should be able to have at least a middle-of-the-pack rushing attack next season.

Cam Akers is Superman pic.twitter.com/8N9OJVxAF2
— Jesse Moeller (@JMoeller05) January 9, 2022

Akers recently turned 23 years old and he should be a pivotal RB1 for LA for many years to come. He will be joined by Darrell Henderson Jr. — who had a modest 688 rushing yds, 4.6 YPC, and 5 rushing TDs last season. He ehad a 68.7 grade by PFF.

After the top two RBs, they have Kyren Williams and Jake Funk. Williams is a fifth-round draft pick out of Notre Dame. His best season came in his sophomore season — where he unveiled 1,125 rushing yds, 5.3 YPC, and 13 rushing TDs. He still had a superb junior season, as he notched 1,002 rushing yds, 4.9 YPC, and 14 rushing TDs. Funk is a seventh-round draft pick out of the 2021 NFL Draft. He only had five rushing yds last season, but he could have a larger role in 2022 if one of the top two RBs has an injury.

With that said, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if the genius Sean McVay brought in another RB. He has a strong taste for acquiring offensive firepower — regardless of the current talent on offense.

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