Hope you are not a betting man or woman, because the NFL is just impossible to predict. From the Bills going from 0-2 and barely showing that they have a defense to beating the Vikings on the road 27-6 to the Browns winning their first game in over a year makes NFL predictions a challenge. Ryan Fitzpatrick set an NFL record as the first QB in NFL history to throw for over 400 yards in three straight games as well. Who would have expected that from a Harvard grad? There is a lot to discuss before setting your lineups for this weeks games. All point totals are done in normal ESPN PPR point totals.

Must Start:

Mitchell Trubisky- Quarterback- Chicago Bears- I know he has not played up to his hype for the season, but this match-up is too good to resist. The Bears offense is not that good, but I will take a bad offense versus an injury infected bad defense any day. The Buccaneers have already allowed over 1,000 passing yards this season (1,088. Most in the NFL), and have only recorded one interception all season. Not only that, but the Buccaneers have been involved in shoot-outs every week this season which will call for Trubisky to throw the ball a lot in order to keep up with, wait for it, early MVP canidate Ryan Fitzpatrick. Ignore the Bears horrendous offensive performance in Arizona, Trubisky is a great start this week.

Chris Carson- Running Back- Seattle Seahawks- He is all of a sudden one of the most intriguing RBs in all of football. The Seahawks drafted Rashaad Penny early in this years draft, but are yet to feature him a lot in their offense. Carson, on the other hand, just had a game with 32 rushing attempts for 102 yards and a TD. Carson has looked to have solidified a starting roll for now, and possibly has work horse potential. This week he heads to Arizona where the Cardinals have allowed the 4th most rushing yards and the most rushing TDs in the NFL. The Seahawks should be able to take care of the Cardinals pretty soundly (especially with Josh Rosen at QB), and this will allow Carson to keep racking up yardage. The Seahawks should be up early, and will want to keep getting Carson the ball often in order to use up the clock. It would not surprise me to see him go north of 20 points again.

Giovani Bernard- Running Back- Cincinnati Bengals- Joe Mixon should be out for at least a couple more weeks, and that will allow Bernard to keep the feature back roll. Last week, Bernard put up 19.5 fantasy points against a solid Carolina defense. He had 5 YPC and a TD, not to mention the fact he was a factor in passing game as well with five receptions. The Bengals head to Atlanta where they will face a rushing defense that has allowed the second most YPC in the NFL while also allowing the second most rushing TDs. Even in a game where the Bengals might be trailing, Bernard is a must play due to his presence in the passing game as well.

Do not Start:

Quincy Enunwa- Wide Receiver- New York Jets- Just last week I was preaching about how good this guy is, and now he finds himself on the sit em’s list. Enunwa is the Jet’s WR1 and will stay that way for the remainder of the season. He is Sam Darnold’s favorite target and safety valve as well. This week, thought, he will be absolutely shut down. He is a great WR, but not good enough for Jalen Ramsey and this elite defense. The Jaguars have allowed the 3rd least amount of passing yards this season, and only two passing TDs. That is less than one passing TD allowed per week, and that is crazy impressive for today’s NFL. Enunwa is a player I love in the future, but not this week versus a well-oiled “Sacksonville” defense.

Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry- Running Backs- Tennessee Titans- This is a first for me. Never in my two years of writing the Fantasy Football Talks have I specifically called out two players for either start or sit. I have to this week though. This Titan’s offense is just tragic. Henry has been a disappointment all of this season (still and understatement), and Lewis is lucky he is a pass catching back. The Titan running backs have combined for one, yes one, rushing TD all season. Now they play an Eagles team that has surrendered the least amount of rushing yards all season, and only one TD. I am so sorry if you drafted Derrick Henry this year, truly sorry. Dion Lewis will see a little more production due to his reception ability, but neither should break into double digit points. Both could easily be held below 6 points this week.

Larry Fitzgerald- Wide Receiver- Arizona Cardinals- Fitzgerald’s only saving grace is that he may get lots of targets. That is one positive against a bunch of signs pointing to towards the bench for Fitz. Reason one: Josh Rosen. He is a new QB who is yet to show he can actually be successful in the NFL. During pre-season he could not lead his team on offense, and in the final quarter against the Bears he could not either. Reason two: the Seahawks are one of only eight teams to allow under 7 YPC and leads the NFL in interceptions with seven (two more than the next closest). This Seahawk pass defense should make life very hard on Fitzgerald, but could free up other Cardinal WR like Christian Kirk. If you start any Cardinal WR this week you will be playing with fire though.

Waiver Wire Pickups:

Chris Godwin- Wide Receiver- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Godwin has scored in every game so far for the Bucs, and has 5+ receptions in two straight games now. He is second on his team in receptions and targets. He is only owned in 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues, and is averaging 15.5 points per game. He is a very solid backup WR, and could even push as a flex option.

Javorius ‘Buck’ Allen- Running Back- Baltimore Ravens- He is not the feature back for the Ravens, but he is still a passing down back who gets carries too. He already has 4 TDs, and averages 15.5 points for game. He is ranked as a top 11 RB at the moment and is only owned in 38% of fantasy leagues.

Baker Mayfield- Quarterback- Cleveland Browns- Arguably one of the most exciting fantasy QBs that could recognized as a “sleeper”. In about half a game of football Mayfield stepped on the field, and went 17/23 for 201 yards (8.7 YPA). He brought out the best in all of teammates on the offensive side, and is making everyone around him better. He is quite a solid pick up for this week if you do not have a true QB or you have Cam Newton or Alex Smith that are on bye weeks. He is currently owned in only 35% of ESPN leagues.