Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins
The Washington Redskins host the winless San Francisco 49ers this week and expect Kirk Cousins to come out slinging it. San Fran hasn’t faced a passing attack quite like the Redskins this year so they should struggle with stopping Jordan Reed and Terrelle Pryor.
Matt Ryan
Miami ranks 22nd in the league when it comes to pass defense while Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons rank 7th in passing yards. Ryan’s stats haven’t been very eye-popping thus far but Matty Ice can turn it around against the Dolphins secondary playing with injuries. Julio Jones should return on Sunday and with Atlanta having an extra week to prepare for this one, it could be a huge day for their quarterback.
Running Backs
C.J. Anderson
Denver is a lot better on the offensive side of the ball than I anticipated them to be this year. C.J. Anderson has been pretty impressive but has only surpassed the century mark once this year. He has come close two other times but this week against the 29th ranked rush defense he should have a fun day. New York is on the ropes and Denver will deliver the knockout blow and Anderson should have a huge role to play.
Jordan Howard
Chicago faces Baltimore this week and with Mitchell Trubisky under center for his toughest test yet, the Bears will lean on the running game. Enter Jordan Howard. While the Ravens defense is talented, they tend to allow a lot of yards on the ground. Howard could have a top big day.
Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown Photo Credit: Brook Ward-Under Creative Commons License
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown
The Kansas City Chiefs hope to avenge their playoff loss last year to Pittsburgh this week. The Chiefs are having a remarkable season sitting at 5-0 but their secondary has been known to get burnt at times. Big Ben had a rough game against the Jaguars and seems to be lacking a lot of confidence. His number one receiver, Antonio Brown, should help him out. Brown is one of the best around and could find the end zone a lot.
Keenan Allen
Two AFC West rivals face off this week as Oakland hosts the Chargers of Los Angeles. Even though the Chargers only have one win on the year, their offense can do some damage. Keenan Allen is a competitor who plays with a chip on his shoulder. Allen should provide quarterback Philip Rivers a nice target all game long against the underwhelming Raiders.
Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski
The Patriots played without Rob Gronkowski last week but will have him back this week for their rivalry game with the Jets. The Jets have some young safeties that will look to stop Gronk but I just don’t see that happening. Rookie Jamal Adams should be given the unenviable task of trying to cover Gronk and will be taught a lesson by the veteran
Cameron Brate
Tampa Bay’s biggest red zone threat is tight end Cameron Brate. Brate and his Buccaneer teammates face off with the Arizona Cardinal this week. Brate has scored a touchdown in his last three outings and with the Cardinals having to focus on Mike Evans and the fresh Doug Martin, Brate will continue his scoring streak.
Defenses
Denver Broncos
The New York GIants offense was decimated last week, losing wide receivers Dwayne Harris, Brandon Marshall, and Odell Beckham for the year. The Broncos defense has been lights out all year and there is nothing that should make anyone think that will change on Sunday Night Football.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta will get Vic Beasley back this week but how much he will actually play is debatable. Regardless of how much playing time he gets, the Falcons defense should have little to no issues keeping the Dolphins offense at bay. The Dolphins rank 31st or 32nd in the league in every major offensive category. Oh and to make matters worse for Miami, the Falcons are coming off of their bye.