Pfnt 2016 11 17

Should the Bears draf t a replacement for Jay Cutler?

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THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 17, 2016

DANNY TREVATHAN

On the road again

LANDON COLLINS

After a loss in Tampa, the Bears head to New York to face the red-hot Giants PLUS

THE NFC NORTH IS UP FOR GRABS

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PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

1 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 2 DALLAS COWBOYS 3 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 4 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 5 OAKLAND RAIDERS 6 DENVER BRONCOS 7 ATLANTA FALCONS 8 HOUSTON TEXANS 9 BALTIMORE RAVENS 10 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 11 NEW YORK GIANTS 12 WASHINGTON 13 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 14 MINNESOTA VIKINGS 15 GREEN BAY PACKERS 16 MIAMI DOLPHINS 17 DETROIT LIONS 18 TENNESSEE TITANS 19 BUFFALO BILLS 20 ARIZONA CARDINALS 21 CINCINNATI BENGALS 22 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 23 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 24 CAROLINA PANTHERS 25 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 26 LOS ANGELES RAMS 27 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 28 NEW YORK JETS 29 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 30 CHICAGO BEARS 31 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 32 CLEVELAND BROWNS

When you beat the best, you become the best The real deal but questions on defense remain Still right there, hard to split Pats and ‘Hawks Quietly the most consistent of them all

Fit here now but still have to prove they can stick Not sure which way they’re trending

May be a couple bricks shy of a load, but tough Beat teams they should; can they play with best?

Not enough offense to climb higher

Still think better than this, will they show it?

A little better each week; the hot team right now Looks like Cousins is going to get paid Defense keeps them hanging around

Power Rankings Welcome to our ProFootballWeekly.com NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

No more excuses, must beat Cardinals Sunday Hard to believe they don’t find another gear 7th seed in AFC with 7 left to play – playoffs?

On fire but still just third-best team in NFC North 5-5 with a couple of quality wins

Hardest team in the league to figure out

Carson Palmer lost a step, which means Cards have too Below-average team; does Lewis get a pass again?

If Rivers struggles – four fourth-quarter INTs – bad team Tough loss to Broncos; not enough “D” to rank higher

Please keep in mind as you read them they have nothing to do with who we think will be in the playoffs and Super Bowl, nor do they necessarily indicate who we think the best teams in the league are. These rankings are based on each team’s performance in the first five weeks of the season, players lost to injury and players expected to return soon.

AP PHOTO

Fade against Chiefs may have been last straw Hmmm, was Packers win who this team is?

Goff make them better? Won’t make them worse Win over Bears hides multiple flaws

News flash – can’t win without a QB in NFL Bradley, great guy, how does he still have Jax job?

Doug Baldwin caught three TD passes in Seattle’s win over New England which moves the Seahawks up to the top spot in our power rankings

Pro Football Weekly is produced by Shaw Media, the Daily Herald Media Group and the Chicago Sun-Times in partnership with other Illinois daily newspapers.

Should be ashamed of themselves for TB debacle Kaepernick getting better – rest of team isn’t Not a single thing to hang their hats on

I

t feels like almost out of nowhere the question of the moment around the Chicago Bears is whether head coach John Fox should get a third season to complete the rebuilding project he was brought in town to oversee, or whether the disappointments and failures of the club over his first 25 games have been “Trestman’esque” enough to earn him the same fate Marc Trestman suffered.

Some have been quick to point to the fact that Trestman was 11-14 after 25 games while Fox currently stands at 8-17 and is coming off the low point of his time in Chicago with the Bears embarrassing loss in Tampa last Sunday.

It is completely irrelevant.

Two years ago at this time, Trestman’s Bears were coming off two of the most embarrassing losses in the franchise’s history, a 51-23 loss at New England going into the bye and a 55-14 laydown in Green Bay the week after.

A few weeks later, Trestman’s offensive coordinator, Aaron Kromer, would throw Jay Cutler under the bus and lay bare the complete dys-

function of Trestman’s than willing to assume regime and the Bears’ the worst and seek his locker room. head on a platter in difficult times.

The Bears were the Here’s what Bears laughingstock of the fans and media alike NFL. need to remember: These Bears are not This is and always was that. going to be a rebuild Compared to the ’14 and these things can Bears losses in New England and Green Bay, get ugly sometimes. last Sunday in Tampa Looking for someone was just a tough day. to blame for something that had to hapDepending on how pen is rarely the wisthe next seven weeks HUB ARKUSH go, it is possible Fox harkush@ProFootballWeekly.com est course of action. @Hub_Arkush Here is where the will need to be replaced, focus on John Fox but no one should even should be right now. be thinking about that right now.

I can’t prove it, but I believe some That said, this is clearly a mess of things have been lost or broken beFox’s own making. tween Ryan Pace and the Bears orI believe the media on the Bears ganization in terms of how he was beat is among the best in the NFL, supposed to be allowed to run it when and there has not been a single hint of he was hired, and Fox’s stamp may negativity toward Fox born from the be on that. disdain he’s shown at times for the Those things must be fixed, and job we try to do. fast, if this regime is to succeed.

But by doing all he can to hide his Fox’s team is not currently close team from public view, he has unwittingly created a lack of trust among to operating the offense he set out his fan base that has made it more to build and has failed dramatically

with the run game half of the equation.

Showing they can make it half the equation is critical.

Fox might, and I emphasize might, have the wrong offensive coordinator. He needs to convince first his team and then the rest of us that he doesn’t, or be ready to correct the situation if he does.

The Bears might have some valuable young assets in players such as Jordan Howard, Jeremy Langford, Kevin White, Cameron Meredith, Cody Whitehair, Eddie Goldman, Johnathan Bullard, Leonard Floyd, Nick Kwiatkoski, Kyle Fuller, Cre’von LeBlanc, Bryce Callahan, Deiondre’ Hall and Deon Bush.

To date, they have done little to show they know how to use those assets on offense or how to fully develop any of them.

Of course there’s more, but over the next seven weeks if Fox can prove he can fix those four things, or at least make strides in all four areas, he should be given a third season to try and finish the job he was hired for.

If he can’t, the Bears need to make a change.

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2016 not as bad as 2014, but not good for Bears, Fox

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Bears rushing offense vs Giants run defense A strength vs. strength matchup here, as the Bears are seventh in the league averaging 4.6 yards per carry, while the Giants are allowing only 3.6 yards per rush, which ranks fifth in the NFL. Jordan Howard was outstanding getting chunk gains against Tampa Bay before a) they stopped giving him the ball, b) the game got out of hand and c) he got hurt. Howard’s status for Sunday is in question as of this writing depending on his ankle injury, which could set Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey up for more carries. Missing Howard, or having the rookie in a

middle vs. the Giants, and that’s where the Bears are best (6.3 yards per carry). Injuries swing the pendulum here to New York.

EDGE u GIANTS

limited role, would hurt the Bears’ rushing attack, as will being without Kyle Long, the team’s best offensive lineman. The Giants have two massive and impressive defensive tackles – Damon Harrison and Johnathan Hankins. The pair has combined for 10 tackles for loss. Opponents average only 3.1 yards per carry running up the

Bears passing offense vs Giants pass defense Long is out and Alshon Jeffery is suspended, but the passing game can’t be worse than it was in Tampa, can it? Jay Cutler may accept that challenge, or revert to the player we saw in Minnesota.

It highlights his inconsistency that he could look that poor throwing the ball, tossing two picks and

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7:25 p.m. Thursday, CBS

NFC South clubs both stunned at home in closing minutes, now must turn around on short week with zero room for error.

BILLS AT BENGALS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS

Can Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy carry over magic from Seattle before bye to exploit broken Bengals ‘D?’

STEELERS AT BROWNS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS

Hue Jackson gets vote of confidence from Sashi Brown despite inching closer to 2008 Lions; would it kill Mike Tomlin to attempt a PAT once in a while?

RAVENS AT COWBOYS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS

Last time Zeke saw a No. 1 run ‘D,’ he logged a career-high 157 rushing yards at Lambeau; Baltimore needed extra rest before tussling with Dallas O-line.

JAGUARS AT LIONS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX

Allen Robinson goes off, Jacksonville allows 99 passing yards, yet Jags lose again; Lions spent relaxing Sunday on couch and take over first place.

TITANS AT COLTS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX

Leonard Floyd

Odell Beckham Jr.

fumbling twice. Jeffery’s absence takes out the Bears’ best playmaker, so the Giants don’t have to roll coverage anywhere or set up any double-teams. We don’t expect Cam Meredith, Eddie Royal or Zach Miller to instill much fear in New York’s secondary, and it’s a good one. The Giants’ pass ‘D’ is allowing a passer rating of 75.7, which is fourth best, and QBs complete only 59 percent of passes vs. the Giants, the fifth-best unit. Physical corners Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie have 11 passes defensed apiece.

The Giants are surprisingly last in sacks per pass attempt. However, the Bears gave up four sacks and seven QB hits to a bad Tampa front.

EDGE u GIANTS

Giants rushing offense vs Bears run defense This matchup looks similar to the one we analyzed when the Bears played Minnesota … before we knew the Vikings weren’t good. This is the area where the Bears have to dominate, and they should. The Giants are 31st in the league in total rushing and 29th in yards per carry (3.37).

Rashad Jennings is rushing at only 3.2 yards per touch and they haven’t gotten much out of Paul Perkins. Jennings is, however, coming off his best game, rattling off nearly six yards a pop against the Bengals. The Bears are healthy and at their best in the front seven with Eddie Goldman back to help create plays for the inside linebacking duo of Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman. The Bears allow only 3.7 yards per carry and held Doug Martin to 33 yards on 16 carries last Sunday. The Bears have allowed 100 yards rushing only once in their past six games.

EDGE u BEARS

Giants passing offense vs Bears pass defense The Bears have two things going for them in

AP PHOTOS

this matchup: Tracy Porter has been unsung and very good at locking down opposing star receivers. Containing Odell Beckham Jr. (54 catches for 773 yards and six scores) is a big ask, but Porter didn’t allow Mike Evans to catch a pass until the third quarter last week. The pass rush, too, is coming along well, with Leonard Floyd playing like a first-round pick and Pernell McPhee getting better each week. They’ll need a great game from Porter and the edge rushers against Eli Manning and Beckham. Even though the Giants had major questions on the O-line prior to the season and have had injury issues of late, they’ve allowed only 13 sacks this season, third-fewest in the NFL, and the offense is fourth in the league in sacks allowed per pass attempt.

Sterling Shepard is an electric rookie who will challenge the middle of the field, the area the Bears couldn’t defend last week. Manning is always prone to turnovers, with an interception rate that ranks 26th in the league (10 picks), but the Bears aren’t good at taking it away and Manning is completing a career-high 64.3 percent of his passes.

EDGE u GIANTS

Marcus Mariota’s MVP-caliber play has Titans scoring plenty and thinking playoffs; even in AFC South, this feels like must-win for Pagano’s Colts.

BUCCANEERS AT CHIEFS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX

Tampa Bay’s ‘D’ unlikely to get Cutler-like gifts from Alex Smith; Chiefs more likely to get Newton- and Benjamin-esque gifts from Jameis.

CARDINALS AT VIKINGS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX

Arizona won’t apologize for ugly home win vs. Niners it had to have; Vikings lose another starting OT just in time for blitz-happy Cardinals.

BEARS AT GIANTS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX

Did anyone think Bears could embarrass themselves more the day after Tampa? Giants and NFL’s best red zone ‘D’ welcome 31st-ranked scoring offense.

DOLPHINS AT RAMS 4:05 p.m. Sunday, CBS

Miami stayed out West after shocking Bolts for fourth straight; Fisher’s Rams have better record when they don’t score a touchdown, like last week’s 9-6 win.

PATRIOTS AT 49ERS 4:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX

The Niners are still fighting for Chip Kelly but could be in a world of pain after meeting seething Patriots.

EAGLES AT SEAHAWKS

Sunday’s overall edge We can give the Giants the home-field edge and a big one when it comes to scoring. The Bears are 31st in the league in points, while the Giants have the league’s best red-zone defense, allowing touchdowns on 41.9 percent of possessions, and the second-best goal-to-go ‘D’, which allows six points on 53.3 percent of drives inside the 10. The Bears are adept defending the end zone, too (seventh in the red zone, third in goal-to-go), but this defense will have to create turnovers to win. We have no idea what to expect from Cutler, but an offense without Long or Jeffery doesn’t sound like a good one. Oh, and the Giants have Robbie Gould.

EDGE u GIANTS

3:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX

Huge upset for Pederson’s Eagles over Atlanta, made possible by defense and a run game; Wilson and Carroll went to Foxborough and riddled Brady and Belichick.

PACKERS AT WASHINGTON 7:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC

Whoever tells you they know how the Packers respond after Nashville nightmare is lying; Washington isn’t going away quietly in NFC East.

TEXANS AT RAIDERS (MEXICO CITY) 7:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN

Houston fans likely will long for “the other Carr” until their QB situation isn’t in a state of Brock; Interesting road trip for rising Raiders, coming off the bye.

TEAMS ON BYE

Falcons, Broncos, Jets, Chargers

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

SAINTS AT PANTHERS

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

(-6.5) Hub

Kevin

Arthur

Bob

Adam

Pro Football Weekly

Pro Football Weekly

Pro Football Weekly

Daily Herald

Chicago Sun-Times

ARKUSH

FISHBAIN

ARKUSH

LEGERE

JAHNS

BEARS 16 GIANTS 20

BEARS 19 GIANTS 25

BEARS 16 GIANTS 26

BEARS 16 GIANTS 24

BEARS 16 GIANTS 27

The Bears are just good enough to lose a close one on the road.

Bears ‘D’ keeps them in this one, maybe forcing an Eli turnover. Won’t get blown out again ... I don’t think.

Giants will throw shade on Bears’ bright spots – run game and pass rush – and the kitchen sink at a vulnerable Cutler.

The Bears are 0-5 on the road and on the fast track to 0-8 away from Chicago.

Robbie Gould would love to kick a game-winner to beat his former team, but this game won’t be that close.

SEASON RECORD: 5-4 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 4-5

SEASON RECORD: 5-4 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 3-6

SEASON RECORD: 5-4 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 5-3-1

SEASON RECORD: 4-5 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 4-5

SEASON RECORD: 4-5 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 2-6-1

Jon

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BEARS 10 GIANTS 28

BEARS 7 GIANTS 27

BEARS 20 GIANTS 31

BEARS 9 GIANTS 23

BEARS 17 GIANTS 31

I’ve suddently become bad at this. So bad that I panicked and picked the Bears last week. Not again.

I’ve picked the Bears four times this season. I’ve finally learned my lesson, and I’m waving the white flag.

Giants could be primed for a letdown after a big win on Monday night – so the Bears will score 20.

Jeffery is suspended, Long is out hurt, Cutler is Cutler.

Bears offense implodes.

The positive vibes felt after beating Minnesota aren’t coming back any time soon.

SEASON RECORD: 7-2 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 6-3

SEASON RECORD: 3-6 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 3-6

SEASON RECORD: 3-6 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 3-6

SEASON RECORD: 5-4 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 5-4

SEASON RECORD: 7-2 SEASON VS. SPREAD: 5-4

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Fans should turn attention to Bears rookies

W

hy watch the Bears?

Seriously.

What is there to enjoy about a team that is 2-7, missing two stars in receiver Alshon Jeffery and guard Kyle Long, and generating negative headlines?

“These guys have done pretty good about handling things, whether it’s been injury or now a suspension,” coach John Fox said. “I think they understand what’s at stake.”

And that would be?

Look, this season was about developing a young foundation of players to begin with, and now that’s all there is.

So turn away from quarterback Jay Cutler as you did Sunday against the Buccaneers, and closely watch the Bears’ first- and second-year players.

As for general manager Ryan Pace’s draft picks, outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, center Cody Whitehair, running back Jordan Howard, defensive tackle Eddie Goldman and safety Adrian Amos have emerged as foundation-caliber players, although

linebacker Nick Kwiatthe Bears still are waitkoski on the field even ing for big plays from though veterans Jerrell Amos in the secondary.

Freeman and Danny The most important Trevathan are playing thing the Bears can well. do over the next seven Cornerback Deionweeks is to give other dre’ Hall is out with a young players opportusprained ankle, but he’s nities to play, develop expected to return in and impress. two or three weeks. He That’s all that matneeds to play a ton, too. ters for the rest of the As far as second-year season. It’s time to find players, receiver Camout if any other playADAM JAHNS eron Meredith, an uners deserve to be menajahns@ww.com drafted free-agent signtioned with Floyd and @ajahns ing, takes over as the Co. Bears’ No. 1 receiver Defensive end Jonawith Jeffery suspended for the next than Bullard is the next in line for four games. He should get at least 10 more playing time. To ensure he targets a game. gets it, Bullard should remain in the With all the youth movements, starting lineup even if Mitch Unrein there will be tough moments ahead, is healthy. but that doesn’t matter. The players The other rookies? need to experience them. It’s their Safety Deon Bush needs to be time. That’s all there is to watch for permanently inserted into the rotathe rest of the season. tion next to Amos. Bush should be the primary competition for Harold Jones-Quartey. Veteran Chris Prosinski should stick with special Let’s just be clear about this: Jefteams. fery has no one to blame but himself It also involves finding a way to get for his four-game suspension for

•••

violating the NFL’s rules for performance-enhancing drugs.

His statement was worded curiously, particularly for the phrasing “recommended supplement.” The wording opens the door to spread blame.

But stop it. Don’t do it.

Jeffery is a five-year veteran, not a rookie. Players are consistently reminded to check what they put into their bodies.

There literally are messages posted that warn them about meats that might be tainted with steroids or other banned substances.

This is on Jeffery. No one else.

•••

Do you think the Bears miss Adam Gase? The former Bears offensive coordinator who connected with Cutler is currently the toast of the NFL. Gase’s Dolphins have won four games in a row, and his owner is publicly praising him.

“I have the right guy now,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told reporters. “I have the guy I wanted.

Adam has already changed the culture of the Miami Dolphins.”

Key to Bears success is simple: Jordan Howard

O

nly once in four starts this season has Jay Cutler thrown more touchdown passes than interceptions, the only game the 2-7 Bears have won with him under center.

When Cutler went down with a sprained thumb, fill-in starter Brian Hoyer started five games and threw for more than 300 yards four straight weeks – and the Bears won just one of those games.

But when rookie running back Jordan Howard ran for more than 100 yards in three of his first five starts, the Bears won twice. That may not sound like much, but for a franchise that’s won just eight of its last 30 games, that’s something.

The Bears cannot win consistently relying on Cutler, as evidenced by their 13-28 record since the start of the 2014 season. But they have a chance when Howard gets a heavy dose of hand-offs. In the Week 4 victory over the Lions, Howard ran 23 times for 111 yards. In the Week 8

upset of the Vikings, though he did lose a the Bears gave it to the fumble. But he had 89 fifth-round pick from yards on 13 carries in Indiana 26 times, and the first half, and the he gave them 153 yards.

Bears went to the break One of the few bright trailing 17-10 thanks to spots for the Bears in their rookie runner their 36-10 humiliation and Cutler’s final-play, in Tampa on Sunday 50-yard Hail Mary TD was Howard’s fourth pass to Cam Meredith.

100-yard game.

But the Bears went The 6-foot, 222-pounddown 24-10 just 1:55 er finished with exactly into the third quarter, 100 yards on just 15 carand Howard had just BOB LeGERE ries for a 6.7-yard av2 more rushes (for 11 rlegere@dailyherald.com erage, leading many to yards) the rest of the @BobLeGere wonder why he didn’t game. He left late with get the ball more often. an ankle/Achilles injury that Fox did not offer an update “Well, when you fall behind 17, on earlier this week. and the amount of score that I think With or without Howard, the they opened up to, it started earlier Bears need to establish the ground I think in the third quarter, that affects how much you do run the ball,” game. That’s especially true for the coach John Fox said. “But all our next four games, when they will be signatures are on it, so there’s a lot without go-to wide receiver Alshon of blame to spread around. Not just Jeffery, who will be serving a fourone entity, including just players, game suspension after failing a test it’s coaches, too.” for performance-enhancing drugs.

Don’t blame Howard, though, alIt’s not a coincidence that the

Bears’ only two wins came when they had the most rushing attempts – 29 in each game. In six of their seven losses, the Bears ran the ball 20 times or less.

Asked why the Bears didn’t rely more on Howard, especially after Cutler turned the ball over three times in the first half – he added a fourth in the second half – Fox said he wanted a balanced attack.

“You can’t get one-dimensional in this league,” Fox said. “That doesn’t mean just passing. You can’t run it every play either, or at least I haven’t seen too many games go like that. Each one of these games is different matchups, and I thought we ran it efficiently. Unfortunately, the second half ended up like it did.”

Fox was right about running the ball efficiently – in the first half.

Too bad the Bears didn’t stick with something that was working so well.

Trailing by 14 points early in the third quarter shouldn’t force a team to abandon what’s working – especially when it’s the only thing that’s working.

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ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY |

Fox, fantasy players should be done with Cutler

By J.C.

MATCHUPS TO AVOID

TALON

F

Fantasy writer | ProFootballWeekly.com

Dallas Cowboys

orgive us for recommending the Bears in Week 10. We were duped by a strong Week 8 performance against Minnesota – obviously a one-week anomaly. A few weeks ago, Coach John Fox reportedly told acquaintances that he was “done” with Jay Cutler. After watching Cutler revert back to being a turnover machine in Tampa, one can understand the sentiment. Facing one of the league’s worst defenses, Cutler’s 16 of 30, 182yard performance (27.4 percent of those yards coming on a Hail Mary) included a pick-six, another interception and two incomprehensible fumbles, one resulting in a safety. Not sure if there has ever been a performance more destructive to an entire roster than Cutler’s debacle last Sunday. If he remains on your fantasy roster, you should waive him on principle.

On to Week 11 …

OPPONENT: VS BALTIMORE RAVENS, SUNDAY, NOON OK, “avoid” might be a bit exaggerated here. Just beware that the Cowboys are coming off a huge win and will face an unheralded Ravens defense that has quietly climbed to No. 1 in terms of fewest yards allowed. Baltimore yields just 281 yards and 17.8 points per game. They are particularly stingy against the run, allowing just 3.3 yards per carry and 71.3 rushing yards per game. They have also allowed an NFLlow four rushing TDs this season. No one in his or her right mind would suggest sitting Ezekiel Elliot, but this is not a favorable matchup for him.

MUST START: Elliott SOLID PLAY: Dez Bryant, Jason Witten WORTH A LOOK: Dak Prescott, Dan Bailey, Cowboys D/ST LAST RESORT: Cole Beasley

Miami Dolphins

MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT New York Giants

OPPONENT: VS CHICAGO BEARS, SUNDAY, NOON We’ll stick with the pounding-the-Bears theme.

Although the Bears 11th-ranked defense is no pushover, Chicago’s misfiring offense is likely to produce a lot of three-and-outs. The Giants should have plenty of opportunities to get their passing game going.

MUST START: Odell Beckham SOLID PLAY: Eli Manning, Robbie Gould, Giants D/ST WORTH A LOOK: Rashad Jennings, Paul Perkins, Sterling Shepard, Will Tye

Pittsburgh Steelers

OPPONENT: AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, SUNDAY, NOON The Browns may not be headed for 0-16, but they are most definitely headed for 0-11. The worst scenario for Big Ben owners is if the Steelers jump out to an early lead and focus on the ground game. Obviously, this is a dream matchup for Le’Veon Bell, but with DeAngelo Williams out, who might be the RB2 who benefits in garbage time? The Steelers’ depth chart indicates Fitzgerald Toussaint is next in line.

This would be a good week to play Eli Rogers. He has emerged as Pittsburgh’s No. 2 WR. Sammie Coates has caught a total of one pass in the past four weeks and was on the field for just two snaps in last week’s loss to Dallas. Ladarius Green had three receptions for 30 yards in his 2016 debut. Jesse James played more snaps and had better numbers (five catches for 59 yards), but Green might be worth a speculative waiver claim.

MUST START: Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown SOLID PLAY: Chris Boswell, Steelers D/ST WORTH A LOOK: Rogers, Green, James LAST RESORT: Toussaint STAY AWAY: Coates

Tennessee Titans

OPPONENT: AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, SUNDAY, NOON Would you believe the Titans have the league’s seventh-most productive offense? Sure, we all know their third-ranked rushing attack is the real deal, but second-year QB Marcus Mariota has thrown 21

Jay Cutler had four turnovers in Tampa Bay Sunday TDs this year against just eight picks. They’ll face the Colts and their 30th-ranked defense this week.

MUST START: DeMarco Murray, Delanie Walker SOLID PLAY: Mariota, Ryan Succop WORTH A LOOK: Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe LAST RESORT: Derrick Henry, Kendall Wright STAY AWAY: Titans D/ST

New England Patriots

OPPONENT: AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, SUNDAY, 3:25 The 49ers showed a pulse against Arizona last week, but they are about to find out that the Patriots are a lot better than the Cardinals. New England should be able to score as much as it wants in this game. Stinging from last week’s loss to Seattle, Tom Brady and company, you can rest assured, are going to want to score a bunch. Rob Gronkowski will reportedly miss the game with a punctured lung.

MUST START: Brady, LeGarrette Blount, Martellus Bennett (if no Gronk), Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots D/ST SOLID PLAY: Julian Edelman WORTH A LOOK: James White LAST RESORT: Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola

ALSO CONSIDER Kansas City Chiefs

OPPONENT: VS TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, SUNDAY, NOON Spencer Ware should have a good day against Tampa’s inept run defense. If Jeremy Maclin (groin) remains out, Tyreek Hill is a solid play.

Detroit Lions

OPPONENT: VS JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS, SUNDAY, NOON The Jags defense is 8th in fewest yards allowed, but they are 25th in points allowed (26.6) per game.

Look for Marvin Jones to get back on track this week.

OPPONENT: AT LOS ANGELES RAMS, SUNDAY, 3:05 Miami has won a surprising four consecutive games, but you have to wonder what impact a second straight West Coast game will have on them. They will be facing a tough, though undisciplined, Rams defense. The Dolphins have averaged 29 points and 385 yards per game during their winning streak. Jay Ajayi could do well – L.A.’s seventh-ranked defense is better against the pass (eighth) than the run (17th).

MUST START: Ajayi SOLID PLAY: Jarvis Landry, Dolphins D/ST WORTH A LOOK: DeVante Parker LAST RESORT: Damien Williams, Kenny Stills STAY AWAY: Andrew Franks

Philadelphia Eagles

OPPONENT: AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, SUNDAY, 3:25 Seattle’s defense has slipped to ninth in total yards, but they are second to Minnesota in points, allowing just 17.6 per game. The Eagles are coming off a big win at home against Atlanta, but they have not won on the road since Week 2 in Chicago. On the season, Philadelphia is 5-0 at home, but just 1-4 on the road. On a good week, the Eagles don’t offer a lot of fantasy upside. This is not a good week.

MUST START: none SOLID PLAY: none WORTH A LOOK: Ryan Mathews, Jordan Matthews, Zach Ertz LAST RESORT: Darren Sproles, Eagles D/ST, Caleb Sturgis STAY AWAY: Carson Wentz, Nelson Agholor

ALSO BEWARE Arizona Cardinals

OPPONENT: AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS, SUNDAY, NOON The Vikings’ defense has slipped lately but is still a very good unit against the pass. The Cardinals’ best bet will be David Johnson. This is a bad matchup for Carson Palmer.

Minnesota Vikings

OPPONENT: VS ARIZONA CARDINALS, SUNDAY, NOON Don’t expect much scoring in a game featuring two top-five defenses. The odds makers certainly do not – the over/under in this game is around 41.

* — Check injury status

By JOHN

SAHLY

L

jsahly@shawmedia.com

ast week in this space, I wrote about challenging some assumptions. Finding success in daily fantasy sports can often be found while leaving your comfort zone, especially in big tournaments.

I’ll toot my own horn for a second here: Mark Ingram averaged 4.5 yards a carry against the Broncos, Jordan Howard ran for 100 yards on the Bucs and while Aaron Rodgers didn’t hurt you, his much cheaper counterpart Marcus Mariota was the better use of your salary cap dollars.

This week, I want to focus on jumping on guys who have either improved or changed roles, but their price points don’t reflect it.

1. RUSSELL WILSON

Who saw his game against the Patriots coming?

Wilson had the third-highest QB rating in New England in the Bill Belichick era.

The first half of Wilson’s season had largely been a dud, but he had been hurt for most of it with a sprained MCL and a pectoral injury. Wilson isn’t testing that knee out on the ground just yet with only three rushes in in the past three games, but he’s clearly more comfortable in the pocket.

Yet this week, Wilson is priced as the 14th-most

expensive quarterback on FanDuel and eighth-most expensive on DraftKings in their main slates. Historically, Wilson is a better player later in the season. His QB rating in October for his career is 95, while in November it’s 112.5 and December it’s 107.2.

Wilson gets the Eagles this week, which isn’t a cupcake matchup, but he is at home and the Eagles’ corners are banged up with Nolan Carroll in the concussion protocol and Leodis McKelvin dealing with a hamstring injury.

Speaking of Seattle...

2. C.J. PROSISE

Well, the Christine Michael era was fun while it lasted. For whatever reason, the Seahawks don’t seem to trust Michael, but they have entrusted the rookie Prosise. He led the Seahawks in receptions in the New England victory and even got two goal-line carries.

Priced outside of the top 20 running backs on FanDuel and DraftKings, Prosise appears to have the lead-back role in the Seattle offense, with the ability to score on the ground and through the air.

3. ALLEN ROBINSON

Robinson’s target totals the past three weeks: 15, 12, 13. His price: Still not close to where it was at the start of the season when he was projected as one of the top fantasy receivers in the league.

Quietly, Robinson is salvaging fantasy owners in-

Russell Wilson

C.J. Prosise

Allen Robinson

Todd Gurley

vestment in him with a touchdown in the past two games. He was priced at $8,300 in Week 1 on DraftKings. He’s still just $7,400 this week, and now he gets a burnable Detroit secondary.

And one guy I’m not jumping on, no matter how low his price goes ...

4. TODD GURLEY

I mentioned this on the PFW Fantasy Football podcast last week, there’s some social media chatter comparing Gurley to Trent Richardson, who also had an electric rookie year before flaming out of the league.

I’m not saying Gurley is there just yet, but the trend of poor performances is starting to draw reasonable comparisons.

Gurley averages 3.1 yards a carry, hasn’t run for 100 yards in a game since Week 15 of last season, and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 5. It hasn’t helped him that he has one of the worst quarterbacks in the league in Case Keenum, but Gurley hasn’t found a way to overcome that. We’ll see if Jared Goff impacts things. Gurley’s just $5,000 this week on DraftKings, an enticing price. But until he shows any signs of life, I’m staying away from Gurley.

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PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

DFS: Jump on these improving situations while prices are still low

ARTHUR ARKUSH OVERVIEW

Minnesota’s previous streak of holding nine consecutive opponents to 17 points or fewer has devolved into a new one: during its four-game plummet, each foe has surpassed 20 points. The 26, along with 23 first downs, surrendered Sunday in Washington were the most since Seattle piled up 38 and 25, respectively, last December. Blame Blair Walsh, Sam Bradford or the offensive line – there’s enough of it to go around – but not without pointing a finger at a pass rush with three combined sacks in the past four games, or a unit suddenly unable to slow tight ends and rookie running backs. Mired in his longest losing streak as a head coach, Mike Zimmer, after drawing rave reviews for navigating mass tumult amid a 5-0 start, now has a different type of adversity to battle. The Vikings lost another tackle, Jake Long, for the season ahead of a visit from Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

One player not responsible for Minnesota’s misery is Stefon Diggs, the first wideout ever with consecutive 13-catch outings, whom Pat Shurmur has redesigned the offense to run through. Making it three in a row would mean he bested one of the NFL’s best true cover men, Patrick Peterson, who, as he’s done virtually every week this season, dominated his man in Arizona’s ugly 23-20 victory over

OVERVIEW

The Lions are so hot they win when they don’t even play. Or is the NFC North so cold Detroit prevails without playing? Either way, the Lions, victorious in four of their past five, ascended during their bye atop the NFC North, where the other playoff hopefuls, Minnesota and Green Bay, have combined to lose seven in a row. Jim Caldwell, in addition to being the first NFL coach to follow the progressive lead of the NBA by sharing his displeasure in last week’s election, seems to be getting his guys healthy at the right time. With No. 1 CB Darius Slay and RT Riley Reiff both expected back Sunday, and who knows, perhaps even WLB DeAndre Levy soon making his long-awaited return from a quad injury, Detroit is well positioned to capture its first division title in 23 years, when it was still the NFC Central.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Detroit hopes the bye recharged WR Marvin Jones, who’s been held below four catches and 37 yards four times since his torrid first month in Motown. The Jaguars lost Sunday for the seventh time despite holding Houston to 99 passing yards. Jalen Ramsey, coming off yet another lockdown day, this time against DeAndre Hopkins, draws Jones. Will Jones fare better against Ramsey than Alshon Jeffery, who was shut out by Jacksonville’s budding star rookie after intermission in the Bears’ Week 6

OVERVIEW

Last year, we commonly remarked that Aaron Rodgers was playing as poorly as any time since his first year as the starter, in 2008. Rodgers has played perhaps slightly better, but now it’s the Packers failing collectively unlike any Packers team prior to Rodgers’ first season as the starter. Green Bay didn’t just fall in Nashville to 4-5; Mike McCarthy’s club was demolished in Browns-like fashion by the upstart Titans. The 47-25 outcome somehow doesn’t accurately reflect how poorly the Packers played.

One week after allowing a game-opening kickoff return touchdown, their previously top-rated rush ‘D’ surrendered a 75-yard scoring jaunt on its first defensive play – second if you count Mike Daniels jumping offsides.

McCarthy, with hot- seat talk swirling, reminded everyone he’s a “highly successful NFL coach” afterward. His 108-60-1 career mark and seven consecutive postseason berths reflects that much more than the unprepared and uninspired group he’s overseen the past two games.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Whether it’s David Bakhtiari, who’s shined but suffered a knee injury Sunday, or rookie Jason Spriggs protecting Rodgers’ blind side, they’ll face a red-hot outside linebacker in Preston Smith. Smith opened Green Bay’s romp of Washington in the wild-card round with a safety, and sealed this past Sunday’s win with an athletic interception and sack of Bradford with Minnesota trying to rally late.

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PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

By

even more embarrassing trip to Tennessee this past Sunday, Rodgers has spoken out about his team’s lack of energy and preparedness.

While responsibility in those two areas clear-

at minus 14, including just five takeaways and none since Week 4.

One source tells us part of Khan’s reluctance to pull the trigger on Bradley has been the question of who’d run the team on an interim basis.

The legendary Monte Kiffin is there as a defensive assistant, but at the age of 76 is unlikely to get his first head-coaching experience.

The most likely choice if Khan decides to make a change before the end of the season would be Doug Marrone, assistant head coach and the offensive line coach. With two years running the Bills, he is the only other coach on the staff with head-coaching experience.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment for the Jaguars this season has been the regression of Blake Bortles, drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in 2014 to be the franchise quarterback. He made huge strides in 2015 with 35 touchdowns and two 1,000-yard receivers in Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, and the belief was if he could just cut down on his 18 interceptions the Jaguars offense would take off.

But Bortles has regressed badly this year with just 16 touchdown passes and 11 picks a week past the halfway point of the season.

According to our sources, Khan currently finds himself between a rock and a hard place, desperately wanting to find a way to make it work with Bradley but knowing the franchise is being damaged the longer the losing continues.

There is still the chance Bradley can make it to the end of the season, but we’re hearing now with little change in the offense after the firing of offensive coordinator Greg Olson two weeks ago, the next loss could be Bradley’s last game with the Jaguars over any of the next seven weeks.

Gus Bradley

R

eports are surfacing all over the place that Packers head coach Mike McCarthy’s job is on the line and that should the Packers fail to claim their eighth straight playoff appearance, he could get the axe.

Some are even suggesting that his boss, Ted Thompson, is in trouble as well and that two of the three men most responsible for making the Packers one of the most successful franchises in the league could be on the street if the Packers don’t rebound and make a solid playoff run this season.

According to our sources, however, these reports are nothing more than speculation by some members of the media and the ranting of spoiled fans who need somebody to blame for their beloved Packers being human.

Franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the third member of that trio that has made the Pack so successful, is fueling most of the media speculation.

In an effort to rally his team after an embarrassing loss at home to Indianapolis in Week 9 and an

BRADLEY ON BORROWED TIME IN JACKSONVILLE

T

he Way We Hear It, the axe could fall on Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley at any moment and all that is keeping him in the job at this point is his personality, not his coaching ability.

Bradley is highly respected around the league by players and coaches. He has the reputation in Jacksonville of a players coach whose team desperately wants to win for him.

The problem is that while Jaguars owner Shad Khan may be the most patient man in the NFL, he has begun to lose credibility in town and around the league with every week he allows the losing to continue.

There was hope the Jaguars had turned a corner after an 0-3 start with back-to-back wins over the Colts and Bears (the latter a gift the Jaguars had no business winning). But they’ve now lost four straight and have trips to Detroit and Buffalo the next two weeks followed by visits from Denver and Minnesota and then a trip to Houston, who they lost to at home Sunday, which doesn’t offer much hope going forward.

The Jaguars are now 14-43 under Bradley. Not since David Shula went 19-52 as the head coach of the Bengals from 1992-1996 has the NFL seen such futility, and Bradley looks like a lock right now to be worse if he’s left in the job for seven more games.

Jacksonville is struggling on both sides of the ball: 27th in points scored, 25th in points allowed and dead last in the league in turnover/takeaway ratio

Mike McCarthy

AP PHOTO

AP PHOTO

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

How Much Trouble Does McCarthy Have In Green Bay?

ly lies with the head coach, Rodgers has said nothing that directly lays blame on McCarthy or Thompson.

Ironically, it was the subpar play of Rodgers over the second half of 2015 and the first six or seven weeks of this season that seemed to be largely responsible for the Packers’ slide.

But as Rodgers has come on over the past four weeks and his club has failed to improve with him, the appearance of a rift between Rodgers and McCarthy has grown in the eyes of many.

The bottom line here is that the futures of both Thompson and McCarthy rest in the hands of team president Mark Murphy, and what we’re hearing is that Murphy hasn’t even considered the possibility of dismissing either one.

It is possible Murphy could support Thompson and leave the McCarthy decision to his GM, but we’re also hearing there is no indication at all right now that Thompson is even close to laying blame for the club’s problems at this time.

When Murphy became the top person in the Packers organization, Thompson and McCarthy were both already in their current jobs and both had trained in Green Bay earlier in their careers as assistants before taking over the top jobs in the front office and on the coaching staff.

While things can certainly change quickly in the NFL, we’re hearing that neither Thompson nor McCarthy is in any jeopardy at the moment, and with the Packers currently just a game out of the division lead with seven to play, any reports you see or hear about either of them losing his job is nothing more than idle speculation with no substance behind it.

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How should the Bears address the quarterback position in 2017?

NATE KEVINATKINS FISHBAIN this year, I hesitate to say the Bears absolutely must do anything. But they need to acquire their quarterback of the future this offseason. The fact they haven’t this decade – David Fales is the closest they’ve had to a developmental project in recent years – is a bad look for GM Ryan Pace and his predecessor, Phil Emery. Then again, should we give Pace credit for acquiring injured quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Connor Shaw? Or given that Hoyer is 31 and Shaw has thrown 28 career passes, is that beside the point?

Fishbain: The Hoyer signing was a good move, it’s important to have a dependable No. 2, and Connor Shaw looked capable enough to be

PATRICK FINLEY FINLEY PATRICK

Is it time for the Bears to take a QB in the first round? a backup, but neither has the potential to be a long-term starter. You have to find those in the draft. Look at what the Patriots do – in the 15 drafts since winning their first Super Bowl, they’ve selected eight quarterbacks, all while Tom Brady was the starter.

The Bears have taken five in that span and only one – Fales – in the past five drafts. One quarterback in five years! I’m not sure Pace can afford to wait around, but what if he is infatuated with a player like

Dak Prescott or Russell Wilson who will fall in the draft.

Can he take that chance?

Finley: Who’s the starter next year? Neither of the two you mention were selected with plans to start right away, but circumstances forced them to. They were successful because they had skilled teammates; the 2012 Seahawks had the league’s best defense and this year’s Cowboys lead the NFL in rushing. If Pace can surround a mid-round rookie with that kind of talent, you’ve got yourself a comparison. The Bears, though, aren’t that close to assembling a dominant unit. One option we haven’t talked about yet, Kevin: a trade. Is that the easiest way to find a long-term start-

er (Jimmy Garoppolo?) or a stopgap to take Cutler’s place?

(Tony Romo?)

Fishbain: The Bears have to choose – trade picks to get a Jimmy Garoppolo, or trade up to get the best (or second-best) quarterback in the draft. I lean toward the latter as being a better decision, while either re-signing Hoyer or bringing in another veteran as a bridge.

I wonder what the brass prefers, though (they don’t seem to ask for my opinion). A GM like Pace, one would think, would want to draft a QB. John Fox, though? The highest pick a Fox-coached team has ever used on quarterback is 48th (Jimmy Clausen, 2010).

Finley: Fox can’t afford to wait on a young quarterback.

Go 6-10 or worse for the thirdstraight season next year, and the coach is in trouble. That’s the appeal of Garoppolo, or signing a stopgap: maybe the Bears can compete while developing a quarterback. That doesn’t seem likely, though – these days in the NFL, quarterbacks are drafted to play right away, damn the results.

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PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

I

n this week’s edition of ‘Take 2,’ Patrick Finley of the Chicago SunTimes and Kevin Fishbain of Pro Football Weekly go over Ryan Pace’s options for the future at the quarterback position.

Fishbain: One thing I learned during last Sunday’s debacle in Tampa, Patrick, is that the Buccaneers are not a good football team. Of course, the Bears are worse, but what the Bucs have is a franchise quarterback in Jameis Winston. Even if the 2015 No. 1 pick struggles at times, Bucs fans at least know the most important position on the field is settled. The Bears will face this again against Tennessee and Marcus Mariota. After two years without drafting a quarterback, period, the Bears have to see what’s going on with Jay Cutler and around the league and take one in the first round, don’t they?

Finley: They have to take one, Kevin. Does it have to be in the first round? Knowing that this draft class isn’t considered elite, and given the success of mid-round picks

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016

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