Fantasy Soccer: Baker Mayfield vs. Mac Jones matchup 'screams fireworks'

[ad_1] Final week’s Story of the Take was tough. Marvin Harrison Jr. was concerned early, then the Cardinals offensive coordinator admitted he didn’t know why he went away from him in that embarrassing loss to Tennessee. Woody Marks? Nowhere to be present in a recreation the place Houston hung 44 factors on the Ravens. Proper learn, incorrect participant. Thanks Nick Chubb. Drake Maye had his second beneath the lights, main an upset over Buffalo on Sunday evening however didn’t rating any touchdowns. Justin Fields completed QB10. You simply had so as to add a zero to the QB1 prediction and Malik Washington was a ghost.

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That’s behind us. It’s Week 6 and we’re beginning off with a banger.

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Puka Nacua goes nuclear vs. Baltimore The Story: The Baltimore Ravens protection is in bother and truthfully I really feel unhealthy for what Ravens followers are about to witness on Sunday. Puka Nacua is about to go completely nuclear. This man is taking part in on one other degree. He and Matthew Stafford are connecting to a level you solely see when a wideout is placing collectively a type of particular kind of seasons. And that’s precisely what we’re watching proper now with Puka.

The Ravens are banged up once more. Kyle Hamilton practiced Wednesday however Lamar Jackson didn’t and key defenders like Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie stay questionable. Even when they go well with up, it doesn’t matter as a result of this protection is damaged. Six completely different Baltimore defenders have already allowed not less than 100 yards and a landing in protection this 12 months, which is probably the most within the league. Humphrey and Alexander alone have given up 20 receptions for 332 yards and two scores on 24 targets.

Baltimore retains working man protection on practically 39% of opponent dropbacks, which is the sixth-highest price within the NFL, they usually’ve already given up a league-high 9 touchdowns versus that look. That’s a recipe for catastrophe while you’re dealing with a receiver who thrives in movement.

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Nacua leads the league with 212 scrimmage yards and a landing when utilized in movement this season, together with 160 receiving yards. He’s gained practically 43% of his complete manufacturing that approach, which exhibits how deadly Sean McVay’s scheme is at isolating him to confuse coverages and defenders. He’s taking part in like the very best vast receiver in soccer proper now and Davante Adams is taking part in like among the best No. 2s. This might get ugly quick in opposition to a Ravens protection giving up over 35 factors per recreation and greater than 100 deep receiving yards in fourth quarters alone.

The Take: Puka Nacua smashes the Ravens for 200 receiving yards and a rating in Week 6.

Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs each ship in Week 6 The Story: Drake Maye appeared good on Sunday evening however the fantasy field rating didn’t present it. Stefon Diggs completed because the WR5 in half-PPR with 19.6 fantasy factors. He was a monster in that matchup and the one receiver contained in the top-13 finishes who ran fewer than 29 routes. Effectivity via the roof. He commanded a 40% goal share and posted one of many highest Trinity Scores of the week, per the utilization mannequin at DD Fantasy Soccer.

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Maye didn’t money in on that efficiency for fantasy. He completed exterior the top-23 quarterbacks with simply 12.12 factors. No touchdowns, restricted speeding manufacturing, however the movie advised a unique story. Maye appeared each bit like the way forward for New England soccer.

This week that efficiency interprets to the fantasy column. The Saints protection has been getting after quarterbacks with heavy blitz quantity however not with any actual success. They’re blitzing on the Tenth-highest price within the league however producing stress on solely 25.4% of dropbacks, the second-lowest mark within the NFL. Once they do blitz, the stress price drops to twenty-eight.1%, third-worst in soccer.

That’s a dream setup for a quarterback like Maye. He’s thrown for 904 yards from a clear pocket, seventh-most within the league, and all seven of his touchdowns have come when he is not pressured. Towards customary four-man appears, he’s averaging 8.4 yards per try, second-most within the league. When he’s protected, he’s harmful.

Diggs continues to be the engine. He caught 10 of 12 targets for 146 yards and 61 of these got here after the catch, his most in a recreation since 2022. He recorded a reception in opposition to seven completely different Payments defenders and was focused on over 54% of his routes, his highest mark in any recreation since becoming a member of the league. Diggs appears wholesome and that’s crucial takeaway.

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I pale Diggs in drafts due to the knee damage but it surely was by no means concerning the expertise. What we’re seeing is a veteran receiver giving a younger quarterback precisely what he wants — reliability and belief. In 2020, Diggs elevated a younger Josh Allen. Now he’s doing it once more with Maye.

The Take: Each Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs end as top-10 choices at their positions in Week 6.

Jonathan Taylor punishes the Cardinals The Story: The Arizona Cardinals have was a drama-fest. The pinnacle coach simply acquired fined for placing fingers on Emari Demercado and needed to make public apologies. The offensive coordinator is apologizing for not throwing the ball extra to Marvin Harrison Jr. and QB Kyler Murray is coping with a foot damage. Now, they get to go on the highway to face one of many hottest groups in soccer, the Indianapolis Colts. Good luck Arizona.

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Jonathan Taylor is a beast. He scored a hat trick in opposition to the Raiders final week with three touchdowns on 20 touches. It was his second three-score recreation of the season and Taylor turned simply 86 yards from scrimmage into 31.6 PPR factors. He now leads the league in carries with 94, speeding yards with 480, speeding touchdowns with six and speeding yards after forcing missed tackles with 194. He’s punishing defenders each week and doing it behind some of the balanced offenses in soccer.

This Colts unit is buzzing. They've the league’s main rusher, rookie Tyler Warren leads all TEs in receiving yards and Daniel Jones ranks prime 5 in quarterback effectivity. Shane Steichen has them rolling and the Cardinals pose no actual menace to slowing it down.

Arizona ranks twelfth in complete yards allowed per recreation and fourth in factors allowed at simply 19.2, however they haven’t confronted an offense like this one and haven’t seen a working again like Taylor.

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Taylor’s utilization has been elite, his goal-line work is locked in and his imaginative and prescient appears again to peak 2021 kind. If the Cardinals can’t get off the sphere offensively, he’s going to get quantity and if he will get quantity, he’s going to attain. It’s that easy.

The Take: Jonathan Taylor punishes the Cardinals for an additional multi-touchdown recreation and finishes because the RB1 in Week 6.

Mac Jones and Baker Mayfield Week 6 laser present The Story: We’ve acquired a enjoyable one on deck. The 4-1 San Francisco 49ers journey to Tampa Bay to face the 4-1 Buccaneers in a matchup that screams fireworks.

We would not see Ricky Pearsall or Jauan Jennings for the 49ers; each gamers didn't follow Wednesday however truthfully it doesn’t matter. Kyle Shanahan will discover methods to get the ball to No. 23. Christian McCaffrey is the engine of this offense. He’s second within the NFL in rush makes an attempt and although he hasn’t scored a speeding landing but, he’s been dominating as a receiver. CMC has 52 targets, 39 receptions, 387 yards and three receiving touchdowns. That’s virtually 10 yards per catch, which might be a profession excessive. He’s their working again, their slot weapon, their hammer wideout all rolled into one.

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Mac Jones is doing precisely what Shanahan needs him to do, which is get the ball out fast and let the playmakers go to work. Jones has been pressured on simply 27.2% of his dropbacks, fifth-lowest within the league, and he’s been some of the environment friendly quarterbacks beneath stress with a 102.7 passer score. Tampa Bay’s protection brings warmth greater than anybody with a forty five.7% stress price, so this might be a real check, however I belief Shanahan’s system to win.

On the opposite aspect, Baker Mayfield is totally dealing. He’s taking part in MVP-level soccer with 10 touchdowns to only one interception. He’s been locked in with rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka whereas nonetheless flashing that yard playmaking we’ve seen earlier than. Even with out Mike Evans and Bucky Irving this offense hasn’t missed a beat.

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Tampa Bay leads the league in yards after the catch with 722. Greater than half of their passing manufacturing has come post-catch at 56.3%. That’s how they transfer the ball — fast hitters, bodily receivers and run-after-the-catch playmaking. San Francisco has solely allowed 451 YAC all season, which is prime 5 within the league, so this might be energy on energy.

I don’t anticipate both workforce to lean closely on the bottom. Tampa Bay is hard to run in opposition to and Rachaad White shouldn’t scare San Francisco’s protection. This one comes right down to the quarterbacks and I believe each put up factors.

The Take: Mac Jones joins Baker Mayfield and finishes as a top-12 QB in Week 6.

Dolphins protection slows down Justin Herbert The Story: The Miami Dolphins aren’t an ideal soccer workforce proper now, however they'll nonetheless trigger issues for the Los Angeles Chargers. Miami ought to have crushed Carolina, however this week the Dolphins get one other shot to show they'll grasp with high-end offenses. The Chargers are banged up, sloppy up entrance and strolling right into a harmful matchup.

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Justin Herbert simply confronted stress at a mean of two.2 seconds per dropback in opposition to Washington, one of many quickest instances to stress any quarterback in a recreation this season. He was sacked 4 instances on simply 12 pressures and accomplished solely 8 of 24 passes beneath duress. The Dolphins protection averages the sixth-fastest time to stress within the league and converts stress to sacks at a robust clip. That’s an actual difficulty when your offensive tackles are in query.

Rookie RB Omarion Hampton is already on injured reserve and each OL Joe Alt and Mekhi Becton are questionable for this matchup. If both one sits or each, Herbert’s going to be beneath siege once more. Miami can warmth him up from completely different appears, and that’s when Herbert’s play dips. He’s finishing beneath 50% of passes that journey 10 or extra yards downfield.

The Chargers offense leads the NFL in go price at 66.7%, but it surely’s laborious to maintain that quantity when you possibly can’t maintain the quarterback upright. Shedding Hampton, presumably taking part in with out each tackles and relying on follow squad-level depth will not be the recipe for a clear fantasy day from Herbert.