Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and Merry Monday Football to all. Yesterday we watched D.J. Chark turn back the clock, Breece Hall turn up the heat, and Amari Cooper turn in the 22nd most WR fantasy points in history. And a lot of other stuff happened. But it's Christmas, and recaps take a backseat to opening presents and/or opening a browser tab to see if any of your remaining starters stubbed their toe last night, putting them on the wrong side of questionable.
I still think the Chiefs will overpower the Raiders. Aidan O'Connell is coming off a nothing-could-go-wrong blowout over the Chargers (yeah, it's been a while since Vegas has played). That said, there are plenty of points to be had. My big question is how both backfields will shake out. Isiah Pacheco is back, but Clyde Edwards-Helaire probably won't be invisible. And Josh Jacobs is back, but Zamir White is auditioning for a prominent 2024 role.
For the Eagles vs. Giants, yes, Philly's slumping. But that's only part of the picture. Their three-game losing streak has come at home against the Niners and on the road versus Dallas and Seattle. These are the same Eagles that have beaten Miami, Dallas, K.C., and Buffalo. I'm not giving up on them, and fantasy managers should (in my view) go all in on Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith.
And the Niners-Ravens matchup could be one for the ages. Or . . . San Francisco could win by at least a couple touchdowns. Yeah, that might sound nutty. But I'm sold on the 49ers winning the NFC's 1 seed and avenging their injury-plagued defeat in last season's Conference Championship game. The Niners are locked in. And while the Ravens appear to be locked in too, they also just lost Keaton Mitchell. They're still dealing with the effects of losing Mark Andrews. The normally reliable Gus Edwards has slowed down considerably in recent weeks.
So while Baltimore's looking good, they're about to face (by far) their toughest opponent of the year. I'm comfortable trusting in the 49ers' Big Five playmakers, and I'm uncomfortable trusting any Raven besides Lamar Jackson, who should eke out 14+ points.
Good luck today.