After being out for two weeks on newborn dad duty, I’m back and ready to go for another round of bold predictions. For those of you who are new to the article, in order to qualify as a bold prediction, the general public would have to give it less than 10% of happening. So no, I don’t think the Saints are a top 8 defense, but I think there is a significantly better chance this week than most people would give them. I’ll explain that one and more, so let’s take a look.

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#8 CJ Anderson will be a top 3 RB

Not only have the Giants allowed a ton of yards to running backs this season, but they have been getting worse as the season wears on. The Broncos are huge favorites, so the game script lines up well for Anderson to see even more snaps than usual, which is really saying something considering he has three games with 20+ carries. The Broncos offensive line has been much improved this year, and it has shown, as C.J. has 4.6 yards per carry this season. He is also seeing plenty of targets so we could be looking at the player with more usage than anyone else in football this week.

Final Prediction: 22 carries, 136 yards, 1 TD, 2 receptions, 11 yards

#7 Hunter Henry will be a top 3 TE

After finishing with fewer snaps than Antonio Gates each of the first four games of the season, the Chargers finally let him loose last week, giving him 76% of the snaps. Seeing that Henry was far and away the most efficient fantasy tight end last season, and has done well to keep up that pace this year, it is a near certainty that he will break out with continued playing time. Seeing that he plays the Raiders, who again are among the worst in the league at defending the tight end, it seems like a wise move to play him this week.

Final Prediction: 5 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD

#6 Ben Roethlisberger will be a top 5 QB

Say what you want about Big Ben’s 5 interceptions last week, but I’ll tell you from watching the game, he didn’t look so bad. There was a diving catch by an all-pro corner, a tipped pass, another incredible play by Ramsay when he knocked the ball out of the receiver’s hand into his teammate’s, then two heaves when the Steelers were trying to play catchup. He has not lost it by any means, especially seeing that the Jaguars have allowed just 5.5 fantasy points per game to opposing QBs. Kansas City, on the other hand, has been a bottom 6 pass defense so far this season. The game script is ideal, and when Big Ben played the Chiefs last season, he went for 32 fantasy points.

Final Prediction: 318 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT

#5 Taylor Gabriel will be a top 20 WR

Gabriel has been fairly quiet this season with just 1 big receiving play, and there isn’t much national confidence in him seeing that he had 0 fantasy points in Week 4 before the bye. He is getting a similar target share to what he saw in the last 8 games of the year, however, when he was a top 12 fantasy wide receiver. This week, he should see more volume, as Mohamad Sanu and Justin Hardy are banged up. What’s more, is that the Dolphins have allowed big plays in 9.7% of their defensive snaps which is 2nd highest in the league. If there was ever a week for Gabriel to go off, this would be the week.

Final Prediction: 4 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD

#4 Samaje Perine will be a top 10 RB

Perine hasn’t turned it on quite yet, but we’ve seen plenty of good players have two rough starts, remember Le’Veon Bell to start the season, and Todd Gurley for 20+ games, or even David Johnson for the final 10 games last season. Perine is not a superstar, but he has the same game as Michael Turner, who as you remember, was a 1st round fantasy pick. He could explode any week, especially when he is seeing 20+ touches with Rob Kelley out of the lineup. The Redskins are coming off the bye and draw a 49ers team who gave up a trillion rushing yards last year and haven’t been so hot this year either. Plus, the game script is set up nicely for a huge workload.

Final Prediction: 23 carries, 86 yards, 1 TD

#3 George Kittle will be a top 5 Waiver Wire add

Maybe you haven’t noticed, but the 49ers are passing the ball a lot. Brian Hoyer has thrown the ball more than Aaron Rodgers! They don’t really have any weapons either besides a mediocre Pierre Garcon. Enter Kittle, the rookie, who is the full package. He could be a future NFL star, and we got a glimpse of that last week when he hauled in 7 catches for 83 yards and a score. If he can do something similar for the 2nd straight week, you can bet Tyler Eifert owners will take notice and hope Kittle can fill the hole. (Hint: He can)

Final Prediction: 6 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD

#2 The Saints will be a top 8 defense

Ok, I love this one. It is edgy and I actually feel quite confident in it. Enough so that I am using the Saints in DFS cash games. Matthew Stafford has been sacked 6 times in each of the past two games. The Lions’ offensive line is falling apart, and it won’t help that Stafford has two lower body injuries. His ankle sprain was so bad that he was in noticeable pain to close the game, and looked lousy doing so. It looks as though he will play, but there is no way he is close to 100%. Then, you’ve got this sneaky Saints’ defense who is coming off a bye. They have allowed just 6.5 points over their past two games with 4 sacks in each game. This doesn’t seem to be a fluke either, as they really turned it on to close last season.

Final Prediction: 13 points allowed, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery

#1 Breshad Perriman will be a top 25 WR

Let’s get this out of the way: Perriman has looked downright terrible thus far. It hasn’t helped that Joe Flacco has been playing through a back injury that kept him from getting ANY snaps in the pre-season. Perriman, however, has still seen more snaps than Mike Wallace over the past two weeks, so the Ravens still trust him. With Joe Flacco finally back to throwing the ball a ton (he led the league in attempts the last two seasons), Perriman should begin to get more involved. One big play would spell a strong fantasy day for him, and that is what he is known for. There is a real chance it finally happens this week against the Bears.

Final Prediction: 3 receptions, 87 yards



**Bonus Super Duper Bold Prediction**

Demarcus Robinson will be a top 30 WR and from this point on, be a fantasy relevant asset. Chris Conley has been clogging his entry into the league, but he went down with a season-ending achilles injury. We are about to see an immensely talented rookie start making some serious noise. Had he not been suspended four times in college, he would have been had a significantly higher draft pick. Does that remind you of any Chiefs receiver?

Thanks for reading and happy football season!

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