RADIO
Thursday night football brings a rematch between quarterbacks Nick Foles and Tom Brady, who last met on the field when Foles guided Philadelphia to a championship against New England in February of 2018.
The teams for the quarterbacks have changed. Brady has moved to Tampa Bay this season and has 1,122 passing yards and 11 touchdowns in his first four games with the Bucs.
After a stint in Jacksonville, Foles landed in Chicago this year and he still watched Mitch Trubisky win the Bears’ starting quarterback job out of training camp. Foles is getting his chance and struggled last week against Indianapolis in his first start of the season.
Both teams are 3-1 through the first four weeks of the season, so there is a lot on the line in this game.
Here are some angles to consider for the Thursday night NFL game on Monkey Knife Fight:
Editor's Note: Here's a great special offer for all RotoBaller readers from our Monkey Knife Fight friends: New AND Existing Player Bonus. All players receive a 100% matched signup or reload bonus up to $50 with code 'BALLER'. Sign up and deposit, and use our prop picks to get off on a winning foot!
TAMPA BAY-CHICAGO
MORE OR LESS
Tom Brady LESS THAN 265.5 PASSING YARDS
Brady is averaging 280.5 passing yards per game with the Bucs, including 369 in Week 4 against the Chargers. He has lost tight end O.J. Howard and wide receiver Chris Godwin is out, so the Buccaneers aren’t fully loaded when it comes to the passing game. The Bears Defense has been effective, allowing 230.3 passing yards per game and 5.9 net yards per attempt. Even with a couple of safeties injured, it could be tough for Brady to air it out against Chicago’s defense.
Nick Foles MORE THAN 248.5 PASSING YARDS
In his first start of the season, last week against Indianapolis, Foles threw for 249 yards and he has passed for at least 249 yards in five of nine starts in the previous two seasons. He goes against a Bucs defense that is allowing 247.8 passing yards per game and 6.6 net passing yards per attempt, both of which put Tampa Bay in the middle of the pack when it comes to pass defense. It’s fair to figure that the underdog Bears may have more opportunities to pass in this game, so lean towards the over.
Allen Robinson MORE THAN 78.5 RECEIVING YARDS
After a slow start through the first couple of weeks, after which Robinson expressed his frustration, he has busted out in the past two games, catching 17 passes for 224 yards on 23 targets. He is the most reliable receiving option for Foles and should be able to stay productive against the Bucs.
RAPID FIRE
Allen Robinson -10.5 receiving yards vs. Mike Evans
Evans has run very hot and cold this season, going for more than 100 yards twice and finishing with exactly two yards twice. With Godwin out, Evans surely would be a big part of Tampa Bay’s passing attack. As noted above, Robinson has emerged in the past two weeks, getting the looks befitting a legitimate number one receiver.
Ronald Jones II -19.5 rushing yards vs. David Montgomery
While Jones has averaged 63.5 rushing yards per game, he ran for 111 yards last week when Leonard Fournette was out of the lineup and Fournette will be out again this week. The Bears defense is allowing 115 rushing yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry, which is better than average but still leaves some room for Jones to run. On the other hand, Montgomery has averaged 54.5 rushing yards per game this season but he takes that average to face a Bucs defense that is allowing just 2.7 yards per carry, the second-lowest average in the league.
Scott Miller -1.5 fantasy points vs. Anthony Miller
Tom Brady likes his undersized white slot receivers so it should come as no surprise that Scott Miller has put up 83 receiving yards in back-to-back games. Since a decent performance in Week 1, Anthony Miller has managed five catches for 57 yards on 11 targets in the past three weeks.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
