RADIO
A couple of teams battling for playoff positions meet in Thursday night NFL action and that means great chances to play and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
The New England Patriots have climbed back into playoff contention with four wins in the past five games, evening their record at 6-6. It hasn’t always been pretty but after blowing out the Chargers in Week 13, the Patriots have a chance to make the playoffs if they can finish strong. It won’t be easy and it will be much more difficult if they come up short against the Rams.
The Los Angeles Rams also appear to be moving the right direction, earning three wins in the past four games. Their 8-4 record has them tied with the Seattle Seahawks for top spot in the NFC West.
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Here are some angles to consider for Thursday night’s NFL action on Monkey Knife Fight.
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NEW ENGLAND-L.A. RAMS
MORE OR LESS
Jared Goff LESS THAN 270.5 PASSING YARDS
The Rams quarterback has averaged 281 passing yards per game this season, throwing for more than 300 yards in four of the past five games. The Patriots have allowed more than 270 passing yards three times all season and just once in the past six weeks. Goff has enough weapons to make it interesting but the Patriots Defense has been solid against the pass, allowing 6.2 net yards per pass attempt, which ranks in the Top 10.
Cam Newton LESS THAN 175.5 PASSING YARDS
As the Patriots have won four of the past five games to return to the playoff picture, they have done so without Newton throwing the ball that much. He has been held under 20 passes in three of the past four games and he has thrown for more than 175 yards just twice in the past nine weeks. He has the potential to put up big numbers but the Patriots have been having more relative success running the ball so they may very well continue with that strategy.
Cam Akers MORE THAN 56.5 RUSHING YARDS
The Rams are a difficult team to nail down when it comes to running back usage, as Akers has been battling Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown for playing time and they both have more carries than Akers. However, the rookie out of Florida State has really emerged in the past couple of games, running for 156 yards on 30 carries and Akers faces a Patriots defense that is allowing 4.3 yards per carry and has allowed a running back more than 56 yards rushing eight times this season.
Damien Harris LESS THAN 10.5 FANTASY POINTS
Harris has been a nice find for the Patriots, a consistent ball carrier who grinds out his yards, averaging 71.2 rushing yards per game at a healthy 5.1 yards per carry. He isn’t much of a receiving threat and has scored just two rushing touchdowns – Cam Newton takes away some of those scoring opportunities – so his quest for at least 11 fantasy points is mostly tied to whether the Rams Defense could be vulnerable. So far this season, the Rams have allowed 10 running backs to score more than 10.5 PPR fantasy points so it would seem possible, maybe even likely. At the same time, if Harris doesn’t score, counting on 100 rushing yards is a tad aggressive.
RAPID FIRE
Robert Woods +0.5 receptions vs. Cooper Kupp
Cupp is a consistent part of the Rams passing attack, averaging 6.2 receptions per game, and has recorded at least five receptions in five of the past six contests. Woods is averaging 5.9 receptions per game but has taken over as the premier target, accumulating 29 receptions on 38 targets in the past three games. That’s productive enough to make Woods a value play as the underdog.
Damiere Byrd -0.5 receptions vs. James White
Since the Patriots aren’t throwing the ball that much, it’s tough for any of them to gain separation in terms of production but White has managed four catches for zero yards in the past two games. Byrd has been more productive recently, with 11 catches on 18 targets in the past three games.
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