To put it bluntly, last week’s performance stunk.

D.K. Metcalf’s lull continued, being held to under five points, while T.J. Hockenson and the Ravens’ defence also suffered uncharacteristically poor performances. To add to The Journal’s bad luck, our bench players Mike Evans, Mark Andrews, and the Jaguars’ defence put on some of their strongest showings of the season.

All that to say, this week is a must-win for The Journal. Our statisticians have been pulling all-nighters to put together a roster we’re confident will give us the edge this week.

Starters ($94)

Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals take on the Seattle Seahawks this week. The last time these two teams played we were treated to some high-calibre football, with the Cardinals edging out the Hawks 37-34 in overtime. This is a rivalry game featuring two great quarterbacks, and we expect this game to be another shootout with Murray and Wilson going tit for tat down to the wire. We’re going with Murray in this matchup though, given how poor the Seahawks’ defence has been all season. Murray is a threat to score both on the ground and through the air, and the Seahawks’ defence won’t be able to stop him.

Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints are playing their bitter division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, this week. Alvin Kamara has historically been a thorn in the Falcons’ side, and there’s no reason for that to change this Sunday. Kamara is especially a threat through the air in the short passing game, something quarterback Jameis Winston will look to take full advantage of in his first start as a Saint. The Falcons have struggled to cover running backs in the passing game for years now, and Kamara is the best dual-threat player in the NFL. Look for him to find the endzone at least once this week and pile on receptions against a shaky Falcons defence.

Keenan Allen and the LA Chargers square off against the New York Jets this week. The Jets are the worst team in football and can’t do much on either side of the ball, making this is a great matchup for Allen, who had a touchdown in each of his last three games. Allen has also only played one game with less than 10 fantasy points this season. He should feed off of an atrocious Jets secondary with rookie gunslinger Josh Herbert feeding him the ball. Keenan Allen is a must-start this week.

In yet another rivalry matchup, Darren Waller and the Raiders are set to face off against the Chiefs. The Raiders feature Waller heavily in their offence; he’s only recorded less than five receptions twice this season. The Chiefs are expected to get out to an early lead, so the Raiders will have to throw the ball early and often this week, giving Waller a good opportunity to get more touches than normal.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to play the Jacksonville Jaguars this week. This is a battle between the last undefeated team in the NFL and the lowly Jaguars, who will once again trot out Jake Luton at quarterback. Last week, against a solid Packers defence, he was largely ineffective, with a 51 percent completion rate, a touchdown, and an interception. This game probably won’t be close, and the Steelers’ defence is a safe bet with a high upside this week.

Bench ($89)

Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week with both teams coming off big wins. Goff has remained inconsistent throughout this season with a quarterback rating below 100 for three of his last four matchups. Goff has also been taking more sacks recently, with three coming last week against Seattle. Facing a Tampa defence ranked fifth overall and seventh against quarterbacks, Goff should have some trouble asserting himself. 

Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys take on the Minnesota Vikings this week as Dallas comes off a loss to Pittsburgh. Elliot has not had a touchdown since Week Six and has yet to go over 100 yards in a single game this season. Meanwhile, Elliot’s snap count has continued to fall, hitting its second-lowest point last week at 47. Though the Vikings’ defence is ranked only 21 overall, their run defence is ranked in the top five, making a difficult job even tougher. 

Cooper Kupp and the Los Angeles Rams take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week with the Rams looking to maintain their second-place hold on the NFC West at 6-3. He hasn’t had a touchdown since Week Four against the Giants. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay’s defence remains strong as they chase the Saints for the top spot in the NFC South.

Mike Gesicki and the Miami Dolphins take on the Denver Broncos this week as “Tua Time” continues to make waves around the league. However, Geisiki’s snap count fell to a near season-low last week against the Chargers, playing under half of all offensive snaps. The Broncos’ defence is clearly the best part of their game, ranked 15 overall in the league, and should give Gesicki a challenge.

The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Kansas City Chiefs this week as the Raiders look to upset the reigning Superbowl champions after a win over Denver last week. Kansas City lost to the Raiders in Week Five due to an uncharacteristically bad outing for Patrick Mahomes, who recorded a quarterback rating under 100 for only the second time this season. However, having thrown 12 touchdowns over the previous four weeks without an interception, Mahomes looks ready to punish a defence ranked 18 overall.