Pittsburgh vs Indianapolis
The Steelers are rested coming off a bye week and will be more than prepared for this weak Colts attack. Indianapolis is coming off a win, but don't get thrown off the scent. That was against a Texans team reeling after the Deshaun Watson injury. Pittsburgh is a different animal all together. The Steelers should shut down Indy's run game with ease and pin their ears back in pass rush against the Colts all game. Indianapolis has allowed a league-leading 35 sacks as well as six defensive touchdowns, two more than any other team. Pittsburgh is this week's must start fantasy defense.
Detroit vs Cleveland
On the one hand, the Browns are coming off a bye week and that might mean that Cleveland has finally gotten their act together and settled down on one starting quarterback. And on the other hand, we have a couple decades of history that say otherwise. The Browns are awful. They've scored the fewest points in the league, less than 15 points per game, and have turned the ball over a league-leading 21 times. We saw the Lions shut down an offense with a bad quarterback Monday night, and they should do it again versus these Browns. Detroit is an obvious play, but that doesn't mean they're not a great one.
New England vs Denver
The Patriots have certainly had their bugaboos against the Broncos, especially when they play in Denver (and doesn't it seem like these games are somehow always in Denver??). This one's Sunday night on NBC against Brock Osweiler, which has this strange feeling of dj vu, but these are not Peyton Manning's Broncos. Denver has scored a putrid 122 points this season, a terrible 15 points per game, and the offense is moving in the wrong direction. The Broncos have also thrown the second most interceptions this season. Granted, most of those were by Trevor Siemian, but are you betting on Osweiler changing that trend?
Minnesota vs Washington
The Redskins have struggled to move the ball this season, and Minnesota's defense has been very stingy. The Vikings are coming off a bye week and should have had plenty of time to prepare for Kirk Cousins and crew. And lately, the crew has been pretty thin. Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed continue to nurse injuries, and there just aren't a lot of Washington weapons. If your league emphasizes points against, this is an especially favorable matchup.
Seattle vs Arizona
The Cardinals ran Adrian Peterson into the ground in their win, so he could have some heavy legs in a short week. That leaves Drew Stanton to be the difference maker, and that is certainly not a matchup that favors Arizona against this always terrific Seahawks secondary. The Cardinals haven't won any of their last four home games against Seattle, and the Seahawks defense should lead the way here.
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