Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Foles has 10 passing touchdowns in his last two games.
Either he is really, really good, or someone needs to turn the Madden difficulty up another notch.
Those 10 touchdowns are 10 more than the likes of Aaron Rodgers during that span because, well, Rodgers is hurt. An unfortunate shoulder injury has the franchise signal caller sidelined for about a month, which could spell the demise for some Green Bay offensive weapons in fantasy land.
Philadelphia Eagles, 27 @ Green Bay Packers, 13
Eagles
There hasn’t been a hotter quarterback in football lately than Foles. Fantasy owners who grabbed Foles in their league, in attempts to chase points weren’t rewarded with seven more touchdowns, but they were pretty content with 228 yards and three scores. Three of his 12 completions went for touchdowns. He’s been efficient, he’s been making big plays and there is an appealing volume with Foles. Coming into Week 10, the Eagles were averaging a healthy 66.7 plays per game, which is the ninth-most in football. The fast-paced offense allows Foles to run more plays than many other signal callers, which is juicy for fantasy owners. Foles still gets the lowly Dallas and Washington pass defenses again this season, as well as Detroit and Minnesota, who are 19.43 and 24.05 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, respectively. While head coach Chip Kelly refuses to name Foles the official starter going forward, how can you take this guy out? The answer to that riddle?
You don’t.
Meanwhile, running back LeSean McCoy enjoyed his first 100-yard game since Week 6, rushing the ball 25 times for 155 yards. There is no doubt that McCoy is a top-notch back in this league, but his carry distribution has been a bit inconsistent at times. One week, he’ll get 25 carries, and the next? 11. Still, he’s as must-start guy each and every week because of his big-play potential, as well as the offense he’s involved in. I wish he would get the ball in the red zone more. Too many times has it been 1st and goal from the three, and the Eagles call three straight passing plays, which, as a result, has limited the talented McCoy to just 18 red zone rushes on the season. Remember, this is a guy who had 20 total touchdowns a few years ago.
The receivers continue to make plays for the Eagles. Big play DeSean Jackson hauled in a 55-yard touchdown catch this afternoon, finishing the day with four grabs for 80 yards and that score. It’s his second straight game with a touchdown reception, as he continues to serve as a top-10 fantasy wideout. However, it’s Riley Cooper who continues to make headlines. With Foles under center, Cooper has been an incredible (yes, I said it) fantasy option among receivers. Foles posted his second straight 100-yard game, and second straight game with multiple touchdowns. In four games with Foles as the starting quarterback, Cooper has been targeted 24 times, resulting in 18 grabs for 449 yards and six touchdowns. Cooper has a strong combination of size and speed to continue making plays, especially with Foles under center.
Packers
First there was Tuel Time. Now… Tolzien time?
With Rodgers already out for the foreseeable future, veteran Seneca Wallace filled in as the starting quarterback. However, as everyone obviously predicted, Wallace went down in this game. Enter Scott Tolzien, the former Wisconsin Badger and third string quarterback for the 49ers. Tolzien stepped in and played alright, but really hurt the value of both Jordy Nelson and James Jones. Nelson was open in the corner of the end zone, but Tolzien under-threw him, resulting in a long interception return the other way. Nelson finished the day with six catches for 56 yards, but he was targeted a healthy 10 times. Nelson is still an elite talent in this league, and should be a top-15 wideout the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Jones caught just one pass for 17 yards on three targets. Tolzien doesn’t have the accuracy to give Jones his necessary red zone looks. If anyone benefits even slightly from Rodgers not being there, perhaps it’s running back Eddie Lacy. Lacy, who was already seeing almost 25 carries per game, carried the ball 24 times for 73 yards on Sunday. Even with Rodgers in the lineup, the Packers wanted to feed Lacy the rock, so I can only imagine they will emphasize that in the coming weeks. Over his last six games, the rookie back is averaging a very enticing 24 carries per game. He’s a running back one, in my book.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
