This Thanksgiving brings us three football matchups to watch with our families, and I have some bold takes for the upcoming games. Some of these players may make or break your holiday, so I’m going to temper your expectations. As a bonus, I’ll list the time for every game and my prediction of the score.
Thanksgiving Schedule:
12:30 PM EST: Bears @ Lions (My Prediction: 24-20, Bears win)
4:30 PM EST: Raiders @ Cowboys (My Prediction: 31-17, Cowboys win)
8:20 PM EST: Bills @ Saints (My Prediction: 23-7, Bills win)
Darnell Mooney will eclipse 100 yards
If you read my Week 12 Waiver article, it’s no surprise finding Mooney on here. Andy Dalton came in for Justin Fields this past week, and in total for the game, Mooney had an unreal 16 targets.
Now that we know how much Dalton loves Mooney, it is not unreasonable to expect a lot of volume for Mooney once again. It doesn’t end there. Mooney will be going against the Lions, who have given up the second-highest yards per catch in the league. I would not be surprised either if Mooney had multiple scores, although that’s a little bold for my liking. Nevertheless, Mooney is a must-start.
Josh Jacobs will have under 50 yards and no touchdowns
To start, Jacobs’ track record in his last 4 games doesn’t say very much. In his last 4, Jacobs has averaged just 8.75 rush attempts per game, and has only averaged about 40 yards with that share.
Thursday afternoon brings Jacobs a matchup against a stingy Cowboys defense, which has given up the 5th fewest fantasy points to running backs. Carr and his weak receiving core will likely also have a tough time against Trevon Diggs, but unfortunately, Carr won’t have a great safety blanket at running back this week.
Ezekiel Elliott will rush for more than 120 yards
Zeke may be coming off of a slightly disappointing week, although he is primed for a big Turkey Day. Ceedee Lamb and Amari Cooper both may not play, leaving Dallas to resort to the running game. In addition, the Cowboys are going up against a bottom 5 rush defense, and combining that with Zeke’s likely increase in volume, Zeke is a ticking time bomb of yardage after multiple sub-optimal weeks.
Josh Allen will not have more than 2 TDs
Josh Allen has not thrown more than 2 touchdowns since Week 6, and Allen has had great opportunities being he played against the likes of the Dolphins, Jets, and Jaguars, 3 of the worst-performing teams in football.
Next up for Allen, he’ll be facing a great Saints pass defense on Thursday Night Football. The odds of Allen returning to how he performed earlier in the year this week are incredibly low based on his matchup and what we have seen lately.
The Saints will score no more than 10 points
On the other side of the ball, the Saints offense isn’t likely going to do very well either. A few days after signing Taysom Hill to a questionable monster extension, New Orleans will be taking on the league’s top defense in almost every statistic. Although Siemian has been fine lately, I doubt he will keep this up much longer.
Don’t expect to be talking about how thankful you are of any Saints players at your Thanksgiving dinner table this week. I’d stay away from the Saints offense as a whole.
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