Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions
The Green Bay Packers rank 20th against the pass this season, but have yielded an average of over 300 yards over the course of the last six games. More importantly, Pettigrew seems to be getting more comfortable with Matthew Stafford in Detroit’s passing game. He has tallied over 60 receiving yards four times this season and is currently on pace for over 700 yards in 2012.
With Calvin Johnson’s status uncertain for this game, there should be a lot of targets to go to other receiving options. I am expecting Pettigrew to have his best performance of the season.
Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
Olsen, who has been an enigmatic fantasy tight end in his career, seems to be getting more consistent as of late. He is coming off a 102-yard, two touchdown performance against the Denver Broncos (a top 10 pass defense) and is now seventh among tight ends in fantasy points.
Carolina goes up against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass defense that ranks dead last in the NFL. Expect Cam Newton to go to Olsen early and often this week. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him put up 100 yards once again.
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
After initial struggles this season, Witten has come through big time for Tony Romo and the Cowboys recently. He has accumulated 58 receptions for over 500 yards over the course of the last six games. The future Hall of Famer is definitely a solid start in PPR leagues. That being said, his one touchdown performance thus far in 2012 has to be a bit disconcerting to fantasy owners.
Expect Witten to put up some solid numbers Sunday against a Cleveland Browns defense that struggles defending the pass between the hashes and is yielding nearly 250 yards through the air per game.
Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles
It sure looks like Nick Foles will get the start this week for Philadelphia. If that is the case, you can expect him to be looking for that safety valve at tight end a great deal. While Celek hasn’t been a solid fantasy producer this season, he will be looking to exploit a Washington Redskins defense that continues to get torched through the air.
If you have Celek in PPR leagues, he is going to be a damn good start here. I am expecting something like 10 targets and 80 yards this week.
Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
Whether it is Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick going for San Francisco on Monday night, you can definitely expect Vernon Davis to be targeted a great deal. First off, the Chicago Bears have been damn near unbeatable on the outside against receivers. A conservative game plan by Jim Harbaugh and company this week should add more targets towards Davis between the hashes.
Davis, who started the season extremely strong, has been a forgotten cog in the 49ers’ passing game since. I don’t expect that trend to continue this week.