Hello everyone. The voices behind this column and our podcasts are Ben Horwitz, Aaron Stalkfleet and Jacob Williamson. We are current seniors, and involved in various things (and sports) at City. Our shared love of football and aggressive competitiveness is what initially inspired this column. Each week we plan to put out a different fantasy football prediction/analysis for the next NFL week. We appreciate your support and will be competing to see who has the best analysis.

This week we are doing a Boom/Bust analysis. We randomly pick the players below for this week’s games, and we each get to predict whether we think they will go above (Boom) or below (Bust) their ESPN fantasy projections. We each pick two players from each position group. We make picks based on matchups, personal opinion, and player projection. After the first week, we will be keeping track of our personal records of our predictions throughout the season. 

OUR RECORDS THROUGH 5 WEEKS

Ben: 22-13

Aaron: 18-17

Jacob: 16-18

This weeks (6) possible choices:

(All based on ESPN projections)

QB Justin Herbert 23.4 pts

QB Josh Allen 25.4 pts

QB Dak Prescott 19.5 pts

QB Trevor Lawrence 17.9 pts

RB Austin Ekeler 19.9 pts

RB Joe Mixon 17.6 pts
RB James Robinson 17.0 pts
RB Khalil Herbert 14.7 pts

WR DJ Moore 17.4 pts

WR Deandre Hopkins 16.4 pts

WR Davante Adams 21.9 pts

WR Chase Claypool 14.5 pts

TE Mark Andrews 11.9 pts 

TE David Njoku 6.9 pts
TE Hunter Henry 9.5 pts
TE TJ Hockenson 11.0 pts

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Aaron’s Picks Week 6

(Total Record 18-17)

A great 5-3 week for me last week. My record improves to over .500. Hopefully, I string together a few winning weeks in a row and catch up to Ben’s mark of 22-13. This week, all “booms” are in the projections. We will see how that turns out. 

QB Justin Herbert 23.4 pts – BOOM

Justin Herbert’s performance this year has been nothing short of spectacular. He is top 3 in MVP voting and has led the Chargers to a 4-1 record. This week, they face off against the 4-1 Ravens. The trajectory of Herbert’s play leads me to believe he should boom his projection just about every week. This week, he is gonna have to in order for the Chargers to go into Baltimore and leave with a win. 

QB Dak Prescott 19.5 pts – BOOM

19.5 points this week for Dak is definitely worth reaching. He has scored more than that in 5 of his 6 starts this year. The only thing that I see stopping him from performing is the Patriots Defense. Otherwise, Dak should succeed this week. 

RB Austin Ekeler 19.9 pts – BOOM

Similar to Herbert’s boom, the Chargers are gonna need a big showing from one of their best offensive weapons in order to beat the Ravens in Baltimore. I expect Ekeler’s ability in the passing game along with his ability to run the ball effectively to be enough to surpass the 19.9 points mark. Ekeler has been one of the best receiving backs in the NFL this year. 

RB Khalil Herbert 14.7 pts – BOOM
This is one of the more interesting selections I have written all year. I had to switch from Damien Williams to Herbert because it was announced that Williams is out with Covid. In any case, the same thought process is applied here with Herbert and I fully expect him to boom. Last week vs the Raiders, he saw 18 carries for 75 yards. Now without Williams in the lineup, it’s a full go for Herbert as he doesn’t have to split carries. It is also worth noting that the Bears have a favorable matchup against the Packers this week. 

WR DJ Moore 17.4 pts – BOOM

DJ Moore has had a phenomenal season thus far. This week, the matchup doesn’t get any more favorable against a struggling Vikings Defense. Expect Moore to have 80-100 receiving yards and possibly a couple of TDs. That could even be generous. 

WR Deandre Hopkins 16.4 pts – BOOM

This selection of Hopkins booming is a little less confident than the others. I give him the edge because the Cardinals are gonna need good production out of their pass catchers in order to beat a good Browns team this week. Hopkins can still have a good week and not boom his projection so I think starting him in any of your leagues is a good idea. Hopefully, for the sake of this, he booms too. 

TE Mark Andrews 11.9 pts – BOOM

Mark Andrews is coming off a 41 point fantasy performance last week against the Colts. This week, he has an advantageous matchup against the Chargers. Each week, Andrews has slowly become Lamar Jackson’s favorite receiving target. Andrew’s upside is incredibly high and 11.9 points seems low in that aspect. 

TE Hunter Henry 9.5 pts – BOOM
Hunter Henry has been very steady this season. He, like Mark Andrews, has slowly but surely become his quarterback’s favorite target. This week, the Patriots play the Cowboys and the Cowboys defense has been middle of the pack in the NFL this year. I think for that reason and the reason stated above, Henry booms by a big margin. 

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Jacob’s Picks Week 6

(Total Record 16-18)

This week’s goal is to get to .500 and try to catch up to Ben and Aaron. I’m confident with this week’s picks that this is more than doable. Having multiple players with favorable matchups are definitely going to be helpful this week.

QB Josh Allen 25.4 pts – BOOM

Allen has been one of the top QB’s this year and for a good reason. The Bills are just coming off a huge win against the Chiefs now looking to be in the driver’s seat in the AFC. Expect Allen and the Bills to take care of business this week 

QB Trevor Lawrence 17.9 pts – BOOM

The highly talented rookie has definitely struggled to start the year. The Jaguars are still winless and are looking for a spark this week against the Miami Dolphins. Expect the Jaguars to be hungrier than ever this week as they try to get in the win column.

RB Austin Ekeler 19.9 pts – BOOM

Ekeler is one of the biggest pieces in one of the best offenses in the NFL. 4 out of the last 6 weeks he has scored 20 plus points. Definitely expect another big week for Ekeler against the Ravens. 

RB James Robinson 17.0 pts – BOOM

The Jaguars need to get it going on offense, and James Robinson is one of the only bright spots on this team. He has scored 20 plus points in his past three games and I would expect him to be a big part of the offense again this week against the Dolphins in London.

WR Davante Adams 21.9 pts – BOOM

Arguably the best WR in the NFL, Adams has led the NFL in both receptions and touchdowns this season. Expect him to continue to produce this week against a Bears Secondary who has been shakey to start out the year. I expect him to boom this week and score a lot of fantasy points.

WR Chase Claypool 14.5 pts – BUST

Claypool has definitely had an interesting year to say the least. With Juju being out for the rest of the season, I can only see things going up from here for Claypool. What hurts him is that arguably one of the worst QBs in the NFL leads his team in Roethlisberger. Claypool will continue to have a ceiling until the Steelers can figure out their QB situation.

TE TJ Hockenson 11.0 pts –  BUST

Hockenson has had a rough last couple of weeks to say the least. Playing a very good Bengals team this week, I continue to see Hockenson struggling against one of the better defenses in the league. 

TE Mark Andrews 11.9 pts – BOOM

When you score 41 points as a Tight End in probably the most exciting game so far this season, you should definitely be excited if you’re his fantasy owner. Andrews has been a force to be reckoned with on this Ravens offense. While I don’t expect him to score 40 points this week against the Chargers, I do think he will go over his projected points this week.

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Ben’s Picks Week 6

(Total Record 22-13)

Still sitting at the best record on the column, but by less as I only went 4-4 last week. Barely missed a couple of them, but it can’t always go my way. Still looking to improve this week, and I have mostly BOOM’s as I project a big week from most of my guys.

QB Justin Herbert 23.4 pts – BOOM

The Chargers look like Super Bowl contenders through 5 weeks, and much of that is due to Justin Herbert and his dominance. He has taken the second year jump and even has some of the best odds for MVP. They have a matchup against another 4-1 team in the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson who have had multiple high scoring games thus far. I think both teams continue their offensive firepower and Herbert surpasses his 23.4 point projection.

QB Trevor Lawrence 17.9 pts – BOOM

The “Golden Boy” and the Jaguars have not gotten off to the start they may have hoped, but this week may be different. They play the struggling Dolphins whose defense from last year has disappeared, leaving a discouraged, staggering group after the losses in recent weeks. I think Lawrence racks up a few TD’s and makes his way to his best performance of the year.

RB Austin Ekeler 19.9 pts – BOOM

Ekeler this season has finally lived up to expectations. Injuries have plagued his career previously, but finally healthy, his production has been ridiculous. He has back to back 30 point games, averaging a scary 24.9 points per game. With his involvement in the passing game in an already electric Chargers offense, I have no reason to doubt him in a big game against the Ravens. Keep in mind the Ravens defense just gave up 32 points to Jonathon Taylor on Monday night, and Ekeler is on a different level as of now.

RB Joe Mixon 17.6 pts – BUST

Mixon has an easy matchup on paper this week against the Lions, but my feeling is that it will turn out to be more complicated. The Lions 0-5 record is deceiving, as multiple losses have come from last second field goals, one where Justin Tucker broke the record for longest FG in NFL history. They have held opponents under 20 points in each of the past 3 weeks, and I just don’t think Mixon will have a great game. I could easily see him coming in just under his projection, but I will be surprised if he breaks 20 fantasy points.

WR DJ Moore 17.4 pts – BOOM

DJ Moore is another player who has lived up to expectations, as he has gotten off to a hot start through 5 weeks. He has a decent matchup against the Vikings on Sunday, and I expect him to break 20 points. He is obviously QB Sam Darnold’s favorite target, and I think the Panthers will bounce back from back to back losses with a win this week. 

WR Davante Adams 21.9 pts – BOOM

Sorry Bears fans, Davante is unstoppable. I see no reason to not take the BOOM, as Adams has continued to be the best WR in the NFL, especially after his 200 yards receiving last week. Even though he is the main problem for defenses, no one has figured out how to stop him in the slightest. Only way to stop him is to get to Rodgers, but I just don’t see the Bears competing at all. Good luck to anyone who plays him this week.

TE Mark Andrews 11.9 pts – BOOM

Wow. Andrews came out of the Monday night thriller with a ridiculous 41.7 points. He certainly saved fans teams last week and made their Monday a little better. They play the Chargers in what shapes up to be the matchup of the week, and being one of the Ravens top targets, I think he can definitely rack up 12 points. After the Chargers defense gave up 42 points last week, fans can expect another high scoring game.

TE David Njoku 6.9 pts – BUST

Njoku had a huge week with 27.9 points in the Browns vs. Chargers exciting game last Sunday, but don’t expect that every week. He is a decent player, but nothing special in my eyes. The undefeated Cardinals defense is not giving up 42 points, and I just don’t see Njoku having a great game again. Maybe he reaches around 7 points, but it will be nothing close to last week, so don’t bet on him to save you.