My daughter is a fantastic test-taker. It’s one perfect score after another, and it’s straight-up inspirational. If only she were in charge of our NFL bold predictions for Week 11.
I, on the other hand, not so much with the tests, as witnessed by last week’s now-traditional NFL bold predictions debacle. Let’s see just how close (or, more accurately, how not close) I was with my outrageous Week 11 prognostications.
1) Denver QB Bo Nix Could Go Nuts on Thursday
Bo Nix did not go nuts on Thursday. But his 150 passing yards on 16-of-28 hurling did, however, drive his fantasy owners nuts. Self-Imposed Grade: F
2) We Might See Browns QB Dillon Gabriel’s Coming Out Party
Welp, Gabriel was better than Bo. But with 167 yards on 17-of-32 passing, it was just barely. Two touchdowns did soften the blow. A little. Self-Imposed Grade: D-
3) Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Could Go for 375+
Weirdest. QB. Stat. Line. Ever. Darnold racked up a piddly 178 yards and a single touchdown, yet his ‘Hawks scored 44 points. How does that work? Self-Imposed Grade: F
4) Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. Might Get Crushed in Berlin
The sophomore didn’t get crushed, but he didn’t crush, as witnessed by his 11 fantasy points (QB20). Self-Imposed Grade: F
Last week’s 0.7 GPA was, by far, my worst of the season. Let’s see if these Week 11 bold predictions can amp that up over 1.0. Go Alan, go.
NFL Bold Predictions for Week 11
Let's see how bold we can get on both sides of the ball.
1) Giants QB Jameis Winston Might Suffer 5+ Sacks and Throw 3+ Interceptions
Giants vs. Packers - 1:00 p.m. ET
Bear in mind, this has little to do with Winston, who, in his ten previous years in the league, has been a competent, sometimes even good quarterback. The last year in which he was a full-time starter — that being 2021 — he racked up 5,109 passing yards and 33 TDs, both of which led the league.
Admittedly, he hasn’t been close to that studly since then — injuries and losing your starting job will do that to you — but he has the chops in there somewhere.
Thing is, the Green Bay Packers defense is a scary-ass unit that ranks fifth in the league in fewest yards allowed with 287.2.
On the other side of the coin, the Packs’ DST averages a mere 5.0 fantasy points per game, 22nd in the league, so one could say, “Winston will make some noise.”
But let’s not forget, the G-Men have a shiny new head coach in Mike Kafka, and even if Kafka were the second coming of Bill Walsh, the first week under a shiny new headman is oftentimes fraught with, um, oh, let’s just say badness.
So Packers LB Micah Parsons could eat.
Giants QB Jameis Winston PrizePicks Projection vs Packers: 235.5 pass yards, 21.5 pass completions
2) The Atlanta Falcons Could Hold the Carolina Panthers To Below 3 Points
Falcons vs. Panthers - 1:00 p.m. ET
Over the last two weeks, the Falcons D has been a (relative) brick wall, racking up 10 fantasy points in both games, and holding opponents to a combined total of 26 points.
On the flipside, three weeks ago, the Panthers manhandled Atlanta to the tune of 30-0.
The simple numbers tell us that over the last two weeks, the Falcons’ D has allowed an average of 13 points per game, while the Falcons offense averages zero points a game against Carolina.
So why the semi-shutout boldie?
Because last week, Atlanta lost a heartbreaker in Germany, falling to the Colts in OT, 31-25. And an angry defense is oftentimes a scary defense, so Panthers QB Bryce Young might want to strap on his Guardian Cap.
Panthers QB Bryce Young PrizePicks Projection vs. Falcons: 161.5 pass yards, 7.5 rush yards
3) The Rams and Seahawks Might Combine For 65+ Points
Seahawks vs. Rams - 4:05 p.m. ET
If you’re a wide receiver connoisseur, you’re licking your chops for Sunday’s Rams-Seahawks clash, as three of the league’s dopest WRs are sharing the field, those being Seattle’s Jaxson Smith-Ngijba (fantasy’s WR2) and L.A.’s Puka Nacua (WR3) and Davante Adams (WR8).
The QBs ain’t bad at fantasy either, with the Rams’ Matthew Stafford tied for QB5 and the Seahawks’ Sam Darnold clocking in at QB20, a number that should be considerably higher if last week’s outlying 5.9 fantasy performance were erased from the record books.
The ‘Hawks have scored the third-most points in the NFL (275), while the Rams sit at six with 251. Their combined average scoring output lands at approximately 59, so 65 is within reach.
That is, unless the Rams — who have allowed just 153 points, second-fewest in the league — get all rammy on the defensive side of the ball. Then we might see another 5.9-point stinker from Mr. Darnold.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold PrizePicks Projection vs. Rams - 247.5 pass yards, 1.5 pass TDs
4) Denver’s Bo Nix and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes Could Be on the Same Plane
Chiefs vs. Broncos - 4:25 p.m. ET
Whoda thunk that this AFC West rumble would be all about the Chiefs fighting for their playoff lives?
As of right now, the 7-2 Broncos — who are tied with the Colts for the AFC’s best record — are a virtual postseason shoo-in and have a legitimate chance to claim the conference’s top seed, while the 5-4 Chiefs have to fend off the Ravens and the Texans, both of whom roll into the weekend at 4-5.
All eyes (or at least most eyes) will be trained on the QB battle between second-year upstart Bo Nix and future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes. To this point in the season, Mahomes has a significant lead in FantasyLand, sitting as the league’s QB1 (23.5 fantasy points per week), while Nix is perched at QB10 (19.4).
That said, the one-to-ten lead doesn’t reflect the fact that sophomore Nix has just 19 fewer total fantasy points than the King of Ketchup. (Granted, Mahomes enjoyed his bye week, while Nix’s is yet to come. But still.)
With the game in Denver and the young Broncs looking to solidify their place in the AFC West, we could see some fireworks in the passing game from Mr. Nix.
But Mahomes is a walking, talking firework, thus the potential for surprising close statistical performances from The Vet and The Kid.
Broncos QB Bo Nix PrizePicks Projection vs. Chiefs - 221.5 pass yards, 26.5 rush yards
Will this batch of prognostications improve my brutal bold predictions GPA? Who the heck knows, but one thing we do know is you can win real money on PrizePicks with your NFL predictions.
Just pick More or Less on at least two player projections and potentially win real cash with your picks every week.
And follow Playbook for the entire NFL season, where you'll always enjoy boldness galore.
