Welcome to NFL Week 7 Hot Takes. We are going to try and predict unlikely outcomes for this next week in the wild world of the NFL.
Hot Take #1
Dart & Skattebo Beat the Broncos
Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo took over the football world after their win against the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles last Thursday Night in primetime. Their headbutting and bravado bring moxy to one of the more boring franchises in recent memory. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll turned to their young draft picks to try to save the season and, most likely, their jobs. Both of them take a hard-nosed, fearless approach to the game, which can spark the rest of the team. It is just unfortunate that star wide receiver Malik Nabers is not along for the ride.
The New York Giants are headed to Denver to face Nik Bonnito and that vaunted Denver Broncos defense. The Denver defense held the New York Jets to nine points (the other 2 points came on a safety). The Jets’ offense was comparable to the Giants coming into the year, but as the season has progressed, Jaxson Dart has made the Giants fun and exciting, while Justin Fields has made the Jets’ offense about as bleak as it could be.
Now, the Giants’ offense looked less than stellar against the New Orleans Saints a couple of weeks ago, so obviously, Dart is not infallible, but he does have the potential to hang within a shootout. The best chance that they have is to play fast and tough against this Broncos defense.
The odds are that the New York Giants will lose and not score a lot of points this week, but I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that there are obvious signs of proficiency for this offense, while Bo Nix and the Broncos offense have been extremely frustrating all season. I will look for this game to be exciting, and if Dart and Skattebo beat the Broncos, watch out for them the rest of the season
Hot Take #2
Odunze Busts Again; Burden III Takes Off
Rome Odunze has finally looked like the first-round wide receiver that everyone had hoped he would be. He has finished inside the top-24 receivers each week this season, except for last week, where he saw a WR #40 finish. Snapshare and target share remained similar, if not better, but his production was not there. I do not think Rome Odunze is as good a fantasy asset as he showed earlier this season, but I do not think he is as bad as the one-week sample as this past Monday Night against the Washington Commanders. His touchdown regression from weeks one through four will definitely come down, as it showed this past week.
The Bears take on the New Orleans Saints this week, and the Saints are horrendously bad, but I do think that He could remain a fantasy bust this week. Odunze has struggled to be the world beater we all hoped he would be, and the Bears looked to have figured out the run game over the bye. I do think that the run game for the Bears will be something to look forward to for the rest of the season.
Luther Burden III was a borderline first-rounder who fell to the second round this year in the draft. If he were on any other team, he would have a great chance of being a featured option, but he ended up on the Bears, where they are in no shortage of pass catchers. He finally was able to see a competent amount of work this week, while also not increasing his snap share. DJ Moore was injured last week against the Commanders and stayed overnight in Washington to deal with an injury. His status for week 7 remains in question.
If Moore is out, I do believe his snap share will go up, and the amount of work he will get will consequently increase. Burden is a very athletic player, and when he has the opportunity, he really shines. Burden could be the #2 option this week in the Chicago passing game. If he gets an opportunity, he will make the most of it. When he does, it will be hard for the Bears to take him off the field. This could also lead to a DJ Moore trade later down the line.
Hot Take #3
Matthew Golden Breakout
Matthew Golden was a suspected savior for Green Bay Packers fans. Fans hoped he would fill that Davante Adams-sized hole in their heart. To this point, he has been pedestrian. Hauling in 14 receptions for 212 yards on 19 targets. He has had 189 air yards as well, which is a little disappointing. Golden has the talent and has bailed out Jordan Love on a few balls as well. It could not be more obvious how talented he is. I think that Golden is primed for a breakout sooner or later.
The Green Bay Packers coming into the year were very hyped up. The perception coming off the Micah Parsons trade it was their NFC’s to win. That could not be further from the truth to this point. Jordan Love has looked very bad most of the season, inaccurate and with interceptions when it matters most. The Packers have this mantra of spreading the ball around, similar to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The issue is, Jordan Love is not Josh Allen. It has been extremely disappointing to see this come out of the team. If the Packers had an Alph, it would truly help. Golden is the only suspecting alpha in that receiver core, meaning that, in my opinion, they need to get the ball to Golden.
The Packers did not blow out the awful Cincinnati Bengals, because Jordan Love is in over his skis. Matt LaFleur is a great coach, but he is expecting Love to do what Rodgers did. He is old enough now, in his third season as the starter, to be able to pick a target to be his favorite, just to see if it works. Romeo Doubs has been that way thus far in the red zone, catching every other touchdown it seems. Golden needs to be that guy between each 20-yard line, and it is obvious. This may not happen this week against the Arizona Cardinals, but it is going to happen. The Hot Take will be right at some point this season.
