NFL EZ fantasy provides fans an opportunity to compete against friends and fans throughout Canada during the season, and every week Sporting News Canada will give recommendations of who to play in your lineup. Here are this week's suggestions. Sign up to play here.
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford, Lions vs. Browns. Cleveland has a surprisingly stout run defense, and considering Detroit isn't good at running the ball, that should just mean more passes for Stafford. He currently sits ninth among fantasy QBs and should continue to rise.
Jared Goff, Rams vs. Texans . The Rams' passing attack is no joke this year, with Goff coming off his first four-TD game. Houston has been shredded for the third-most fantasy points by quarterbacks, so Goff should have another big performance at home.
Josh McCown, Jets at Buccaneers. The yardage totals have been up and down, but McCown has produced at least two TDs in each of his past five games (12 total). The reeling Bucs allow the ninth-most fantasy points per game to QBs.
Running Backs
Le'Veon Bell, Steelers at Colts. Bell is your best bet almost every week, so when he's playing a Colts defense allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to RBs, you have to take him.
Jordan Howard, Bears vs. Packers. The Bears have made it clear they're going to run, run, and run some more with Mitchell Trubisky at QB. That means Howard will see 20-25 carries against Green Bay's 23rd-ranked run defense.
Leonard Fournette, Jaguars vs. Chargers. Fournette has to make up for last week's lost game, and he has a good chance to do so against a Chargers defense allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to RBs.
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown, Steelers at Colts. The Colts couldn't stop DeAndre Hopkins with Tom Savage throwing to him, so it's unlikely they'll be able to stop Brown on the fast track of Lucas Oil Stadium with Ben Roethlisberger throwing to him.
Julio Jones, Falcons vs. Cowboys. Jones is dealing with some nagging injuries, but he's on the verge of a major breakout. The Cowboys allow the eighth-most fantasy points per game to WRs, so this is as good of time as any.
Marvin Jones, Lions vs. Browns. No. 1 receivers have torched the Browns all year, and Jones is looking more and more like Matthew Stafford's go-to guy, particularly in the red zone.
Pass Offense
Lions vs. Browns. Matthew Stafford is in sync with his receivers, and after Ameer Abdullah's fumbling problems last week, Detroit could look to ace receiving back Theo Riddick more often. Expect plenty of throwing in this one.
Steelers at Colts. The Steelers have the No. 9 pass offense and the Colts have the No. 31 pass defense. This one is simple math.
Rams vs. Texans. Houston has allowed over 300 passing yards in three of the past four games, with the Browns being the only team that couldn't hit that mark against them. The Rams gimmicky offense will have the Texans confused all day.
Run Offense
Bears vs. Packers. With Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, plus scrambles from Mitchell Trubisky, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Bears approach or surpass 200 rushing yards in this one.
Jaguars vs. Chargers. Like the Bears, the Jaguars are not shy about their run-heavy game plan, and with the Chargers allowing over 135 rushing yards per game (second most), Jacksonville should have success.
Chargers at Jaguars. L.A. will put the ball in the gut of Melvin Gordon a lot, too, as Jacksonville is almost impossible to throw on. Gordon has the goods to exploit Jacksonville's 27th-ranked run defense.
Defense
Lions vs. Browns. Detroit's pass rush got its mojo back last week, and for the season, the Lions have produced multiple takeaways in five of eight games. The Browns lead the league with 2.6 turnovers per game.
Rams vs. Texans. The Rams have 14 sacks and eight takeaways in their past four games – bad news for Tom Savage and company.
Steelers at Colts. Pittsburgh has multiple sacks in every game and are second in scoring defense (16.4 points per game). The Colts often allow big plays to defenses, giving up six defensive TDs this year.
Special Teams/Kicker
Lions vs. Browns . Yes, we keep picking on the Browns, but why not? Detroit has an excellent kicker in Matt Prater and top punt returner in Jamal Agnew. Both should get plenty of chances
Cowboys at Falcons. We always like indoor kickers this time of year, and Mike Nugent, who hit four of five field-goal attempts two weeks ago, gets a nice matchup against a Falcons team allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to Ks.
Patriots at Denver. Watch the weather here, but if it's tolerable, we like Stephen Gostkowski to hit a couple long-range field goals in the thin Denver air.
How to Play
Each week, players will set their lineup across seven different positions and can make adjustments up until kickoff. The player that finishes each week with the most fantasy points in their favorite NFL team’s league wins a Wilson mini football and a New Era hat.
Following the season, one weekly prize winner will be randomly selected for the Grand Prize, which includes a flight, accommodations and ground transportation to the Pro Bowl in Orlando in January 2018.