• RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers — over 31.5 receiving yards: The Jets defense is exceptional at all levels, and because of the strength of their cornerbacks, linebackers and safeties in coverage, checking down has become quite important for opposing quarterbacks.
• Targets up for grabs: There may not be a better running back on checkdowns than L.A.'s Austin Ekeler. And with the Chargers down both Mike Williams and now Josh Palmer, there are targets available to the rest of the offensive weapons.
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Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
GAME OVERVIEW
To cap off Week 9, we get a matchup between two teams that seem to be spending a lot of time on our TVs during prime time.
The New York Jets are playing their third home island game of the year, the most exciting of which was the overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 and the narrow loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.
The Chargers are also playing their third prime-time game, though it's their third in four weeks. Funnily enough, the only game in that stretch that wasn't played under the bright lights of prime time was their Week 7 loss to the Chiefs.
Zach Wilson really took a turn in that Week 4 game against Kansas City, and he has continued to look serviceable yet unspectacular ever since. He has thrown only one touchdown over the last three weeks, but he's also thrown only one interception and has done a good job at protecting the football, in stark contrast to his earlier days in the league.
Since Week 4, his 1.8% turnover-worthy play rate ranks eighth among the 29 signal-callers who have dropped back 100 or more times, and he has led his team to three victories, the most notable ending the Eagles' unbeaten start to the year.
The Chargers are 3.5-point favorites on the road, and the total is 39.5.
Justin Herbert has practiced fully in his recovery from a broken finger, but there are injury concerns for the Chargers defense. Starting linebackers Kenneth Murray and Eric Kendricks are listed as questionable, and starting nose tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day has an illness and missed the final practice of the week.
RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers: Over 31.5 receiving yards (-114 FanDuel)
The Jets defense is exceptional at all levels, and because of the strength of their cornerbacks, linebackers and safeties in coverage, checking down has become quite important for opposing quarterbacks.
The Jets rank 13th among defenses in yards allowed per play on targets to running backs, while they rank second in that same metric on targets to wide receivers and tight ends.
There may not be a better running back on checkdowns than L.A.'s Austin Ekeler. And with the Chargers down both Mike Williams and now Josh Palmer, there are targets available to the rest of the offensive weapons.
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