We are just under a week away from Green Bay opening the 2020 season in Minnesota. In order to celebrate, we are looking at three fantasy football matchups that bode well for the Packers on your roster.
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Week 7 at Houston Texans
Houston may have won the AFC South in 2019 and looked threatening early against Kansas City…until they weren’t, but from a fantasy perspective, the Packers match up very well with Houston’s defense.
Houston’s defense finished 29th and 25th in pass and rush defense respectively. Green Bay’s new-look rushing attack should feast on this defense which regressed significantly in 2019. The Texans are also trending up in touchdowns and rushing yards allowed. Green Bay meanwhile boasts one of the most dynamic backs in the NFL and have loaded up on ground weapons this offseason.
The Packers matchup well in the passing game as well. Not only did Houston sit in the top ten in completions, passing touchdowns, and passing yards allowed, they have also been trending up across all three of those categories over the last 5 years.
Look for Houston’s week 4 fantasy matchup against Minnesota to be a litmus test for Houston’s rushing defense. If Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison have big days, look for the Jones, Williams, Dillon three-headed monster to tear it up as well.
Houston also faces Kansas City and Baltimore back-to-back in weeks one and two. Those look like they could be ugly fantasy matchups for Houston’s passing defense and they should be a premonition of things to come for Rodgers and the Packers in week seven.
Week 10 Jacksonville Jaguars
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Jacksonville’s defense has been a sieve ever since their 2017 AFC Championship run. In 2019, they were particularly awful giving up a whopping 23 rushing touchdowns. To put that in perspective, that’s 53.3% more rushing touchdowns than their median over the last two decades. That is historically bad.
Furthermore, most of the core that comprised the formidable 2017 “Sacksonville” defense is gone. In the last three seasons, the Jaguars have shed Calais Campbell, Paul Posluszny, Jalen Ramsey, and Barry Church, among others. Jacksonville is shedding defensive talent so quickly that I literally had to update this article to include the most recent trade of Yannick Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings.
These departures and the downward trajectory of the defense makes this a very tempting fantasy matchup for Green Bay.
They were also bulldozed all year in 2019. In fact, only the Panthers, Browns, Redskins, and Bengals gave up more rushing yards last year. Like Houston, Lafleur’s run first, three-headed monster rushing attack should be salivating at this matchup. With newcomer A.J. Dillon in the mix, that is a formula that should have fantasy owners looking for every Green Bay running back they can find in Week 10.
The Jaguars still boast a relatively stout passing defense, and do not present as good of a matchup for Green Bay’s receivers. That said, the potential in the rushing game is just too good to pass up.
Week 15 Carolina Panthers
A desperate Carolina team came into Lambeau in Week 10 of 2019 and took Green Bay all the way to the wire. A goalline stand was required to preserve a victory, but even so, this game was a huge fantasy matchup for Green Bay’s backs.
Jones and Williams combined for over 150 yards on the ground, and Jones had all three of the Packers’ touchdowns.
In addition, Carolina was in the basement in some very appealing rushing categories. They were dead last in rushing touchdowns allowed. Aaron Jones led the league in rushing touchdowns last year. Carolina was also 29th in the league in rushing defense. The 2020 Packers loaded up on a bruising power back, a versatile tight end, and are looking to pound the rock towards the end of the season this year.
The Panthers coaching staff also completely turned over in 2019. First time head coach Matt Rhule brought in Phil Snow, who was his defensive coordinator from Baylor, to run the defense. It is unrealistic to expect that this staff will do much to drastically improve on longtime defensive guru Ron Rivera from a year ago.
Throw in the fact that the Week 15 fantasy matchup will once again take place in Green Bay in the cold, dead of winter, and you should expect a big day out of the Packer’s rushing game.
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