NFL Futures Watch | Week 6

A.J. Brown was out for the Patriots' win over the Raiders; he has been the quarterback's top target alongside Mac Hollins, who is also out. Brandon Anderson notes the Patriots are missing their top two receivers but still won back-to-back games and have room to improve once these players return.

Baker Mayfield should be back soon for the Buccaneers. When he returns, Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson believes the Buccaneers remain the number one team in the NFC South division, as they have been performing well even without him.

Brock Purdy is an MVP candidate who has been 'tearing it up for the last month' but got sacked three times in the Niners' 32-29 win vs. Seattle—his first sacks of the season. Brandon Anderson notes Seattle's defense 'had all the answers' for San Francisco's offense, which has been held to its worst EPA per drive in the last two years against Seattle.

Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson is waiting to see how Bryce Young performs coming out of the bye week before committing to the Panthers as a division winner. The concern is how teams will adjust to Young's aggressive play-calling now that they have film on him.

CJ Stroud and the Texans offense have been much better than expected this season. Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson notes that while the Texans' defense has been correctly criticized, Stroud's offense has quietly performed well, dominating the Titans in Week 6.

Caleb Williams was missing for a stretch of games for the Bears, during which the team went 2-1 with a backup quarterback. Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson notes that the Bears' 3-2 record feels reasonable given Williams' absence.

Christian McCaffrey is being 'slowed down a little bit' in the Niners' offense, with Kaelin Black getting 'a lot of work' presumably because McCaffrey just had a baby over the weekend and the team wants to preserve him for a postseason run.

Debo Samuel looks to be out for a few weeks with an injury. Brandon Anderson notes he doesn't 'really care' if the Niners lose Debo because he's 'not that big of' a loss, but the injury adds to the team's mounting injury concerns heading into a tough stretch.

Denzel Boston is the odds-on favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year but has not done anything elite; he has caught a couple of touchdown passes but lacks elite production. Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson believes this inflated odds are due to recency bias from his touchdowns.

Drake Maye had 374 yards and 'looks all the way back' after the Patriots demolished the Raiders 536 yards to 8 yards per play; he had the best EPA game by any quarterback this season over 10 yards downfield despite missing A.J. Brown and Mac Hollins. Brandon Anderson says the Patriots offense is 'looking pretty good' and the team is 'right back in the mix' for the playoffs.

Fernando Mendoza is Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson's buy for Offensive Rookie of the Year at 25-to-1 odds (3.8). Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson has held this position since the preseason and believes now is the time to bet it, as Mendoza has shown willingness to play in blowouts and the Chiefs have already broken the seal on using him. Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson plans to sell once Mendoza gets the starting nod or plays well, before he hits the rookie wall.

George Helani had an 'egregious mistake' at the goal line in the Niners' win vs. Seattle, fumbling for a touchdown six right before halftime when the team was trying to run the clock out. Brandon Anderson cites this as a key defensive play that won the game for San Francisco.

Jared Goff's performance has declined; the ball is not zipping out of his hand the way it used to, and something feels off with the Lions offense. Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson attributes this to the loss of Ben Johnson calling plays, noting the offense lacks the same fluidity it had previously.

Jordan Addison was unavailable in Week 6 when Caller Murray and Justin Jefferson played together for the first time this season.

Jordan Mason, Minnesota's best running back, should be back soon after missing time. His return will help complete the Vikings offense.

Josh Allen had 21.5 EPA in the Bills' overtime win vs. the Rams, more EPA than the entire Bills team combined; he scrambled for 121 yards and was described as 'unstoppable' and 'the best player in the field by a mile.' Brandon Anderson notes Allen is an annual MVP candidate and can dig teams out of the mud in the regular season, though his team's defensive and turnover issues may limit his playoff ceiling.

Josh Jacobs' status for the Packers is uncertain; Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson notes 'We Don't Know' if he will return, though his return would be significant for the team.

Vikings have not seen Justin Jefferson healthy this season; Week 6 was the first week he and Caller Murray played together, though Jordan Addison was unavailable. With a bye week ahead, Minnesota has two weeks to get healthy and practice together, which should help the offense gel.

Kaelin Black is getting 'a lot of work' in the Niners' offense as the team slows down Christian McCaffrey to preserve him for the postseason. Brandon Anderson notes this increased role for Black in the running game.

Kirk Cousins was flustered by the Patriots' simple Cover Zero looks and extra corners sent at him in Week 6. Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson notes Cousins is not mobile enough to handle these coverages and predicts he will see similar looks in the coming weeks, though he should be able to adjust.

Lamar Jackson's MVP odds dropped to 5% at friction markets and 12-to-1 at books after missing one game, but Brandon Anderson argues this is 'insane' because MVP is a team award requiring wins and high seeds; Jackson won the award in 2019 and 2023 while missing exactly one game in both seasons, suggesting he can miss one more game and still be viable for the award.

Futures Futures Analyst Brandon Anderson Brandon Anderson references Lamar Jackson in the context of discussing how many games a quarterback can miss and still win MVP or Rookie of the Year, noting that MVP and Rookie of the Year are not the same award.

Mark Andrews 'looks like he's getting paid to try to get Baltimore to lose games,' dropping a touchdown, dropping two other passes, and having a fumble six early in the Ravens' overtime win vs. the Falcons. Brandon Anderson criticizes his performance despite the team's victory.

Michael Penix Jr. was having a strong game for the Falcons against the Ravens until he suffered a rib injury that limited his effectiveness. Brandon Anderson notes this injury concern as part of Baltimore's defensive struggles in the game.

Parker Washington 'saved the game' for the Jaguars against the Eagles, making a key play late when his coach and quarterback 'kind of tried to give away' the game. Brandon Anderson notes Jacksonville was sloppy with 10-13 penalties for 100 yards and went 0-3 in the red zone but still won.

Puka Nakua was 'amazing' in the Rams' overtime loss to the Bills, but Brandon Anderson criticized the play-calling for not targeting him on third down in overtime, suggesting missed opportunity in a critical moment despite his strong overall performance.

Sam Darnold is a quarterback Brandon Anderson 'doesn't really trust that much' compared to C.J. Stroud; he's asking Darnold to do too much in Seattle's offense, and 'the turnovers are rearing their ugly heads again.' Darnold had multiple turnovers in the Niners game, and Anderson expects similar results if the teams play again.

Tyler Huntley 'did exactly what you need your backup quarterback to do' late in the Ravens' overtime win vs. the Falcons: 6 for 71 yards down the field, got into the end zone for the two-point conversion, and led a 14-play 68-yard drive that ate up the entire overtime clock to win the game.