Each week of the season I will look at matchups, usage, pace of play and the injury report to highlight my favorite "higher", and sometimes "lower" picks, on Chalkboard.
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Higher
WR Adonai Mitchell 
vs. MIA - higher than 3.5 receptions; 46.5 rec yards
Mitchell is coming off a career-best eight catches on 12 targets for 102 yards and a touchdown last week. Averaging 8+ targets over his last three games, he's emerged as the Jets' clear-cut No. 1 WR with Garrett Wilson out injured. Regardless of his struggles as a Colt, Mitchell has elite speed and athleticism and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
RB Derrick Henry 
vs. PIT - higher than 83.5 rush yards; 0.5 TDs
We just saw this Pittsburgh defense allow 249 rushing yards to the Bills last week. James Cook had 144 of them, and I think we could see something similar from Derrick Henry this week. The Ravens are favored by a touchdown at home, and I don't have faith in Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense being able to keep up. The likely game script sets up well for Henry.
QB Shedeur Sanders 
vs. TEN - higher than 0.5 TDs
WR Jerry Jeudy vs. TEN - higher than 2.5 receptions; 29.5 rec yards
TE Harold Fannin vs. TEN - higher than 36.5 receiving yards, 3.5 receptions
First and foremost, these are bets against the Titans, who continue to be bad on both sides of the ball. Cleveland has one of the better defenses in the league and I expect them to mostly shut down Cam Ward and the Tennessee offense, which will inevitably put the Browns in good spots. I don't have a strong opinion on Sanders yet, but he looked decent enough against the Raiders, and even had some success in tough conditions against the 49ers last week. As for his pass-catchers, Jerry Jeudy has caught at least three passes in three of his last four, and he should only improve as Sanders gets more reps. Fannin has been impressive all season, and he has at least 40 receiving yards in four of his last five.
RB Bucky Irving 
vs. NO - higher than 69.5 rush yards; 0.5 TDs
Seeing his first action since Week 4, Irving had a bigger role than most expected last week, tallying 19 touches for 81 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. If he sees that type of volume Sunday in a favorable home matchup against the Saints, he's likely to have a big game.
WR Devaughn Vele 
at TB - higher than 35.5 receiving yards; 3.5 receptions
QB Tyler Shough at TB - higher than 218.5 pass yards
I highlighted Vele here last week, and he responded by catching all eight of his targets for 93 yards and a touchdown. He's the Saints' undisputed slot WR with a favorable matchup against Tampa Bay's pass funnel defense, so he should see the requisite volume in a trailing script to go higher than his numbers. Meanwhile, Shough has thrown for at least 239 yards in three consecutive games and could drop back 40+ times Sunday.
QB Jacoby Brissett 
vs. LAR - higher than 258.5 passing yards
WR Michael Wilson vs. LAR - higher than 62.5 rec yards; 5.5 receptions
Brissett's number opened at 248.5 yards on Thursday and has already risen by 10 yards. He's thrown for at least 258 yards in all seven of his starts. He has three consecutive 300-yard games as the Cardinals have been passing at the highest rate in the league. It's a difficult spot against the Rams but a trailing scipt should help and Brissett is almost matchup proof at this point. Assuming Marvin Harrison is ruled out, Michael Wilson should see a significant bump in target share. We saw him catch 25 passes on 33 targets over the two games Harrison missed a month ago.
