Saints head coach Dennis Allen has confirmed that wide receiver
Chris Olave will play Thursday night, and that places him back
firmly into the WR2 conversation. The Rams’ secondary has surprisingly
held its own for most of the year, but recently they’ve been taken
to task. Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers combined for over 32
points against them in Week 14, and then Terry McLaurin had a
field day against Los Angeles in Week 15 (141 yards, 1 TD). Curtis
Samuel also went for 18.6 points. The possibility that things
are unraveling a bit for the Rams secondary may allow Olave to
flirt with fantasy WR1 status this week.
Taysom Hill, the “swiss army knife”, continues to
defy fantasy predictions and polish off fantasy relevant seasons.
In leagues that reward him for not just receiving and rushing,
but also passing, he’s pacing his 3rd consecutive top 12
finish at TE. It’s not unusual to see fantasy platforms
projecting him for just a few points – or less – coming
into a week, despite this.
Yes, he’s coming off a very quiet week, but we’ve
seen that before. It’s rarely long before he has a blow-up
game, especially in a season where he has already collected a
career high 27 receptions. This week, Hill faces a Rams team that
has been very vulnerable to TE’s (6th most points allowed)
and QB rushing (309 yards and 5 TDs allowed). It’s an ideal
formula for Hill, especially when playing on turf. His ceiling
is sky high in this one.
There’s been a lot of criticism of Derek Carr this year,
but the Saints have their first shot at a division title since
Brees retired. Granted, it’s an easy division, but they
still came up short last year despite the Bucs taking the crown
with a losing record. The point being, the Saints were probably
a best fit for Carr, who is a good companion to the red zone ace
that is Taysom Hill. But it’s terrible for fantasy football,
and playing against a Rams pass defense that has given up the
8th most points to quarterbacks is probably not going to be enough
to make the difference. Especially when quite of few of those
points have come due to quarterbacks running.
Carr is 31st in fantasy points among QB’s with at least
three starts. That’s right, 31st. Carr has never been a
great fit for fantasy football, as he’s neither mobile nor
particularly aggressive in the red zone as a passer. Having Taysom
Hill there to bite into his action has made things worse. It is
an especially thin time at quarterback, but it’s arguably
still not enough to trust Carr as your starter.
NO FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.27
NO FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.27
NO FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.30
NO FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.12
Matthew Stafford has been on a tear since returning from injury,
and even though last week wasn’t quite the banner game it
could have been, he had a solid performance (258 yards passing
and 2 TD). With four consecutive multi-touchdown games and three
straight games over 250 yards passing, it’s hard to think
about sitting Stafford. It even tougher when considering how few
healthy QB1’s are available.
Yet the Saints give quarterbacks fits. Especially pocket quarterbacks.
New Orleans has given up the 7th fewest points to QBs despite
giving up the most rushing yards to the position. Stafford in
not a mobile QB with just 70 rushing yards on the season.
You probably still have to start Stafford and hope he’s
just too hot for the Saints to slow him down, unless you are blessed
with good depth at the position. But those who do have this depth
might consider turning to someone else this week, as Stafford
could very well be cooled by one of the league’s best defenses.
Since Cooper Kupp has returned from injury, Nacua has still been
involved, but has cooled off and become more of a WR3 (11.3 FPts/G).
Kupp has also begun to look like his old self over the last three
weeks, though Nacua has been involved, featuring him on jet sweeps
more often (5 rushes in the last 3 games, 3 prior rushes for the
year).
Nacua should remain involved enough to consider starting in any
solid matchup, but this may not be it. DB Paulson Adebo has been
erasing a lot of second receivers this year, having given up just
a 51-passer rating on targets in his coverage. Outside of Chris
Godwin’s 15.4-point effort in Week 4, no other team’s
WR2 has seen more than 10.7 points against Adebo and the Saints.
It’s a very tough situation for Nacua, as his floor has
been shaky since Kupp’s return (four games with under 6
fantasy points). The ceiling may not be there this week, either.
Ja’Marr Chase (shoulder) will be unavailable in Week 16 due to
his injury, so he’s not listed and Higgins, who ostensibly moves
up to the No. 1 receiver slot, becomes a no-brainer -- he also
caught two TD passes last week. The loss of Chase could be enough
to knock Browning down a peg, but the Steelers have played so
poorly recently, getting torched by Bailey Zappe and Gardner Minshew
in back-to-back games, that it feels like the Bengals will be
able to move the ball regardless. As such, Browning could slide
into your lineup as a low-end QB1.
While Tyler Boyd is another tempting option here, as his role
could expand with Chase out of action, the choice is Brown (sternum).
The rookie has been a revelation since he started seeing meaningful
action three games ago, averaging 72.3 yards per contest over
that stretch and scoring once. Expect the club to try and tap
into his speed this Sunday without their top wideout and maybe
even create a few extra opportunities in the passing game. He
has been limited in practice with a sternum injury, but assuming
he’s ready to roll on Sunday he’d be an enticing flex play.
Fade: N/A
CIN FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.7
CIN FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.16
CIN FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.14
CIN FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.2
Week 15 was one to forget for Harris, who ran a dozen times for
just 33 yards and lost a critical fumble. He also went without
a reception for just the third time all year. The former first-round
pick has a good shot at bouncing back this Sunday against Cincy,
however, after the Bengals had minimal success in corralling Ty
Chandler last Saturday, allowing 132 yards and a touchdown to
the first-time starter. Harris found success in the earlier matchup
between these clubs as well, posting a 15-99-1 line, which is
his season high for rushing yards. As an RB3, Harris has upside.
Unless Kenny Pickett (ankle) returns ahead of schedule, the expectation
is that Mason Rudolph will make his first start since Nov. 14,
2021, when he led the Steelers to a tie with the Lions. The leading
receiver in that game was, you guessed it, Johnson, who had 83
yards on seven receptions. It’s hard to know how dynamic the Pittsburgh
passing attack will be in general, but given their history together,
Johnson seems more likely to deliver decent value. You could view
him as a weak WR3 or flex option.
Pickens was still at the University of Georgia the last time Rudolph
made a start, so his chemistry level with the presumptive new
QB1 is an unknown. Pickens has also spent this week having to
answer questions about his effort level due to some not-so-physical
blocking. After topping the 100-yard mark three times in his first
six games, Pickens has only topped 50 yards twice in the last
eight. He’d be a dubious choice as anything more than a flex.
James Cook was back at practice on Thursday, after missing out
on Wednesday activities due to illness. Cook is coming off a 25-carry
outing where he and the Buffalo offensive front absolutely trampled
Dallas. The 221 total yard, 2 touchdown performance will likely
go down as a career day for Cook, but there is a real chance that
he could be similarly fed against a struggling Chargers defense
– even if the Bills haven’t embraced establishing the run for
the long haul. Cook is an easy RB1 in a game where the Bills will
want to lay keep away from a Chargers offense sans Justin Herbert,
Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Dalton Kincaid could be another major benefactor of the Bills
approach this weekend. The Bills game script had Josh Allen playing
it very safe against Dallas last week – too safe for most
fantasy owners, in terms of opportunities. It’s unlikely
that Allen sees only 23 combined pass and rush attempts, again,
but it’s very likely that Allen and the Bills look to do
a lot of short-field passing, protecting the football. This all
adds up well for Kincaid, the Bills emerging rookie TE. Before
last week’s doughnut, Kincaid had seen at least 5 receptions
for seven consecutive weeks.
Gabe Davis has nearly gone untargeted by Josh Allen over the
last two weeks (3 targets) and has a pair of Easter eggs to show
for it in the fantasy stat book. He saw the same results back
in Week 9, giving him three zero-point performances for the season.
It may be that Davis is being phased out of the offense, but while
his snap rate tied his season low last week, he still saw 72%
of snaps in a game where the Bills blew out the Cowboys (and saw
82% the week before).
Davis could have another very quiet week, especially if the Bills
feature ground heavy attack and couple it with safe passes against
a seemingly easy opponent. Yet the fact that the Los Angeles secondary
is so vulnerable to the big play does at least leave some window
for Davis to have a fantasy impact. Despite ranking just 51st
among wideouts in points per game, Davis does still have big ceiling
ability, pulling in two 100+ yard performances this season and
already having earned his 4th consecutive season with 6 or more
touchdowns. Consider Davis a boom-or-bust candidate this week.
Fade: N/A
BUF FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.24
BUF FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.14
BUF FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.23
BUF FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.24
If there’s one Charger to have hope for this week, it’s probably
Palmer. He managed to play 72% of snaps in his first game back
from injury – far more than anticipated – and turned out a 113-yard
performance (with a touchdown). He was only targeted 4 times,
which is the only tarnish on the shine of his return. Still, no
other Chargers wide receiver saw more targets (Quentin Johnson
had 3) and Palmer has a history of producing flex-worthy numbers
or better when the Chargers are short at wideout. Of course, he’ll
have Easton Stick throwing to him instead of Justin Herbert, but
the Chargers may also be in negative game script all day long.
Palmer is a reasonable flex for this one.
It’s hard to say exactly how many snaps Austin Ekeler would
have played last week if the Chargers weren’t getting blown
out in a most stunning fashion by the Raiders, but his 40% snap
rate was easily his lowest of the season, and he’s had his
two lowest snap rates of year in the last three weeks, sans a
Week 1 game that he exited due to injury.
Ekeler’s fantasy bread-and-butter has never been rushing
– he has no 1000-yard seasons – so it might have been
possible to overcome just 46 rushing yards per game. But Ekeler
has his lowest reception rate in the last five years (3.6 per
game) and the touchdowns are not piling on this season (6). Touchdown
regression was bound to come, after 38 touchdowns over the last
two years, but it’s hard to imagine many more touchdowns
coming this season with the Chargers offense in dire straits and
the defense failing to help with field position. Ekeler is also
28, having played 7 seasons, and his age may be wearing his wheels
a bit.
Ultimately, Ekeler is the best weapon left in the Chargers offense,
but the possibility that the Chargers start moving on from him
and get a better look at what Isaiah Spiller and Joshua Kelley
can do is very likely. The Bills may also dominate this game,
leaving little rushing opportunities and limited red zone looks.
It’s not clear what Ekeler will be this week, or for the rest
of the season.
Meanwhile, tight end Gerald Everett led the Chargers with 8 targets
last week, and has had 8 targets each of the last two games. Since
Easton Stick stepped onto the field and found himself short on
wide receivers, this type of action may continue for Everett.
He’s yet to turn it into big results, averaging just 8 yards
per catch over the last two weeks, but does have 5 receptions
in each game. The Bills, who’ve allowed under 10 yards per
reception to tight ends this season, will not make it easy for
him to outdo these numbers, and perhaps even difficult to match
them.
Ultimately, for managers looking for a tight end with a decent
floor, Everett is a potential option. It’s unlikely that
he’ll provide much of a ceiling against Buffalo, though.
Stick lost 2 fumbles against the Raiders last week and has quickly
compiled 3 lost fumbles since Justin Herbert went down for the
remainder of the season. Stick has yet to impress, and it’s
not going to help that Keenan Allen (heel) is again out. A lot
of fantasy managers are digging through the rubble for quarterbacks,
but Stick should probably be left there and the search continued.
Geno Smith returns to the lineup after missing the last two contests
with a groin issue. Despite having his full complement of offensive
weapons at his disposal, he might find it tough to navigate the
sometimes-stingy Tennessee pass defense. The problem with the
Titans is you don’t know what version you’re going to get. Is
it the unit that gave up 300 passing yards to the middle-of-the-road
passing attack in the Colts, or the unit that limited the explosive
Miami passing offense to 208 yards? It should be interesting to
see how this plays out. Smith’s challenges will directly affect
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett, neither of whom has cracked
the century mark in receiving yards this season. Don’t expect
it to occur this week.
Zach Charbonnet appears poised to step in for the injured Kenneth
Walker (shoulder), who, as of Thursday evening, has yet to practice
this week. Charbonnet is not the runner Walker is, so don’t
expect much should he get the nod in Walker’s absence. Also,
Charbonnet’s limited role in the passing game does little
to supplement his potential production. He is not a viable option
this week.
Fade: N/A
SEA FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.10
SEA FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.6
SEA FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.7
SEA FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.16
We may be witnessing the beginning of Derrick Henry’s inevitable
decline in production, who will turn 30 the first week of January.
Yet, he remains a viable fantasy option, despite the ugly game
from last week. He can score TDs in bunches, as he six scores
in Weeks 12-14 would attest. Seattle is one of the league’s
worst in stopping the run, and they just gave up 178 yards on
the ground against Philly. The 9 yards Henry finished last week’s
game with won’t happen this week. Expect solid numbers.
DeAndre Hopkins hasn’t wowed us with eye-popping numbers
the way he used to—his Week 7 game against Atlanta notwithstanding—but
he can serve as a solid flex option this week, and most weeks.
Seattle’s pass defense isn’t going to scare anyone,
and they can be taken advantage of. Hopkins should rebound from
his two-catch stinker from last week.
Pittman suffered a concussion during last week’s game against
Pittsburgh, which has put his availability in question this week.
But he’s progressed his practice regime throughout the week
to the point now where it appears he’s on track to return.
Pittman is the unquestioned No.1 receiver on this team, and his
33 receptions over the previous four games prove it. He has 56
more targets and 42 more receptions this season than the next
closest teammate. If he’s on the field, he should be in
your lineup—regardless of the opponent.
With the number of starting QBs injured this season, there are
certainly some fantasy managers counting on Gardner Minshew this
week to take them to their league’s Super Bowl. While he’s
been hit or miss in 2023, he has the ability to toss multiple
TDs, as he did last week. It’s asking a lot to expect him
to do it again, and with Atlanta boasting a pass defense ranked
eighth in the league, counting on Minshew could be fool’s
gold. But as desperation plays go, he’s a solid option.
Josh Downs’ production continues to nosedive in the second half
of the season. He has only nine receptions for 65 yards in the
previous three contests, and he hasn’t scored in nearly two months.
It’s going to be fun seeing Downs blossom next season when Anthony
Richardson returns. But for now, Downs is a deep stash on your
roster who should not be counted on this season.
IND FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.15
IND FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.3
IND FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.25
IND FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.11
With the inconsistent way this offense produces, it’s hard
to call anybody a “favorite.” I’m still trying
to pick my jaw off the ground from several weeks ago when head
coach Arthur Smith admitted to using Bijan Robinson as a decoy.
Such a bizarre strategy left even the most ardent Smith supporters
scratching their head. Robinson managers can only hope that a
head coach trying to keep his job will finally feed his prized
tailback. The Colts offer a juicy matchup. They surrender the
seventh most yards on the ground and have given up the second
most rushing TDs. We can only hope that Smith has gotten the memo
to feature Robinson more prominently in the offense. But then
again, that argument has been made all season long with no long-term
change.
The inconsistency of Atlanta’s offense can be best summed up
by looking at Drake London’s last three games. One catch. Ten
catches. Two catches. Dreadful. How does a fantasy manager proceed
with that kind of roller coaster ride of a player? While Pitts
has been a bit more consistent, his numbers continue fall woefully
short of his draft position. And now these two pass catchers have
to contend with yet another change at QB, with Taylor Heinicke
taking over for the turnover-prone Desmond Ridder. We will see
if Heinicke’s return to the lineup changes things for the pass
catchers. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst is about
the best I can come up with regarding Atlanta’s passing game.
Houston has given up the eighth most passing yards but the fewest
TD passes. That fits Amari Cooper’s production this year, as he’s
nearing 1,000 receiving yards but has found paydirt only three
times. Cooper is not known as a big-play receiver, but his 16.1
yards per catch put him ninth in the league. Cooper should continue
being Joe Flacco’s main target out wide, while Njoku controls
the middle of the field.
Joe Flacco emerged from his sofa at home to throw multiple TDs
in each of the three games he’s played. While it’s
easy to project another multiple-TD game, we must keep in mind
that he’s only done that one other time in his career, and
that was all the way back in 2010. Houston has only given up 14
TD passes in 15 games, so we should expect regression from Flacco
this week.
Over the last four games, Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt have combined
to score two TDs. Houston is the sixth-toughest run defense, so
don’t expect much from either of the Cleveland RBs this week.
CLE FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.29
CLE FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.23
CLE FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.31
CLE FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.32
Devin Singletary is coming off a game against Tennessee in which
he had 160 scrimmage yards, including four receptions, but the
Browns have held their two previous opponents (Chicago, Jacksonville)
to 146 rushing yards combined, which is indicative of the 11th-ranked
run defense they’ve proven to be in 2023. Singletary will
have a difficult time duplicating his production from last week,
so he may be best suited as a flex play.
Meanwhile, Nico Collins is trending toward returning after missing
last week’s contest with a calf injury. He hopes to find his groove
he had when, in Weeks 12 and 13, he combined for 16 catches for
295 yards and two scores. There’s a good chance that won’t happen
this week for two reasons: One, Cleveland has allowed the fewest
passing yards in the league, and two, it looks like C.J. Stroud
will miss another game with a concussion, leaving Case Keenum
under center. Neither circumstance bodes well for Collins.
Noah Brown has had some solid performances throughout the season,
but he’s often followed those games up with head-scratching
duds. For example, in Weeks 9 and 10, he combined for 13 receptions
for 325 yards and a score. After returning from injury, he had
zeroes across the board in Weeks 13 and 14. It’s tough to
know what you’re going to get from him, and now with Keenum
as the QB, it makes his prospects for success even more hit or
miss. Be cautious with Brown this week.
As mentioned above, Cleveland’s pass defense is statistically
the best in the league. At best, Dalton Schultz is a mid-TE2 this
week and you should expect the corresponding production with that
ranking.
Jordan Love leads a hobbled Green Bay Packers squad into Carolina
to face a surprisingly stingy Panthers pass defense. Carolina
has limited opponents by giving up the third-fewest passing yards
and the eighth-fewest TD passes. Love comes into the game with
receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed both question marks,
which will limit the QB’s prospects for success.
Before last week’s return, Aaron Jones had missed the previous
three games, upping the total number of missed games this season
for Jones with six. Jones hasn’t looked like himself much
this season, and he hasn’t cracked the century mark on the
ground since Week 16 last season. The good news is, as good as
Carolina is at stopping the pass, the team’s rush defense
has some holes, as it has surrendered the most rushing TDs in
2023 (21). Jones is a flex, at best, in this week’s game.
Romeo Doubs is a viable option because of all the injuries Green
Bay is facing this week. Doubs is a lottery ticket, and his managers
hope that he can drum up some of the magic he found in the middle
of the season when he scored four TDs over a five-game stretch.
He hasn’t topped 90 receiving yards since Week 4, so don’t expect
much in the way of receiving yards. But he could get a sneaky
TD this week. Just don’t count on it.
GB FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.19
GB FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.10
GB FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.19
GB FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.18
Chuba Hubbard is in the midst of the best three-game stretch
of his career—a stretch where he has rushed for 278 yards
and two scores. He’s not much of a threat in the pass game,
but with numbers like that, he’s a solid complement to a
sound roster. Hubbard is a viable start, despite the overall struggles
of this offense.
Seems like years ago that Adam Thielen had 40 receptions for
443 yards over the course of four consecutive games in late September
and early October. This team’s continued struggles offensively
have directly been responsible for tanking the promise that Thielen’s
season gave to his managers. His contribution at this point of
the season is too sporadic and lacks the kind of explosiveness
that provides a reason to start him. For those with injuries to
contend with at the receiver position, the decision to play Thielen
might be a no-brainer. To others, his place in your lineup should
be scrutinized heavily. He remains Bryce Young’s primary target,
so that fact along makes him tantalizing. Proceed with caution,
however.
Curtis Samuel has always been an extremely unreliable player
for fantasy purposes, but one thing has remained relatively consistent
about him and it’s that when he does perform, he usually
does it in streaky fashion, stringing together multiple usable
fantasy weeks in a row before regressing back to his usual self.
Right now, Samuel is enjoying one of those hot streaks as he’s
been targeted 26 times over his past three games. This has resulted
in 18 catches and he even scored a pair of touchdowns in Week
15.
The Jets defense has been quietly excellent throughout most of
the season so we don’t typically want to start ancillary
fantasy players against them, but Samuel is an interesting player
in that a lot of his production doesn’t come from him getting
open and the quarterback targeting him, but rather pre-designed
plays where he’s getting the ball regardless of what else
happens on the field. Samuel is definitely not someone that you
want to start over a normal stud, but if you’re missing
someone who’s normally a starter for you and you’re
in need of a one-week replacement, you could do worse than Samuel.
With Brian Robinson Jr. still sidelined with his hamstring injury,
the Commanders will likely again go with some sort of committee
approach in their backfield consisting of Antonio Gibson, Chris
Rodriguez, and potentially Jonathan Williams. Williams himself
is dealing with a concussion, however, and did not practice on
Thursday, making it increasingly less likely that he’ll be active,
which should further consolidate the Commanders’ backfield touches.
Rodriguez appears to be the team’s preference for backfield
carries, but Gibson is unquestionably the player they feel most
comfortable with on passing downs, which resulted in him catching
five passes this past week. In fact, Gibson has caught at least
three passes in six straight games, giving him a surprisingly
decent floor to go along with whatever he is able to accomplish
on the ground. The Jets have struggled against running backs this
season, so Gibson is a sneaky option this week for those in deep
formats.
McLaurin is coming off his best fantasy performance of the season,
which probably has you questioning why he’s in the “Fade”
category this week. Well, the answer lies in what we’ve
seen from him prior to that one-game performance. Yes, he went
for 141 yards and a touchdown against the Rams, but McLaurin was
held to single-digit fantasy totals in each of his previous four
contests before that.
While his target share remains fairly strong, McLaurin has an
extremely tough matchup this week against a Jets defense that
has conceded fewer fantasy points to opposing wide receivers than
any team in the league this season - and by a fairly wide margin.
The Jets have given up just four total touchdowns to the position
on the year - four fewer than any other defense. McLaurin has
shown himself to not have a strong enough floor to make him a
trustworthy fantasy asset right now and his upside is very limited
in this one, making him a player to avoid unless you simply have
no other viable options.
WAS FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.17
WAS FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.7
WAS FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.2
WAS FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.22
The Jets have been held to fewer than 14 points in seven of their
past eight games, so it’s not difficult to understand why
Breece Hall’s production has been all over the place this
season. Following a huge game in Week 14, Hall completely collapsed
in the fantasy playoffs this past week, rushing for just 12 yards
on six carries and catching just one pass. It was the first time
that Hall had caught fewer than three passes in a game since Week
3.
Hall now has the chance to play against the Commanders, a team
that has been in the holiday-giving mood to opposing running backs
all season long. They’ve conceded the seventh-most PPR fantasy
points to the position and have recently given up six touchdowns
to opposing backs over their past three games alone. If you survived
his bad week, it’s time to get Hall back in your lineup
in what might be his best on-paper matchup of the season.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson has been shockingly consistent this
season despite the Jets rolling with a carousel that more resembles
a dumpster fire at quarterback. Wilson has scored double-digit
PPR points in nine of his 14 games and he’s been targeted
at least seven times in all but two games. The Commanders have
been horrendous against opposing wide receivers this season, including
22 touchdowns to the position - second-most in the NFL.
Aside from the Jets having the floor of potentially scoring zero
points in any given week, the other concern for Wilson is that
the quarterback situation is even shakier than usual. With Zach
Wilson still dealing with a concussion and having not practiced
on Thursday, Trevor Siemian is now expected to start for New York.
Siemian has played in just two games this season and looked quite
bad in both, including this past week when he took over for Wilson
and threw for just 110 yards on 26 attempts with no touchdowns
and two interceptions. Worse yet, Garrett Wilson himself struggled
in each of the two games that Siemian played in, most notably
seeing just four targets in this past week’s contest. Wilson is
still a WR2, but there is some risk here.
While the on-paper matchup is about as good as it can be for
Jets wide receivers, the reality is that there just isn’t
enough volume or strong enough quarterback play to be trusting
this team’s lower-level fantasy options. Wide receiver Allen
Lazard had been held to zero catches in each of his previous three
games prior to Week 15 when he finally saw six targets come his
way. This could lead some fantasy managers to turn to him out
of desperation, but it’s just not worth it.
A no-brainer play for most of 2023, Montgomery’s stock
has dropped a bit due to a blend of injuries and the ascension
of Gibbs, who has become the superior fantasy option week to week.
With the Vikings playing strong defense, however, this feels like
a week where the Lions might want to limit what they ask of Jared
Goff, who was great last week but recently went through a rough
patch in terms of turnovers. If the idea is to control the clock,
Montgomery is the guy you want. While he hasn’t scored the
past two games, he has averaged 5.6 yards per carry, so it’s
not as though he’s been in a slump. He's a strong RB3 with
some juice.
As mentioned above, Goff was lights out against Denver last Saturday
night, throwing for 278 yards and matching a career high with
five TDs without a pick. While those are tremendous numbers, it
doesn’t simply wash away the fact that Goff has had three
three-turnover games in the last five weeks. Minnesota can be
an opportunistic bunch, and before fading late in Cincinnati they
had gone 11 straight quarters without giving up a touchdown. Goff
is by no means unplayable in this matchup, but it wouldn’t
be shocking to see his production land outside of QB1 range this
Sunday.
DET FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.6
DET FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.32
DET FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.9
DET FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.10
Little more than an afterthought since Kirk Cousins (Achilles)
was lost for the year to an Achilles injury, Addison re-emerged
in Nick Mullens’ first start, catching a half-dozen passes for
111 yards and two touchdowns. That was his second-highest yardage
output of the season, and his first scores since Cousins’ injury
back on Oct. 29. The chemistry he showed with Mullens is enough
to get Addison a spot in your lineup as a low-end WR2 or strong
WR3 as Detroit will surely prioritize slowing Jefferson, and perhaps
even Hockenson, in Week 16.
Mattison (ankle) was a DNP last Saturday due to an ankle injury,
and he has yet to practice this week. Still, head coach Kevin
O’Connell hasn’t ruled Mattison out, leaving open
the possibility that he’ll return. What his role would be
is unclear, both in terms of health and the effectiveness of Chandler
in his absence as the second-year back showed burst and power
in racking up 132 yards and a score on 23 carries. It would obviously
be better for Chandler if Mattison is out again, and that would
clear up who holds what value. It’d be more worrisome if
Mattison returns on a snap count, as he’d be unlikely to
play enough to generate much appeal but could undermine Chandler.
At this point, keeping Mattison away from your lineup seems like
a good move, whereas Chandler is a low-end RB2 that could slide
to a high-upside flex if Mattison is able to play.
Remember all the talk about the need to handcuff Tank Bigsby
to Travis Etienne? That was a nothing burger of epic proportions.
Etienne has had a firm grasp of the RB1 role the entire season,
despite his recent dip in production. He has only 111 rushing
yards combined over the last three games, but his 12 receptions
have helped cushion the blow. Tampa has been formidable against
the run all season, and they just held Green Bay to 60 yards as
a team. Etienne could play an even bigger role in this game if
Lawrence is limited on out. While Etienne’s numbers may not pop
in one category, when looked at as a whole, he usually carves
out a productive game. Continue to rely on him this week.
With QB Trevor Lawrence trending toward missing this contest
due to a concussion, Calvin Ridley’s stock may take a dip as well.
Ridley has been heavily targeted the previous two weeks (25 total),
but he hasn’t turned those opportunities into production. His
nine receptions over that time for 92 yards leaves a lot to be
desired and makes him an iffy proposition. Tampa surrenders the
second-most passing yards in the league, so there could be some
moments in the game where Ridley can put up respectable numbers.
There is cautious optimism, but I would still be weary relying
on Ridley at such a crucial stretch of the season—especially with
Lawrence possibly not playing.
Fade: N/A
JAC FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.3
JAC FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.15
JAC FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.8
JAC FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.5
Baker Mayfield is arguably playing the best stretch of football
of his career. He’s taken care of the ball all season—no
games with multiple interceptions—and he’s maintained
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin’s fantasy relevance when many
thought he would tank it. Jacksonville has given up the fourth-most
passing yards and the seventh-most passing TDs. Mayfield should
continue his top-10 play and help you advance in your league’s
playoffs.
Godwin is coming off his best game of the season with 10 receptions
on 12 targets. In fact, he’s had at least seven targets
in four of the last five games. That kind of consistent role in
the passing game lends itself to startable numbers in fantasy
football, and that’s what Godwin has delivered. The only
thing that could limit Godwin’s output is the abundance
of opportunity Evans and White will see. Still, he’s a solid
play this week.
This is a bit of a flier, but with Marquise Brown (heel) battling
a heel injury and Michael Wilson having not caught a pass since
Nov. 12 due to an injury of his own, Dortch or Rondale Moore may
find himself in a larger role this weekend. The Bears rank first
in the NFL in run defense and 26th against the pass (and only
two clubs have allowed more TD passes). Arizona ran all over San
Francisco in Week 15, and when they weren’t running, they were
going to their tight ends -- in fact, Dortch’s 2-15-0 line led
the team’s receivers. If Chicago stands tall against the run,
Arizona will have to go to the air, and that could mean chances
for Dortch or Moore. They are desperation flex plays.
Murray’s numbers have not been great since returning from
injury. In five games, he’s averaging 215 yards passing,
31 yards rushing, and 1.4 total TDs per outing. You cannot simply
dismiss his upside, however, especially against a Bears secondary
that has had its share of issues. There’s also a difference
between being a stout run defense and being able to shut down
a mobile quarterback. There’s a pathway to at least low-end
QB1 value for Murray, though he carries significant risk as well.
Fade: N/A
ARI FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.8
ARI FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.1
ARI FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.12
ARI FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.29
Arizona gave up four touchdowns on 16 completions last Sunday,
so the upside for Chicago’s pass catchers is readily apparent.
We know Moore is Fields’ favorite target, ensuring both
enter Week 16 on the no-brainer list. After that, though, the
most likely player to benefit is Kmet, who caught five passes
against the Browns, including the team’s lone touchdown
(his sixth of 2023). It’s always a little dicey to rely
on anyone in this passing attack beyond Moore, but Kmet offers
enough upside to warrant inclusion as a fringe TE1.
Just when you think you have the answers, the Bears change the
questions. With all three backs healthy and available in Week
14, Foreman led the backfield. Last Sunday, his six touches resulted
in minus-six yards. Khalil Herbert was slightly more effective,
leaving Johnson (nine touches, 60 yards) as the only productive
member of Chicago’s Cerberus backfield. So, how are we feeling
headed into Week 16? The correct answer is uncertain. We still
like Foreman to be the lead back, but last week already proved
that’s no sure thing. Both players can fill a flex spot as risk/reward
selections.
Dak Prescott’s MVP aspirations likely went out the window this
past week when the Cowboys got trounced on the road by the Bills,
but there’s still plenty of reason to be excited about his fantasy
potential here in Week 16. Prescott faces a Miami defense that
has done a fairly decent job as of late against quarterbacks,
but they’ve also been facing the likes of Zach Wilson & Trevor
Siemian, Will Levis, Sam Howell, Tim Boyle, Aidan O’Connell, and
Mac Jones. Sure, they’ve kept most of those QBs in check, but
what happens when they have to face another team that has shown
the ability to score points in bunches this season?
The Cowboys’ running game has still been subpar, so look
for them to prioritize passing the ball, especially if they happen
to fall behind against the Dolphins and their high-powered offense.
Prescott has a solid floor with an excellent ceiling in this matchup.
While he hasn’t been bad enough to bench most weeks, Tony Pollard’s
2023 season has certainly been disappointing from a fantasy perspective
and he could be in for another tough matchup this week against
the Dolphins. Miami has managed to hold every opposing running
back they’ve faced to fewer than 70 rushing yards in eight straight
games. That includes matchups against Breece Hall (x2), Derrick
Henry, Brian Robinson, Isaiah Pacheco, Rhamondre Stevenson, and
D’Andre Swift.
Pollard is still seeing too much work to justify benching him
for most teams, but the upside is limited here.
Brandin Cooks had been sneaking by on an unsustainable touchdown
rate that included five scores over a seven-week span with just
28 total receptions, but things have really come back down to
reality over the past two weeks as the veteran has managed just
four receptions for 47 yards and no touchdowns. Cooks is seemingly
the third or even fourth option in the Cowboys’ passing
attack most weeks, so don’t trust him with your fantasy
season on the line.
DAL FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.23
DAL FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.22
DAL FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.27
DAL FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.27
Assuming that he is healthy enough to play, Tyreek Hill needs
to be in all fantasy lineups as usual. The Dolphins did not rush
him back in Week 15 which indicates that they’re being cautious
about their star receiver, so expect him to be close to his normal
usage if he is active.
The Cowboys defense has been excellent most weeks this season,
but when they’ve struggled it’s often been due to
strong performances from opposing running backs. This past week
it was the Bills, who are normally a pass-first offense, leaning
heavily on running back James Cook who came through with what
was by far his biggest game of the season. Now the Cowboys have
the unenviable task of facing the Dolphins and their two-headed
rushing attack that has been terrorizing opposing defenses this
season.
Raheem Mostert has out-carried Achane by a margin of 36 to 16
over the past two weeks, but both players have remained usable
fantasy options even in some difficult matchups. With Tyreek Hill
less than 100 percent, there’s a decent chance that the
Dolphins look at what the Bills did against the Cowboys this past
week and decide to feed their backs plenty of touches.
This past week was the first time this season when the Dolphins
were without Tyreek Hill for a full game and, not coincidentally,
that resulted in Jaylen Waddle turning in his best fantasy performance
thus far in 2023. Waddle’s eight receptions for 142 yards
highlighted the reality that he’s probably a borderline
fantasy WR1/2 if Hill were to not be on the team.
We still don’t know whether or not Hill will be on the
field this weekend, but if he isn’t then Waddle becomes
a must-start. Even if Hill does play, there’s a possibility
that he’s not at full strength and thus doesn’t end
up playing a full snap count, which would again make Waddle a
strong play. Of course, if Hill does play and is at full strength,
then Waddle probably falls back down to being a low-end WR2 against
Dallas.
There’s nothing that specifically sticks out as being bad
from Tua Tagovailoa, but his recent fantasy performances just
have not been very inspiring. Tua has been held to fewer than
250 passing yards in four of his past six games and he was held
to one or fewer touchdowns in all four of those games. We’re
probably looking at another mid-level floor game from Tua, which
might be good enough if you’re facing a bottom-feeder team
in the fantasy regular season, but probably won’t be enough
to overcome another powerhouse team in your playoffs. Pay attention
to the inactives because if Hill is out then you might want to
look elsewhere for upside here in Week 16.
Since Rhamondre Stevenson went down three weeks ago, Elliott
has averaged 22 touches per game. Stevenson has remained out of
practice and it appears likely that Elliott will be the lead back
for New England again this week. Elliott has hardly lit the world
on fire with just 3.6 yards per rush, 6.9 yards per catch and
3 touchdowns...but enter the Broncos. Having given up the 2nd
most points to running backs, it’s quite reasonable to see
Elliott grinding his way to an RB2-worthy performance this week.
Hunter Henry is probably the best skill player on the Patriots
offense. He’s a fine receiver and blocker, and with a better
quarterback room and/or better all-around offense, he’d
probably be a Top 10 fantasy tight end. As it is, even in this
offense, Henry has a chance for his second Top 12 finish in his
three seasons in New England (currently ranked 13th in points
at TE). The Broncos have already given up nearly 1000 yards to
the position, as well as 9 touchdowns. Henry’s 42 receptions
and 6 touchdowns both lead the Pats. This is a good spot for him,
and he’s well within the Top 12 TEs this week.
It’s hard to hold a candle to the Patriots offense and
see much life in the passing game. But for fantasy owners who
are digging around for a quarterback, make note of these crumbs
of hope: In Bailey Zappe’s five starts, he’s managed
two fantasy worthy performances – a 309 yard, 2-TD performance
against Cleveland last year, and a 240 yard, 3-TD performance
against Pittsburgh two weeks ago.
Zappe is a real roll of the dice, but he’s a bit more life
than Mac Jones and the Patriots are unlikely to turn back to Jones
this year, as they prepare the way for a new QB. Zappe is reasonably
not that guy, but he’ll fill the space, and against a Broncos
pass defense that reverted to some of their early season struggles
last week against Jared Goff and the Lions (5 passing TDs allowed),
there is more hope to cling to, for those searching for help among
the “other” quarterbacks.
Fade: Patriots Wide Receivers
Outside of Kendrick Bourne early in the season, no Patriots wide
receiver has been relevant in the fantasy football this year.
There has, at times, been a little bit of interest in Demario
Douglass, but he has just 39 receptions and 0 touchdowns on the
year. To top it off, the only double-digit performance by a Patriot
wide receiver since Bailey Zappe took over was JuJu Smith-Schuster
two weeks ago (4-90-0). Smith-Schuster promptly missed last week’s
game and is iffy for Week 16. He’s also not topped 60 yards
in any other game this year. There’s not much here, and
if any one Patriots receiver has a notable game, it’s just
impossible to predict.
NE FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.28
NE FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.17
NE FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.11
NE FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.30
With 10 touchdown receptions and 770 yards receiving, the only
real mark against Courtland Sutton this season has been 3 lost
fumbles – a remarkably infamous feat for a wide receiver.
Still, Sutton has been the brightest spot in the Bronco attack,
and the Patriots one weakness on defense is at cornerback. Sutton
has a good opportunity to take advantage of that and perhaps even
garner his first 100-yard performance of the season, as well as
his 11th touchdown this year. At the least, he’s a good
flex option this week.
Javonte Williams has been a borderline RB3 this season, despite
averaging 16.5 touches per game. Having just a 3.7 rushing average
and a mere 3 touchdowns has everything to do with the results.
The Pats are respectable against running backs (just the 18th
most points allowed to the position), so it’s hard to imagine
Williams as more than he’s been this year – a borderline
flex.
Russell Wilson’s yo-yo season continues in the real world,
but in fantasy football he’s had one of his most consistent
– producing Top 20 outings in each of the last 4 weeks.
The problem is that there’s not been much ceiling, (barely)
breaking the Top 10 once during that time. Another problem is
that Patriots defense, which is the 5th stingiest against QB’s
this year, and that should point owners away from Wilson in week
16.
Davante Adams turned out his first 100-yard game since Week 2
when he went for 101 yards receiving against the Chargers. More
consistent have been his targets, with four 10+ target affairs
in the last five games. It’s the heaps of targets that keep
Adams in your lineup, despite a roller coaster ride of an offense
that has mostly been heading downhill. Adams posted 5-73-0 (7
targets) against the Chiefs back in Week 12.
Meyers has been rarely heard from as a wide receiver since Jimmy
Garoppolo was benched, and last week was largely no exception
– other than that he did find the end zone. Actually, what
really made his day was not one, but two pass attempts and a touchdown
toss (with the Raiders already up 42-0). Still, his 32 yards receiving
last week marked the 5th time in seven games where he’s
had under 40 yards receiving.
The two upsides that exist for Meyers right now are: (1) the
Raiders are willing to use him in unique ways (3 pass attempts
this year - he also has a history with 3 career touchdown tosses
– and 3 rushes with a score), and (2) Meyers did go for
6-79-1 against the Chiefs just three weeks ago. He’s very
much on the fence in Kansas City, this week.
O’Connell drew this Fade spot from me last week, and made
mincemeat of my analysis. Yet the Raiders stunning performance
was likely a blip on the radar; a product of a Chargers team that
had not just fallen apart physically, but quit on their coach,
as well. The Chiefs are on the opposite end of the spectrum, and
O’Connell’s Raiders should revert back to the production
of prior performances. That includes the likes of the likes of
O’Connell who finished as the QB19 the last time these teams
met.
LV FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.22
LV FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.9
LV FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.20
LV FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.15
Rashee Rice has been a favorite of mine for a while, and with
good reason. It became clear early in the season that he had the
inside track to become Patrick Mahomes’ next favorite target.
It’s become quite clear over the last few weeks that he’s
entered that domain, and while he surely has to continue growing
as a player, he’s already good enough to be no worse than
a regular WR2 with Mahomes and the Chiefs coaching staff drawing
up quality plays for the rookie.
Running back Isiah Pacheco returns to the field this week, and
he should continue where he left off before injuring his shoulder
two weeks ago. Clyde Edwards-Helaire did have a fine receiving
performance last week (4-64-1), but has rushed for just 76 yards
on 24 carries with no touchdowns over the last two weeks. Pacheco
draws a Raiders defense that is somewhat vulnerable to the run
(10th most points allowed), and that should land him in the RB2
conversation.
On the Fence: N/A
Fade: Other Chiefs Wide Receivers
The story holds that no other receivers on the Chiefs are making
a case for them as a fantasy option, and the Raiders secondary
has done a solid job at limiting receiver production (13th fewest
points allowed). There’s no real reason to dial up even
a prayer for any of them.
There’s not a lot to like about the Giants’ offense right now,
but one potentially interesting fantasy matchup comes this week
as tight end Darren Waller faces the Eagles. Waller returned to
the field this past week after an extended stint on the IR and
immediately caught four of six passes for 40 yards in the Giants’
blowout loss to the Saints. Certainly, 40 yards is nothing to
be excited about, but it’s worth considering that this is the
first time that Waller had ever played alongside quarterback Tommy
DeVito and that it was his first game back from injury. He ran
snaps on just 47 percent of the Giants’ passing plays, which should
only increase as he gets reacclimated in the offense.
The Eagles have done a good job at containing the low-level tight
ends they’ve faced, but players like T.J. Hockenson, Hunter Henry,
Logan Thomas, Jake Ferguson (x2), Travis Kelce, and George Kittle
have all scored double-digit PPR fantasy points against this defense.
Waller is still not on the radar of many fantasy players, so he
could be a sneaky DFS option as the team’s top pass-catching weapon
against a terrible Philadelphia secondary.
This offensive situation has to be extremely frustrating to Saquon
Barkley, but it’s also been excruciating at times for fantasy
managers as they’ve watched their stud running back fail
to reach even 10 PPR fantasy points in four of his 11 games this
season. Of course, Barkley has mixed in a few whoppers in there
to make up for it, but when we needed him most, this past week,
in the opening round of the fantasy playoffs, he and the Giants
completely fell apart.
Now the Giants face an Eagles team that has been skidding as
of late, but one that has remained fairly good at defending against
opposing running backs. Barkley is probably impossible to bench
for most teams, but there is absolutely a risk that the Giants
fall behind on the scoreboard enough that he ends up turning in
another dud fantasy performance. Of course, it’s also true
that if the Giants manage to stay close then Barkley is probably
a big part of why that happened and could be a difference-maker
in your fantasy playoffs. He’s a classic high-risk / high-reward
player in this matchup.
The media has been loving to follow Giants quarterback Tommy
DeVito and this looks like the kind of matchup that could lead
to some fantasy production, but now is not the time to be trusting
a borderline cut candidate who has failed to reach 200 passing
yards in all but one of his six starts.
If you’re playing DeVito, it’s essentially with the
hope that he continues to tactically scramble for 30 to 50 yards
per game and hopefully sneaks into the end zone on one of those
rushes. Otherwise, it’s going to be pretty difficult for
him to deliver any sort of a ceiling even against a Philadelphia
secondary that has been one of the absolute worst in the league
this season.
NYG FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.18
NYG FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.12
NYG FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.5
NYG FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.28
It’s hard to imagine that things have gotten this bad when
you consider how hot he started the season, but it’s now
been since before Thanksgiving that D’Andre Swift delivered
even a double-digit PPR fantasy performance. The Eagles’
insistence on relying on their quarterback to deliver short-yardage
touchdowns has been an absolute killer for Swift’s scoring
potential and he’s only managed to catch five total passes
over his past four games. Things have been ugly for the Eagles
and Swift lately, so it’s completely understandable if fantasy
managers want to take a more cautious approach, but if there’s
a matchup that could turn things around for him, it might be this
one against a struggling Giants team.
New York has been gashed by opposing backs lately, particularly
in the passing game, and this looks like a potential “get
right” blowout victory for the Eagles, at least on paper.
If that plays out on the field then look for Philadelphia to get
back to running the ball heavily with Swift, which should give
him a decent enough floor. He just needs some usage in the passing
game and/or to get into the end zone to turn in a solid fantasy
day.
Dallas Goedert’s return to the lineup is good for the Philadelphia
offense as a whole, but there’s quite a bit of data to show that
it does hurt wide receiver DeVonta Smith’s production. Smith had
been enjoying some big fantasy performances throughout November,
but since Goedert got back into the lineup two weeks ago, Smith
has managed to catch just 10 passes for 123 yards and no touchdowns.
Those numbers aren’t completely terrible and he’s still managed
to see 15 targets over these past two weeks, but those performances
have also come in two games where the Eagles have needed to pass
the ball.
In a game against a Giants offense that might not be able to
move the ball at all, there’s a real possibility that the
Eagles could opt to pass the ball much less often than normal
which would really hurt Smith’s upside. Still, he’s
scored double-digit PPR points in seven straight games, so don’t
get too cute and bench Smith just because you’re worried
about game script.
The tight end position is always a trainwreck, but as the season
has gone on, we’ve seen a number of players break out. If
it seems like the position is deeper than normal, that’s
probably because it is. Not only are the top tight ends like Travis
Kelce and T.J. Hockenson not delivering the difference-making
performances that top tight ends have in the past, but 11 tight
ends are averaging 10 or more PPR fantasy points per game. This
has meant that players like Dallas Goedert, who currently sits
outside that range, are not providing fantasy managers with must-start
production.
Goedert has just two catches in each of his two games since returning
from injury and, including his time spent on IR, he has not exceeded
five catches in any one game since back in Week 5 - a span that
includes six games. In fact, other than his huge performance against
the Rams in that Week 5 matchup and another solid day against
the Dolphins in Week 7, Goedert has otherwise failed to reach
10 PPR fantasy points in any other game this season.
While he remains a high-usage player who’s running a ton
of routes, it’s possible that fantasy managers could have
better, higher-upside options to place in their lineups this week
over Goedert.
The match up with the 49ers is tough enough to rule Jackson out
as a no brainer (6th fewest points allowed to QBs), but the Niners
are likely to be without two key components of the defensive line
tasked with containing Lamar Jackson – Arik Armstead and Javon
Hargrave. That won’t turn the task into an easy one for Jackson,
but it may provide just enough wiggle room for his elite abilities
to make big plays.
This may be the game of the week, and despite the defenses both
teams carry, it may develop into somewhat of a shootout. Over
the years since his arrival, Jackson has been as important a player
to the Ravens offense as any player has been to any offense in
the league, and that is surely going to remain true this week
against San Francisco in a possible Super Bowl preview.
Zay Flowers was is dealing with a foot injury, but is practicing
in a limited capacity. If he suits up this weekend, he lands in
match up that could push him up out of WR4 territory into that
of a WR3. The 49ers banged up front, coupled with the potential
for fireworks between these two teams set up Flowers as a flex
option.
Beckham, who missed Thursday’s practice with an illness,
will likely be healthy by the weekend and is a bit more of a boom/bust
play, as he’s become more involved in the Ravens offense
and has had a couple of very productive days recently (97- and
116-yard performances), but also duds like last week’s one-catch
13-yard outing. If Flowers were to sit out, Beckham might be elevated
to WR3 status.
Fade: N/A
BAL FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.30
BAL FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.29
BAL FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.21
BAL FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.26
The Ravens defense makes it very difficult on every position,
but there are certain players you just can’t sit. It continues
to be true that when Brock Purdy steps onto the field with this
incredible group of weapons, he’s one of those guys. Besides,
in an unprecedented season of injuries for quarterbacks, how can
a fantasy owner think of turning another way?
The Ravens toughness against the run (10th fewest rushing yards
allowed, least rushing touchdowns allowed) and the pass (7th fewest
passing yards allowed, least passing touchdowns) does not bode
well for Deebo Samuel, whose 6 receiving touchdowns and 5 rushing
touchdowns have played a big hand in him returning to the Top
12 at wide receiver. This offense has so many players to deal
with, and is playing so well that I’d hardly count him out,
but expectations may need to be a bit tempered this week. He might
be more of a flex than a WR1 against the Ravens.
Brandon Aiyuk is arguably a flex option this week, as well, against
the stellar Ravens secondary. The Ravens only allow 8.2 yards
per reception, an incredibly low number, and that means Aiyuk
– leaning on 18.5 yards per reception – may not see
much of a window for a big play.
