Thanksgiving is more fun for people who play fantasy football. It doesn’t get much better than sipping your favorite drink and eating copious amounts of food while watching a full slate of games and rooting for the players on your team on a Thursday. One thing that makes that scene better is if you happened to have Josh Allen on your team. Allen’s Thanksgiving performance of 29.9 points topped the fantasy production for QBs this past week, as he led the Bills to a 28-25 victory over the Lions.
Josh Jacobs, who exploded for 48 half-PPR points, led all players in fantasy scoring by nearly 20 points in Week 12. Jacobs is now the RB1 in half-PPR scoring. Rookie-WR Garrett Wilson showed immediate chemistry with new starting QB Mike White, finishing as Week 12’s WR1 with 27 half-PPR fantasy points.
As you are probably aware the fantasy playoffs are right around the corner. If you are still competing for a spot then it is imperative to fill out your roster with the highest upside for the rest of the season. It doesn’t matter if the player has produced for you or not thus far, do not let your feeling get involved at this juncture of the season. All focus needs to be put on what you expect will happen over the course of the rest of the fantasy season.
Teams on a Bye in Week 13
There are only two teams on a bye this week. The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals are on a bye in Week 13.
Notable Injuries from Week 12
Players Trending Down
Broncos QB Russell Wilson @ Baltimore: Cut
Russell Wilson’s first season with the Broncos has been beyond disappointing and it continues to get worse. Wilson went 19-for-35 for 142 yards with one touchdown for a whopping 7.4 fantasy points in a 23-10 loss to the lousy Panthers. The Broncos latest debacle is a new low in a season full of embarrassing play. Wilson’s struggles have ‘Bronco Country’ (let’s ride) scratching their heads, while Seahawks’ fans are rejoicing. The Seahawks have the Broncos first round pick in next year's draft which is looking like it will be a top-5 pick. It’s time to move on if you are still holding on to Wilson as he and the whole Broncos offense have very little upside for the rest of the season.
Ravens RB Kenyan Drake vs Denver: Sit
In Weeks 6-9 Kenyan Drake had three performances of 16 fantasy points or better. In Week 9 he had 24 carries for 93 yards and two TDs and finished as RB4 with 24.9 points. The last two weeks Drake has a total of 7.5 fantasy points and has seen his carries go from ten in Week 11 to two last week. Drake is third on the RB-depth chart in Baltimore but was thrust into action when both RBs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins missed time due to injuries. Edwards returned in Week 12 and handled 16 carries in his return. Dobbins is nearing his return from a knee injury which will put Drake back on the bench. I am a little slow to cut Drake because of how injury prone Dobbins and Edwards are, but he should be moved to your bench for this week.
Commanders WR Curtis Samuel @ New York Giants: Drop
At the halfway point of the season Curtis Samuel was one of the biggest surprises of fantasy football. His scorching start to the season was with Carson Wentz under center. But since Taylor Heinicke took over at QB, Samuel has seen his opportunities shrink each week. Not only has Samuel seen his targets dwindle, he has also seen his snap count drop. In Week 12 the former Buckeye did not receive a target and played the lowest percentage of offensive snaps he has played all season (60%). Samuel still holds value because the Commanders still slightly use him in the running game. His two carries for 18 yards and one rushing TD saved fantasy managers who were counting on him in Week 11. Samuel can be dropped because the Giants defense has been tough on WRs and the Commanders are on a bye in Week 14.
Bills TE Dawson Knox @ New England: Sit
Dawson Knox is among the large group of tight ends who have severely underperformed expectations this fantasy season. Knox scored nine TDs in 15 games last season, compared to two TDs in ten games this year. Knox has only gone over 60 receiving yards once this season, which was in Week 11 against the Browns. Last week he had two catches for 17 yards against a porous Lions secondary. This week he has a tough matchup with one of the best secondaries in the league when he travels to New England.
Players Trending Up
Browns QB Deshaun Watson @ Houston: Start
Deshaun Watson was officially added to Cleveland’s 53-man roster Monday and is expected to start against his former team who drafted him 12th-overall in 2017. Watson looked like a perennial All-Pro for his former team before he was suspended because of multiple allegations against him. It has been 700 days since Watson’s last NFL appearance. It’s a risky move to start a player who hasn’t played a football game in over two years, but Watson poses some of the highest upside of any QB. Watson is a dual-threat QB that has proven to be a great pocket passer. If you do not have a top-5 QB then Watson is a great start this week against the worst team in the NFL.
Jets RB Zonovan Knight @ Minnesota: Start
Zonovan Knight’s coming out party was on Sunday as he rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries and caught 3-of-3 targets for an additional 34 yards in the Jets 31-10 win over the Bears. The undrafted rookie out of N.C. State was activated over the weekend in place of RB James Robinson, who was a healthy scratch. Knight provided the spark that the Jets coaching staff was hoping for when they decided to make the change in the roster. Knight could be the starting RB in New York this week because starting RB Michael Carter suffered an ankle injury in Week 12. Knight is definitely worth a starting spot on your roster in the case that Carter does not suit up or is less than 100%, but the situation should be monitored before trusting the rookie RB in your lineup this week.
Jaguars WR Zay Jones @ Detroit: Start
Zay Jones has been a bit of a roller coaster for his managers, but through it all he has been consistently getting targets. Jones now has 24 targets over his last two games and is coming off his best game of the season. The 27-year-old WR caught 11 of his 14 targets for 145 yards and hauled in the game-winning two-point conversion against Baltimore last week. Jones now has a date with the Lions defense that has given up the most points to opposing WRs this year. If Trevor Lawrence and the Jags offense can build off the momentous win against the Ravens then Jones could be a great piece for fantasy teams throughout the playoffs.
Browns TE David Njoku @ Houston: Start
David Njoku recorded five catches for 29 yards and a TD on seven targets in Week 12. Njoku was off to a nice start before the injury in Week 7 forced him to miss two games. In the five games leading up to the injury Njoku was averaging 75 yards on seven targets per game. Last week Njoku was on the field for 81% of the offensive snaps which is around the same number he was logging before the injury. Njoku missed practice Wednesday due to a different knee injury but should be good to go this Sunday. He needs to be started in fantasy if he’s healthy because Watson will be making his first start this season. Watson's presence should boost the fantasy outlook for all the Browns’ players.
