Trashman’s Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 13

The fantasy playoffs are almost here! Here’s the fallout going into the final week of the fantasy regular season….

 

Colts – 17 @ Texans – 20

 

• Jonathan Williams(29/121/1) was the Colts’ bellcow, despite Jordan Wilkins being active. If Marlon Mack misses again, Williams will be a borderline RB1 against Tennessee. 

 

• Nyheim Hines(11/61) wasn’t useless though. He’s worth a deep league PPR flex if Mack sits again this week. 

 

• Eric Ebron is headed to I.R., requiring surgery on both ankles. Jack Doyle needs to be added in all formats. 

 

• The Texans played well all around, but they face New England this week, so downgrade all Texans involved. It seems unlikely that both Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins will both get shutdown, but keep your expectations low. The Pats may just lock down both of them and make the Texans beat them on the ground. 

 

Buccaneers – 35 @ Falcons – 22

 

• Ronald Jones(15/67/1) and Peyton Barber(11/32) had an almost even carry count again this week despite Jones getting 3 more targets. This is frustrating to say the least, but Jones is making the most of his opportunities. Barber will be a thorn in his siade all season as long as he’s healthy though.

 

• So much for Cameron Brate taking over the tight end position from O.J. Howard. Howard did only have 1 catch for 10 yards, but Brate fared even worse, not getting a target on the day. Arians just isn’t prioritizing his TEs, so neither one is worth owning. 

 

• Qadree Allison rendered the already useless Brian Hill even more so again this week by vulturing another goal line TD. Hill can be dropped in all but the deepest of formats, and Qadree, well, he’s as TD dependent as they come. Devonta Freeman started practicing again this week, so hopefully he gives it a go against New Orleans. If not, Allison is a desperation flex Thanksgiving night.

 

• Russell Gage(8/76) had his best game yet with Hooper and Freeman out, in addition to Julio Jones having a shoulder injury scare that took him out of the game for over a quarter. Gage makes for a low ceiling flex against the Saints this week. 

 

Broncos – 3 @ Bills – 20

 

• Brandon Allen is making news, but not in the way he’d probably like. He’s the first QB to throw for 82 yards or less on 25+ attempts since Charlie Whitehurst did it in 2014. Drew Lock is a… well, lock to take over as soon as he’s ready – which could be this week. 

 

• Frank Gore had 15 carries to Devin Singletary‘s 21, but I think that was likely due to Gore’s pursuit of 3rd place in the all-time rushing list – which he achieved – and to kill the clock with a safe lead over the Broncos. I don’t have much hope for him against Dallas this Thursday. 

 

• Cole Beasley(6/76/1) had his best game of the season on Sunday, and look for him to keep up the good work in a revenge narrative game against his former team this week. 

 

Giants – 14 @ Bears – 19

 

• Saquon Barkley obviously isn’t himself, but you can’t seriously sit him. His ineffectiveness in the run game, does open up some things in the passing game for other players though. Shepard, Tate and Slayton had 9, 7, and 7 targets a piece. Slayton is a high upside flex in deep leagues, even with Shepard back.

 

• Rookie TE Kaden Smith(5/17/1) wasn’t spectacular, but he did score in Evan Engram‘s absence. IF Engram sits again, he makes for a deep league flier this week against a Packers team that just got gashed by a TE, although it was George Kittle. 

 

• Mitch Trubisky wasn’t close to perfect, but he’s starting to improve in fantasy. He’s throwing the ball a lot more – he’s had 40+ attempts his last two games, and though he’s throwing more INTs, he’s also connecting more. He should be a middling streamer against a very beatable Lions secondary this week. 

 

• Anthony Miller(6/77) has 20 targets over his last two games. He could be a sneaky flex this week against the Lions. 

 

Steelers – 16 @ Bengals – 10

 

• A floundering Mason Rudolph was benched in the 3rd quarter for Devlin Hodges, who came in and threw for 118 yards and a TD. Hodges is nothing more than a game manager it seems, but he’s more capable than Rudolph. The change should stick.

 

• Benny Snell led the Steelers backfield in touches with 22 for 103 yards. Jaylen Samuels only had 5 on the day. James Conner should be back sooner than later, but Snell is worth adding just in case. Conner was actually my comp for Snell before the draft. 

 

• James Washington(3/98/1) led the Steelers in receiving and scored the 1 TD on the day. He seems to be a favorite of Hodges, so he’s worth a long look, especially if Juju sits this week. 

 

• The squeaky wheel got greased this week, after Tyler Boyd(5/101/9) complained in the media about not getting the ball enough after Week 11’s goose egg. Boyd has little upside in this offense, but he’s going to get plenty of looks this week against the Jets.

 

Dolphins – 24 @ Browns – 41

 

• Ryan Fitzpatrick(5/45/1) was Miami’s best runner on the day, which is horrifying but shouldn’t come as a surprise. Kalen Ballage(/713) can and should be dropped in all formats – though he’s still the starter, while Patrick Laird is worth a look in deeper formats. He only had 3 carries, but he averaged 6.7 yards. Myles Gaskin(4/10) even got in on the action.

 

• Allen Hurns(4/47/1) had a decent day on 7 targets, though his score came in garbage time. He played no.2 to DeVante Parker , as Jakeem Grant and Albert Wilson both went down to injury. He’s worth a deep league flex against Philly this week, if they sit. 

 

• All the Browns that matter for fantasy had a field day against the Dolphins, but don’t expect such productive fantasy days this week as they go up against a Steelers team that will want to avenge their loss from two weeks ago and their now backup QB’s head. David Njoku should be back though, so that should help their chances. 

 

Panthers – 31 @ Saints – 34

 

• Kyle Allen had his best game since Week 3 on Sunday, throwing 3 TDs and no INTs, after he’d thrown 9 picks over his last 4 games. He should be a middle of the road streamer against Washington this week. 

 

• Curtis Samuel gets targets, but so many of them are deep throws that just don’t connect. He had most of his yards on the ground on Sunday, and that’s not sustainable. He’s highly TD dependent under Kyle Allen, and Samuel can’t be counted on as we get into the playoffs.

 

• Latavius Murray(7/64/1) had a better day than Alvin Kamara on the ground, but most of his action came on an opening drive 26 yard score. I’m not chasing the numbers from Sunday into this week’s matchup with Atlanta, though he can still be flexed in deep leagues. 

 

• Jared Cook(6/99/1) bounced back after Week 11’s stinker to come in 2nd behind Michael Thomas in receiving for the Saints. He’s still unowned in 15% of leagues. 

 

Raiders – 3 @ Jets – 24

 

• The Raiders stunk up the place against the Jets on Sunday, and no offensive player was worth talking about. They face the Chiefs this week, who they only scored 10 points on week 2, so I’m not optimistic. I’m most concerned with Josh Jacobs, who gets neglected as the pass catching back whenever the Raiders fall behind. Hopefully they stay in it long enough for him to rack up some yards.

 

• Robby Anderson(4/86/1) finally got involved on Sunday, pacing the Jets in yards. It seems coach Adam Gase insisted on it. It’s about time. Unfortunately he’ll continue to be boom or bust as usual this week, though he’s up against the Bengals. 5 targets still isn’t enough, and Demaryius Thomas and Jamison Crowder won’t get just 7 targets between the two of them on most weeks. 

 

Lions – 16 @ Redskins – 19

 

• Jeff Driskel‘s mobility was the only thing keeping him fantasy relevant, and now that he’s dealing with a hamstring injury, he’s dead to me…fantasy wise. He’s also playing the Bears. Woe to Lions WRs this week. 

 

• Bo Scarbrough(18/98) is the only Lions player I feel anything good about going into Thanksgiving. The Bears have had some injuries to their run defense as of late, so he can still be useful for fantasy this week. 

 

• The Redskins are still stalled out on offense under Dwayne Haskins, but at least Terry McLaurin(5/72) is getting targets. Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson split touches at 11 a piece, so hopes of Guice making the backfield his are premature. It doesn’t help anyone’s cause that Chris Thompson will probably return this week. 

 

Jaguars – 20 @ Titans – 42

 

• Dede Westbrook(8/69) led the Jags in receiving, though Leonard Fournette had the most targets(12). Westbrook, Chris Conley, and D.J. Chark are all worth a shot against Tampa Bay this week. 

 

• A.J. Brown(4/135/1) is such a frustrating player to own, because you know he has all the talent in the world, but it’s impossible to know when it’s going to translate on the field, especially with a mediocre QB under center. With the way the Texans were able to get over on the Colts in the passing game this past week, he stands a good chance of putting up serviceable fantasy numbers, though Week 13 is probably not the week you want to have to rely on him.

 

Cowboys – 9 @ Patriots – 13

 

• Ezekiel Elliott(25/126), and possibly Randall Cobb(4/86), are the only fantasy Cowboys who worked for their paychecks on Sunday, but the Patriots don’t leave much room for error. The Cowboys get the Bills this week, and they can shut down the pass as well, so I’m wary of Amari Cooper, who probably get a healthy dose of Tre’Davious White. Michael Gallup should be ok.

 

• Sony Michel(20/85) had 20 carries on Sunday, in a rainy game in which the Pats were trying to hold the lead for most of the game. The script worked in his favor, and it might again this week, as the Pats face the Texans, a team that let the Colts run the ball all day. 

 

• Jakobi Meyers(4/74) and N’Keal Harry(1/10/1) had decent fantasy days, but their outlooks in Week 13 are murky with Phillip Dorsett and Mohamed Sanu likely to return to the lineup. 

 

Packers – 8 @ 49ers – 37

 

• Jamaal Williams(18/80) was the biggest surprise for the Packers on Sunday, catching 7 balls for 35 yards. He didn’t get a single reception the previous week. 

 

• Emmanuel Sanders seems useless with George Kittle and Deebo Samuel both on the field. Garopollo likes to keep things simple, so I don’t expect him to spread the ball around much. Sanders can’t be depended on going into the playoffs. 

 

• Raheem Mostert(5/77/1) had the best day on the ground for the 49ers, but most of it came in garbage time. Coleman(13/49/1) is still the back to own in San Fran. 

 

Seahawks – 17 @ Eagles – 9 

 

• Congrats to anyone who started Rashaad Penny(14/129/1) in DFS, as you probably won your tournaments – there probably weren’t many of you. Penny took over when Chris Carson fumbled twice on back to back plays in the second half and did an amazing job with his opportunity. Both players are worth flexing this week against Minnesota, but don’t be surprised if their upsides are capped. 

 

• Jay Ajayi had 6 carries to Miles Sanders‘ 12 against Seattle, and he did little with them(6/16). Jordan Howard should return this week, so Ajayi can be safely left on the waiver wire. 

 

• No Eagle pass catcher had fewer than 5 targets on the day, as Carson Wentz tried to spread the ball around. Zach Ertz(12/91/1) and Dallas Goedert(7/32) are the only ones to take with you into Week 13, unless Alshon Jeffery makes it back – and isn’t limited.