Week 13 Loves & Hates
Loves
QBs
Derek Carr (Raiders)- So last week versus the Falcons was something else. What was supposed to be a great start for Carr turned into an absolute nightmare. However, the Falcons were sneakily becoming a better defense. This week should be a good rebound chance for the Raiders as a whole. The Jets have been consistently bad against QBs all year and I expect an embarrassed Raiders team to come out hot. Over the course of the season the Jets have allowed 3207 yards and 21 touchdowns, and over the past four weeks they have not forced a single interception. With a great matchup for the Raiders WRs and TEs, (both rank 27th on the year) I have some faith that this Carr gets back on the road.
Kirk Cousins (Vikings)- One of the most inspirational QBs in the league, obviously I’m joking, should have a solid day with this Jaguars defense. The Jags have been pretty poor overall on defense, with some minor improvements against RBs and TEs in the past four weeks. Cousins gets the chance to throw all over this defense that has given up 3126 and 23 TDs so far this season, and over the past four weeks 1131 and 8 TDs. With the receiver group back at full strength, Cousins should be able to participate in this game rather than have it be all on Dalvin Cook’s shoulders.
RBs
David Montgomery (Bears)- After being one of the only bright spots last week against the Packers, even with it being from garbage time touches, Montgomery gets another easy game with the worst ranked team against RBs. The Lions this season have been absolutely atrocious against RBs and have allowed the most TDs (21), combining rushing and receiving. And over the past four weeks they still rank 32nd and have allowed 475 yards, 6 rushing TDs and 198 receiving yards and 3 receiving TDs. With Montgomery being a great runner and receiver he should be able to have a field day.
Jonathan Taylor (Colts)- Although the Texans are not the worst defense against RBs, they are the second worst. With the Texans allowing the most rushing yards and tied for the most rushing TDs (14), it seems like a great opportunity for Taylor. With the brief stint Taylor had on the COVID reserve list, maybe he will be fresh and maybe, just maybe, this Colts offensive staff will finally figure out how to utilize him. However, with all this said the Colts will feature Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines. Just kidding, or at least I hope I am.
WRs
Justin Jefferson/Adam Thielen (Vikings)- With this dynamic duo back on the field together the Vikings should spread the ball around. The Jags have been ranked towards the bottom this whole season (25th) as they have given up 2059 receiving yards, 152 receptions, and 12 TDs to WRs, with half of these touchdowns coming in the last four weeks alone. Hopefully this is a game where the Jaguars do their best to slow down Cook and allow Jefferson and Thielen to take over. If I were to choose one of the two WRs, I would lean towards Thielen as he currently leads the Vikings WRs with 11 TDs.
DeVante Parker (Dolphins)- Although the Bengals have been a decent defense this season against WRs (20th), they have stumbled in recent weeks. The Bengals have dropped six spots to become the 26th ranked team. During the last four weeks, they have allowed 46 receptions for 518 yards, and 5 TDs. The Bengals haven’t been the worst but they have been vulnerable. With Ryan Fitzpatrick back at QB for the Dolphins Parker saw a season high 14 targets and yards 119. It is clear that Fitzpatrick will do anything to pepper Parker with targets and that is reassuring, since he seemed to fade into the abyss with Tua Tagovailoa as the QB. So with a solid matchup, and Tua most likely sidelined for Fitzpatrick, Parker should again see a good amount of targets.
TEs
Darren Waller (Raiders)- As I stated above, the Jets have been pretty bad against TEs, and with Waller getting them this week, he is a must start. This Jets team has given up the most TDs to TEs (9). With Waller’s ability as a matchup nightmare, and the Jets being push overs we should see a rebound this week. Over the past four weeks the Jets have provided TEs with 12 receptions for 115 yards and 3 TDs. Although the yardages are not there, the redzone touches and TDs together make this a strong choice.
Evan Engram (Giants)- With the Daniel Jones out for some time we get to see Colt McCoy take over, what a thrill. I think this means players like Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard take a bit of a hit to their numbers, but I think this change benefits Engram. With Engram’s athleticism and after the catch ability, we could see McCoy force feed targets his way. Add on top of that a pretty good matchup with the Seahawks and we might be onto something. The Seahawks have been a solid defense against TEs this season, but as of recently they have stumbled. In the last four weeks they have allowed 19 receptions for 249 yards and 4 TDs, which happens to be the most given up in that time.
D/ST
Dolphins- There were a couple of teams I wanted to select here, such as the Packers, Chiefs, and Bears, but I opted for the Dolphins. With Brandon Allen under center for the Bengals I just don’t see how this team can do much on offense. They relied on a return TD last week and a late passing TD to Tee Higgins, but other than that the offense did not look great. With the Bengals allowing 10 sacks, and giving up 2 Ints and 5 fumbles in the last 4 weeks, I think there is plenty of chances for an opportunistic defense like the Dolphins.
Hates
QB
Kyler Murray (Cardinals)- After being stifled last week against a good Patriots defense, Murray has to face an even tougher Rams defense. With a fierce front seven and better DBs I think its another okay week for Murray. With the Rams only allowing 10.21 fantasy points to QBs, and forcing 5 Ints, Murray needs to be careful with his throws, as he has been prone to throwing Ints.
RB
Antonio Gibson (Washington Football Team)- This one here hurts me, I have been a big proponent of playing him no matter what, but this is a tough ask this week. This week the Washington Football Team gets the Steelers, who have been one of the League’s top defenses, particularly against RBs. Over the past four weeks the Steelers have only allowed 15.25 fantasy points to RBs, as they have only allowed 326 yards and 1 TD over that time.
WR
DeAndre Hopkins (Cardinals)- As I stated in the Murray write up, the Patriots defense is not as good as this Rams defense, and these corners for the Rams are strong. From the reports this week, it seems as if Jalen Ramsey will be shadowing Hopkins and this will be another tough challenge. With how well Ramsey has been against bigger more physical receivers. I think we could expect another outing from Hopkins similar to what he did last week.
TE
Hayden Hurst (Falcons)- Hurst has been a strong contributor for the Falcons this year, and for the most part he hasn’t disappointed. This game against the Saints looks to be his hardest yet. The Saints over the course of the year rank 14th and have given up 49 receptions for 492 yards and 6 TDs. However, over the last 4 weeks the Saints have become the best team against TEs. Over this span the Saints have only allowed 8 receptions and 99 yards. I would look to another TE option for this week.
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