Featured Articles

From a budget perspective, it takes effort to fit in both Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen at over $7K each, but Kirk Cousins offers salary relief at only $6.2K. Without a doubt, this is a volatile strategy. It requires the perfect game conditions, but in a GPP, you’re shooting for scenarios that lead to 95th-percentile outcomes, which this game presents. Be sure to run it back with a Buccaneer to capture the full-on shootout upside.

At a $5.1K price, outside the top 25 at QB, Jalen Hurts doesn’t need to be flawless to return tournament-winning upside. If he does hit, this is the week to be on him before any price or ownership spikes. Jalen Reagor unquestionably has the most upside in the Philadelphia WR corps. Last week, we got a taste of the explosive rookie’s dynamism and 140.4 (98th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) Burst Score with the punt return TD.

The Chiefs are most vulnerable on the ground, so Myles Gaskin will find efficiency on his 20-plus touches this week. Even if the Dolphins do fall behind in the second half, he’s seen 37 (No. 21 among qualified running backs) targets for a 14.4-percent (No. 7) Target Share and has a 54.6-percent (No. 10) Route Participation mark. Gaskin is a bona fide Game Script-independent workhorse and should crush this week.

Jonathan Taylor faces a Raiders defense that ranks No. 31 in Defensive Rushing DVOA and just let Ty Johnson rack up 104 yards and a score on the ground. A $5800 price is still difficult to stomach in cash, but that will keep Taylor’s tournament ownership low. Most DFS gamers will be focused on the Derrick Henry and Austin Ekeler tier. Pivoting down to Taylor unlocks the Michael Thomas and Julio Jones tier of high-upside and underpriced WRs.

Ty Johnson is the priority add going into Wild Card week given his expected workhorse role and soft matchup against Seattle. Frank Gore will likely miss Week 14 due to a concussion, paving the way for another 20-plus touch week for Johnson. There is concern that Seattle rebounds this week and blows out the Jets, but regardless of Game Script, Johnson will get plenty of touches due to Adam Gase’s archaic play calling.

Keke Coutee emerged for a monster performance with 8 catches and 141 yards on 9 targets against the Colts. His increased usage will continue given that he is the secondary option in a high-octane passing game for a Texans offense that continues to project for negative Game Script. A Week 14 matchup against Chicago limits Coutee’s touchdown upside, but he still belongs in the Flex spot if you are thin on options.

After a one-week hiatus from appearing in the PPI rankings after five consecutive showings, D.K. Metcalf returns with a bang to claim the top spot. Through Week 12, Metcalf leads the league in Completed Air Yards with 763, and his 17.9 yards per receptions rank No. 6 among qualified wide receivers. His 112.1 Best Ball Points Added is the No. 3 mark.

Jalen Ramsey’s entrance into the PPI rankings makes him the first defensive player to accomplish the feat. Through Week 12, Ramsey averages 0.20 (No. 3 among qualified cornerbacks) Fantasy Pts Allowed Per Cover Snap. He has allowed one (No. 5) TD this season while holding opposing receivers to 8.1 (No. 9) Fantasy Points per Game.

Cam Akers is finally making a case to break the committee approach in Los Angeles and see more of a workload. The Florida State rookie’s Snap Share has been all over the place this season, but his 21 carries on Sunday to Darrell Henderson’s three and Malcolm Brown’s three was a huge step in the right direction. Akers will be pretty hands-off against a ferocious Patriots defense that just blanked the Chargers, but he needs to be started against the Jets and Seahawks in the final weeks of the season.

The highest-total game on the slate didn’t disappoint, but the vertical assault came from Baker Mayfield and not Ryan Tannehill. The Browns rematch with the Ravens next week in primetime (COVID-willing, of course). In Week 1, the Ravens crushed them 38-6. Expect Baker to keep the Browns upright this time, and stacking him with one of his under-priced receivers such as Rashard Higgins or Donovan Peoples-Jones will be a GPP-friendly strategy.

Josh Jacobs’ absence from Sunday’s game opens the door for Devontae Booker. For his part, Booker has been involved in about every game in some capacity. The 28-year old even has a couple of double-digit point games. However, this Sunday he’ll see the bulk of the workload and will pay dividends. In limited action this year, Booker averages 5.1 (No. 2 among qualified running backs) True Yards Per Carry and 5.6 (No. 10) Yards Per Touch.

With Mark Andrews out in Baltimore, the newly acquired Luke Willson has an opportunity. It might be a one week thing, but with Lamar Jackson returning to the lineup Willlllllson is sure to see work. Forget not the man’s profile, no matter how long he’s been away from relevancy. It is loaded with intrigue.

Coming off his best game of the season, T.Y. Hilton matches up with Phillip Gaines, the third-worst ranked cornerback on PlayerProfiler’s cornerback rankings. Hilton has back-to-back games with 70-plus Air Yards after totaling 73 from Weeks 6-10. It’s easier to convert Air Yards into receiving yards when Hilton is covered by a backup thrust into the starting lineup than it is against his Week 11 primary coverage, Jaire Alexander.

With 19 (No. 7 among qualified wide receivers) Deep Targets and a +10.2 (No. 23) Production Premium, fantasy football managers can be assured that the targets Tim Patrick receives produce quality fantasy football points. Charvarius Ward, his projected primary coverage for Week 13, struggles at preventing big plays. His 14.6 Yards Per Reception Allowed, 9.0 Yards Per Target Allowed, and 112.2 Passer Rating Allowed are outside the top-55 qualified cornerbacks.

Kareem Hunt’s opportunity numbers are inflated by the time that Nick Chubb spent on IR, but he has still received double digit carries in every game this year. The matchup against Tennessee’s lackluster defense is intriguing as well. They have given up an average of 1.56 points above expectation at the running back position this year. It is hard to trust a secondary back without stellar receiving volume at $6,300 in cash, but Hunt is a great upside play for tournaments.

David Montgomery ranks top 10 in Opportunity Share with a large sample of games played, yet is priced among secondary and part time backs. He has a true featured role in the Chicago offense. In a plus matchup against the Lions, Montgomery is a near lock in cash with his touch volume. He is still a risk in tournaments as it is hard to envision high boom potential for any player in a Mitchell Trubisky-led offense.

Devontae Booker has flashed consistent efficiency while also sporting elite explosiveness with a dominant college profile. Given what he’s shown this season and the state of the Raiders backfield, he will dominate touches against a lifeless Jets team. New York is more of a pass-funnel defense, but Las Vegas is an 8.5-point favorite. They’ll dominate Game Script and Booker will be involved throughout the game. He opens up salary on a tight slate and projects extremely well.

Denzel Mims’ signature breakout game is coming. The speedy rookie has now seen eight targets and over 100 Air Yards in three straight games. He also has a 26.4-percent (No. 9 among qualified wide receivers) Target Share and a 38.6-percent (No. 8) Air Yards Share despite only five career NFL games played. It’s been tough sledding for Mims against the Patriots, Chargers, and Dolphins over the last three weeks, but now he draws the Raiders.

Typically we stay away from bad teams in props or fantasy, but this week there are only a few strong games to play. In Week 13, Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman bring upper 90th-percentile Speed Scores up against a battered Las Vegas Raiders pass defense. Missing star safeties Johnathan Abram, and Lamarcus Joyner, and with both starting cornerbacks riding the injury report each of the last two weeks, expect Mims and Perriman to close in on 200 yards between them.

The Podfather’s Prop of the Week comes from Miami in Week 13, featuring the 2020 NFL Draft’s top two picks from the Dolphins and Bengals. Unfortunately, neither Tua Tagovailoa nor Joe Burrow will play on Sunday. Instead, we will see a battle between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Allen, where The Podfather sees the Dolphins defense putting the clamps on Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins.