Fantasy Football

The Rams have had an up and down season and look to turn the tides in the NFC West. Matthew Stafford has been elite and has pushed Cooper Kupp to WR1 heights. Odell Beckham has fit right in and has even let Van Jefferson to maintain his role. The biggest surprise of this team has been Sony Michel, who is a top-15 play yet again with Darrell Henderson sidelined.

The Arizona Cardinals have the best record in the NFL. The defense is rolling, Kyler Murray looked electric in his return, and James Conner has been dominant in Chase Edmonds’s absence. DeAndre Hopkins, the only consistently reliable fantasy option at receiver, was eased in last week as he recovers from a groin injury. He looks to get back to normal usage this week.

Hard work is paying off for Diontae Johnson. Closing on 1,000 receiving yards for this first time in his NFL career, the Toledo product is enjoying a productive season. Get the ball in the hands of this dynamic talent and good things happen, as evidenced by 384 Yards After the Catch (No. 4). The 25-year-old ascends three spots to join the Top 10 receivers in dynasty (WR10).

Since returning from a single game absence due to a heel injury in Week 10, it’s been tough sledding for James Robinson. Prior to the Jags’ Week 7 bye, Robinson averaged a Snap Share of 73.9-percent. In the last four games, this is down to 54.5-percent of snaps in part due to being benched twice for fumbles. Robinson produced 14.7 Fantasy Points Per Game in 2021 (RB22), a dramatic drop from the 17.9 he’s delivered in 2020.

The rumors of Antonio Gibson’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. In the first eight weeks of the season, Gibson had two games with over 95 total yards. In the last four games, he has had three games with 95 yards or more. Since coming out of the Week 9 bye with reports of a stress fracture in his shin, Washington has gone with a conservative offense and heavy, hearty doses of the running game. We all can expect a strong performance from Gibson while they continue to use this conservative attack.

Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, and Amari Cooper are all must starts, and will very likely produce in one way or another in this game. While he’s been out for most of the year, Gallup recently returned and produced at a consistent level each game he has been a part of. He leads all Cowboys receivers, and is No. 7 in the NFL in Contested Catch Conversion Rate. Lamb and Cooper are incredible talents, and Gallup is emerging now that he has healed up.

With how much preseason hype was surrounding Elijah Moore, I have been surprised at how quiet his second half breakout has been in the fantasy world. Moore quickly became Zach Wilson’s go-to after returning from injury. Earning a target on 34-percent of his routes run over the past two weeks and leading the team in targets in that same time frame. Moore will look to get fed more as his competition for targets has shrunk with Corey Davis missing the remainder of the season. The schedule for the Jets doesn’t scare anyone as Moore will continue to break out and bring some boom weeks.

Javonte Williams is shaping up to be the quintessential league winning running back. The ultimate breakout took place in Week 13 with Melvin Gordon inactive. Williams was the No. 1 running back in fantasy on the week. Racking up 102 rushing yards on 23 carries and topping it off with six receptions on nine targets for an additional 76 yards and a touchdown. With Gordon banged up, the door is open for Williams to take over and smash his way through an attractive schedule.

Christian McCaffrey paid the ultimate price for becoming a bell cow.

Josh Palmer and Jalen Guyton are big play receivers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a win, but are a struggling team. Ben Roethlisberger can’t push the ball downfield and Najee Harris has been productive but inefficient. Big Ben’s play continues to drag the offense down, and only Diontae Johnson and Najee Harris are reliable assets.

The Minnesota Vikings are led by an under-appreciated quarterback, Kirk Cousins. Cousins has been pinpoint accurate and incredibly productive, propelling Justin Jefferson to another mind melting season. Without Adam Thielen, big boosts in opportunity will go to K.J. Osborn and Tyler Conklin. They’ll rely more on their stable running game to get the job done tonight.

Austin Ekeler did not play his best game last week, coughing the rock twice in what could have cost the Chargers the game. However, he still crushed for fantasy off the heels of another touchdown and five more receptions. Remember when Ekeler couldn’t score touchdowns? Me either. He’s already up to 15 (!!!) on the season. He has 45 red zone touches, which is No. 3 among running backs. This drastic change in usage around the goal line has transformed him into a league winner.

After registering three targets in his first two games of the season, Saquon Barkley has seen at least five in every other game. He just hauled in nine targets this last week after running 30 routes. The nine targets were the most he’s seen all season, and the 30 routes were tied for second on the team. His usage is elite, and he is set up to smash this week. The ride has been bumpy, but the payoff will come this week.

Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson are two upper echelon Konami QBs. Neither of these players are true “buy low” candidates, but their values have dipped recently. Both players are elite rushers and, while they aren’t the most efficient passers, they have the capability to explode through the air. Having an elite Konami QB is the key to winning championships, and this is your last chance to secure one.

Don’t look now, but Elijah Mitchell is a workhorse back. He’s received at least 25 touches in three straight games, and set a career high Snap Share in week 13. He has the athletic profile, he’s in the right offense, and he’s getting all of the carries. He’ll miss this week with a concussion, but after that it’s wheels up. Mitchell is a top five back for the rest of the season, and the season’s final buy of the week.

Jerry Jeudy draws a Lions team that just allowed 340 passing yards and yielded plenty of separation to Vikings receivers. The only Lions corner in the top-40 of PlayerProfiler’s CB Rankings, Amani Oruwariye, just allowed a monster day to Justin Jefferson. Detroit has allowed over 300 yards through the air in each of its last two games. Expect Jeudy to get the opportunity for a massive fantasy day this week.

Before an A+ matchup against the Jaguars, Matthew Stafford threw 5 interceptions with a completion rate below 64-percent in the three games prior combined. Stafford has shown signs of struggle against good defenses, especially in the second half of the season. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have limited opposing QBs to less than 250 passing yards in six of their last seven games. Be wary of a tough matchup this week for Stafford.

Kenny Gainwell has been in this article multiple times, but this time he could stick and actually be usable in deep formats for the fantasy playoffs. Miles Sanders injured his ankle and Gainwell stepped in to catch five passes and rush 12 times for 54 yards and a TD. This backfield is very much in flux, but I want to try and add as much Gainwell as possible with the hopes that the rookie can be a useful fantasy play after the bye.

If you need a Flex or WR3 this week, K.J. Osborn is one of the best options. Adam Thielen suffered a high ankle sprain and Osborn saw his highest number of snaps of the season with 70. If Thielen misses more than a week, Osborn could be a helpful player in the playoffs as an every-down player on a team with a narrow target tree.