Fantasy Football

Remember when the Chiefs stunk? It seems like forever ago, but now the re-juiced Kansas City defense is scorching hot. Patrick Mahomes is still struggling to put up fantasy points, but Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce have been revived. Finally, Clyde Edwards-Helaire looks to stay hot with his 4th straight top-24 RB performance.

The Chargers are surging and only one game back from the AFC West lead. Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler are red hot and have become one of the league’s best QB-RB combos. Keenan Allen has been having a phenomenal year, and returns to action this week coming off of the COVID-list. Finally, Mike Williams continues to try to work back to his elite early season production level.

In three games since returning from injury, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has 44 touches and 3 rushing touchdowns. While he is still splitting snaps with Darrell Williams, CEH has double-digit fantasy points and top-24 RB finishes each of his games back from injury return. The Chargers have allowed at least 100 yards rushing to opposing backfields in seven of their last nine games and allowed at least 4 receptions to opposing backfields in four of their last five.

So far this season, Miles Sanders has been an underwhelming fantasy player. The Football Team has allowed opposing backfields to rush for 100 yards in just two of their last seven games and ranks top-5 in the league in yards per carry allowed. While Washington is susceptible to RB receptions, Sanders entered week 14 with a 9.7-percent (No. 26 among qualifying RBs before Week 14) Target Share.

Pete Carroll promised that Rashaad Penny would be a big part of the game plan, and he certainly kept his word. Penny ran wild against The Texans with 137 yards rushing and two TDs. He played his best game as a pro and looked like a former first round pick. The competition gets a lot stronger with the Los Angeles Rams on tap this week, but Penny will get every chance at another high volume day.

Gabriel Davis played very well this past weekend at Tampa Bay. He caught a TD pass and converted a huge first down with effort and athleticism. He has now scored TDs in back-to-back games and should see even more snaps with Emmanuel Sanders now injured. Davis is a WR3 for me this week and can be used as a Flex play (monitor the Josh Allen injury).

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.