Fantasy Football

The Minnesota Vikings are still in the playoff hunt and need a win to stay alive. Kirk Cousins has been accurate and productive, leading the league in Money Throws. He has pushed Justin Jefferson past the 1200 receiving yard mark already, and now supports K.J. Osborn in place of Adam Thielen. As always, Dalvin Cook dominates backfield touches and continues to smash through defenses.

The Chicago Bears are still a dumpster-fire, but a prettier looking one. Justin Fields is improving and showing a Konami skillset, but the only receiver he has made fantasy relevant has been Darnell Mooney. Allen Robinson sees a healthy Target Share, but hasn’t been able to convert on the opportunities. On the ground, David Montgomery looks to repeat his fantasy performance of 2020.

Through 13 games, Ja’Marr Chase leads all rookie wideouts in total receiving yards (1,035) and receiving yards per game (79.6). His 17.2 (No. 8 among qualified wide receivers) Fantasy Points per Game tops all rookie WRs and is 0.1 point higher than the mark achieved by former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson in 2020. The fifth overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft accrues 15.58 Lifetime Value points (the most of any WR this update) to move up to WR2 in dynasty.

Battling a hamstring strain for multiple weeks, DeAndre Hopkins will now miss the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury. Unsurprisingly, Hopkins hasn’t been the top 5 WR option in 2021 that fantasy gamers have grown accustomed to. He has averaged 14.7 (No. 21) Fantasy Points per Game, finishing as a WR1 just three times this season (Weeks 1, 6, and 7). Turning 30-years-old next June, Hopkins loses 32.02 Lifetime Value points and a dozen spots to fall to WR37.

How to lose a Tony Pollard rookie card. Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson cannot co-exist.

D.K. Metcalf is better off with Russell Wilson under center. Amon-Ra St. Brown is dominating D’Wayne Eskridge, Josh Palmer, and Amari Rodgers.

Although the Cowboys have recently struggled with the passing game, I would fire up all your Cowboys pass catchers, but temper expectations because this game is shaping up to be a lower scoring match up. With the low point total projected for the Giants offense, and the matchup problems they will face against the Dallas defense, this has all the makings of a game dominated by the Dallas running backs.

So is there a DFS dart throw available for the Giants? Sterling Shepard makes a strong case! He has a 131.2 (90th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) Burst Score, which is comparable to former Cowboy Dez Bryant. New York may be in a setting where they need to pass the ball playing from behind, so if a desperation play at wide receiver is needed, there is enough evidence to use Shepard.

Everything is still chugging along on the Najee Harris bandwagon. Harris ranks first among all running backs in Snap Share (85.9-percent), Opportunity Share (87.9-percent), and Weighted Opportunities (260). He’s No. 3 in carries with 237 of them, and second in targets with 75 on the season. When looking up workhorse in the dictionary, a picture of Harris shows up. You’ve ridden him this far; why stop now?

He isn’t Derrick Henry, but D’Onta Foreman has passed the test of filling his shoes. For the second consecutive game, Foreman led the way for the run-heaviest team in the NFL. Not only is he getting the majority of the work, but he’s been heavily utilized in the red zone as well, which is what every fantasy gamer yearns for from their running back. Everything is set up for Foreman to smash this week.

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.