NFL

Michael Thomas’ absences aren’t anything new this year. However, to lose him at playoff time when Drew Brees is returning is disheartening. Making matters worse, he appears set for IR, which would take him out for next week’s fantasy championship matches as well. With Marquez Callaway on the reserve himself, fantasy managers should again look to Tre’Quan Smith.

Myles Gaskin appears set to miss another week, which momentarily puts DeAndre Washington once again in the starters seat. Yuck. There is a chance, however, that one of the other Miami backs may return. As for Ronald Jones, he’ll miss Sunday’s game and Leonard Fournette will lead the charge in relief. Rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn has yet to make a significant impact this season, but this Sunday may be as good a chance as any.

Entering his age-31 season next year, Mark Ingram is likely to be a cap casualty with the Ravens on the hook for just $1.33 million of his $6.33 2021 cap hit. That means they save $5 million releasing him, which makes sense with J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards in the tuck. With Todd Gurley’s contract set to expire, the Falcons appear to have an opening. Ingram ran for over 1,000 yards in 2019 and might have enough juice for one last squeeze, being that he’s toted the rock just 63 times in 2020.

The Lions would save $14 million releasing Matthew Stafford. Staring down a rebuild, it’s a coin flip if he returns to the team in 2021. With a better-than-appears roster, Stafford’s worth the dart throw in what’s set to be John Elway’s final year under contract as Broncos General Manager. A healthy Broncos team in 2021 is a dark-horse playoff contender.

Throughout the entire season, James Robinson has received the RB1 workload that fantasy managers drool over. His rookie year efficiency has been mind-blowing despite a 73.7 (No. 37 among qualified running backs) Run Blocking Efficiency mark. He checks all of the boxes we look for. Assuming he continues to receive the volume while also maintaining the production and efficiency, he likely ranks as an RB1 in redraft leagues heading into 2021.

Jonathan Taylor’s opportunity and production have trended up over his past three games. During that stretch, he averaged 21.3 total touches and 138 total yards with nine targets and three touchdowns. If he keeps producing to finish off the year, then expect his 2021 ADP to rise or hover in the same range as 2020. With his talent, season-long production, and efficiency, he should rank as a high-end RB2 or back end RB1 heading into 2021.

Chad Hansen, unknown to the masses before last week, remains an intriguing waiver wire target for playoff-eligible teams. Given his consistent usage over the past two games, he looks locked into the tertiary role in Houston’s passing game at the least. He also deserves consideration in deeper dynasty leagues, but faces an uncertain path to a meaningful future role. Keke Coutee’s role is secure with Randall Cobb out, but his Target Share fluctuation makes him harder to trust.

Drops are a concern for any receiver, but they’re amplified for Diontae Johnson given the abundance of talent in the Steelers receiving corps. It’s doubtful he falls out of favor with coach Mike Tomlin, but a bounce back performance in Week 15 would help. He draws a beatable Bengals secondary, so roll him out in the fantasy semis. In Week 10 against Cincinnati, he caught six passes for 116 yards and score, finishing as the WR5.

Regardless of the status of Houston’s banged up receivers, the name to watch here is Chad Hansen. Remember that guy? In Week 13, the 25-year old caught five of seven targets for 101 yards and a touchdown. The former fourth round pick also boasts a compelling player profile, featuring a 10.87 (88th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) Agility Score and a 10.16 (77th-percentile) Catch Radius. The guy is worth a dart throw in DFS and a stash on dynasty rosters.

It’s a shame Myles Gaskin will sit this Sunday out; there is an opportunity to shine. The Chiefs run defense is towards the bottom of the league, and Miami’s is good enough to slow the Patrick Mahomes led offense. In relief, DeAndre Washington steps in to face his former squad. His player profiler draws some intrigue, but nothing of consequence has ever come from his play.

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.

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.

With the opportunity he’s seen, Justin Jefferson rocks a +43.2 (No. 3 among qualified wide receivers) Production Premium, 12.8 (No. 1) Yards per Target, and 0.57 (No. 6) Fantasy Points per Route Run. Kirk Cousins also ranks highly in the efficiency metrics with a +30.0 (No. 2) Production Premium and 8.6 (No. 2) Yards per Attempt. With the increased passing volume paired with the continued efficiency, it provides reasons for optimism for Jefferson as a locked-in WR2 moving forward.

Jerry Jeudy ranks No. 77 with a -17.8 Production Premium, which makes sense when we consider the opportunities, production, and efficiency. Although he lacks efficiency, his opportunities have trended up over the past five games. Overall, Jeudy’s production moving forward relies on volume moreso than efficiency, and Drew Lock’s inefficiencies negatively impact Jeudy’s productivity.

With exposure to COVID-19 rendering their entire quarterback depth chart useless, the Broncos had to get creative. Enter rookie Kendall Hinton, the former Wake Forest quarterback who converted to wide receiver his senior season. Thrown into the fire in an impossible spot, Hinton…played quarterback. Sort of. That is, if throwing more interceptions than completions qualifies as playing quarterback.

Can we petition to get Allen Robinson out of Chicago and on a team with a real quarterback? He’s a WR1 this season and continues to be an undervalued dynasty asset. However, the Bears have no one behind Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles, which makes for a bleak outlook. But Robinson becomes an unrestricted free agent and needs to make his escape from Chicago for his age-28 season.

Perhaps the biggest news of this list of players who will miss Week 12 due to injury is Todd Gurley. While he isn’t the same running back these days, he’s been solid for fantasy purposes. Brian Hill will assume lead duties in Gurley’s stead, and there’s plenty of reason to believe in him this week.

Tevin Coleman may be out in San Francisco, but Raheem Mostert was activated from the injured reserve, as was Jeff Wilson. There’s a good chance the pair hits the field this Sunday for the 49ers; Mostert would be a welcome sight for this offense. Matt Breida looks to be the starter against the Jets with Salvon Ahmed out and Myles Gaskin a week away from returning. Throw him in those DFS lineups.