Fantasy Football Likes/Dislikes
In an effort to aid you in your lineup-setting endeavors, I’ll be providing a weekly glimpse into my rankings; meaning, I’ll be highlighting players I like or dislike more compared to the expert consensus rankings as listed on FantasyPros.com or who I simply like or dislike for that given week. My ranking at the time of the writing will be alongside the player’s name. Needless to say, that ranking will likely change as the week progresses. Bear in mind that I start this writing earlier in the week, so Expert Consensus Rankings will likely be different by the time of publication. These cannot be held against me – only used for credit. While I do acknowledge that kickers are people too, neither they nor D/STs will be included.
Finally, these cannot be held against me – only used to give credit when credit is due.
As always, feel free to reach me on Twitter for any queries before the slate and I’ll try to get back to you. *Note that half PPR scoring applies. Fantasy points allowed are gleaned from FF Today.
Week 13 Likes
TEN vs. CLE – QB5
Let’s see if Derrick Henry actually shares some of Tennessee’s success this week, eh? Although, Tannehill did vulture Henry on what would have been his fourth rushing touchdown in Week 13. Henry’s successes have placed a shadow upon Tannehill’s utterly impressive touchdown to interception ratio of 23 and 4, respectively. We can add two rushing touchdowns to that total, too. His nose for the end zone goes haywire at home where he has scored nearly 70% of his touchdowns. There is Top 10 potential here if, again, Henry doesn’t steal the whole show.
MIN vs. JAC – QB10
The fear in this matchup is that Dalvin Cook is fed early and often and doesn’t give Cousins and the passing game a good-enough chance to effectively produce. I’m still starting Cousins. Mike Zimmer may choose to ease Cook back into things after his scary ankle injury a week ago. Baker Mayfield carved up this Jaguars secondary for one of the better outings of his career. Cousins will be a Top 10 QB in my Week 13 book.
CHI vs. DET – RB7
It was a breath of fresh air seeing Montgomery run the way he did on Sunday night, albeit in a convincing defeat at the hands of the divisional rival Green Bay Packers. Montgomery needed a big game in a big way in what was a favorable matchup. He’ll have that again this week versus another division rival that allows running backs to gain yards and fantasy points at will. The Lions are the worst fantasy rush defense in terms of points per game allowed. I’m starting Montgomery as an RB1. Teammate Mitch Trubisky is a sneaky start, by the way.
IND @ HOU – RB18
Taylor has been activated from the Covid-19 list, so he should be good to go for Week 13. Annoyingly, Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins represent the thorn in Taylor’s side, although Taylor himself has not run well for the most part during his rookie campaign. Nevertheless, I want a piece of the Colts backfield in this gem of a matchup and he’s the piece with the highest ceiling.
IND @ HOU – WR35
This. Does. Not. Feel. Good. How Hilton found his way into my likes this late into the season is perturbing and disturbing. Nonetheless, he’s coming off a season-high 81 yards and actually scored for the first time in 2020. Not only that, he has some solid matchups in his future, including this week. Will it feel right? No. Will it feel comfortable? No. Still, I’m willing to plug in Hilton as a WR3 or flex in what could sprout into an AFC South shootout. He may very well be available on waivers if you’re needing a fill-in at wide receiver.
NYG @ SEA – WR34
The unfortunate reality we must face is that Daniel Jones is at risk of being sidelined due to a hamstring issue that forced him to exit Week 12’s contest. I don’t care if Colt McCoy is behind center; Shepard is the most reliable Giants pass-catcher. Odds are the Giants will be looking to pass early and often as they fall behind contra the gauntlet that is the Seahawks.
We can do worse than deploying Shepard as a WR3 or flex, particularly those of us who roster Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, Will Fuller, etc.
GB vs. PHI – TE7
The tight end position is a frustratingly fickle one. Travis Kelce is really the only one on which we can depend on a week-to-week basis as long as George Kittle is hurt. I’ll take my chances with Baby Kittle in Week 13, though.
Tonyan has scored in back-to-back contests while furthering his rapport with the man who deserves more MVP consideration. If the Eagles can keep this game close and force the Packers to keep a foot on the passing pedal then Tonyan’s numbers might be good enough for Top 5 at the position.
PIT vs. WAS – TE10
Would you be taken aback to learn that Eric Ebron is the TE4 over the last five weeks? That was before Wednesday afternoon’s contest. One might doubt the merit of that fact with the existence of Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool. Ebron has been targeted an average of 6.4 times in that span despite said talent surrounding him. He’s always a threat to score and has done so three times in his last four contests. He’s a Top 10 candidate in my eyes.
Week 13 Dislikes
DET @ CHI – QB22
All Matthias Stafford wants for Christmas is to have Kenny Golladay back. The transition of Matt Patricia – who was fired last week – to Darrell Bevell as interim head coach can only be beneficial for Stafford. Still, I want to see the progression first. If Golladay returns and a boost of confidence finds its way into Detroit’s huddle, I’ll reconsider my assessment of Stafford. For now, he’s on my bench.
NE @ LAC – QB18
I don’t care if it’s a good matchup on paper. Newton cannot be trusted. Joey Bosa just wreaked havoc on Josh Allen and Chris Harris Jr. has returned for the Chargers. Newton is the QB21 on the year as his touchdown to interception ratio (4 to 9) has been overshadowed by his nine rushing touchdowns.
He will be ranked well outside of my No. 1 fantasy quarterbacks as I prefer to start someone like Jared Goff against the Arizona Cardinals. Ryan Fitzpatrick could be preferential as well versus the Bengals if he starts again.
BUF @ SF – RB31
I can’t explain it, but I can’t bring myself to be pro-Singletary – not even after a decent stat line (for him) in Week 12. His 102 total yards were his highest of 2020, although counterpart Zack Moss has out-snapped him in consecutive weeks now. Given the respectable defense he faces and the fact that he is technically a backup now, I will likely be a little lower on him than the field.
AZ vs. LAR – RB32
Kenyan Drake is officially back. That fact was made crystal clear in Week 12 when he tallied 25 touches for 93 yards and two big ones. While that kind of volume isn’t guaranteed every time he touches the turf, it’s not what Edmonds backers want to see. Edmonds touches are trending south and the Rams boast a Top 5 fantasy defense versus the position. I’ll pass on the Cardinals’ backup running back this week.
CIN @ MIA – WR36
Higgins’ day was saved when he scored the only offensive touchdown of the game for Cincinnati. The bottom line is we can’t trust any Bengals to play up to par with Brandon Allen or Ryan Finley at the helm. Adding more discomfort to Higgins fantasy prospects is the possibility of a Xavien Howard shadow. I’ll be ranking Higgins lower than I want to.
CLE @ TEN – WR55
As an homage to the late Alex Trebek, I’m making it a Higgins daily double. Similar to the previously mentioned Higgins, this dislike is primarily due to quarterback play; the matchup is not one I frown upon. Higgins has not seen the target percentage we would have desired or anticipated since Odell Beckham was lost. Heavy doses of the running game and Jarvis Landry with sprinkles of Austin Hooper and a defense that holds its own are Cleveland’s recipe for success.
HOU vs. IND – TE19
Was anyone else excited to watch Akins face the Detroit Lions last week just to be let down by a measly four rushing yards? Watson missed him on at least one attempt in the end zone. To watch the Texans put up over 300 passing yards and four passing touchdowns and have Akins do nothing through the air was a big balloon pop. His opportunities may very well increase going forward with the suspension of Will Fuller. Nonetheless, I’m waiting a week as he plays one of the NFL’s stingiest tight end defenses.
BUF @ SF – Outside Top 25
There is a substantive chance that Knox was considered unstartable before last week and before he scored his first touchdown of 2020. He had – after all – not exceeded 36 yards in any game. He was only targeted once, though, and faces a 49ers defense that has yielded the second-fewest yards to tight ends (350).
Zach hails from the bustling metropolis of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Three things Zach enjoys are football, food and water. Three things Zach doesn’t enjoy are kale, mushrooms and the company of those who enjoy either (except hobbits). Zach is a life-long Broncos fan and has been playing fantasy football longer than he hasn’t. He had top-five finishes in FantasyPros’ 2016 NFL DFAC competition and the 2016 SFB480.
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