By the time this article comes out, it will officially be December!!! I start getting excited about Christmas on November 1st. By the time it hits December, Christmas Jumpers are a daily occurrence, and the festive spirit is in full swing! It is the business end of the fantasy football season and my favorite time of year! Win, win, win, as Michael Scott would say!
Week 12 produced a solid 75% hit rate for the start-sit advice!
Let’s hit a quick recap before we dive into this week’s picks!
Hits
Treylon Burks
Burks had a solid week, partly thanks to a fluke fumble recovery for a TD. All points count the same, though, so I will take it! Treylon did have four receptions on six targets for 70 yards to go along with his scoop and score. The arrow is certainly pointing up for the Titans’ rookie WR.
Rachaad White
White exceeded even my lofty expectations for him in week 12! He not only led the Bucs backfield with 14 rush attempts for 64 yards but more importantly, he was a perfect nine receptions on nine targets! Rachaad was RB9 on the week with 19.9 points! Fournette being out certainly helped, but I am sure many fantasy managers are dreaming of a White Christmas!
Brandin Cooks
Cooks had me worried for a good bit of his game! He managed to come through on an efficient five receptions on five targets for 59 yards. Nothing to write home about, but 11 PPR points certainly won’t sink you from a flex play.
Misses
Demarcus Robinson
It is always scary trying to trust Robinson. I played with the fantasy fires and got burned in week 12 with this pick. Robinson only managed one reception on four targets for a measly 17 yards against the Jags. Yuck! On top of that, he only played 60% of the snaps! I think a best ball league is the best place for Mr. Robinson for the time being!
The yearly tally now sits at 34-18. Frustratingly, I am still stuck on 65%! It is getting harder and harder to climb above it as the number of picks keeps compiling deeper into the season we go! Nevertheless, onwards and upwards towards the holy grail of a 70+% mark!
If you are new here, I am picking WRs outside the top 36 and RBs outside the top 24 for your weekly flex consideration. This is based on the weekly FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings, and the scoring is PPR.
Week 13
Nico Collins HOU WR42 FantasyPros Expert Consensus ⬆️
Starting any Texans receiver feels a lot like playing Russian Roulette most weeks; you hope to survive, but you probably need a change of shorts afterward, regardless. Deshaun Watson is coming to Houston for his first game back from suspension this week. The assumption is that the Browns will handle this game fairly comfortably.
This may be true, but I think it seems like a perfect recipe to let Kyle Allen “cook,” too. He threw the ball 39 times in last week’s loss to the Dolphins, and Collins received nine of those targets. The Browns have given up the fifth most fantasy points in the last five weeks to the outside WR. Collins may not have a blowup game, but he could be a solid flex play in week 13.
Drake London ATL WR40 FantasyPros Expert Consensus ⬇️
This one hurts my heart. I hope I miss this call. Drake London’s talent is certainly not the issue. I just do NOT trust Arthur Smith to utilize him at ALL. Drake has only broken ten PPR points once in the last nine game weeks…that is awful. He also has not broken 50 receiving yards in nine weeks as well. Pittsburgh is not a particularly juicy matchup, and without the volume, Drake remains a completely TD-dependent shot in the dark flex play.
Brian Robinson Jr. WAS RB29 FantasyPros Expert Consensus ⬆️
I am playing with fire here. BRob has burned me before in this very series. The siren’s song of last week’s RB5 performance is appealing; I will grant you. What is pushing me in this direction even more is the fact that Antonio Gibson is dealing with a foot injury. After being limited in Wednesday’s practice, Gibson completely sat out Thursday.
The Giants are not an overly intimidating run defense, and we know Rivera loves to establish the run. I think I will roll the dice one last time with Riverboat Ron and trust my luck for a good flex play!
Zonovan “Bam” Knight NYJ RB35 FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rank ⬆️
I had given up on the hope of seeing Bam this year. Then low and behold, week 12 happened! Not only did Knight play, but he also set an all-time Jets record with the most all-purpose yards by a player in their NFL debut!
The Minnesota Vikings are 11th in points allowed to the RB position in the last five weeks, so they are not an overly daunting opponent. Add the fact that James Robinson was a healthy scratch last week, and Michael Carter is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury, and I think you can risk it for the proverbial biscuit in week 13.
Jaylen Warren PIT RB58 FantasyPros Expert Consensus ⬆️
I am heading back to the well with this pick. I had Warren in the article the week he got injured and missed the entire game. If you didn’t read that week’s article, the gist is Warren is #good, and he is a #fun story to root for! He has been a full participant in practice this week, and Najee has a pretty solid chance of missing due to an abdominal injury.
The Atlanta Falcons have given up the fourth most fantasy points to the RB position over the last five weeks. The matchup is juicy, and the opportunity should be there. If Najee sits, I am ok with flexing Warren in deeper leagues!
Conclusion
As the old saying goes, go big or go home! There are some bold calls in there this week, but hopefully, they pay off for you!
If you want to chat about fantasy football, you can catch me on Twitter @FFEvanlution or check out my podcast Dynasty Debates (@DynastyDebates) on all major podcast platforms!
Good luck this week!
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