Here we are, friends. The very last week of the fantasy football regular season for most leagues! This season has been an absolute whirlwind of injuries, breakouts, upsets, and overall chaos…I love it!!! This time of the year, I tend to get slightly more philosophical and whimsical with my approach to fantasy football and life. It is a magical time when the end of the year is fast approaching, fantasy playoffs are beginning, Christmas is in the air, and every win is crucial. If you are still reading this article, I can only assume you are still in the hunt for the playoffs and, ultimately, a championship. I salute you!
Last week we had our usual fill of good, bad, and ugly. Let’s quickly recap the week 13 picks before we jump into the Christmas Bye-pocalypse.
Hits
Nico Collins, WR HOU
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but we got there in the end. Thanks in large part to a TD when the Texans were already well on their way to another L. Nico had ten targets but only three receptions for 35 yards and a score. He is now banged up, and with the Texans playing the Cowboys, he is probably not a solid start this week.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB WAC
BRob had himself a nice little outing in week 13. He “commanded” the Washington backfield (see what I did there) and managed 96 yards on 21 rush attempts. He also contributed two receptions for 15 yards. Sadly, no TDs were scored by the big man, but it was still enough for a healthy 13.1 fantasy points if you had him in the starting lineup.
Zonovan Knight, RB NYJ
Bam had a great week 13, almost TOO great (speaking as a Vikings fan). He dominated the RB touches for NY and put in a 90-yard performance on 15 attempts. Knight also converted a perfect five receptions on five targets for 28 yards. He produced 16.8 fantasy points, also known as RB11, on the week! Pretty good!
Misses
Drake London, WR ATL
I did say I hoped I was wrong with this call, and I was. It seems as though Arthur Smith had a come to Jesus moment and realized he has a superstar rookie WR that he should feature in his struggling offense. Who would have thought?! London had six receptions on 12 targets for 95 yards, and I love it!
I regret suggesting sitting him, but I still think it was the right call at the time. Hopefully, this is a sign of a brighter future for Drake managers.
I wrote up Jaylen Warren last week but said I would only plug him in if Najee sat. Harris played, so sadly, it was not Jaylen Warren SZN. I haven’t included him in the list, but I did want to mention him for full disclosure.
On the season, the tally stands at 37-19 for weekly calls. As it stands, I am on a 66% hit rate going into week 14. It won’t be easy to get to that magical 70+% rate I have been aiming for, but it is the season for Christmas magic! Let’s keep our fingers crossed and shoot for the stars!
As a refresher, I am choosing WRs outside the top 36 and RBs outside the top 24 according to FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rank on the week. I am using full PPR as the scoring setting.
Week 14
James Cook BUF RB25 FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rank ⬆️
Cook burned me last week, I benched him after a tough week 12 outing, and he naturally went off against the Patriots on Thursday Night Football. He had an almost even split of the backfield with Devin Singletary in week 13. Cook played 43% of snaps to Singletary’s 44%. James had 14 rush attempts to Devin’s 13, and even more importantly, he out-targeted Singeltary six to two.
The Jets are a fairly stout run defense, but the Bills have one of the most powerful offenses in the league. Also, in the last six weeks, the Jets are giving up the tied most receiving yards to the RB position, which is where I am hoping that Cook will make his biggest impact.
Michael Gallup DAL WR36 FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rank ⬇️
Gallup had a fantastic outing in Week 13, so it probably seems counterintuitive to look to avoid plugging him into your lineup in Week 14. The main reason is because of the matchup. The poor Houston Texans are locked into the first overall pick in 2023, and things aren’t getting any better. Brandin Cooks missed last week, and now Nico Collins is missing practice reps this week.
If both their top two receiving options are missing, things could get ugly fast for Lovie Smith’s Texans. I don’t expect Dallas to need to pass the ball much at all. They will rely on their defense and run game to pummel their Texas compatriots. For reference, the Texans are giving up the most rush yards and rush attempts per game over the last six weeks.
DJ Chark Jr. DET WR41 FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rank ⬆️
Few are more excited than I am about the long-term implications of a healthy Jameson Williams on the Detroit Lions. However, I don’t think he is ready to take the world by storm. Chark played 84% of the snaps last week and had six targets. He was the second-most targeted WR and played the second-most snaps at WR for the Lions.
As a Vikings fan, I can personally attest to how miserably abysmal our secondary is this year. We take the season of giving to new lengths regarding fantasy points to the opposing team’s WRs. We have been given up the most fantasy points per game, most receiving yards, and most receptions per game to fantasy WRs over the last six weeks. Chark should be a sneaky flex play in week 14.
Corey Davis NYJ WR43 FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rank ⬆️
Davis enjoyed a joint season-high ten targets last Sunday against my beloved Vikings. He also played the second most snaps of any Jets WR at 81%, only behind Garrett Wilson. Mike White being under center is certainly a good thing for the Jets’ players’ fantasy values.
Surprisingly, the Buffalo Bills aren’t the worst matchup for a fantasy WR this season. Over the past six weeks, the Bills are top ten for fantasy points allowed to the WR, receptions, and receiving yards per game! If the Jets want to compete, they will need to throw the ball, so the volume should be there!
Kareem Hunt CLE RB32 FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rank ⬆️
It feels very odd being able to write up players like Hunt in a flex article. There is no denying that he has been incredibly disappointing though this season. That being said, he did have his most productive outing last week against the Texans since week 8 when he played the Cincinnati Bengals.
This week he gets to play; wait for it, the Cincinnati Bengals! Cincinnati has been the fourth-best matchup for fantasy points to the RB position over the last six weeks. There is a chance for Hunt to do some damage on the ground while Deshaun Watson continues to find his feet after a two-year absence from competitive football.
Conclusion
With the Christmas Bye-pocalypse upon us, it is even more challenging than usual to find some decent options that are outside the top 36 or 24 at their position. I hope these guys serve you well and you all get into those glorious fantasy playoffs we all quest after!
If you want to chat about anything fantasy football, you can find me on Twitter @FFEvanlution, or you can check out my podcast Dynasty Debates (@DynastyDebates) on all major podcast listening platforms!
Good luck this weekend!
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