Sunday Week 12 was thrilling for some of you and heartbreaking for
others. A few others have everything
riding on tonight’s game. Wherever you
stand, we can’t leave Sunday behind quite yet.
Let’s look at the most notable fantasy storyline for each team:
Cardinals – This was a great matchup for Carson Palmer, and as expected
he came through. But is remaining
schedule includes tough road games against Miami and Seattle and favorable ones
against Washington and New Orleans. Even
the favorable games should make managers wary of inserting him in their
lineups.
Falcons – Taylor Gabriel has now scored in four straight games. His rise comes at the expense of Julio Jones
and Mohamed Sanu. I’ve been a
nonbeliever, even heading into Sunday. I
still can’t trust him, likely at my own expense.
49ers – It was odd when I suggested Colin Kaepernick was relevant this
preseason and when he took over for Blaine Gabbert. He’s now been terrific in four straight games
and has very favorable matchups these next three weeks.
Dolphins – It’s amazing what an improved running game and healthy
receivers can do. Ryan Tannehill’s
rebound this season was helped along by Arian Foster retiring and DeVante
Parker being declared 100%. It’s a
reminder that QB play can change on a dime—and often for predictable reasons.
Rams – Jared Goff threw for three TDs, which wouldn’t be notable from a
fantasy perspective if he didn’t have two fantastic home matchups in weeks 14
(Falcons) and 16 (49ers). I’ve moved him
up sharply on my player value spreadsheet.
Saints – We could talk about any of 7-8 players. The most interesting one is Mark Ingram, who
was benched less than a month ago. He’s
every bit the RB1 many of us expected this preseason.
Giants – Rashad Jennings dominated backfield touches yet again. Though his output wasn’t even on the RB3
radar, those hoping Paul Perkins takes over this backfield—barring a Jennings
injury—need to look elsewhere for the fantasy playoffs.
Browns – As Isaiah Crowell has slumped on the ground, his usage in the
air has increased. Sunday he had a
season-high six receptions on seven targets, making up for his continually
abysmal running game. I’ve gotten Duke
Johnson wrong two straight weeks, believing he would dominate through the
air. As a result, Crowell is pulling a
Todd Gurley and remaining fantasy relevant despite the poor YPC.
Chargers – Tyrell Williams suffered a shoulder injury; as of Sunday
night, it wasn’t clear how serious it is.
With Travis Benjamin already ailing, Dontrelle Inman’s value could
spike.
Texans – Lamar Miller injured his ankle. Akeem Hunt and/or Jonathan Grimes would pick
up the slack if it’s enough to keep Houston’s franchise RB sidelined. Oh, and Brock Osweiler hit rock bottom. But that’s not surprising.
Bengals – Jeremy Hill took on the Gio Bernard role, catching six passes
for 61 balls to make up for a putrid rushing attack. It keeps Hill in the low-end RB1 conversation
in what will be easier matchups going forward.
Ravens – Kenneth Dixon out-snapped and marginally outplayed Terrance
West. This has been a trend for a while,
and Sunday it turned a corner. Dixon is
almost officially the 1A to West’s 1B in Baltimore.
Jaguars – T.J. Yeldon wasn’t 100% Sunday and Chris Ivory left early
with a hamstring injury. One of these
two could be the primary RB next week—or it could fall to Denard Robinson. The remaining schedule is brutal, so it might
not matter.
Bills – Sammy Watkins got it done on only three targets. Imagine what he’ll do when he really gets
going. Those who added him a few weeks
ago are loving this.
Titans – Derrick Henry outperformed DeMarco Murray. This site has been pushing Henry for some
time. It’s a situation to monitor this
week.
Seahawks – Seattle didn’t look like a playoff team. Not even close. And Thomas Rawls earned only 12 carries. Next week he’ll find more running room at
home against Carolina. That should be a
good indicator of whether he’ll help fantasy playoff teams.
Buccaneers – I never get tired of writing about Mike Evans. And most weeks he’s the only Buc worth
writing about (although my earlier dismissiveness of Cameron Brate proved to be
naïve).
Panthers – Two catches for Kelvin Benjamin. Two catches for Devin Funchess. That sums up what has been a disappointing
season for one and a full regression season for the other.
Raiders – Michael Crabtree shook off an ankle injury to lead Oakland in
receiving and reassert himself as a top 15 WR.
Patriots – Dion Lewis got 13 looks, three more than James White. And Lewis did a bit more with them. Look for Lewis to get a strong hold on the
complementary RB role next week.
Jets – Brandon Marshall finally got going. So a strong finish to the season is about 5%
more possible.
Chiefs – Tyreke Hill did it all yesterday, scoring three times in three
different ways (rushing, receiving, and special teams). Jeremy Maclin’s injury opened the door for the
introduction of another in a long history of out-of-nowhere fantasy stars.
Broncos – What a game for Emmanuel Sanders. He’s now leading Denver in receptions and
receiving yards. But the more
interesting story is that Devontae Booker continued to dominate touches over
Kapri Bibbs (25 to 9). Despite running
poorly (3.3 YPC), he’s at no risk of losing touches with Bibbs running even
worse (2.4 YPC).