Congrats to those who are playoff bound. My condolences to those who fell short. And good luck to those whose seasons come down to tonight. And now, it's time for the Monday morning rundown.
Vikings -- Another week, another 2-TD performance for Case Keenum, who's got 12 scores in his past five games--four of which were on the road. Although Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen didn't benefit, they'll be fine going forward. And ignore head coast Mike Zimmer's threat to re-evaluate his starting QB every week. He'd be a fool to throw Teddy Bridgewater into the mix with the Vikings rolling.
Falcons -- Atlanta's loss pushes them dangerously close to missing out on the playoffs, particularly when you look at their remaining schedule. The most notable fantasy news was Devonta Freeman, who outperformed each of his teammates and reasserted himself as the team's lead back after a three-week absence.
Patriots -- James White has been almost unstartable in each of the past four weeks, paving the way for Dion Lewis (300+ yards) and Rex Burkhead (five TDs) to dominate during this stretch. While Bill Belichick could shift gears at any time, the former four-person backfield committee currently consists of only two people.
Bills -- I was painfully wrong about Tyrod Taylor, who endured almost the exact same statistical performance that we saw Week 10, which led to his benching. While we don't know how serious his knee injury is, presumably Nathan Peterman will start Week 14, and presumably no receiver will be startable in fantasy.
49ers -- Marquise Goodwin, folks. Been hyping him for weeks. And he's still available in 85% of ESPN leagues.
Bears -- Jordan Howard was one of my biggest bombs of Week 13. He has only one TD in his last eight games and could be unstartable next week in Cincinnati.
Broncos -- Earlier this week I suggest putting the breaks on the Devontae Booker hype, writing that this was still C.J. Anderson's backfield (http://www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com/2017/11/latest-nfl-news.html). Anderson has a great schedule to close out the season and will continue to be in the RB2/3 mix.
Dolphins -- Kenny Stills is now a top 20 WR PPR. And he's available in 55% of ESPN leagues. Insane. And as many of you know, I was all in on Kenyan Drake yesterday morning despite the tough matchup. As I've written a half-dozen times or more, he's the real deal.
Buccaneers -- Peyton Barber made Doug Martin looks like Andre Williams. While Barber can't be expected to duplicate this performance this year, there aren't many good reasons for anyone to hold onto Martin.
Packers -- I was bullish about Jamaal Williams despite Aaron Jones's return. After looking fairly good against Chicago, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, he looked like a bell-cow against Tampa Bay.
Texans -- Lamar Miller now has only three RB1 performances in 12 games. Yet he's posting low-end RB1 numbers on the season. He's got one more shot this fantasy season to put it all together, and it'll happen next week against the Niners.
Titans -- Delanie Walker now has six straight TE1 performances and has scored in each game Rashard Matthews has missed. Jonnu Smith will have to wait at least a year.
Chiefs -- I rearranged my DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week after getting hit with a strong sense that Travis Kelce would go off. It took less than five minutes for him to rack up 90 yards and two TDs. Only six of us dared to rank him #1 among fantasy TEs this preseason--including my old friend Chris Heil. He now has more points than LeSean McCoy and the same production as Julio Jones.
Jets -- Robby Anderson has to be one of the great fantasy stories of 2017.
Colts -- Marlon Mack is up to 4.0 YPC on the season. He'll be a great lottery ticket next year if Frank Gore returns, and a top 25 RB if Gore retires.
Jaguars -- Blake Bortles leap-frogged four QBs yesterday and is now the 14th highest scorer at his position. As one or two of you might recall, one of my preseason unconventional predictions was that Bortles (QB-22 ADP) would be a top 14 QB. Seemed crazy at the time, but it just might happen.
Lions -- I benched Marvin Jones for Marqise Lee. Fairly outrageous given Jones's recent dominance. But it worked out. As expected, Golden Tate returned to relevance, and I strongly believe Tate will outperform Jones the rest of the way.
Ravens -- Last week I predicted big days for Joe Flacco, Mike Wallace, and Benjamin Watson. A week too soon, apparently. On the flip side, I warned readers for weeks to avoid Danny Woodhead before and after his return from injury. The hype did not align with his expected reduced role.
Browns -- Josh Gordon did better than I expected in his first game in three years. You knew from earlier posts that Corey Coleman would not longer be relevant. This is now Gordon's team through the air.
Chargers -- Melvin Gordon took a step in the right direction, while Keenan Allen continued to roll. It was only the Browns, but the Chargers look like a playoff team.
Giants -- I was terribly wrong about Evan Engram and pretty much on target with Sterling Shepard. Geno Smith is good enough to make one receiver look good per week. Yesterday it was Engram's turn. Don't get used to it.
Raiders -- Among the three receivers trying to fill in for Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, I backed the wrong one: Seth Roberts. Regardless, neither he nor Cordarrelle Patterson nor Johnny Holton will be relevant next week.
Panthers -- Devin Funchess got his points when it looked like he'd be shut out. With Greg Olsen sidelined, he's one of the safest top 20 WRs out there.
Saints -- 700+ yards and eight TDs in his last five games. On 72 touches. I'm talking about Alvin Kamara.
Rams -- Sammy Watkins and Cooper Kupp continue to pick up the slack left by Robert Woods' injury.
Cardinals -- Blaine Gabbert came back to earth. Because he's Blaine Gabbert.
Eagles -- Zach Ertz' departure late in the third quarter opened the door for Nelson Agholor, who caught three of five balls for 85 yards and score in the fourth. He's headed toward a top 30 WR season despite catching fewer balls per game than any top 40 fantasy wideout.
Seahawks -- Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, Chris Carson, J.D. McKissic, . . . Mike Davis. I don't know if any Seahawk has earned 20 touches this season, but last night Davis did, collecting 101 yards in the process. While it's anyone's guess who will start Seattle's first playoff game, one thing is fairly clear: Davis will get the first crack in Week 14 against a Jags run D yielding 4.5 yards per carry (fifth worst in the NFL).
Vikings -- Another week, another 2-TD performance for Case Keenum, who's got 12 scores in his past five games--four of which were on the road. Although Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen didn't benefit, they'll be fine going forward. And ignore head coast Mike Zimmer's threat to re-evaluate his starting QB every week. He'd be a fool to throw Teddy Bridgewater into the mix with the Vikings rolling.
Falcons -- Atlanta's loss pushes them dangerously close to missing out on the playoffs, particularly when you look at their remaining schedule. The most notable fantasy news was Devonta Freeman, who outperformed each of his teammates and reasserted himself as the team's lead back after a three-week absence.
Patriots -- James White has been almost unstartable in each of the past four weeks, paving the way for Dion Lewis (300+ yards) and Rex Burkhead (five TDs) to dominate during this stretch. While Bill Belichick could shift gears at any time, the former four-person backfield committee currently consists of only two people.
Bills -- I was painfully wrong about Tyrod Taylor, who endured almost the exact same statistical performance that we saw Week 10, which led to his benching. While we don't know how serious his knee injury is, presumably Nathan Peterman will start Week 14, and presumably no receiver will be startable in fantasy.
49ers -- Marquise Goodwin, folks. Been hyping him for weeks. And he's still available in 85% of ESPN leagues.
Bears -- Jordan Howard was one of my biggest bombs of Week 13. He has only one TD in his last eight games and could be unstartable next week in Cincinnati.
Broncos -- Earlier this week I suggest putting the breaks on the Devontae Booker hype, writing that this was still C.J. Anderson's backfield (http://www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com/2017/11/latest-nfl-news.html). Anderson has a great schedule to close out the season and will continue to be in the RB2/3 mix.
Dolphins -- Kenny Stills is now a top 20 WR PPR. And he's available in 55% of ESPN leagues. Insane. And as many of you know, I was all in on Kenyan Drake yesterday morning despite the tough matchup. As I've written a half-dozen times or more, he's the real deal.
Buccaneers -- Peyton Barber made Doug Martin looks like Andre Williams. While Barber can't be expected to duplicate this performance this year, there aren't many good reasons for anyone to hold onto Martin.
Packers -- I was bullish about Jamaal Williams despite Aaron Jones's return. After looking fairly good against Chicago, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, he looked like a bell-cow against Tampa Bay.
Texans -- Lamar Miller now has only three RB1 performances in 12 games. Yet he's posting low-end RB1 numbers on the season. He's got one more shot this fantasy season to put it all together, and it'll happen next week against the Niners.
Titans -- Delanie Walker now has six straight TE1 performances and has scored in each game Rashard Matthews has missed. Jonnu Smith will have to wait at least a year.
Chiefs -- I rearranged my DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week after getting hit with a strong sense that Travis Kelce would go off. It took less than five minutes for him to rack up 90 yards and two TDs. Only six of us dared to rank him #1 among fantasy TEs this preseason--including my old friend Chris Heil. He now has more points than LeSean McCoy and the same production as Julio Jones.
Jets -- Robby Anderson has to be one of the great fantasy stories of 2017.
Colts -- Marlon Mack is up to 4.0 YPC on the season. He'll be a great lottery ticket next year if Frank Gore returns, and a top 25 RB if Gore retires.
Jaguars -- Blake Bortles leap-frogged four QBs yesterday and is now the 14th highest scorer at his position. As one or two of you might recall, one of my preseason unconventional predictions was that Bortles (QB-22 ADP) would be a top 14 QB. Seemed crazy at the time, but it just might happen.
Lions -- I benched Marvin Jones for Marqise Lee. Fairly outrageous given Jones's recent dominance. But it worked out. As expected, Golden Tate returned to relevance, and I strongly believe Tate will outperform Jones the rest of the way.
Ravens -- Last week I predicted big days for Joe Flacco, Mike Wallace, and Benjamin Watson. A week too soon, apparently. On the flip side, I warned readers for weeks to avoid Danny Woodhead before and after his return from injury. The hype did not align with his expected reduced role.
Browns -- Josh Gordon did better than I expected in his first game in three years. You knew from earlier posts that Corey Coleman would not longer be relevant. This is now Gordon's team through the air.
Chargers -- Melvin Gordon took a step in the right direction, while Keenan Allen continued to roll. It was only the Browns, but the Chargers look like a playoff team.
Giants -- I was terribly wrong about Evan Engram and pretty much on target with Sterling Shepard. Geno Smith is good enough to make one receiver look good per week. Yesterday it was Engram's turn. Don't get used to it.
Raiders -- Among the three receivers trying to fill in for Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, I backed the wrong one: Seth Roberts. Regardless, neither he nor Cordarrelle Patterson nor Johnny Holton will be relevant next week.
Panthers -- Devin Funchess got his points when it looked like he'd be shut out. With Greg Olsen sidelined, he's one of the safest top 20 WRs out there.
Saints -- 700+ yards and eight TDs in his last five games. On 72 touches. I'm talking about Alvin Kamara.
Rams -- Sammy Watkins and Cooper Kupp continue to pick up the slack left by Robert Woods' injury.
Cardinals -- Blaine Gabbert came back to earth. Because he's Blaine Gabbert.
Eagles -- Zach Ertz' departure late in the third quarter opened the door for Nelson Agholor, who caught three of five balls for 85 yards and score in the fourth. He's headed toward a top 30 WR season despite catching fewer balls per game than any top 40 fantasy wideout.
Seahawks -- Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, Chris Carson, J.D. McKissic, . . . Mike Davis. I don't know if any Seahawk has earned 20 touches this season, but last night Davis did, collecting 101 yards in the process. While it's anyone's guess who will start Seattle's first playoff game, one thing is fairly clear: Davis will get the first crack in Week 14 against a Jags run D yielding 4.5 yards per carry (fifth worst in the NFL).