Dynasty Analysis
Sticking with last week’s format, I’ll be focusing on my favorite games for the Week 13 main slate that I believe offer the best game environments and stacking opportunities. As you read, please note that the player names in bold are what I consider my “core” players or guys that I’m sliding into a large percentage of my lineups. Oh, and if you’re new to DFS, you should check out my DFS Tips and Tricks article here.
*All player prices referenced are from FanDuel.
At this point, we’re looking ahead to the fantasy playoffs in most leagues. For this column, I will assume that you need these players to win in Week 14 specifically. However, I might mention Week 15 or 16 matchups if relevant. Also, I hope you don’t play fantasy football in Week 17, and I won’t worry about that week whatsoever. I won’t limit myself to any specific number of players or force myself to choose specific positions, outside of a few exceptions. Each week, I’ll provide one look ahead streamer at quarterback and D/ST, as those positions are easy to predict every week. Quarterback streaming mostly comes from the opposing defense and D/ST from the opposing offense, and we know those schedules ahead of time.
I’ve listed the players in the order I would add them to my roster. Let’s jump right in!
Imagine a year without fantasy football. Imagine a year without any NFL football whatsoever: no preseason, no training camp, not even walkthroughs. Just pure and uninterrupted stagnation throughout the National Football League and each and every one of your dynasty or redraft leagues. Has anyone really contemplated the effects a year like that could have on your leagues if the NFL hadn’t pushed forward, virus be damned? The reason I’m raising the subject is that I’ve noticed a fair amount of disdain and contempt towards fantasy football and the NFL due to mounting injuries and increasing uncertainty from week to week.
For this ATS (against the spread) articles, I will provide analysis on three bets that I feel have the best chance at netting you a nice payday. Whether it be due to matchups, injuries, or other factors, these are the three bets I feel the most confident in placing. I will also make predictions on the rest of the week’s spreads.
In this weekly piece, I will bring you some risers and fallers from a dynasty lens. Whether it’s injuries, performance, or value, I want to discuss how players have moved around. Based on the week’s events, I’ll give some advice on how to act on the market’s movement, whether it’s buying, selling, or holding.
I won’t limit myself to talking about any specific players or teams because I want to have the freedom to discuss whatever is most relevant. Also, of course, there are more risers and fallers than those I’m listing. However, it’s impossible to cover every single one of them, as dynasty values change weekly for many players. With that said, let’s jump into the risers first, followed by the fallers.
Each and every week, I’ll be covering a handful of players that I believe will either exceed expectations or let your team down in a major way. Here’s who you should be looking at for Week 13.
It feels wrong, but Mitchell Trubisky is a perfectly fine streamer this week. Trubisky put up solid numbers in the team’s loss to Green Bay, and he should be a solid QB2 against the Lions in Week 13. Detroit is allowing the 7th most fantasy points and passing yards per game.
Well, the last week of the fantasy season is finally upon us for the majority of leagues. As such, this is the last week of Buy/Sell as you know it. We’ll be here throughout the playoffs with some matchups we love for each week, just in case your league allows for trades during the playoffs. We’ll also be discussing some players we’re looking forward to drafting (or avoiding) next year, so get ready for that. Before we get into the buys and sells for the final week of the season, we’d just like to say a sincere thank you for reading. Whether this is your first time checking out the article or you’ve been with us all season, thank you! It’s been a blast writing this thing, and we hope we’ve helped you with your transactions this year. On to the final week!
We are getting closer and closer to the end of the year with most leagues winding down either this week or next. Luckily, we play dynasty where the season never ends. Many teams have either been hit by injuries or COVID this season, and that has led to us getting extended views at players we probably wouldn’t see otherwise. One player who got an extended look this week was Chad Beebe. Son of former NFL wide receiver Don Beebe. Chad has some interesting measurables and is someone that is currently owned in only 0.1% of ESPN leagues. Chad had a big mishap on special teams on Sunday but also had his best game as a pro. He tallied 7 receptions for 63 yards and a score. Let’s get into it.
Darren Waller is arguably a top 3 tight end in fantasy football. While there could be some doubt about what changes if Carr is on his way out next year. What isn’t in doubt is the coaching staff for seven more seasons in Las Vegas. Henry Ruggs & Bryan Edwards are an all-in option. They will most likely have a new QB in 2021 and while they haven’t shown all that much to get excited about in 2020, the talent is there undoubtedly and the price has dropped enough to make them both acquirable after their offseason hype. Josh Jacobs has shown that this is what we are getting and, heading into the 2021 season, teams not contending should look to move the RB at what is likely to be peak value and performance before the holdout talk starts.
Deebo Samuel was the only 49ers’ receiving weapon to perform in Week 12. He played the most snaps of any offensive skill player, tied with Richie James for 88% of snaps. On those snaps, Samuel caught 11 of 13 targets for a whopping 133 yards. I loved that the 49ers got Samuel so involved in his first game back from injury, and I now rank Samuel ahead of Aiyuk in dynasty formats. I hope this game is the start of a real breakout.
This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. Phillip Lindsay suffered a knee injury during the Broncos’ quarterback-less loss in Week 12, vaulting Royce Freeman into a little bit more work than he’s used to. Freeman has been the black sheep of the running back room in Denver this year with his season-high rushing total (8) and yards (50) in Lindsay’s absence. Reports indicate Linsday could miss some time, so Freeman could see even more touches than usual. Melvin Gordon has been hit with the injury bug in the past, and running backs come at a premium this time of year, so I’d watch to roster Freeman just in case during COVID-19 season.
Opportunities to spot emerging talent in time to fuel a playoff run has passed. Week 13 is the final week of the fantasy regular season in many leagues. Playoff berths and seedings are on the line. Fantasy gamers, it’s time to survive and advance. That means spotting production that’s repeatable from one week to the next. This column exists to provide you those leads. Earlier this season, your author committed to providing both proactive and reactive pick-ups in this weekly column. A proactive pick-up is a player with growing snaps counts and improving play that poises him for a break-out. A reactive pick-up is a player who suddenly posted big numbers due to an injury to or benching of a player ahead of him on the depth chart.
This week and every week going forward we’ll bring you several recommendations for players you should add to your dynasty rosters. We’ll mainly be targeting lower-owned guys who should be available in all but the deepest leagues. Ito Smith could be the unlikely hero for someone’s championship roster. If Todd Gurley misses an extended period of time, Smith would instantly vault into weekly fantasy relevancy. Gurley was a last-minute inactive due to a knee injury. We know he suffers from arthritis of the knee so maybe Atlanta is resting him in a lost season. We can’t be sure, but we do know Smith is part of the one, two punch in Gurley’s absence and he receives high volume in the passing attack. Smith scored a rushing and receiving touchdown in Week 12 and could be poised for some heavy lifting going forward.
In this streaming article, I will provide you the best weekly options to stream quarterback, tight end, and D/ST. In each section, I’ll break down two streamers in detail, both of which will be under 50% owned, according to ESPN’s ownership percentage at the time of writing. Playing the matchups is a crucial feature of redraft fantasy football, and especially in a crazy 2020 season, active fantasy owners will have a massive advantage. Cousins is my top streamer for the week. He played an excellent game in Week 12 against the Panthers, despite Adam Thielen missing the game on the COVID-19 list. Cousins completed an excellent 34/45 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns, including two to star rookie Justin Jefferson. Outside of Week 2 against the Colts and Week 8 against the Packers, Cousins has scored 14 or more fantasy points in four-point TD scoring, so he provides a safe floor.
It. Finally. Happened! After slogging through a rough streak of negative weeks, we finally went a perfect 3-0 to get within striking distance of .500 once more. What a thing to be thankful for! We’ll keep it going this week with another slate of player props. We’re on three overs this week, so let’s hope for some wild action in Week 12!
Let’s do something different this week. Instead of breaking down every game on the main slate, I’ll be focusing on five games in particular that I believe offer the best game environments and stacking opportunities. As you read, please note that the player names in bold are what I consider my “core” players or guys that I’m sliding into a large percentage of my lineups. Oh, and if you’re new to DFS, you should check out my DFS Tips and Tricks article here.
In this weekly article, I’m going to look ahead to the following week. I’ll point out a few players below 40% owned on ESPN who have strong matchups next week that you can pick up ahead of time to beat the waiver run. I’ll also try and get ahead of breakouts that could happen in the current week, as predicting breakouts is the best way to save your FAAB budget. Pittman is my only must-add for the week. He only had three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in Week 11, but he’s seen heavy action since he returned in Week 8. I believe that Pittman has clearly passed T.Y. Hilton as the Colts’ top receiver, and he has excellent matchups in Week 13 against the Texans and Week 14 against the Raiders. Add Pittman to your team now and ride him to and through your playoffs.
On a mucky, wet Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, the Browns defense stood tall against the Carson Wentz led Eagles offense. Over four quarters, the Cleveland defense scored a touchdown, racked up five sacks, produced a safety, secured two interceptions, and recovered a fumble. IDP players of the day include Olivier Vernon, Sione Takitaki, and Denzel Ward.
We are only a week or two away from the playoffs depending on your league. We’ve witnessed lots of splash weeks from this rookie class along with plenty of flops. Counting on rookies on a week to week basis is a gamble but can often pay off. I have monitored the ebb and flow of this rookie class and I hope to have you prepared to make an informed start or sit situation come playoff time. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s see how some of the rookies fared this past weekend.
In this weekly piece, I will bring you some risers and fallers from a dynasty lens. Whether it’s injuries, performance, or value, I want to discuss how players have moved around. Based on the week’s events, I’ll give some advice on how to act on the market’s movement, whether it’s buying, selling, or holding.
I won’t limit myself to talking about any specific players or teams because I want to have the freedom to discuss whatever is most relevant. Also, of course, there are more risers and fallers than those I’m listing. However, it’s impossible to cover every single one of them, as dynasty values change weekly for many players. With that said, let’s jump into the risers first, followed by the fallers.
Last week, I told you to start the wrong Saints’ QB. I won’t be making that mistake twice. In his first start, Taysom Hill proved he’s at least somewhat competent as a passer. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 233 yards, and at least 1 of those incompletions was a drop. With his high rushing floor, Hill should be startable in most matchups until Drew Brees returns.
The Cowboys come into this contest relatively healthy, of course, excluding Dak Prescott, who’s out for the season. Ezekiel Elliott continues to log limited practices with a hamstring issue, but he’s not on the game’s final injury report. Elliott looked better last week, as he took 21 carries for 103 yards for his first 100-yard game this season. Hopefully, Elliott continues his upward trend this week, although he’s a hard sell for me in dynasty leagues no matter what.
Happy Thanksgiving! What an amazing holiday this is. All I’m thinking about is mashed potatoes. I always make the mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, no matter how many people are attending (I wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving). I do this because I need the mashed potatoes to be perfect on Thanksgiving. The mashed potatoes are the glue that binds the perfect Thanksgiving bite together. You take some turkey (dark meat for me, please), some stuffing, some gravy and add it to your mashed potatoes and you get the ultimate culinary delight. Nothing better than that.
This week’s dynasty sleeper is former Ravens’ and current Jets’ practice squad player Jaleel Scott. If you happen to know the name, you would know the measurables with Jaleel who is an absolute unit. At 6’5, 218lbs, he is a huge target with good speed for his size running a 4.56 40-yard dash. Scott has tons of potential, so let’s get into it.
Brady has been better than expected for fantasy managers this year standing as the sixth overall quarterback through the last three weeks. Heading into the playoffs with him at the helm wouldn’t be the worst option, but looking past this season I am unsure if Brady returns. If the Bucs somehow manage to find their way to winning a championship, I can almost guarantee he rides off into the sunset with the trophy leaving Tampa to figure out another option because what they have behind him is nothing to be excited about.