Another week of football is in the books, with a collection of awesome games despite having six teams on bye. I didn’t have Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, or Deebo Samuel on any of my teams, but I dodged a bullet by not going against them as well. I heard the “Tush Push” called a new name this weekend: “The Love Shove” as deemed by Mike Tirico, as he called the Green Bay game.
Colts 31, Titans 28.
In a game that went the distance and more, we had some big showings. King Derrick Henry had himself a day, rushing for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns before exiting with a concussion late in the game. Tyjae Spears will be featured, much like he was in the game, in our waiver wire episode dropping on Tuesday. You likely weren’t starting any pass catchers on the Titans that weren’t named DeAndre Hopkins, who for a lot of the game wasn’t on the same page as Will Levis. DHop and his teammate Chigoziem Okonkwo were the only two who remotely did anything through the air. Chig’s okay performance isn’t worth picking him up due to the lack of passing volume and touchdowns from Levis.
Gardner Minshew was in contention as a streaming option this week with six teams on bye. You could certainly do worse than 300 yards passing and two touchdowns from a streamer, though. With Jonathan Taylor sidelined for multiple weeks, many of us jumped onto Zack Moss’ back, hoping he would carry us into the playoffs. While he did get all the work, his efficiency wasn’t there, nor did he find the end zone. He’s still getting a ton of volume on a team that is scoring the eight highest points per game (25 PPG). Who did score, however, were Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, both with 100 yards and a touchdown. That took away from Josh Downs, who has been playing behind Pierce all season but has outperformed him consistently. If you’re the Downs manager, you’re hoping this was a fluke. If not, I’m picking up Pierce in hopes that he can show what he did in his respectable rookie season. Kylen Granson had a career-high 72 receiving yards. I’m not chasing it, as the majority of those yards came from trick play, but it’s worth noting in deeper leagues. The Colts defense has been lights out for fantasy, mainly because they’ve been causing turnovers against bad offenses. Their upcoming schedule suggests there will be more of that.
Falcons 13, Jets 8.
I’ll keep it short for those of you who are still recovering from watching this game. When Xavier Gipson, who had five catches for 77 yards, is the highlight of your game, you know the game was bad. His performance doesn’t warrant a pickup in redraft leagues, but in dynasty, he’s vastly available and worth a stash. My start of the week, the Falcons’ defense, scored the most points of any defense on the week, pending Monday Night Football. Regardless of how good the defense is, target the Tim Boyle-led Jets. Both Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall are uber talented, and you’re starting them each week because of their workhorse roles, but with Hall, you’re hoping for a breakaway touchdown. Hall is seeing stacked boxes, while the defense is hoping Tim Boyle passes the ball past the line of scrimmage. Breece has failed to eclipse 30 rushing yards over the past month. Garrett Wilson didn’t find the end zone and only had three receptions for 50 yards, so you’re disappointed with him, unless you started my sit of the week, Drake London, who managed one catch for eight yards. The tight ends were okay, none of the ones you would have started caught a touchdown. Okay, we’re done talking about this game.
Lions 33, Saints 28.
After scoring 21 points in the first seven minutes, it looked as if the Lions were going to score 70 points. It turned out to still be a great game, especially for Sam LaPorta, who had a career day, catching all nine of his targets for 140 yards and a touchdown. He took away a lot of the volume from Amon-Ra St. Brown, who saved his day with one play. We can also welcome Jameson Williams onto the scene. He isn’t startable, but it’s nice seeing his skill set, his blazing speed, be used in the offense on a jet sweep. David Montgomery had a serviceable day, while his running mate Jahmyr Gibbs looked good on the ground but didn’t find pay dirt or a weapon in the receiving game.
I can’t leave this game without talking about Alvin Kamara. Over 100 yards from scrimmage while adding a pair of rushing touchdowns. The other bright spots were Chris Olave and Taysom Hill. Olave, who missed practice almost all week as he was going through concussion protocol, now has three straight games over 90 receiving yards. Hill, Mr. Do-It-All, is still out there throwing passes, rushing for over 50 yards, and catching passes too. He’s got one of the highest floors for the tight end position, given the multifaceted ways he can score points. Carr didn’t look great in this favorable matchup, but he did throw a touchdown to Jimmy Graham, who now has two catches for two touchdowns on the season. I couldn’t leave here without showing some respect to one of my favorite tight ends.
Texans 22, Broncos 17.
Rookie MVP front-runner, C.J. Stroud has the most games with 300 or more passing yards (6) this season. While he didn’t add to that this week, he put up good numbers against a Broncos’ defense that has been on a roll recently. Russell Wilson proved to us all that you can look awful but still be great for our teams. Even with the favorable matchup, Russ still managed to throw three interceptions. This also makes eight of the twelve games in which Russ didn’t reach 200 yards passing. Perhaps he found the Fountain of Youth, as he keeps getting it done on the ground, making those consecutive weeks with rushing touchdowns.
It seems Houston is going with the hot hand approach at running back, as we got a Damien Pierce week. He looked okay on a run or two and got lucky when he got into the end zone to salvage his day for the few of you who started him. I was in the Devin Singletary camp, but it seems that didn’t yield much. Given the matchups for the rest of the season and committee, I’m likely avoiding either running back going forward. Javonte Williams is still searching for his first rushing touchdown of the season, as it didn’t come this week.
Only Tyreek Hill and Mike Evans have more receiving touchdowns than Courtland Sutton. A massive 40 percent of Sutton’s points have come from touchdowns. Three of his four next matchups have allowed the 8th most or better receiving touchdowns, so probably more of the same. Mediocre performances for all other receivers on the Broncos. Dominique Stephon Collins had himself a game (I understand why he goes by Nico). Career day all over for Collins: 12 targets, nine receptions, and a whopping 191 yards and a touchdown. More of that is to come with Tank Dell out for the season after fracturing his fibula on a play in which he didn’t need to be involved, pushing Pierce into the end zone. Tank’s absence should elevate Noah Brown’s role going forward.
We mentioned Dalton Schultz was my start of the week because of the juicy matchup for tight ends, but he didn’t suit up with a hamstring injury. Naturally, Brevin Jordan, who had six receptions prior to this game, comes in with a modest day, snagging three balls for 64 yards. I wouldn’t be targeting him in future matchups, but it was nice to see the process of playing tight ends who face the Broncos is still sound.
Chargers 6, Patriots 0.
This one should be quick. Let’s start with the Patriots, as there aren’t many relevant starting options over there. Even though the matchup was nice, Bailey Zappe didn’t look like the savior for the Patriots. Rhamondre Stevenson looked powerful before injuring his ankle. With Stevenson banged up, Ezekiel Elliott took over all the work. Zeke will be on our waiver show, but he’s simply a volume play going forward given the struggling offense, nothing more. DeVante Parker benefited from Zappe at quarterback, having four receptions on nine targets for 64 yards, but much like the Zeke situation, Stevenson was the only piece you were looking to start for the Patriots, and there should be better options out there.
On the Chargers side of the ball, I really wish I knew what was going on with Austin Ekeler. Three consecutive awful outings for last year’s best running back. In a game that didn’t have a lot of turnovers and almost fewer points scored, no one did anything. Justin Herbert didn’t throw any touchdowns, which ruined his day. Keenan Allen didn’t ruin you, but his output was less than expected. The only shining star, relatively speaking and given his lackluster appearances, was Quentin Johnston had seven targets for five receptions and 52 yards. With some important division games on the schedule, Johnston may be looked at more as the second receiver. The Chargers defense isn’t great, but as we mentioned on the waiver wire podcast, we should be targeting the Patriots’ awful offense.
Cardinals 24, Steelers 10.
Man, oh man. It seems like the 2003 hit movie “Freaky Friday” with how the running backs performed in this one. James Conner, who hasn’t been great for months, busted out a 100-yard game and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, both my starts of the week based on their top performances over the past month and the matchup, gave you pedestrian numbers. Diontae Johnson, who was allergic to the end zone last year, found a touchdown during the final minutes of the game. George Pickens started hot, having two massive catches on the opening drive, only to finish with four receptions for 86 yards. The magician, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, got hurt in the third quarter, disappearing for the rest of the game, much like the points he put up, zero. But that’s great because all of his wide receiver teammates followed his lead, combining for a sickening 25 yards on two receptions. It’s hard to follow up on your career day performance, but Pat Freiermuth gave you basically nothing. Meanwhile, Trey McBride added to his red-hot streak with another monstrous performance. The McBridal party is here to stay for 2023 and onward.
If you just looked at the numbers, you might think Kyler Murray got injured, but that was Kenny Pickett. Expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks with an ankle injury. That opens up the door for the man who once threw six touchdowns in a game back in 2018, Mitch Trubisky. I’d argue that’s an upgrade for the pass catchers, given that over the past eight games, excluding this one, Pickett has passed for two touchdowns. In his previous six games, Pickett only passed for more than 160 yards once. In both games in which Trubisky has relieved Pickett due to injury, he’s thrown a touchdown despite playing only half the game.
Dolphins 45, Commanders 15.
My start of the week, Tua Tagovailoa, had himself a day, throwing for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s got one more nice matchup next week against the Titans, but then it may be time to bench him for a streaming option. Despite throwing a pick-six in three consecutive games, Sam Howell has been electric. The interceptions for touchdowns are actually great, as Howell gets to go right back on the field, oftentimes needing to pass more to catch up. This week, he showed his rushing ability, crashing into the end zone for a pair of touchdowns, making it three straight weeks with a rushing touchdown. Howell is right behind Stroud for most 300-yard or more games (5) in his first season starting.
Let’s start with the good: De’Von Achane is back. He took over the backfield, leading the team in rush attempts, yards, and touchdowns. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Achane had more attempts than Raheem Mostert as he did that earlier in the season when he broke onto the scene in Weeks 3 through 5. Mostert salvaged his day with a touchdown, but he only had 11 carries for 43 yards on the day. While I think you can start both of them if you have them both, it seems as if Achane has taken over the backfield. Jeff Wilson wasn’t used at all, but he is still worth a roster spot if either of the two backs in front of him were to go down. Alright, onto the bad: Brian Robinson, who has been a top five running back, went down with a hamstring injury, my least favorite injury as it typically nags the player for the rest of the season. This opened up the door for Antonio Gibson, who reminded us all why he is oftentimes in the doghouse: he loves to fumble. Gibson now has the most fumbles among running backs since 2020. Despite the butterfingers and the upcoming bye week, Gibson will likely highlight our waiver wire episode on Tuesday.
Two massive touchdowns from 60 and 78 yards – another monster game from the best wide receiver in the league. In eight of his twelve games this season, Hill has had 100 or more receiving yards. Start him every week, regardless of the matchup. Waddle wasn’t needed much, given that the Dolphins were up the whole game, but he still had a modest outing. Curtis Samuel had an okay day, given that Howell only passed for 127 yards. On the other hand, Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson didn’t. Terry McLaurin gave you a donut this weekend, as he was shadowed by premier cornerback Xavien Howard almost all day. It should be clear by now that the Commanders’ defense is something you need to be targeting for all matchups. Over the past six weeks, they’ve given up 34 points per game.
Buccaneers 21, Panthers 18.
Mike Evans makes history by becoming one of two players to have 10 straight seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. The other is Jerry Rice. His ridiculous 162 yards and a touchdown game helped that happen. Chris Godwin also found the end zone rushing the ball, the only reason he didn’t goose you on the week. Godwin is talented, but Baker Mayfield only has eyes for Evans. Rachaad White continues his dominance. In weeks in which he doesn’t find the end zone, he still gets all the touches in the backfield. Cade Otton saw Hollywood’s disappearing act earlier in the day and said, “I can do better” then proceeded to not get targeted once. I figured the firing of Frank Reich would accelerate one of the worst offenses in the league, and it sort of did. They scored the most points since mid-October. I was hoping my start of the week, Adam Thielen would be a part of the equation, but he wasn’t. However, Jonathan Mingo did have a career day.
It seems that it’s safe to say that Chuba Hubbard has taken over the backfield for the Panthers. Out-carrying Miles Sanders 25 to 8. Those carries got him over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Baker was disappointing, even though Evans had a great day. It should also go without saying, but unless you’re in a league in which you can only start players who were drafted with the first overall pick, you should not be starting Bryce Young. The kid has a bright future, but this seems like a missed season.
49ers 42, Eagles 19.
In what was supposed to be the game of the week, the 49ers absolutely handled the Eagles. On the 49ers side, Brock Purdy comes out swinging with a 300-yard and four touchdown day. He’s good, but it helps when you have some of the best playmakers surrounding you. Oftentimes, you’re afraid of the 49ers weapons because it’s hard for all of them to feast on the offense, but Sunday was different, everyone ate. In the least favorable matchups for running backs, Christian McCaffrey thrives. Deebo Samuel is a man among boys on the football field. He simply does things that other humans can’t. He capped off his special day with 3 touchdowns and 138 yards from scrimmage. Everyone on the 49ers side of the ball looked as advertised.
On the Eagles side of the ball, they were playing catch-up from the start of the second half. It doesn’t help the flow of a comeback when Jalen Hurts gets knocked out for a little bit while getting evaluated for a concussion. He only left briefly, but the game got out of control. This erased the running game for the Eagles, while the running backs combined for nine total carries as a whole. Naturally, this featured Kenneth Gainwell as the pass-catching specialist. We could see more of this if the Cowboys keep up their dominance in Week 14. Hurts had a great day, helping boost DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown to a combined stat line of 17 receptions for 210 yards.
Rams 36, Browns 19.
Puka Nacua is in; no he’s out; wait, no, he’s back in; wait, he’s out again. This is what everyone watching the game said when he kept pulling this stunt. Despite the rib injury, he still hit his quota of seven targets, continuing his streak as the only wide receiver to have seven targets in every game this season. Welcome back, Cooper Kupp! It wasn’t an outstanding performance by any means, but he finally showed signs of life and found the end zone. All of this against a Browns defense that has been dominant, but has eased up lately. Demarcus Robinson, who had a huge play for Puka called back, surprised us this week with 55 yards and a touchdown. He’s not worth rostering, even if Puka were to miss time, but he’s taking snaps directly away from Tutu Atwell, who is always a big threat waiting to happen. Matthew Stafford has seven touchdowns over the past two weeks, so things might be heating up in Los Angeles. Tyler Higbee was someone Luke and I were verbally out on as we didn’t want to chase a two touchdown performance or like the matchup, and he also didn’t do much before getting injured. Kyren Williams gets another bad matchup next week, but he’s to the point in which you must start him.
The Browns didn’t look any worse with Joe Flacco under center. He connected with his former Jets’ teammate, Elijah Moore, just four times, but he did warrant 12 targets and 83 yards. Perhaps it was a rekindling of an old flame, but it could have been Amari Cooper’s absence. He left the game with a concussion in the second quarter, but already had five targets. David Njoku wasn’t injured but did take the backseat to Harrison Bryant, who went for 49 yards and a touchdown. Jerome Ford didn’t look particularly good in this matchup, but he found the end zone.
Packers 27, Chiefs 19.
For a game that was almost dictated by the refs, it was still a fun one to watch. If you had Jordan Love tied with Patrick Mahomes for passing touchdowns on your bingo card, come claim your prize. Another bummer performance from Mahomes, who hasn’t had to do much given his great defense putting games away. It helps when you’re running it on the ground, as with Isiah Pacheco, who had 123 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Pacheco also showed off his boxing lessons by punching a defender at the end of a play, causing him to get ejected. The biggest takeaways are that Rashee Rice has earned more targets in back-to-back games than Travis Kelce. Both had modest games, despite not having a touchdown.
Christian Watson, who showed up to the Thanksgiving feast after not calling us for months, had another great day. He had seven receptions for 71 yards and a pair of touchdowns before reaggravating his lingering hamstring injury. The next best receiver behind him was Romeo Doubs. If you’re going into next week wondering which Packers’ receiver I should start if Watson misses time, don’t worry, I am too. I personally like Jayden Reed, but it could easily be Doubs. It took everything he had, but AJ Dillon got the bulk of the carries with Aaron Jones sidelined.
—Colt Williams
Williams is working towards a degree in economics and statistics at Sonoma State. A United States Air Force veteran, he’s been playing fantasy football since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @_ColtWilliams