The best part about fantasy football is winning. The second best part is the draft. However, the draft has come and gone. Now fantasy owners struggle with the weekly decision about which players to start, which to sit, and which to use as a sleeper. To help with that, I will provide two starts, two sits, and two sleepers at each position every week. Be sure to reach out with any fantasy football questions you may have. Without further ado, let’s get started.
All stats are based on four-point per passing touchdown and PPR scoring.
Quarterbacks
START: Taysom Hill at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While Hill is far from the most traditional quarterback in the NFL, he has been great for fantasy owners. He has averaged 23.5 fantasy points per game in his two starts this season, scoring at least 20.7 fantasy points in both contests. The big reason for his fantasy production is his rushing ability, as he has 174 rushing yards over the past two weeks. Tomorrow night, Hill has a very appealing matchup. The Buccaneers have given up an average of 18.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. Over the past three weeks, quarterbacks have averaged 22.6 fantasy points per game against the Buccaneers. After the Buccaneers gave up 109 rushing yards to Josh Allen last week, expect Hill to have at least 80 rushing yards in this matchup.
START: Kirk Cousins at Chicago Bears
Last week Cousins scored only 14 fantasy points as Dalvin Cook went off. However, fantasy owners can feel confident starting him this week. Cousins is the QB8 for the year, averaging 19.4 fantasy points per game. He has scored at least 17.5 fantasy points four of the past six games, scoring 20 or more fantasy points three times during that span. Furthermore, Cousins has thrown at least two touchdowns in six straight games. Meanwhile, the Bears have given up 19.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, the third-most in the NFL. They have given up an average of 2.7 passing touchdowns and 24.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks over the past three weeks. Even if Adam Thielen doesn’t play this week, Cousins is a top-10 quarterback.
SIT: Russell Wilson at Los Angeles Rams
Recently, Russ has been cooking. The Seattle Seahawks are 2-1 over their past three games, while Wilson has averaged two passing touchdowns and 19.1 fantasy points per game. While he made the start list last week, Wilson has a horrible matchup to start the fantasy football playoffs. The Rams have held quarterbacks to only 16.5 fantasy points per game this season, the seventh-fewest in the NFL. Furthermore, they have held quarterbacks under 17.5 fantasy points in four of their past five games. Wilson had only 9.1 fantasy points against the Rams earlier this season before leaving the game with a finger injury. More importantly, he has averaged only 13.5 fantasy points per game in the three previous matchups against the Rams. Avoid Wilson if possible this week.
SIT: Joe Burrow at Denver Broncos
Burrow had 22.2 fantasy points last week against the San Francisco 49ers, in part thanks to overtime. However, he scored under 17 fantasy points in his previous four games, averaging only 12.4 fantasy points per game during that span. More importantly, after throwing at least two touchdowns in eight straight games to begin the season, Burrow has thrown five touchdowns over the past five games. Meanwhile, the Broncos have held quarterbacks to only 14.9 fantasy points per game this season, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. They have also held Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, and Jared Goff to five passing touchdowns over the past three weeks. Despite a nice performance last week, fantasy owners should leave Burrow on the bench this week if possible.
SLEEPER: Tua Tagovailoa vs New York Jets
Since returning from a rib injury, Tua has averaged 18.4 fantasy points per game, making him the QB9 during that span. Furthermore, he has averaged 16.5 fantasy points per game over his past three starts, scoring 17.5 or more in two of them. Tua had at least two passing touchdowns in four of his past six starts, including two of the past three games. Tomorrow he takes on a Jets defense that gave up 26.3 fantasy points to Hill last week. More importantly, they have given up an average of 19 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. In the Week 11 matchup, Tua had 273 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 17.5 fantasy points against the Jets. Fantasy owners should expect similar production tomorrow, even without Jaylen Waddle.
SLEEPER: Jimmy Garoppolo vs Atlanta Falcons
Despite playing on a run-heavy offense, Garoppolo has been an excellent streaming option for fantasy owners recently. Over the past seven weeks, he has averaged 18.4 fantasy points per game, making him the QB5 during that span, ahead of superstars like Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Dak Prescott. Garoppolo has scored at least two touchdowns in six of the past seven games. More importantly, he has thrown for over 295 yards in back-to-back weeks. Coming off a 20.1 fantasy point performance last week, Garoppolo has a great matchup to kick off the fantasy football playoffs. The Falcons have surrendered the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, giving up 20.6 fantasy points per game to the position. Given the matchup, Garoppolo has top-10 upside against the Falcons.
Running Backs
START: James Robinson vs Houston Texans
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few days, you know the Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer on Thursday. The move couldn’t come at a better time for Robinson owners. Over the past two weeks, he has seen his workload drop as Meyer benched him for fumbling. Robinson had a total of 15 touches and 2.9 fantasy points over the past two games. By comparison, Robinson has averaged 15.6 touches and 15.2 fantasy points per game the rest of the season. More importantly, the Texans have given up an average of 167.3 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and 32.1 fantasy points per game to running backs over the past three weeks. With Meyer gone, Robinson has top-10 upside this week against a horrible Houston run defense.
START: Darrell Henderson vs Seattle Seahawks
Fantasy owners need to pay attention to the injury report after Henderson has missed the past two games with a thigh injury and Covid-19. If he is doesn’t play again this week, Sony Michel is an excellent replacement option. However, if he plays, Henderson has top-10 upside against the Seahawks. Henderson has averaged 15.7 fantasy points per game this season, scoring at least 15.5 fantasy points in his first seven games to start the year. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have given up an average of 30.2 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, the second-most in the NFL. In the matchup against the Seahawks in Week 4, Henderson had 17 rushing attempts for 82 rushing yards and 16.9 fantasy points. Fantasy owners should expect similar production in the rematch.
SIT: Chuba Hubbard at Buffalo Bills
Despite the great matchup against the Falcons last week, Hubbard scored only 9.3 fantasy points. Furthermore, he would have scored only 1.6 fantasy points if not for a 17-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. While fantasy owners were hoping Hubbard could somewhat replace Christian McCaffrey, that isn’t the case. With a challenging fantasy playoff schedule, fantasy owners can consider dropping Hubbard. Either way, Hubbard belongs on the bench this week. The Bills have held running backs to only 21.1 fantasy points per game this season. Furthermore, they have held running backs to under 75 rushing yards in almost 70 percent of their games this year. Between the matchup and the dysfunctional Carolina offense, fantasy owners can’t trust Hubbard this week.
SIT: Rashaad Penny at Los Angeles Rams
Yes, Penny is coming off the best game of his career with 137 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and 26.8 fantasy points. However, he did that against a horrible Houston defense. This week, the matchup is much tougher. The Rams have held running backs to only 19.7 fantasy points per game over their past six games. While the Rams gave up 33.5 fantasy points to James Conner last week, they held him to only 2.4 yards per rushing attempt. Unlike last week, the Seahawks could fall behind early and abandon the running game. Unfortunately, Penny has a limited role in the passing game. While fantasy owners should bench Penny this week, he has a great playoff schedule, including a matchup against the Detroit Lions in Week 17.
SLEEPER: D’Onta Foreman at Pittsburgh Steelers
Last week, the Titans relatively split snaps evenly between Foreman, Dontrell Hilliard, and Jeremy McNichols. All three running backs played between 23 and 27 snaps last week. However, Foreman was the most productive in his snaps. He had 15 touches and 14.2 fantasy points last week, while Hilliard and McNichols combined for 14 touches and 2.9 fantasy points. Furthermore, Foreman had the only touchdown for the backfield last week. After dominating the backfield work last week, fantasy owners should be excited to start him this tomorrow. The Steelers have given up an average of 37 fantasy points and 1.8 rushing touchdowns per game to running backs over their past five games. Foreman has high-end RB2 upside this week against the Steelers.
SLEEPER: Mike Davis at San Francisco 49ers
While Cordarrelle Patterson remains the lead back for the Falcons, Davis has earned more playing time lately. Over the past three weeks, Davis led all running backs in snaps played with 107. By comparison, Patterson has played 97 snaps over the past three weeks. More importantly, Davis has averaged 12.5 fantasy points per game over the past three weeks, scoring 13.5 or more fantasy points twice during that span. Meanwhile, the 49ers have given up an average of 23.9 fantasy points per game to running backs this season. They have also given up an average of one rushing touchdown and 28.1 fantasy points per game to running backs over the past three weeks. Fantasy owners who need a safe floor RB2 this week should start Davis.
Wide Receivers
START: Brandin Cooks at Jacksonville Jaguars
After the change at quarterback last week, Cooks had his best fantasy performance since Week 8. He caught eight of his 11 targets for 101 receiving yards and scored 18.1 fantasy points against the Seahawks last week. More importantly, Cooks has averaged 8.2 targets per game this season with Davis Mills under center. Tomorrow, he has a great matchup against a struggling Jacksonville defense. The Jaguars have given up an average of 36.6 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. Furthermore, they have allowed wide receivers to average 162.5 receiving yards, 1.5 receiving touchdowns, and 38.8 fantasy points per game over the past two weeks. After his strong performance last week, Cooks should have no trouble picking apart this Jacksonville defense.
START: Chase Claypool vs Tennessee Titans
While he deserves blame for the Steelers losing last week, Claypool also played well. He finished with eight catches on nine targets for 93 receiving yards and 17.5 fantasy points, his best fantasy performance since Week 5. Furthermore, Claypool has averaged 7.3 targets and 12.6 fantasy points per game over the past four weeks, scoring 11 or more fantasy points in three of those contests. Tomorrow he takes on a Tennessee defense that has given away fantasy points to wide receivers in bunches this season. The Titans have given up an average of 42.7 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season, the second-most in the NFL. After embarrassing himself last week, expect Claypool to have a massive performance tomorrow.
SIT: Michael Pittman vs New England Patriots
The second-year wide receiver has played well this season, averaging 14.6 fantasy points per game. Not only is Pittman a top-20 fantasy wide receiver this season, but he has turned into Carson Wentz’s go-to target. However, he has struggled lately, scoring under 9.5 fantasy points in two of the past three games. Unfortunately for him, the matchup tonight is awful. The Patriots have held wide receivers to only 29.1 fantasy points per game this season. They have kept wide receivers to under 95 receiving yards in four of their past five games. The Patriots have a history of taking away the opposing team’s No. 1 wide receiver, so fantasy owners shouldn’t have high expectations for Pittman tonight.
SIT: Donovan Peoples-Jones vs Las Vegas Raiders
Last week, Peoples-Jones had five catches for 90 receiving yards and 14 fantasy points against the Baltimore Ravens. With several pass catchers on the Covid-19 list, fantasy owners will want to slide Peoples-Jones into their lineups. However, that would be a mistake. Peoples-Jones has scored over six fantasy points in only four games this season. Furthermore, he has averaged only 6.5 fantasy points per game since the Cleveland Browns released Odell Beckham Jr. More importantly, 22 percent of his fantasy points have come on touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, the Raiders have held wide receivers to 31.2 fantasy points per game this season, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. With all the players on the Covid-19 list, Browns will lean on Nick Chubb and not the passing game.
SLEEPER: Darnell Mooney vs Minnesota Vikings
Despite back-to-back poor performances, fantasy owners should stick with Mooney. Over the past two weeks, Mooney had a total of six catches and 10.6 fantasy points. However, he had 12 targets in those games and has averaged 7.3 targets per game this season. Monday night, Mooney takes on a Minnesota defense that has been a fantasy goldmine for wide receivers lately. The Vikings have given up an average of 1.5 touchdowns and 52.3 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past month. They have allowed an average of 222.8 receiving yards per game during that span, giving up over 265 receiving yards to wide receivers in two of those four games. With Allen Robinson likely out this week with Covid-19, Mooney should see double-digit targets in this contest.
SLEEPER: Russell Gage at San Francisco 49ers
Coming into the season, Gage was on many sleeper lists after the Falcons traded away Julio Jones in the offseason. Unfortunately, injuries got in Gage’s way. However, he has stepped up his play lately and turned into Matt Ryan’s favorite target. Over the past three weeks, Gage has averaged seven catches on 8.3 targets for 85.3 receiving yards and 16.9 fantasy points per game. He scored 18 or more fantasy points in two of those contests. Meanwhile, the 49ers have given up an average of 192 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, and 46.3 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past three weeks. With all the players on the Covid-19 list this week, fantasy owners can start Gage as a safe floor WR2 with upside.
Tight Ends
START: Mike Gesicki vs New York Jets
Thanks to all the injuries at wide receiver, Gesicki has consistently been the Dolphins’ No. 2 pass-catcher this season. He is the TE7 on the year, averaging 10.6 fantasy points per game. More importantly, Gesicki has been the TE4 since Week 3, averaging 11.8 fantasy points per game, scoring 16.5 or more fantasy points in 36.4 percent of those contests. Tomorrow, he has a great matchup in an AFC East divisional game. The Jets have given up an average of 14.9 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season. Furthermore, they have given up an average of 73.3 receiving yards and 17.6 fantasy points per game to tight ends over the past four weeks. With Waddle likely out this week, Gesicki has top-five upside against the Jets.
START: Zach Ertz at Detroit Lions
Ertz popped up on the injury yesterday with a hamstring injury. While he expects to play, fantasy owners need to double-check that Ertz is active for tomorrow’s game. Over the past three games, he has averaged six targets and 13.3 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, the Arizona Cardinals won’t have DeAndre Hopkins the rest of the regular season, which will open up more targets for Ertz. Meanwhile, the Lions have gotten destroyed by tight ends lately. Over the past three weeks, tight ends have averaged 7.7 catches for 82.3 receiving yards and 20.9 fantasy points per game against the Lions, scoring 24 or more fantasy points in two of those three contests. Assuming he is ready to play, fantasy owners should feel confident starting Ertz tomorrow.
SIT: Pat Freiermuth vs Tennessee Titans
The rookie tight end has been great for fantasy owners, averaging 12.3 fantasy points per game since JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered a season-ending injury. However, Freiermuth’s targets and fantasy points have dropped off lately. He averaged 7.2 targets and 13.1 fantasy points per game in the first five games without JuJu in the lineup. By comparison, Freiermuth has averaged only 3.7 targets and 10.9 fantasy points per game over the past three weeks. To make things worse, Freiermuth has a tough matchup tomorrow. The Titans have held tight ends to only 8.9 fantasy points per game this season, the fifth-fewest in the NFL. Furthermore, they have given up three touchdowns to tight ends this season. While he has been productive lately, Freiermuth belongs on the bench this week.
SIT: Cole Kmet vs Minnesota Vikings
Despite a lack of consistent players around him, Kmet has failed to take advantage of the situation. He has scored under 7.5 fantasy points in 60 percent of the games this season. Furthermore, Kmet has scored over 9.5 fantasy points only twice this year. Over the past two weeks, he has averaged three catches on six targets for 29 receiving yards and 5.9 fantasy points per game. On Monday night, Kmet has a difficult matchup against the Vikings. They have held tight ends to only 9.9 fantasy points per game this season, the eighth-fewest in the NFL. The Vikings have also held tight ends to under 7.5 fantasy points in over half their games this season. Even with Robinson likely out for this game, expect Kmet to struggle.
SLEEPER: Ricky Seals-Jones at Philadelphia Eagles
Nothing went according to plan for the Washington Football Team last week, as the entire offense struggled. In his first game back from a hip injury, Seals-Jones played only 46 percent of the snaps. However, expect him to return to his full-time role starting this week. Filling in for Logan Thomas earlier this season, Seals-Jones averaged six targets and nine fantasy points per game. He also played 88.8 percent of the snaps per game during that span. This week, RSJ takes on a struggling Philadelphia defense. They have surrendered the most fantasy points to tight ends this season, giving up 18.7 fantasy points per game to the position. With several Washington players banged up, Seals-Jones might see double-digit targets in this matchup.
SLEEPER: Hunter Henry at Indianapolis Colts
Since Week 4, Henry averaged one receiving touchdown and 12.5 fantasy points per game through Week 10. During that span, he was the TE3, ahead of players including Darren Waller and Kyle Pitts. However, Henry has failed to score a touchdown in the past three games, partly because of the game plan. Meanwhile, the Colts have given up an average of 15.8 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season, the fifth-most in the NFL. Over their past six games, they have given up an average of 6.7 catches, 73.7 receiving yards, and 16 fantasy points per game to tight ends. Fantasy owners who need a safe floor streaming option should add Henry off the waiver wire.
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