It’s as important as ever to perfect your fantasy lineup. With the season coming down to the wire and the playoffs looming, the pressure is on. All the injuries and bye weeks have made it even more difficult. So, let’s dive into which players should be in your starting lineup and who should be rotting on the bench.
START – Jaylen Warren
After finally being freed from Matt Canada, the Steelers’ offense looked brand new, putting up over 400 total yards for the first time in years. Unfortunately, Jaylen Warren wasn’t a major contributor, but expect that to change this week. Pittsburgh will be taking on the Arizona Cardinals, who rank last against running backs. Over the last five weeks, they’ve given up 23.4 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Warren out-touched Najee Harris last game. Expect that trend to continue.
START – David Njoku
Over the last few weeks, the Browns have been feeding David Njoku. Since Week 7, Njoku is averaging a whopping 9.3 targets per game. This has aided in him averaging 12.8 fantasy points per game over that time. He’s also received more targets than wideout Amari Cooper in four of the last six games. Additionally, they’ll be playing against the Los Angeles Rams, the 25th-ranked defense against tight ends. It’s unclear who will line up under center in this upcoming game, but it won’t matter. The Browns’ passing attack will get Njoku heavily involved no matter what.
Despite his recent drops David Njoku is still producing at a high level
His current stats among TEs
– 8th in rec yards (492)
– 1st in YAC (381)
– T-4th in contested catches (6)
– T-10th in 1st Downs (22)Don’t lose confidence in the Chief#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/bxOokJwUmo
— Mac🦬 (@tha_buffalo) November 30, 2023
START – Josh Downs
Josh Downs is coming off a career-high in terms of targets, garnering 13. When it comes to playing alongside Gardner Minshew, Downs is no stranger to high usage. Downs is averaging 7.7 targets in games where he plays 65 percent or more of the snaps with Minshew. That translates to him averaging 14.8 fantasy points. There’s no reason why Downs can’t achieve these numbers this week, especially when he gets a favorable matchup. They’ll be taking on the Tennessee Titans, the 25th-ranked defense against wide receivers.
SIT – Joe Mixon
The entire Bengals offense took a huge hit fantasy-wise when Joe Burrow went down, and Joe Mixon is no exception. Last week, Mixon experienced a season-low in touches with 10 and averaged only 2.0 yards per carry. Mixon was already a mediocre rusher and the road gets steeper with teams loading the box more than ever. Mixon’s opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, are coming off two consecutive games of shutting down the run. They held Derrick Henry to 5.4 PPR points and Devin Singletary to just 1.8.
A lot of the run plays were like this to me. One block away from getting something. Here it's Cappa unable to stay on Benton. If that block is made it gets Mixon one on one with the safety. Frustrating. pic.twitter.com/SKNfoRjnbV
— mike (@bengals_sans) November 28, 2023
SIT – D.K. Metcalf
D.K. Metcalf‘s wild inconsistency as of late has had fantasy owners panicking, but they shouldn’t stress about a decision this week. Metcalf is coming off one of his worst games of the season, scoring only 6.2 fantasy points. It doesn’t get any easier on Thursday night when he goes up against the Dallas Cowboys who rank third against wide receivers. Over the last three games, the Cowboys are allowing only 9.8 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. This week will be no different.
SLEEPER – Greg Dortch
Greg Dortch has struggled to see playing time this season, but he’s gotten a chance over the last two games. In those games, he’s averaging 8.5 targets and 12.7 fantasy points while playing over 75 percent of the snaps in both. Throughout his entire career, Dortch is averaging 14.6 fantasy points in games he plays over 75 percent of the snaps. With Marquise Brown, Michael Wilson, and Trey McBride not practicing, Dortch could earn even more usage.
Rondale Moore and Greg Dortch looking around at the WR room: pic.twitter.com/86sfnxF1g8
— Blake Allen Murphy (@blakemurphy7) November 30, 2023
Main Image Credit:
