Week 13 Must Starts:
If you’re reaching the week 13 mark of your season and have a chance to make playoffs you’ll want to make sure you have a good look at some players you may have recently considered a flex play, bench warmer or even written off due to injury. I’m here to highlight a series of players who deserve serious consideration as a starter in your lineup this week.
Myles Gaskin:
Gaskin was activated by Miami this morning and will be welcomed back by fantasy managers and Dolphins fans alike. Miami is currently 7-4 and is in the heart of the playoff race in the AFC. Between a questionable Tua Tagovailoa and an offensively different option in Ryan Fitzpatrick Gaskin fits well with both starting QB’s. Prior to injury Gaskin was averaging 5 targets per game to go along with his working average of 18 rushes per game after being promoted to the starting role in week 3. With Gaskin back managers get an RB2 with RB1 upside who is well supported by a strong playoff schedule. This week Gaskin draws a matchup with Cincinnati who rank 30th in rushing yards allowed per game. I like Gaskin for a 15pt floor in PPR formats. Get him in your lineups now!
Anthony Firkser
With Jonnu Smith ruled out against Cleveland this week Anthony Firkser can be expected to see an uptick in volume at the TE position for Tennessee. This game comes in as the highest projected point total on the year and for good reason. Each team has struggled defensively to stop opponents in all scenarios but Cleveland is particularly susceptible to opposing TE’s. If you’re looking for a top level streaming option at TE or even a FLEX level upside play Firkser can be looked at as a boom bust play for a GM looking to get a piece of the CLE/TEN game.
Denzel Mims
Admittedly I’m 50/50 on recommending Mims this week due to the lack of competence shown the by Jets offense and the low totals that Darnold produces in games where we’ve seen him start. Joe Flacco is the QB fantasy managers would love to see suit up, or come in relief against a very porous LV Raiders defense who, in the past two weeks, have allowed 78pts to opposing teams. Mims has a very positive game script as it is expected that the Jets will struggle to stop the LV Raiders and be playing from behind for much of Sundays contest. Mims checks out as a high risk play but one that could be very rewarding in the event that he makes himself known to many with a breakout performance.
JK Dobbins
Dobbins has been a difficult RB to project and pinpoint this season due to opportunity in a shared backfield with 2 other strong options as well as a QB who frequently moves the ball on the ground himself. While he missed last weeks game due to COVID-19 Dobbins out snapped Edwards 41 to 13 in their last game they played together. Checking in on a matchup against Dallas the Baltimore run game should be heavily considered as a front runner for the league lead in rushing yards on the week. Dallas is coming off a matchup with Washington where they allowed Antonio Gibson to rush for a 20/115/3TD stat line and add 5 receptions for extra juicy PPR points. This checks in for me as an RB1 level projection on the week. Get Dobbins in there!
Get them in your LINEUPS! Week 11
Nyheim Hines (IND): In week 10 we collectively watched the last hopes we had remaining for Jonathan Taylor to take the reigns in a plus matchup against Tennessee’s 18th ranked run defense crumble before our eyes. The silver lining in the situation is that Hines emerged as the RB which the Colts seem to favor all over the field both as a rusher and a pass catcher. Hines exploded for a 12/70/1TD stat line on the ground averaging 5.8 YPC. The bonus which appeals directly to PPR formats is that Hines added a 5/45/1TD stat line as a pass catcher. This week Hines draws Green bay who has been bad against opposing RBS in games where they are evenly matched against their opponent. Most notably they allowed Dalvin Cook to score 4TD’s in week 8 and to total 226 total yards.
Marvin Jones Jr (DET): In his last 3 games Marvin Jones has totaled 4 TD’s and provided a fantastic pivot for owners who were managing bye weeks and injuries. Going into Carolina this week, who rank 22nd in the league averaging 255 yards per game to opposing passers, Jones could yet again prove to be Detroit’s top receiving option. The absence of Kenny Golladay (hip) last week we saw Jones see a predictable uptick in targets to 10. Should Golladay be ruled out again this week Jones value should remain at a FLEX level with TD upside. For those interested in the latest news on Stafford we are hearing that he is expected to play this week.
Alex Smith (WAS): Smith didn’t post a TD in his last game against DET but managed to throw for a lofty 390 yards on 55 attempts while only being sacked twice. Washington faces Cincinnati this week who rank 26th in the league in passing yards allowed to opposing QB’s. Coming off a week where Smith found success spreading the ball around to 8 different pass catchers he could again be a productive play with a safe floor against a leaky Bengals defense which just allowed Roethlisberger to throw for 333 yards and 4 TD’s.
Get them in your LINEUPS! RB’s: Week 9
Chase Edmonds (ARI): Kenyan Drake is sidelined for this week’s matchup vs Miami. Last week we saw Miami put up a measly 93 yards passing and 55 yards rushing. This bodes well for Arizona who is likely to see plenty of time with the ball on offense. Edmonds has a 6.1 YPC avg on the season and has seen 5+ targets in 4 games so far this year. In a matchup where he projects to see 15+ carries and 3+ receptions its easy to see why Edmonds could be in line for a big day Sunday vs Miami.
David Montgomery (CHI): Here we go again getting our hopes high for Montgomery and the Chicago offense to come alive this week. Against a Tennessee defense that has allowed 31pts per game over its past 3 games Montgomery and the Chicago offense are all in line for an uptick in production. Having not eclipsed 100 yards rushing in a game this season and only scoring 2TD’s this week’s matchup vs Tennessee should come as a welcome relief for fantasy owners.
DeeJay Dallas (SEA): If you were wise enough to acquire Dallas ahead of last weeks matchup with San Francisco then you’re surely enjoying the news that he will, once again, be in line for a heavy workload against Buffalo who has struggled of late on defense. Dallas is coming off an 18/41/1 rushing line with an added 5/17/1 receiving line in week 8. With Carson and Hyde now ruled out for this week’s matchup Dallas is first in line to for Seattle ahead of Travis Homer and former 2016 Seahawks draft pick Alex Collins who Seattle signed to its practice squad earlier this week.
Damien Harris (NE): Harris looks to follow up his second 100-yard rushing game of the year against the NYJ this week in a primetime contest that has a positive game script for the 23 y/o RB out of Alabama. Harris found the endzone last week against Buffalo for his first TD on the season in his mere 4 weeks of action. The patriots seem to be steering away from their RB carousel of years past and are on the verge of once again having a reliable fantasy option outside of James White. Look for Harris to churn out 15+ touches this week with heavy usage in the 2nd half vs the Jets who have yet to find the win column in 2020.
Dave Carey – Follow me on Twitter @87_Carey
Get them in your LINEUPS! WR’s: Week 8
- Tee Higgins: If you’ve slept on Higgins up until this point, you’re probably kicking yourself. The Bengals have been playing from behind for much of the year providing a positive pass catching environment for all Cincinnati wideouts. Higgins has seen 27 receptions on 43 targets in his rookie season with a mere 3 drops to date and safe volume of 7.0 targets per game. This is a safe floor play in a +/- 54.0 line at home this week vs Tennessee.
- Justin Jefferson: Don’t even hesitate with starting Jefferson. At this point he’s a lock as your WR2 coming off a bye to face Green Bay. Jefferson caught 9 of 11 targets in week 6 and scored 2 TDS for a career level performance for even the great veterans around the league. Green bay shows up as a 7pt favorite in this matchup which provides a game script which supports a catchup scenario for Minnesota’s offense.
- Jarvis Landry: OBJ’s season ending injury will have a ripple effect throughout the Cleveland Browns offense, which you want to obtain some part. OBJ is vacating 43 targets on the season which will provide Landry with an opportunity for him produce at a low end WR1 level. Cleveland sees Las Vegas fly in this week and with a variety of young talent filling the depth chart for Browns pass catchers, Landry stands out as a top target on 3rd down who is poised to see 10 or more targets.
- Brandon Aiyuk: Aiyuk travels with his 49er teammates into Seattle this week for what should be another high scoring game between two exciting teams. Aiyuk picks up the opportunity from Deebo Samuel who has been sidelined this week and potentially beyond. Aiyuk is used a versatile WR who adds a 4/69/2TD stat line as a rusher in 2020. Coming off 115 yards @ NE in week 7 he can be trusted to see 8+ touches in his matchup with Seattle.
Dave Carey OCT 28, 2020
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