QUARTERBACK
Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings
Ownership: 40%
FAAB: $0-1
Waiver Priority: No
Captain Kirk is back and better than ever, throwing 11 tuddies over his last four outings, totaling three in all but one. Sure, he benefited from playing the Panthers, Cowboys, and Lions, but seeing as how good Dalvin has been, it was no easy feat to take the ball out of his hands and produce for himself. That will seem to be the case this week against the Jaguars, but I’d argue that having a good run game only helps your offense move the ball downfield, but that’s just me. I expected a heavy dose of Cook this week against one of the league’s worst fronts in Carolina, and I was right, but that didn’t slow KC one bit, even with Irv Smith and Adam Thielen at home. Kirk should eat against a porous Jags’ defense, and thereafter, gets a pass funnel in Tampa Bay, whose secondary has looked terrible as of late. I’d feel better playing Kirk in Week 14 than 13, but if you don’t have one of the top six or seven must-start QBs rostered, then there aren’t many other options I’d rather play than Cousins this week, and if he shows out once again, it’ll be hard to grab him off waivers with the favorable matchup with the Bucs on the horizon. The Vikings also get the Saints in the fantasy championship, who have looked rejuvenated as of late, but it’s another pass funnel defense in a game that should have a high total if Drew Brees is back under center.
Ryan Fitzpatrick - Miami Dolphins
Ownership: 20%
FAAB: $0-1
Waiver Priority: No
I am writing this Sunday night, so I am not aware of the Dolphins’ QB situation going forward, but I don’t see any reason for Brain Flores to continue flip-flopping between the bearded dragon and the draft-day blunder. At this point, Tua is just a glorified game manager, and by glorified, I mean that Twitter does everything they can to say he’s elite despite showing next to nothing. It helped them pull out a few wins, but when you have to compete with the likes of KC and TEN’s offenses in the playoffs, you need a fearless leader. That is exactly who Fitz is. He is not only fearless, but he invites pain, seen by his scrambling antics where he puts his Harvard brain on the line every time he dives. This is all besides the point, this is just my reasoning for why he should start for this team from here on out. Obviously, if things change, then disregard all of this, but I’m planting my flag in this take.
So, if Fitzy is the man behind center, then what that means is a whole lot of fantasy goodness. Not only does he get the Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, and Raiders all in a row, but he also brings everything you want to the table. He throws a ton, taking more shots than your favorite college frat pledge, and runs around without a care in the world. He’s topped 10 rushing yards in all but one start - not a high bar to clear - but has shown upside, totaling at least 38 yards and a tug in byke to byke weeks about a month and a half ago. Along with that, he’s totaled double digit scores in five of his last seven starts (only failing to do so against the Pats to open the year and the Seahawks in Week 4). He’s the perfect streamer for not only this week, but also for the rest of the season, as his schedule shapes up perfectly for a playoff push with a beautiful draw against the Raiders for the chip.
RUNNING BACK
Brian Hill; Ito Smith - Atlanta Falcons
Ownership: Brian Hill 47%; Ito Smith 1%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
Everyone’s favorite handcuff remained the handcuff on Sunday, as Ito Smith out touched Hill 16 to 13, picking up 75 yards and a tug while BH managed just 65 yards on the ground. This running game is one that isn’t coveted by any means, as we saw how Todd Gurley derived his fantasy value all season. Basically, if he didn’t score, he was useless. The silver lining? He always scored. Now we have to play the guessing game between these two bums as long as Gurley is out on an offense that will never have the luxury to run the ball as heavily as they did this past week, and even with a 37 point dub, Ito, who was the more valuable option, was still barely usable in the grand scheme of things. I have next to no interest in investing any FAAB in either guy, especially considering the fact that your leaguemates will probably be overpaying for Ito seeing as he scored the tuddy and is still a part of the Falcons offense, who people still think is good for unknown reasons. This backfield is a harder pass than a kidney stone, but don’t worry, there are some better options on waivers this week that’ll make you feel like you’re pissing excellence.
Cam Akers - Los Angeles Rams
Ownership: 29%
FAAB: $10-15
Waiver Priority: No
The Rams’ backfield is a mess, we all know this, but over the past three weeks, we have started to see who the best runner is. The three-headed monster’s totes have shaped up as follows:
25/52/1
12/57/2
24/137/1
The man on top? Darrell Henderson, who was once their lead back. He has struggled to find any room to run lately and honestly, looks to have very little juice. The Middle Child (shoutout Malcolm, Gelo, Cole, etc.) is Malcolm Brown. He’s a JAG. MB finds his way onto the field in two minute drills and other crucial situations because, for whatever reason, he’s trusted. And lastly, by process of elimination, we see the bottom bunker is Cam Akers. The raw numbers basically tell the full story as far as talent goes, as he’s been easily the most efficient back, but on top of this, the trend of touches is starting to look good for the kid. He’s nowhere near an every-down back, but with how he’s played, paired with the other guys’ struggles, I don’t see how he doesn’t start to push for that coveted lead back role. His 26% snap share was dwarfed by DHendo’s 33% and Brown’s 41%, but again, I don’t see how that doesn’t start to change. He saw a goal line carry this week after ripping off a 60 yard sprint, which he converted with ease. We have yet to see Akers be a major factor in the receiving game, but we know that’s certainly in his bag. He’s one of the only non-handcuffs I’d be willing to pick up because, well, he’s talented in what looks to be a pretty good offense. If they ever commit to him, he could be a real league winner, as the Rams get the Cardinals, Patriots, Jets, and Seahawks to close out the year, none of which put any fear in a runningback’s heart when he sees them on the other side of the ball.
Frank Gore - New York Jets
Ownership: 25%
FAAB: $1
Waiver Priority: No
Uncle Frank is on here out of respect and respect alone. There is absolutely zero reason to spend any sort of significant FAAB on a Jet, let alone a Jet RB. He’s getting workhorse usage because everyone else in the running back room is just a lifeless body at this point, and as we’ve come to find out, Gore will never die. If you want a consistent 21 touches for 73 yards and MAYBE a touchdown, then go for it, but if you’re like me and can only take so much strain on Sundays after watching your favorite team call an HB Dive with 12 seconds left and no timeouts, then do yourself a favor and look away.
Devontae Booker - Las Vegas Raiders
Ownership: 8%
FAAB: $15-20
Waiver Priority: No
I don’t know the extent of Josh Jacobs’ ankle injury yet, and it was hard to tell the severity because the Raiders were getting their shit packed in by the time he went down and there was no need for him to risk anything. We’ll know more as the week goes on, but if he were to miss any significant time, then Booker is worth everything you got. I put him on the list of handcuffs to own last week, so I hope y’all learned up on that, but if not, you gotta pay the iron price. The Raiders looked like garbage this past week, which may make you a little wary of this waiver add, but don’t forget they just went down to the wire with the Chiefs and put up four rushing scores the week prior against the Broncos. DBook now gets the Jets in Week 13, a beautiful matchup, then a tough go at it with the Colts in Week 14. Derrick Henry just beat them senseless, but he’s Derrick Henry, so don’t expect anything crazy in that one, but to finish the year, get the lowly Chargers and Dolphins run defenses. If JJ misses any of these, except week 14, then Book should be a locked in top 15 play, especially with Richard still banged up. If JJ’s injury isn’t serious, I’d still want to take advantage of the NYJ game as well as own one of the more high-priority handcuff backs in the league.
The early reports are saying Josh Jacobs’ ankle injury is a lot less serious than what it seemed, so Booker’s value takes a bit of a hit. Still, he’s well worth the add given the Raiders’ schedule and JJ’s affinity to find himself on the injury report every week, but at most, you’re looking at MAYBE a one week starter. Against the Jets, that means a top-15 play, but don’t bid on him expecting anything more, or even just that. I wouldn’t be surprised to see #28 back in action come Sunday, which obviously hinder’s DB’s relevance.
WIDE RECEIVER
Deebo Samuel - San Francisco 49ers
Ownership: 55%
FAAB: $50
Waiver Priority: Yes
He’s baaaaaack. And in a big way. Deebo Samuel showed us why we loved him so dearly last season and why we were dumb enough to ever question if he or Aiyuk was the top dog in San Fran. As the only legit receiving option going up against an elite pass rush and secondary, he totaled 133 yards on 11 receptions, constantly coming up big in clutch situations, such as catching a few slants down the stretch to move the ball into field goal range for Robby Gould’s old ass the boot the ball through the uprights. He was used on jet sweeps, screens, over the middle, down the field - everywhere basically - showing his versatility is something highly coveted by Kyle Shanahan. George Kittle looks to be out for a while and even if Aiyuk were to return next week, I have no doubts that Deebo will act as the #1 with plenty of plays schemed for him to get into space. The 9ers get the Bills, Cowboys, and Cardinals in three of their next four, making him a locked-in WR2 in those spots, and his only “bad” matchup is with the WFT, but after what he did to the Rams, I’m not benching him in any spots. I can’t believe he isn’t 90%+ owned, but here we are. Go out and grab this man, and drop whatever it takes to get the job done.
Corey Davis - Tennessee Titans
Ownership: 54%
FAAB: $25
Waiver Priority: No
I gotta write about CD again. What does everyone not understand? He is the 2020 version of DeVante Parker, the only difference is people knew 2019 DeVante Parker was 2019 DeVante Parker after like week six. We are now twelve weeks deep and people are still disrespecting Corey Davis. He continued his “67 yards or a TD” counter this week, dropping 70 yards on just three receptions against one of the league’s top defenses, and has only failed to reach those arbitrary thresholds ONCE. He’s legit, and he’s averaging 4.7 receptions and 68.8 yards per game to this point, which is even more impressive seeing who he’s played as of late. CHI, IND, BAL, IND were the last four teams Davis went up against, a tall task for anyone, but now, gets a softer stretch than Gumby at a low rent rub-and-tug. The Browns, Jags, Lions, and Packers will have zero answers for this Titans’ offense, and the former 5th overall pick should stand to benefit from it.
Sterling Shepard - New York Giants
Ownership: 52%
FAAB: $10
Waiver Priority: No
Close your eyes. Picture 2019 Michael Thomas. Now imagine he had half the talent and Daniel Jones at QB. Open your eyes. It’s 2020 Sterling Shepard. I’m not as all-in on him as I once was now that Colt McCoy looks to be the starter for the foreseeable future, but this passing game is completely centralized around SS and Evan Engram. The latter is the more explosive option, but Shep is as consistent as they come, routinely getting open over the middle and catching seven balls for 47 yards what seems like every week. He has now hauled in six or more passes in all but one game, hitting that mark in each of his last five. His upside is extremely low with the QB change and the types of targets he sees, but if you’re in need of a safe floor WR or play in a full-PPR league, then treat him as you would Jakobi Meyers from a few weeks ago. It’s not fun to play him week in week out, but sometimes you need a vanilla 11.3 fantasy points to really appreciate those backshot 30 burgers from a real freaky wide receiver (no double entendre meant).
Allen Lazard - Green Bay Packers
Ownership: 39%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
Lazard logged a fairly pedestrian 4/23/1 stat line on Sunday Night, but what was more telling than the pure numbers was ARod’s lack of trust in almost everyone but Davante, Tonyan, and now AL in the passing game. Not gonna say I called it with the whole MVS fumbling puts him in the doghouse narrative, but he was targeted precisely ZERO times, so I wasn’t wrong. That opened up the #2 receiver slot for Lazard, who took advantage before this game got completely out of hand, seeing six targets and housing one of them. This offense is elite, and the only real concern is that they jump out to too big of leads too early, forcing a run-heavy approach in the 4th quarter. That’ll likely be the case when GB draws Philly, Detroit, and Carolina all in a row, but to get out to these big leads, they have to score (crazy, right?), and if they’re scoring, Lazard has as good a chance as any - not named Davante - to be on the end of one of those tugs.
Breshad Perriman - New York Jets
Ownership: 12%
FAAB: $0-1
Waiver Priority: No
Perriman has turned into Robby Anderson, and I don’t mean that as him being a good receiver or anything, I say this because it seems like he just comes alive during the final few months of the year. Last season he was thrown into the WR1 role in Tampa because Mike Evans and Chris Godwin missed some time and produced in that capacity, and now, has shown to have some chemistry with both bum QBs in New York, totaling (19) 11/234/3 over his last three games. It’s somewhat impressive considering he faced the Dolphins and Patriots in two of these, but as I said in the Frank Gore portion of this article, it’s never fun leaning on a Jet in fantasy, especially with the playoffs on the horizon. I just figured I’d throw his name on here as a deeper league option because it does seem he has the best mix of volume and production for NYJ at this point, which isn’t saying all too much, but it’s saying something I guess. They aren’t going to have the luxury of playing with a lead for the rest of the year, so Perriman should stand to benefit from Darnold dropping back 30+ times a game, making his a WR4/5 option going forward with big play potential. I’d much rather every other WR on this list, along with every RB covered, but I won’t knock you for trying to hit on this dart throw.
Denzel Mims - New York Jets
Ownership: 7%
FAAB: $0-1
Waiver Priority: No
See above. Mims has seen eight targets in three straight games, but as expected, the production does not follow. He’s basically a carbon copy of Breshad Perriman sans the TDs to this point, so of the two, I’d prefer BP. I just figured I’d add him because, despite the lack of numbers, he’s looked really fuggin good, so there is hope in dynasty once Adam Gase gets sent to a farm in upstate New York and Trevor Lawrence begrudgingly takes snaps behind center for this team in 2021. As for now though, get used to empty volume and broken hearts, wondering what could have been (or what will be).
Keke Coutee - Houston Texans
Ownership: 2%
FAAB: $0-1
Waiver Priority: No
With Will Fuller out for the rest of the season, it looks like this receiving core will be a two man show between Cooks and Coutee, which means it will be a one man show of Cooks. Keke Coutee has had like three good games in his career, topping 75 receiving yards that many times in his injury riddled career to this point. All he brings to the table is 4.43 speed at 180 pounds soaking wet, running drag routes two yards down field out of the slot. Despite how good Watson has looked, I think this injury hurts the offense and the weapons overall more than it props up anybody else. Coutee is basically a slightly better version of Danny Amendola in just as incompetent of a situation, so I'm not spending ANY sort of FAAB on him. If I were you, I'd just throw a $1 bid on Isaiah Coulter instead in hopes he gets the job on the outside opposite Cooks, as he presents similar speed (4.45) in a bigger frame (6'2 198) while filling that deep receiving role much more aptly than Coutee would.
TIGHT END
Logan Thomas - Washington Football Team
Ownership: 41%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
Every tight end sucks. Fact, not opinion. Logan Thomas is no exception. He’s averaged 5 targets per game since Alex Smith has gone under center, which is as meh as it gets, and he’s scored just once in those four outings. He actually threw a 28 yarder to Terry McLaurin this week, which is on par with or more yards than he’s totaled in six of his eleven games. Antonio Gibson has been running wild, hurting the upside of the passing game, most notable TDs through the air, but with Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Seattle on the horizon - all of which being pass funnels - the WFT should opt to air it out a bit more. Will Thomas benefit from this? Maybe, but also maybe not. He’s not that good and despite all the opportunity to do so this whole season, he’s failed to produce consistently. Either way, I’m fine taking a flier on him because the chances of him hitting once in these next four weeks is probably better than whatever Texans tight end you decide to flip-flop between over the next month.
Jordan Akins - Houston Texans
Ownership: 4%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
This guy kinda stinks, but the usage was there on Thanksgiving. He had two near-TDs, one which was knocked away at the last second, and the other ricocheting off his hands on a slightly high throw. The donut statline isn't one that inspires confidence, but with Will Fuller out for the remainder of 2020 and JA putting up six targets the week prior even with WFV active, there's some hope that he gets a slight uptick in usage. Again, he isn't that good, but the TE rotation the Texans roll out presents less competition than what Zion faced in his high school mixtape. If I were to bet on any single receiving weapon in Houston garnering any sort of value in the wake of Fuller's suspension, it would be Akins, but that isn't saying much because I think this team as a whole will look a whole lot worse than their recent stretch of brilliance, especially considering they play IND, CHI, and IND again over these next three.
D/ST
I’m gonna be real with you, the defensive streamers this week are hot garbage. The Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears are in great spots, but are both > 60% owned, so they’re not included. The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders are heavy favorites in relatively low (< 50) total games, but they are awful defenses in real life, so I don’t want to suggest them either. So, with all this being said, I’m going to suggest the FBGawd Ultimate No-Miss High-Conviction Elite Streamer of the Week: The Detroit Lions.
Patricia? Gone. Quinn? Unemployed. The Lions? Fired tf up. They just got absolutely plastered on Thanksgiving by the only franchise competing with incompetence in the Houston Texans, and now, the boys in blue are going to do whatever it takes to try and show the world that it was that bearded fuck from the Belichick coaching tree that held them back. What better way to do that than off a long week, in a divisional game against a buffoon named Mitch who also just got his back blown out on national TV by Uncle Aaron. Sure, the game may be at Soldier Field, and yes, the Bears may be favorites, but I don’t care. D’Andre Swift is going to be byke and I’m sure Kenny Golladay will do whatever it takes to find his way onto the field and prove he deserves to get a thicc contract. If their offense starts to hum like prime Kid Cudi then that’ll force Mitch to drop back, which we all know is a prime spot for a turnover party. I don’t feel good about streaming Detroit this week, I feel GREAT. Now, if KG sits and Swift is still fiending for Tylenol, then fade tf outta this play. The game may end 13-10 if the latter hypothetical plays out, and at that point, I want zero parts of this game.