Hot Fire Fantasy Football Questions: Week 13
Our “Hot Fire Fantasy Questions” series takes a look at Week 13 following up recent news, fantasy performances, and implications for owners moving forward. Our Hot Fire contributors from our Fantasy Footballers writing staff includes Keaton Denlay (@KeatonDenlay), Ryan Weisse (@TheFantasyFive) and Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg).
Make sure you listen to today’s podcast to get Andy, Mike, and Jason’s reactions from all the Week 13 action.
1. Which Week 13 start most likely won owners a playoff spot?
Kenyan Drake
Kenyan Drake’s 141 total yards and a TD won his owners a playoff spot this week. First of all, he had a great game and the team with the most fantasy points wins. But the real reason I think Drake carried his owners into the playoffs was because he was free. If you didn’t pick him up for free after Ajayi got traded, you had another chance to pick him up for free following his poor Week 11 performance. -Keaton Denlay
Alex Smith
None other than Alex Smith. Smith owners have had a roller coaster season but man did it reach a mammoth high in Week 13! Smith posted 366 yards passing, 4 TDs, and 70 rushing yards for good measure. If you stuck things out with Mr. Security Blanket, you are probably looking forward to Week 14 instead of planning for next year’s draft. -Ryan Weisse
Josh McCown
Good lord! If McCown was streamed this week, owners had to be ecstatic with 331 yards passing and 2 total TDs. His aggressiveness is a perfect match for fantasy with massive upside in plus match-ups like this one against Kansas City. I don’t recommend him the rest of the year. His schedule is brutal AT Denver and New Orleans and then home against a tough Chargers secondary. But for now, do a happy dance if you started him. –Kyle Borgognoni
2. Which Week 13 dud most likely cost owners a playoff spot?
Tom Brady
I would say that Zach Ertz hurt his owners with a 2 for 24 stat line, but at the TE position there’s a good chance that your opponent’s TE didn’t do much better. Instead I’m going to go with Tom Brady. His owners had grown accustomed to monster performances. However, his 8 fantasy points ranked him outside of the top 20 at his position in Week 13. -Keaton Denlay
Kareem Hunt
Sticking with the Chiefs, I’m guessing Kareem Hunt ended many an owner’s 2017. Despite the fact that Kansas City seemingly scored at will on Sunday, Hunt was held under 50 yards and no score again for the 4th time in his last 5 games. After single-handedly winning owners a few games early this year, he soon became their worst nightmare. He was too good to bench but impossible to watch. Defenses keyed on him and allowed Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to feast. It was a sad end to what could have been a great year. -Ryan Weisse
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Jordan Howard
What a bust! There was no better matchup on paper than the hapless 49ers run defense which had given up the MOST fantasy points to opposing RBs on the season. Howard was even given a favorable game script as the Bears held a lead for a majority of the game. He finished with 38 yards on 13 carries. The main problem was Jimmy G and the 49ers doubling the Bears (73-36) total number of plays and dominating time of possession. He was started in 94% in Yahoo! leagues so all those owners must have been left disappointed. -Kyle Borgognoni
3. Which surprise RB would you rather have moving forward: Kenyan Drake, Alex Collins, Rex Burkhead, or Peyton Barber?
Kenyan Drake
Again, my answer has to be Kenyan Drake. This one isn’t even close. Of this group, he’s the only one who has a backfield all to himself. With the injury to Williams and the departure of Ajayi, Drake’s workload is secure. It doesn’t hurt that he has looked great with the opportunities he’s gotten, sporting 5.47 yards per carry since Ajayi got traded. -Keaton Denlay
Rex Burkhead
It’s gotta be Rex Burkhead. The Patriots are the only legit offense of this bunch and Burkhead has clearly taken over the role LeGarrette Blount left behind. Mr. Goathead has scored 5 TDs in his last 4 games and has favorable matchups with Miami and Buffalo (who he just burned for overall 100 total yards and 2 TDs) to end the fantasy season. -Ryan Weisse
Rex GOAT-head, as Mike Wright calls him, has now seen 15 touches in back-to-back games and looks like a red-zone machine in this Patriots offense. Although Dion Lewis went down on the one before his TD run, Burkhead looks like a trusted option when they get in close. He’s averaged 16.58 points in PPR leagues over his last 5 games, which would make him a top 10 back over the season. He is a legit RB2 given his receiving ability and the opportunities for him in an offense that will continue to put up points. –Kyle Borgognoni
4. Give us one fantasy stat line should owners pay attention to.
Kenyan Drake
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a Drake fan. If you still need convincing here’s a tidbit from the Week 13 box score: Drake received 45.2% of the Dolphins offensive opportunities. That means that every time a Miami player got a carry or a target there was a nearly 50-50 chance it went to Drake. This is very important considering Drake is averaging 1 fantasy point per touch (0.9932) since being thrust into action. #TeamDrake -Keaton Denlay
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Jerick McKinnon and Christian McCaffrey
I’m going to say Jerick McKinnon and Christian McCaffrey. Both of these pass catching RBs torched the Falcons and Saints respectively thru the air in Week 13. The significance is that the Falcons and Saints play each other twice in the fantasy playoffs. I’m sure you’re starting Alvin Kamara every week and I have a feeling he is going to end the year as the fantasy football MVP for many #FootClanTitles but I also think Tevin Coleman is about to have a great playoff run. He has clearly become “the pass-catcher” in the Atlanta backfield and, if McCaffrey’s perfomance is any indication, I think we may see his best perfomances all season in these last 3 weeks. -Ryan Weisse