The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 13
Hello FootClan, and welcome to Week 13 of the most interesting season of NFL in quite some time. On this Thursday’s episode, the guys had a lot of information to go over. Before hitting up all the major topics they discussed this show, they explored their “Taking It Up to 100” players of the week. Mike went with J.K. Dobbins, Andy selected Christian Kirk, and Jason picked Raheem Mostert.
In the back half of the show, the Ballers went over their Starts of the Week. If you missed the episode, you can listen to the podcast here or watch it on Youtube. Subscribe and hit the bell so you stay in the know. Also, give JoinTheFoot.com a look as it provides lots of additional resources exclusively for #FootClan members.
Andy’s Starts
QB: Kirk Cousins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Andy’s choice for quarterback this week is Minnesota’s Cousins, a player facing a Jacksonville team that has been awful against opposing quarterbacks. They have allowed top-12 performances to the position in four of the last five outings. Jacksonville ranks 30th on the year against quarterbacks. For three consecutive games, Cousins has passed the ball 30 or more times. This contest is an excellent matchup for the Vikings’ signal-caller as he has been a top-5 quarterback for two weeks in a row and a QB1 for three straight weeks. The Jaguars are allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw two or more touchdowns in each of the last five games. Cousins has been heating up in that department, throwing multiple touchdown passes in 8-of-11 games. He gets Adam Thielen back this week after he missed the last contest due to being placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list. This matchup has a 52 point over/under, so watch for Cousins to rack up yardage through the air. He has been throwing for 8.65 yards per attempt, and the Jaguars have been allowing 8.29 yards per attempt already.
RB: David Montgomery vs. Detroit Lions
Over the last five weeks, the Lions have been the worst against the running back position. Detroit even found a way to make Duke Johnson look good, particularly in the passing game. Montgomery goes into this game riding the high of his best game of the year, last week when he has his first 100-yard rushing game of 2020. The Lions have given up a league-high 14 rushing scores and seven receiving touchdowns to running backs throughout this season. There is not another team in the NFL that has conceded more than 16 scores to the position. Montgomery has been an RB2 or better in five of six games, with the one match being one where he suffered a concussion. Each game, the Bears’ runner sees five or more targets, and this should be another contest that allows him to rack up the fantasy stats.
WR: Mike Williams vs. New England Patriots
As of late, New England is giving up significant games to wide receivers. Andy believes Stephon Gilmore will focus mainly on Keenan Allen, so Williams will have the chance to step up and make big plays. Brandin Cooks put up a superb game when facing the Patriots as the Patriots took away the first option. Williams has not been scoring, but there is a big chance he gets to do just that in this battle. The wideout has seen five or more targets in five straight games and saw more offensive snaps in last week’s game than Jalen Guyton (67 to 63). Williams is a boom-or-bust player, but this looks to be a matchup where he booms. The Patriots allow the fifth-most yards per target to the wide receiver position at 9.24-yards, so Williams ought to make the most out of balls thrown in his direction. Andy has confidence Williams can be a top-15 guy at the position this week if he can find the end zone.
TE: Austin Hooper @ Tennessee Titans
Tennessee has given up top-six performances to the opposing tight ends in three-out-of-four weeks. Last week, Hooper found paydirt and should have had scored in the game before that (Baker Mayfield overshot a wide-open Hooper). The Cleveland big man should find the end zone again in this contest. Tight end is such a tricky position this season that taking a shot on Hooper seems like a no brainer. What should convince you that Hooper is a start in Week 13 is that Tennessee has given up seven touchdowns to tight ends this year. Since Week 9 of the season, tight ends have produced 13+ fantasy points a game. Watch for Hooper to continue this trend and find double-digit points in Week 13.
Jason’s Starts
QB: Ryan Tannehill vs. Cleveland Browns
Tannehill is completing 70-percent of his passes in the red-zone and is fifth in fantasy points per dropback this season. Over the last six weeks, his schedule has been intense, taking on Pittsburgh, Chicago, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and then Indianapolis again. This week’s contest is a plus matchup with the highest over/under on the week. There will be numerous passes tossed in this competition as the run-heavy teams will need to air it out. Derrick Henry has been a beast this season, and defenses focus on him, opening up receivers for Tannehill. The Browns allow the 12th most fantasy points to quarterbacks weekly while also having the NFL’s 20th pass defense. Cleveland will be shorthanded this weekend as cornerback Denzel Ward and safety Ronnie Harrison sit out.
RB: Chris Carson vs. New York Giants
Last week, Carson looked impressive. He had eight carries (ten total touches) on Monday, going for 59-yards and a big run for a score. Both of the two balls thrown his way tallied 18-yards total. Carson saw a smaller snap count than he is used to at 34-percent, but he made the most of what he was provided with, finishing the day as the RB18. The Seattle running back should see more work this week, going back to his pre-injury ways. Philadelphia, Carson’s previous opponent, averages -2.2 fantasy points over opponents expectation, whereas the Giants average a +1.2. When their opponent gets to the 5-yard line, the Giants have a hard time stopping the score. With most of the running and pass-catching work at the running back position coming his way, Carson looks to have a fabulous fantasy day on Sunday.
WR: Jarvis Landry @ Tennessee Titans
Landry’s breakout game finally came in Week 12, where he caught 8-of-11 passes for 143 yards while finding his first touchdown of the year. Baker Mayfield only threw the ball 29 times in that contest, which is not horrible for Landry. He averaged 13 yards per target in that matchup. This week, Landry lands in a good game against the Titans. Tennessee has allowed a total of 177 receptions to opposing wideouts this season, going for 2,006 yards. The Titans are also ranked 28th versus the wide receiver position. Additionally, they are giving up almost 40 pass attempts to opposing quarterbacks per game. Mayfield tossed multiple scores in last week’s contest, so he should take that momentum into Week 13. Watch for Landry to be the recipient of Mayfield’s good fortune.
Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
TE: Robert Tonyan vs. Philadelphia Eagles
If we told you Tonyan would be TE4 at this point before the season started, you would presumably be quite confused. The fact that Tonyan is ranked that high as of now may lead you to assume that his 30-point game in Week 4 was the sole reason for his ranking. This is not the case, as even over the last five weeks, he is still sitting at TE4. Aaron Rodgers has been phenomenal this season. Tonyan has been benefiting as he becomes one of the Green Bay QB’s favorite targets. The Packers’ schedule looks good for the playoffs, as they see the Lions, Panthers, and Titans after taking on Philadelphia. Tonyan is a player you need to be starting.
Mike’s Starts
QB: Taysom Hill @ Atlanta Falcons
The last time the Saints took on the Falcons, Hill had his first start. In that competition, he finished as QB4 on the week. Atlanta’s defense has not been good this season. Mike is not letting Derek Carr‘s game last week, consisting of three sacks and four turnovers, change his opinion. Hill still needs his first passing touchdown this season, but he has proved he can get things done on his feet. In his two starts, he totals 93 yards on the ground and four rushing scores. The Falcons are letting quarterbacks tally plenty of fantasy points, giving up the most points to play-callers this year. What Hill does not do through the air is made up for on the ground, where Hill vultures scores. And who knows, Hill may be able to do something in the passing game this week, considering the Falcons are yielding 291.5 yards a game on average to quarterbacks.
RB: Miles Sanders @ Green Bay Packers
Mike is not out on Sanders yet, even if there are rumblings that people are bailing on him. This battle finds Sanders taking on a Green Bay defense giving up top-10 production to running back squads in all but three games. Before the meltdown in Seattle where Sanders saw only eight total touches while Boston Scott bested him, Sanders was averaging 20 opportunities per game, even including the injury game. Carson Wentz threw the ball 45 times on Monday against the Seahawks, so the running options were not as prominent as you would like. Although the Eagles have an offensive line in shambles, Sanders should still notice an abundance of work in this contest. If Wentz can get him the ball more, both on the ground and through the air, Sanders will have a rebound game.
WR: Corey Davis vs. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland was the second-best matchup for fantasy wide receivers before all the bad weather games. Once the team was back to normal weather conditions, Collin Johnson with the Jacksonville Jaguars had four receptions for 96-yards and a score against the Browns. This was Johnson’s first substantial career game action, so picture what a veteran player like Davis can do with this opportunity. The Titans’ wideout is currently ninth in wide receiver receiving yards since he came back from injury in Week 7, including a goose egg against Chicago in Week 9. In games following that zero, he tallied 13 catches on 16 targets, totaling 250 yards. As said earlier, the Browns’ defense will be shorthanded this weekend, giving Davis the chance to shine.
TE: Noah Fant @ Kansas City Chiefs
In Denver’s latest game against the Saints, Fant had the team’s only reception. You read that correctly. This week, Drew Lock is returning, so Fant will not have to rely on wide receiver Kendall Hinton to get him the ball. Over the last month, the Chiefs have averaged the third-most points given up to tight ends. That was Darren Waller and Rob Gronkowski, so consider that. Fant has an excellent opportunity to finally return to the top-10 on the week in this matchup. When the Broncos played Kansas City earlier this season, Fant had seven targets come his way. Tight end Albert Okwuegbunam also contributed with seven catches for 60 yards in that same game. Fant currently sits at 997 receiving yards in his short NFL career. He should see the three yards to get him to 1,000 this week, and then some.
And, as always, Jason Moore gave the listeners the segment of the week — his Iron-Clad Locked and Loaded 100% Guaranteed Boom Boom Kicker of the Week:
“Without my advice, Mr. T would say I pity the fool, so this week (and last week) you want the Falcons’ Younghoe Koo.”
Comments
Best Boom Boom Kicker of the Week imo