It’s championship week! Congratulations to those of you who’ve advanced this far. I’ve personally been eliminated from my main league, but maybe that will help me think more clearly when it comes to start/sit decisions for this final week of the season. If you started Jameson Williams and his 23.5 fantasy points last week, you likely won your matchup. This week we’ll look to identify some more potential week-winners who are currently ranked outside the top 24 in the Fantasy Footballers’ rankings. Here are those names:
Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Get those underpants out of the forge and buckle up, folks! This one isn’t pretty, but with Sincere McCormick and Zamir White out for the rest of the season, Mattison quietly saw a 57% snap share last week. He garnered 19 opportunities, catching four of his seven targets and finding the end zone, which helped him finish inside the top 20 at the position for the fifth time this season. This week he faces a New Orleans Saints defense that has been dreadful against the run, and I expect him to see close to 20 opportunities again with Ameer Abdullah as his only competition for touches in this offense. If Mattison can hang onto the football, I like his chances to return flex value or better this week. I’d start him over Travis Etienne Jr., or if you need an injury fill-in for James Conner or Alvin Kamara.
Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers
Old man Thielen continues to stay relevant for fantasy football, finding the end zone last week against Arizona to post his third top-25 fantasy finish in the last four weeks. The old-man narrative is a fun one, but it hasn’t been slowing down the veteran receiver of late. Since returning from injury, Thielen has been consistently passing the eye test—creating separation with his routes and displaying impressive hands in big situations. I love his matchup this week with a Tampa Bay defense that’s a notorious pass funnel, meaning they’re stout up front but much more beatable through the air. I expect the Panthers to be in “keep-up” mode this week in a game with a 48.0-point over/under. If that’s the case, Thielen could see 10+ targets to give you a solid floor with touchdown upside. Fire him into your lineups over flashier options like Khalil Shakir and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On the other side of this matchup, Jalen McMillan managers should stay in the flames with their rookie wide receiver. He’s now posted four touchdowns in his last three games (notably, since Andy’s infamous touchdown guarantee), and he’s been inside the top 24 in all three of those weeks. Choose your favorite narrative:
- Tampa Bay is in a must-win scenario for their playoff hopes
- Mike Evans continues to draw double coverage and open up the rest of the field
- The Bucs’ implied team total for this game is 28.0
They all add up to McMillan having a solid chance to extend his touchdown streak and help fantasy managers win their championships this week.
Jayden Reed/Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers‘ shotgun approach is one that I’ve used before in this series, and we’re going back to it for championship week. I use it because the Packers’ wide receiver room is one of the trickier ones to figure out in the league. It’s a true dart throw starting one of them on any given week, but I feel this week is somewhat of an exception. I’ve been targeting the Minnesota Vikings‘ secondary a lot this season because, despite their gaudy 13-2 record, they remain the best matchup for opposing wide receivers, allowing 6.4 fantasy points above expected to the position. The Vikings’ defense also happens to be one of the best against the run, which I believe will force Green Bay to throw the ball in this game, something they haven’t been doing much lately. They’ve attempted just 23.8 passes per game since their Week 10 bye. The last time Green Bay faced Minnesota, Jordan Love threw 54 passes—by far his highest total on the season. Additionally, wide receiver Christian Watson appears to have tweaked his knee last week and isn’t practicing. If he sits, it’ll open up even more opportunities for Reed and Doubs to shine in a game that I expect to be a shootout. Feel free to flex either of them knowing at least one of them is likely to pop this week.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons
It’ll take some courage, as you’ll be putting some faith in rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on Primetime, but I think you can start Mooney this week. Penix Jr. immediately showed rapport with him last week, consistently finding him down the field for chunk gains. Mooney finished with five catches for 82 yards, good for WR29 on the week. That might be close to his ceiling unless he finds the end zone, something he hasn’t done since Week 9, but I do like Mooney’s floor in this high over/under matchup with the Washington Commanders. He’s probably a deeper-league option, and I wouldn’t start him over any of the names above, but he’s in play this week if you need a floor play. Surely he won’t goose twice in three weeks, right?
from Fantasy Footballers Podcast https://ift.tt/NJu9PZo
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