| |
|
| Wednesday, December 8, 2021 |
| You know about the "Konami Code," right? |
| I don't mean the one from CONTRA -- my old heads know about "↑↑↓↓←→←→BA," though. I'm talking about the Fantasy football Konami Code: Running quarterbacks. It's a term coined by Rich Hribar a few years back to talk about the edge that targeting rushing quarterbacks can give you, and if you want an example of why that is, just go back and look at Taysom Hill's numbers in Week 13. |
| Hill did not play well in that game. At all. He was picked off four times and completed less than half of his passes. And yet, he still finished with 25 Fantasy points, in large part due to his 100-yard rushing performance. And that's been the story of Hill's career as a starter -- he's averaging better than 11 points per game just from his rushing, which goes a long way in explaining how he's averaged 23.4 points over his five career starts at QB. It also goes a long way in explaining why he's Jamey Eisenberg's Start of the Week for Week 14. |
| You can read more about why Jamey Eisenberg says Hill is a must-start player in his full Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column here, and in the rest of today's newsletter, I'm highlighting some of Jamey's favorite start calls and some of the players he'd rather keep on the bench for each position: |
| Quarterback Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
| |
| Start 'Em: Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson |
| "Fantasy managers are just fine if Stafford is playing hurt over the past two games since he's averaging 28.5 Fantasy points over that span, and hopefully he stays hot against the Cardinals. Stafford scored 23 Fantasy points against Arizona in Week 4, and he should be in that range again in the rematch. It's a tough matchup since the Cardinals allow just 15.0 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 9 is the only quarterback since Stafford to score more than 19 points against Arizona. But I'll take my chances with Stafford as a top-10 Fantasy passer this week." |
| Sit 'Em: Derek Carr and Joe Burrow |
| "Carr scored 21 Fantasy points against the Chiefs in Week 10, and he's certainly capable of matching that total or even exceeding it this week in the rematch. But Arrowhead Stadium has been a house of horrors for Carr in his career. Now, he did pass for 347 yards, three touchdowns and one interception at Kansas City last year. But prior to that, he had four games in a row with 222 passing yards or less, two touchdowns and six interceptions. This Chiefs defense is playing great right now, allowing just Carr to score more than 19 Fantasy points against them in their past five games. I'm expecting Carr to struggle, especially if Darren Waller (knee) remains out, and Carr is only worth using in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues." |
| |
| Running Back Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
| |
| Start 'Em: Javonte Williams and Saquon Barkley |
| "You're obviously starting Williams if Melvin Gordon (hip) remains out again in Week 14 against Detroit, but you can start Williams and probably Gordon also if both are active. I'm not sure if Williams has now put himself in the lead spot of this tandem when Gordon returns, but he should be the top option. Williams was exceptional against the Chiefs in Week 13 when Gordon was out with 23 carries for 102 yards, as well as six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He's now scored at least 19 PPR points in each of his past two games and could be a star to close the season. The Lions have allowed five running backs to score at least 17 PPR points in their past five games." |
| Sit 'Em: Kareem Hunt and Darrell Henderson |
| "Henderson might be active again in Week 14 against the Cardinals, but clearly that's not a guarantee he'll play based on what transpired in Week 13 against Jacksonville. Dealing with a thigh injury, the Rams opted to rest Henderson and lean heavily on Michel. The same thing could happen this week, or Michel just might be the lead back of this tandem moving forward. I don't have high hopes for Henderson this week if he's active and on the field, although he did score 15 PPR points against the Cardinals in their Week 4 meeting. However, it doesn't appear like he'll get the 19 total touches he had in that game now that Michel looks like a significant factor in this backfield." |
| |
| Wide Receiver Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
| |
| Start 'Em: Marquise Brown and D.J. Moore |
| "Brown has gone four games in a row without a touchdown, and he's been held to 55 receiving yards or less in three games in a row. He's due for a big outing, and he's still getting at least seven targets a week during his slump, which is encouraging. You should continue to start him in all leagues, and hopefully he'll break out against the Browns. Against Cleveland in Week 12, Brown had 10 targets and eight catches, but he only managed 51 receiving yards. I'll take my chances with Brown getting 10 targets and eight catches most weeks because big production should follow, so hopefully the targets and receptions stay the same in the rematch in Week 14." |
| Sit 'Em: Michael Gallup and Emmanuel Sanders |
| "Gallup has been great for the past two games, averaging 14.5 PPR points per game against the Raiders and Saints. He has three games in a row with at least eight targets, but I'm afraid his production is about to decline. Most of his stats over the past three games have come with CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper missing time, but both should be at full strength now. Gallup can still be productive, but he's only gone over 44 receiving yards once in his past three outings, which was the game where Lamb and Cooper were both out against the Raiders in Week 12. Gallup is a boom-or-bust No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues in Week 14." |
| Tight End Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
| |
| Start 'Em: Dawson Knox |
| "Knox, as expected, struggled against the Patriots in Week 13. He had six targets but finished with just two catches for 14 yards. New England is tough on tight ends, but don't give up on Knox heading into Week 14 against Tampa Bay. He scored at least 14 PPR points in each of his two previous games prior to Week 13. And the Buccaneers are No. 9 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this year." |
| Sit 'Em: Tyler Higbee |
| "The last time Higbee faced the Cardinals in Week 4 he had four catches for 36 yards on six targets. He has one touchdown since Week 5 and has scored nine PPR points or less seven times in his past nine outings. For the season, Arizona is No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, so this is a tough week to trust Higbee." |
| |
| DST Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
| |
| Start 'Em: Titans vs. JAC |
| "The Titans DST should be in a good spot coming off a bye against the Jaguars. The last time Tennessee played Jacksonville in Week 5, the Jaguars scored 19 points and gave up two sacks, one fumble, one interception and a DST touchdown. I like the Titans DST as my No. 1 Fantasy option this week at the position." |
| Sit 'Em: Football Team vs. DAL |
| "The Football Team DST has done a nice job lately, but this isn't a good week to trust this unit. Washington held Seattle and Las Vegas to fewer than 15 points in consecutive weeks prior to Week 14 but only had four sacks and one turnover in those games. The Cowboys have allowed two sacks or less in four of their past five games and have just one turnover in their past two outings. Keep the Football Team DST reserved in the majority of leagues." |
| |
| | | | | Drop In. Ride On. | | UEFA Champions League on P+ | Tune into PBR RIDEPASS, exclusively on Pluto TV. Download the Pluto TV app to watch thrilling western sports, plus over 200 channels of movies, TV shows, news, sports and more, all 100% free.
Watch Free
| | UEFA Champions League Continues! A new-look Barcelona visits Robert Lewandowski and Bayern in a decisive Group E match with the Catalans needing a victory to secure a Round of 16 spot on Wednesday!
Watch Live
|
|
| |
| |
