Quarterback
Jared Goff, LAR (at Arizona)
Goff has been tough to predict week-to-week, but we do have data points from last year when the Rams faced Vance Joseph’s Cardinals defense. He went for 319 yards and three scores and 424 and two scores in those two games and this Arizona defense doesn’t have Chandler Jones. Only Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Dwayne Haskins, and Joe Flacco have failed to throw multiple touchdowns against the Cardinals this year.
Mitchell Trubisky, CHI (vs Detroit)
Trubisky is an all pro when he faces the Lions. He had 242 and three scores in the season opener this year, threw for three scores in both matchups last year, and in the one 2018 matchup with Detroit, Trubisky threw for three scores and ran for one. The Lions defense was turning to dust in recent games, but they could get a ding dong the witch is dead bounce with the firing of Matt Patricia. That’s still not enough to lower interest in Trubisky as a QB2/Superflex/Streamer or DFS quarterback.
Baker Mayfield, CLE (at Tennessee)
Mayfield has been efficient without Odell Beckham even if he has remained a low volume quarterback. Last week against Jacksonville he peaked with 258 and two scores, and he could reproduce that and more against the Titans, especially if the Browns defense can’t slow down the Titans offense, which scored five times in the first half last week against the Colts. There is a decent chance that the Browns are playing from behind in the second half, forcing Mayfield to eclipse 30 passing attempts for the first time since Week 5.
Kirk Cousins, MIN (vs Jacksonville)
Cousins has thrown for multiple scores in each of the last four games and six out of the last seven. He did last week without the benefit of Adam Thielen, but Thielen will return for the matchup against the Jaguars, who just gave up that 258-2 game to Baker Mayfield on only 29 attempts. The Jaguars have given up multiple passing scores in each of the last five games and they don’t have anyone who can cover Thielen or Justin Jefferson.
Running Back
Myles Gaskin, MIA (vs Cincinnati)
Gaskin isn’t even a sure thing to play on Sunday, but if he goes, he should be the lead back in a walk in the park game for the Dolphins. The Bengals just gave up Wayne Gallman’s career high in yardage and each of their last two opponents has handed off to running backs 30 times. None of the backs who replaced Gaskin have stood out for a multi-game stretch and Gaskin might be the healthiest of he, DeAndre Washington, and Salvon Ahmed. Gaskin also recorded at least three catches in every game he played this year, including one with Tua Tagovailoa, so that helps his value durability with the identity of the Dolphins Week 13 quarterback still unknown.
Duke Johnson Jr, HOU (vs Indianapolis)
David Johnson could return this week, but Duke has an alternate path to value with the Texans wide receiver corps now down to Keke Coutee as the #2 receiver and Isaiah Coulter as the #3. Duke Johnson Jr can play in the slot and he caught a beautiful pass for a score from Deshaun Watson on a wheel route on Thanksgiving. It’s fair to say that Duke Johnson Jr is at worst the third best pass catcher in a Deshaun Watson offense now.
Frank Gore, NYJ (vs Las Vegas)
Gore’s upside is capped by the Jets offensive woes, but no team was worse than the Raiders in Week 12. They gave up 124 rushing yards to Falcons backs last week, and three scores to Chiefs backs the week before that. Gore looks like the cheapest lead back for DFS in Week 13, and he even caught three passes last week. If Raiders are sleepwalking through their game again this week, Gore could score and top 100 total yards.
Devontae Booker, LV (at New York Jets)
Booker is in line to start with Josh Jacobs missing the first two practices of the week. The Jets are a stingy run defense for the most part, but they are prone to giving up big plays, and as long as Derek Carr finds his game, they should be able to set Booker up with some goal line opportunities. Even if Jacobs is active, Booker could be in a 50-50 committee with him as the team eases their lead back into the lineup after he suffered an ankle injury last week, and Booker should be the back they turn to if they need to salt the game away with a second half lead.
Melvin Gordon, DEN (at Kansas City)
Phillip Lindsay did get a limited practice in, so he’s in line to play against Kansas City, but he isn’t going to see as much work as Gordon, who should be the back when the Broncos are in catch up mode. He had a score and 80 total yards in the first humiliating loss at the hands of the Chiefs, and he should have a chance to benefit from any desperation garbage time comeback attempts from sanitation engineer Drew Lock.
Wide Receiver
Keke Coutee, HOU (vs Indianapolis)
Coutee’s time is here, as he should be close to an everydown player with Will Fuller suspended and Kenny Stills released. He’s also out of the shadow of Bill O’Brien’s doghouse and has a golden opportunity to reestablish his standing with Deshaun Watson. Coutee broke the NFL record for most catches in a debut with Watson against their Week 13 opponent Indianapolis, and Watson is red hot, playing as well as he has in his entire career over the last two weeks.
Marquise Brown, Devin Duvernay, BAL (vs Dallas)
There’s a lot of status watching to determine whether this Ravens duo will be a good play on Tuesday, but if Lamar Jackson is back and Willie Snead and Mark Andrews are not, Brown and Duvernay should be the top two targets for Jackson against a very weak Cowboys pass defense. Brown’s speed flashed on a long catch and run score from Trace McSorley that made the end of the game against the Steelers interesting and the Cowboys pass defense has given up multiple scores to opposing wide receivers seven times already this year.
Henry Ruggs, LV (at New York Jets)
Ruggs has been mighty quiet lately, but Nelson Agholor didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday and the Raiders face the very burnable Jets secondary this week. They have allowed 100+ yard receiver or multiple wide receiver scores in each of the last five games and Ruggs might be the focus of Derek Carr’s downfield targets with Agholor ailing.
T.Y Hilton, IND (at Houston)
Hilton vs. the Texans has always been fantasy magic and he got hot with his first touchdown of the season last week just in time for this matchup. Hilton has been especially good at Houston, with a 175-yard game (with two scores and Jacoby Brissett at quarterback), a 199-yard game, a 223-yard game, and a 7-121-3 game. If you are going to play Hilton this year, this is the time.
Darnell Mooney, CHI (vs Detroit)
We’re still waiting for a deep ball to Mooney to connect for a long score. This week against the Lions gives hope for an airmail connection simply because the Lions secondary has been playing matador defense lately, giving up easy long plays to D.J. Moore and Will Fuller in their last two contests. As chronicled above, Mitchell Trubisky has always saved his best football for the Lions, and that could include a successful bomb to Mooney this week.
Allen Lazard, GB (vs Philadelphia)
Lazard is healthier than Marquez Valdes-Scantling right now, so he’s set up to be the #2 receiver against the Eagles with Darius Slay likely following Davante Adams. Lazard has scored in three of his five games played this year and no quarterback is hotter as a passer right now than Aaron Rodgers.
Tight End
Jordan Akins, HOU (vs Indianapolis)
Akins had two potential touchdowns hit his hands last week and dropped both, but getting two chances at scoring is pretty good for a fantasy tight end at this point in the season. He has some experience running routes from the slot and could play more there this week with Keke Coutee potentially getting snaps outside to replace Will Fuller.
Trey Burton, IND (at Houston)
Burton was making plays at a high rate last week, turning his first three targets into 42 yards and a score in the first 15:01 of play, but was only targeted three more times over the rest of the game, all incompletions. That creates some promise a good game against the Texans, who forgot to cover T.J. Hockenson on multiple plays last week, and they gave up a 8-113 to Anthony Firkser earlier this season.
Noah Fant, DEN (at Kansas City)
Fant has been playing through an ankle injury this year and hasn’t regained his early season form, but he should be the #1 tight end for a matchup against the Chiefs that generated 12 tight end receptions for 123 yards in the first matchup with Kansas City this year. Fant could be a garbage time special with Drew Lock on the road this week.
Kyle Rudolph, MIN (vs Jacksonville)
Irv Smith doesn’t appear to be any closer to playing than he was last week, when he missed the game and Rudolph racked up seven catches for 68 yards. He had 4-63 in Week 10 when Smith was out, and he’s facing a Jaguars defense that has allowed
