Quarterback
Jalen Hurts, PHI (vs New Orleans)
Hurts will get his first NFL start against a very tough Saints defense playing behind a piecemeal offensive line, but his running ability could still make him a good start this week. Even if it goes very bad early, that could create a big deficit that opens up garbage time opportunities for Hurts. The worst-case scenario is that the Eagles hold down Taysom Hill and this turns into a low-scoring defensive battle.
Matthew Stafford, DET (vs Green Bay)
Stafford and the Lions offense has been invigorated by Darrell Bevell since he became interim head coach. Adrian Peterson said football is fun again and Stafford said the team isn’t dwelling on mistakes, which sounds like a recipe for Stafford to play more wide-open football and keep up with Aaron Rodgers in a potential shootout.
Andy Dalton, DAL (at Cincinnati)
Dalton and the Cowboys offensive line looked credible against a Ravens defense that had most of its key players back from the covid list. He’ll face a Bengals defense that doesn’t have too many players who could start in the Ravens defense this week. The top three receivers and Ezekiel Elliott are all healthy and the Bengals don’t have much of a pass rush, which could lead to a big afternoon for Dalton. Tua Tagovailoa almost threw for 300 yards against Cincinnati last week.
Nick Mullens, SF (vs Washington)
Mullens had a rough time with the Rams and Saints defenses but has been reasonably productive against the Packers, Bills, and Seahawks since he took back over for Jimmy Garoppolo. This week he gets a Washington defense that should have trouble with Kyle Shanahan’s misdirection and short passing to set up run after catch opportunities, giving him a solid floor for a backup quarterback that might your QB2/Superflex or cheap DFS option this week.
Running Back
Devin Singletary, BUF (vs Pittsburgh)
Singletary took over in the backfield last week after Zack Moss’s ugly goal-line fumble and didn’t give the Bills coaches any reason to demote him going into a matchup against the Steelers. The Pittsburgh front should limit the running game, but they are down to one healthy inside linebacker and Josh Allen should force to play the pass first, which sets up Singletary for a good opportunity in the short passing game, as long as the Bills don’t go back to the RBBC they had in place going into Week 13.
Giovani Bernard, CIN (vs Dallas)
Playing Bernard this week is a bet on the Cowboys defense to continue to bleed off yards against the run. The Ravens, Washington, Cleveland, Minnesota, Arizona and the Rams have all had field days against them on the ground and the Bengals should test the run defense first to take as much as possible off of the passing game’s shoulders and the beleaguered offensive line should be better as a run-blocking unit than a pass-blocking unit.
J.K. Dobbins, BAL (at Cleveland)
The bad news is that the Ravens reverted to a three-headed backfield in Week 13 after teasing Dobbins as the clear lead back in Week 11. The good news is that Dobbins led the backfield in snaps and touches and scored the only rushing touchdown from a back to be the best fantasy play of the trio and a decent RB2. He scored twice in the season opener against the Browns and has big-play upside on every touch.
Melvin Gordon, DEN (at Carolina)
Gordon had his best game as a Bronco and his best game as a runner since 2017. He is the hot hand heading into a matchup with a Carolina defense that might be shorthanded after a covid situation blew up during the bye week with Shaq Thompson and Derrick Brown both landing on the covid/reserve list. The Panthers will be without Christian McCaffrey and possibly D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel, so the Broncos should be able to keep it close and ride the running game.
J.D. McKissic, WAS (at San Francisco)
McKissic will be a cheap PPR RB2 this week with Antonio Gibson likely out. He’s a favorite target of Alex Smith and the 49ers offense should be good enough to keep Washington from taking the air out of the ball. He has at least seven catches in every game that Alex Smith took the majority of the snaps and the Football Team didn’t win by double digits.
Mike Davis, CAR (vs Denver)
Davis will likely get the start with Christian McCaffrey not expected to play. His ceiling is lower with Rodney Smith and Trenton Cannon getting about 40 percent of the work the last time McCaffrey was out, but Teddy Bridgewater should get him enough targets to have a stable floor in PPR leagues and the Broncos have struggled mightily against the run at times this year.
Wide Receiver
D.J. Chark, JAX (vs Tennessee)
Chark didn’t do much last week but he did lead the team in targets, which is a good indicator for opportunity against a Titans pass defense that was a complete failure last week. He went for 4-84 in the first matchup and Mike Glennon should be at least as good as Gardner Minshew as a downfield passer. Chark’s speed and game at the catch point gives him a chance to make a big play splash in this one.
Keke Coutee, HOU (at Chicago)
Coutee led the Texans in targets last week with nine, converting eight into receptions for 141 yards. This week he’ll be the #2 receiver again vs. a Bears defense that just allowed a big last-second comeback to the Lions. Deshaun Watson raved about Coutee this week, saying last week isn’t his limit. He’s a super solid PPR play and a way to get Watson’s inspired play as of late into your lineup.
T.Y. Hilton, IND (at Las Vegas)
Hilton has strung together two good weeks in a row, and the offensive line is getting healthier, which should give him a chance to make it three against a Raiders defense that just allowed 28 points to the Jets. Hilton is getting open on crossing routes and looks as healthy and confident as he has all year. A wide receiver has caught a touchdown against the Raiders in each of the last five weeks and Hilton is the most likely to do it this week.
Cam Sims, WAS (at San Francisco)
Sims made big plays as a downfield receiver and a runner after the catch against the Steelers last week and this week he’ll get to pick on a 49ers' secondary that just allowed three wide receiver scores last week. Big receivers like DK Metcalf, Preston Williams, Gabriel Davis, and Travis Fulgham all posted big plays against the 49ers this year.
Darnell Mooney, Anthony Miller, CHI (vs Houston)
One of your first questions when setting a lineup every week should be "Who are the Texans playing?" This week, it’s the Bears. Anthony Miller was a top 10 fantasy receiver for a stretch with Mitchell Trubisky last year. The Texans have given up big games to the likes of Damiere Byrd, DJ Chark, and T.Y. Hilton this year, which points to the lingering possibility of Darnell Mooney finally hitting on a deep ball. Since Week 5 only Baker Mayfield failed to throw for at least 283 yards against the Texans, which creates a nice passing pie to serve players not named Allen Robinson.
Tight End
Noah Fant, DEN (at Carolina)
Fant hasn’t had a big game yet this year, but he hasn’t faced the Panthers yet either. Carolina could be without Shaq Thompson, which should help Fant, and they were already having a hard time against tight ends lately, allowing 7-68 to Kyle Rudolph, 5-82-2 to Tampa tight ends, and 10-159 to Travis Kelce since Week 9.
Irv Smith, MIN (at Tampa Bay)
Check Smith’s availability as he is just getting back to practice this week from a back ailment, and make sure that Kyle Rudolph is out after missing the first two practices this week. If those trends hold, Smith will be in a good spot against a Bucs defense that funnels offenses to pass attempts because of stout run defense. When Kirk Cousins has thrown at least 30 passes, the tight ends have gotten at least seven targets four of six games.
Jordan Reed, SF (vs Washington)
Reed has been a fantasy-relevant tight end in three of the four weeks that he has played at least 40 percent of the snaps, and he should do that this week against Washington, barring injury. He could be used more as a short-range receiver to keep the Washington pass rush from mattering, and Ben Roethlisberger found Eric Ebron an attractive receiver under similar circumstances last week, targeting him 11 times.
Dalton Schultz, DAL (at Cincinnati)
Schultz gets to face a Bengals defense that has been a fantasy buffet for tight ends lately. Mike Gesicki just came through with 9-88-1 last week and Evan Engram posted 6-129 in Week 12 against Cincinnati. The Colts' and Browns' tight ends combined for five touchdowns against them. Schultz also presents a safe floor in PPR leagues, with at least four catches in each of the last five games.
