The Guru and the Godfather: Week 12

Photo: USA Today Sports

John Norton ("The Guru") and Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") are two of the most experienced and knowledgeable IDP analysts in the fantasy football industry. Every week during the 2023 season here at Footballguys, The Guru and the Godfather will come together to answer five of that week's most pressing questions.

We're 11 weeks into the 2023 fantasy season, which means the stretch run is here in earnest. For quite a few IDP managers, there’s precious little margin for error. Take many (or any) more losses, and it could be game over where the playoffs are concerned.

As if that isn’t enough pressure, there’s adversity with the Guru and the Godfather this week—the former drew a one-week suspension for an illegal chop-block in the Footballguys break room. When Norton calls dibs on the last Snickers bar in the vending machine, he, by God, means it.

Just like the NFL, at FBG, it’s next man up. So, this week, we have enlisted the services of Matt Montgomery (@mattmontyff on the Twitter/X) to ride shotgun with Davenport and help get IDP managers ready for this critical week.

We just celebrated Thanksgiving, and no one loves a tired holiday metaphor more than us. Offer up one IDP you are truly thankful for and another that has gone down like Cousin Clara’s Mystery Salad.

MONTGOMERY: One IDP that I am truly thankful for this season is Zaire Franklin, the Indianapolis Colts linebacker. Most teams have a stalwart player who truly anchors their defense, but over the last few seasons, the Colts have had two. Shaquille Leonard and Bobby Okereke. Unfortunately, we saw injuries take down the mighty Leonard, which allowed us to see Zaire Franklin play a significant role as the man in the middle for the Colts alongside Okereke. We knew what we had with Okereke, but Franklin became an IDP legend even as the “#2” to Okereke. So, what would happen when Leonard returned? Well, Okereke left for greener pastures, and one would assume (incorrectly) that Franklin would be, again, the de facto #2. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Through nine games played, he already has 117 tackles and what may be the biggest feather in his cap, the Colts have elected to move on from Shaquille Leonard altogether. Franklin is 27 years old and appears to be on pace for yet another 160+ tackle season, his second in a row. What more could you want from a 7th-round pick from Syracuse? There are always preferences on which player people prefer depending on format, but Zaire Franklin makes the case for the overall LB1 regardless of format.

Last season, we saw what we all believed to be the emergence of a new, highly coveted, playmaking safety in Houston. Jalen Pitre burst onto the scene as a rookie and produced at a clip not many people did at the position. Not only did he produce 147 total tackles, but he also intercepted five passes and had three additional defended passes. Not too shabby for the new guy, right? Then, in a bit of luck, the Texans sign a former linebacker as their head coach, which would lead many, me being one of these not-so-fortunate souls, to believe he has an opportunity to truly play at his peak potential. Well, this season appears to be a lost season for Pitre. Normally, when you see production take a hit this significant, it is a sign that the player could be losing snaps or is injured. While Pitre did suffer an injury early in the season, he has played 100% of his team's snaps in six straight games. To put it to you in the form of Thanksgiving desserts, Pitre is more fruitcake than pumpkin pie!

GODFATHER: I kind of hope Matt’s wrong about Pitre, who I just scooped off the scrap heap in one league. But the fact I was able to do so without spending a dollar of FAAB is, um, telling—both about Pitre and the state of my safeties there.

I’m thankful for Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane, if only because I’m always thankful when a guy makes me look when I halfway know what I’m talking about. I’m not about to sit here and pretend that I predicted Spillane would be a top-10 fantasy linebacker 11 weeks into the season. That would be a lie. But I did think (and write) that Spillane was an undervalued asset with a good shot of out-pointing Divine Deablo this season. So far, it hasn’t been close.

On the other hand, I’m still working through the stages with Shaquille Leonard. It wasn’t that long ago that IDP pundits debated whether Leonard should be the first IDP selected overall. Then came the injuries. The reduction in playing time. And finally, this past week, the release. Leonard is going to get an opportunity to continue his career somewhere. But the guy who piled up a ridiculous 163 total tackles and 111 solos as a rookie in 2018 may just be gone—and that sucks.

We’re into the playoff stretch run in earnest, which means many managers can’t afford another loss. In the hopes of helping them avoid one, which defensive players at each position are set up well to exceed expectations in Week 12, post a fat stat line, and carry fantasy managers to victory?

MONTGOMERY: If you are looking for a player who is most likely to relieve you of the stress associated with this point in the season, might I interest you in Jaelen Phillips? There were injury concerns at the start of the season, and with that came some sad weeks (2 total assisted tackles between Week 2 and Week 6). Since he has regained his health, he has had a sack in 4 straight games and has a Thanksgiving Feast-worthy matchup in Week 12 against the Jets, who will be starting a third-string quarterback. So, you’re telling me that the high-powered Miami offense has a scenario to get up early against the Jets, then force a third-string quarterback to drop back and throw at a higher clip than if the game was close? On top of this scenario, you have a hungry, motivated, young player in Jaelen Phillips ascending in front of our eyes, looking to break into that elite tier of pass rushers. I’ll do you one better; he won't just feast in Week 12 against the Jets. He will also dominate in the following three games, considering they are against the Commanders, the Titans, and then the Jets a second time.

GODFATHER: Brian Burns of the Carolina Panthers is a big name in IDP circles, but the numbers haven’t matched the notoriety in 2023—the 25-year-old has all of one sack over the last month. He’ll get back in gear Sunday in Nashville against rookie quarterback Will Levis and a Tennessee Titans team allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to defensive ends this year.

Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton might not be the best player at his position in the league from an NFL perspective. But he has shown that he can post gaudy tackle totals in the past. Two weeks ago, Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens tallied 21 stops against the Cleveland Browns. Last week, Elandon Robert amassed 15 total tackles against Cleveland. This week. It’s Singleton’s turn to blow up the box score.

Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre’Von Moehrig has become one of the poster players for why investing big draft capital in defensive backs is a fool’s errand—he’s gone from IDP afterthought to top-10 fantasy defensive back. That run will continue Sunday against a Kansas City Chiefs team giving up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to safeties this season.