Thanksgiving, a joyous day filled with an abundance of food, family, and football, kicked off crunch time in the fantasy football regular season. Fantasy owners only have until the end of next week to solidify their playoff chances, making every matchup from here on out a high-stakes affair. Receiving quality advice on the topics that matter most at this crucial time will help you make the decisions that can propel your squad to glory. As such, we’ve consulted the 10 most accurate experts on some of fantasy’s most pressing questions while we gear up for the playoff stretch run.
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Q1. What do you expect from the Baltimore backfield moving forward after Gus Edwards‘ performance and how would you rank him for the rest of the season?
“I’m going all in with Edwards because he has top 20 RB potential, and you don’t find that this late into the season. Could he bust, be a one-week wonder and Harbaugh goes back to Alex Collins…or even Javorius Allen/Ty Montgomery? No question. However, Edwards fits this offense, especially since the Ravens rank near the top in run blocking off center and to the right guard. If Edwards doesn’t turn into Derrick Henry and try to do more than he’s able…and Harbaugh sticks with him…Edwards might even creep close to the fringe RB1 area.”
– Jake Ciely (The Athletic)
“It’s more of the same for Harbaugh and the Ravens. There is no loyalty at this position and hasn’t been for a number of years. Harbaugh will ride the hot hand which has meant an assortment of weeks where value could be found in other running backs (Allen, Collins) but ultimately you have to treat this as a week-by-week roll of the dice. If you pick right, you’re happy. If you pick wrong, you are left scratching your head as the rotation continues. He’s a high-risk RB3 candidate rest of season.”
– Andy Holloway (The Fantasy Footballers)
“It sounds like Baltimore prefers Edwards’ north-south running style paired with Lamar Jackson. So as long as Jackson is under center, I expect Edwards to lead the Ravens in carries. And if he continues playing like he did last week, it might be his backfield regardless of who’s under center. Note that Baltimore has an extremely favorable rest-of-season schedule, including games against the Raiders, Falcons, Chiefs, and Bucs over the next four weeks.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
Q2. What is Cameron Brate’s rest of season value?
“With O.J. Howard out of the picture, Brate is squarely in the back-end TE1 conversation for the rest of the season. Jameis Winston “retaking” the starting quarterback job — for however long that lasts — only helps Brate’s outlook. While he’s certainly in the “TD dependent” class of fantasy tight ends, they all are beyond the top handful. Any yards he gets are a bonus, as his true value comes from his demonstrated mind-meld with Winston in the scoring area.”
– Patrick Thorman (Pro Football Focus)
“I can see mid-level TE1 status, pushing top five. I’m going to chase the upside given the putridity — that a word? I’m making it one if not — of the tight end position. I’ll take Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, George Kittle, and Greg Olsen as the only definite tight ends that are better ROS. Brate is in the convo with Jack Doyle, Trey Burton and David Njoku for the next group. Obviously, Rob Gronkowski is the wild card, but this is about Brate and the Bucs pass a ton, and there is a history with Brate and Winston.”
– Jake Ciely (The Athletic)
“On an offense that’s produced the second-best fantasy quarterback (if you combined Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick), I fully expect Brate to be a borderline top-five fantasy tight end down the stretch with Howard sidelined. He’s shown a good rapport with Winston in the past.”
– Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports)
Q3. What one player are you stashing on your roster as a lottery ticket?
RB Handcuffs
“When Todd Gurley was briefly forced out of last Monday night’s classic, it served as a reminder of the importance of rostering as many high-end handcuffs as you can going into the end of the year. Any WR3 or timeshare back that you’ve rostered to make it through the bye weeks need to be jettisoned for any back left on the waiver wire that could expect to see the bulk of his team’s carries if the lead back were to go down. Malcolm Brown and Spencer Ware top the list, but Rod Smith, Giovani Bernard, Austin Ekeler, and Chase Edmonds need to be rostered as well.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)
“With the bye weeks just about behind us, it’s time to start stashing the high-end handcuff RBs: Malcolm Brown, Spencer Ware, Gio Bernard, Austin Ekeler, and Rod Smith.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
“Jackson has been my lottery ticket stash and I think he still applies. As of this moment we aren’t sure he is even playing during the playoff stretch. However, if he does keep playing he will face the Raiders, Falcons, Chiefs, and Bucs down the stretch. He could easily end up the #1 QB during that stretch thanks to his rushing ability and now he has the chance to play his way into being the starter or having Flacco’s hip keep him out.”
– Jason Moore (The Fantasy Footballers)
Q4. Which lowly-owned defense(s) are you stashing away for a playoff run?
“The Bills defense has not gotten enough attention for their strong play, perhaps due to Buffalo’s offense having been a fantasy wasteland all year. In a season that has seen an unprecedented amount of scoring, the Bills have held five of 10 opponents to less than 20 points and have Jacksonville (home), Miami (away), New York Jets (home), and Detroit (home) over the next four weeks.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)
“Carrying multiple defenses isn’t usually advisable, but this late in the season it makes sense if one has a truly strong postseason schedule. The Titans fit that description, even if they are more “moderately-owned” than “lightly-owned.” Starting in Week 13 they face the Jets, Jags, Giants, and Washington in the fantasy Super Bowl. If they hit waiver wires this week, with a matchup against the Texans on tap, they’re worth snatching up and riding.”
– Patrick Thorman (Pro Football Focus)
“The Patriots defense looks like a viable fantasy play in at least three, and maybe four, of the next five weeks. They get to feast on each of their AFC East counterparts: the Jets this week, the Dolphins in Week 14, and the Bills in Week 16. New England might also be usable in Week 13 at home versus a leaky Vikings offensive line. You’ll just need a replacement for Week 15 when the Pats head to Pittsburgh.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
“The Broncos are no longer the elite must-own fantasy defense they were a few years ago. That being said they still have several playmakers who can wreak havoc on a subpar offense. Subpar offense, you say? How about a playoff schedule of San Francisco, Cleveland, and Oakland. They are available in most leagues and might have the best playoff schedule of anyone.”
– Jason Moore (The Fantasy Footballers)
Q5. What struggling player that owners shouldn’t lose faith in will rebound this week?
Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN)
“Cook has yet to score and is averaging just 2.4 YPC outside of a long run this season, but he recorded the highest game speed of the week on that carry in Week 9, signifying he should finally be back to 100 percent (especially with Minnesota now coming off its bye). Green Bay enters with the 24th ranked run defense DVOA, and Cook should be treated like a workhorse, so expect a big rebound in Week 12.”
– Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports)
“Dalvin Cook ran into an elite Bears run defense last week. But his usage in that one was encouraging. He played 88% of the Vikings’ offensive snaps, handled 69% of the RB carries and saw three targets. He’s set up for a big game on Sunday night against a Packers defense allowing 4.7 yards per carry to RBs.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
David Njoku (TE – CLE)
“I’m hoping to see Njoku get a full practice in by Friday. He has a strong matchup — the Bengals allow the ninth-most points and sixth-most yards to tight ends — and the game has the potential for elevated play volume, at least on Cleveland’s side. Coming off of a bye, I’m expecting a recommitment to getting a (hopefully) healthier Njoku more involved.”
– Patrick Thorman (Pro Football Focus)
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR – GB)
“It seems likely that Valdes-Scantling bounces back this week in a potential shootout with the Vikings. Last week’s performance left many owners burned, but the fact that MVS is on the field for nearly 100% of offensive snaps bodes well for his future.”
– Andy Holloway (The Fantasy Footballers)
Thank you to the experts for answering our pressing questions for Week 12 and beyond. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.
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