New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Date/Time: Sunday December 12, 4:05pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Chargers -10.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 44.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Chargers 27.5, Giants 17
Quarterbacks
Mike Glennon or Jake Fromm: Daniel Jones missed Week 13 with a neck injury and is expected to remain out for at least another week. Backup Mike Glennon sustained a concussion last week, but Giants head coach Joe Judge indicated that Glennon will likely be able to play. If not, third-stringer Jake Fromm will get the start. A fifth-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia in 2020, Fromm began his NFL career with the Bills, but the Giants signed him off Buffalo’s practice squad last week. Fromm hasn’t attempted a regular-season pass in his two NFL seasons. In the 2021 preseason, he completed 21 of 36 passes for 172 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. You don’t want to use either of these guys in a road game against a good Chargers pass defense.
Justin Herbert: Don’t look now, but Herbert is less than three fantasy points away from passing Tom Brady to become the QB1 for the season. Herbert is on a tear, with 300-plus passing yards and multiple TD passes in each of his last three games. He’ll be at home this week against a surprisingly respectable Giants pass defense that ranks eighth in DVOA and is allowing 6.7 yards per pass attempt. He’ll be without WR Keenan Allen, who’s on the COVID-19 list. With his firepower diminished, Herbert is the QB6 instead of a top-three option.
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley: Barkley and the Giants have a seemingly favorable running-game matchup this week against a Chargers defense that’s giving up 141.2 rushing yards per game and 23.1 fantasy points per game to running backs. But the Chargers held Bengals RB Joe Mixon to 54 rushing yards and 2.8 yards per carry last week, and there are a number of other factors working against Barkley. For one, the Giants will be starting either second-stringer Mike Glennon or third-stringer Jake Fromm at quarterback, which will make it hard for the Giants to sustain drives and score touchdowns. The Giants’ offensive line has been dreadful, ranking 30th in Football Outsiders’ run-blocking metric, adjusted line yards. Since coming back from an ankle injury in Week 11, Barkley is averaging 40 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards per game with zero touchdowns. He’s just a midrange RB2 this week. Even at a sale price of $6,000 on DraftKings, Barkley isn’t particularly appealing.
Austin Ekeler: Ekeler lost a pair of fumbles last week, making the Chargers’ 41-22 victory over the Bengals more arduous than it might have been otherwise. But Ekeler had 104 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in Cincinnati last Sunday, and he had lost only one other fumble all season, so no one will begrudge him for his Week 13 butterfingers. Ekeler has piled up 663 rushing yards, 518 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns this year, making him the RB3 in fantasy points per game behind only Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor. With Taylor on bye this week, Ekeler is the overall RB1 against a Giants defense that’s giving up 20.4 fantasy points per game to running backs, the sixth-highest total in the league. Ekeler could be in for a huge workload this week with WR Keenan Allen out. Ekeler is a worthy cash-game anchor at $8,300 on DraftKings.
PRISTINE MATCHUP OF THE WEEK
Each week, we’ll pick a matchup of the week, presented by Pristine Auction. For Week 14, Austin Ekeler is our Pristine Matchup of the Week.
Wide Receivers
Kadarius Toney: Toney has been ruled out for Week 14 with quad and oblique issues.
Sterling Shepard: Shepard hasn’t played since Week 8 due to a quad injury, but he was practicing last week and has a decent chance to be active when the Giants face the Chargers on Sunday. Shepard could be in line for double-digit targets if banged-up Giants WRs Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay are both out, but the targets are going to be coming from either Mike Glennon or Jake Fromm, so Shepard would be a WR4 at best.
Kenny Golladay: Golladay is dealing with an injury to his ribs, though X-rays showed they weren’t cracked. Even if Golladay is able to play, he won’t be an appealing fantasy option this week against the Chargers due to the Giants’ bleak QB situation.
Darius Slayton: Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, and Kenny Golladay are all banged up for the Giants, so Slayton is likely to play a fair number of snaps for the Giants when they visit the Chargers this weekend. But Slayton is a vertical receiver with an average depth of target of 13.3 yards, and you have to wonder if the Giants’ quarterback this week – either backup Mike Glennon or third-stringer Jake Fromm – will be able to reliably deliver catchable balls on longer throws. Don’t start Slayton unless you’re really in a bind this week.
Keenan Allen: Allen landed on the COVID-19 list earlier this week and will miss Sunday’s game.
Mike Williams: Williams spent most of the week on the COVID-19 list as a close contact, but he was activated on Saturday and will play on Sunday. It’s been a roller-coaster season for Williams. From Week 1 to Week 5, he averaged 20.1 fantasy points per game (0.5). From Week 6 to Week 10, he averaged 4.7 fantasy points per game. Since Week 11, he’s averaged 12.5 fantasy points per game. Williams had 5-110-0 on seven targets last week against the Bengals – his first 100-yard day since Week 5. With Allen out, Williams becomes a must-start. He’s the WR18.
Jalen Guyton and Josh Palmer: Guyton and Palmer, the Chargers, No. 3 and No. 4 receivers, respectively, ascend to No. 2 and No. 3 with Keenan Allen aout for Week 14. They’re potentially useful Week 14 assets against a Giants defense that’s giving up 23.0 fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
Tight Ends
Evan Engram: Engram had a season-high 61 receiving yards against the Dolphins last week, but he’s averaging just 6.1 fantasy points per game (0.5 PPR), and a spate of injuries to the Giants’ wide receivers hasn’t significantly boosted Engram’s target totals. He has a good matchup against the Chargers this week, but the Giants are going to have either Mike Glennon or Jake Fromm at quarterback. Engram is a midrange TE2.
Jared Cook: As good a season as second-year QB Justin Herbert has been having for the Chargers, the 34-year-old Cook hasn’t really cashed in. He’s the TE23 in fantasy scoring among tight ends who’ve played at least five games. Part of it is that Cook doesn’t have a monopoly on the Chargers’ TE targets – Donald Parham and Steven Anderson get into the act, too. However, Cook could get a target bump this week with WR Keenan Allen out this week. Cook is the TE15 against the Giants.
Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos
Date/Time: Sunday December 12, 4:05pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Broncos -7.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 42 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Broncos 24.75, Lions 17.25
Quarterbacks
Jared Goff: After throwing just one TD pass over a five-game span from Week 5 to Week 10, Goff has thrown five TD passes in his last two outings. The last of them was a dramatic game-winner to Amon-Ra St. Brown as time expired in Minnesota last Sunday, giving the Lions their first victory of the season. It seems unlikely that Goff’s touchdown binge will continue this week against a Broncos defense that’s allowed 15 TD passes in 12 games. As the QB25 in this week’s rankings, Goff is only playable in 2QB and superflex leagues.
Teddy Bridgewater: Bridgewater just hasn’t been putting up worthwhile fantasy numbers lately. Over his last six starts, he’s averaged 210.2 passing yards and has thrown six TD passes. Bridgewater has averaged 14.7 fantasy points per game over that stretch. He’s in a get-right spot this week against a Detroit defense that ranks 28th in DVOA and 27th in opponent passer rating. The Lions are giving up 8.3 yards per pass attempt, tied with the Jets for the worst mark in the league. But the Lions have a run-funnel defense: Opponents are running against them on 48% of their offensive snaps. It’s possible that Bridgewater is simply asked to be a game manager this weekend while the Denver running game does the heavy lifting. Bridgewater checks in at QB20 this week.
Running Backs
D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams: Swift sat out Week 13 with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder and is expected to miss another game. His backup, Williams, has landed on the COVID-19 list and is out for Week 14.
Jermar Jefferson and Godwin Igwebuike: With Jamal Williams out for Week 14 and D’Andre Swift highly unlikely to play, Jefferson and Igwebuike are likely to split work against Denver. Igwebuike played a season-high 28 snaps last week and had 2-8-0 rushing and 1-13-0 receiving. It’s fair to assume he’ll be the passing-down back, and he may get some early-down work as well. Jefferson had 5-18-0 rushing last week, and he had TD runs in Weeks 8 and 10. Both are midrange RB3s this week in light of the uncertainty over how work will be divided.
Javonte Williams: Even fantasy managers who hadn’t invested in Williams this year were eager to see what he could do as Denver’s lead back with Melvin Gordon forced to miss Week 13 with shoulder and hip injuries. Williams didn’t disappoint in his audition to be a workhorse in 2022, producing 23-102-0 rushing and 6-76-1 receiving. On a night when the Broncos’ passing game wasn’t able to do much business in Kansas City, Williams essentially was the Denver offense. Gordon, who’ll be a free agent at the end of the season, is questionable for Week 14. If he’s out, Williams will be a top-five RB in a matchup against a Detroit defense that’s giving up 21.8 fantasy points per game to running backs. If Gordon plays, Williams still figures to get no worse than a 50/50 share of the load and could get a larger share if the Broncos opt to work Gordon back into action slowly.
Melvin Gordon: Sidelined by shoulder and hip injuries in Week 13, Gordon remains iffy for this week’s game against Detroit. Even if he plays, we won’t be able to count on the sort of 50/50 workload split with Javonte Williams that we’ve seen all year. Gordon would be a midrange RB3 at best.
Wide Receivers
Amon-Ra St. Brown: The first TD catch of St. Brown’s career was a doozy – an 11-yarder as time expired last Sunday to give the Lions their first win of the season, a 29-27 triumph over the Vikings. The TD capped St. Brown’s best performance of the season. The rookie saw a season-high 12 targets and finished with 10-86-1. It would be a mistake to get too exuberant about St. Brown based on last week’s performance. He has an average depth of target of 7.0 yards and is averaging 8.9 yards per catch. As a short-area receiver, St. Brown needs a lot of targets to pay dividends. He’s averaged 6.8 targets over his last eight games. Not bad, but that’s not enough volume to consistently pay off – especially not with Jared Goff delivering the targets. St. Brown is a midrange WR4 this week.
Josh Reynolds: Reynolds has been a member of the Lions for three games. In his last two, he’s had 7-139-1 on 12 targets. Having played with QB Jared Goff when he was with the Rams, Reynolds seems to be making a smooth transition to his new team. He’s still only a midrange WR4 this week, but he’s a reasonable emergency option for fantasy managers afflicted by injuries and byes.
Jerry Jeudy: In the five games he’s played since coming off injured reserve following a Week 1 ankle injury, Jeudy has had 22-258-0, making him the WR51 in fantasy points per game among WRs who played at least three games over that span. The lack of touchdowns has been a value killer, but Jeudy is averaging just 11.8 yards per catch this season, and he hasn’t exactly been a target hog. As bland as his numbers have been, the talented Jeudy has the potential to pop this week in a favorable individual matchup against Lions CB Will Harris. Jeudy is the WR28.
Courtland Sutton: Sutton hasn’t caught more than two passes in any game since Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy returned from an ankle injury in Week 8. Sutton hasn’t topped 40 receiving yards in any of those games, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Oct. 17. He’s merely a high-end WR4.
Tim Patrick: Patrick was consistently productive early in the season, playing an important role in the Denver offense when Jerry Jeudy missed more than a month with an ankle injury. But the consistency has ceased, and Patrick no longer offers a sturdy weekly floor. He’s had fewer than 20 receiving yards in three of his last six games. Patrick is a low-end WR4 this week vs. the Lions.
Tight Ends
T.J. Hockenson: Hockenson is considered doubtful for Sunday with a hand injury.
Brock Wright: With T.J. Hockenson doubtful with a hand injury, Brock Wright is in line to become Detroit’s top pass-catching tight endfor Week 14. Wright had two catches for 28 yards and a touchdown last week and has 4-42-1 on the season. He ascends to TE23 in this week’s rankings.
Noah Fant: Fant has gone five games without a touchdown and is averaging 3.8 catches and 30.2 receiving yards a game over that stretch. The Denver passing game hasn’t been clicking in recent weeks, and the targets are being spread thin between a number of competent pass catchers. Fant is a high-end TE2 this week.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Date/Time: Sunday December 12, 4:25pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Bengals -1
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 48.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Bengals 24.75, 49ers 23.75
Quarterbacks
Jimmy Garoppolo: It seems unlikely that you’d be thinking about starting Garoppolo in anything but a 2QB or superflex league at this late date unless he had a delicious matchup. A road game in Cincinnati doesn’t qualify: The Bengals are allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Garoppolo is averaging 240.1 passing yards per start, hasn’t thrown more than two TD passes in any game this season, and doesn’t offer much rushing potential (his fluky two TD runs against the Bears on Halloween notwithstanding).
Joe Burrow: It’s fair to say that Burrow has been in a fantasy slump. He’s thrown just three TD passes in his last four games, and he threw for less than 200 yards in two of those contests. Burrow should have broken out of his slump in a big way against the Chargers in Week 13, but a single play had a calamitous effect on his stat line. Late in the first quarter, one play after he had thrown a beautiful 21-yard dart to Tee Higgins to pick up a first down on 3rd-and-14, Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase streaking down the right sideline and hit him right in the hands with a perfect throw. It should have been a 71-yard touchdown, but Chase juggled the ball, and it landed in the hands of Chargers CB Michael Davis for an interception. Burrow still had 300 passing yards in the 41-22 loss to the Chargers, but he had just one TD pass and two interceptions. Burrow is the QB12 in fantasy points per game and a worthy fantasy play this week against a 49ers defense that’s thin and talent-deprived at cornerback and could be especially susceptible to a team with receivers as good as Cincinnati’s. Burrow dislocated the pinky finger on his throwing finger on Sunday, but he played through it and played well for the most part. He lands at QB11 in this week’s rankings and is a solid DraftKings value at $6,000.
Running Backs
Jeff Wilson, and JaMycal Hasty: Elijah Mitchell has been ruled out for Week 14 with a concussion and a knee injury. Wilson has a knee issue that apparently flared up in Week 12, but it appears that he’ll get the start. JaMycal Hasty also figures to be involved. Wilson is a midrange RB2, Hasty a high-end RB4.
Joe Mixon: In last week’s loss to the Chargers, Mixon extended his streak of games with at least one touchdown to nine, punching in a 7-yard TD run in the third quarter. But after running for more than 100 yards in his two previous games, Mixon ran for 54 yards and averaged 2.8 yards per carry against a Chargers defense that had been terrible against the run for most of the year. He was also held without a catch and lost a fumble that was returned for a 61-yard touchdown, although it was Mixon’s first fumble in 326 carries. Any cause for concern here? Nah. Mixon has been too good for us to break into a sweat over one bad game. He’s the RB4 this week against the 49ers. At $7,700 on DraftKings, Mixon is a tad pricey for a back whose usage in the passing game has been inconsistent.
Wide Receivers
Deebo Samuel: Samuel missed Week 13 with a groin injury, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be back for Week 14. He’s had a monster season, and his recent usage as a runner has been an interesting twist. Over his last three games, Samuel has had 19 rushing attempts for 181 yards and four touchdowns. Those are numbers that would make some starting RBs jealous. In Weeks 11-12, the carries seemed to come at the expense of Samuel’s usage in the passing game, as he had just 2-27-1 receiving on six targets. If Samuel is able to go, he’ll probably get at least a handful of carries since the Niners are dealing with injury problems at running back. But Samuel stakeholders will have to check his status as the week progresses.
Brandon Aiyuk: Deebo Samuel‘s Week 13 absence due to a groin injury didn’t lead to a target windfall for Aiyuk. He was targeted six times and had 3-55-0, while TE George Kittle was the one who put up huge receiving numbers. Aiyuk hasn’t lived up to expectations this year, but after being a no-show in the early part of the season, he’s at least been relevant of late. Over his last five games, he’s had 22-346-2. With or without Deebo in the lineup, consider Aiyuk a midrange WR3 this week against the Bengals and their solid set of cornerbacks.
Ja’Marr Chase: Chase could have broken out of a slump last Sunday had he hauled in a perfect throw by Joe Burrow on a play where Chase had beaten Chargers WR Michael Davis down the right sideline, but Chase bobbled the ball, and a should-have-been 71-yard touchdown turned into an interception. He finished the game with five catches for 52 yards, and that was actually his best yardage total since Week 7. Chase has averaged 7.8 targets over his five-game drought, so it’s not as if lack of involvement is the problem. As good as he was earlier this season, it seems only a matter of time before Chase starts producing again, and maybe it happens this Sunday against a 49ers defense that has major issues at cornerback. Chase checks in at WR11 in the rankings, and he’s a solid DraftKings play at $6,900.
Tee Higgins: Higgins has topped 100 yards and had a pretty leaping TD catch in each of his last two games. Against the Chargers in Week 13, he timed his jump perfectly to high-point the ball above two defenders for a 27-yard touchdown. Higgins has been on a roll since late October. Over his last six games, he’s had 34-504-2 on 54 targets. He’s the WR16 this week against the 49ers, who have a sketchy group of cornerbacks. Higgins is a rock-solid DraftKings value at $6,400.
Tyler Boyd: It’s become hard to trust Boyd for fantasy, but give him credit for turning in a 5-85-0 performance last week against the Chargers while getting a lot of face time with the Chargers’ ace slot corner, Chris Harris. Still, Boyd has scored only two touchdowns all season and has posted just one 100-yard game. He’s just a low-end WR4 this week.
Tight Ends
George Kittle: With Deebo Samuel sidelined by a groin injury in Week 13, Kittle erupted for 9-181-2 on 12 targets. He even added a 5-yard carry for good measure. In the five games he’s played since returning from a calf injury, Kittle has had 25-379-5. You’re starting him in season-long leagues regardless of whether Deebo is back, obviously, but Kittle’s target outlook will be enhanced if Deebo sits again. Kittle is the TE2 this week behind only Travis Kelce and a worthwhile DraftKings building block at $6,900.
C.J. Uzomah: Uzomah has gone five games without a touchdown and hasn’t topped 33 yards in any of those games. Don’t use him this week against a 49ers defense that’s allowing a league-low 3.2 fantasy points per game to tight ends.
Buffalo Bills vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Date/Time: Sunday December 12, 4:25pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Buccaneers -3
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 52.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Buccaneers 27.75, Bills 24.75
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen: Week 13 set up terribly for Allen. He was facing the Patriots’ smothering pass defense, and high winds made downfield throws treacherous. Allen wound up completing 15 of 30 passes for 145 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in a 14-10 loss. The setup for Allen is much better this week. He’ll be in Tampa to face the Buccaneers, so the weather should be more agreeable. The Bucs’ pass defense is no pushover, ranking eighth in DVOA and 11th in opponent passer rating. But it’s a pass-funnel defense: Opponents are throwing against the Buccaneers 67% of the time. Since the Buffalo running game is feeble anyway, Allen is likely to throw early and often in this one, making him a top-two QB play this week. Allen is a pricey $7,800 on DraftKings, but he may well be worth it.
Tom Brady: You’re certainly not benching Brady this week or any other week, but he has a tough matchup against a Bills pass defense that ranks first in both DVOA and opponent passer rating. Buffalo suffered a significant loss when ace CB Tre’Davious White tore his ACL on Thanksgiving night, but this is still a difficult matchup. Brady lit up the Falcons for 368 yards and four touchdowns last week, but he hasn’t been especially efficient over the last month or so. Brady is averaging 6.8 yards per pass over his last four games, and he’s thrown seven interceptions over his last five games. But that’s nitpicking. Brady still leads the NFL in passing yards (3,771) and TD passes (34), and he’s the QB2 in fantasy points per game behind only Kyler Murray. With the tricky matchup, he’s the QB7 in a week where the top quarterbacks are bunched tightly at the top. Fade him in DraftKings contests at a pricey $7,600.
Running Backs
Devin Singletary: There have been subtle shifts in the balance of power in the Buffalo backfield throughout the season, but now it seems we’re nearly back to where things started at the beginning of the season, with Singletary splitting work nearly evenly with Zack Moss. There had been times earlier in the season where the scales seemed to tip toward one or the other, and then Matt Breida appeared to have passed Moss on the depth chart in recent weeks. But in a Week 13 loss to the Patriots, Singletary out-snapped Moss 28-24, and they both had 10 touches. Breida played just seven snaps and had one carry and one catch. As a committee back facing a good Tampa Bay run defense, Singletary is a low-end RB3 this week.
Zack Moss: Moss seemed to have fallen to No. 3 on the Bills’ RB depth chart in recent weeks, as Matt Breida started to get more work. But Moss seemed to be the clear No. 2 in a Week 13 loss to the Patriots. Maybe that had something to do with the inclement weather conditions. Maybe Moss will be No. 3 on the depth chart again now that the coaches have had a chance to watch the film and see how Moss could have scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter if only he’d bounced a run to the outside when he had a clear path to the end zone. Moss is a midrange RB4 this week and not a DFS consideration.
Leonard Fournette: With seven more catches in Week 13, Fournette now has 28 receptions over his last four games and 58 for the season. Since Week 10, he’s averaged 19.8 touches and 97.3 receiving yards per game. Fournette’s workload is immensely valuable, which is why he’s the RB5 this week even in a less-than-ideal matchup against the Bills. He’s a solid value at $7,400 on DraftKings.
Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs: It wasn’t Diggs’ destiny to provide useful fantasy numbers in a windy Week 13 matchup with a tough Patriots pass defense. Diggs finished with 4-51-0 on seven carries against New England. The outlook is brighter this weekend in sunny Tampa, with Diggs preparing to face a pass-funnel Buccaneers defense. Diggs is a midrange WR1 this week.
Cole Beasley: The Buccaneers play a lot of zone coverage, and Beasley is the Bills’ designated zone beater. As Dwain McFarland of PFF noted, the Bucs play zone 75% of the time, and Beasley is targeted more frequently than any other Bills receiver vs. zone coverage. Over his last four games, Beasley has had just 12-95-0 receiving on 15 targets, but there’s a good chance he gets a bump in productivity this weekend. He lands at WR37 in this week’s rankings and is an intriguing contrarian play on DraftKings at $5,000.
Emmanuel Sanders: Over his last six games, Sanders has had 15-168-0 receiving on 28 targets, averaging 4.5 fantasy points per game (0.5 PPR) over that span. He’s merely a low-end WR4 this week against the Buccaneers.
Chris Godwin: Godwin had a career-high 15 catches and 17 targets last week against the Falcons, finishing with a season-high 143 receiving yards. He isn’t likely to feast in quite the same manner this week, as he’ll have a tough individual matchup against Bills slot corner Taron Johnson. Opponents are averaging 0.16 fantasy points on routes into Johnson’s coverage, and PFF grades Johnson 18th among 118 graded cornerbacks. Godwin checks in at WR10 this week. I’m not interested in paying $7,100 for him on DraftKings when teammate Mike Evans is $500 cheaper and has a better matchup.
Mike Evans: Evans has gone two games without a touchdown for just the second time this season. The last time he had a two-game TD drought, he snapped out of it with two touchdowns against the Dolphins in Week 5. Evans is likely to see a lot of Bills CB Dane Jackson this week. Jackson is the replacement for star CB Tre’Davious White, who tore his ACL in Week 12. It’s an advantageous matchup for Evans, who’s the WR11 in this week’s rankings and a strong value at $6,600 on DraftKings.
Tight Ends
Dawson Knox: Knox had a nightmarish game against the Patriots in Week 13, short-circuiting a couple of drives with drops. He finished with 2-14-0 on six targets. It was a rare blemish on a breakout season for the young tight end. He’s the TE5 this week against the Buccaneers.
Rob Gronkowski: Gronkowski had another pair of TD catches against the Falcons in Week 13. He’s played seven games this season and has three multiple-TD performances. Over the last three weeks, Gronk has 17-252-2 on 25 targets. Still impactful at age 32, Gronk is the TE3 this week against the Bills and is a solid DraftKings value at $6,000.
