Our own Pat Fitzmaurice has been among the most accurate fantasy football experts in the industry over the last several years. Fitz was THE most accurate in-season ranker in 2020. What better way to prepare for your fantasy football start/sit lineup decisions than by reviewing his rankings? You can do just that below.
You can also find our expert consensus fantasy football rankings for the week here. And you can sync your fantasy football league for free using our My Playbook tool for custom advice, rankings, and analysis.
Fantasy Football Rankings
Fitz’s Fantasy Football Takes
Tua Tagovailoa made it clear last week that we needn’t fear daunting matchups when deciding whether to start him. Tua was up against a Jets pass defense that has been smothering quarterbacks all season, and he was walking into the matchup without Tyreek Hill, the best wide receiver in the league. No matter. Tua picked his teeth with the Jets, completing 87.4% of his throws against the Jets and averaging 9.4 yards per pass attempt. It wasn’t a big fantasy day — 224 passing yards, one TD, no INTs — simply because the game turned into a Miami blowout and Tua only had to attempt 24 passes. But that performance made it clear that you shouldn’t hesitate to start Tua this week against a Dallas defense that ranks sixth in DVOA against the pass, even if the Dolphins are without Tyreek Hill again (though he’s reportedly expected to play)
Could Chuba Hubbard be an improbable hero of the fantasy playoffs? The former backup has become a workhorse for the Panthers down the stretch. Over his last three games, Hubbard has had 25, 23 and 22 carries, which has led to fantasy finishes of RB6, RB24 and RB18. Hubbard has gotten snap shares north of 70% in each of his last two games. Now he gets a heartwarming holiday matchup against the Packers, who have given up the fourth-most rushing yards and ninth-most fantasy points to RBs. Green Bay’s run defense ranks 26th in DVOA. Start Hubbard with confidence.
The FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking for Jordan Addison was in WR4 range last week. That seemed way too low for a talented young receiver, so I was above consensus on Addison, but I understood the trepidation. Justin Jefferson had returned from injury the previous week, and the Vikings had a new starter at quarterback, Nick Mullens. I wasn’t overly concerned that Jefferson was going to make Addison disappear from the offense, and I knew that Mullens isn’t afraid to throw aggressively downfield. Addison smashed against the Bengals, putting up a 6-111-2 stat line. Naturally, Addison’s ECR has soared and currently sits at WR25. That seems like a slight overreaction. I have Addison ranked WR28, but I still think he’s very playable against a Detroit defense that has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to WRs.
Dalton Kincaid investors are feeling panicky about the rookie tight end’s recent drop-off in production. With fellow Bills TE Dawson Knox sidelined by a wrist injury from Week 8 through Week 12, Knox averaged 6.2 catches and 56.2 receiving yards per game in Knox’s absence and was TE5 in fantasy points per game over that stretch. When Knox returned in Week 13, Kincaid had a disappointing 5-21-0 performance, but he had eight targets and a robust 88% route participation rate. Last Week, Kincaid had zero catches and only two targets. Bills QB Josh Allen threw only 15 passes in Buffalo’s evisceration of Dallas, but perhaps more concerning than Kincaid’s low target total was his 68% route participation rate, which was similar to his weekly route-participation rates early in the season when Knox was standing in the way of Kincaid’s rookie breakout. I still have Kincaid ranked in TE1 range, but I don’t know if we’ll get a smash game from the talented rookie this week, even against a Chargers defense that has allowed the sixth-most receiving yards to TEs.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
