| | | | Monday, November 23, 2020 | | Before we turn our attention to Week 12 -- our first week without any byes since Week 4! -- let's take one last look back at Week 11, which continued the trend of lower scoring as the season goes on. Surely you've noticed it on your own team, but here's some proof -- from Weeks 9 through 11, the top-12 running backs averaged 19.99 PPR points per game, compared to 22.1 in Weeks 6-8 and 21.7 from Weeks 3-5. Entering Monday Night Football, there have been just 10 games in Weeks 10 and 11 combined with 50-plus total points; there were 14 in Weeks 1 and 2 and 17 in Weeks 3 and 4. Hope you've been betting the under. | | That's what the overall landscape looks like as we get closer to the Fantasy playoffs. That means there are fewer reliable players available each week, and it also means the guys who are still putting up huge numbers are even more valuable. We'll help you set the best lineup possible for Week 12 beginning with tomorrow's newsletter, including Jamey Eisenberg's top waiver-wire options and Heath Cummings' preview for each position. Plus, I'll be answering your biggest questions for Week 12 in an #AskFFT mailbag, so send your questions me at Chris.Towers@CBSInteractive.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" for inclusion in Tuesday's Week 12 preview mailbag. Hit me with your toughest questions! | | But for now, here's an early look at the top waiver targets, plus winners, losers, and notes from every game on the schedule and Heath's breakdown of the biggest storylines from Sunday and whether you should believe them or not. | | | | Week 12 Early Waiver Preview | | | | We'll have Jamey Eisenberg's full waiver-wire priorities list for you Tuesday, but here's an early look at my top options for the week: | | Taysom Hill (63%) -- It won't always be that easy for Hill, but he proved to be at least competent as a passer, and that'll be enough to make him a viable starting Fantasy QB if he can sustain it. That's how valuable his rushing abilities are. Dallas Goedert (71%) -- Goedert had been outplayed by Richard Rodgers in his first two games back from IR -- and Rodgers caught another touchdown Sunday -- but had been playing a full-time snap share with a high rate of routes run, so it was only a matter of time before he got going like he did Sunday. Goedert might be a top five tight end for the rest of the season, even with Zach Ertz working his way back from his own IR stint. Michael Pittman (45%) -- It was certainly frustrating watching Pittman fail to get a target in the second half Sunday after going off for 66 yards and a touchdown, but he still led the Colts in routes and snaps at wide receiver; they just mostly abandoned the pass. That won't happen every week, and it's clear Pittman is the top option in this passing game. That should make him a WR3 with upside most weeks. James White (45%) -- With Rex Burkhead likely out for the season, we'll probably see Sony Michel activated for Week 12, but White is probably the biggest beneficiary. Michel and Damien Harris are the same guy, while White is the lone stand out pass catcher left among the group. That should equal five or so carries and six-plus targets every week, putting him back in the No. 2 RB conversation. Frank Gore (15%) -- There's nothing exciting about Gore, but if Lamical Perine's ankle injury keeps him out of Week 12, he'll probably be a viable starting Fantasy option. The Jets obviously trust him, and he had 61 yards and a touchdown Sunday. That'll play. If Perine is healthy, he'll be a worthwhile add, because he was in line for a larger roll -- and scored an early touchdown -- before leaving the game. | | | | Week 11's Winners & Losers | | | | I break down every game on the schedule every week, focusing on the biggest winners and losers and something you might have missed if you weren't watching the game. Here are my biggest winners and losers from Sunday's games: | | Biggest winners | | J.K. Dobbins -- The moment we've been waiting for finally happened. Dobbins dominated work for the Ravens out of the backfield, getting 15 of 20 carries in their three-way split for 70 yards and a touchdown -- he was also the only one of the three to be targeted, catching two passes for 15 yards. He played 61.5% of the snaps overall, so let's hope the Ravens have finally settled on a No. 1 option. Dobbins would be a must-start back down the stretch if that is the case, though I'll treat him like a No. 2 next week until they confirm this is the plan moving forward. Jonathan Taylor -- The Colts game plan at running back has been clear for weeks -- everyone gets a shot early until one of their backs gets hot. Nyheim Hines got the first opportunities Sunday but didn't do much with them, and Taylor started flashing on the Colts third drive. He dominated work from that point on, running for 90 yards on 22 carries and adding four catches for 24 yards. Of course, just as anyone who assumed Jordan Wilkins a few weeks ago or Hines last week had taken over as the top back here, this doesn't necessarily mean Taylor is the No. 1 RB now. But, it's more likely today than it was Sunday morning. That's the best you can ask for in this situation. D.J. Moore -- You want to take it with a grain of salt because it came with a backup quarterback, but Moore was the best player on either offense in this one. He caught seven of 12 targets for a season-high 127, the latter two of which led the team. For as frustrating as Moore's season has been, he has at least 90 receiving yards in six of 11 games, matching last year's total for 15 games. Moore is on pace for 66 catches, 1,255 yards, and six touchdowns, believe it or not. | | Biggest losers | | Alvin Kamara -- Look, you're not going to panic, because Kamara is way too good for that. But it's at least a little bit concerning that Hill's first start coincided with Kamara's first NFL game without a catch. You'll often see athletic quarterbacks throw to their running backs less often, because they'll scramble where others might dump the ball off. The only reason I wouldn't be concerned about this yet is because the Saints don't just use Kamara as a safety valve, so you have to imagine they'll get him more involved now that Hill has that game under his belt. Carson Wentz -- There was a two-way tie for Wentz's worst plays Sunday between the third-quarter safety and an absolutely awful interception inside the 10-yard line as the Eagles were trying to come back late. It's hard to see how this gets better, because Wentz just looks broken right now. If the Eagles played in a real division and weren't still somehow in first place, it might be about time to see what Jalen Hurts can give them. Marquise Brown -- The value of my property on Marquise Brown Island is just cratering, and it might be time to sell. Brown was targeted just three times Sunday, and he failed to catch any of them. One of them was due to Lamar Jackson just missing him, but Brown got his hands on the other two, including a killer drop on his first target in the second quarter. He just isn't playing well enough to justify a bigger role, and though there will be boom games eventually, you simply can't trust Brown right now. | | | | Believe It or Not: Taylor's back? | | | | Every week, Heath holds some of the biggest narratives in the NFL up to the microscope to see if you should buy into them. Here are the biggest storylines for Week 11 and whether you should believe in them and adjust your strategies accordingly: | Believe it or not: The Bengals are all droppable with Ryan Finley at quarterback. Believe it or not: You should start Taysom Hill over Lamar Jackson until Drew Brees returns. Believe it or not: It's time to give up on Jarvis Landry and Travis Fulgham. Believe it or not: Andy Dalton's return makes Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb starters again.
Believe it or not: Jonathan Taylor will be a starting Fantasy running back rest of season. | | Sort out fact from fiction here. | | | | | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | Parlay Pick'em | ✔Scores & Highlights
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