Seth Vigdor
Welcome to week 12 of the NFL season. It’s Thanksgiving week, which means that we’ll actually get some good Thursday football. So eat up and relax with your family. Let’s take a look at my Week 12 preview:
Here’s my five biggest Fantasy Football storylines heading into Week 12
1. Gobble Gobble (Thanksgiving Tripleheader)
This is a great time of the year for football fans. Thanksgiving is upon us and the NFL has a tripleheader in store for us. It starts with the Eagles against the Lions, then the Cowboys play the Panthers and the day will end with Chicago against Green Bay. There are plenty of great storylines within those three games, but be sure to spend quality time with the family that you have because there’s more in life than just football.
2. Denver vs. New England (Rivalry Restored)
The undefeated Patriots will play the Broncos this week and the biggest staple of this rivalry is Tom Brady against Peyton Manning. Unfortunately, Peyton Manning will miss at least the next two weeks with a foot injury. We may never get to see those two players play against each other again. Even so, this game still has plenty of meaning. The Broncos need a win to keep some distance between them and the surging Chiefs. On the other side, the Patriots will look to remain perfect and move their record to 11-0. It’s the great Patriots offense against the great Broncos defense. Who will come out on top? Stay tuned.
3. Johnny Drama
We’ve kept you in the loop about the Johnny Manziel issues, from boozing after rehab to his domestic troubles. The kid can’t seem to stay away from bad press. As a result of his latest boozing incident, the Browns have now demoted Manziel to third string QB. The Johnny Football experiment looks like it’s coming to an end in Cleveland. Hopefully, Manziel will grow up sooner rather than later – for his sake and the sake of everyone around him.
4. Famous Jameis
Fresh off of his five touchdown performance against the imploding Eagles, Jameis will look to keep it going this week against the Colts. On the season Winston is 183/314 for 2405 yards and 15 touchdowns. The year didn’t start off great for him, but he looks to be coming into his own in Tampa Bay. He should be able to take advantage of a struggling Colts team.
5. Must See T.V. (The Eagles)
Talk about a mess, everything about the Eagles is a disaster right now. Anonymous players are coming out to the media in every shape, form or fashion right now. Lane Johnson is bitching about the fans and then taking his comments back. But, perhaps the biggest story in Philly, revolves around Chip Kelly. Will he stay or will he go? Kelly and the Eagles look to be heading for a divorce at the end of the season, but in the meantime, all of the drama that takes place until the day the divorce happens, will be tremendous to watch unfold.
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Each week I will present what I think are the juiciest fantasy matchups at each position. I don’t want to keep you guys waiting, so let’s take a look at the juiciest matchups for Week 12:
Quarterbacks
Eli Manning (NYG vs. WAS) – Manning is 248/384 for 2700 yards and 21 touchdowns on the year. The Giants need a win to stay ahead of the pack in the NFC East. He knows how to step up when it’s a big game, so I’m looking for three touchdowns this week against Washington.
Blake Bortles (JAX vs. SD) – Blake Bortles is having a pretty good season. Philip Rivers and the Chargers come to town this week and they’re heading in the wrong direction. Bortles and company will take advantage of the Chargers troubles and throw a few touchdowns this week.
Derek Carr (OAK vs. TEN) – Oakland is drastically improved this year. They have some young talent, including their QB Derek Carr. Carr and the Raiders play the Titans this week and Carr should be good for three or four touchdowns.
Wide Receivers
Randall Cobb (GB vs. CHI) – Cobb hasn’t been as impressive this year as I thought he’d be, especially when Jordy Nelson was lost for the year. He does have two touchdowns in the last three weeks. He’ll add another one this weekend against the Bears.
DeAndre Hopkins (HOU vs. NO) – DeAndre Hopkins is having a monster season. He has 76 receptions for 1045 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s almost unstoppable right now. The Saints secondary will present Nuk an opportunity to put two more touchdowns on the board this week and I fully expect him to take advantage of their weak secondary.
Allen Hurns (JAX vs. SD) – Hurns has 44 receptions for 716 yards and seven touchdowns this year. Bortles loves to look for him, so he should be able to rack up 90+ receiving yards and a touchdown against the Chargers mushy defense.
Running Backs
Latavius Murray (OAK vs. TEN) – Murray has 157 carries for 706 yards and four touchdowns on the season. He could definitely be better and I think he’ll have a breakout week against the Titans on Sunday.
Thomas Rawls (SEA vs. PIT) – Marshawn Lynch is dealing with an injury, so Thomas Rawls is the guy in Seattle right now. He had an insane performance last week and I see no reason for him not to have another big week against the Steelers.
Adrian Peterson (MIN vs. ATL) – The Falcons are in a free fall, so they need this win. Unfortunately for them, Adrian Peterson and the 7-3 Vikings come to town this week. Look for Peterson to be the workhorse again, as I expect him to have 20+ carries for 100+ yards and one touchdown.
Tight Ends
Delanie Walker (TEN vs. OAK) – Walker has 53 receptions for 617 yards and three touchdowns this year. He’s had 6 or more receptions in five of his last six games. He’ll have a touchdown this week to go along with 80+ receiving yards against the Raiders.
Jimmy Graham (SEA vs. PIT) – Graham has been a waste of space this season and it’s not entirely his fault. However, I have a hunch that this is the game that he goes off. Look for a two touchdown performance this week for Graham against the Steelers.
Kicker
Graham Gano (CAR vs. DAL) – Gano has had 14, 13, 10 and 16 points consecutively in his last four games. This week’s game against the Cowboy should be high scoring. I expect 13-18 fantasy points for him this week.
Defense
Arizona Cardinals (vs. SF)
The Cardinals D has given up 30+ points in their last two games. That’ll change this week when they face off against Blaine Gabbert and the 49ers and I fully expect the Cards to punish San Fran.
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Bust of the Week
Philip Rivers (SD vs. JAX) – The Chargers are a mess right now and that’s not going to change. The Chargers offense has lost valuable weapons and it’s really hurting them. Look for the Jags to keep the Chargers in check this week, meaning a bad performance for Philip Rivers.
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Daily Fantasy Sports
Each week I will give you my value picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Please remember that the salaries are a bit different at each site, so you may not see the same guys on each list because of that. Also, at the end of the day, the final decisions are yours to make, but I’m here to guide you through some value picks. Without further hesitation, let’s get into my DFS value picks for Week 12:
Kirk Cousins (WAS – QB – $6,700) vs. NYG – Cousins will rebound this week against the Giants. I’m looking at three touchdowns for him this week.
Thomas Rawls (SEA – RB – $6,300) vs. PIT- Rawls is a monster and for this price, how could one not plug him in their lineups?
Michael Crabtree (OAK– WR – $6,500) vs. TEN – Crabby is one of the top weapons on this Raiders team, believe it or not, I’m looking for 10+ catches for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.
Richard Rodgers (GB– TE – $5,200) vs. CHI- Rodgers has three touchdowns over the last three weeks. I think that he adds another one against the Bears this week.
Kansas City (DEF – $4,500) vs. BUF – I’m rollin’ with the hot hand. I don’t care what anyone says.
Jameis Winston (TB- QB – $5,500) vs. IND – Famous Jameis should be in store for another big week against the Colts. For this price, I’ll have no hesitation in snatching him up.
Thomas Rawls (SEA– RB – $4,500) vs. PIT- See fanDuel response
Brandin Cooks (NO– WR – $6,400) vs. HOU – After a slow start, Cooks has been heating up as of late. This should be a shootout and it’ll play right in the hands of Cooks.
Jacob Tamme (ATL– TE –$3,300) vs. MIN – The Falcons are hurtin’ and they definitely need Tamme not to have a dud of a game like he did last week. I think he bounces back with a nice game and for $3,300, what do you have to lose? You can always stack the rest of your lineup with better players.
Kansas City (DEF – $2,800) vs. BUF – See fanDuel response
Happy Thanksgiving and good luck this week!
You can stay up to date with everything Fantasy Football related by following me on Twitter (@ViggieSmalls765) and Instagram. I’ll be available on Twitter for upcoming Twitter Chats and to give out advice to help guide you through your fantasy season.