If fantasy football is your true passion, then the game is a year-long mission.
Preparing for the Season
You watch every clip from the games of the national football teams. You monitor every free-agent player like a surgeon before a procedure. You analyze the tape from the National Football League until you re-watch the movie of Kevin Costner’s average goodness. You keep your ear to the ground for news of summer training camps and summer camp. You watch preseason games in case one of your players actually plays for 15 seconds.
Getting Ready for the Season
You simulate the playoffs, choosing alternate players and backup alternatives.
Finding the Winning Key
You do everything to search for those key elements that ensure a championship win.
Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper
Joe Flacco, the fourth-string quarterback in Cleveland this year (fifth if you count Joshua Dobbs who participated in summer camp). Joe Flacco, a man who seems to have retired for good, a man who went 1-8 in nine extremely mediocre games for the Jets over the past three years.
Flacco and Amari Cooper did not sync in the first match, but they have since come together. Njoku recorded a line of 6-44-1 on Sunday, and now has 22 catches and 239 yards with 4 touchdowns in his last three games. He was TE2 in both of the last two games, and he sits there with four games remaining. Keep laughing if you continue to start The Joker.
Judging Joe Flacco
Flacco isn’t a lock to start in Week 17 when Cleveland plays the Jets; this is the first positive defense they will face during this period. No manager is backing Cooper or Njoku, but Flacco’s supporters have a discussion at hand, especially in deep leagues and Superflex formats. Is Flacco too hot to sit? Does it bother you that the Jets were shredded by Jacoby Brissett in the second half on Sunday, losing a large lead for a short time?
Winning in the Playoffs
Flacco isn’t the only backup playing these days. They’re all over the league. Some were outstanding this past weekend, some were mediocre, and some were bad. Just be ready when the ball is in your favor, as winning in the playoffs isn’t easy.
Trevor Siemian
Trevor Siemian had two jobs for the Jets – to get the ball to Breece Hall and to get the ball to Garrett Wilson. Mission accomplished. Although Siemian managed 4.4 yards per attempt, the usage helped Hall achieve greatness in fantasy (32 touches, 191 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Wilson with PPR relevance (9-76-0). 31 of New York’s 45 passes were to major players, and God help them. That’s where the ball needs to go. New York’s next test comes Thursday against Cleveland’s defense.
Jacoby Brissett
Jacoby Brissett replaced the awful Sam Howell and led the commanders to three successive victories. Unfortunately, the nominal receivers did little for Washington, but if you need Chris Rodriguez Jr. as an emergency back, he scored twice and collected 65 total yards. I believe Brissett will likely start next week, but he will face San Francisco – good luck with that.
George Pickens
Was it a week of criticism that ignited George Pickens on Saturday (4-195-2), or was it Mason Rudolph? You decide. The Bengals provided a favorable matchup; next week in Seattle is an even better game. Tee Higgins produced from the other side (5-140-1), with an expected improvement in the absence of Ja’Marr Chase. Cincinnati needs to correct the mistakes from Saturday, but at least Jake Browning gives this offense a chance to beat everyone.
The Packers
The Packers
The game between the Packers and the Panthers was a life-and-death situation, but most of their angles went home. Aaron Jones didn’t enter the end zone, but 135 yards is an acceptable day, and the three receivers in the productive reception room (Romeo Doubs recorded 4-79-1, Tucker Kraft was 4-60-0 well, and one of Dontayvion Wicks’ receptions was a target). With the Packers’ defense dwindling, next week’s game in Minnesota could become a ping pong match.
Minnesota
Hopefully, Minnesota will catch a break with the injury report. Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson were injured in the loss to the Lions. Nick Mullens had a Mullens-like game – some delightful highs (411 yards, 11.4 yards per attempt) and some moments that make you close your eyes (four sacks, four interceptions). Ty Chandler didn’t do anything except score a short goal, but Justin Jefferson (6-141-1) was back at work. K.J. Osborn (5-95-1) makes sense as a pick if Addison misses time.
Detroit
Detroit clinched the NFC North title, and most of the fantasy offense came from – Jahmyr Gibbs (100 total yards, two touchdowns) and David Montgomery (69 total yards, one touchdown) took the pressure early on, and Amon-Ra St. Brown did something ordinary (12-106-1). Sam LaPorta had a rare quiet game (3-18-0), but it was fun to see Jameson Williams get six targets and five catches, even if it only went for 43 yards. Detroit collides with Dallas next week, which is a rematch of Detroit and Minnesota after that. Indoor football, always welcome during the holidays.
Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield might have had a bigger day (283 yards, two touchdowns) had the Jaguars fought back earlier. The Packers cruised to an easy win at 30-12, and Mayfield threw 35 modest passes. The Packers did what they always do – funnel touches to Rachaad White (77 total yards, one touchdown), watch Mike Evans score multiple times (7-86-2), and give Chris Godwin several opportunities (11) but without a touchdown (6-78-0 still playable). Tampa Bay looks like the best in the bad NFC South and is looking to defeat New Orleans next week.
Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence was very inconsistent for the Jaguars and ultimately left with a shoulder injury. At least, his only touchdown went to Calvin Ridley, who caught a second from C.J. Beathard. The stress smell saved Travis Etienne Jr. for most of the early months, but he has only had two touchdowns in his last seven games.
Miami
Miami did enough to beat Dallas 22-20, but it wasn’t a special day for fantasy. Tua Tagovailoa had 293 yards but only one touchdown, and Tyreek Hill (9-99-0) was active but didn’t score. Jaylen Waddle had one catch for 50 yards on four targets, then left due to a leg injury. Devon Achane has been negative in fantasy, giving us just one strong game since returning from injury. The Cowboys held Achane to 31 yards on eight forgettable touches; he’s been a fantasy puzzle for two months. A short catch saved Raheem Mostert, who had a day without points on the ground.
Dallas
Dallas is still trying to figure out its identity. Dak Prescott ended with 253 yards and two touchdowns, which isn’t enough in fantasy championships. Most of the production went to CeeDee Lamb (6-118-1) who absorbed 10 deserved targets. Otherwise, it was the Dallas story we’re used to: Jake Ferguson was good, not great (4-45-0), and Tony Pollard was nowhere (12-38-0 rushing, one catch for five yards). Dallas needs a second pitch in this offense, behind Lamb, if it wants to go deep in the championship.
Source:
https://www.aol.com/week-16-booms-busts-amari-003452387.html
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