The longest week in NFL History is now officially over (I think). Week 12 lasted a total of six days as the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens game was scheduled, then rescheduled, then rescheduled again, then rescheduled a third time. Exhausting stuff.
So before we officially move on from a historic Week 12, let's recap everything that went on:
Quarterbacks
Stud: Deshaun Watson (342 total yards, 4 TDs, 33.12 fantasy points)
Watson feasted against the Lions on Thanksgiving day. Despite throwing a season-low 25 passes, he threw for over 300 yards for the second consecutive week in addition to four touchdown passes. The Texans are now 4-3 since releasing Bill O’Brien, and Watson has been red hot — tossing 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last six games. He’ll look to stay red-hot next week against Indianapolis.
Another @DeshaunWatson DIME.
— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2020
40-yard TD pass to @Will_Fuller7!
: #HOUvsDET on CBS
: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/pj1AUrPEVE pic.twitter.com/szJ7nCFTU0
Dud: Derek Carr (215 yards, 1 INT, 3 FUML, 0.6 fantasy points)
Coming off a three touchdown performance Sunday night, Carr had a mouth-watering matchup against the Falcons. Instead of capitalizing, Carr turned the ball over four times and was pulled from the game in the fourth quarter as Las Vegas trailed 40-6. After his worst performance of the season, Carr will have a strong chance to rebound next week against the Jets.
Injuries: Daniel Jones
Jones injured his right hamstring during the third quarter of Sunday’s game against Cincinnati on a seven-yard run. After coming in-and-out of the game, he eventually sat and watched as Colt McCoy took over. It was reported that Jones avoided serious injury and now has a chance to suit up against Seattle in Week 13 according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Waiver Wire: Kirk Cousins (326 total yards, 3 TDs, 1 FUML, 26.18 fantasy points)
Rostered: 20.4 fantasy points
Cousins has now thrown 11 touchdowns compared to just one interception over his past four games, while scoring over 17.58 fantasy points in every one of those games. Even without Adam Thielen (Covid-19) on Sunday, Cousins connected with Justin Jefferson for two scores, along with Chad Beebe on a game-winning touchdown in the final minute. Cousins will have Thielen back at his disposal next week and could be in line for another multi-touchdown game against vulnerable Jacksonville defense.
Running Backs
Stud: Derrick Henry (185 total yards, 3 TDs, 38.5 fantasy points)
It’s officially Tractorcito season. Henry dominated the Colts on Sunday, carrying the ball 27 times for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Henry now has three straight 100-yard rushing efforts as he has recorded his fourth multi-touchdown game of the season. Last year’s rushing leader has seen 55 carries over the past two weeks — volume that does not seem to be decreasing any time soon.
Dud: Ezekiel Elliot (39 total yards, 1 FUML, 2.9 fantasy points)
Elliot finally was able to eat following the Cowboys Week 10 bye as he ran for over 100 yards for the first time this season. However, Zeke was not eating on Thanksgiving against Washington, carrying the ball 10 times for 32 yards - both season lows. To make matters worse, Elliot lost another fumble on the day, his sixth in 11 games (five lost), and continues to lose playing time to Tony Pollard. RB1 production is nowhere to be found for Elliot these days as he’ll now take on the Ravens on Tuesday (I think).
Injuries: Phillip Lindsay, Josh Jacobs
Lindsay left Sunday’s game early against the Saints with a knee injury. Head coach Vic Fangio said Wednesday that Lindsay has a “minor” knee injury and could suit up for Week 13.
Jacobs suffered a sprained ankle in Las Vegas’ blowout loss on Sunday. His Monday medical evaluations confirmed he avoided major injury and has a shot to play in Week 13 against the Jets, according to Rapoport.
Waiver Wire: Devontae Booker (5 total yards, 1.5 fantasy points)
Rostered: 5.3 percent
As Jacobs is banged up, Booker provides immediate handcuff value in a plus-matchup against the Jets. Booker has seen a larger role in the Raiders’ offense of late, scoring three touchdowns in Weeks 9 and 10. He’s also proved capable of managing an increased workload, as he ran for 149 yards on 24 carries over that two-week stretch.
Latavius Murray (126 total yards, 2 TDs, 25.6 fantasy points)
Rostered: 46.3 percent
One of the most fascinating twists of the 2020 fantasy season has been affect of Taysom Hill on the Saints offense. As the once top running back in fantasy, Alvin Kamara, has scored just 16.7 combined points the last two weeks, Murray has put up 36.1 fantasy points in that same stretch. The once backup has now recorded double-digit carries in three of his past four games, including 20 offensive touched against the Broncos on Sunday. He has carved out quite the role in New Orleans’ offense as he appears to be a strong fit next to Hill.
Wide Receivers
Stud: Tyreek Hill (13 catches, 269 yards, 3 TDs, 57.9 fantasy points)
Tyreek Hill DOMINATED the poor Buccaneers secondary (who often chose to cover Hill man-to-man with no safety help for whatever reason) on Sunday. His 57.9 fantasy points were the highest of any player this season and the third most for any player in fantasy football since 1996. Hill now has 33 catches on 47 targets (35 percent target share) for 484 yards and six touchdowns (!) over Kansas City’s last three games — an absurd stretch of production. It will be hard to duplicate those numbers, but he’s locked in as a WR1 every week.
Tyreek Hill in the first quarter:
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 29, 2020
- 203 yards
- Two TDs
- One backflip across the goal line
(via @Chiefs)pic.twitter.com/wg5agSiwPr
Dud: Travis Fulgham (2 catches, 16 yards, 3.6 fantasy points)
After a five game emergence earlier this season, Fulgham has been nearly invisible since the Eagles’ Week 9 bye. Since recording 50-plus yards in five straight games, Fulgham has recorded just four catches (14 targets) for 32 yards over his last three. That includes Monday night’s disappointment, against the league’s worst pass defense, where he managed just two catches as the Eagles’ offense continues to stink it up. It was a nice run, but Fulgham now looks droppable.
Injuries: D.J. Moore
Moore left Sunday’s game earlier after what looked to be an ugly, non-contact ankle injury in the fourth quarter. However, X-rays on Monday showed Moore avoided any sort of severe injury. Head coach Matt Rhule has not ruled him out against Denver in Week 14, following Carolina’s Week 13 bye.
Also worth noting: Texans’ wide receiver Will Fuller has been suspended six games for violating the NFL’s performance enhancing substances policy. He will miss the rest of the 2020 season, making him droppable in redraft leagues.
Waiver Wire: Allen Lazard (4 catches, 23 yards, 1 TD, 12.3 fantasy points)
Rostered: 27.8 percent
After easing his way back into action last week, Lazard was more involved Sunday night playing roughly 60 percent of Green Bay’s snaps. He caught four-of-six targets for just 23 yards, but managed to find the end zone for the third time in five games. He should continue to be a key part of the Packers offense, which could lead to big fantasy production with the way Aaron Rodgers is playing.
Denzel Mims (4 catches, 67 yards, 10.7 fantasy points)
Rostered: 4.9 percent
Trusting the Jets offense is always scary, but Mims has quietly been extremely consistent the last few weeks. The rookie now has posted 10-plus fantasy points in three straight games, while securing eight targets and topping 60 yards in all three of those contests. Mims’ 17 receptions on the year make him a boom-or-bust candidate, but he’s been able to make the most of the limited work so far this season (16.7 yards per catch). He’ll look to find the end zone for the first time in his career and take advantage of some weak pass defenses on the upcoming schedule.
Tight Ends
Stud: Dallas Goedert (7 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD, 20.5 fantasy points)
Goedert lead Philadelphia in catches, targets, and yards Monday night against Seattle. Operating as Carson Wentz’s favorite target, he has now found the end zone and eclipsed the 70-yard mark in back-to-back weeks. Even with Zach Ertz returning soon, Goedert is a safe bet for production.
Dud: Jonnu Smith (0 fantasy points)
After scoring in three straight games, Smith did not see a target on Sunday. As the Titans hoped on Derrick Henry’s back, they only threw the ball 22 times in their blowout win. Smith has now recorded more than two catches just once since Week 6, as he’s a touchdown dependent fantasy option in a run first offense.
Injuries: None
Waiver Wire: Dalton Schultz (5 catches, 24 yards, 7.4 fantasy points)
Rostered: 30.3 percent
Schultz hasn't exploded off the stat sheet lately, but he’s been consistent (which is all you can ask for at the tight end position). He has now caught at least four passes on five targets in Dallas’ last four games, averaging 10.0 fantasy points per game over that stretch. Schultz has a steady floor in PPR leagues and a sneaky good matchup next week against Baltimore.
Robert Tonyan (5 catches, 67 yards, 1 TD, 17.7 fantasy points)
Rostered: 46.1 fantasy points
Tonyan’s up-and-down season continued Sunday night, as he hauled in all five of his targets and a score for the second consecutive week. He now has seven touchdowns on the year as he continues to be a part of Green Bay’s offense - a pleasant treat for all managers. Tonyan is a touchdown dependent TE1 moving forward.
Patriots Player of the Week
James White (17 total yards, 2 total TDs, 14.7 fantasy points)
As the Patriots offense had barely anything going for them on Sunday, White was the beneficiary of both New England scores. White ran the ball just five times for 18 yards and added a reception for -1 yards. Like the rest of the Patriots’ offense, it wasn't exactly thrilling production — but he saved his day by taking a pair of pitches to the end zone. White was out-touched by running back Damien Harris (14-6), but should be a candidate for more work going forward (especially in his traditional pass catcher role) now that Rex Burkhead (knee) is out for the season.
That is all for this week’s recap. Leave a comment below or reach out on Twitter @iambrianhines with any and all questions about your fantasy team!