NFL Fantasy Football Reactions: Week 13

As expected, the early slate of games was mostly uninspiring. For me, the headline matchup was Titans vs. Eagles, but that game was a major disappointment. Fortunately, each of the four games in the late window were very competitive. Even the Rams were able to take the Seahawks down to the wire. On a random side note, there will be six teams on their byes next week, which is sure to present many challenges as many will be fighting for their playoff lives. 

I'll always try to give actionable advice at the end of each reaction. In addition to the fantasy takes, hopefully, some of these observations can also give you some ideas if you're thinking about placing some Week 14 NFL bets https://www.rotowire.com/betting/nfl/odds/week-14. Let's take a look at the Sunday afternoon action. 

Sunday Takeaways

• Derrick Henry has been held to 3.1 yards per carry or fewer in each of his last four games. Opposing defenses seemed to have decided that they don't need to worry about Ryan Tannehill and the passing attack. They would rather lose with Tannehill beating them than with Henry running the ball down their throats. It also doesn't help that the Tennessee offensive line has had significant struggles. Henry still has an excellent chance to score in any week. He's also seeing a fair amount of targets. So despite the lack of success on the ground, he's still a solid fantasy option. We just may not see as many of the week-winning performances that we're used to getting from him as the fantasy playoffs near.
• Both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett had dominant performances against the Rams. Each scored a TD while falling just short of 130 yards. This was the first time all year that Metcalf had at least 90 yards and a TD. Meanwhile, Lockett has scored in five straight games, and this was his third game over 100 yards. Lockett has posted at least 15 PPR points in seven of his last 10 games, though he has just one 20-point game. Metcalf has had a slightly lower weekly floor than Lockett. However, they both are fairly stable top-24 WRs.
• Justin Fields returned to the Chicago lineup, and he turned in his third touchdown run of at least 50 yards this season. Once he got past the second level of the defense, there was nobody on the defense with enough speed to close in on him. There's no question that he's one of the most special running quarterbacks in the league. And obviously, that rushing ability locks him in place as a top-10 fantasy option each week.
• Najee Harris has now been productive in each of his last three games. I'm unsure if his foot injury was an issue early in the season, or if he just got off to a slow start. Regardless, he has now returned to being a weekly fantasy starter. It's unlikely that he'll be a league-winning type of player, but his usage and recent production should make him a clear top-15 RB option going forward.
• Jalen Hurts had a massive performance against the Titans. Tennessee has a very physical front seven, and in most games, they can easily bully their opponents. But facing a Philadelphia offense with an elite offensive line, and the Titans were unable to dominate the line of scrimmage. Also, the Eagles coaching staff understood they needed to attack this defense through the air. The Titans are No. 31 in terms of fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. That allowed DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown to have exceptional performances. Hurts will obviously remain a high-end fantasy option. but Smith and Brown will have weekly volatility, which will often be determined by game plan and game script. 
• It's difficult to take much away from Tua Tagovailoa's effort against the 49ers. He was playing without both offensive tackles. And he was facing a team with an excellent understanding of Miami's entire offensive scheme. To top it off, the 49ers defense is one of the best in the league. After Miami caught San Francisco off guard on a long touchdown to Trent Sherfield on their first drive, they had very little consistent success going forward. Although they made things close in the fourth quarter, a strip sack ended any last chance to come back. There still are concerns about Tagovailoa's  ability to operate under pressure, but he has plenty of time for him to prove those critics wrong. I still see him as a matchup-based fantasy option right now. In favorable matchups, he has amazing upside. But even in games that project to be difficult, his floor should keep him from having any terrible games. I plan to continue ranking him comfortably inside the top-12 quarterbacks each week.
• I don't want to overreact to one game. But the Bengals picked up where they left off in the second half of the 2021 AFC Championship when they shut down Patrick Mahomes. With the Bengals often dropping many players into zone coverage, the Chiefs attempted 27 passes to 25 runs. Travis Kelce was a ghost in the first half before coming alive after halftime. Mahomes is still a top-two QB going forward. I just wonder that when the NFL Playoffs come around if the lack of elite receiving weapons will hurt the Chiefs at some point.
• Joe Burrow out-dueled Patrick Mahomes again. With the Chiefs making it a priority to limit deep passes, Burrow was patient and took what the defense gave him. He ran when he needed to get important yards. He also spread the ball around to eight different pass catchers. And when the Bengals were trying to put the game away late, he converted a pair of critical first downs to seal the deal. He's accounted for at least three TDs in four of his last seven games, though he's had four games this year with just a single TD. Although he has some volatility as a fantasy option, he's had just one game under 19.8 fantasy points this season, and he'll remain a rock-solid top-8 QB going forward.
• After taking advantage of an extremely favorable matchup last week, Mike White was far less effective in a neutral matchup against the Vikings. Minnesota has a weak secondary, but they also have a strong pass rush. The lack of a strong pass-blocking offensive line often left White with little time to throw. But because they trailed in the second half, he was able to pile up big yardage numbers in garbage time. But the fact he failed to throw a touchdown pass while throwing for two interceptions, makes us think he may not be an outstanding option when he has to face a solid defense. For fantasy, he'll be very dependent upon matchups when considering whether to start him or not. 
• Cordarrelle Patterson is an excellent football player. But he's stuck in an Atlanta offense that is lethargic at best, which is mostly sapping his fantasy upside. He typically gets about 15 touches in most games. His yardage based on his usage is fairly impressive, as he posts about 60 yards per game. But he hasn't scored in four weeks. He also doesn't see nearly enough targets. Of course, he can always come through for a spike week, but otherwise, he should be viewed as a moderate-floor top-24 running back. 
• AJ Dillon ended up having one of his better fantasy days of the year. However, Aaron Jones suffered a leg injury in the first half. Jones was in and out of the lineup until halftime. But after the break, Dillon was the lead back while Jones mixed in for occasional snaps. With Green Bay having their bye next week, Dillon will likely return to his change-of-pace role down the stretch while Jones takes the lead. Overall, I don't think this is a sign that Dillon is back as a strong fantasy option.
• Not much to add, but I just felt that Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams have been incredible performers this season. A lot of opinions about Josh McDaniels float around, but he can't be accused of not putting the football in the hands of his superstars. They have been vaulting many fantasy teams to greatness and should continue to do so.
• Jameson Williams received his first NFL target late in the third quarter against the Jaguars. That was his only target of the contest. Although the rookie should have a very promising career ahead of him, it's very possible that he sees limited usage the rest of the season. Most likely, the Lions would like to see what they have in terms of their personnel going into next year. But simply getting Williams meaningful game action while playing limited snaps could be the best way to handle it. If we see his snap share grow in the next couple of weeks, we may be able to start looking at him as a top-48 wide receiver in the fantasy playoffs. But before them, I have to consider him a dart-throw flex option in 12-team leagues.
• It's hard to know what to take away from Deshaun Watson's Cleveland debut. It was almost two full calendar years since he played in a regular season game. So I wondered during the week whether there could be significant rust in relation to his potential production. He also was playing in an extremely hostile environment, as there's obviously no team or fanbase in the league that hates Watson more than Houston. And with little to play for, a case could be made that the Texans treated this like their Super Bowl. Ultimately, Watson played a terrible game. It probably won't make sense to rank him as a top-10 QB option next week. At this point, we'll need to see him post solid numbers at least once before trusting him as a strong fantasy option.

Injuries

• Lamar Jackson injured his knee early in the first quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game at halftime. 
• Kenneth Walker sustained an ankle injury early in the game, and he was unable to take the field the rest of the way. 
• Treylon Burks made an amazing touchdown catch, but on the play, he took a hit to the head and was unable to return to the game.
• In the last two minutes of the game (when the contest was effectively over), Tua Tagovailoa sustained an ankle injury and was replaced for the last drive. With this article being published soon after the game, there was no update as to his status.
• Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken foot injury in the first quarter. After the game coach Kyle Shanahan said he expected the QB to miss the rest of the season.
• Hayden Hurst injured his calf, forcing him out of the game against the Chiefs.