This is the time of year when memories (and nightmares) are made. Of the 13 NFL games played Sunday, nine of them had a team that scored 30 or more points with three scoring 40 or more.
Dozens of players put up monster numbers. If three or four of them were in your lineup, you won. If those players were on the opposite side, see you next year. For those who survived, don’t expect the gigantic individual to move you forward. Fantasy football will return to old school quick enough.
Fantasy football risers
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. – Thomas was on the bench on a lot of rosters for most of the season. For a back-of-the-roster guy, consistency keeps you in lineups. Over his last three games with backup QB Mac Jones, Thomas has weekly point totals of 18.7, 16.6, and 32.5. If he isn’t starting, he should be.
Buffalo Bills RB Ty Johnson – The Bills have discovered a weapon in the passing game with Johnson. Over the last two weeks, Johnson has exploded with seven catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. The Bills allow running backs to rotate, and discovering a mismatch makes Johnson akin to Jerick McKinnon when he became a scoring machine in Kansas City.
Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix – Nix is on rosters, but there are reasons not to play him. Those reasons are getting lessened all the time – even with a fantasy season on the line. He is being allowed to cut it loose as a passer. Over his last four games, he has thrown 11 touchdowns and has three of his top-four passing yardage games. If you have a question at QB, Nix should get a long look.
Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman – He’s a home run guy – over his last three games, he has just five catches, but three of them have gone for touchdowns, with two of more than 40 yards. If injuries have you questioning things, Bateman is available on the waiver wire for a dice roll on a bomb from Lamar Jackson.
Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth – His “Mu-u-u-th!” chant has resurfaced. Cut from most rosters because of consistent single-digit weeks, over the last three games, Freiermuth has caught a TD in all of them – division games against both Ohio teams and an in-state rivalry with Philadelphia Eagles. With the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs on the horizon, looks like ‘Muth will be needed in close.
Fantasy football fallers
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce – Kelce has made this list more than once because of the level investment it took to land him. He has scored one TD in his last five games with weekly totals of 2.8, 12.2, 13.8, 9.5, and 6.7. All of those were under projection. He can’t be benched, but his TE1 status has taken a big hit.
San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy – Since coming back from injury, in three games, Purdy has brought nothing as a rusher and has no TDs in two of three games with weekly yardage totals of 94 and 142 included. Will Miami and Detroit on the schedule change that? Continuing with Purdy is a potential season-ending decision to be made.
Tennessee Titans WR Calvin Ridley – He caught everyone’s attention with a two-TD game in November. In his last three games, Ridley caught just 12 passes for 145 yards and no TDs with weekly totals of 6.5, 12.9, and 9.0. He’s unplayable, even as a flex, if your season is on the line.
Dallas Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson – Drafted as a low-end TE1, Ferguson has made it impossible to play him. In the last six games, he has missed two of them. In the four he’s played, he caught 10 passes for 90 yards and no TDs – posting weekly totals of 6.4, 3.1, 6.4, and 4.3. He has proved unworthy of a roster spot.
Houston Texans WR Tank Dell – Dell was viewed as a premium WR4 even with Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs in front of him. When Diggs went down, Dell’s explosiveness was expected to step up to 2023 numbers. Instead, he’s been a dud. In his last five games after assuming his role, his weekly numbers have been 8.3, 9.8, 10.2, 3.3, and 6.1. Death by paper cut.
