By: Kevin Lewis
*Good for both daily and seasonal leagues. Fanduel price listed here. Happy Thanksgiving!
Start
TE Eric Ebron, vs Chicago, $4900- The Bears give up the most points in the league to tight ends. The Bears give up the most points in the league to quarterbacks. Ebron hasn’t done much but he has been targeted 15 times in the last three weeks.
RB Joique bell, vs Chicago, $6300- The Bears have been decent against backs allowing the 10th least amount of points on the season (seventh fewest in the last weeks) but with the breakout I feel is going to happen for the Detroit Lions offense, I feel there are going to be plenty of opportunities for Bell to shine.
RB Darren Sproles, at Dallas, $6300- Thanksgiving, a big stage and a pretty generous Cowboys defense make me feel like Sproles is a viable start. I realize this is mostly hunch and that Sproles is reliant on big plays but I feel like he breaks one this week.
RB LeGarrette Blount, at Green Bay, $7000- The Packers allow 371.1 yards per game and they are ranked 30th in rushing defense. I know the Patriots backfield is incredibly hard to figure out but Blount should be a serviceable RB2 this week.
RB Tre Mason, vs Oakland, $6000- Mason has averaged 94 total yards per game over the past three weeks. The Raiders are 22nd in points allowed to running backs and given the heavy volume Mason makes for a decent RB2 this week.
WR Charles Johnson, vs Carolina, $6300- Despite all the WRs being healthy, Johnson played 97% of the snaps last week and had 52 yards and a touchdown. He would’ve had another if Teddy Bridgewater didn’t overthrow him. Given Bridgewater’s erratic nature it’s hard to suggest starting him with confidence. That said, only four teams have allowed more passing touchdowns than the Carolina Panthers and the opportunity afforded him makes him a decent start especially in PPR formats.
Tony Romo, vs Philadelphia, $8700-The Eagles are 31st in passing defense and have given up multiple touchdown passes in all but one game this season. While Romo’s yardage upside is capped by the Cowboys dominant running game, there is some upside here against a struggling Eagles pass defense.
Jarvis Landry, at New York Jets, $6900- He has 32 targets over the last four weeks and has carved out a nice role for himself within the Dolphins offense. The Jets have a tough run defense and a really bad pass defense including one of the worst slot corners in the sport in Kyle Wilson. He should produce on Monday night.
Sit
QB Jay Cutler, at Detroit, $8400- Cutler has been up and down this season albeit with more ups than downs. The Detroit Lions boast a top 5 pass defense in the league and are also top 5 in the league in turnovers forced. I can see ‘Bad Jay’ making an appearance on Thanksgiving afternoon and I would stay away from him if I had a comparable option of which to turn.
QB Colin Kaepernick, vs Seattle, $7400- If Kaepernick can’t do it against the Redskins, who can he do it against? I can’t credibly suggest starting him for the rest of the season.
RB Chris Ivory, vs Miami, $5800- The Jets are a mess, and the Dolphins and their excellent defense is in town after allowing 39 for the Denver Broncos. Good playerbut sporadic usage and a great defense coming into town make it a poor start.
RB Jerick McKinnon, vs Carolina, $5500- The Vikings usage of this talented kid is too frustrating. He has a lot of ability but the Vikings don’t seem to know how to capitalize on said talent. He’s a boom or bust RB2 who I would strongly suggest sitting until he proves something
TE Vernon Davis, vs Seattle, $4900- I’m going to keep putting him in this until he’s no longer owned or comes up as a topic. This season just isn’t the season for him.
WR Eric Decker, vs Miami, $6100- Brent Grimes has been one of the best DBs in football all year. Decker will have to deal with him and a bad QB on Monday Night. Avoid.
WR Sammy Watkins, vs Cleveland, $7500- Kyle Orton seems to have a rapport with Robert Woods and Watkins will likely see a ton of Joe Haden on Sunday. If you have a better option now would be the time to utilize it.
WR Terrance Williams, vs Philadelphia, $5100- The touchdown well has dried up and so has his value. He’s the fourth option in that offense. The value just isn’t there.
Fantasy Savvy 