Fantasy Fallout 13.25

A quick-hit recap of what really mattered from Thursday through Sunday. We skip the obvious studs and instead focus on usage trends, injuries, and key shifts that actually impact your lineup decisions.

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Jonathan Taylor right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

PACKERS @ LIONS

• Jordan Love threw 70% of his pass attempts, and all four of his TD passes, to his top WR trio of Dontayvion Wicks (6-94-2), Christian Watson (4-80-1), and Romeo Doubs (4-20-1) to kick off the Thanksgiving slate. WRs Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and Savion Williams all missed this one with injuries and will complicate matters if/when everyone is active.
• The major Lions news was that Amon-Ra St. Brown left with an ankle injury he suffered after being rolled up on from behind by multiple players on a running play. Early reports are a “low” ankle sprain, which would seem like a best-case, but managers should still prepare for the worst and assume he won’t be available to play this week on Thursday night at home against the Cowboys.
• With ARSB missing nearly the entire game, Jameson Williams saw 10 targets and amassed a huge 7-144-1 fantasy line. He would be a must-start in a great matchup against a generous Dallas pass defense on TNF even with ARSB playing, and would be in store for added volume if St. Brown couldn’t suit up.

CHIEFS @ COWBOYS

• The Dallas offense continues to hum along; start their key players with confidence in any matchup down the stretch of the fantasy season.
• Isiah Pacheco returned to the KC backfield after a lengthy absence to handle five touches for 33 yards. Kareem Hunt saw 15 touches for 80 yards. A backfield to monitor but ideally as bench stashes, for now.

BENGALS @ RAVENS

• Joe Burrow returned to and rejuvenated the Bengals lineup on Thursday night. The stats weren’t his best (261-2) but he peppered Ja’Marr Chase with targets and easily outdueled Lamar Jackson and the division-rival Ravens.
• Samaje Perine made a less-heralded return to the Cincy lineup, but he saw a season-best 14 carries and added a couple of catches, racking up 54 total yards. Chase Brown saw plenty of work himself (22 touches, 113 yards) but Perine continues to play a significant role, when healthy.
• Lamar’s real-life and fantasy struggles continued on Thanksgiving night in what seemed like a juicy matchup. Jackson has now failed to complete 60% of his passes in four straight games and has an awful 768-1-3 passing line over that stretch. To make matters worse, he hasn’t topped 50 rushing yards or scored on the ground since Week 1. I’m probably still holding and starting Lamar if I’ve got him, but I’d consider looking at adding another option from waivers, too, which seems like a crazy thing to say about one of fantasy’s usually reliable stars.
• Keaton Mitchell saw five RB opportunities and had 31 total yards and a rushing TD. He’s a strong bench stash behind fantasy legend Derrick Henry down the stretch of the fantasy season.

BEARS @ EAGLES

• The Bears rode their talented RB duo to a whopping 40 carries for 255 yards and a pair of TDs against the Eagles on black Friday in a game in which Caleb Williams completed less than half of his passes for an underwhelming 154-1-1 passing line. 
• Six Bears players saw between three and six targets, and none had more than four catches or more than 36 receiving yards.
• A.J. Brown (10-132-2) was the only real fantasy difference-maker for the Eagles in this one, but all key Eagles remain strong weekly starting options as they head to play the Chargers on Monday Night Football next.

SAINTS @ DOLPHINS