2023 Fantasy Football Week 13 Target Report Preview: Wheels Up for Calvin Ridley and the Jaguars

Now that we’re into the nitty-gritty weeks here, Target Report will take a bigger shift toward player-focused takes to help you out better with starts, sits, and who you can trust in your lineups going forward into the fantasy football playoffs.

Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. And to earn a target, you need to be deemed “open” by the quarterback. It’s one big trickle-down effect. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent target-earners are near the top of fantasy football ADP: They can be relied on by not just their team’s offense to earn targets and produce on those targets, but that also trickles down to the fantasy managers drafting those pass-catchers and starting them in their lineups each week.

In this season’s Fantasy Football Target Report, we’ll take a weekly team-by-team look into these target earners and separate the wheat from the chaff. To properly lead into what we’ll be looking at this season, we’ll have to establish a baseline of the most important things we’re looking at with targets and other receiving metrics that paint the full picture for who we should be rostering, who we should be adding, and who we can drop. Combing the box score stats doesn’t paint a clear picture of the players we should target, roster, and start. Fantasy football rankings can only paint so much of the picture as well.

Everything we’ll be talking about here and this season in the Fantasy Football Target Report will be some of the best statistics and metrics that correlate with fantasy football production. Think of targets as a page in a coloring book, just the outline yet to be colored. Coloring on that page adds context and flavor to that page. That’s what we’ll be doing with targets — adding more context than just some target totals and saying, “go add this player,” which doesn’t help anybody.

This season, we're adding a video component, so if you want to get some of the juiciest nuggets of the target report in video form, check out the Target Report Bulletpoints for the upcoming Week 13!

Bye Weeks:

• Week 5: CLE, LAC, SEA, TB
• Week 6: GB, PIT
• Week 7: CAR, CIN, DAL, HOU, NYJ, TEN
• Week 9: DEN, DET, JAX, SF
• Week 10: KC, LAR, MIA, PHI
• Week 11: ATL, IND, NE, NO
• Week 13: BAL, BUF, CHI, LV, MIN, NYG
• Week 14: ARI, WAS

NOTE:

Any player not listed for a particular team is not somebody who’s rostered in most fantasy formats. The listing at the end (QB1, RB2, etc.) is how they should be viewed rest of season, not for the next week.)

All statistics below are listed in the following format:

• QB as:
  • (20-of-30, 212 yds., 1/1; 4-100-2) 
  • Pass Completions - Pass Att. - Pass Yds., TD/Int; Rush Att - Rush Yds. - TD
• RB as:
  • (18-75-1; 10-4-100-2) 
  • Rush Att. - Rush Yds. - TD; Targets - Receptions - Rec. Yds. - TD
• WR/TE as:
  • (10-4-100-2)
  • Targets - Receptions - Rec. Yds. - TD

NFL Target Report

Arizona Cardinals

This game was dominated by the return of Kyren Williams for the Rams, who did anything and everything he wanted to do for the Rams and had this game well in hand into the third quarter. Honestly, not much to say here with the Cardinals, as they’ll be much better equipped with Kyler Murray than Clayton Tune or Joshua Dobbs to at least provide the pass-catchers some opportunities if/when they’re down in games. 

Week 12 Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Takeaways:

• Kyler Murray (27-of-45, 245 yds., 1-0; 1-2-1)
  • Has put up three top-13 performances in each game. He hasn’t quite gotten there as a passer, but the rushing floor helps soften some of that, as he has a rushing touchdown in each of his three games. Kyler is bound for a nice fantasy playoff push and should boost the fantasy floors of his weapons, namely Brown and McBride while providing some cover for Conner.
    • Low-end QB1 with overall QB1 upside
• James Conner (6-27; 5-4-5)
  • Conner is solid enough to plug in as a low-end RB2. He’s not getting the receiving upside thanks to the newly-acquired Michael Carter taking some of that work that would have been otherwise ticketed for Conner. This lowers Conner’s floor a bit to where he’s not as safe as he’s been in years past.
    • Low-end RB2
• Marquise Brown (12-6-88)
  • Brown led the Cardinals in targets and receiving yards and picked up a lot of his production when the game was well in hand by the Rams.
    • Low-end WR3
• Michael Wilson (Missed Week 12 - Shoulder)
  • Wilson missed Week 12 with a shoulder injury, but when active, Wilson will run a bunch of routes as an outside receiver.
    • WR5 and bench stash
• Rondale Moore (3-2-35)
  • With middling production on 82% routes per dropback in Week 12, Rondale Moore is a desperation flex on one of the worst teams in the NFL.
    • Low-end WR4
• Greg Dortch (9-3-27-1)
  • Dortch caught the only touchdown for the Cardinals in Week 12, which came in the fourth quarter as a garbage time score. Dortch is seeing increased work due to Michael Wilson being out with a shoulder injury.
    • WR3/WR4 fringe if Wilson doesn’t play in Week 13
• Trey McBride (9-7-60)
  • Stud tight end. Ride this wave to the end of the season.
    • Must-start TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons’ raw pass rate of 39% was the second-lowest percentage of any team this season, which made sense because the Falcons had to crawl back to Desmond Ridder to quarterback this team. They #established the hell out of the run with 41 rushing attempts and of course, Bijan Robinson only saw 16 of those because Arthur Smith hates us all.

Week 12 Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Takeaways:

• Desmond Ridder (13-of-21, 168 yds., 1-2; 7-30)
  • Reinstalled as the Falcons starting quarterback, Ridder doesn’t inspire much confidence after losing the job once. He still is pretty bad.
    • Low-end QB2/low-end streamer
• Bijan Robinson (16-91-1; 6-3-32-1)
  • Robinson was the beneficiary of a heavy rushing attack in Week 12 as he saw work not only there but also in the receiving game with six targets. Still, the fact that the Falcons MUST involve Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson to this degree (a combined 18 carries, 107 yards) is maddening for Robinson’s managers. 
    • High-end RB2 with overall RB1 upside
• Tyler Allgeier (10-64)
  • Allgeier gets a bit more run than expected in Atlanta based on the fact that it’s Arthur Smith leading the way, but you can usually expect a handful of carries and the possibility of a touchdown. Atlanta was more run-heavy than we even expected from them in Week 12, so that role that Allgeier has is good enough to be a “break glass in case of emergency” flex option most weeks.
    • Mid-range RB3/middling flex with a lower floor than typical
• Drake London (7-5-91)
  • Of Drake London and Kyle Pitts, London is the most likely to provide useable fantasy stat lines each week. He was solid at the very least, leading the Falcons in targets in a week where the Falcons had just 21 pass attempts.
    • Low-end WR3/high-end flex
• Kyle Pitts (2-2-22)
  • Pitts has two games over 50 yards receiving, and clearly, he’s not going to be the focal point of the Falcons' offense anytime soon with Arthur Smith calling the shots. #FreeKylePitts
    • High-end TE2/high-end streamer

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: Jonnu Smith (saw his lowest snap share of the season and second-lowest routes per dropback in Week 12 with zero targets)

Baltimore Ravens

In what was mainly a defensive struggle, the Ravens rushed the ball more than they passed (35 rushes to 32 pass attempts) and forced four Chargers turnovers. We saw Keaton Mitchell take the slight lead in this running back committee and the spread-out targets in the post-Mark Andrews era of the Ravens.

Week 12 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Takeaways:

• Lamar Jackson (18-of-32, 177 yds., 1/0; 11-39)
  • Elite fantasy quarterback.
    • High-end QB1
• Gus Edwards (8-26; 1-1-11)
  • Edwards is losing some of his steam to Keaton Mitchell as Mitchell encroached on some of his early-down work. If this backfield condensed to two backs, Edwards is highly likely to be the second back, nudging Justice Hill off of his allotment of touches.
    • Mid-range RB2 (for now)
• Keaton Mitchell (9-64; 2-2-25)
  • Trending up and gaining a foothold on work at the expense of Justice Hill and Gus Edwards. Mitchell earned 47% of snaps and had the edge on both Edwards and Hill in snaps, routes, and opportunities.
    • Low-end RB2 right now as he’s trending towards more and more work in this Ravens' offense
• Justice Hill (5-31; 1-0-0)
  • He loses most of his role and snaps to the much more dynamic Mitchell, so he’s dangerously close to being droppable.
    • RB5/bench/droppable in shallow leagues
• Zay Flowers (8-5-25-1; 1-37-1)
  • Flowers scored twice with a receiving and rushing touchdown to help soften the blow on the yardage production, though he did earn eight targets.
    • Mid-to-high-end WR3
• Odell Beckham. (5-3-34)
  • Beckham saw his lowest healthy snap (32%) and routes per dropback (33%) of the season in Week 12, but is targeted when he is out on the field. Just not a trustworthy fantasy asset right now.
    • Mid-range WR4 that doesn’t earn enough routes for starting consideration
• Rashod Bateman (5-2-21)
  • Saw a routes bump with a season-high 81%, but it didn’t translate to much in the way of fantasy scoring. He’s a drop candidate if you’ve been holding this long.
    • WR5/bench stash/drop candidate
• Isaiah Likely (6-4-40)
  • In the post-Mark Andrews era, Likely received 83% of routes and turned in a solid line on six targets. He’s got a ways to go for consistent starting treatment at tight end, but he’s at least a bench hold and can be started in a pinch after his Week 13 bye.
    • Low-end TE1/high-end TE2 with room for upside

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: Rashod Bateman (we’ve waited long enough for production that seemingly is not happening)

Buffalo Bills

The Bills dropped to 6-6 in a rainy overtime classic against the Eagles. The Bills were good enough, but not quite good enough and that had to put some question into Sean McDermott and if he’s the guy to be able to get this team over the hump.

Ben Gretch made an excellent point on his Stealing Bananas podcast with Shawn Siegele about McDermott being the “Tony Dungy” of the Bills. Dungy famously was the Buccaneers head coach but was fired after multiple winning seasons because he couldn’t get the team over the hump. Of course, the Buccaneers hired Jon Gruden and won the Super Bowl the very next year in 2002. The key pieces are in place for Buffalo, but the sum of their parts almost feels less than what they should be.

Week 12 Buffalo Bills Fantasy Takeaways:

• Josh Allen (29-of-51, 339 yds., 2/1; 9-81-2)
  • Stud.
    • Locked-in QB1
• James Cook (16-43; 7-6-57)
  • The Bills flat-out refuse to give Cook the solid role he had earlier in the season, as Latavius Murray slightly out-snapped Cook here despite Cook getting many more opportunities. Even Ty Johnson is getting some opportunity in this offense, which is laughable from a top-down view.
    • Low-to-mid-range RB2; volatile asset
• Latavius Murray (9-30; 5-3-18)
  • Murray has a bigger standalone role than he should right now, but his real value is in the contingency if an injury strikes Cook.
    • Contingent low-end RB3 play (for now) if something happens to James Cook. 
• Stefon Diggs (11-6-74-1)
  • A set-and-forget stud.
    • WR1
• Gabe Davis (12-6-105-1)
  • The “Gabe Davis” game in a big game in Week 12. The very definition of boom-or-bust.
    • Low-end WR3/volatile mid-range flex
• Khalil Shakir (5-3-47)
  • With the Bills having 51 pass attempts, Shakir just didn’t seem involved in the offense in Week 12, and that’s the downside of Shakir despite 81% routes per dropback on the afternoon.
    • Low-end WR4/mid-range flex 
• Dalton Kincaid (6-5-38)
  • Lumped in with Shakir, Kincaid didn’t feel as involved as he’d been in previous weeks.
    • Top-8 fantasy TE for right now while Knox is out

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Carolina Panthers

Well, the first head-coaching domino fell as Frank Reich (along with running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown) was fired. 

There were no highlights from the Panthers as this game was pretty horrible to commit more than five minutes to (sorry Panthers and Titans fans), but the dynamics of this offense could change with Reich’s firing. 

Week 12 Carolina Panthers Fantasy Takeaways:

• Bryce Young (18-of-31, 194 yds., 0/0; 3-23)
  • Young hasn’t been given much help or support and now gets to undergo a coaching change with Reich being fired. Adults need to get into the quarterback room and scheme up some looks to make life easier for Young. Of course, it’s up to Young to convert on that, but 2023 is turning even more lost than their 1-10 record suggests.
    • QB2/low-end streamer
• Chuba Hubbard (14-45-1; 5-5-47)
  • Hubbard has the clear lead-back role in Carolina, but this could be shaken up a bit with the Reich firing. Sanders could take some of his work and make this Panthers’ backfield a full-blown split. 
    • High-end RB3 with some RB2 upside
• Miles Sanders (15-28; 1-0-0)
  • Sanders averaged 1.9 yards per carry and was the definition of ungood. 
    • Mid-range RB3 with some RB2 upside should he gain a foothold with more work post-Frank Reich
• Adam Thielen (3-1-2)
  • The Titans decided to take him away and let other options beat them. They did not.
    • Low-end WR3 with downside if the Panthers' offense craters even further

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Chicago Bears

The Bears intercepted Joshua Dobbs four times and still could only muster up 12 points. Somehow, that was good enough to win on the road in Minnesota, so there’s that.

Week 12 Chicago Bears Fantasy Takeaways:

• Justin Fields (27-of-37, 217 yds., 0/0; 12-59)
  • It was a bad offensive game for most of the players involved in this game, FIelds included. You’ve got to take the bad with the good here because we know what kind of upside Fields has.
    • Low-end QB1 with weekly overall QB1 upside
• Khalil Herbert (6-24; 2-2-14)
  • Herbert returned to 43% of snaps and the clear advantage with 16 carries. Was that only because of Foreman leaving with an ankle injury? That remains to be seen, but he’s at the head of the table right now.
    • Mid-range RB3 but role is up in the air thanks to ceding touches to Roschon Johnson in Week 13
• D’Onta Foreman (Missed Week 12 - ankle)
  • Missed Week 12 with an ankle injury and the Bears go on bye in Week 13.
    • RB3 with some contingent upside 
• Roschon Johnson (10-35; 5-5-40)
  • Johnson took over the lead back role with 63% of the running back carries and 75% snaps over Khalil Herbert. Whether this will continue after the Bears’ bye remains to be seen, but D’Onta Foreman should be returning in Week 14, so this muddies up the backfield even more.
    • High-end RB3 if the utilization wasn’t a one-week thing post-bye. 
• DJ Moore (13-11-114)
  • The clear top target, Moore only had a 4.1-yard aDOT as he was a YAC merchant on screens and dump-offs because that’s where Moore is amazing — in the open field.
    • Mid-range WR2
• Cole Kmet (7-7-43)
  • Kmet is the clear second target in Chicago as he’s vaulted over Darnell Mooney. Kmet was the only WR/TE with more than three targets outside of DJ Moore.
    • Low-end TE/high-end TE2

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Cincinnati Bengals

This offense clearly misses Joe Burrow as it’s definitely not the same with Jake Browning. The Steelers were selling out to the run in order to put the onus on Browning to beat them through the air and that for sure didn’t work. It sure didn’t help to not have play volume, as the Bengals only ran 41 plays — the third-lowest total by an NFL team this season.

Week 12 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Takeaways:

• Jake Browning (19-of-26, 227 yds., 1/1; 3-9)
  • Browning carries little-to-no upside even with the weapons available to him in Cincinnati. He should be far and away from starting consideration in single-QB leagues.
    • Low-end QB2/streamer
• Joe Mixon (8-16; 2-2-44)
  • Mixon has a stranglehold on the carries and workload from a rushing standpoint, so his role is secure, but the change to Browning under center impacts his upside as we saw in Week 13 when the Steelers sold out to the run and forced Browning to beat them. He didn’t.
    • Low-end RB2
• Ja'Marr Chase (6-4-81)
  • Chase is obviously awesome, but is suffering from “Garrett Wilson syndrome”, where he’s held back by bad quarterbacking. Two of his catches were off of deflections for 70 yards. Not of Browning’s doing, but fluke stuff. That obviously is unsustainable.
    • High-end WR2
• Tee Higgins
  • Did not play in Week 11 due to a hamstring but obviously, takes an upside hit with Browning as the quarterback.
    • Mid-range WR3 when healthy
• Tyler Boyd (5-3-23)
  • Boyd is out on most routes, as is the case with the top three wide receivers when healthy. With Browning now the quarterback for the Bengals, it cripples the upside of this passing game.
    • High-end WR4/low-end flex

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Cleveland Browns

Week 12 Cleveland Browns Fantasy Takeaways:

• Dorian Thompson-Robinson (14-of-29, 134 yds., 1/0; 5-21)
  • Left Week 11 due to a concussion and P.J. Walker came back in to mop up in their loss to the Broncos. Neither are starting-caliber quarterbacks in fantasy, so we can move on.
    • Low-end QB2/streamer 
• Jerome Ford (9-65; 7-4-14)
  • Maintaining a strong role here, especially with receiving work. Joe Flacco IS on the roster, so if they turn to Flacco to quarterback this team into the playoffs? That would do so much for Ford.
    • Low-end RB2
• Kareem Hunt (7-22)
  • Hunt gets a lot of the low-value touches Ford doesn’t get, so all in all, he’s just a contingent back in case something happens to Ford.
    • High-end RB3/solid contingent value
• Amari Cooper (6-2-16)
  • Inefficient targets now coming from P.J. Walker will hamper his value moving forward. He becomes a much more volatile fantasy asset for the rest of 2023.
    • Mid-range WR3
• Elijah Moore (9-3-44)
  • Tied for the team lead in targets with nine, but they were woefully inefficient as he only caught three. Moore is at the mercy of the subpar quarterbacking here for his fantasy value.
    • Mid-range WR4/low-end flex
• David Njoku (9-6-59)
  • David Njoku has to be hating that DTR may miss Week 13, as he’s seen 24 targets in the last two weeks combined. Still, with Walker, Njoku is on the borderline of TE1/TE2.
    • TE1/TE2 borderline

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A
 

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas continues their run of either blowouts or getting blown out, as they were on the good side with a 45-10 win on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys kept up their assault on pass rate over expected (PROE) leaderboards by posting a +6.0% PROE against a Commanders’ secondary which is just atrocious. They’re efficient, they’re scoring quickly, and they’re on a massive heater. You love to see it for the vast majority of their fantasy options.

Week 12 Dallas Cowboys Fantasy Takeaways:

• Dak Prescott (22-of-32, 331 yds., 4/0; 1-10)
  • With how the Cowboys’ offense is operating right now with positive PROE, Prescott must be in consideration amongst the elite fantasy quarterbacks every week. He’s a must-start going forward.
    • Top-6 fantasy QB
• Tony Pollard (13-79-1; 6-6-24)
  • Two straight weeks into the end zone for Pollard! He’s also taking more high-value touches, which you love to see. Pollard is starting to pay off a bit more of his lofty price tag in fantasy drafts but there’s more work to be done in that regard.
    • High-end RB2
• Rico Dowdle (3-11; 1-1-15-1)
  • Dowdle scored a receiving touchdown and maintains his value as an elite contingent back in this offense. He’s been getting some work mixing in with Pollard for a few plays and then getting some work in blowout scripts. He’s a bench hold.
    • RB4/contingent hold
• CeeDee Lamb (9-4-53-1)
  • Stud.
    • A must-start WR1 every week.
• Brandin Cooks (5-4-72-1)
  • Cooks has touchdowns in the last three odd-numbered weeks, which of course is totally bankable and as rock-solid a narrative as one can get. In this offense with the Cowboys passing as much as they have, you have to slot Cooks in as a strong WR3 with some spike weeks should the Cowboys find themselves in non-blowout scripts.
    • Mid-range WR3/high-end flex
• Jake Ferguson (3-1-35)
  • Another dud week for Ferguson. Despite overwhelmingly positive game scripts in the last two weeks, Ferguson hasn’t been utilized too much, combining for just four receptions and 67 yards on eight targets. The floor is a bit lower, but the ceiling is still there. He’s certainly not in “must-start” territory, but the floor has to come up for that to be the case down the stretch.
    • Low-end TE1/high-end TE2

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Denver Broncos

Week 12 Denver Broncos Fantasy Takeaways:

• Russell Wilson (13-of-22, 134 yds., 1/0; 11-34-1)
  • Wilson has been much better this season thanks to the perk of not having Nathaniel Hackett as head coach, but he’s just been a fine but not great fantasy quarterback, with no 20+ point weeks since Week 4. He’s a floor play.
    • Mid-range QB2/okay streamer
• Javonte Williams (18-65; 6-3-6)
  • Williams’ role has come back up and then some as Williams saw his highest snaps (70%) and routes (48%) of the entire season. Jaleel McLaughlin’s workload has shrunk considerably in the last few weeks, which has helped Williams.
    • Mid-range RB2
• Courtland Sutton (6-3-61)
  • No touchdown for Sutton after five straight weeks with one, but tied for the most targets on the week with Javonte Williams (six) and was the only player besides Williams to earn more than four targets and two receptions. It was a day where Russell Wilson only had 22 pass attempts and 134 passing yards.
    • Low-end WR3
• Jerry Jeudy (3-2-11)
  • Jeudy has been a massive disappointment this season, and in some shallow leagues, it’s completely defensible to drop him outright.
    • High-end WR4/weak flex

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Detroit Lions

The Lions got thrown into the Jordan Love buzzsaw and were down 23-6 at the half, which was unfamiliar territory for them. They mainly used Jahmyr Gibbs to climb out of their hole but were predictably pass-heavy in doing so. The 29-22 score didn’t really reflect the Lions’ struggles throughout the game to stop the Packers, and they couldn’t make up for all of that with the time remaining.

Week 12 Detroit Lions Fantasy Takeaways:

• Jared Goff (29-of-44, 332 yds., 2/0; 3-9)
  • Goff played pretty well on the stat sheet, minus the three fumbles lost. Despite those costly turnovers, Goff is still a top-12 quarterback in fantasy.
    • Low-end QB1
• Jahmyr Gibbs (11-54; 8-4-19)
  • Gibbs played a huge number of snaps (71%) and routes (84%) on Thanksgiving, with the Lions playing from behind most of the game. Montgomery still led the way in carries plus a touchdown, but Gibbs will rack up PPR points.
    • High-end RB2 with weekly RB1 upside
• David Montgomery (15-71-1; 1-0-0)
  • Despite trailing Gibbs in snaps and routes, Montgomery got the touchdown and still led in carries. Both backs will be highly valuable in any game script, but Monty saw the massive cut in snaps/routes because the Lions were in a trailing script for most of the day.
    • High-end RB2 with weekly RB1 upside
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (11-9-95)
  • Stud. Must-start.
    • WR1
• Jameson Williams (3-2-51)
  • Williams still stayed above the 60% route mark as Reynolds came down slightly. Hopefully, the 60% mark won’t be his ceiling, and he’ll keep climbing but he’s still a priority stash.
    • High-end WR4 with plenty of room to move up if he can supplant Josh Reynolds
• Sam LaPorta (8-5-47-1)
  • Nothing to worry about after last week’s dud. LaPorta is a top-six option at tight end for the rest of the season.
    • Top-6 fantasy TE

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Green Bay Packers

The Packers hit the gas and hit Detroit with 23 points by halftime before they knew what hit them. The Packers stayed pretty skewed to the pass, but perhaps that was because they didn’t have Aaron Jones, and they know what they can (and can’t) do with AJ Dillon.

Week 12 Green Bay Packers Fantasy Takeaways:

• Jordan Love (22-of-32, 268 yds., 3/0; 3-39)
  • Love has been on a heater with Week 11’s performance against the Chargers and this past week on Thanksgiving against the Lions. It was easily his best start of the season, with Love being efficient through the air and adding 39 yards rushing to boot. We’ll see if this can continue, but he’s trending up as a QB streamer for needy fantasy teams.
    • High-end streamer/high-end QB2
• Aaron Jones (missed Week 12 (MCL sprain)
  • Jones’ status for Week 13 is up in the air, but is certainly a worthy RB2 when he’s healthy. AJ Dillon? He ain’t it.
    • Mid-range RB2 when healthy
• AJ Dillon (14-43; 3-3-38)
  • The typical AJ Dillon starting running back performance. We’ll see if Jones is back in Week 13, but if Dillon is starting, it’s a dicey proposition to start him and expect more than barely over double-digit fantasy points without falling into the end zone.
    • High-end RB3
• Christian Watson (7-5-94-1)
  • Watson was the heavy focus on the first two drives of the game, with a 4-4-78 line that’s bested his full-game totals from all but one game this season. Perhaps this is a sign of some connection between Love and Watson, which this team desperately needs as there has been no clear breadwinner in this offense through 10 games. 
    • Low-end WR3/solid flex option
• Romeo Doubs (4-3-37)
  • Seemingly taking a backseat now to Watson and Reed, Doubs is touchdown-dependent as he’s always been, but he’s a risky start right now considering how the receivers are shaking out in the last couple of weeks.
    • High-end WR4/low-end flex
• Jayden Reed (8-4-34-1; 2-16)
  • Reed caught the game’s opening touchdown, and his routes continued to rise slightly up to 79%. He still saw rushing attempts as the Packers got the ball into his hands however they could. Get him onto fantasy rosters if he’s still floating around in free agency.
    • Low-end WR3 with multiple avenues to quality upside
• Tucker Kraft (2-2-15-1)
  • Caught the second touchdown from Jordan Love and saw a whopping 96% routes without Luke Musgrave in the lineup. He’s nowhere near being a fantasy starter right now, but he’s at the very least on the streaming radar now since he’s earning virtually all of the routes and snaps.
    • Low-end TE2/okay streaming option

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Houston Texans

Week 12 Houston Texans Fantasy Takeaways:

• C.J. Stroud (26-of-36, 304 yds., 2/0; 6-47-1)
  • After the Allen/Hurts/Mahomes/Jackson tier of fantasy quarterback, it’s hard to find a QB I’d rather start than Stroud. He’s awesome and is a must-start.
    • Top-6 fantasy QB
• Devin Singletary (6-18; 7-6-54)
  • Ride the wave with Singletary. Even with Dameon Pierce back, Singletary was the preferred option, with 82% snaps and 76% routes. 
    • Mid-range RB2
• Dameon Pierce (5-14; 1-1-4)
  • Unless Pierce is being managed on his return, Pierce may just be a contingent back to Singletary now. He’s a bench hold right now, and it’s completely understandable if you want to drop him for somebody who will either help your lineup or solidify you at a greater position of need.
    • Mid-range RB3 with some contingent value
• Tank Dell (8-5-50-1)
  • Stud. Must-start WR going forward.
    • Must-start low-end WR1/high-end WR2
• Nico Collins (9-7-104-1)
  • Collins is the perfect wide receiver to play off of Tank Dell in this offense and he’s thrived massively thanks to Dell and of course, C.J. Stroud. 
    • Low-end WR2/high-end WR3
• Noah Brown (Missed Week 12 - knee)
  • Brown is purely a deep flex when he does return to the Texans’ lineup.
    • WR4/very deep flex
• Robert Woods (3-2-40)
  • A secondary wide receiver in this offense now that Dell and Collins are locked into their roles. Could see some moderate spike week potential, but he’s a floor play for fantasy football right now.
    • WR4/very deep flex
• Dalton Schultz (2-1-2)
  • Two straight games of disappointment (five targets, three catches, 34 yards) push Schultz down the ranks at tight end.
    • High-end TE2/mid-range streamer with a brutal upcoming schedule for fantasy playoffs

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Indianapolis Colts

Week 12 Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Takeaways:

• Gardner Minshew (24-of-41, 251 yds., 0/1; 3-6-1)
  • Minshew has been solid in his relief of Anthony Richardson, but he’s nothing more than a QB streamer.
    • Mid-range QB2/okay streamer
• Jonathan Taylor (15-91-2)
  • Taylor reportedly will have thumb surgery and be out for a couple of weeks, so that puts Zack Moss back on the menu.
    • Locked-in RB1 when healthy
• Zack Moss (8-55; 3-2-15)
  • Clear contingent play right now in case something happens to Taylor, and it did. With Taylor likely undergoing surgery on his thumb, Moss comes back into the fantasy consciousness as a mid-range RB2.
    • Mid-range RB2 if Taylor is out
• Michael Pittman (13-10-107)
  • A solid, safe, consistent WR2 with bankable targets and a nice weekly floor. You can’t beat it, considering his fifth-round draft-day price.
    • Mid-range WR2
• Josh Downs (13-5-43)
  • A solid, productive slot-only option who is back to his target-earning ways before his knee injury in Week 9. Start with confidence in your WR3 or flex spot.
    • Mid-range WR3/very good flex option with upside

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 12 Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Takeaways:

• Trevor Lawrence (23-of-38, 364 yds., 1/1; 2-0-1)
  • Lawrence followed up his 32.2 fantasy point performance last week with 25.6 in Week 12; his second-highest mark of the season. He’s strung his two best games of the year back-to-back, so he’s back in the starting quarterback conversation in fantasy.
    • Low-end QB1
• Travis Etienne (20-56; 6-4-30)
  • Played 62% of snaps and got a ton of work, but did leave with a chest injury so that could have had something to do with his lower snap percentage this week. Still saw 24 opportunities, but D’Ernest Johnson and Tank Bigsby worked in.
    • Low-end RB1
• Calvin Ridley (6-5-89-1)
  • Any coincidence that Lawrence’s best games in the past two weeks have synched up with Ridley’s best two weeks? Ridley is averaging 20.5 fantasy points in his last two games and he’s earning some consistency. Don’t screw it up Ridley now that I wrote this!
    • Volatile WR3 with WR1 upside 
• Christian Kirk (7-4-89)
  • The more consistent option in Jacksonville, Kirk had a quiet week last week but bounced back this week. His role is pretty secure and you can bank on Kirk on a week-to-week basis.
    • High-end WR3
• Evan Engram (8-5-49)
  • At least Engram earned himself a bunch of targets. Granted he only caught five of them, but hey, for tight ends, volume is volume.
    • Mid-range TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Kansas City Chiefs

Week 12 Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Takeaways:

• Patrick Mahomes (27-of-34, 298 yds., 2/0; 5-9)
  • Despite his weapons being up and down, we know what Mahomes can turn this ragtag bunch of weapons into every week.
    • Locked-in QB1
• Isiah Pacheco (15-55-2; 5-5-34)
  • Solid, no-frills starting fantasy running back with a lock on early-down work and chipping in with the receiving work, too.
    • Mid-range RB2
• Jerick McKinnon (Missed Week 12 - groin)
  • Low-end flex even when healthy.
    • Target-dependent RB4/weak flex option
• Rashee Rice (10-8-107-1)
  • Before Week 11, Rice had strung together five straight 10+ fantasy point games. Rice came back with a vengeance in Week 12 with his best outing yet for fantasy football. Rice has been the most consistent of the wide receiver option for the Chiefs and topped 70%+ routes for the first time this season. 
    • Mid-range WR3 with upside
• Travis Kelce (7-6-91)
  • Stud. Dating Taylor Swift. Winning at life.
    • Overall TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Las Vegas Raiders

Week 12 Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Takeaways:

• Aidan O’Connell (23-of-33, 248 yds., 1/0)
  • He’s not startable right now unless you’re in a Superflex or desperate for a quarterback option.
    • QB2/weak streamer
• Josh Jacobs (20-110-1; 6-4-15)
  • Has a stranglehold on the running back workload, and Jacobs took every running back carry in Week 12 but two.
    •  Mid-range RB1
• Davante Adams (7-5-73)
  • Adams has seen his ceiling drop thanks to Aidan O’Connell as the quarterback, but can still provide some quality weeks as evidenced by his 16 fantasy points per game over the last three weeks. While that’s not vintage Adams, we’ll take it given the circumstances. 
    • Low-end WR1
• Jakobi Meyers (7-6-79-1)
  • Meyers has gone from a stable role over the first seven weeks of 2023 to a shaky foundation with just 13 targets in his next four games before righting the ship in Week 12 with a team lead in targets (seven) and a touchdown. Meyers is still volatile, thanks to having Davante Adams next to him and Aidan O’Connell throwing him the ball, but you can do worse as a flex option.
    • Low-end WR3/mid-range flex
• Michael Mayer (4-2-27)
  • Mayer hasn’t quite asserted himself from a target-earning and production standpoint, as he’s gotten more snaps over Austin Hooper but hasn’t translated that into fantasy goodness.
    • Mid-rangeTE2/weak streamer

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Los Angeles Chargers