Is this the week to fade Le’Veon Bell?

I apologize about the Brandin Cooks pick. He ended up with zero targets while his teammate Michael Thomas caught two touchdown passes. You could have easily started either of those two players as they were both in fantastic spots. With how well Cooks historically plays at home, it would have been impossible to predict a complete goose egg.

There was a lot of complaining on Twitter because of last weeks games. The Seahawks were beaten down by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while Richard Sherman got taken to school by Mike Evans. The chalk stack of Derek Carr and Amari Cooper ended up a bust as they were never on the same page. It was a weird week in DFS for everyone. As the year winds down do your best to have a short memory similar to an NFL cornerback after he gets burned for a big play. There is always next week and if you lost money last week there is nothing you can do to get it back beside improve and play better.

Now who should we fade this week?

Enter the NFL Sunday Million for your chance at a $200k top prize

Tom Brady (NE) $8,500 vs Los Angeles Rams

Brady only attempted 50 passes last week and only threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns while losing a fumble. While the matchup looks inviting, there are too many other games with higher Vegas totals that are projected to be way more competitive than this one.

Le’Veon Bell (PIT) $9,300 vs New York Giants

There are a lot of great running backs in better match ups. David Johnson, LeSean McCoy, Melvin Gordon, Jordan Howard and Spencer Ware are all arguably in better situations this week and some are much cheaper. The Giants are also great at stopping receiving running backs having only given up  56 receptions, 340 yards, and no touchdowns.

Jordy Nelson (GB) $7,400 vs Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are ranked 3rd best against opposing wide receivers having allowed 127 catches for 1,518 yards and eight touchdowns. While Nelson leads the league in red zone targets with 21, this isn’t the best situation for him against a surprisingly stout Houston Texans pass defense. Rodgers may not have to throw it to Nelson 8-to-10 times to win. Nelson could easily score but also end up with well under 100 receiving yards.

Coby Fleener (NO) $5,500 vs Detroit Lions

Fleener just isn’t a big part of the Saints offense right now and he really doesn’t need to be. He has six straight games of under 10 fantasy points including another four under six! With the emergence of Michael Thomas and the running game, Fleener could be the 4th or 5th option on any given play. Even with the interior softness of the Detroit Lions defense, Fleener won’t have many opportunities to have a big game.

New England Patriots $4,600 vs Los Angeles Rams

When looking at the Vegas totals, the Patriots have everything you need for a fantasy defense. They are massive -13.5 favorites against a bad offensive team and one of the worst coaches in the NFL. As I have mentioned several times before, they are as soft as it gets. They have only 11 turnovers on the season and have a “bend but don’t break” mentality that doesn’t create many sacks.

Alternate Plays

Russell Wilson (SEA) $7,700 vs Carolina Panthers

Don’t let last week’s poor performance fool you. The Seahawks traveled East to face the Buccaneers and flat out underperformed! Wilson is in a prime bounce back spot as he is playing a Panthers team ranked 9th worst against opposing quarterbacks and 7th worst against opposing wide receivers. He’s affordable so you can easily fit in two stud running backs and an elite wide receiver raising the upside of your lineup in the process.

Spencer Ware (KC) $7,400 @ Atlanta Falcons

With the emergence of Tyreke Hill, Ware’s fantasy totals have begun to regress. Luckily for him, he gets to play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13. The Falcons have given up 1,596 total yards and 13 total touchdowns to opposing running backs this year. The friendly 49.5 over/under and price tag make Ware a lock to me. The Falcons are also -3.5 favorites which set’s up for Alex Smith to throw more to keep up. Expect five targets for Ware, 20+ total touches, and plenty of running room.

DeAndre Hopkins (HOU) $6,700 @ Green Bay Packers

I read a crazy stat today regarding Hopkins. He’s in the top 10 in targets but is ranked 44th for yardage! I guess Osweiler is who we thought he was, but that won’t keep me from playing Hopkins. The Packers are fifth worst against opposing wide receivers and have given up 129 catches, 1,947 yards and 17 touchdowns to opposing wide receivers! Only the Chiefs, Browns, 49ers and Titans are worse up to this point.

Jimmy Graham (SEA) $6,400 vs Carolina Panthers

The Panthers Super Bowl hangover continues. Expect the poor performance to continue as they have to travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks coming off an embarrassing loss to the Buccaneers. The Panthers are ranked second worst against opposing tight ends having given up 53 catches, 668 yards, and eight touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens $4,600 vs Miami Dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens have once again put together one of the best defensive teams in all of football. At this point in the season, they have only given up 726 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Dolphins new identity is a run-first team with the emergence of Jay Ajayi, but they won’t find any running room against this defense. Because of that, expect the Ravens to force Ryan Tannahill into making mistakes.

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Arash Ghaemi is a correspondent at FantasyPros. You can also find his work at DraftShot.com and follow him @DraftshotAsh.