With the fantasy playoffs just around the corner, it was another busy week around the NFL, including the return of the JGs (Josh Gordon and Jimmy Garoppolo). But let’s begin with a few tight end tidbits, headlined by a Gronk Smash gone horribly wrong.
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Rob Gronkowski picked the wrong time to risk a suspension
Gronkowski had his best game of the season from a yardage perspective (147 yards), but it’s something he did after the whistle that will have his fantasy owners anxiously awaiting word on his status for Week 14 when the playoffs begin in many leagues. Gronkowski was held as he ran a pattern down the right sideline in the fourth quarter, but rather than take it up with the referee, he nosedived in for a cheap shot on Bills defensive back Tre’Davious White, leaving the rookie with a concussion. Gronk apologized after the game, but it certainly looked like the type of act that warrants a one-game suspension, so Gronk owners need to start scouting out possible replacements for next week (see below for some options).
Jared Cook can never be trusted
Another tight end who did his owners no favors is Cook, who flopped spectacularly for the second consecutive week. Averaging 97 yards per game over the three games heading into the Raiders’ Week 10 bye, Cook appeared set up for a strong second half of the season. The problem, of course, is that this is Jared Cook we’re talking about.
In Weeks 12 and 13, Cook faced the Broncos and Giants — the two worst defenses at defending tight ends — and served as a supposed offensive focal point with Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper missing time with an ejection/suspension and injury, respectively. The result? Cook managed a grand total of two catches for 11 yards over the two games. He did have a touchdown overturned on review against Denver, but after his no-show against the Giants, it is abundantly clear that we should never talk ourselves into Jared Cook, regardless of matchup or team context.
These tight ends are stepping up
Thankfully for fantasy owners who had been relying on Gronk or Cook, it is a good time to be in the market for a tight end. Cameron Brate, who scored a touchdown in four consecutive games from Weeks 3-6, had put up a measly 37 yards and no touchdowns over four games with Ryan Fitzpatrick that Jameis Winston missed due to injury. But now Winston is back, and so is Brate, who scored twice more in Week 13.
Hunter Henry hasn’t been much more consistent than Cook this year, but with Henry, it was always a matter of game plan, not a lack of talent. Now the Chargers seem to have re-committed to getting him the ball, as he’s hauled in 12 passes for 157 yards and a TD over the last two games.
If Brate and Henry aren’t available, there are also a couple tight ends who appear poised to fill in for injured starters. The Texans’ C.J. Fiedorowicz was forced out with a concussion, allowing for Stephen Anderson to collect 79 yards and a score on a whopping 12 targets. Also, the Eagles’ Zach Ertz had departed with a concussion, possibly opening the door for Trey Burton to start next week in one of the league’s best passing offenses.
The Browns welcomed back Josh Gordon with open arms — and targets
The Browns reportedly promised to “unleash” Gordon in Week 13, and that’s exactly what happened. Gordon was targeted 11 times on Sunday, and although he only caught four of those passes, it translated into 85 yards against a tough Chargers secondary. It remains to be seen if Cleveland will continue to feature Gordon that heavily going forward — perhaps they just wanted to boost his confidence in his first game in three years — but if they do, he will be an upside WR3 at worst for the stretch run.
Gordon’s targets came at the expense of Corey Coleman, who saw just four targets and zero catches in Week 13 after being targeted 19 times over his first two games back from a broken hand. It seems very hard to fathom that a perennially-rebuilding Browns team would phase the talented second-year receiver out of the game plan, but it is now an open question which Browns wideout is the top option in the passing game, and Cleveland probably can’t support two viable fantasy WRs. This game suggests Gordon has an edge on Coleman, but that could just be recency bias, so it will be fascinating to see what happens next week.
Jimmy Garoppolo breathed a bit of life into the Niners’ passing game
C.J. Beathard wasn’t as bad as many predicted, but he did throw just four touchdowns and six interceptions over six games as the 49ers starting quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t exactly top Beathard in that metric — he threw one pick and no TDs on Sunday — but he did move the offense with some consistency and squeezed out a narrow victory at Soldier Field.
Given his lack of weapons and relative inexperience, Garoppolo does not seem poised to be an asset in standard one-quarterback fantasy leagues. But he does put a couple San Francisco pass catchers on the flex radar.
Marquise Goodwin hauled in all eight of his targets for 99 yards against Chicago, while Trent Taylor caught all six of his targets for 92 yards. That kind of efficiency speaks well to the rapport that Jimmy G has with both wideouts, but we’ll want to see which one emerges as his top target before either can be considered a reliable weekly flex option.
It’s looking like Peyton Barber time in Tampa
Doug Martin’s season got off to a promising start, but it’s been all downhill ever since. Martin apologists (myself included) were tempted to pin much of the blame on the Bucs’ offense as a whole, but Peyton Barber blew a hole in that argument on Sunday.
With Martin sitting due to a concussion, Barber exploded for 143 yards from scrimmage on 27 touches. Yes, it was a favorable matchup against Green Bay, but consider that Martin’s season-high is just 82 total yards. With Tampa Bay’s season spiraling into the toilet, it’s reasonable to assume the team will want to see what it has in Barber, an undrafted second-year back.
We probably haven’t seen the last of Martin, but if Barber continues to produce, he has the inside track on lead back duties for the rest of the season and perhaps beyond. He’s worth using a top waiver priority on this week.
Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce quickly benefited from KC’s shift in play-calling
The Chiefs announced before Sunday’s game that coach Andy Reid was handing play-calling duties off to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, in an attempt to “jumpstart an offense stuck in the mud.” The early results were extremely positive, at least as far as the team’s top receiving options are concerned.
Travis Kelce scored twice in the first quarter against the Jets, and Tyreek Hill scored twice in the second half. Hill, in particular, had a massive game, finishing with a career-high 185 yards receiving. The matchup was undoubtedly favorable, but it was nonetheless encouraging to see the Chiefs aggressively targeting their top playmakers in the passing game. We already knew Kelce and Hill have tremendous upside, but Nagy could help boost their week-to-week consistency as well.
Unfortunately, Nagy’s ascension did not provide a similar spark for Kareem Hunt, who continues to struggle to get anything going in the running game. Perhaps he’ll be Nagy’s next agenda item, but for now, Hunt is best approached as a low-end RB2 with some lingering upside.
Kenyan Drake can make an impact without Damien Williams around
Drake hasn’t done much on the ground the last couple of weeks, but unquestioned lead back duties and game script allowed him to get into a good groove on Sunday. He finished with 26 touches for 141 yards and a score against a normally tough Broncos run D.
Damien Williams did not practice last week due to his shoulder injury and looks quite questionable for Week 14. Drake’s remaining schedule (NE, @BUF, @KC) is relatively favorable, so he will be an enticing RB2 option for at least as long as Williams is sidelined.
Keenan Allen is exploding down the stretch
With just one touchdown and two games above 67 yards over his first nine games, Allen was a frustrating player to own for much of the season. But he is turning it around right when it matters most, and on Sunday he became the first player in NFL history to put up at least 10 catches, 100 receiving yards, and a touchdown in three consecutive games.
Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ passing game are operating at a high level right now, and Allen’s remaining schedule is excellent, particularly Week 15 at Kansas City and Week 16 at the Jets. He could be the player that puts a lot of fantasy teams over the top this year.
Alvin Kamara is the fantasy MVP
Speaking of difference-making fantasy assets, expect to see Kamara on the roster of a lot of teams that win it all. Taken 194th on average in fantasy drafts this year, Kamara is second to Todd Gurley in fantasy points among non-QBs in standard fantasy leagues, and far and away the best performer in fantasy football over the last month.
Kamara was underrated early in the season because he was second on his own team’s depth chart, but it turns out that both he and Mark Ingram are elite RB1s. In fact, Ingram is second only to Kamara in fantasy points among RB/WR/TEs over the last month. The Saints have successfully reinvented themselves as a run-first offense, and astute fantasy managers who bought in early are now reaping the rewards.
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Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.
