Friday afternoons are my opportunity to connect with FantasyPros readers and the FantasyPros Discord community. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to join our Discord to get answers to your questions. I host weekly AMAs on Fridays, and other analysts also routinely answer questions. Below were three standout topics from Friday’s busy Week 17 AMA.
- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Discord AMA: Week 17
Can Gamers Trust Drake London?
This was the first question from last week’s Discord AMA recap, too. Unfortunately, Drake London was tied for the WR69 in half-PPR points (4.2) in Week 16. He let down gamers who used him last week, and it’s understandable to be concerned about him this week.
Still, according to the Fantasy Points data suite, London had a 69.4% route participation rate, 13-yard average depth of target (aDOT), 104 air yards, 57.1% air yards share, 22.9% target share, 0.32 targets per route run (TPRR) and a 29.2% first-read rate against the Cardinals. His underlying data was exceptional.
London isn’t a shoo-in for success, as last week’s dud with pristine underlying data demonstrates. Nevertheless, he should be treated as a WR2 with WR1 upside in a plus matchup for wideouts.
Should Gamers Go Back to the Well With Taysom Hill?
Last week might have been Taysom Hill’s final game in New Orleans. There’s buzz in the fantasy community that his explosion and enhanced role were driven by a desire to do right by Hill in his potential final game in front of the home crowd. Thus, there’s a risk that fantasy gamers will get rug-pulled by a reduced role in a more challenging matchup against the Titans this week.
Regardless, Hill is probably their best runner, can haul in passes and could attempt some passes, as evidenced by the former quarterback running, receiving and passing last week. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Hill played three snaps at quarterback, 16 in the backfield, two in-line, seven in the slot and six wide in Week 16.
Hill recorded the following stats in Week 16:
- 1 pass attempt
- 1 completion
- 38 passing yards
- 1 passing touchdown
- 12 carries
- 42 rushing yards
- 19 routes (34.5% route participation rate)
- 6 targets
- 4 receptions
- 36 receiving yards
- 1 fumble lost
It was a classic Swiss-Army-Knife game from Hill. His floor would be high if gamers were assured he’d have a do-it-all role again this week. Sadly, Hill could have a more modest role, creating a low floor. Hill’s ceiling is massive, though. He should be treated as a volatile TE1.
What Should Gamers Do With George Kittle?
The 49ers will play on Sunday Night Football, putting gamers with George Kittle in a bind. Ideally, one of the national media insiders will have information on Kittle’s availability late Saturday or before the 1:00 p.m. ET window for Sunday games.
It appears Kittle might be a genuine game-time decision. Gamers with Colston Loveland on their bench, or those with him available in free agency and a bench spot, should scoop him up to have available as a pivot for Kittle.
Gamers who need Kittle’s ceiling could also add Colby Parkinson or Terrance Ferguson as a contingency option if Kittle is inactive. If those options aren’t available and Kittle’s status for Sunday Night Football is uncertain, rolling with the lower ceilings of Brenton Strange, Michael Mayer, Juwan Johnson or Elijah Higgins is viable.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
