Fantasy Football Player Notes

Who needs touchdowns when you are getting 11 targets and over 160 yards in each of the last two games? With his only game below 10 fantasy points being the game he didn't finish, Puka is one of the rare elite receivers who has a locked-in floor with huge upside. Coming off weeks of WR1 and WR2 finishes, fantasy managers should feel great going into the playoffs. Having said that, Puka left late last week with an injury. Unfortunately, the Rams have a short week before taking on the Seahawks on Thursday Night. If Puka plays, he is a locked-in WR1 even in a tough matchup. However, managers should have a contingency plan in case he is ruled out.

The Rams have been splitting up the backfield work as the coaching staff wants to keep Kyren Williams fresh for the playoffs. Last week, Williams played 53.6% of the snaps with a 36.6% route share and 2.6% target share. He finished with 16 touches, 88 total yards, and three red zone rushing attempts. I expect Williams to keep a slim margin in usage and playing time over Blake Corum. This week, Williams will have a tough road, but considering the context of the offense he is in, he should be able to overcome the matchup with volume and touchdown equity. Since Week 11, Seattle has allowed the 13th-lowest explosive run rate, the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game, the lowest rushing success rate, and the sixth-lowest missed tackle rate.

Blake Corum has eaten into Kyren Williams' workload with the Rams becoming a split backfield. The Rams are doing this to keep Williams fresh for the rest of the season and the playoffs. Corum has had little to no passing game usage, with only one game this season with more than two targets. His avenue to scoring fantasy points is entirely dependent upon his early downs production in the rushing department. Last week, he played 46.4% of the snaps with a 26.8% route share as he finished with 11 carries for 71 rushing yards. This isn't the matchup to plug in a touchdown-drive flex play. Since Week 11, Seattle has allowed the 13th-lowest explosive run rate, the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game, the lowest rushing success rate, and the sixth-lowest missed tackle rate.

Over the last two weeks, Colby Parkinson has been the TE11 and TE5 in weekly scoring, and he could easily stack another TE1 finish this week. Since Week 14, Parkinson has had a 63.9% route share, a 17.4% target share, 53.5 receiving yards per game, 2.33 yards per route run, and a 16.4% first-read share. In those two games, he has seen a whopping seven red zone targets and two deep targets with three touchdowns. Seattle has been a good matchup for tight ends this season, giving up the ninth-most yards per target and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to the position. Parkinson is a STRONG TE1 this week. I expect Matthew Stafford to lean on him as the second option in the passing attack behind Puka Nacua with Davante Adams out.