The NFL gets accused of stomping on the holidays and this year that argument holds a lot of water – as both Thanksgiving and Christmas will become all-NFL-all-the-time casualties.
There was a time when Thanksgiving meant the Detroit Lions early, the Dallas Cowboys late and men in stretch pants sleeping on the couch at 7 p.m. Now, there are three Thanksgiving Day games, the first “Black Friday” game, and the slate on Sunday and Monday. Christmas falls on a Monday this year, and the NFL has doubled down.
In Week 16, there will be a game on Thursday, two on Saturday, the regular slate on Sunday and three on Christmas Day. While this is a little unseemly for having family get-togethers with hardcore fans in the house, it creates a unique scenario in which if you are heavily invested (or your opponent is) in early games, you can make chess-like roster moves during the fantasy playoffs at multiple times to bolster your roster and swing for the fences. Nobody is complaining yet. Wait until someone gets greased because of Monday roster change that helped negate a quarterback. Happy holidays, everybody.
Fantasy football risers
Carolina Panthers WR Adam Thielen – Thielen hasn’t been a huge touchdown scorer – just four TDs in 10 games – but he is averaging almost eight catches for 73 yards. There isn’t a lot going right in Carolina, but Thielen has been a breath of fresh air for an old vet new in town. In his last nine games, he has never caught fewer than five passes and has seven outings with seven or more catches, making him one of the most consistent fantasy receivers in the league.
Houston Texans RB Devin Singletary – There may be as many Texans on fantasy rosters as any team in the league, and Singletary is pushing to make himself impossible to bench. The knock against Dameon Pierce – who was drafted to be an every-week starter – is that he has averaged just 3.0 yards a carry. In the last two games he has missed, Singletary has rushed 52 times for 262 yards (5.0 yards a carry) and scored two touchdowns. When Pierce comes back, his starting job may be gone.
Baltimore Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. – Beckham has been on a bit of roll over his last three games, posting weekly fantasy point totals of 16.6, 11.0 and 15.6. With Mark Andrews, the Ravens leading receiver each of the last four years, likely gone for the season, someone has to pick up that slack. OBJ finds himself in the position to step into that void and see his numbers continue to grow.
Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery – The thinking coming into this season is that Montgomery was going to be the clear No. 2 guy behind rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, but that hasn’t happened. In the seven games, Montgomery has played this season, he has rushed 118 times for 577 yards and eight touchdowns – an average of 17 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown per game. Gibbs has taken on a larger role in recent weeks, but like Jamaal Williams last year, Montgomery isn’t giving up his featured role any time soon.
Green Bay Packers WR Romeo Doubs – Nobody on the Packers is somebody you see as a weekly fantasy starter, but Doubs is as close as you get. In 10 games, he has caught just 38 passes (most on the team) for 398 yards but has scored seven touchdowns, including a TD in four of the last five games. He remains available on the waiver wire in many casual leagues. While not a lot of lineups need Doubs playing every week, he’s a solid plug-and-play flex option.
Fantasy football fallers
Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry – Henry doesn’t provide much as a receiver – he averages two catches for 17 yards and has no receiving TDs – so he is counted on to be an every-week scorer and big producer as a rusher. Through 10 games, he has averaged 16 carries for just 66 yards and has scored four touchdowns. Henry hasn’t been awful or missing time, but his production has made him more of a weekly liability than a foundation piece of a fantasy lineup.
San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel – Prior to Christian McCaffrey showing up in San Francisco, Samuel was the most lethal runner the team had as well as being the top receiver. His role as a runner has all but been eliminated. In the eight games he’s played, he has just 22 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He is fourth on the team in receiving – by a distance – catching 27 passes for 395 yards and one touchdown. Yet, he is in lineups every week despite a consistent lack of production. The draft investment was too steep.
Atlanta Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier – Allgeier doesn’t bring much as a receiver – in 10 games, he has caught just 12 passes for 83 yards and no touchdowns. At a time when Bijan Robinson is seeing his production increase, Allgeier’s role is diminishing. In his last three games, he hasn’t hit 40 yards rushing in any of them – rushing 29 times for 101 yards and one TD with three receptions for two yards. His value now is only if Robinson misses time with injury.
Green Bay Packers RB AJ Dillon – Dillon brings virtually nothing as a receiver (16 catches for 146 yards and no TDs in 10 games), but it’s his lack of rushing that has stood out. He leads the team with 117 carries for 405 yards but is averaging 3.5 yards a carry and has just one rushing touchdown. Aaron Jones, who left last week with a knee issue, has missed multiple games with injuries, and it still hasn’t changed the Boston College back’s offerings to any serious degree. Dillon had the chance to make the job his and he didn’t. If you have any other options, consider them instead of Dillon.
Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram – Engram hasn’t been awful. In 10 games, he has caught 59 passes for 475 yards, but he hasn’t scored a single touchdown. His only value has been in PPR leagues, where Engram has averaged 10.8 points a game, but his production has been dipping. He has 45 receiving yards or fewer in five of his last six games and no more than 30 yards in three of them. In TE-mandatory leagues, you need to find an alternate option because Engram isn’t getting the job done.
