Welcome to Week 15 of Trending in the 2023 NFL season!
Our goal as a staff with Trending is to provide our subscribers with all the main talking points, topics, and player trends from EVERY team in every Thursday and Sunday game for ALL 18 weeks of the NFL regular season. Beyond me (Russell Clay) — Ray Flowers, Tyler Buecher, Armando Marsal, and Rich Maletto will be pitching in to provide analysis on all fantasy-relevant topics for the week that was.
The format is simple.
There are four sections:
- TRENDING UP
- TRENDING DOWN
- HOLDING STEADY
- WATCH LIST
These are straightforward and signify how we view these players, so you’ll have a general idea of where we’re headed with the write-up. The wild world of the NFL is tough to keep up with, and we thank you for sticking with us to provide this assistance.
Teams Covered
Russell Clay:
- Houston Texans
- Tennessee Titans
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Green Bay Packers
- New York Giants
- New Orleans Saints
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Cleveland Browns
- Chicago Bears
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New England Patriots
- San Francisco 49ers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Washington Commanders
- Los Angeles Rams
- Dallas Cowboys
- Buffalo Bills
- Baltimore Ravens
- Jacksonville Jaguars
Rich Maletto:
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Minnesota Vikings
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Indianapolis Colts
Ray Flowers:
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Denver Broncos
- Detroit Lions
Armando Marsal:
- Miami Dolphins
- New York Jets
TRENDING UP
Recent news and/or performance has made us more optimistic about these particular players for fantasy purposes.
QUARTERBACKS
JARED GOFF (DETROIT) – Threw for 374-3-2 in Weeks 13-14, and folks were frustrated with Goff as he had also thrown five picks in four games. He then went out and torched the Broncos, repeatedly, for five passing scores. Look up now from your bashing of the quarterbacks, and you have Goff having tossed at least two passing scores in four of five games as he’s upped his seasonal mark to 26 passing scores, putting him on pace for his second 30 score season (32 in 2018). But there might be a larger concern with the signal caller, as we all know about the home/road stuff with Goff. That’s something we should note here given that the Lions play in Minnesota in Week 16 and then in Dallas in Week 17. Here are the splits as a per game average.
Home: 274-2.4-.0.9 on a 69.9 copmletion rate
Road: 258-1.3-0.6 on a 64.4 completion rate
So, Goff is trending up, but the schedule may not be beneficial to blindly starting Goff the next two weeks.
BAKER MAYFIELD (TAMPA BAY) – Mayfield was absolutely excellent in Week 15, carving up the Green Bay Packers secondary for 381 passing yards and four touchdowns. We’re well beyond the question of it Baker is going to start the rest of the year… now we’re asking ourselves just how good can he be? Mayfield has been excellent over the last month, using a wide range of skill players to find success. This week it was Chris Godwin, but it could be a wide range any given week. We have to start looking at Mayfield as a QB1 in fantasy as he’s set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the fantasy playoffs.
LOS ANGELES RAMS OFFENSE – The Rams officially have all their weapons healthy, Matthew Stafford is healthy, and they’re looking like a well oiled machine as they push for a playoff spot. Stafford has his arm strength back, and Cooper Kupp looks to be recovered from some of the ailments he was dealing with earlier in the year. Add in that young players like Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams have been big parts of the offense for a while now and are developing, and you can see why things are starting to look like the early Sean McVay offenses. Sure, it was an easy matchup against Washington, but there’s been a string of good weeks they’ve put together.
RUNNING BACKS
TY CHANDLER (MINNESOTA) – With Alexander Mattison out with an ankle injury, the Vikings turned to the young running back out of the University of North Carolina. It’s a shame the Vikings couldn’t find a way to win the game, as the Vikings’ offense was fairly balanced. Chandler had 132 yards rushing on 23 carries, the first 100-yard rushing game from a Viking running back this season. Chandler also got some passing game work, hauling in three balls for 25 yards. I think Chandler looked better than Mattison in that he has some speed that Mattison doesn’t. That said, I don’t see the Vikings going to a 50/50 split when Mattison returns, and I also don’t see Chandler replacing Mattison on the depth chart. Our ability to count on Chandler in our fantasy lineups is going to depend on Mattison’s availability.
ZAMIR WHITE (LAS VEGAS) – This could end up being a tepid Trending Up as we just don’t know, as of this writing, if Josh Jacobs will return to action in Week 16 (it might have been more accurate to list Josh Palmer in this section as he has returned and appears ready to an every week starter down the stretch after going 4-113-1 in his return to action). White, starting in place for Jacobs wasn’t overly impressive, but he got the job don in the fantasy game going 17-69-1 on the ground and 3-16 in the air. He was the short yardage back as well with four of six short yardage snaps, as the Raiders simply throttled the Chargers 63-21. The outing was also the first that White has ever played over 15 snaps as he suited up for 45 in the outing. White was able to soak up a ton of touches in the outing with 20 given all the snaps, and that total is slightly above the 18.8 touch count that Jacobs has been averaging this season. The Raiders want to, and do, use one back each week, meaning that if Jacobs returns, White is not usable in fantasy, so the Trending Up comment really is to be determined.
JAMES COOK (BUFFALO) – Cook has been incredible over the last month, especially since they switched offensive coordinators. Cook finished Week 15 with 221 total yards on 27 touches, which continues his streak of five straight games with 100+ total yards. Cook is a special young weapon and the Bills have finally recognized and adjusted to that. Cook’s usage may be causing problems for the other Bills weapons (more on that later), but if you’re a Cook fantasy owner then you certainly don’t care! For where Cook was drafted, he’s looking like a league-winner.
RAHEEM MOSTERT (MIAMI) – Mostert stays hot against the Jets, rushing for 42 yards and two touchdowns on 15 attempts, while catching both of his targets for one yard. Mostert didn’t rush for a ton of yards, but he did score two touchdowns, for his third multi-touchdown game in the last four weeks. He now has a league high 18 rushing touchdowns this season and is 34 yards away from his first 1,000 rushing yard season. Mostert will face the Cowboys in Week 16, who allowed 7.2 YPC to James Cook this past weekend.
WIDE RECEIVERS
TEE HIGGINS (CINCINNATI) – Higgins led the Bengals’ offense in passing looks with eight, but some of that could have been due to Chase’s injury. Higgins and Tyler Boyd were leaned on for the final few drives for the Bengals. If Chase misses next weekend, I think you have to look to get Higgins in your lineups. Much like we saw with Jaylen Waddle this weekend with Tyreek Hill out (I was wrong in start/sit regarding that), Higgins should be the biggest benefactor if Chase misses any time. Tyler Boyd would also be in that discussion, but Higgins made two key plays when the Bengals needed it most this weekend, like on the game-tying TD at the end of the 4th quarter. Then Boyd came through with the big play in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal.
JUSTIN JEFFERSON (MINNESOTA) – It’s been a roller coaster of a year for Jefferson owners, and we had hoped last weekend was going to start an upward trend. Instead, he left the game early with a chest injury and entered this weekend with a questionable tag. Jefferson did lead the Vikings in targets and scored enough for most of us in a PPR league with 15 points, but it’s a far cry from what we drafted Jefferson to do. Nick Mullens will likely fill in at quarterback the rest of the year, and we better temper expectations regarding Jefferson’s output. Seven catches for 84 yards is fine, but the game script had the Vikings throwing a lot at the end of the game. There’s reason to be concerned if you are a Jefferson owner.
JORDAN ADDISON (MINNESOTA) – For me, it’s clear that Jordan Addison gains the most when Jefferson is in the Vikings’ lineup. Addison was third in targets, but he led the team in yards with 111 and scored the two passing touchdowns from Mullens. Addison is locked in as the number two wideout in Minnesota and played 62 snaps on Saturday. For reference, Jefferson played 65. Overall, there are concerns regarding the Vikings’ offense, but Addison picked up this past Saturday, performing as he did prior to Jefferson suffering the hamstring injury.
NOAH BROWN (HOUSTON) – With Nico Collins and Tank Dell out, Brown was the next name in line to step up, and he certainly did. Brown finished Week 15 with eight receptions, 82 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. Texans sub-in QB looked Browns way early and often, and it paid off. Brown was the only Texans WR above 30 receiving yards, and as far as I can tell, the only weapon beyond Dell and Collins that is going to make a big impact this year. C.J. Stroud should be back in the lineup next week, and that should be great news for Brown fantasy-wise, especially if Collins continues to be banged up.
CHRIS GODWIN (TAMPA BAY) – Godwin looked like… Godwin in Week 15. We haven’t seen the fantasy results any of us would’ve wanted from Godwin in 2023, but he has a competent QB and finally had a good game. Godwin finished with 10 receptions, 155 yards and 25.5 fantasy points on 12 targets, as Baker Mayfield was taking what the beat up Packers secondary was giving him. I wouldn’t expect more games like this to end the year, but this was a reminder of the potential a healthy Godwin has.
JAYDEN REED (GREEN BAY) – Reed has clearly emerged as the top weapon in this passing game, at least among WRs. Reed, a second round pick in 2023, has now accumulated at least four receptions in each of the last since games, including this week where he finished with six receptions, 52 yards and a touchdown. Reed didn’t get any rushing attempts in this game, but the Packers have smartly made him a very prominent player. With Christian Watson banged up and nobody else really emerging, this is Reed’s fantasy role to lose.
RASHEE RICE (KANSAS CITY) – Rice is one of the few bright spots for this Chiefs offense. Rice hauled in all nine of the targets that came his way in Week 15, accumulating 91 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs probably envisioned Rice becoming this eventually, but by need and desperation, it looks like they’ve gotten him as a full-time starter earlier than we expected. Patrick Mahomes looks pretty fed up with guys like Kadarius Toney, and as the playoffs get closer the Chiefs are going to try to get the reps and targets to players that will matter in the playoffs. Rice is in a great spot, and is a weekly starter.
JAYLEN WADDLE (MIAMI) – With Tyreek Hill out, Waddle operated as the top pass catcher for Miami and took full advantage of his opportunities. He caught 8-of-9 targets for a season high 142 yards and a touchdown. Waddle has now topped 75 receiving yards in three of his last four games and has at least eight targets in five straight games. He looks to stay hot against the Cowboys next week, a game that should produce plenty of fantasy goodness.
TIGHT ENDS
DARREN WALLER (NEW YORK GIANTS) – While Waller is walking onto a team that is far from a juggernaut passing game, it was good to see him back out there catching passes. Waller finished with four receptions and 40 yards on six targets, and it appears he’s going to be a top target for this offense over the final stretch of the year. Waller has almost no competition for touches and targets, and I’d expect him to thrive as a short-yardage target for as long as he can stay healthy.
TRE MCBRIDE (ARIZONA) – McBride has turned into a featured weapon in this offense, and it doesn’t seem to matter if the Cardinals offense is struggling or doing well, McBride is getting heavy volume. McBride now has five straight games with 5 receptions, with four of those being 7+. McBride is clearly the top receiving weapon in this offense, and has league winning upside as we head towards the final couple of games.
ISAIAH LIKELY (BALTIMORE) – For as long as Mark Andrews is out we have to look at Likely like he’s at least an 80% replacement. Likely finished last nights game with five receptions, 70 receiving yards and a touchdown on six targets… with an absolutely spectacular catch mixed in, where he went up over two defenders to make a beautiful hands catch. Likely isn’t just a guy that’s subbing in for a hurt player. He’s playing well, and worth of our fantasy attention. Add in the fact that Lamar Jackson is currently playing at a very high level, and you can see why this is a TE worth valuing as a TE1 for the rest of the year.
TRENDING DOWN
Recent news and/or performance have made us less optimistic about these particular players for fantasy purposes.
QUARTERBACKS
PITTSBURGH STEELERS QUARTERBACKS – I find it ironic as I make my trending list for games how many Steeler players we discuss for fantasy, and yet this offense is, at best, a dumpster fire. Mitch Trubisky was so bad he got benched. There is still no word on when Kenny Pickett returns, and it’s not like he looked good under center. The Steelers don’t have the coaching staff to find and develop a quarterback. Outside of Terry Bradshaw (which took some time, and he even looked like a bust) and Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have decades of QB problems. Last week, Trubisky came through for fantasy, and this weekend, with the rushing TD, he probably still scored you 15 points, but you can’t trust what the Steelers are doing on offense.
ZACH WILSON (NEW YORK JETS) – After a strong Week 14, Wilson played poorly this past weekend before exiting the game with a concussion. Prior to the injury, Wilson completed 4-of-11 passes for 26 yards and a lost fumble. Trevor Siemian stepped in for the injured Wilson, but was not much better, as he threw for 110 yards and two interceptions on 14-of-26 passing. The Jets have officially been eliminated from a chance at the playoffs, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team turn to Siemian in Week 16 against Washington.
RUNNING BACKS
STEELERS RUNNING BACKS (PITTSBURGH) – I give up on the Steelers’ running backs. I don’t think you can play Najee Harris unless you are desperate, and I would only play Jaylen Warren in a PPR league. As I noted with the quarterbacks, this offense is terrible. Even after the OC and play-calling changes, the Steelers offense is putrid.
On Saturday, the Steelers had 216 offensive net yards. The Steelers had 74 yards rushing as a team, and Najee didn’t see one look in the passing game. Avoid using these backs if you can.
JAVONTE WILLIAMS (DENVER) – Williams dominates the touches each and every week for the Broncos, but there just isn’t much happening. In Week 15 against the Chargers he lead the teams backs in snaps (31), routes run (9) and touches (14). However, nothing happened as he went 12-27 on the ground and caught two passes for (-7) yards. Since Week 8, a span of seven games, Williams has averaged 17 carries and 2.9 receptions which is elite, RB1 levels of offensive participation. Alas, the 19.9 touches have led to an average of 57.9 rushing yards and 15.4 scrimmage yards for just 73.3 scrimmage yards. We always say – follow the volume at running back. The volume is undeniable here with Javante, but he’s been simply miserable on a per touch bases. He’s caught two passes in every game he’s played 20 snaps this season, but he’s yet to hit 35 receiving yards in an outing so he’s not able to save his low rushing yardage days with his passing work. He also has one touchdown on the ground, and two in the air, this season, so he’s not saving his outings with scores either. It’s just isn’t happening. Ugh.
AUSTIN EKELER (LOS ANGELES CHARGERS) – It just isn’t happening for Ekeler. The Chargers were without their QB, their WR1 and their WR2 against the Raiders, but they got boat-raced, falling behind 49-0, before finally losing 63-21. Somehow, in a game that they were behind seven touchdowns, Ekeler had just nine touches producing 38 yards in what is the rock bottom moment of his career with the Chargers since he emerged as a fantasy star. That effort was the second time in two outings that he failed to run for 20 yards, and the last four he’s averaged 10-28 on the ground. He also has one score as a runner in five games and hasn’t run for 70-yards in a game since Week 1. He’s also gone seven games with no more than five catches or 49 receiving yards averaging 3.4 grabs for 28 yards. In those seven he has one score as a receiver. Somehow, in a PPR setup, the guy who caught 107 passes last season has been under 10 PPR points in three of five games heading in to Week 16. Hard not to start him as at least a flex option, but it isn’t a must start anymore which is pretty shocking with a guy who scored 38 times the last two years.
DAMEON PIERCE (HOUSTON) – Pierce has officially been phased out of the Texans offense in favor of featuring Devin Singletary, and I don’t think they’re going back anytime soon. Singletary has parlayed an early season Pierce injury into a full time job and has played like his NFL career is on the line. Pierce saw just one rushing attempt in Week 15, to 26 for Singletary. Barring an injury, Pierce is now droppable.
BIJAN ROBINSON (ATLANTA) – Arthur Smith has been torturing us all year, and he continued his cruel ways in Week 15. Not only did Robinson have a poor day on his touches (14 yards on 8 touches), but we saw Smith sub in Tyler Allgeier on multiple occasions. Allgeier ended up with 15 touches, almost doubling up on Robinson… in one of the most important fantasy weeks we have. Brutal, brutal stuff, and I really hope we get a new coach in there by the end of 2023. Either way, I’m not sure there’s much to do here. Robinson has been featured in weeks prior, and has been scoring well from a fantasy perspective. Robinson is a special player and when he gets volume is a high-end RB1… of course things like this week have happened multiple times this year as well.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DIONTAE JOHNSON (PITTSBURGH) – I am putting Johnson on the trending down list even though he’s the only Steeler besides Trubisky to find the endzone in each of the last three weeks. My concern about Johnson is that he is no longer that high-volume target monster. Six targets are fine, and hauling in four for 62 yards and a touchdown will suffice for fantasy most weeks. But can you count on those TDs weekly and Johnson hitting at least 60 yards? Saturday was the first time since week nine that he had at least 60 yards.
GEORGE PICKENS (PITTSBURGH) – Pickens is exciting to watch, and it’s a shame he’s playing football in Pittsburgh because it’s painful to watch his skills being wasted. Pickens sees as many targets as Diontae Johnson at this point, and even though Pickens is the serious threat down the field, he’s been not serviceable for fantasy. He has only hit ten points or more once in the last eight games. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since week eight. Even if Kenny Pickett returns to action, you cannot use Pickens in your lineups.
JAHAN DOTSON (WASHINGTON) – I’m still in the camp that Dotson has a lot of talent, and, if given the opportunity, can thrive. However, the trend that Dotson is a secondary piece while Curtis Samuel is active has continued into Week 15. Dotson saw just one target in Week 15, while Samuel saw nine and Terry McLaurin saw 12. I’m not exactly sure why Washington drafted Dotson if their conviction was this strong on Samuel, but that is clearly the reality we’re living in in 2023.
STEFON DIGGS/GABRIEL DAVIS (BUFFALO) – Josh Allen threw for 97…. Yes, that’s right… 97 yards in the Bills dominant victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. The Bills have been putting a bigger emphasis on the running game over the last month, and unfortunately for the passing game, it would be pretty crazy to go away from it at this stage. James Cook has been spectacular this year, and there’s no reason to go away from that. Gabriel Davis has an incredibly low floor right now and Stefon Diggs hasn’t been above 100 yards since Week 6. As the weather gets colder the Bills passing game has historically gotten worse in the Josh Allen era, but it could be shifting for different reasons this year.
TIGHT ENDS
None of note this week.
HOLDING STEADY
These players have been in the news in one way or another, but we think their fantasy stock remains largely unchanged.
QUARTERBACKS
JAKE BROWNING (CINCINNATI) – I suggested that Browning might struggle this week, and while he did look much rougher around the edges on Saturday, he came through with another 20-point fantasy performance. He topped 300 yards passing for the second time in four games while tossing two touchdowns. Browning has multiple touchdown passes in each of the last three games. Ja’Maar Chase left the game with a shoulder injury, and I am curious to see how Browning performs if Chase is out. On Saturday, Browning did find a way to lean on the rest of the weapons after Chase exited the game.
CHICAGO BEARS OFFENSE – The Bears offense looked terrible in Week 15, but I’d pursue caution on this one. The Cleveland Browns have made a lot of offenses look silly this year, and the Bears skill position guys still had “ok” days. D.J. Moore didn’t have a big day, but he’s been above 40 yards in 13 straight games, and over 50 in each of his last five. Sure, 9.4 fantasy points didn’t help you win your fantasy championship but that is a very high floor. There will be brighter days ahead for this offense, especially with Justin Fields at QB.
DAK PRESCOTT (DALLAS) – Prescott finally regressed off the ridiculous pace he was putting out there. After posting seven straight games with 2+ touchdowns, Prescott threw zero touchdowns in Week 15, and looked like a fish out of water against this Bills defense on the road. Prescott hadn’t had a fantasy dud in a while, but it’s extra painful that it would come the first week of fantasy playoffs. Prescott is still having a great year, and has easier matchups coming up.
RUNNING BACKS
JOE MIXON (CINCINNATI) – While the box score looks like Mixon has seen less of a workload the last couple of weeks, he’s still seeing a massive amount of snaps on the offensive. He saw 70% of the snaps on Saturday, and due to the rushing touchdown, he had a good enough day for fantasy. The 47 yards rushing led the team, and his 13 yards on three receptions, added to the TD, gave you a 15-point day. You do need to keep your eye on Chase Brown. You can’t use Brown as a flex play yet, but if you are a Mixon owner and still in the playoffs, you better have Chase Brown on your roster. Brown is the guy giving Mixon a halt, but Mixon is still running far more routes (26 to 5 this weekend) and leading the team in rushing attempts.
CHUBA HUBBARD (CAROLINA) – Hubbard had a mediocre fantasy outing in Week 15, but he added 24 more touches to his Talley. Hubbard has 74 touches over the last three games, and 19+ in each of his last four. Hubbard is not the most talented RB in the league, and he certainly doesn’t have the best situation, but this type of volume is immense, and we’re certainly going to continue to value it from a fantasy perspective.
DE’VON ACHANE (MIAMI) – Achane played through a toe injury against the Jets on Sunday and had a quiet day for his standards. He ran for 32 yards on nine attempts and caught all three of his targets for 30 yards. Despite the subpar outing, Achane should be viewed as a strong RB2 option every week considering his role and explosiveness. The bright side about this weekend is that he looked healthy.
BREECE HALL (NEW YORK JETS) – Hall rushed for 12 yards on six attempts and caught 1-of-2 targets for six yards. It was his sixth consecutive game with fewer than 50 rushing yard and the fifth time in his last six game with fewer than 30 rushing yards. Unlike in recent weeks, Hall was not as involved in the passing game in Week 15. The two targets were his fewest since Week 3. It was definitely a frustrating weekend for Hall’s managers, but despite the lackluster performances, he can still be viewed as a top 24 running back. We just have to keep in mind that his floor is more volatile than we’d like due to the quarterback situation.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DAVANTE ADAMS (LAS VEGAS RAIDERS) – In the Raiders 61-23 destruction of the Chargers, Adams caught eight balls for 101 yards and a score. The numbers sparkle, even if we realize that the TD catch came on a pass from WR Jakobi Meyers. That was Adams second score in four outings. That effort was his only game in five with 100-yards, but he’s hit 73 yards in four of five outings averaging 79 yards. He’s also caught five passes in all five of the outings averaging 6.6 receptions on 11 targets. There are only two games on his ledger with 20 PPR points since Week 4, but he’s averaged 16.9 PPR points the last five as he’s seen 10 targets or more four times. He’s not an elite WR1, but he’s an every week must starter, just like he’s been all season long.
COURTLAND SUTTON (DENVER) – He failed to score against the Lions, but he produced double digit fantasy points, in a PPR setup, for the 12th time in 14 outings as he caught five passes for 71 yards. Living off the score, Sutton had scored 10 times in the first 13 games, he entered Week 15 with only four games of five catches. The 71 yards was also his fourth highest mark of the season as well. The last five games he’s also scored three times with remarkably consistent yardage marks: 66-61-77-62-71 as he’s averaged 67.4 yards. As I’ve written previously, just start him as your WR3 and stop worrying about it.
CALVIN RIDLEY (JACKSONVILLE) – Many are going to look at the box score of Ridley and be pissed. Another week of mediocre production. Another week of less than 40 receiving yards. However, if you watched the game, you’d see he was a high volume player who made a positive impact. Ridley finished the evening, against one of the top secondaries in the Baltimore Ravens, with five receptions for 39 yards. However, he drew his league-leading 11th pass interference of the year, and was INCHES and maybe a different set of refs away from getting a touchdown. While the fantasy results haven’t been there, Ridley has seen 25 targets head his way in the last two games, and has seen a steep increase in production with Christian Kirk out and Zay Jones looking like a shell of himself. Ridley will continue to see heavy volume in these final weeks.
GARRETT WILSON (NEW YORK JETS) – Wilson is another Jets player who was unable to get much going in Week 15. He caught 3-of-4 targets for 29 yards. After a strong Week 14 against the Texans, Wilson fell well short of expectations this weekend. The four targets marked a season low for Wilson, who was averaging 10.4 targets per game entering this week. With Zach Wilson dinged up and the Jets season officially over, we could see Garrett Wilson catching passes from Trevor Siemian in Week 16. It’s an incredible matchup against a Commanders secondary we love to pick on, but given the quarterback situation for New York, Wilson comes with more risk than usual in this elite matchup.
TIGHT ENDS
GERALD EVERETT (LOS ANGELES CHARGERS) – A deckhand on the frickin’ Titanic, Everett is one of the few options on the Chargers that you can consider using in fantasy. There are limits to that statement though, which is why he’s on the Watchlist. Everett has one score in six games. Everett has zero games this season with 50-yards. However, he’s been… consistent of late? Yes, he actually has. Over the last four games he’s caught four, four, five and five passes as he’s produced between 39-44 yards in all four games. That’s pretty phenomenal level of consistency from the tight end, even with no ceiling games. Still, that’s 4.5 catches for 41.8 yards the last four outings, with one touchdown scored overall, meaning he’s averaged 10.2 PPR points the last four games. Is that sexy? Hell no. Is there a ceiling effort here? No there isn’t (he has 12 PPR points just a single time). You could do worse if you’re screwed at TE, even if he’s boring as vanilla ice-cream.
WATCH LIST
Keep an eye on these players and situations. It may be too early to make a call one way or the other on them, but they are situations worth watching.
QUARTERBACKS
NICK MULLENS (MINNESOTA) – Mullens actually had a better QBR than Jake Browning did on Sunday. Both QBs threw for two touchdowns, but Mullens had two interceptions, one of which set the Bengals up with a short field. It was brutal INT. Mullens didn’t lean on T.J. Hockenson as much as I thought he would, but Justin Jefferson still saw double-digit targets, and regardless of the outcome of the game, I expect Mullens to start the rest of the season for the Vikings. We need to temper expectations on all Viking pass catchers.
GARDNER MINSHEW (INDIANAPOLIS) – Saturday was a tail of two games for Minshew as he entered halftime with 185 yards passing and two touchdowns. Minshew, with Michael Pittman on the field, looked to be headed for a career day. Instead, Pittman left in the second quarter with a head injury from a dirty hit by Steelers safety Damontae Kazee. Minshew did find some other assets to turn to, throwing a third TD to Moe Alie-Cox. Minshew was plenty efficient, but he’s still not a quarterback I trust week to week. He has filled in for fantasy when we have needed him—at least more times than not.
TREVOR LAWRENCE (JACKSONVILLE) – It was pretty clear something was going on with Lawrence in the fourth quarter of the Jaguars loss to the Baltimore Ravens. While Lawrence had a pretty bad game overall, the inaccuracy of his passes on the final couple of drives was a little jarring, so when his coach announced he was in concussion protocol in the post-game presser it made sense. It’s early in the week and we’ll see what happens as the week goes on, but we’ve seen this year any type of concussion protocol will be monitored closely…
RUNNING BACKS
ZACH MOSS (INDIANAPOLIS) – Moss missed the start of the season with a broken arm, and that is the arm that was injured on his early touchdown reception. Jonathan Taylor should be able to return soon. Taylor wasn’t placed on IR, and the initial report was that Taylor would miss two to three weeks. The Colts may need Taylor back sooner rather than later as there is no new information I have found on Moss’s arm injury outside the fact X-rays were negative, but no further updates. If you were counting on Moss for week 16, I would start making some contingency plans. Something to note is that Trey Sermon had 17 carries for 88 yards. I wouldn’t say Sermon impressed me, but he didn’t look terrible.
KEATON MITCHELL (BALTIMORE) – Mitchell bounced off contact in the Ravens Week 15 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars… and landed very awkwardly. Some of the angles of Mitchell’s knee hyper-extending were pretty gnarly, and it was no surprise that that Ravens have labeled this has a significant injury. Mitchell was a great addition to this offense this year, and it’s sad to see a young player having an injury like this before getting a bigger contract.
WIDE RECEIVERS
JA’MAAR CHASE (CINCINNATI) – Chase left late in the game for the Bengals after suffering what is being called a separated shoulder. Chase has seen a target reduction over the last couple of weeks, seeing only four targets in each game. Chase did lead the Bengals in receiving, and if you have Chase on your roster, you are using him. The question is, will he be available this Saturday?
MICHAEL PITTMAN (INDIANAPOLIS) – I feel for Pittman owners; he was headed for a massive day before catching a cheap shot from a Steelers safety, Kazee. It was clearly the type of hit that is unnecessary, as Kazee dove head-first into the head of Pittman, who was laying out for a ball. This now leads us to wonder about Pittman’s availability for week 16, as Pittman may have scored enough for you before his exit early in the 2nd quarter. Even though he left early, Pittman led the Colts in targets with five and receiving with four catches for 78 yards. If Pittman is active in week 16, I don’t know how you will start him. Pittman entered the game against Pittsburgh, coming off three consecutive 20+ fantasy performances. Let’s hope he’s available in week 16. If he’s not, we should remember D.J. Montgomery and Alec Pierce as a couple of names we should not forget.
JAMESON WILLIAMS (DETROIT) – To date, the performance simply hasn’t matched the hype. For two years now in the fantasy game people have salivated over the potential with Williams, but it has been all potential with nothing usable happening. In fact, he only saw three targets in Weeks 13-14 going 1-11 as a pass catcher in two games. Sure he went 2-23-1 on the ground, but that’s not sustainable or bankable stuff. As a pass catcher, he entered Week 15 without a single game of 55-yards or three catches. He also has one receiving score in eight games. However, he had a season best four catches in Week 15 with a season best seven targets (that was his first game with more than three targets since Week 7). The coaching staff keeps suggesting that Williams will see his role grow, and they followed through on that proclamation against the Broncos as the youngster was also second at the wideout spot in snaps and routes run while tying Amon-Ra St. Brown for the lead with seven targets. Can’t start him with any level of confidence, but Williams is trending up.
TIGHT ENDS
T.J. HOCKENSON (MINNESOTA) – As Jeff said on air a few times, Nick Mullens is what put George Kittle on the fantasy map, and so the hope was we would see the tight-end dominance continue with Hockenson. I don’t think we will see that. Jeff also said he thought Saturday would be more of a Justin Jefferson day, and he was right. Hockenson had a decent day for an average tight end, racking up 63 yards on six receptions. Hockenson was second in receiving targets to Jefferson with seven, just ahead of Jordan Addison, who led the Vikings in receiving yards with 111. I am not sure if Hockenson should be on the watch list or trending down. Six for 63 isn’t really a bad day, but from Hockenson, it’s a bit of a disappointing performance against a defense that tight ends have lighted up.
