It was yet another bizarre and dramatic week in the NFL, one highlighted by lowlights: Jimmy Garoppolo (broken foot) is out for the season; Deshaun Watson finally returned and looked absolutely awful, while Lamar Jackson picked up a knee injury that destroyed Week 13 fantasy hopes and dreams. So let’s pick up the pieces to this mess by focusing on some fantasy standouts who shined in the target column.
Where there’s a “Wil,” there’s a way… but not really
Ridiculously good rookie Garrett Wilson and my Jets get a lot of play in this column, so I promise not to keep you for too long in this section. Wilson is a must-mention again this week because he led the entire league in targets, with 15 in an excruciating loss to the now 10-2 Minnesota Vikings. The fantasy significance is obvious: Wilson is approaching WR1 territory with Mike White under center for New York. In the past two games, Wilson has been arguably the busiest wide receiver in the game. Hopefully, you stuck with him in shallow leagues while Zach Wilson was momentarily destroying his upside and value.
“Keenan & Kill” – Allen’s Chargers take a killer loss
No matter what the year, no matter who the coach…, things just don’t seem to work out for the Chargers’ organization, do they? I’ve often likened them to their counterpart in the NBA, the similarly-cursed Los Angeles Clippers. Week 13 presented a statement game for the Chargers, one where they could stick right in the thick of the AFC playoff race while simultaneously burying the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders. However, neither of those things happened as the red-hot Raiders rallied for a critical 27-20 victory in the division. It was particularly disappointing for the Chargers because WR1 Keenan Allen finally broke out in the target column, topping 10 targets for the first time this entire season.
Who would have predicted that in fantasy circles prior to the season? Thirteen weeks in, only one double-digit target game for one of the best receivers in the game? Obviously, it’s been an injury-riddled season for Allen, but at least he was able to turn his 14 targets — second-most in the entire league – into six receptions, 88 yards and a touchdown. Despite a down year, like the aforementioned Wilson, Allen should hover around the fantasy WR1 distinction for the remainder of the season.
Drake, “meet me at the London”
I don’t get to drop a lotta hip-hop reference in this column, so that’s a double win for me in this heading. Rookie Drake London finally returned from the darkness this week after target weeks that looked like this: 4, 3, 6, 7, 5, 1 and 4. He had a seven-week high of just seven after initially opening the season as one of the more promising fantasy rookies in the game. Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith has been the bane of fantasy managers’ existence this season, but this week he finally allowed London to shine on his way to 12 targets, six receptions and 95 yards.
My initial temptation was to write that this performance was an aberration, but we truly must consider the absence of Kyle Pitts. I know Pitts was probably the bust of the fantasy season, but his targets had been picking up in recent weeks. I think London may have turned a corner here as a fantasy WR3.
The weekly “Usual Suspects”
If you don’t know the drill at this point, shame on you for not reading this column all season! The “Usual Suspects” this week are Tyreek Hill (14 targets), Amon-Ra St. Brown (12), Davante Adams (12), Tyler Lockett (12), Justin Jefferson (11), Christian McCaffrey (10) and his teammate Deebo Samuel, also with 10.
My takeaway this week is this: It’s impressive how many times St. Brown has qualified as a Usual Suspect. Some of us expected him to be a one-hit wonder in the fantasy community, but whenever Amon-Ra is healthy, he remains a target tentpole for the ever-improving Jared Goff. If you watched Hard Knocks this offseason, you’d know that Amon-Ra is a great kid — hard worker, great attitude, and the kind of player anyone would be happy to root for. I’m glad he wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
I’ll take a “Heinicke” with my Big Mac
What a difference a quarterback change makes, huh? Terry McLaurin seemed like just another face in the crowd when crappy Carson Wentz was under center for the Washington Commanders, but gutsy Taylor Heinicke continues to bring out the best in T-Mac 2.0.
McLaurin was able to turn his 12 targets into eight receptions for 105 yards and a score vs. the division-rival G-Men this week, and the fantasy significance is his solidification in the WR2 category. After operating as a fantasy WR3/4 with Wentz, McLaurin is now safely a WR2 who gets volume along with significant results. Fire him up with a smile for the rest of the season.
I’ll see ya right back here next week.
John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NFL for 18 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for the rest of this wild fantasy football season.
