Last week, I pointed out five players that you need to pay attention to going into the Week 12 games.
Marcell Ateman, Colt McCoy, Adrian Peterson, Dark Prescott and the Chicago Bears offense as a whole.
Ateman finished with 10 targets, although he didn’t do much with them. Colt turned in a “okay” game, but proved valuable for some fantasy pieces in that Redskins offense. AP turned in a disappointing performance against a solid Dallas defense, while Dak finished as the QB3 on the week.
And Chase Daniel moved the ball well enough to give value to Tarik Cohen and Taylor Gabriel in Week 12.
Moving forward and looking at Week 13, it’s time to look at 5 more players that you need to watch. These players have questions about their production and how it affects those around them or questionable circumstances surrounding them…which could lead to fantasy production or fantasy castaways.
1. Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE
Cameron Brate was a fantasy darling last year due to his chemistry and connection on the field with Jameis Winston.
Moving into this year though, he was put on the bench due to the ascension of second-year tight end, OJ Howard.
Unfortunately, Howard was put on season-ending IR recently, which now elevates Brate back into fantasy relevancy.
Last week, Brate showed that connection with Winston again in the red zone as he went for 3-26-1. It’s not anything insane, but in the tight end landscape right now, anyone who scores a touchdown is placed in the Top-10 for the week automatically.
Jameis finds Cam Brate in the back of the end zone for 6! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ugw8a7agcI
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 25, 2018
Can Winston continue to find Brate this week against a much better defense in Carolina than last week in San Francisco?
2. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles QB
What has happened?!
Last year, before the injury, Carson Wentz was playing like an MVP. Not just a fantasy MVP, but he was in the conversation for NFL MVP.
This year, the wheels have fallen off the wagon and he’s not putting up anywhere near the amount of points he was last season. Because of this, players like Alshon Jeffrey, Golden Tate, etc. are struggling to stay fantasy relevant.
This week, against a Washington secondary that Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper torched, I want to see if Wentz and the Eagles can pull it back together on offense. This could be the week that I start to back off of Alshon Jeffrey and Wentz for the rest of the season if they can’t put it together and find some sort of rhythm.
3. Bruce Ellington, Detroit Lions WR
Earlier this week, the Detroit Lions placed Marvin Jones on IR.
Marvin Jones' season is over. He's going on IR with his knee injury.
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) November 26, 2018
With Tate being shipped off to Philly at the trade deadline, this leaves an opening for Bruce Ellington to have a significant impact moving forward.
Ellington’s snaps have increased over the past two weeks, with him totaling 82% of the offensive snaps in Week 12. With Kenny Golladay being the primary option, and essentially no one else playing behind Ellington, there’s a role for him in this offense.
If Ellington can stay healthy and develop some chemistry with Stafford, he could be a great PPR asset for the playoffs. Pay attention to how many targets Ellington receives this week in what will be most likely be a game where they’re playing from behind…
4. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers RB
Melvin Gordon has been ruled out for this week with an MCL sprain. This means that backup running back Austin Ekeler will start in his place.
Every day is a good day to shred 🎸@AustinEkeler | #TBT pic.twitter.com/N6crXK2VwW
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) November 15, 2018
MCL sprains have the tendency to stick around and linger for a couple weeks. I’m going to be watching Ekeler this week to see how he plays. If he plays well enough, the Chargers may end up resting Gordon for the NFL playoffs, which would mean that you would lose Gordon for the fantasy playoffs.
However, if Ekeler and the team can’t rise to the occasion and pull out a victory, the Chargers may decide to bring Gordon back a little bit earlier (Week 15 or 16) and you would have a top-tier running back for the championship weeks.
How will Ekeler do against that stout Steelers defensive line this Sunday night? It’s primetime, so a lot of eyes will be on this game. Pay closer attention to Ekeler out of the backfield. It could have huge implications for some of your rosters.
5. Aaron Rodgers
Up to this point, Aaron Rodgers has not looked like himself.
He’s currently the QB12 on the year and has been turning in games recently that haven’t hurt you, but they haven’t helped you either.
He’s still one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game…I’m not putting him in this section because I think he’s not good or has lost any ability. It seems this offense just is not working for him this year.
This week, the Packers take on the Arizona Cardinals. If Rodgers doesn’t put up a great game against an inferior team, it might be time to start thinking about dropping Aaron Rodgers in fantasy football and playing someone else with a more favorable matchup. That sounds crazy to say, but it could be time to stop treating Rodgers like an automatic every week must start in fantasy football…let’s see how he does against the Cardinals and moving forward.
Those are my players to watch this week! While you’re watching the games and paying attention to your fantasy scores, keep an eye on these five players.
What happens to them and the players around them could give you an edge on your leaguemates next week!
Have fantasy questions? Connect with me on Twitter @KyleYNFL and ask your start/sit questions, etc.
