RADIO
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a champion loser looks like! The Cincinnati Bengals had every reason to accidentally win in Week 12, as the Steelers were without James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and were being led by Mason Rudolph, who proved so ineffective that he was eventually replaced by someone named Devlin Hodges. As in, Devlin "Duck" Hodges, the backup to the backup. The Steelers do know they don't have to replace every quarterback with one who has an even sillier name, right? But no matter how many times Pittsburgh put someone under center who sounded more like an old vaudevillian legend than they did a professional football player, the Bengals of Cincinnati responded like true champions and counterpunched with two haymakers in the second half. Allowing a 79-yard touchdown pass from "Duck" Hodges to James Washington wobbled the Steelers in the third quarter before Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Boyd finished them off after being stripped eight yards from a Bengals touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Regardless of what eventually happens in the 2020 NFL draft, it cannot be denied that Cincinnati is putting in the hard work necessary to earn this year's first pick, and we should let their fans celebrate this achievement while they can. Because while we may not know whether they will pick Tua Tagovailoa or Joe Burrow, we do know they will pick the wrong one. Sorry, Bengals fans. At least you'll always have the Icky Shuffle.
Yikes, that got depressing fast. Let's turn this ship around and take a look back at last week's action before taking a glance at some of the biggest risers and fallers in Fleaflicker leagues entering Week 13.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!
Last Week's Recap
As further proof that Lamar Jackson hides a series of dials built into his chest that let him adjust his player-attributes all willy-nilly, the second-year Baltimore quarterback scored over 30 fantasy points for the fourth straight week in another blowout win for Baltimore, as Jackson led the Ravens to a 45-6 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Jackson led all quarterbacks with 34 standard league points, throwing for five touchdowns and passing for only 169 yards but rushing for another 97 yards on eight carries. Jackson's 876 yards rushing are now the ninth-highest in football, while his 30 total touchdowns are the most in the league.
Which quarterback scored 32 points, finishing just behind Jackson? Why Ryan Tannehill, obviously! Yet another player who has found success outside of the stench of South Beach, Tannehill did his best imitation of Jackson, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for another two in a 42-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since starting the past five games, Tannehill is now averaging 21.6 points-per-game and has three juicy matchups on the horizon, facing an average Indianapolis Colts Defense in Week 13, before getting games against Oakland (fifth-most points allowed to quarterbacks) and Houston (eighth-most) during the fantasy playoffs.
After the Jacksonville defense gave up a combined 75 standard league points to running backs in their last two games, it seemed almost a given that Tennesse Titans running Derrick Henry was going to spend Week 12 trampling Jaguars just as his teammate Tannehill did. Henry didn't disappoint, leading all running backs with 30 points on 165 total yards and two touchdowns. Neither side could stop the run in this AFC matchup, as Jacksonville's Leonard Fournette came in second-place among running backs, scoring 27 points on 97 yards and two touchdowns, adding another 62 yards on nine receptions.
Lamar Jackson and his 34 points were already gushed about above but Tampa Bay wide receiver Chris Godwin matched the human highlight-reel in scoring, putting up his own 34 points with 184 yards on seven receptions. Godwin scored twice in the Buccaneers 35-22 victory over the Falcons, with quarterback Jameis Winston continuing his bid to lure in weak-willed fantasy owners who will convince themselves that it will be a good idea to start Winston in their fantasy playoffs. You can almost hear them chanting rhythmically to themselves,
"He's been better lately! And will you look at that upcoming schedule? Who cares about interceptions as long he throws touchdowns! I mean, garbage-time still counts the same, right?"
Okay, I get it; do it if you want to. Just know that Jameis Winston is a master hypnotist who waits until his victims are perfectly sucked in before striking with a five-interception game in what should've been a prime matchup. Winston is only good at three things: eating W's, stealing crab legs, and breaking fantasy hearts...It's only a matter of time before he runs out of the first two. You've been warned.
Now, let's take a look at three of this week's biggest risers and fallers on Fleaflicker.com. A full list of the most added and dropped players on Fleaflicker can be found here.
Most Added in Fleaflicker - Week 12
Jonathan Williams (RB, IND vs. TEN), 562 Adds – 55% Owned
Still somehow available in almost half of leagues, Williams is a must-add heading into a Week 13 matchup against a Tennesse Titans Defense that most recently allowed Leonard Fournette to score 27 standard league points in a losing effort for the Jaguars. Starting for the injured Marlon Mack, Williams has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his two starts, with respective fantasy totals of 16 and 19 points. In Week 13, Williams and the Colts face a Tennesse defense that, in addition to the 27 points allowed to Fournette in Week 12, was also gashed by Christian McCaffrey for 36 points in Week 9. That's not to say that Williams is on the same level as Fournette and McCaffrey but it needs pointing out that this is not your father's Tennesse Titans defense that could grind out victories. This Tennesse team is one that can be run over and with Colts committed to a strong ground-game, Williams has a high-floor but also top-five upside.
New York Jets Defense (DEF, NYJ @ CIN), 562 Adds – 43% Owned
If there's a defense in this spot, then you know they must be playing someone who's horrible in primetime kind of way. Enter, the Bengals! Usually just playing Cincinnati is reason enough to stream their opponent's defense but New York's defense has also been red-hot as of late and are now the seventh-highest scoring team in the league after putting up 18 fantasy points in a 34-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders. Almost as important as how the Jets are playing, is who they'll be playing, as the Bengals are defeated-un and this season they have allowed double-digit points to opposing defenses in four of their last five games. With this the final week before the fantasy playoffs begin, a meaningless and likely unwatchable game in Cincinnati may decide the fates of countless fantasy players. Is it more nervewracking to have your playoff hopes depend on the New York Jets or Jameis Winston? I just shivered my own timbers thinking about it.
Sam Darnold (QB, NYJ @ CIN), 320 Adds – 64% Owned
Look out everyone, that's back-to-back Jets! While fantasy stocks are sure to rise anytime you play the worst team in football, Darnold has been a good recommendation these last weeks, regardless of opponent. Darnold has now gone over 20 points the last three games and is coming off of a 27-point performance against the Raiders, helping the Jets roll over the Oakland 34-3 on the back of his 315 yards passing and two touchdowns. In Week 13, Darnold faces a winless Bengals team whose pass defense is unsurprisingly bad, allowing the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. While banking on a Jets quarterback to do well on the road is generally a bad idea, head coach Adam Gase has been consistent in his passing attack, with Darnold averaging 32 pass attempts per game since returning in Week 6 from mononucleosis. Even though it's the Jets, it's no surprise to see Darnold as the most-added quarterback this week given his likely volume of passes and the lack of quality defenders on the other side of the ball.
Most Dropped in Fleaflicker - Week 12
Eric Ebron (TE, IND vs. TEN), 804 Drops – 64% Owned
This was probably not the future envisioned by those who drafted Ebron after his breakout campaign in 2018. Ebron's 111 ADP in NFBC wasn't surprising given his emergence with 14 touchdowns and 750 yards for the Colts last year but 2019 has brought nothing but inconsistency and injuries. Reportedly needing surgery on both of his ankles, Ebron finishes 2019 with 375 yards and three touchdowns, scoring just 55 points a year after scoring 157. Obviously droppable in all redraft leagues, Ebron is still a strong dynasty asset but between his unknown health status and a Colts future that doesn't include the now-retired Andrew Luck, his stock is dropping quickly.
Jaylen Samuels (RB, PIT vs. DAL), 466 Drops – 66% Owned
One of last week's most popular adds after it was reported that Pittsburgh starter James Conner would be out of action, Samuels never even made it to flash-in-the-pan status, with Benny Snell Jr. getting the start instead. While Snell went on to rush 21 times for 98 yards in a 16-10 win over Cincinnati, Samuels was left out in the cold, rushing just two times for six yards. Samuels may have caught all three of his targets for 26 yards but that type of usage is obviously not playable in fantasy. With Snell obviously ahead of Samuels on the depth chart until Conner returns, it's safe to drop Samuels in all but the deepest leagues.
Zach Pascal (WR, IND vs. TEN), 350 Drops – 35% Owned
Even with the news that T.Y. Hilton would remain out in Week 13 after suffering a slight setback in Wednesday's practice, Pascal is still being dropped with a quickness after finishing with zero receptions in a Week 12 loss to the Houston Texans. Pascal was targeted just once and not until late in the fourth quarter, as the Colts continue to have one of the league's most run-heavy offenses. That approach shouldn't change in Week 13 with their opponent, the Tennessee Titans, allowing the fourth-most rushing yards and third-most rushing touchdowns per game this season. Given the impending return of Hilton and the structure of Indianapolis's offense, there are few reasons to hold onto Pascal.
