Quarterbacks

Cam Newton (CAR; FAAB Bid: 6-8%) For those Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray owners out there, Newton makes for a good streaming option this week and for those of you seeking a more long-term solution at the position, he can be considered in that regard as well. The passing volume wasn’t very high with just 27 pass attempts. But he did complete 21 of them and he threw for two touchdowns and scored one with his legs as well. We know the value of running quarterbacks at this point and he’s recorded a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games. The Dolphins defense has been a little better of late, but they should have trouble trying to contain both Cam and CMC.

Teddy Bridgewater (DEN; FAAB Bid: 5%) I shudder to think about what could possibly go wrong streaming Bridgewater this week. Alas, everything is there for him to have a decent game. Denver’s coming off their Bye week, it’s a home game, and the Chargers just allowed Ben Roethlisberger to throw for three touchdowns against them. Given the rest and the extra time to prepare for this game, Teddy B could provide a decent floor in this matchup. Truthfully, his schedule is pretty friendly the rest of the season but how confident are you in him returning consistent production week in and week out? Let’s see what happens this week against the Bolts.

Mac Jones (NE; FAAB Bid: 4-5%) The results will always vary and with a running game like New England’s, the Patriots won’t always need to put the game in the rookie’s hands. Last Thursday’s game script didn’t require for a ton of passing against Atlanta. That could change this week against Tennessee, whose defense has been slowly getting better as the season has gone on. The Titans still present a friendly matchup on paper for opposing quarterbacks and Jones is widely available. Keep expectations in check because we haven’t seen Jones throw over 30 pass attempts in any of his last three games.

 

Running Backs

Ty Johnson (NYJ; FAAB Bid: 10-15%) I’m not overly optimistic about Johnson, but with Michael Carter set to miss multiple weeks, I understand why he’s likely to be the most added player off waivers. Opportunity breeds fantasy production at the running back position and Johnson should see an increased workload. The Jets visit the Texans this coming week and Houston has allowed plenty of production to the running back position including nine rushing touchdowns to opposing RB’s in their last nine games with plenty of 100-yard rushing efforts as well. 

Jeff Wilson Jr. (SF; FAAB Bid: 10-15%) It remains to be seen how the backfield carries are distributed once Mitchell returns from his finger injury. And it’s also only Tuesday so we have no idea if Mitchell will officially be available just yet. But Wilson was very productive as the lead back on Sunday and if he gets another start on Sunday we could see a similar workload and he’s in line to perform as a top 20 running back in Week 12.

Devonta Freeman (BAL; FAAB Bid: 10-12%) I’m not sure what needs to be said about Freeman that hasn’t already been mentioned in this article. The main difference is that Le’Veon Bell is no longer with the Ravens and Latavius Murray is back. But this is a lucrative running game, one in which Freeman finds himself very involved. He’s logged double-digit fantasy points in PPR formats quite a few times in recent games and while the ceiling is limited, if you’re getting double-digit fantasy points out of your RB2/Flex position then you should be happy with that kind of production.

Boston Scott (PHI: FAAB Bid: 7-10%) Jordan Howard is dealing with a knee sprain that is going to sideline him for a few weeks so that bodes well for Scott. Philadelphia’s rushing attack just torched the Saints’ top-ranked run defense. So getting a slice of this pie seems like a good idea. He’ll still be running behind Miles Sanders and even Jalen Hurts who ran in three scores on Sunday. But if Sanders gets hurt, or falls out of favor with the coaching staff, then Scott is in a great spot. He’s not a must-add by any means, but certainly one with some appeal in PPR formats.

DeeJay Dallas (SEA: FAAB Bid: 5-8%) I like Dallas as a speculative add this week. He trailed Alex Collins in terms of touches, but both received the same number of snaps and it was Dallas who found the end zone on Sunday. Considering Collins hasn’t done much as the lead running back, Chris Carson is done for the year, and Rashaad Penny is battling a hamstring injury, we could certainly do a whole lot worse than Dallas heading into Week 12.

Dontrell Hilliard (TEN; FAAB Bid: 3%) It’s hard to feel great about any Titans running back at this point. The offense has had its share of struggles since Derrick Henry got hurt and the team was without Jeremy McNichols this past week. D’Onta Foreman was a dud and Adrian Peterson has definitely looked his age. Hilliard filled in for McNichols and led the team with ten targets out of the backfield and he caught seven of them. Now a matchup next week against the Patriots is a little unsettling as that defense looks fantastic right now. Maybe Tennessee rewards him for last week’s game and gets him more run, but I wouldn’t feel great about starting him.

 

Wide Receivers

Elijah Moore (NYJ; FAAB Bid: 15-20%) Moore continues to impress and this past week he was Joe Flacco’s favorite target. Since New York’s week off, Moore has five touchdowns in as many games including four over his last three appearances with 25 targets in that span. This is a potential league winner available on the waiver wire in over 50% of leagues. I thought last week would be last call and hopefully you took my advice last week and added him. Either way, be sure to get him on your roster if he’s available.

Tre’Quan Smith (NO; FAAB Bid: 10-12%) Credit to Howard Bender for the Tre’Quan Smith mention in this week’s NFL DFS Playbook. While he didn’t find the end zone, Smith was still heavily involved with five catches for 64 yards on eight targets. He’s been working out of the slot a lot more and the production has definitely been there for him. He has 15 targets in his last two games and the involvement is trending in the right direction. 

Cedrick Wilson (DAL; FAAB Bid: 7-9%) Wilson will be a popular streamer this coming week and he’ll be popular in DFS as well. Amari Cooper definitely won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Raiders and CeeDee Lamb is unlikely to play as he’s in the concussion protocol. Wilson saw extended run last week and it led to seven targets. The Raiders tout one of the worst secondaries in the league and he could be in for a productive Thanksgiving.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB; FAAB Bid: 6-8%) The boom-or-bust potential of MVS is certainly well-documented and it’s part of the reason I have him ranked beneath Moore, Smith, and Wilson in terms of how to prioritize the position this week. Quite a few times I gloss over MVS whenever he seems like a logical waiver wire grab, but he’s coming off a game where he saw ten targets and next week the Packers face the Rams in Week 12. We hope that game will be a shootout, but Rodgers’ toe injury and the colder elements could certainly put a damper on those expectations. 

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (TEN; FAAB Bid: 4%) Westbrook-Ikhine made the waiver wire column earlier this season when A.J. Brown and Julio Jones were both hurt. Well Jones is on IR and Brown is a little beat up. Add in the fact that Derrick Henry is still going to miss significant time and Marcus Johnson suffered a hamstring injury early in this contest, and we’re looking at an opportunity for NWI. He’s far from a must add, but if you’re in a pinch this week he could see a healthy workload against the Patriots tough defense. He did see eight targets on Sunday, and he could see about six or seven this week.

 

Tight Ends

Dan Arnold (JAC; FAAB Bid: 10%) A lot of people may scoff at this recommendation after a goose egg from Arnold against the 49ers. But he was still on the field plenty and ran the second-most routes on the team behind only Marvin Jones. It was just one of those days. Jamal Agnew is done for the season so that’s one less offensive weapon for a team that’s dealt with plenty of injuries this year. And if you consider the injury to Adam Trautman, there are less tight ends available on waivers now. Arnold will still be involved and could bounce back this week against Atlanta.

Cole Kmet (CHI; FAAB Bid: 5-6%) So Cole Kmet Week was a complete bust. Everything was there for a big day and it just didn’t happen. The routes run and targets were all trending up. Sadly, he only returned three targets this week and that’s a bummer. I don’t necessarily love the matchup on Thursday and if there were ever a matchup to take a classic Turkey Day nap through it’s this one against the Lions. Hopefully we see positive regression for Kmet and he gets back to five or six targets. I’m willing to write off last week as an outlier, and again, no Trautman means you’re once again looking for a waiver wire tight end with potential.

Austin Hooper (CLE; FAAB Bid: 5%) If you’re scouring the waiver wire looking for someone that perhaps can get you a couple catches, then Hooper could be your guy. I don’t love the potential production, but he has at least six targets in four of his last five games. The problem with Hooper is that he hasn’t found the end zone at all this year and this is a touchdown-dependent position. Baker Mayfield is clearly playing hurt and that’s hurting the aerial attack in this offense.

 

Defense/Special Teams

Chicago Bears – I don’t really know what’s going on with the Bears defense, but they’ve been surprisingly good the last couple games. And they’re beat up too if you consider who they’ve been playing without. But despite the injuries and the fact Matt Nagy is still employed, the defense has returned double-digit fantasy points in their last two games. They get the early game on Thanksgiving against the Lions who will be starting Tim Boyle once again. This past week the Bears forced six sacks and a turnover against the Ravens, who were without Lamar Jackson. The only player on the Lions of any concern is D’Andre Swift, but Vegas is expecting minimal scoring in this matchup so don’t hesitate to stream the Bears.

Houston Texans – I was actually forced to use the Texans in DFS this week at the bare minimum price on DraftKings and you know what? I was not disappointed. In their last two games against the Titans and Dolphins, the Texans have forced ten turnovers, have collected six sacks and have allowed a combined 30 points total. This week they get the Jets without Michael Carter and this is another game with a projected low scoring total so don’t hesitate to stream Houston despite the stigma.

Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles have returned double-digit fantasy points in three of their last four games. However, it’s worth noting they’ve scored D/ST touchdowns in those three contests as well. Over their last four games they have just seven sacks and five forced turnovers so the touchdowns have certainly bailed them out a bit. However, they have a pair of matchups against the Jets and Giants coming up before their Bye week. And after that the schedule isn’t awful with two games against the Football Team and another against the Giants before ending the season against Dallas. This is a D/ST I’m not opposed to using the rest of the season, but don’t hesitate to stream on a weekly basis since we can’t predict D/ST touchdowns.