A Big Day For Backups

Can I open my eyes yet? Is it safe to take a peek at my lineups?

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter, we're asking for your feedback

We made it to the playoffs, but some of our favorite players missed the memo and forgot to score this week. Let’s take a quick look at those misplaced TDs in a segment I just made up called: “Wait. Who? What? NO!!”

🐆 DAL vs JAX

With a combined score of 74 points in the Dallas vs. Jacksonville game, you’d think Tony Pollard, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, or even Dalton Schultz would have a TD under their belt, right? Nope. But congratulations to the 2% of people that started WR Noah Brown, who hauled in 49 yards and 2 TDs. Oh! And don't forget TE Peyton Hendershot, who hauled in his own TD. Wait. Who?

⚜️ ATL vs NO

In a division rivalry game that ended in a sweet victory for New Orleans, you’d think their key offensive players like Alvin Kamara or Chris Olave would have found the end zone at least once, right? Wrong again. Shoutout to the 1% of people starting Rashid Shaheed, who caught 3 passes for 95 yards and 1 TD. What?

🗑️ NE vs LV

The Davante Adams & Josh Jacobs show went on hiatus this week. Instead, Mack Hollins, Keelan Cole, and Darren Waller all caught TDs in a game that felt more like a fever dream. But we’ll talk more about that later…

🦁 DET vs NYJ

We'll dive deeper into this game further down in the newsletter, but the tight ends were on fire Sunday afternoon in New York. While everyone dreaded the possibility of Michael Carter stealing TDs from Zonovan Knight and wondered who would score more often between D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, the answer was D. None of the above.

Instead, TEs C.J. Uzomah and Brock Wright, both started in only 1% of lineups, combined for 92 yards and 3 TDs. NO!!

Hindsight is 20/20, but I don’t think anyone saw these coming. 

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Cooterdoodle is here to share her six big takeaways from the week's action compliments of our friends over at Bud Light. Let's crack open that six pack, Cooter...

🍺 1. Keeping up with the Zay Joneses

Trevor Lawrence continued his hot streak against Dallas in a 40 to 34 win this week. Of the 318 yards and 4 TDs thrown by Lawrence, Zay Jones accounted for 109 yards and 3 TDs. That's more action in the end zone than he's seen since 2018. 

🍺 2. Zach Wilson secures a win for... Detroit

Jets fans were forced into an on-again-off-again love/hate relationship with Zach Wilson on Sunday. Wilson displayed some shining moments but overthrew, underthrew, and threw picks throughout the game. The QB's inaccuracy and the Jets' questionable time management decisions sealed the deal. In true road-game fashion, Jared Goff only threw 1 TD, but he held it together well enough for the Lions to take advantage of the Jets' mistakes.

🍺 3. Was Miles Sanders telling the truth after all?

Remember when Miles Sanders told us not to draft him? Although Sanders has scored 11 TDs on the season, maybe he was trying to warn us about his Week 15 performance.

Fantasy managers were beginning to post his pictures onto milk cartons when they realized Sanders was nowhere to be found, running only 42 yards and losing 13 on his only reception. But before you panic, it's hard to do much of anything when Jalen Hurts is rushing for 61 yards and 3 TDs.

🍺 4. Broncos country, Let's Ryp

I'm still cautious about this offense, but I'm willing to let a lil hope creep into my heart after this week. Whether or not you're a Broncos fan, you've likely been rooting for their offense in fantasy. And you know what? It felt good to watch Denver win for the first time since Week 8. Brett Rypien's stat line of 197 yards and 1 TD may not jump off the page, but a win is a win.

🍺 5. This ain't your daddy's New England Patriots

Where do we start with this dumpster fire? Do you want the good news or the bad news? Here's both:

Darren Waller scored his first TD in three months on your bench. Patriots kicker, Nick Folk, kicked for a total of 125 yards, which was more than Mac Jones was able to throw.

Raiders WR Keenan Cole scored a TD, except he really didn’t at all. Oh! And the game ended with one of the season's most memorable plays.

I just wish none of us had to see it.

🍺 6. Joey B's big comeback

The Bucs lost to the Bengals Sunday evening after holding a 17-point lead, but that's not the worst part. Tom Brady threw 2 INTs and fumbled twice, adding insult to injury as the Bengals scored 34 unanswered points in a huge comeback. Joe Burrow fed Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, throwing 4 TDs in the second half. WHO DEY!

🤯 You've never seen an INT like this. We promise.

🤦 Ryan Tannehill left the field for a bit. Only to become a meme.

🤑 Cardinals tickets won't break the bank. What inflation?

😭 The hits keep coming for the Colts. F in the chat.

🔥 What else does Watson have to do? Play him in DFS tonight.

😤 He's been waiting to tweet this. We know, dude.

🌡️ The Chargers are on a streak! A very cold streak.

🦁 The Lions might make the playoffs. And their fans will be there when they do.

❓ The Rams have been so unpredictable. Can we take advantage for DFS?

We're humans who play fantasy football, which means we are prone to overreact. In this weekly series, Kendall will lead us in overreacting to Sunday's action...

😲 Colts collapse. Vikings comeback. Game of the year AGAIN.

Admit it, you stopped actively watching the Vikings vs. Colts game at halftime. Maybe you were washing dishes, wrapping presents — look, no one blames you.

Indianapolis was up 33-0 with 8:30 left in the third quarter of Saturday’s game, and miraculously, the Vikings pulled off the biggest comeback in NFL history.

Realistically this game was supposed to be the worst of the Saturday triple-header. They were two teams going in different directions, and the Vikings should have never allowed it to get so out of hand. But the Colts collapsed and (probably) helped many fantasy playoff teams in the process.

In the fourth quarter, the Vikings scored 22 points from three Kirk Cousins touchdowns — (the most fantasy-important ones going to Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook).

Also, if you started K.J. Osborn, HATS OFF TO YOU (and your 31.7 fantasy points)!

The loss brought the Colts to 4-9-1 on the season and officially eliminated them from playoff contention (shocking). Imagine blowing a 99.6% chance to win — it was also the first time a coach named Saturday blew a 33-point lead on a Saturday. Alright, I’m done! The Vikings came up big and hopefully brought honor to your fantasy teams in the playoffs.

🦁 Lions and Jaguars: The Roar is Restored

RESTORE IT! Those damn Lions, they’re something else. And Trevor Lawrence?! I don’t even know where to begin. 

Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell has done an incredible job — the team started the season off 1-6 and now has won six of their last seven (almost beating the Bills on Thanksgiving) and is firmly in the playoff hunt. Campbell knew his team was close to showcasing what they could do after that Dolphins loss in Week 8. 

Lawrence has arrived this season. From comeback wins to overtime stunners, he is making himself known (and we should be paying attention). Sunday’s overtime win against the Cowboys was a huge moment. The comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens was also a sneak peek into just who Lawrence can be. 

Over the last six games, he has 1,680 yards, 14 touchdowns, and one interception. Oh yeah, and Jacksonville is 4-2 in that stretch. We can imagine what could have been if Lawrence didn’t have a “lost” season with Urban Meyer as his head coach, but things are turning around.

Things are turning around for BOTH of these franchises. And we should be excited.

Timing is crucial when it comes to sports betting. Lines get released late on Sunday night, and every Monday, our betting specialist Matt LaMarca drops by to give you his first look at the betting markets. All lines from BetMGM...

💰 Lions -3.0 (@ Panthers)

The Lions are for real, folks. Ok, so maybe they didn’t play a perfect game against the Jets in Week 15. They needed a punt return touchdown and a 51-yard score to get past Zach Wilson, who didn’t look like he learned anything from his brief hiatus. Still, the Lions outgained the Jets and won the turnover battle, so it’s not like it was completely fluky.

The good news is that the Lions’ offense was able to find at least some success against a really good defense. The Jets limited the Bills to just 20 points in Week 13, and they’ve allowed 10 points or fewer four times this season.

The Lions’ offense is legit, and they’re going to win a lot of games if they can perform at even a league-average level on defense. That might not happen in some weeks, but it should against the Panthers. Carolina mustered just 209 yards of total offense against the Steelers, and you can shut them down completely if you can stop their rushing attack. All their recent wins have come in games where they’ve run for massive yardage. If you make Sam Darnold have to beat you with his arm, good things are going to happen.

The Lions have gotten an overwhelming majority of the early spread bets and dollars in this contest, so I don’t expect this number to be around for long. People want to get on board the Dan Campbell express, so you’re best off taking this number early in the week if you want to come along for the ride.

💰 Seahawks +10.0 (@ Chiefs)

The Chiefs continue to win ballgames, but they have also proven that they are a flawed football team. Their defense is going to be a major problem in the postseason, and it’s a big reason why they have struggled to cover the spread in recent weeks. They needed overtime to get past a hopeless Texans squad, and they failed to cover in wins over the Broncos, Chargers, and Titans. They also dropped a game against the Bengals where Joe Burrow and company racked up 431 yards of total offense.

The Seahawks have not played their best football of late, but they’re still very competent on offense. They currently rank ninth in Football Outsiders offensive DVOA, and they’re fifth in passing DVOA. The Seahawks are expected to be without Tyler Lockett, but they should still have enough firepower to move the ball in this spot.

They will also have the benefit of motivation. The Seahawks need to start winning games to keep their shrinking playoff hopes alive, while the Chiefs wrapped up the AFC West with their win over the Texans. They still have a shot at the No. 1 seed, but they need the Bills to lose for that to happen.

With that in mind, I expect the sharps to be on the Seahawks getting double-digits. This line is already down to 9.5 in certain locations, so this seems like a strong option to hop on early in the week.

It's island game time, and we have you covered from a fantasy, DFS, and betting perspective. We also have previews and picks for every game in our Game Hub! Rams @ Packers, take it away Jonathan...

📺 Rams at Packers (-7) – 39.5 total

Two of the most disappointing teams in the NFC will square off in Green Bay on Monday night. The Rams’ season is effectively over, with them out of the playoff picture and backups filling a number of key positions. The Packers have slightly more to play for, but will likely need to win out to be in the playoff conversation.

If you had asked me to predict the Rams Week 15 depth chart a few months ago, I doubt I would have gotten more than one of the skill position players correct. Baker Mayfield will look to continue making his case as the Rams QB of the future after an impressive game-winning drive last week. His receiving corps will be led by Ben Skowronek and Van Jefferson, but neither of them are really on the fantasy radar. Cam Akers appears to have a firm grasp on the lead role in the backfield and is a TD-dependent flex play. 

The Packers will look to continue developing chemistry between Aaron Rodgers and breakout rookie WR Christian Watson, who scored a ridiculous eight TDs in the four games leading up to the Packers’ Week 14 bye.

The Rams’ defense has been particularly vulnerable to opposing WRs, so it’s very possible Watson can continue breaking all regression models in this spot and he is a top-20 WR in the Fantasy Life rankings.

In the backfield, AJ Dillon had two of his best games of the season in the Packers’ last two matchups, while Aaron Jones continues to be limited in practice. His practice status seems just to be precautionary, and is cleared and ready to go coming out of the bye, so we have Jones ranked as a low-level RB1 and Dillon as a flex play in this matchup.

The weather could be a factor in this one, with freezing temperatures and a chance of snow in the forecast. This only enhances the Packers’ home field advantage and might be contributing to the spread and low game total. Other than the must-start studs, I would recommend minimizing your exposure to this game as much as possible.