One week closer to where the fun really starts for fantasy managers. As the sunset for the 2021 fantasy football regular season, it is time to dissect what has been gathered from the week that was.
The road to the fantasy playoffs has reached its second to last exit. Soon champions will be crowned, and losers will have to restructure their strategies and prepare for next year. Here is the tale of the tape from week 13.
Quarterbacks
Welcome back to the stage Kyler Murray. Murray made his return Sunday against the Bears and reminded fantasy managers of the talent he possesses. Murray was sensational against the Bears in very limited work, posting 29.9 fantasy points leading the way at the quarterback position for this week. Up next for Kyler is a primetime spot to shine next week against the Rams. As if anyone needed reminding, roll with Kyler the rest of the way.
This may come up more than once, but what the actual hell is wrong with Patrick Mahomes (and the Chiefs entire passing game to be fair). Yes, the Chiefs won against Denver great but it was on the back of a defense that just over a month ago was getting slaughtered from far and wide. Mahomes has been a fantasy black hole of late, with only one outing since week 7 with 15+ fantasy points. The good news for Mahomes is he faces the Raiders at home next week, the one outlier in this 6 week stretch when Mahomes decimated the Raiders in week 10. A lesson learned however for fantasy managers, top tier QBs are not needed to win championships.
It is very rare for potential league winning players to make themselves known late in the season at the quarterback position. However, for those that read and heeded the advice given in the Bird’s Nest this week, one may have exposed himself as a potential league winner and that is Taysom Hill. Now, all of this depends on the status of Hill’s injured middle finger. All signs point towards Hill playing through the injury, good news for fantasy managers. Hill is going to live and die on his ability to run the football himself, something he reminded fantasy managers of on Thursday against the Cowboys. The four interceptions he threw are ugly and need to be cleaned up, however Hill is going to be the ultimate high-floor high-ceiling play moving forward in the quest for fantasy championships. Oh, and he plays the Jets in week 14. What a time to be a Taysom Hill fantasy manager.
Running Backs
Once again, go back to the Bird’s Nest for all of the commentary regarding Javonte Williams. But in case that was missed, here it is in short: Williams finally gets the chance to be the lead running back for the Broncos, please start him with full confidence. BOY OH BOY did he deliver, as Williams had his coming out party versus the Chiefs on Sunday night. Williams finished as the number one running back in full PPR scoring this week, and this could progress into more immediate success for the future star of the Denver Broncos as they host the Detroit Lions on Sunday in Denver. If Williams is without Gordon again on Sunday, Williams is going to be a smash play.
A lot can be said about the San Francisco 49ers this season. Some bad and some good for fantasy managers. Yet the one thing that can be confirmed as unequivocally great is the emergence of Elijah Mitchell as the go-to back for the 49ers. Mitchell was launched into the feature role after Raheem Mostert (remember him?) went down with a season-ending knee injury in week 1, and Mitchell has been fantastic when he has been available. When analyzing Mitchell more closely, there are numbers over the last three games that stand out, 27, 32, 25. Those are the touches that Mitchell has had in the last three games for the 49ers. Mitchell is earning more and more trust from the coaching staff, and it is paying off for anyone that either trusted him early on or bought low on him during the season. Mitchell’s rest of season schedule is also simply beautiful, getting Cincinnati, Atlanta, Tennessee, and Houston for the remainder of the fantasy season. Ride Mitchell all the way to the promised land, and he may just get his fantasy managers there.
It is time to crown a winner of the Baltimore Ravens backfield competition, with Devonta Freeman the victor. Freeman vs. Latavius Murray was a heated contest at one stage, however Freeman simply pulled away on Sunday. Freeman out-touched Murray by 19 to 4, while also looking like the much better of the pair. While Freeman’s floor is still a question mark going forward, he is the lead dog and should be treated as such. Freeman should be considered a low end RB2 moving forward, and could crack some lineups in week 14 against the Browns.
Wide Receivers
Let this be a reminder to all fantasy managers that there is more than one receiver on the Cincinnati Bengals. All year long, those that took the chance on Ja’Marr Chase were rewarded, and he is a future star in this league that is not being debated. The last few weeks however, Chase simply has not been the boom fantasy play that he was in the first half of the season. Since week 8, Chase has failed to register more than 15 full PPR points, and he has become quite the conundrum for fantasy managers. Within his own offense, Tee Higgins has quickly caught up to Chase. Higgins has been breathtaking the last two games, topping 100 yards receiving in both contests and scoring in both. Higgins in this two game stretch has also out-targeted Chase by 22 to 11. Higgins came out of Sunday’s contest versus the Chargers with an ankle injury that reportedly is not serious, so Higgins should continue to be a great play week in week out.
Praising one ex-Clemson Tiger to praising another, Hunter Renfrow has been excellent for the Las Vegas Raiders all year long. Renfrow serves as Derek Carr’s ultimate safety blanket combined with playmaker as well. The former Clemson Tiger had himself another superb outing versus the Washington Football Team catching 9 balls for 102 yards, his second straight 100 yard outing. With the continued absence of Darren Waller, Renfrow will remain Derek Carr’s number one target and should be relied upon by fantasy managers as a WR2 moving forward.
Is Russell Gage actually trustworthy for fantasy managers? Gage was the go-to man for Matt Ryan Sunday versus the Buccaneers, reeling in 11 catches for 130 yards. Gage has been quietly getting it done, yet this is an offense that fantasy managers should steer clear of unless it is for Cordarrelle Patterson. Is Gage a worthwhile add? Yes absolutely. Is he someone that should be thrusted into lineups for week 14’s contest against the Panthers? No.
Tight Ends
Welp, tight end continues to stink for fantasy. Well no, it is just comically bad. Only 3 tight ends posted more than 15 ppr points this week, George Kittle, Dallas Goedert, and Rob Gronkowski. Outside of that, the position is a touchdown or bust minefield that fantasy managers have to navigate on a week-to-week basis.
When analyzing the duds, there are some that stand out. Mark Andrews was standing wide open in the end zone and should have scored if Lamar Jackson could have found him. Andrews scores, Andrews meets the 15 point threshold and doesn’t have a 9 point stinker in full ppr.
Mike Gesicki saw an uptick in targets against the Giants and nearly hauled in a touchdown himself. The signs are a lot more promising for Gesicki, yet he still cannot be trusted unless fantasy managers are simply super desperate.
Time to anoint Kyle Pitts a flat out bust. Pitts only has one touchdown this year, and for a player drafted near the likes of Mark Andrews, and in some instances above Andrews, this simply isn’t good enough. Pitts can no longer be trusted and should remain on benches unless fantasy managers do not have any better options.
