🍗 Ready to Gobble Up Thanksgiving Football?

Ranks, Previews and a Look Ahead

Author

Jen of Deep Dive Fantasy
November 23, 2023

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Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! I hope you enjoy a day filled with family, friends that are family, food, and of course football! In this edition of the Deep Dive Fantasy Newsletter, I’ll cover Week 12 ranks, a look ahead, the Thanksgiving Day matchups, and of course the happenings over at 4for4.

All rankings are based on half-PPR scoring. For full ranks in a variety of scoring formats, head to 4for4.com.

Quarterbacks

What stands out: Trevor Lawrence is back in QB1 territory thanks to a soft Houston defense, along with Justin Fields, who returns as QB11 against the Vikings.

Running Backs

What stands out: D’Andre Swift not only made it back to RB1 land, but he’s the RB3 heading into Week 12. Kyren Williams cracks the top 12 upon return from the IR, while Josh Jacobs gets downgraded to RB15 after a few inefficient games and a stout KC defense on tap.

Wide Receivers

What stands out: Ja’Marr Chase falls to WR17 without Joe Burrow at the helm and Puka Nacua climbs to WR6 in Arizona with Cooper Kupp injured.

Tight Ends

What stands out: Trey McBride is ranked as the TE4 against the Rams while an injury to Mark Andrews punches a ticket for Isaiah Likely to the fantasy TE1 show. Taysom Hill is back after the Saints bye week.

Staying ahead of league mates can be a difference-maker in fantasy football. Stashing players a week ahead for streaming or eventual bye-week fill-ins can give us that edge we all crave. Here are some players with either great Week 12/13 matchups, or they’re in the position for more volume based on injuries ahead of them.

⚡️ Joshua Palmer, WR - (LAC) - We can see Joshua Palmer back from IR as soon as Week 13 if all is right with his knee. Before his injury, the Chargers WR had 60 receiving yards or more in 4-of-7 contests and averaged 6.3 targets from Weeks 2-8. With Mike Williams out for the year and rookie Quentin Johnston not an effective replacement, Palmer has a chance to shine down the stretch and makes for a solid stash.

🪺 Rashod Bateman, WR - (BAL)- Are we finally getting the Rashod Bateman breakout we’ve been waiting on for 2.75 seasons? Probably not, but he could see a bump in usage with Mark Andrews on the shelf. Lamar Jackson will need his WRs to take on more of the air volume and Bateman is actually healthy. His snaps have increased to 76.5% in his last two contests compared to 59.5% from the two weeks prior and Baltimore has a beautiful Week 12 matchup with the Chargers.

If Odell Beckham can't go this week due to a shoulder injury Bateman could be a nice flex play, but you also can stash him for usage in the fantasy playoffs if he sees a decent uptick with Andrews sidelined.

🦬 Ty Johnson, RB - (BUF) - New OC, new role for Ty Johnson in the Bills' offense. The former Jet saw six touches against his prior team in Week 11, which he turned into 58 combined yards and a score. With a seemingly more run-heavy approach for Buffalo moving forward, Johnson could continue to see an uptick in usage behind James Cook. We can’t forget about Latavius Murray and Leonard Fournette, but Johnson could be worth a deep stash if Joe Brady goes with the hot hand as the change-of-pace back. 

With three games today, I’m mixing up the format for the previews. Here’s a look at each Thanksgiving contest and the fantasy-relevant players to look out for.

Game #1 - Packers @ Lions (12:30 PM ET)

This NFC North battle features a 9-2 Detroit team looking to keep it rolling against a 4-5 Green Bay squad clinging to postseason hopes. Jared Goff is a solid option as 4for4’s QB7 with Jordan Love serviceable as a fantasy QB2 this week. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are a formidable backfield duo for Detroit and should find success while without Aaron Jones, the Packers may struggle on the ground against a stout Lion rush defense.

Amon-Ra St. Brown is always in play with Jameson Williams an upside flex option in larger formats, while Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Christian Watson are all considered WR4s with lower floors. Rookie Sam LaPorta is a top-five option this week and with Luke Musgave sidelined, Tucker Kraft slides in as a fantasy TE2.

Game #2 - Commanders @ Cowboys (4:30 PM ET)

We get a classic NFC East matchup for the afternoon game as the white-hot Cowboys take on a Washington team that just lost to the shell of a Giants squad. The Commanders are dead last in QB aFPA so fire up Dak Prescott and Sam Howell should be considered a fantasy QB2. Tony Pollard should be fruitful against the 24th-ranked defensive unit vs the run, while Brian Robinson gets a bump to an RB2 with Antonio Gibson likely on the shelf.

CeeDee Lamb is always a must-start with Brandin Cooks and Jahan Dotson as possible flex options, and a downgrade is in order to WR28 for Terry McLaurin against Dallas’ tough defense. Both Jake Ferguson and Logan Thomas are fringe TE1s heading into this Thanksgiving tilt.

Game #3 - 49ers @ Seahawks (8:20 PM ET)

The two top teams in the NFC West face off in the last game of the day when everyone has a food coma but decides to fix another plate anyway. Brock Purdy should be considered a low-end QB1 while Geno Smith isn’t startable unless it’s in a deeper QB2 or Superflex league. Christian McCaffrey is tops among RBs against Seattle, while Zach Charbonnet is considered an RB2 in his first week as lead back with Ken Walker sidelined.

Brandon Aiyuk is the only WR1 in this game with Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett all WR2/3s. Rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba falls into WR5 territory against San Francisco’s 20th-ranked unit in WR aFPA. Start George Kittle and only Noah Fant or Will Dissly out of pure desperation.

*For kicker and defensive help or a more in-depth look check out the rankings at 4for4.

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