With most fantasy football playoffs only one week away, its now time to hope that all of your players have gotten whatever villainous tendencies they have had this season out of their system and trust that it is all heroic performances from here on out.
Obviously no one can accurately predict when someone is going to have a bad game, you can look at the matchups and make decisions based on past performances, numbers and analytics can get you only so far, at the end of the day the game is not played on paper, coaching and talent have to ultimately win the day. Every one of the players on this list are here because we have been conditioned and expect them to reach a certain high level of performance. Those who are Heroic not only reached that level but exceeded it, to which we fantasy football players are grateful. Those who are Villains, for one reason or another left us shaking our heads at how big the letdown in their performance was and hope that at least over the next 3-4 weeks, that villainous bug does not return. Whatever happens, fantasy bragging rights are on the line and now is the time to make sure your matchups are solid, your lineups are set and your waiver pickups are productive. The playoffs are on the line!!
(As always, all scores discussed in this article use a ½ PPR scoring structure)
Heroes:
Jack(son) of All Trades…Master of EVERYONE!!
This is not that much of a spoiler, but when we look back at the end of the season and put together a list of who was the most heroic players of the 2019 NFL Season, the first name that will be on the list will be Lamar Jackson. The front-runner for MVP has had an unbelievable season and has turned skeptics, particularly in the fantasy football world into full-fledged believers. The latest evidence of Jackson’s greatness was Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams, who not even with the great Wade Phillips devising their defensive schemes could find a way to stop Jackson. One of the most impressive things about Jackson is that while he is not going to drop many jaws with his passing yards, its all the other intangibles that make him fantasy football gold. He completed only 15 passes against the Rams, however, a third of those passes were for touchdowns. And when he wasn’t throwing TD passes, he was running all over the place for 95 total yards. Currently he is tied for the NFL lead in touchdown passes and is also 8th in the league in total rushing yards, ahead of guys like teammate Mark Ingram and Todd Gurley and is only 43 yards behind Ezekiel Elliott. He is the #1 fantasy points scorer in the NFL, he has scored more than 30 fantasy points in three straight games, and it is going to be really interesting to see if he can keep up the pace this week against the San Francisco 49’ers who, statistically, boast the best defense in the NFL. The last team that held that title playing Lamar Jackson were the New England Patriots, and Jackson threw only one TD pass, but ran two in and scored 28 points, so Good Luck Niners!!
Any Win is a God-win When This Tampa Receiver is Catching the Ball
It is fair to say that Tampa Bay receiver Chris Godwin is a bit overshadowed by his teammate Mike Evans in the Bucs receiving corp. While there is no denying that Evans is a star and one of five best receivers in the NFL, Godwin is emerging into a star in his own right. In his third season in the league, Godwin has already surpassed his career totals in every major statistical category, including yards and TD receptions, which he is second and first in the NFL respectively. Last week against the Falcons was just the latest example of Godwin’s greatness this year, as he hauled in seven passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. His 33 fantasy points was the most in the league in Week 13 among wide receivers and only second behind Lamar Jackson for the most points. He is averaging almost 19 points per game this season and is consistently lined up against a teams #2 cornerback, so prospects look really good that he will continue with his offensive onslaught.
The Jaguars are Fournette That They Have a Running Back Like Leonard
Coming off a terrible sophomore season in 2018, Leonard Fournette has come back in 2019 and is on pace to have the best season of his career. He ranks eighth in the NFL in scoring among fantasy football running backs, averaging 16.3 points per game. He is sixth in the league in rushing and his 56 receptions ranks him fourth among running backs. In Week 12 against the Tennessee Titans he carried the ball 24 times for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns. His versatility as a dual threat running back was also on display as he also caught nine passes for an additional 62 yards, giving him a remarkable 32.4 points. Going into Week 13 he will be tested as he goes up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are ranked second in rush defense and third in total fantasy points given up to opposing teams running backs.
Who Really is the Browns Top WR??
When the Cleveland Browns traded for Odell Beckham Jr. before the season, most thought that Jarvis Landry would be relegated to a secondary receiver role in the Browns offense. However, through the first 11 games of the season, it is looking more like Beckham has taken the secondary role and it is Landry that is putting up the numbers. Through these first 11 games, Landry leads the team in every major receiving category, including averaging 13.3 fantasy points per game, which is more that three points higher than Beckham who is second. In Week 12 Landry torched the Miami Dolphins defense with a season high, 10 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns. He was targeted 10 or more times in four of the last five games, where he has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Browns last four games. Week 13 he goes up against the eighth ranked Pittsburgh Steelers who will look to try to shut Landry down again, much in the same way they did two weeks ago when they held him to only 43 yards. While he did score a touchdown in that game, his overall contribution were pretty minor, so Pittsburgh may have that special formula to slow Landry down.
Honorable Heroes
Sam Darnold (QB) – New York Jets – 20/29 315 yards, 2 TDs, 28.2 Fantasy Points
Derrick Henry (RB) – Tennessee Titans – 19 carries 159 yards, 2 TDs, 29.5 Fantasy Points
DJ Moore (WR) – Carolina Panthers – 9 targets, 6 receptions 126 yards, 2 TDs, 28.4 Fantasy Points
Joe Schobert (LB) – Cleveland Browns – 5 tackles, 2 Interceptions, 22 Fantasy Points
Eric Reid (S) – Carolina Panthers – 15 tackles, 23 Fantasy Points
Villains:
No Hussle in Russell in Philadelphia
Not often, especially this season, would you expect to see Russell Wilson on the Villains list, particularly after a big Seahawks history. However, in Week 12, Seattle snuck out a win against the Eagles despite a poor performance by the MVP candidate. Wilson only completed 13 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown, unfortunately he also threw an interception and lost a fumble as well. His 11 points was his lowest fantasy output on the season, he will have a chance to rebound this week against the Minnesota Vikings, who despite having one of the best defenses in the league against the run, fall in the rankings a bit as they come in with the 20th ranked defense against the pass. Wilson will most definitely have a chance to rebound from his poor performance and get back on that MVP track.
Saquon??? Say-No to A Fantasy Football Victory!!
To say that it has been a rough second year for Saquon Barkley would be putting it mildly. He missed three games earlier this season with a high ankle sprain and since he has been back, he has had spurts of effectiveness, but he has not successfully been able to put together that one complete game that made him perhaps the most dangerous offensive player in the NFL in his rookie season. Through most of the season he has either had a good day running the ball, but ineffective in the passing game, or a vital part of the passing game, but virtually disappeared when it came to picking up yards on the ground. The culmination of this came in Week 10 where he rushed for only 1 yard and only had 5 receptions for 30 yards and 7.1 fantasy points against a Jets defense that is #1 in the NFL against the run. Coming back from the bye last week also did not look promising as he would face another strong defense in the Chicago Bears. And the outcome was much the same, as he would simply reverse the stats he put up when he played the Jets. Barkley rushed for only 59 yards, and caught just two passes for one yard. His back to back seven fantasy point games are two of the three lowest non-injury performances of his career. Here is hoping that a Week 13 matchup against the Green Bay Packers will jump-start this top five fantasy draft pick’s season.
Quoth the Raven…Gurley Runs Nevermore!!
In most situations, a running back like Todd Gurley would not make the Villains list this week, the reason being that it is hard to fault a running back for not compiling stats in a game where his team was down 28-6 at halftime and ended up losing by 39. Running games tend to disappear when a team is getting blown out. However, the most alarming part of Gurley’s performance against the Ravens was not only that he only had 22 yards rushing on six carries, but in a game where QB Jared Goff threw 37 passes, Gurley was only targeted three times, had three receptions but for a total of -3 yards. His 3.4 fantasy points was one of the worst performances of his career. To say that it has been a rough fantasy football season for Todd Gurley would be an understatement; this is a man who in 2017 and 2018 combined for 2,556 yards rushing, 123 receptions for 1,368 yards and 30 combined rushing and receiving TDs. He was by every measure and in every Fantasy format the best running back in the NFL. Unfortunately, mounting injuries have started to slow him down, to the point where so far this season, while he has played in all 11 games for the Rams, he is not even close to be the explosive, game changing running back that we have come to expect, particularly for someone who was drafted in most fantasy leagues as high as he was. Gurley has not yet rushed for 100 yards in any game and he has pretty much disappeared as a part of the passing game. The Rams play the Arizona Cardinals and their 31st ranked defense this week. As we come to fantasy football playoff season, for the sake of those who have Gurley in their lineup, lets hope that this week is the start of the resurgence of a truly great running back.
Amari Cooper…Invisible Man!!
The Patriots defense is REALLY GOOD!! Some of the numbers that they are putting up in the passing game are reaching near historic levels. So, it was not surprising to most to see them shut down the Cowboys passing attack, particularly as weather conditions progressively got worse. What made their performance shocking was that they not only shut down one of the best receivers in the NFL, they made Amari Cooper literally a non-factor. For only the second time in his career, Cooper was held without a reception in a game where he participated in over 75% of the offensive snaps. I want to say that this week looks like a week were Cooper may be able to bounce back from such a terrible performance, but the Cowboys are going up against the Buffalo Bills, who’s pass defense ranks third in the NFL in total yards. So, it may be tough sledding for owners of Amari Cooper these next few weeks, but it is in times like these where truly great players find a way to step up and produce all-pro level performances that we come to expect from them.
Dishonorable Villains:
Aaron Rodgers (QB) – Green Bay Packers – 20/33 104 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int, 1 fumble, 9.5 Fantasy Points
Dak Prescott (QB) – Dallas Cowboys – 19/33 212 yards, 1 Int, 6.9 Fantasy Points
Josh Jacobs (RB) – Oakland Raiders – 10 rushes 34 yards, 4.1 Fantasy Points
Aaron Jones (RB) – Green Bay Packers – 13 carries 38 yards, 3.8 Fantasy Points (3 points in two of the last three weeks)
Tyler Lockett (WR) – Seattle Seahawks – 2 targets, 1 reception 38 yards, 4.3 Fantasy Points