Food, Football, and Fantasy

By: Pierce Barker

Coming into Thanksgiving leading the league in receiving yards, Julio Jones is a must-start this week against a vulnerable New Orleans’ secondary.

Entering Week 12 of what has been a rather odd fantasy season in the NFL, the week of Thanksgiving provides a turning point for fantasy owners around the country. With some quarterbacks running 27 times a game, Mitchell Trubisky putting up better numbers than Cam Newton, and the Browns offense avoiding fantasy disaster thus far, the NFL fantasy season has been full of quirky oddities that had made the fantasy landscape a toss up on a weekly basis. This week, the fantasy slate is going to be a little tougher to choose from, as the NFL’s two offensive power houses (Los Angeles and Kansas City) are on a bye after putting on show on Monday Night Football. Despite that, here’s the inside scoop on the week’s fantasy football including the fantasy game of the week, key value plays of the week, and the top 3 PPR plays from each position for the upcoming holiday and weekend.

Fantasy Game of the Week: Falcons @ Saints

Dueling off on Thanksgiving night, this game is shaping up to be a fantasy showcase between two of the best offenses in the league. With stars across the board, stacking this game would not be a bad idea. Look for the Saints to take an early lead in this one, playing at home in the Superdome against a bad defense and with 9 straight wins under their belt. From the standpoint of a NFL fan, few not expect this to be a close game. However, from a fantasy standpoint, this game is pure gold, as the Falcons should be forced to air the ball out more due to falling behind early against an elite scoring offense in New Orleans. Look for a potential shootout in the Bayou with some legit fantasy playmakers.

Play of the Game: Alvin Kamara

In recent weeks, Mark Ingram has had more impact on the ground, but with Kamara’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, it is hard to not roll the dice here.

Value Plays of the Week:

Look for Ravens’ quarterback, Lamar Jackson, to potentially run over the field on Sunday against a poor Raiders’ defense.

QB Lamar Jackson vs Raiders (7,400 FanDuel) (5,700 DraftKings)

Coming off the first start of his young NFL career, Lamar Jackson showed the league just how dynamic he is with the ball in his hands. Matching up against a Raiders defense ranked 31st in the NFL against the run, if Jackson can do what he did last week plus add a touchdown or two, this play could strike gold for fantasy owners. Keep your eyes on the Ravens playmaker this week, unless Joe Flacco returns to action this weekend.

RB Gus Edwards vs Raiders (5,300 FanDuel) (4,400 DraftKings)

Alex Collins disappeared from the offense under Lamar Jackson, only tallying 7 carries. This play may seem like it is chasing the numbers, but Gus Edwards and Jackson could not be stopped on the ground against the Bengals. Why would the Ravens not try to run all over a horrible Raiders defense? Look for Edwards to have a potentially career day and punch in a few scores against Oakland.

WR Mohamed Sanu vs Saints (5,300 FanDuel) (4,500 DraftKings)

The Saints defense has played substantially better with the emergence of corner, Eli Apple, but are still susceptible to the pass against good quarterbacks. Fellow WR Calvin Ridley has been limited in practice with a thigh injury which may limit his playing time. With elite second-year corner, Marshon Lattimore, likely to shadow Julio Jones the whole game, look for Sanu to see a lot of targets from Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan, in what is projected to be one of the highest scoring games of the week.

PPR Plays of the Week:

QBs:

Few quarterbacks have been as consistent as Drew Brees this season. Look for more of the same from the future Hall of Famer this week.

Drew Brees vs Falcons (9,000 FanDuel) (6,700 DraftKings)

Drew Brees at home against a bad Falcons defense. In one of his finest seasons, this one is a no brainer. Look for a typically elite performance from Brees on the big stage of Thanksgiving Night.

Andrew Luck vs Dolphins (8,400 FanDuel) (6,400 DraftKings)

So much for a potentially career-ending shoulder injury. Andrew Luck has returned to his old form and the Colts are quietly entering the playoff picture. Luck has thrown 3 or more touchdowns in 7 straight games, including facing opponents with top ranked passing defenses such as Jacksonville and Tennessee. Expect a big game from a potential MVP candidate against a mediocre Dolphins defense.

Lamar Jackson vs Raiders (7,400 FanDuel) (5,700 DraftKings)

Touched on earlier, this play could shape up to be one of the better quarterback plays of the season. So long as quarterback, Joe Flacco, does not return from injury and rejoin the starting lineup, expect Jackson to put up big fantasy numbers and begin to remind fans why he once won a Heisman Trophy at Louisville.

RBs:

Alvin Kamara has been a revelation for the Saints and fantasy owners since entering the league last year. Expect nothing short of another awesome performance by the captivating running back.

Alvin Kamara vs Falcons (8,900 FanDuel) (8,300 DraftKings)

In the star-studded Thanksgiving game, Kamara may just come out with the most fantasy points between all skill position players. Expect Kamara to be involved in not just the passing game, but the running game as well and help lead the Saints to a 10th straight victory.

Sony Michel vs Jets (6,600 FanDuel) (5,800 DraftKings)

The Patriots offense, from Tom Brady to Michel, struggled in Week 10 against Tennessee. However, this is Bill Belichick and the Patriots coming off a bye, in which they have been typically dominant over the years. In what is expected to be a blowout, Sony Michel should see plenty of volume against a inconsistent Jets D.

Gus Edwards vs Raiders (5,300 FanDuel) (4,400 DraftKings)

It is difficult to list the same players twice, but this Ravens run game is just too hard to ignore. Expect another big game from Gus Edwards against one of the worst defenses in the league in Oakland.

WRs:

Tom Brady has had a solid vertical weapon in the passing with wide receiver, Josh Gordon, this season. Look for Gordon to have a big game against an inconsistent Jets’ defense.

Michael Thomas vs Falcons (8,800 FanDuel) (8,900 DraftKings)

Michael Thomas never seems to get the credit he deserves. Undoubtedly a top 5 wide receiver option on a weekly basis, Thomas is expected to shatter the catching rate record while hovering around 90%. He should tear apart a week Falcons’ secondary in primetime on Thursday.

Julio Jones vs Saints (8,800 FanDuel) (8,300 DraftKings)

The words fantasy players have been waiting to hear for too long: Julio Jones is scoring touchdowns! Julio should be shadowed by Marshon Lattimore the whole game, but should not affect the offensive game plan much, as the Falcons offense is expected to go pass heavy. This could be a Thanksgiving feast for Falcon WRs.

Josh Gordon vs Jets (6,800 FanDuel) (6,400 DraftKings)

Josh Gordon has received plenty of volume from Tom Brady in the last two games. Going against a Jets defense that loves to give up big plays and fresh off a bye week, expect offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, to feature Gordon in the passing game. Healthy and stable, expect Gordon to have a big opportunity to tear apart the Jets secondary.

Additional play:

Coming off a game with 18 targets, Vikings’ WR, Stefon Diggs, should be in for a nice night at home against the ice-cold Packers on Sunday Night Football.

Stefon Diggs vs Packers (7,300 FanDuel) (7,600 DraftKings)

Stefon Diggs has been overshadowed by fellow WR, Adam Thielen, throughout the season, but he has quietly been the better receiver over the last couple of weeks. Hauling in 13 catches on 18 targets against a great Khalil Mack-led Chicago defense last week, expect another monster game from Diggs on Sunday Night Football.