Week 12 fantasy wrap: Alvin Kamara shines again
Saints vs. Rams: Alvin Kamara totaled 188 yards on just 11 touches, highlighted by this 74-yard TD run. He was electric, breaking multiple tackles and showing truly explosive speed. Mark Ingram had a quiet game (he had a touchdown catch called back on a penalty), but this setup in New Orleans will provide plenty of opportunities for each to be clear RB1s down the stretch. Kamara entered getting an NFL-high 6.8 YPC against base fronts, also ranking first in Breakaway Run Rate (9.7%) and second in yards per touch (7.5). He’s going to be a legit threat to go 1,000/1,000 next season…Cooper Kupp and Sammy Watkins combined for 20 targets and predictably benefitted from Robert Woods’ absence. Watkins has quietly scored in three of his past four games (his day could’ve been bigger Sunday, as he also drew a 50+ yard PI penalty), while Kupp has impressed as a rookie…Injuries to New Orleans’ defense caught up with them, and the Saints inexplicably kicked a 21-yard field goal down 13 points with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Dumbfounding…Among the four teams leading their division in the NFC right now, none made the playoffs last season.
Browns vs. Bengals: Joe Mixon had struggled mightily this season, so it figures he runs for 114 yards on 23 carries against a Browns defense that entered allowing the lowest YPC in the NFL…Corey Coleman dropped a would-be touchdown, but he saw another eight targets and will soon form a duo with Josh Gordon that has a ton of potential moving forward…Tyler Kroft scored but managed just 14 yards against a Cleveland D that struggles against tight ends. Kroft has totaled only 30 yards over the past three games.
Bears vs. Eagles: Philadelphia is 10-1, yet Zach Ertz’s performance Sunday marked the first time an Eagles receiver reached 100 yards in a game this season…Alshon Jeffery has five touchdowns over the past four games, while Jordan Howard was held to six yards on seven carries…I was wrong about Jay Ajayi. He’s simply not getting near the amount of touches in Philly as I expected. What a waste for fantasy owners, but it’s hard to argue with the results…The Bears didn’t record a first down in the first half, when they were outgained in total yards 272-33.
Dolphins vs. Patriots: Dion Lewis looked terrific, rushing for 112 yards on 15 carries, but Rex Burkhead reassumed a big role after fumbling last week and scored twice from the goal line. In this offense, both can remain plenty worthy of a flex spot down the stretch, and it’s safe to expect their DFS prices to start rising…Matt Moore seems to prefer Kenny Stills to DeVante Parker…The Patriots successfully executed a fake punt as 16.5-point favorites less than one minute into the game on 4th-and-8 from their own 27-yard line. Of course they did.
Bills vs. Chiefs: Kareem Hunt had 17 yards on 11 carries, while Alex Smith got 5.5 YPA at home against a Buffalo defense that entered having allowed 45.0 ppg over their past three contests. Kansas City is 1-5 after starting 5-0 and to say they are in serious trouble would be an understatement…I wonder if Sean McDermott is secretly rooting against Tyrod Taylor over the rest of the season. Probably to some extent, I’d imagine.
Buccaneers vs. Falcons: Tevin Coleman produced in a plus matchup with Devonta Freeman out again, although it was odd he wasn’t targeted at all…Julio Jones finally had the monster game everyone was waiting for, securing 12-of-15 targets for 253 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by this pass from Mohamed Sanu. Jones was simply unguardable, and it’s amazing Atlanta doesn’t target him this frequently every week.
Panthers vs. Jets: Robby Anderson went off again, turning 10 targets into 146 yards and two touchdowns against a tough secondary, including this impressive catch. He’s now scored in five straight games, recording six over that span. Anderson is beyond legit and a must start each week regardless of matchup…Devin Funchess saw another 12 targets and should be treated as a top-20 WR moving forward given his new role in Carolina’s offense…Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a brutal drop in the end zone and another TD overturned, so it was a rough game for the tight end.
Titans vs. Colts: Marcus Mariota threw for just 184 yards with a 1:2 TD:INT ratio in a highly favorable matchup, as he continues to be one of the league’s bigger disappointments. He has a 3:9 TD:INT ratio over five games on the road this season…Jacoby Brissett also had a tough outing Sunday, leading just one touchdown drive while taking eight sacks. The Colts play in Jacksonville next week…T.Y. Hilton lived up to his boom-or-bust reputation this season, with the latter occurring this time in a plus matchup…Derrick Henry had 10 carries for all 79 of his yards in the fourth quarter.
Seahawks vs. 49ers: Russell Wilson has now accounted for 26 of Seattle’s 27 touchdowns this season…Jimmy Garoppolo replaced an injured C.J. Beathard late and threw a TD on the game’s final play. He should get a chance to start soon…Mike Davis should probably be stashed at this point. If Eddie Lacy ran any slower, he’d be moving backward.
Jaguars vs. Cardinals: Blaine Gabbert got the win, and Calais Campbell returned a fumble for a score in a revenge game for both…Marqise Lee was predictably shut down by Patrick Peterson, and Dede Westbrook could only produce 41 yards on 10 targets…It’s Ricky Seals-Jones’ world, and the rest of us are just passing through.
Broncos vs. Raiders: Paxton Lynch got 2.9 YPA before leaving with an injury, one that could be serious given his emotional nature on the sidelines. It’s been a rough start to his career…Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined for 30 receiving yards against a banged-up Oakland defense that entered ranked last in Pass Defense DVOA…The Raiders won despite losing both Michael Crabtree (ejection) and Amari Cooper (concussion) early on. Crabtree might be suspended over the incident, while Cooper’s injury looked potentially serious, so it was a costly victory. Despite the team’s top two wideouts sidelined and facing a Denver defense highly vulnerable to tight ends, Jared Cook managed just one catch for one yard…Oakland’s first interception of the year was pretty crazy…Here’s Cordarrelle Patterson doing his own Beast Mode impersonation.
Packers vs. Steelers: Brett Hundley entered getting 5.9 YPA with a 2:7 TD:INT ratio, but he went into Pittsburgh in primetime and got 9.4 YPA with three touchdowns and no turnovers…Davante Adams briefly left hurt but returned and was productive yet again with Hundley under center, highlighted by this 55-yard TD catch…Jamaal Williams managed just 3.1 YPC but dominated the touches and saw five targets, so he’ll be a strong RB2 start if Ty Montgomery is out in Week 13…Le’Veon Bell has 21 catches over the last two weeks. He’s unfair in PPR leagues…Martavis Bryant took advantage of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s absence, scoring for the first time since Week 2…Chris Boswell’s 53-yard game-winning field goal was the longest ever at Heinz Field. This catch by Antonio Brown to set up the kick was pretty ridiculous. Brown is easily the best wide receiver in the league.
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