The Patch Work Report, NFL Week 13
Welcome to the Patch Work Report, where I recap the top 3 performers at each position in fantasy football from the previous week of NFL games. All points are referencing the Chalk Daily Fantasy Sports official scoring rules. Visit Chalk DFS to compete in fantasy football for real cash prizes each week.
Honorable mention: Andy Dalton (26.18), Derek Carr (22.8), Ben Roethlisberger (22.56)
Joe Flacco: 381 passing yards, 4 passing TDs, 1 INT
This performance angers me. People want to throw around the “elite” tag when talking about NFL QBs too easily. Joe Flacco has been called “elite” in the past. Yes, he has had some great games in his career and even has a super bowl. No small task. But, let me shed some light on this topic… Joe Flacco had 11 TDs in the first 11 games this season. Simple math, that’s 1 td per game. Joe Flacco can have great games, but can have some of the worst.
Carson Palmer: 300 passing yards, 3 passing TDs
Carson Palmer has struggled for most of this season which has been disappointing. He set the bar high last year being the engine of a high-powered offense, and that was without David Johnson full time. This past Sunday was a little bit closer to what is expected of him. I don’t buy this being his turn around though.
Matthew Stafford: 341 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 22 rushing yards
The game plan for the Lions was to milk the clock and to keep the ball away from Drew Brees. They achieved this with efficient short passes for the most part. Stafford got involved 7 different pass catchers, but Tate was by far the busiest. This was supposed to be a shootout, but the Lions made sure to not play that game with Drew Brees in New Orleans
Honorable mention: LeSean McCoy (26.1), Latavius Murray (25.5), Thomas Rawls (24.8)
David Johnson: 84 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 9 receptions, 91 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
I am sick of writing about David Johnson. The guy is a legend. If you do not know this by now, go back to the rock you’ve been under for the past 13 weeks.
Jordan Howard: 117 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs
Playing at home + snowy conditions + going against the leagues worse run defense + playing with an awful QB = dream spot for Jordan Howard. He didn’t have the most efficient yards per carry, but we will attribute that to his first time every playing in the snow. Plus, who cares how he did it. If you rostered him, he got you close to 30 points and that’s all that matters.
Devonta Freeman: 56 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, 4 receptions, 49 receiving yards
Despite Tevin Colemans return, Devonta is still seeing his fair share of opportunities and on Sunday he made the most of them against a decent Chiefs run defense. It also helped that the rest of the Falcons offense did the heavy lifting to put him in place for two 1 yard TD runs.
Golden Tate: 8 receptions, 145 yards, 1 receiving TD
Everyone, including me, thought that roughly a million points were going to get scored in this game, but it turned out to be a field goal party. Despite all the mediocrity in this game, one player stood out, thanks to an amazing catch and a broken play. With Marvin Jones being ruled out, Tate was the only competent receiver for the Lions and he took advantage of the weak New Orleans secondary.
Jordy Nelson: 8 receptions, 118 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
Old reliable was at it again. That’s not actually his nickname, but it could be. In snowy conditions, Jordy was Rodgers top target and made the most of his chances. It helped that on his scoring play there was not a single defender in his vicinity.
Tyler Lockett: 75 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 5 receptions, 63 receiving yards
Lockett’s explosiveness and big play ability have never been a question, but injuries have slowed him down this season. However, Sunday’s game proved to be Lockett’s proclamation that he is healthy and ready to roll. The 75 yards TD was a bit fluky considering it was a handoff, but that’s what you get with this guy.
Honorable mention: Zach Ertz (22.9), Travis Kelce (22), Cameron Brate (20.6)
Dwayne Allen: 4 receptions, 72 receiving yards, 3 receiving TDs
The fantasy world had completely forgotten about Dwayne Allen. Because of that, I have reason to believe the Jets defense all play fantasy, because they forgot he was on the field. Bad joke. However, what was comical was how open Allen was on 2 of his 3 TDs. It’s been a tough year for Allen with injuries, so as a Clemson alum, I was very happy to see him have this big day.
Dennis Pitta: 9 receptions, 90 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs, 1 Fumble
As mentioned with Flacco, the Ravens have been asleep all season until week 13. Going into this game, Pitta led all players with zero TDs in receiving yards. A popular term in fantasy football this year is “Touchdown Regression”, so in simple terms it meant that Pitta was due to hit the end zone soon. If anyone had the balls to roster both him and Flacco this week, they probably won a ton of money.
Ladarius Green: 6 receptions, 110 receiving yards, 1 TD
The breakout game for Ladarius Green in a Steelers uniform has finally come! People have wanted this for years now, dating back to when he was the back up to Antonio Gates in San Diego! Many people over the years jammed him into their lineups hoping to hit gold, but he always fell flat. The best part about it is that most people didn’t roster him this week, everyone will next week, and he will put up dud. Calling it now.
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