The Seattle Seahawks’ rookies balled out Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, including running back Kenneth Walker III, who made his career-first NFL start.
“Johnny (Schneider) thought that from the start, that this guy could be the lead back,” coach Pete Carroll said of Walker after the game. “Thinking that it would be great to have two of those guys, you know. Same team, and to help share the load and all that. So I’m not surprised at all.”
On the day, Walker logged 21 carries for 97 yards and a rushing touchdown. He also hauled in two receptions for 13 yards.
“It’s like, you give him a chance, and he’s going to show you the stuff,” Carroll continued. “So, he’s just getting started. This is the first chance he’s had – he carried the ball 20, 21 times today, something like that, and that’s a beautiful number to get out there.
The Seattle Seahawks had the chance to score the game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers with a one-yard run from Marshawn Lynch before a delay of game penalty pushed them back and, and well, the rest is history.
Lynch made a rare appearance in the locker room following the loss and spoke briefly to reporters.
Here’s the entire transcript of his press conference:
(On how it felt to score a diving touchdown into the endzone) Lynch: “It felt good man. But at the end of the day, I play to win.”
(On what his thoughts are on next week) Lynch: “I haven’t done anything fresh off of the couch. Your boy just wanted to get some legs. It was a great opportunity for that. A good defense. It was no shortage of a challenge out there.”
(On what was different about the offense in the second half when the ball was moving and points were being scored) Lynch: “I think we just settled down. I started to feel some legs come up underneath me. For the most part, I think everybody just settled down and started hitting their keys.”
Thanksgiving week is upon us, and in our fantasy football universe, that means the end of the regular season and the fantasy playoffs are nigh.
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Thanksgiving week is upon us, and in our fantasy football universe, that means the end of the regular season and the fantasy playoffs are nigh.
And with only one more weekend of play – and only two more waiver-claim periods – remaining in the majority of leagues before the postseason kicks off, it’s time to take stock of the fringe starters and streamers at each of the five main fantasy positions (quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and team defense) who are trending in the right directions while also owning favorable postseason slates, according to one of most useful and invaluable resources at your disposal as a Huddle member: the fantasy Strength of Schedule tool.
As a bonus, we’ll point out one potential starter at each of the five positions with a decidedly unfavorable fantasy postseason schedule to be very wary of. (Note: To correlate with the majority of leagues, we’re treating Weeks 14-16 as the fantasy postseason, and we’re utilizing non-point-per-reception Huddle Performance scoring).
QUARTERBACK
Ryan Tannehill (Titans)
Stat to know: Since taking over from Marcus Mariota as Tennessee’s starter in Week 7, Tannehill has been nothing less than fantasy’s third-best QB with 133.9 points and 13 total touchdowns, including three rushing, in five games through Sunday.
Fantasy postseason schedule: at Oakland, vs. Houston, vs. New Orleans. With the Titans owning the easiest fantasy postseason QB schedule, all three of Tennessee’s foes rank in the league’s top half in terms of most points surrendered to opposing quarterbacks, including the Raiders and Texans who are among the six most charitable.
Quick thought: Most were only expecting a slight improvement over Mariota, but Tannehill has gone above and beyond, topping 20 or more fantasy points with multiple TDs in all five of his starts and should be starting until further notice, regardless of matchup.
Baker Mayfield (Browns)
Stat to know: The Cleveland sophomore has passed for multiple TDs in each of his last three games after failing to do so even once in his first eight contests.
Fantasy postseason schedule: vs. Cincinnati, at Arizona, vs. Baltimore. The Ravens’ rapidly improved D will be tough in Week 16, but Mayfield can definitely extend his roll with tasty plus-matchups against the Bengals and Cards in Weeks 14 and 15.
Quick thought: Drafted as a QB1 following a strong second half of his rookie season, Mayfield likely was found on more waiver wires than starting lineups after tossing only seven TD passes and 12 interceptions over his first eight games, but it’s been a seven-to-one ratio since with a rushing TD thrown in. Ride the wave of redemption.
Jameis Winston (Buccaneers)
Stat to know: Winston has thrown for at least 300 yards and a TD in eight of his last nine games, including six straight.
Fantasy postseason schedule: vs. Indianapolis, at Detroit, vs. Houston. If Winston’s impressive numbers weren’t enough, the Bucs own the seventh most-favorable fantasy QB playoff itinerary with no minus-matchups.
Quick thought: Even with Winston continuing to pace the league in interceptions with 20 after tossing six over his last two outings, he’s more than making up for it with the help of two elite wide receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and hasn’t finished with fewer than 19.5 fantasy points in a game since Week 3.
QB to be wary of: Josh Allen (Bills) – Coming out of Sunday and his third straight 22.5-point-plus game, the second-year Allen ranks sixth among fantasy QBs in terms of total points, but the Bills have famously feasted on one of the league’s easiest schedules so far. However, looking forward, the Bills’ fantasy QB postseason slate ranks as the second-most unfavorable in the league with matchups against the Ravens, Steelers and Patriots awaiting.
RUNNING BACK
Phillip Lindsay (Broncos)
Stat to know: In the two games since the Broncos’ bye in Week 10, Lindsay has been instilled as the team’s clear lead back, logging 32 touches to Royce Freeman’s 13 and out snapping him 78-51.
Fantasy postseason schedule: at Houston, at Kansas City, vs. Detroit. With two very favorable matchups (K.C. and the Lions) and another green-light game (vs. the Texans), it projects as the easiest fantasy RB playoff itinerary in the league.
Quick thought: The Broncos’ offense, as a whole, is among the league’s worst but you can bank on Lindsay to keep running with fearlessness, and he’s gained at least 60 total yards in every game but one this season with five rushing scores.
Sony Michel (Patriots)
Stat to know: Michel has largely underwhelmed this season, but in each of the Pats’ 10 wins this season, he’s totaled at least 12 touches and/or scored a TD, averaging 10.04 fantasy points per contest.
Fantasy postseason schedule: vs. Kansas City, at Cincinnati, vs. Buffalo. The Patriots possess the third-friendliest fantasy playoff running back schedule with K.C. and Cincy both ranking among the five teams allowing the most RB fantasy points per game.
Quick thought: Even though Michel hasn’t scored a TD since Week 7, he remains the team’s clear lead back, accounting for 20 of the team’s 25 running-back rushes in Sunday’s win over Dallas. Similar to last postseason when he averaged a whopping 23.6 rushing attempts per game, the Pats could once again lean heavily on Michel down the stretch with Tom Brady and the passing game currently struggling.
Kareem Hunt (Browns)
Stat to know: Since debuting for Cleveland in Week 10 following the end of his eight-game suspension, Hunt only has 9.9 fewer PPR points than lead back Nick Chubb and ranks second on the team with 15 receptions over those three contests.
Fantasy postseason schedule: vs. Cincinnati, at Arizona, vs. Baltimore. The Browns have the seventh most-favorable fantasy RB playoff schedule.
Quick thought: Of course everyone is still going to be starting Chubb, but don’t overlook Hunt as a RB2/flex play, particularly in PPR leagues.
Running back to be wary of: Bo Scarbrough (Lions) – Scarbrough has rushed for 153 yards and a TD on 32 carries in two games since making his Detroit debut in Week 11,  but the Lions own fantasy’s second-toughest fantasy playoff RB slate with matchups against the Vikings, Bucs and Broncos – all of whom rank among the 13 teams surrendering the fewest fantasy points to opposing backs.
WIDE RECEIVER
D.J. Moore (Panthers)
Stat to know: Since Week 9, no player has been targeted more than Carolina’s Moore (45 in four games) and only Saints stud wideout Michael Thomas (31) has caught more passes than Moore’s 30 during that stretch.
Fantasy postseason schedule: at Atlanta, vs. Seattle, at Indianapolis. None of three matchups are daunting in the least, making for the ninth-easiest fantasy WR slate.
Quick thought: Moore is sixth among wideouts in both targets (103) and receptions (68) on the season and has emerged as a must-start WR2 – even with uneven QB Kyle Allen at the helm.
DeVante Parker (Dolphins)
Stat to know: Since Ryan Fitzpatrick was reinstated as Miami’s starting quarterback in Week 6, Parker has totaled the 11th-most fantasy points (PPR) among all wide receivers, reeling in 36-of-59 targets for 494 yards and three TDs.
Fantasy postseason schedule: at N.Y. Jets, at N.Y. Giants, vs. Cincinnati. This trio of opponents comprises the fourth-easiest fantasy wideout playoff schedule.
Quick thought: Parker has averaged 9.2 targets and 5.5 receptions with at least 11.9 PPR points over his last six games as the top target on a team that’s going to have to continue to pass early and often in an attempt to keep up with one of the league’s worst defenses.
Terry McLaurin (Redskins)
Stat to know: The talented rookie was tied for third among all wideouts Sunday with a season-high 12 targets, and his 638 receiving yards on the season are 393 more than any other Washington wide receiver or tight end.
Fantasy postseason schedule: at Green Bay, vs. Philadelphia, vs. N.Y. Giants. It’s the sixth easiest fantasy WR playoff slate, with the Week 15 and 16 matchups against the division-rival Eagles and Giants looking particularly promising.
Quick thought: Fellow rookie (and McLaurin’s Ohio State teammate) Dwayne Haskins is learning on the fly, and with Washington figuring to have to air it out frequently to try to keep up on the scoreboard, McLaurin looks to be a solid WR3/flex option.
Wide receiver to be wary of: Allen Robinson (Bears) – After catching only 11 passes for 107 yards and no TDs over the previous three weeks, Robinson came up big Sunday against the Giants, snaring six passes for a season-high 131 yards and a TD. It’s exactly what any team’s No. 1 wide receiver should do against one of the league’s worst secondaries, but the matchups for Robinson and struggling Chicago QB Mitch Trubisky will be infinitely tougher in the fantasy postseason with the Cowboys, Packers and Chiefs on the docket, making for the third-toughest fantasy wide receiver itinerary.
TIGHT END
Jacob Hollister (Seahawks)
Stat to know: In three games since Week 9, Hollister has caught 14-of-20 targets for 121 yards and three TDs, while averaging 14.7 PPR points per outing – the seventh-best average at the position.
Fantasy postseason schedule: at L.A. Rams, at Carolina, vs. Arizona. This projects to be the second-easiest playoff schedule for tight ends, and playing a TE against the Cardinals is a sure-fire winning fantasy strategy in any game, let alone in fantasy championship week.
Quick thought: Tight end is so thin that matchups don’t matter as much once you latch on to a reliable one, but they certainly can point you in the right direction if you’re deciding between similar options at the position in shallower leagues.
Kyle Rudolph/Irv Smith Jr. (Vikings)
Stat to know: Minnesota had a bye in Week 12, but in the five previous weeks (7 through 11), Rudolph and the rookie Smith both ranked among the top 12 tight ends in terms of total fantasy points (PPR), combining for 40 receptions (20 apiece) for 347 yards and six TDs (five for Rudolph) on 48 targets (24 each).
Fantasy postseason schedule: vs. Detroit, at L.A. Chargers, vs. Green Bay. It’s the sixth-easiest projected schedule for tight ends.
Quick thought: The Minnesota tight ends’ spike in production has coincided directly with the hamstring-injury absence of WR Adam Thielen, who could be returning in Week 13. It’s also coincided with a 4-1 run for the Vikings, who are now tied for the NFC North lead, and it’s worked so well that it’s hard to imagine Minnesota not keeping them involved in the offense.
Tight end to be wary of: Mike Gesicki (Dolphins) – The second-year Miami tight caught his first NFL TD pass Sunday and has posted a 16-169-1 combined stat line on 19 targets over his last four games. However, the third most unfavorable projected fantasy tight end schedule looms in the playoffs, so keep that in mind if you’re weighing Gesicki against similar options at the position.
TEAM DEFENSE
Houston Texans
Stat to know: Coming out of Sunday, the J.J. Watt/Jadeveon Clowney-less Texans rank 26th among fantasy defenses on the season and rank 28th with 23 sacks in 11 games.
Fantasy postseason schedule: vs. Denver, at Tennessee, at Tampa Bay
Quick thought: Unless you have one of the elite fantasy defenses (i.e. Patriots, 49ers and Steelers), it’s all about the matchups, and the Texans possess the second-most favorable fantasy postseason slate, which includes a game against the always-charitable Winston on championship weekend.
Baltimore Ravens
Stat to know: Entering Monday night’s game against the Rams, the Ravens had come away with two or more turnovers in five of their six previous games while allowing an average of 16 points during that stretch. Even more impressive, Baltimore had scored five defensive TDs over their last four games heading into Week 12.
Fantasy postseason schedule: at Buffalo, vs. N.Y. Jets, at Cleveland
Quick thought: The Week 15 home game against the Jets is the only extremely-favorable matchup during the stretch, but it’s not hard to imagine the Bills and Browns and their young QBs pressing and struggling to keep up with Lamar Jackson and the league’s hottest offense in the other two games.
Team D to be wary of: Chicago Bears – Chicago was fantasy’s defense to own in 2018, but as is the annual lesson that’s so tough to learn, one season’s gem is the next season’s most overdrafted and underwhelming fantasy defense as the Bears currently rank 19th overall at the position. And now looms a fantasy-playoff stretch with not one, not two but three negative matchups in the Cowboys, Packers and Chiefs? No, and thanks.
We pore over the rankings each week, size up the matchups and weigh the fantasy-point projections each week as we seek to set the best possible lineups.
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
We pore over the rankings each week, size up the matchups and weigh the fantasy-point projections each week as we seek to set the best possible lineups.
Most of the forecasts prove to be more or less spot on, but there are still the overachieving surprises and disappointing duds each week, and these are the unforeseen outliers that wind up deciding the majority of matchups.
We’ve been taking of note players on both sides of the spectrum, and here, in our opinion, are eight of the most over- and underrated fantasy performers – going position-by-position – of 2019.
QUARTERBACK
Overrated – In making his return from a second straight injury-shortened season, Philly’s Carson Wentz was a popular QB1 pick this summer, and his 28.1-point opening-week outing (313 yards, three touchdown passes) appeared to have provided instant validation. But, nine games later, that’s easily proven to be Wentz’s best showing of the season as he’s only topped 24 fantasy points twice since then and comes out of play Sunday ranked 20th at the position with an average of 20 fantasy points per outing. A banged-up wide receivers corps certainly hasn’t made his life any easier, but Wentz has finished with multiple TD passes or 17.5 fantasy points or more only once since Week 4, putting him squarely in QB2 streaming territory.
Underrated – The Buffalo Bills really haven’t had a prolific offense since the Jim Kelly-Thurman Thomas-Andre Reed heydays a quarter-century ago, and after entering Week 11 ranked 25th in the league in scoring with 19.3 points per contest, the 2019 Bills don’t appear to be breaking that mold. Meanwhile, in fantasy, though, second-year QB Josh Allen – who wasn’t among the top 20 quarterbacks drafted in the majority of fantasy leagues this summer – is putting up QB1 numbers. Following his best outing of the season Sunday (256 passing yards, three aerial TDs and 56 yards and a TD on the ground), Allen ranks 10th at the position with an average of 23.6 fantasy points per game. But while Sunday’s showing in South Beach was his first 30-point game of the season, he’s delivered steady fantasy production, finishing with 20 or more points in six of his previous eight contests, with a season “low” of 16.2 in a game he didn’t even finish due to a concussion.
RUNNING BACK
Overrated – It hardly sounds possible that the lead back, who’s averaging 15.1 touches per game, on the run-heaviest (53.2 percent) and second most productive rushing squad (149 yards per game) in the league could be underperforming, but yet we have Tevin Coleman of the 9-1 49ers. Coleman does rank 17th in standard leagues (11.5) in terms of running back fantasy points per contest, but consider that 38.8 percent (35.8) of his 92.3 points on the season came in one game – his 118 total-yard, four-TD performance in Week 8 – and he’s finished with 12.1 points or fewer in six of his other seven contests, including five single-digit outings. Since that monster Week 8, Coleman has consistently been ranked as a solid RB2 but only has delivered a total of 17 fantasy points over those three games, including a meager 77 rushing yards on 33 attempts. And with Matt Breida (when healthy), Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. (when Breida is out), and even fullback Kyle Juszczyk continuing to be regularly involved as well, Coleman is simply a flex flyer at best until we see otherwise.
Underrated – The Rams’ Todd Gurley has been assailed for his usage decrease (16.3 touches per game – down from 21.8 over the previous three seasons and 2.0 receptions per contest – down from 3.7 from 2016-18) in a Rams’ offense that has struggled through most of the season, but , coming out of Sunday, we found Gurley ranked 11th (standard) and 16th (PPR) at his position in terms of fantasy points per game. He’s also tied for sixth among RBs with eight total TDs, having found his way into the end zone in six of nine contests. On Sunday night, Gurley hit season highs in rushing attempts (25), touches (28), total yards (133) and fantasy points (19.3/22.3) in the Rams’ 17-7 win over the Bears, and, believe it or not, has now scored double-digit fantasy points in seven of nine contests this season. Perhaps coach Sean McVay and the playoff-seeking 6-4 Rams have been saving Gurley for the all-important stretch run after he wore down late last season, and if so, Sunday night just may have offered a tantalizing view of things to come.
WIDE RECEIVER
Overrated – Check the top three of the wide receiver rankings, regardless of format, each week and you’re sure to find the Falcons’ Julio Jones listed. But through 11 weeks and 10 games now, Jones has only finished as a top-three wideout once and a top-10 performer only three times. Overall on the season, Jones ranks 13th among wide receivers in standard scoring (11.2 points per game) and 10th in point-per-reception formats (17.1 points), and the main culprit has been Jones’ now-seven-game TD-catch drought after snaring four scoring passes in the first three contests of the season. Jones famously failed to catch a scoring pass in the first seven games of last season, and in his current seven-game scoreless skid, he’s failed to wind up on the receiving end of any of the team’s 12 TD passes since Week 3 while watching teammates such as TE Austin Hooper (four receiving TDs in that span), WR Calvin Ridley (three) and RB Devonta Freeman (three) prosper during that span. Now, you’re likely still starting Jones each week, but expecting week-in and week-out WR1 production – let alone elite WR1 production – is simply unrealistic, especially as long as his latest TD drought continues.
Underrated – Even prior to his monster outing Sunday (season-best 25.7 standard points on nine catches for 137 yards and two TDs), the Bills’ John Brown was plugging along as one of the most overlooked consistent week-to-week fantasy performers. Allen’s speedy top target has finished with at least four catches and 50 receiving yards in all 10 of his games this season, and the only other wideout who can say as much is none other than league receiving leader Michael Thomas of the Saints. That means Brown has finished with at least 9.5 PPR points in every contest and is a rock-solid WR2, ranking 15th at the position with an average of 16.2 PPR points per outing.
TIGHT END
Overrated – Overvalued prospects at fantasy’s thinnest position are few and far between, but Lions rookie T.J. Hockenson is among the closest to qualify. Big things have been expected since his monster 19.1/25.1-point explosion in Week 1. Hockenson caught six of nine targets for 131 yards and a TD that afternoon in Arizona, but he’s caught all of 20 passes for 218 yards and one TD on 37 targets in nine games since while scoring no more than 8.7/11.7 fantasy points in any one contest. And now with backup QB Jeff Driskel at the controls for the foreseeable future, Hockenson is nothing more than a deeper-league streaming dart-throw.
Underrated – Starting in Week 4, with their WRs corps depleted, the Eagles have been one of the league’s most heavy “12” personnel teams. Second-year tight end Dallas Goedert has played at least 58 percent of the offensive snaps in all seven of those contests and has caught 22-of-34 for 241 yards and four TDs, good for 46.1/68.1 fantasy points. During that same seven-game span fellow Philly TE Zach Ertz has totaled 55.1/93.1 fantasy points, but while Ertz is seen as a must-start TE1, Goedert is lucky to appear on the list of prospective streamers most weeks. Don’t be fooled any longer, and realize Philly fields a pair of start-worthy tight ends.
EXTRA POINTS
Injured Lions QB Matthew Stafford ranks sixth among QBs with an average of 25.9 points per outing, and right behind at No. 7 is replacement Driskel at 25.4, establishing him as a solid streamer after only two starts. However, Driskel is averaging 239 passing yards per game and 6.63 yards per attempt to Stafford’s 312.4 and 8.59 figures, respectively, and is averaging 7.4 rushing fantasy points per game to Stafford’s .8 mark – all of which lowers the weekly fantasy ceilings and floors of the Detroit pass catchers.
One wide receiver who continues to produce despite his team’s less-than-ideal QB play is the Broncos’ Courtland Sutton, who notched his second 100-yard outing of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. A high weekly floor is what stands out for the second-year wideout as Sutton has received at least seven targets in 100 games this season and has had 56 receiving yards in all but one contest. He’s a locked-in WR2.
Another young wide receiver on the rise is 49ers rookie Deebo Samuel who’s been targeted 21 times over the last two games and has reeled in 16 for 246 yards. With TE George Kittle missing both contests and WR Emmanuel Sanders being limited to a combined 60 snaps due to a rib cartilage injury, Samuel has garnered seven more targets, eight more receptions and had 166 more receiving yards than any other San Fran player during that stretch. Samuel suffered a shoulder injury in the second half Sunday but came back in to put the wraps on a season-best 134-yard outing on eight catches and should continue to be involved even with Kittle and Sanders get healthier.
Back to the Motor City, take note that Lions RB Bo Scarbrough – signed to the practice squad two weeks ago and activated for the first time Sunday to face the team (Cowboys) which drafted him in the seventh round last season – logged 14 of the team’s 19 RB rushing attempts and finished with a team-most 55 yards and a TD in the 35-27 loss. Every team’s lead back has a degree of value this late in the season, and it looks like Scarbrough just may have jumped into the driver’s seat for the Kerryon Johnson-less Lions.
Out of nowhere, we suddenly have to beware of the Falcons’ defense. In its last two games, facing the division-rival Panthers and Saints, the Atlanta “D” has registered 11 sacks and four interceptions while not allowing a TD pass in posting a pair of 17-point-plus road wins. During their 1-7 start, the Falcons were torched for 19 touchdown passes while totaling only seven sacks and two interceptions. That makes the Falcons’ D a must-start in Week 12 with Jameis Winston and the Bucs (league-high 18 interceptions thrown and fourth-most 36 sacks surrendered) visiting Atlanta this coming Sunday.
