RADIO
With another Tuesday contest in Week 13, we are in uncharted territory when it comes to the fantasy playoffs. Waivers and transactions are pushed back a day, games get slid around the schedule, and obviously, players keep getting sidelined due to positive tests. While one stud may finally return to fantasy lineups next week, others remain out or could be absent at any moment.
Take Lamar Jackson as an example. (With Jackson playing late Tuesday, this article does not reflect what may have happened in his Week 13 game.) Jackson's season hasn't gone according to plan. He is statistically not even a stud fantasy quarterback any longer, but managers rely on him. In Week 12, as Baltimore's game kept getting pushed back, we didn't find out until late in the process that Jackson was one of the players set to miss the game. He then remained on the COVID protocol list as Sunday games were played this week, meaning managers had to make a choice: wait on him or get a guaranteed game out of a lesser option. It is a tricky thing to maneuver, particularly this time of year.
Fantasy leagues are either already in the midst of the playoffs or one week away from setting the postseason field. These are the games that matter most. That means getting dud performances out of stud players now hurts most of all. Here are Week 13's studs turned duds.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
The Titans got throttled early in Week 13. They were behind huge, yet that didn't stop Henry from seeing 16 touches, 15 of which came on the ground. And yet, little production followed. Thanks to a fumble, this was Henry's worst fantasy game of the season. It wasn't like Cleveland stuffed the box either. According to Next Gen Stats, Henry faced eight-plus defenders in the box 40 percent of his carries. That's a high figure but nothing close to the top of the leaderboard from this past week.
It is hard for fantasy managers to be angry with Henry for too long considering how good he's been against a tough slate of recent defenses. He also faces an incredibly easy strength of schedule the rest of the way. This was a bad one, but the rest is all good news for Henry and managers alike.
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
The New York Giants are a really good defensive football team all of a sudden. But that doesn't prevent disappointment from seeping in regarding the play of Wilson and the Seahawks these past few weeks. This game was the third time in four weeks Wilson failed to top even 16 fantasy points. He was the 19th-ranked quarterback each of those three games after being worse than 12th only once previously. Even that was a 22-point performance that saw him finish 14th at the position. In other words, this has been a terrible stretch. With two of the next three games coming against good defenses, more struggles could be in store, but Wilson at least faces the Jets in Week 14.
DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Just because Wilson has been struggling doesn't mean both of his top options will fail to generate points as well. Metcalf was excellent in Week 12; Lockett was great in Week 11. Unfortunately, neither showed out against New York. Lockett led the way with six catches, but neither man topped 80 yards from scrimmage. The Giants have found a pass rush that didn't exist last season. They also added important pieces to create a very good secondary. That doesn't completely explain shutting down two of the best receivers in the game, but it is likely the main factor. In fact, this was just the second time all year that both men were held to disappointing days at the same time. The other being Week 10 against the Rams.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Allen had been quietly excellent all season to this point. Everything went wrong against New England though. Allen finished with five catches for 48 yards and his worst game since Week 1. Even still, after this dud, Allen still ranks as the number four wide receiver in PPR, trailing only Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, and Metcalf. That is thanks to a league-leading (tie) 90 receptions. He had also scored a touchdown in five straight games prior. Allen should be back to a bulk of the targets and scoring opportunities next week.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team
Like Allen, McLaurin had been quietly excellent. Also like Allen, this was a bad time for the star wideout's worst game of the season. McLaurin collected only two catches for 14 yards against Pittsburgh. The Steelers were giving him a good amount of cushion on the day, which led to him struggling to find separation deep. It is no black mark to struggle against the elite Pittsburgh defense. Washington managed to come away with the victory anyway, likely thanks to McLaurin's gravity. But that is small consolation for managers who were counting on his actual production.
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