X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Thanksgiving Thursday NFL Matchups Analysis: Start/Sit

Happy Thanksgiving Rotoballers! It's time for the Week 12 installment of Thursday night matchups with my start/sit recommendations. This week, we have a trio of games including Minnesota @ Detroit, Washington @ Dallas, and Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis.

Each week of the NFL season, we will be breaking down every game and providing you with some fantasy football advice and lineup recommendations based on matchups that we love, matchups that we hate, and injury information as well. Later this week, you will find parts one and two of our Week 12 NFL matchups, which should help you prepare your lineups to win this week. It’s essential to analyze the weekly NFL matchups to find lineup sleepers and gems, while also avoiding those players who may turn out to be busts.

New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

 

Vikings @ Lions - Thursday 11/24 @ 12:30 PM EST

Matchups We Love

Eric Ebron (TE, DET)

Over the past three weeks, Eric Ebron has emerged as a TE1 play in fantasy. After two straight seven reception performances, Ebron was held to only three catches last game. Luckily, one of those receptions went for 61 yards, and he later capped that drive off with a one yard rushing touchdown on a jet sweep play. Ebron’s size and athleticism make these types of plays possible for him. Over the past three games he is third on the team in targets with 23, but only one behind Theo Riddick (24) and two behind Golden Tate (25). The Vikings have allowed opposing TEs to score touchdowns in each of the past two weeks, and back in Week 9 Ebron torched this defense for 92 yards on seven receptions.

Theo Riddick (RB, DET)

As mentioned above, Riddick is seeing a ton of volume in the passing game of late with 24 targets over the past three weeks. His 56 targets total on the season place him fourth in the league among RBs. This week he faces a Vikings defense that on the whole has been stingy against RBs, yielding the 13th fewest fantasy points to the position. However, over the past four weeks RBs have been able to find some success against this team. Jordan Howard and David Johnson were both able to crack the 100-yard mark, with Robert Kelly coming within three yards. Riddick ran for 70 in Week 9, but on only 14 carries (5.0 YPC). The uptick in targets along with the Vikings defense showing some weaknesses make Riddick a strong play in Week 12.

Matchups We Hate

Golden Tate (WR, DET)

Heading into the bye week, Tate has made a huge turnaround in his season over the four games prior. In those games Tate saw 43 targets, hauling in 32 receptions for 379 yards and two scores. Coming out of the bye, Tate saw only four targets, his lowest total since Week 4. He only caught three passes for 27 yards against the Jaguars, and this week things will get much more difficult for all the Lions WRs. The Vikings defense has slipped a little of late, but they have still been one of the best teams in the league at covering opposing WRs. They have allowed the second fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs, making this a difficult matchup for Tate to rebound in unless his targets improve to pre-bye week levels.

Stefon Diggs (WR, MIN)

Stefon Diggs has been the WR1 for the Vikings all season long, but he will face an uphill battle this week against the Lions. Diggs is currently listed as questionable with a knee injury heading into the week, with head coach Mike Zimmer unsure if he will play. Even if he does, he should be benched this week since he would not be playing at 100%. In games this season where Diggs is on the injury report leading up to the game, (three games played, one missed due to injury) he averages 7.13 points in PPR leagues. When he is fully healthy he is a beast, averaging 20.78 points in PPR leagues when he is not listed on the injury report. Keep an eye on his status heading into the game, but I would sit Diggs until he is fully healthy.

UPDATE: Diggs is inactive for today, which should result in Adam Thielen getting a bump in targets and fantasy production. In PPR leagues, he is an especially interesting option for lineups. He's seen at least five targets in five of the past six weeks, a trend that should continue, and will be returning punts as well.

Notable Players

Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN)

Rudolph has seen his targets decrease since the change at offensive coordinator was made, averaging 4.6 per game compared to 7.7 per game under Norv Turner. In two of the past three games, he has been held to two catches or less with less than 15 yards. Fortunately for Rudolph owners, he has two TD in the past three games. In the one game he did have more than two catches, he hauled in five passes for 69 yards. With Diggs potentially out in this one, Rudolph could be in line for a bigger game, especially given the matchup. The Lions have given up the second most fantasy points to opposing TEs in the league this season.

 

Redskins @ Cowboys - Thursday 11/24 @ 4:30 PM EST

Matchups We Love

Pierre Garcon (WR, WAS)

Pierre Garcon was an afterthought in this offense when the year started, but now is a staple in this Redskins offense. Over the past three games, Garcon leads the team in targets with 24, one more than Jordan Reed and two more than Jamison Crowder. With defenses now forced to hone in on stopping Robert Kelley, QB Kirk Cousins has been able to spread the ball around the field effectively. Garcon has been a huge benefactor of this, with 18 receptions for 264 yards and a TD over his past three games. Over the past two weeks the Cowboys secondary has been eaten alive by Antonio Brown and Steve Smith Sr. Garcon should be a solid play this week, and a good option as a flex player moving forward.

Jason Witten (TE, DAL)

Jason Witten has been a consistent producer for rookie QB Dak Prescott all season long. Since the bye week Witten has seen 28 targets, with an average of seven per game. The Redskins defense gives up the ninth most fantasy points to opposing TEs on the season, but over the past three weeks they have been especially bad. They allowed an average stat line of seven receptions for 92 yards and a TD to the trio of Tyler Eifert, Kyle Rudolph, and Jared Cook. With another heavily utilized TE coming to town, Witten should be able to feast on Thanksgiving Day. He is a more capable TE in PPR formats, but he should be a playable option in all leagues this week.

Ezekiel Elliott (RB, DAL)

Elliott has been a one man wrecking crew all season long behind the best offensive line in football. He leads the league in rushing with 1,102 yards, while crushing every opponent who has tried to stop him. He has rushed for at least 92 yards in every game since Week 2. That was the first game Elliott faced the Skins; he rushed 21 times for 83 yards and a TD on the day. The Redskins have given up the ninth most fantasy points to the RB position this season, and with Elliott running as good as he is now, Washington’s run defense is in for a long day. He is among the elite fantasy options once again this week.

Matchups We Hate

Rob Kelley (RB, WAS)

After surpassing the fumble-prone Matt Jones, Robert Kelley has found a nice home in this pass-first offense. Over the past three games, he has rushed an average of 22 times for 107 yards with four TD (three last game alone). His success has helped open up the passing game for Cousins, and the offense is rolling right now. Those three games came against some pretty good run defenses (Packers, Vikings, Bengals), but the Cowboys have been even better this season. They have given up the third fewest rushing yards to RBs this season, and have given up the sixth fewest fantasy points to the position. If Dallas can get in and disrupt Kelley, it might be a tough one for the entire offense.

Notable Players

Jamison Crowder (WR, WAS)

Crowder has been a surprisingly huge fantasy asset all season long. Although he is third on the team in targets behind Reed and Garcon, he has been able to make the most of his opportunities. Last week he saw only three targets, but caught all three for 102 yards and a TD. He nearly had another score, but was brought down on the goal line after a 53-yard gain. If he continues getting only 3-to-4 targets the odds of him doing this well again are slim, but if anyone is capable of a repeat performance like this one, it's Crowder.

Dez Bryant (WR, DAL)

In the four games since Bryant returned to the Cowboys, he has had three spectacular games and one ugly outlier. The dud game was a one-catch, 19 yard performance. In the other three games, Dez has combined for 16 catches for 309 yards and four TD. That averages out to five receptions for 103 yards and a TD per game, putting him in the fantasy WR1 conversation even without Tony Romo throwing him the ball. It has been reported that Josh Norman won’t shadow Dez, but that doesn’t mean he won’t see a healthy amount of him this week. If you own Bryant you are 100% starting him; the budding chemistry between he and Dak Prescott is flourishing too well to bench him.

 

Steelers @ Colts - Thursday 11/24 @ 8:30 PM EST

Matchups We Love

Frank Gore (RB, IND)

With starting QB Andrew Luck looking like he will be out this week, expect a heavier dose of Frank Gore than normal this week against the Steelers. Though Luck being out hurts the entire offense, it doesn’t mean Gore can’t have an effective day. This Steelers defense will be more likely to stack the box with Scott Tolzien at the helm, giving Gore increased touches against a stacked defense. However, the Steelers have not been good at defending the run this season; they have given up the third most fantasy points to opposing RBs in the league. If this game ends in a blowout, Gore could end the day with a few dump-off catches under his belt also.

Antonio Brown (WR, PIT)

Though the home/road splits of Ben Roethlisberger are severe and well documented, the same does not apply to Antonio Brown. He is in the midst of another stellar season, and over the past four weeks he has been a huge difference maker.  Over the past four games (two home, two away), Brown is averaging nine receptions on 13 targets for 105 yards. He has two TD in those four games. As long as Big Ben is healthy Brown is going to be heavily targeted and highly productive in the Steelers strike first, ask questions later offense.

Matchups We Hate

Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT)

As mentioned above, Roethlisberger just isn’t the same QB on the road. His splits historically support this claim, and you can see the difference over the past two weeks. Two weeks ago at home against a solid Cowboys defense, Ben completed 37-of-46 passes (80.4%) for 408 yards and three TD. Last week against the Browns in Cleveland, he completed 23-of-36 passes (63.9%) for 167 yards with zero TD. This matchup on paper looks good for Roethlisberger, but the fact that it is in Indianapolis should worry owners a bit.

Notable Players

Le’Veon Bell (RB, PIT)

After failing to find the end zone in his first five games this season, Bell has been able to find pay dirt each of the past two weeks. Last week he posted his highest yardage total of the season, rushing 28 times for 146 yards and a score, along with eight receptions for 55 yards. Bell has yet to have a game with less than five receptions, making him that much more valuable in PPR leagues. In a game where the Steelers are projected to win with the Colts not having Andrew Luck available, we will see a heavy dose of Bell again this week.

T.Y. Hilton (WR, IND)

Hilton and the other Colts WRs were already going to have a tough enough time as it is with this Steelers secondary, now they will have to try to be effective without their signal caller Andrew Luck. Luck is likely going to miss this game, meaning Scott Tolzien will be in for the Colts. Tolzien hasn’t started since 2013, when he came in for an injured Aaron Rodgers. Tolzien will limit the entire offense, hindering the production of Hilton and Donte Moncrief. The Steelers have given up the fourth fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs this season as it is, making it extremely difficult to trust any Colts player in this matchup outside of Gore.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jakob Poeltl17 mins ago

Will Remain Sidelined On Monday
RJ Barrett36 mins ago

Tagged As Questionable Versus Knicks
Kevin Love46 mins ago

Available Against Nets
Bogdan Bogdanovic49 mins ago

Uncertain To Face Minnesota
Nikola Jovic52 mins ago

Available Monday Against Nets
Trae Young54 mins ago

Questionable On Monday Night
Andrew McCutchen55 mins ago

Re-Signs With Pirates
Jimmy Butler1 hour ago

Tagged As Questionable Against Nets
John Collins1 hour ago

Doubtful Against Cleveland
Walker Buehler1 hour ago

Red Sox Agree On One-Year Deal
Tank Dell1 hour ago

Tears ACL, Out For Remainder Of Season
Ricky Council IV1 hour ago

Tagged As Questionable On Monday
Keyonte George1 hour ago

Unlikely To Play Against The Cavs
Tyrese Maxey1 hour ago

Appears On Injury Report, Considered Probable
Brandon Miller1 hour ago

Out Versus Houston
Paolo Banchero2 hours ago

Making More Progress
Jalen Suggs2 hours ago

Questionable On Monday
Garrett Wilson3 hours ago

Wants To Be More Involved
Tyrone Tracy Jr.3 hours ago

Aggravates Ankle Injury In Week 16
Josh Allen3 hours ago

Says His Arm Is Fine
De'Von Achane5 hours ago

Dominant In Week 16 Victory
Sean Manaea7 hours ago

Returns To Mets On Three-Year Deal
Joc Pederson7 hours ago

Agrees To Contract With Texas
Aliaksei Protas7 hours ago

Scores Twice On Sunday
Clayton Keller7 hours ago

Tallies Four Points On Sunday
Linus Ullmark8 hours ago

Leaves Sunday's Game With Upper-Body Injury
Zach Hyman8 hours ago

Extends Goal Streak To Six Games
Mikko Rantanen8 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers, Extends Point Streak To Nine Games
Kaapo Kakko8 hours ago

Scores First Goal With Seattle
Drake Maye13 hours ago

Shows Flashes In Two-Touchdown Effort
CeeDee Lamb14 hours ago

Eclipses Triple-Digit Yardage Sunday
Jalen McMillan14 hours ago

Extends Touchdown Streak Against Cowboys
George Kittle15 hours ago

Goes Over 100 Receiving Yards In Week 16
Deebo Samuel Sr.16 hours ago

Busts Out Of Funk In Loss To Dolphins
Justin Jefferson16 hours ago

Torches Seahawks Secondary In Victory
James Cook16 hours ago

Scores Twice In Week 16
Brian Thomas Jr.17 hours ago

Dominant Once Again In Week 16
Keenan Allen17 hours ago

Finds The End Zone, Erupts For 141 Receiving Yards Week 16
Brock Bowers17 hours ago

Rebounds With Another Huge Day
Caleb Williams17 hours ago

Throws For 334 Yards In Loss To Lions
David Njoku18 hours ago

Goes For Eight Catches, 66 Yards In Week 16 Loss
Jerome Ford18 hours ago

Runs For 92 Yards, TD In Week 16
Jaxon Smith-Njigba19 hours ago

With Monster Day In Week 16
Nathaniel Lowe19 hours ago

Traded To Washington
Kyren Williams20 hours ago

Posts Another Big Line In Rams' Road Win
Kenneth Walker III20 hours ago

Unlikely To Return On Sunday
Linus Ullmark21 hours ago

Red-Hot Ahead Of Meeting With Oilers
Pyotr Kochetkov21 hours ago

Achieves Rare Feat In Sunday's Win
Sebastian Aho21 hours ago

Scores Third Goal In Four Games
Michael Amadio22 hours ago

In Concussion Protocol
Mackenzie Blackwood22 hours ago

Takes On Kraken Sunday
Matt Rempe22 hours ago

Slapped With Eight-Game Suspension
Joel Embiid23 hours ago

To Return On Monday
Trey Lyles23 hours ago

Available On Sunday
Keegan Murray23 hours ago

Available On Sunday
Domantas Sabonis23 hours ago

Uncertain For Sunday
Moritz Wagner23 hours ago

Suffers ACL Tear
Jesús Luzardo1 day ago

Phillies Acquire Jesus Luzardo From Miami
Mark Stone1 day ago

Tallies Three Points In Saturday's Victory
Patrik Laine1 day ago

Extends Goal Streak To Three Games
Nico Hischier1 day ago

Busy In Saturday's Victory
Connor Hellebuyck1 day ago

Posts Fourth Shutout Of The Season
Quinn Hughes1 day ago

Posts Three-Point Game In Saturday's Loss
Bo Horvat1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Two Helpers In Victory
Moritz Wagner2 days ago

Won't Return On Saturday
Dalano Banton2 days ago

Won't Play On Saturday
Alex Bregman2 days ago

Mets Showing Interest In Alex Bregman
Carlos Santana2 days ago

Inks One-Year Contract With Cleveland
Josh Naylor2 days ago

Traded To Arizona
Ilya Samsonov2 days ago

Starts Versus Kraken Saturday
Leevi Merilainen2 days ago

Starts For Senators Saturday
Cam York2 days ago

Re-Enters Flyers Lineup Saturday
Paul Goldschmidt2 days ago

Agrees With Yankees On One-Year Deal
Chicago Cubs3 days ago

Roki Sasaki Meets With Cubs
Christian Walker3 days ago

Agrees To Three-Year Deal With Astros
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.3 days ago

Extension Remains In Play For Toronto
New York Mets4 days ago

Roki Sasaki Meets With Mets On Thursday
Max Kepler4 days ago

Phillies Sign Max Kepler To One-Year Deal
Marcus Semien4 days ago

Rangers Could Look To Rest Marcus Semien More
Jesús Luzardo4 days ago

Cubs Trade Talks For Jesus Luzardo Are "Dead"
Josh Naylor4 days ago

Mentioned In Trade Talks With Mariners
Nolan Arenado5 days ago

Blocks Trade To Astros
Devin Williams5 days ago

Yankees Name Devin Williams As The Closer
Cody Bellinger6 days ago

Traded To The Yankees

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

Video: MUST ADD Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 17! Fantasy Football 2024

Our top 2024 fantasy football Week 17 waiver wire pickups for RB, WR, TE, and QB. This week's must-add fantasy football free agents -- potential waiver wire winners heading into Week 17 for running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and quarterbacks. Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) - every […]


Christian Watson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Saints vs. Packers MNF Showdown (Week 16)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have an NFC showdown tonight as Spencer Rattler and the banged-up New Orleans Saints (5-9) head to Lambeau to take on Jordan Love and the Packers (10-4). The Packers are poised to solidify themselves as the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs, while the Saints hope to make it through the […]


Anthony Richardson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Top Week 17 Quarterback Pickups - Best Fantasy QB Adds, Streamers Include Anthony Richardson, Bo Nix, Bryce Young, more

Fantasy managers who rode Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen throughout the season and into the playoffs were certainly disappointed by their production in Week 16. Many managers were likely knocked out of the playoffs thanks to their underwhelming fantasy performances due to injuries and ineffectiveness. Still, some awesome quarterback performances could have swung fantasy matchups. […]


Jonathan Taylor - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Top 10 Running Back Studs - Best Fantasy Football RB Performances Including Jonathan Taylor, Chuba Hubbard, De'Von Achane, And More

Week 16 felt like a whirlwind. It featured enormous performances for both wideouts and running backs. This slate of NFL action has brandished the second-most touchdowns of the season -- one shy of matching the highest total of 2024 (Week 8). Just in time for the fantasy semi-finals. If you're still kicking, then kudos. Getting […]


Dalton Schultz - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Tight Ends Fantasy Football Waiver Wire - Week 17 TE Pickups Including Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Chig Okonkwo, Brenton Strange and More!

This is championship week, people! So, if you are reading this, congratulations of sorts are in order. It all comes down to this in the majority of fantasy football leagues around the country and around the world. You drafted well, you picked up the right guys on the waiver wire, and you made all the […]


Kareem Hunt - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings (2024) - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Kareem Hunt, Tyjae Spears, Patrick Taylor Jr., Jalen McMillan, Dalton Schultz

Fantasy championship week is finally here, the moment fantasy managers have grinded all season to get to. At RotoBaller HQ, we have worked hard all season to help you prepare for this week, and we are back with our Week 17 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2024 to help secure a fantasy championship. Use […]


Drew Lock - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

10 Worst QB Performances From Week 16, Including Drew Lock and Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Week 16 brought a mixed bag of quarterback performances. The Saturday games were excellent, but Sunday brought puzzling quarterback play. Particularly, Drew Lock and Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggled mightily in Week 16. Many quarterbacks are playing for their 2025 roster spots and starting jobs right now. Some of the guys on this list are not doing […]


Tyjae Spears - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Running Back Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 17: Kendre Miller, Tyjae Spears, Trey Benson, Michael Carter, Audric Estime

Congratulations to those of you who are constructing rosters in Week 17. You have maintained your highest level of flexibility while navigating through injuries, bye weeks, production-inhibiting coaching decisions, and other unwanted developments that emerged during the season. Now your diligence has placed you at the threshold of capturing your league's championship. Winning your league […]


Calvin Austin - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Top Fantasy Football WR Adds for Week 17 Include Hollywood Brown, Wan'Dale Robinson, Calvin Austin III, Olamide Zaccheaus

This is it. Unless you're in some weird league that plays in Week 18, this upcoming week is the finals for your fantasy league. If you're still alive, it's you against one other person for the fantasy championship. With this week being the final chance for you, we're narrowing the focus of our wide receiver […]


Patrick Taylor Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, NFL Injury News

Biggest Fantasy Football Busts Of The Week - Fantasy Outlooks For Najee Harris, Brian Robinson Jr., Cooper Kupp, Khalil Shakir, Trey McBride, more

The 16th Sunday of the 2024 NFL season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your matchup went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers. Part of that stress was caused by a group of players who drastically underachieved […]


Tyjae Spears - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Unexpected Boom Performances: Fantasy Football Risers Include Gus Edwards, Olamide Zaccheaus, Tyjae Spears, Chig Okonkwo, Kayshon Boutte

With fantasy football leagues now into their postseasons, Week 16 gave us a lot of stunning performances. One such outing came from rookie sensation Jayden Daniels. The Washington quarterback passed for 258 yards and five touchdowns, and he added 81 more yards on the ground to spur the Commanders to victory. Vikings superstar wideout Justin […]


Jalen Hurts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Sunday Injury Report: Updates for Jalen Hurts, Kenneth Walker III, James Conner, And More

All told the Week 16 injury report was fairly light. This was good to see as you never want a playoff matchup to be decided because of injuries. We did have several players leave games early, but luckily for fantasy owners, most posted respectable games before leaving. Unfortunately, one star quarterback was injured and let […]


Josh Jacobs - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Monday Night Football Props for Week 16

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for the Week 16 Monday Night Football slate! The 2024 NFL season is moving into the winter months, and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners at PrizePicks offer some of […]