Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

So after the first 12 weeks of the fantasy football season have passed, we have a much clearer picture of the playoffs and which teams will make the cut. Due to the extra game being added to the NFL season starting this year (2021), most leagues will continue the regular season until the conclusion of Week 14 - which allows for only two more weeks of games to impact the playoff standings. This week, your hosts Dave & Jason will discuss key injuries and fill-ins as well as playoff picks with upside to roster and start over the final games of the season. Championship or bust, right? Your work starts here. Study up!

This video/podcast will go live at 9pm CT on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 - it will also be available on all major podcast channels and remain available on YouTube for later review and comments. Join us live and add your comments/questions to the show!

This video features the songs and artists listed below, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license:
- Various original music by David Biggs

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Week 13 injuries were mostly minor or to bench and depth players, so it looks like most teams should remain at their current strength going into the playoffs. Good luck this week and make sure to check out our waiver pickups going into the playoffs.

Matt Schaub stayed in the game week 13, but suffered a shoulder injury and stayed in the game in the fourth quarter. Tuesday, Coach Harbaugh reiterated the fact that Schaub is the starter. Expect Schaub to start this week against the Seahawks and have basically zero fantasy relevance.

Matt Hasselbeck described his injury as his head getting compressed into his neck. Ouch. He was iffy yesterday, but Coach Pagano said he expects Hasselbeck to be on the practice field Wednesday. If he doesn't go, look for Charlie Whitehurst to start. Either way, both guys will only have slightly more value than Matt Schaub.

LeSean McCoy left the game in week 13 and returned later on in the game. I fully expect him to keep rolling next week. McCoy has had at least 100 yards from scrimmage in the last six games, and this week he gets to face off against his old team with all systems go.

Travis Benjamin exited the game early this week with only two targets and no receptions. It sounds like he'll be back next week and though he is rather volatile, his high upside makes him worth a start against the 49ers.

C.J. Anderson exited the game in the second quarter and it's reported that his ankle was still very sore on Monday. Anderson has been in a troublesome timeshare with Ronnie Hillman this year, so if he's out, Hillman does get a decent bump in the rankings.

Dontrelle Inman left the game on a stretcher and is reported to be day-to-day. It's nice that most of the guys who have left the field in that fashion this year haven't had anything major happen to them. Inman's status for week 14 is pretty up in the air, and the matchup against the Chiefs isn't a good one anyways.

Crockett Gillmore left in the first quarter with a back injury. We won't know more about him until Wednesday, but Baltimore's TE group is comically thin right now, so they really need him if he can go.

Martellus Bennett was placed on the IR on Tuesday with some rib problems that clearly won't heal up this year. Zach Miller is going to fill the role and will be a streaming option through the rest of the season.