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Welcome back to the Rookie Report! Week 8 brought us the coming-out party for David Montgomery, touchdowns for Miles Sanders & Devin Singletary, multiple touchdowns for DK Metcalf and Darius Slayton, and another sparkling Gardner Minshew performance. Week 9 has already brought us the benching of Andy Dalton for rookie Ryan Finley and the games haven’t even started yet. Finley may be worth a speculative add in 2QB leagues despite the Bengals being on a bye in week 9. I expect him to be more of a game manager type in the same vein as Dalton, but he will have some weapons to work with. Dalton was the QB18 on the year and hasn’t had AJ Green on the field for a single snap. Green is expected to return after the bye. We’re approaching the home stretch of the fantasy regular season and hitting some of the biggest bye weeks of the year. Hopefully, you’ve got the depth to withstand the byes, but if not, there are certainly some rookies who might help you survive. Let’s dive into the week 9 outlook.

Rookies to Start:

RB Josh Jacobs, OAK (Wk. 9: vs. Det.): Jacobs had his lowest rushing yardage total since Week 3 and failed to find the end zone last Sunday, but he still posted a passable week with 10.1 PPR points. It’s certainly not the kind of output you hope for from him, but if he’s going to finish as the RB28 when he has a bad game, I’d be more than comfortable firing him up as an RB2 every week. Jacobs gets a favorable matchup against the Lions this week. Detroit has allowed the 3^rd-most RB points per game on the year and ranks 19^th in Football Outsiders’ run defense DVOA stat which measures defensive efficiency. They’ve given up a league-worst 62 receiving yards per game to opposing backs, and while Jacobs hasn’t been Oakland’s primary receiving back, he does have multiple catches in 3 straight games. Jacobs should be in your lineups if you have him.

WR DK Metcalf, SEA (Wk. 9: vs. TB): Now that Metcalf has finally broken through and had his first top-24 week of the season, he gets a chance to duplicate the feat in about the best possible matchup. The Bucs are what we call a pass funnel defense. They rank 1^st in the league in run defense DVOA, but 26^th in pass defense DVOA. Seattle will undoubtedly be looking to establish the run in a game where they’re a touchdown favorite, but this secondary is too porous to not go after. The Bucs allow the 5^th-most WR points per game and have given up 9 receiving TDs to opposing receivers through 7 games. Metcalf has been Russ’s favorite weapon in close with 11 red zone targets. I like his chances at 50+ yards and a score this week.

Borderline Rookies:

QB Gardner Minshew, JAX (Wk. 9: vs. Hou. (London)): Gardner Minshew continues to make it harder for the Jaguars to go back to Nick Foles whenever he is ready to return. Minshew posted his best fantasy game of the year last week, finishing as the QB5, and gets another favorable matchup in London Sunday morning. Gardner had a passable fantasy day when these teams met in week 2, finishing as the QB15, but the Texans’ pass defense has been trending in the wrong direction since then, and they lost JJ Watt for the year. They’ve given up at least 270 passing yards and 3 TDs through the air in 4 straight games, a stretch that included matchups with Jacoby Brissett and Derek Carr. I wouldn’t just assume Minshew will match that kind of day, but he’s more of a borderline QB1 this week than just the usual solid QB2 play that he typically is. The Texans allow the 6^th-most QB points per game and rank 23^rd in pass defense DVOA.

QB Daniel Jones, NYG (Wk. 9: vs. Dal.): With Jared Goff, Matt Ryan, and Drew Brees all on byes this week, and Brandon Allen and Dwayne Haskins likely to make starts, Jones has to at least be in consideration as a QB2. He posted his best passing day of the year in Detroit last week and finished as the QB1 for the week. The matchup this week is much tougher with Dallas coming to town. The Cowboys have allowed the 4^th-fewest QB points per game, but they have been notably worse on the road, allowing 16+ points to Case Keenum and Sam Darnold in 2 of their 3 road games this year. That’s obviously a small sample and hard to bank on, but Jones is starting to make some strides as his offensive weapons get healthy, and I like his chances of finishing this week as a mid-range QB2 or better. Dallas ranks just a middling 17^th in pass defense DVOA.

RB Miles Sanders, PHI (Wk. 9: vs. Chi.): Sanders has been doing an incredible job of making the most of a less than ideal situation. He’s had to deal with being used as a second fiddle to Jordan Howard in the running game, but in the last 3 weeks, he’s turned 21 touches into 242 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 RB9 finishes. Those top-10 weeks were sandwiched around an RB36 finish in week 7. It appears that the Eagles are figuring out how to best deploy Sanders to maximize his game-breaking ability, but the lack of consistent touches is going to give him a low floor in weeks where he doesn’t cash in a big play. The matchup with the Bears this week is actually better than you might think. Chicago is allowing the 8^th-most running back points per game, and they’ve struggled to slow down pass-catching backs. They’ve allowed the 4^th-most receptions and 6^th-most receiving yards per game to the position. The volume is suspect, but this is a decent spot to use Sanders in your flex and hope his strong performances continue.

RB David Montgomery, CHI (Wk. 9: @Phi.): The difference in Montgomery’s output in week 7 and his output in week 8 is staggering. It really makes you wonder what Matt Nagy was thinking against New Orleans when he only ran Monty 3 times. The ISU product was a revelation in week 8, piling up over 130 rushing yards and a touchdown against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. In week 9 he’ll face one of the best. The Bears would be wise to continue to feed him the ball given how poorly Mitch Trubisky has played, but success has been hard to come by for running backs against the Eagles. Philly has allowed 5 backs all year to finish as the PPR RB17 or better (only 1 higher than RB15), and every single one of them tallied more than 9 and a half points as a receiver. Monty’s best receiving output of the year was the 5.2 PPR points he put up last Sunday (4 catches for 12 yards). The Eagles rank 6^th in run defense DVOA. Volume alone should keep Monty in consideration this week as an RB2/flex option, but this could be another one of those weeks where you’re cursing his name afterward.

RB Devin Singletary, BUF (Wk. 9: vs. Was.): The final numbers from week 8 are extremely promising for Singletary. He found the end zone for the second time this year and finished as the PPR RB17 despite handling just 7 touches, and more importantly played 68% of the Bills’ offensive snaps while Frank Gore handled just 29%. I’d like to take a moment to tell people with Singletary on their rosters not to get ahead of themselves just yet. Singletary saw just one offensive touch before the Eagles had opened up a two-score lead in the early second half. Frank Gore is still going to be the lead back in this offense when the Bills play from ahead, and they should do that this week as a 9.5-point favorite against Washington. There should still be a good amount of work for Singletary in a pretty favorable matchup, but don’t expect him to play two-thirds of the snaps again this week unless the Bills are playing from behind. Washington allows the 10^th-most RB points per game and ranks 18^th in run defense DVOA. Singletary is an upside flex play this week.

WR Marquise Brown, BAL (Wk. 9: vs. NE): Brown is expected to return this week, and the Ravens have had the bye week to try and come up with a plan to attack the Patriots’ defense. The Pats have been performing at a historic level, but the Ravens’ offense is something different than what they’ve faced this year. Hollywood’s production had dipped a bit prior to his hamstring injury, as he totaled just 9-93-1 on 21 targets in the previous 3 games he’s played, but I’d look for the Ravens to try and get him involved early in this one. New England allows the fewest WR points per game, so this is a dicey spot to get Brown back in your lineups, but he’s an intriguing contrarian play in DFS lineups at just $4,800 on DraftKings. You also are going to be hard pressed to find a player with more upside than Brown if you need a bye week fill-in this week in deeper leagues.

WR Diontae Johnson, PIT (WK. 9: vs. Ind.): With Mason Rudolph at QB, Johnson has ascended to the clear WR2 in the Pittsburgh offense. He’s got almost as many targets from Rudolph as JuJu does, and in the 3 games that Rudolph has started and finished, Johnson has totaled 14-211-3 on 19 targets. The Colts have been worse against the run than the pass, but they’ve been no more than a middling defense against wide receivers. With both James Conner and Benny Snell unlikely to play, the Steelers may be throwing a bit more than usual in this one. Johnson should be right on the cusp of being a WR3 option this week.

Rookies to Sit:

QB Kyler Murray, ARI (Wk. 9: vs. SF): Murray is coming off his two worst fantasy games of the season, and this week runs into an absolute buzzsaw on a short week. The 49ers defense has been playing at an insane level of late. Since their week 4 bye, they haven’t allowed a single passing touchdown or QB rushing yard and have limited their last 4 opponents to 412 passing yards total. It’s true they haven’t faced a real running QB yet this season, so Murray could test them in some ways they haven’t been tested yet, but there’s no way I would trust Murray in fantasy lineups this week.

QB Dwayne Haskins, WAS (Wk. 9: @Buf.): It looks as though Haskins is likely to make his first career start this week if Case Keenum can’t get out of the concussion protocol, but this is a brutal spot to get an opportunity. The Bills allow the 5^th-fewest QB points per game and haven’t allowed any passer to throw for multiple touchdowns against them yet. Nothing we’ve seen from Haskins suggests he’ll be the first guy to do it. Washington looked afraid to throw the football in the second half last Thursday with Haskins in, as he attempted just 5 passes in the second half despite the team trailing for the entire half. I’d be surprised if Haskins throws the ball more than 20 times, and even more surprised if he does anything productive with those throws.

RB Alexander Mattison, MIN (Wk. 9: @KC): Mattison did what I expected him to do last week and thrived in a game the Vikings won easily. Earlier this year you would not have pegged this game at Arrowhead as one the Vikings were likely to win easily, but with Matt Moore at QB it’s a very real possibility. The Chiefs have struggled against opposing backs, allowing the 4^th-most fantasy points per game to the position and ranking 30^th in run defense DVOA. All of this adds up to Mattison having some sleeper appeal, but I would struggle to pull the trigger on that this week. The Chiefs have played better than I would’ve expected with Moore at QB, and Mattison needs the team to be up comfortably to get significant touches. With a price tag of $5,000 on DraftKings, he’s a little too expensive to be a sneaky option in GPP tournaments for me.

RB Benny Snell, PIT (Wk. 9: vs. Ind.): Snell exited Monday night’s game with a knee injury and seems to be at best very questionable for Sunday’s tilt with the Colts. James Conner was hurt as well, but early reports make it sound like Conner has a better chance of suiting up this week than Snell. The guy who should pick up the slack is Jaylen Samuels, who will serve as the lead back if Conner is unable to go. There is some upside here with the Colts ranking 29^th in run defense DVOA, so Snell has some minor sleeper appeal if he plays and Conner doesn’t, but he would still be the change of pace back to Samuels in that case. He’s probably best left on the bench this week even if he does play.

WR Terry McLaurin, WAS (Wk. 9: @Buf.): Some of you might not have the luxury of being able to sit McLaurin and as Washington’s WR1 there is still at least a little upside here, but I list him in the ‘Rookies to Sit’ section to drive home just how unfavorable this spot is for him. If Haskins starts it’ll be hard to justify starting McLaurin. The Bills allow the 5^th-fewest WR points per game and the total passing volume for Washington would be limited. The Bills haven’t allowed a receiver touchdown this season and have only allowed 3 receivers all year to average 15 yards per catch or more: Josh Gordon (3-46), Allen Hurns (3-53) and Alshon Jeffery (4-64). If McLaurin has a limited number of targets, it’s going to be hard to put up big yards or TDs in this one. If Keenum plays, McLaurin becomes more of a low-ceiling borderline play, but this could be a tough week for the F1.

WR AJ Brown, TEN (Wk. 9: @Car.): Ryan Tannehill reminded us last week that he’s still Ryan Tannehill and made any of us who believed in the offensive resurgence the Titans showed in week 7 look like fools. Brown salvaged his fantasy day with a touchdown, but 3 targets isn’t the kind of volume that fantasy winners thrive on. The Panthers have been a better pass defense than you might realize, ranking 3^rd in the league in pass defense DVOA. Look for the Titans to focus on the ground game for much of this one, making Brown more of a TD dart throw again this week.

WR Deebo Samuel, SF (Wk. 9: @Ari.): The 49ers have been scheming the ball into Deebo’s hands, which is exciting to see, but this offense isn’t high-volume enough to have 3 fantasy-viable pass catchers, and the top 2 look to clearly be George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders. Samuel will have weeks where finds the end zone and/or has nice production, but this is unlikely to be one of those weeks with the Niners favored by double-digits. It should be a lot of Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, and even some Raheem Mostert this week.

WR Mecole Hardman, KC (Wk. 9: vs. Min.): Hardman managed to produce a long touchdown on Sunday night, but he did so on just 2 targets while splitting WR3 snaps with Demarcus Robinson due to the return of Sammy Watkins. With Matt Moore under center that is about the best performance you can expect from Hardman. He’ll be a TD dart throw once again this week. The Vikings have allowed just 2 pass plays of 40+ yards all year, and if I had to bet on a Chief to put up a 3^rd one it would be Tyreek Hill. There are likely safer options available this week than Hardman.

WR Hunter Renfrow, OAK (Wk. 9: vs. Det.): This isn’t the worst spot to hope for Renfrow to build on what he did last week, but almost all of his production came on one long play that isn’t likely to be repeated this week. The Lions have struggled with slot receivers, but most of the guys they have had those issues with have been much more proven than Renfrow (Golden Tate, Keenan Allen, Larry Fitzgerald). That one TD accounted for more than 30% of Renfrow’s PPR points for the season. Outside of that play he has just 17 catches for 138 yards in 7 games. Don’t chase a repeat performance that isn’t coming.

WR Olabisi Johnson, MIN (Wk. 9: @ KC): All signs point to Adam Thielen returning to the lineup Sunday, so Bisi Johnson should return to your league’s waiver wire. There won’t be a ton of opportunity for him in the pass game with Diggs and Thielen on the field, and this week’s opponent allows the 7^th-fewest WR points per game.

WR Jakobi Meyers, NE (Wk. 9: @Bal.): As expected, the Mohamed Sanu trade has impacted Meyers’ playing time. He saw the field for just 25 offensive snaps last week, the fewest he’s played since week 4, and was targeted just twice. I would expect that number to go down further as Sanu gets more acclimated to the offense. The Ravens haven’t been a pass defense to fear, but they’re getting healthier and Meyers isn’t likely to have a useful fantasy day on just a couple targets.

WR Miles Boykin, BAL (Wk. 9: vs. NE): Boykin posted his best yardage game of the year headed into the bye in week 7 (55 yards against Seattle), but he still hasn’t seen more than 3 targets or 2 catches in any game this season, and the Ravens didn’t have Marquise Brown for 2 of them. He continues to be a complementary player that isn’t getting enough usage to be trusted in fantasy lineups.

WR Parris Campbell, IND (Wk. 9: @Pit.): Campbell returned from his abdominal injury last weekend, but he’s got more work to do to get back into the receiver rotation in Indy. He played just 8 snaps in week 8 and was targeted only once. The Steelers have long been a team to target with slot receivers, but I would need to see Campbell be more involved in the offense before using him in any format.

WRs KeeSean Johnson & Andy Isabella, ARI (Wk. 9: vs. SF): There isn’t a whole lot to say about this duo. With Christian Kirk back this week, Johnson was a healthy scratch and Isabella played just one offensive snap. I’d love to see Isabella to get a chance at some extended run in this offense before the year is out, but there’s no way to be sure that happens at this point.

TE Irv Smith Jr., MIN (Wk. 9: @KC): Smith has seen his snap percentage grow for 4 consecutive weeks and has multiple targets in each of the past 3 games, but his role just isn’t big enough to count on him in fantasy yet. The Chiefs are a decent defense against tight ends. Darren Fells is the only tight end to reach 40 yards against them since week 3, and they have given up just one touchdown to the position all year. Smith should be glued to your bench if you have him anywhere.

TE Noah Fant, DEN (WK. 9: vs. Cle.): Fant set new season highs last week with 8 targets and 5 catches, but he still finished with just 26 yards and was the PPR TE15. This outing still should have been reason for optimism with Fant’s role growing with Emmanuel Sanders gone, but that optimism is dashed by the new man under center. While we may not like Joe Flacco to be the QB for our fantasy players, I don’t believe Brandon Allen will prove to be an upgrade. Allen has never thrown a pass in an NFL regular season game, and over the past two preseasons with the Rams averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt while posting just 1 TD and 5 picks. Until further notice, the only Denver pass catcher worth considering is Courtland Sutton.

TE Foster Moreau, OAK (Wk. 9: vs. Det.): Moreau is no more than a TD dart throw against a defense that has only allowed 2 scores to the tight end position this year. Moreau’s playing time took a small dip last week as the Raiders played more 3 receiver sets. I’d wouldn’t expect that to be the norm moving forward though. The Lions have had issues with backup tight ends this year, allowing Deon Yelder to go 2-43, Marcedes Lewis to go 2-50, and Irv Smith to go 5-60 all within their last 4 team games. I’d still avoid Moreau this week if possible.

TE Dawson Knox, BUF (Wk.9: vs. Was.): With Tyler Kroft healthy for the first time this year, Knox played his lowest snap total of the year (28 snaps) and wasn’t targeted once. This looks like it’ll be a time share moving forward that favors Kroft. I wouldn’t expect Knox to consistently see zero targets, but his volume isn’t a sure enough thing to trust him in lineups.

TE Josh Oliver, JAX (Wk. 9: vs. Hou. (London)): Oliver has been back on the field for two weeks now. In those two weeks he’s played 55 offensive snaps but totaled just 1 catch for 6 yards on 2 targets. His role may expand in the coming weeks but there isn’t enough there right now to consider him in lineups.

Rookies on Byes: QB Ryan Finley, CIN, RB Darrell Henderson, LAR

Deep League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:

QB Brett Rypien, DEN (Wk. 9: vs. Cle.): It sounds as though it will be Rypien, and not 1^st round pick Drew Lock that will be activated to serve as backup to Brandon Allen with Flacco sidelined for the next month plus. I wouldn’t be surprised to see head coach Vic Fangio have a quick hook for Allen if things go poorly, and I think Rypien could potentially thrive in the same ways that Gardner Minshew has. Rypien doesn’t have the arm strength that Drew Lock does, but he was a 4-year starter at Boise State that was a consistently efficient passer and shouldn’t be a deer in headlights if given the chance to play. Allen was a one-year wonder in college, and as I mentioned earlier, he has 1 TD and 5 INTs in the 8 preseason games he’s played in. I liked Rypien more than Lock prior to the draft, and I’m hopeful to see him get a shot here. If you’re in a really deep 2-QB league, Rypien might be worth a stash this week to see if he gets a chance.

RB Ty Johnson, DET (Wk. 9: @Oak.): Johnson’s role in week 8 was a frustrating one for fantasy players who made him a priority on the waiver wire. It was Tra Carson getting the early down work and somehow even Paul Perkins mixed in a bit as Johnson found his way to just 38 scrimmage yards and 4.8 PPR points. There is hope for Johnson this week though. He was easily the most impressive back for Detroit in that game and had 21 yards nixed by penalties. Importantly for this week, Johnson and McKissic are the only Lions RBs getting targets in the passing game. The Raiders allow the 7^th-most catches and 10^th-most receiving yards to the position. There will be opportunities for Johnson to make an impact. I’m not sure he’s worth playing anywhere outside of really deep leagues and possibly a GPP DFS tournament, but I like his chances at a much better performance this week.

RB Tony Pollard, DAL (Wk. 9: @NYG): The Cowboys enter this week as a 7-point favorite and have had an extra week to get ready for the Giants after appearing to get themselves right in a week 7 drubbing of the Eagles. Pollard didn’t find a ton of running room against Philly, totaling just 28 yards on 8 carries, but the Eagles are one of the best run defenses in the league and Pollard played more snaps in that contest than he had in the previous 3 combined. The Giants aren’t a complete pushover against the run, but they are significantly worse than Philadelphia. They rank 12^th in run defense DVOA and have allowed the 13^th-most RB points per game. If Dallas controls this game as expected, Pollard has a good chance at double-digit touches and should be in play in the deepest leagues.

WR Preston Williams, MIA (Wk. 9: vs. NYJ): This isn’t a bad week to take a shot on Preston Williams in deep leagues and GPP tournaments. $4,200 is an extremely reasonable price tag on DraftKings for a guy that is averaging 8 targets per game in his last 5. The Jets rank 21^st in pass defense DVOA and allow the 8^th-most WR points per game. One of these weeks it will be Williams’ turn to find the end zone, but he offers a nice floor this week with upside for people looking for a bye week fill-in in deeper leagues.

WR Darius Slayton, NYG (Wk. 9: vs. Dal.): This will sound a bit like point chasing after Slayton scored 2 TDs last week on just 2 catches, but I think people are going to overlook the rookie with Sterling Shepard returning. Slayton was targeted 5 times the last time both Shepard & Tate played together, and clearly the team likes going to him in the red zone. He’s averaging 17 air yards per target, which means he only needs a few balls thrown his way to post a nice game. I would probably avoid Slayton in season-long leagues, but at just $3,800 on DraftKings, I like him as a guy who will have really low ownership rates in DFS tournaments and has the potential for another strong day.

TE TJ Hockenson, DET (Wk. 9: @Oak.): If there was ever a week to take a shot on Hockenson returning some value, this is it. The Raiders have been beaten up by tight ends this year, giving up 63 yards per game to the position and 6 scores in 7 games. Only the Cardinals and Bucs allow more fantasy points to the position. It’s been rough out there for TJ since putting up 131 yards in the opener. He has just 109 total yards since and hasn’t eclipsed 32 yards in any one game in that span. You’re not playing him expecting big yardage. You’re just hoping he scores a TD.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully, it helps you with the toughest decisions you have this week involving the rookies. Keep a close eye on the injury report throughout the week and make sure everyone in your lineups is good to go, and don’t forget that the Jaguars/Texans game this week is at 8:30 AM CT in London, so if you have any players on those teams make sure you are on top of setting your lineup. If you have any specific questions or just want to yell at me about what is written above, feel free to hit me up on twitter and let me know (@Shawn_Foss). As always: Good luck, trust your gut and have fun. It’s just a game.

Welcome back to the Rookie Report! We’ve made it to the fantasy playoffs. Hopefully you were lucky enough that you get to take the week off, but if you made the playoffs and have to play this week, it’s hard to not put extra weight into every lineup decision you make. This year’s rookie crop has felt more volatile than most other classes, but that may just be because there are so many of them that have been fantasy contributors this year. We head into week 14 with 7 rookie QBs slated to start (if Daniel Jones is able to play). There are 3 rookie RBs among the top-20 in PPR points, 6 WRs in the top-43, and countless other skill players that have been useful as spot starters when injuries opened the door, and plenty more who are likely to do damage in the fantasy playoffs. Let’s dive in and talk about what to do with your rookies this week…

Rookies to Start:

RB Miles Sanders, PHI (Wk. 14: vs. NYG): The Giants have done a nice job of limiting RB production in recent weeks, but I’m betting on Sanders’ usage and the fact the Eagles are favored by 8 and a half points here. Sanders has seen 40 carries and 14 targets in the last 3 weeks and has averaged about 80 scrimmage yards per contest, and the Eagles lost all those games. I expect the Eagles to run a bit more this week if they play from ahead as expected. There is a chance that Jordan Howard returns this week, and if that happens Sanders gets a slight downgrade and would be closer to a borderline option. If Howard sits again, Miles should be a solid RB2.

RB David Montgomery, CHI (Wk. 14: vs. Dal.): Montgomery came through for fantasy players who trusted him enough to start him last week on Thanksgiving, and I like his chances to return value again this week. The Cowboys’ defense has been banged up, missing their starting nose tackle Antwaun Woods and their defensive leader in linebacker Leighton Vander Esch this week. Montgomery continues to see consistent usage with 15+ touches in 6 straight games. His production hasn’t always matched that usage, but Mitch Trubisky has been playing better of late and it is making the whole offense better. Dallas isn’t a defense to fear, ranking 17^th in Football Outsiders’ run defense DVOA stat and allowing the 15^th-most RB points per game. Montgomery should be a useful RB2 this week and is a reasonable $5,100 on DraftKings.

RB Josh Jacobs, OAK (Wk. 14: vs. Ten.): You can’t sit a player with Jacobs’ locked-in usage. He’s averaging 88 yards per game on the ground and has only been held under 70 three times in 12 games. I’d be nervous to roll him out in DFS lineups this week though. The Raiders have gone in the tank as a team the last couple weeks, losing by a combined score of 74-12 in their past 2 games. It was a problem for Jacobs against the Jets, but he bounced back with a 100-yard day in a blowout loss against Kansas City. The Chiefs rank 30^th in run defense DVOA. The Titans rank 4^th. If the Raiders continue the trend of getting blown out, this could be a disappointing fantasy day for Jacobs. Oakland is a 2 and a half-point underdog though, so if they keep it competitive Jacobs should see enough work to be just fine.

Borderline Rookies:

QB Kyler Murray, ARI (Wk. 14: vs. Pit.): Murray had been playing at an improved level recently, but week 12 was a bit of a hiccup. He was able to salvage his day with a rushing score, but he gets a rough matchup again this week. The Steelers have been one of the best pass defenses in the league since acquiring Minkah Fitzpatrick. They’ve held 7 of the 10 QBs they’ve faced since the trade to fewer than 200 passing yards, and Murray has thrown for fewer than 250 in 5 of his last 6 games. He’s been able to keep his fantasy numbers up with touchdowns and rushing yards (he has 9 total TDs in his past 4 games and averaged 42 rushing yards per week in them), but I’d be hesitant to trust him in this matchup as a QB1. The Steelers rank 4^th in pass defense DVOA.

QB Gardner Minshew, JAX (Wk. 14: vs. LAC): I learned my lesson with Minshew early in the season. If he’s starting, he’s in play as a QB2 even in tougher matchups. The Chargers allow the 7^th-fewest QB points per game and just got Derwin James back last week, but they also rank 22^nd in pass defense DVOA. The Chargers have allowed at least 1 passing TD to every QB they’ve faced except Mitch Trubisky. The reason they rank so highly at limiting QB points is because they are also bad against the run and often are playing from behind. I wouldn’t expect Minshew to approach 300 yards, but he usually finds his way to the middle of the QB2 ranks.

RB Devin Singletary, BUF (Wk. 14: vs. Bal.): I’d lean towards playing Singletary this week, but it’s worth noting that the Ravens allow the 7^th-fewest PPR points to opposing RBs. With that said, the best way to attack the Ravens’ defense is with the ground game. Baltimore just allowed Raheem Mostert to run wild last Sunday, and they’ve struggled to contain the run game in other contests as well. Baltimore ranks just 25^th in run defense DVOA. It’s not an ideal matchup, but it isn’t one to run away from either if Singletary would usually be in your lineup. He’s the undisputed lead back for the Bills. He’s had at least 16 touches in each of the past 3 games and averaged 98 scrimmage yards and 13.5 PPR points per game in that stretch.

RB Alexander Mattison, MIN (Wk. 14: vs. Det.): Mattison became a hot waiver wire commodity this week after Dalvin Cook left Monday night’s game with a shoulder injury. It sounds as though Dalvin is likely to play this week, but I would expect a lot of Mattison. The Vikings are favored by 2 touchdowns against the hapless Lions who allow the 3^rd-most RB points per game. The biggest surprise from Monday’s game was how involved Mattison was in the passing game. The rookie actually tied for the team lead with 4 catches and turned them into 51 yards. I’d expect Mattison to handle most of the work this week even if Cook plays, and I think it’s likely he out-produces Dalvin. I’d be willing to consider him as a flex even if Cook is able to go, and he’ll likely be a steal at his DraftKings price of just $4,500.

RB Benny Snell Jr., PIT (Wk. 14: @Ari.): The Cardinals have been a better run defense than pass defense this year, but the Steelers are likely to lean on the ground game as usual since Devlin Hodges will be making just his 3^rd pro start. Snell has totaled 37 carries in the last 2 weeks and is likely to continue to see a healthy workload in this one with the Steelers favored by 2 and a half on the road. There is a chance that James Conner returns this week, and if he does that will certainly cut into Snell’s opportunities, but Mike Tomlin openly said that Snell has earned the right to stay in the rotation even when Conner comes back. The Cards allow the 9^th-most running back points per game and rank 16^th in run defense DVOA. Snell offers little as a receiver. He has just 3 catches on the year, so he’s a much better option in non-PPR formats. If Conner is out, I’d consider him a solid flex option outside of full-PPR leagues, but he is a bit dicier in PPR.

WR DK Metcalf, SEA (Wk. 14: @LAR): Metcalf has become an integral part of the Seahawks passing attack as the year has gone on. He’s averaged 7.7 targets, 4.7 catches, and 61.5 yards per game in his last 6 games. The 61% catch rate in those games is a 9% improvement on what he did in the first 6 weeks of the season. He’s developed a troubling fumbling habit with 3 fumbles lost in the past 6 games, but overall the arrow is pointing up for DK. This week’s matchup could include Metcalf squaring off with Jalen Ramsey, but my guess is that he will cover Tyler Lockett a fair amount as well. The Rams are a middling pass defense, allowing the 14^th-fewest points per game to wide receivers. They’ve let other big physical receivers have success against them this year (Mike Evans, Auden Tate, Miles Boykin, and Metcalf himself in the first meeting with the Rams). DK is in play as a WR3 this week.

WR Darius Slayton, NYG (Wk. 14: @Phi.): Slayton gets a plus matchup this week against the Eagles, who allow the 5^th-most WR points per game, but he also is likely to have a new QB under center and a more crowded pass catching group this week. Slayton didn’t record his first catch of the year until week 3, after the team had already made the switch to Daniel Jones. It remains to be seen if he’ll have the same connection with Eli. It’s also possible that Evan Engram and Golden Tate return this week. Slayton has had some productive games with Golden Tate in the lineup, but all 4 games where he saw more than 5 targets came with Evan Engram sidelined. If Engram and Tate both return, Slayton is a volatile WR3/flex option. If one or both sit, he becomes a much safer play.

WR Deebo Samuel, SF (Wk. 14: @NO): Samuel can’t be disregarded as a fantasy option after posting his 4^th straight game with 13+ PPR points last week in a less than ideal matchup in rainy Baltimore. He gets another difficult matchup this week in the Big Easy, but at least the weather won’t be an issue. It’s possible that Samuel draws the shadow coverage of Marshon Lattimore, the Saints’ best cover corner. New Orleans ranks an impressive 9^th in pass defense DVOA, but they’ve allowed the 10^th-most WR points per game. The bigger concern for Deebo is his target share. With George Kittle back on the field, Samuel was targeted just 6 times in the past 2 weeks. I’d look for him to be a bit more involved this week, but he’s still just an upside WR3 option with all the 49ers’ main receiving weapons healthy.

WR Marquise Brown, BAL (Wk. 14: @Buf.): Brown gets the unenviable opportunity to square off with TreDavious White’s shadow coverage this week. White has been a tough matchup for most of the receivers he’s faced, and the ones who have put up decent fantasy days against him have gotten there on volume rather than big plays. The Ravens are the run-heaviest team in the league, and the Bills rank 22^nd in run defense DVOA. That’s where they’re likely to attack Buffalo. I don’t expect big volume for Brown, so you’re hoping he cashes in a big play or 2 if you start him. The Bills have allowed the 9^th-fewest WR points per game and have given up just 3 pass plays of 40+ yards all year. Brown’s upside keeps him in consideration, but I’d have a hard time pulling the trigger this week.

TE Kaden Smith, NYG (Wk. 14: @Phi.): It appears that Evan Engram may return this week, but with the Giants playing to improve their draft position I wouldn’t expect them to push Engram back before he’s ready. If Engram doesn’t play, Smith should have plenty of opportunity again. He’s been targeted 14 times in the last 2 weeks and finished as the PPR TE4 and TE10 in those games. The Eagles aren’t an ideal matchup for tight ends, allowing the 9^th-fewest PPR points to the position per game, but they did give up 52 yards to Ben Watson in week 11 and a 5-79-1 line to Mike Gesicki last Sunday. No matter who is at QB, the Giants will keep their tight end involved. Smith will probably be a lower end TE1 this week if Engram is held out again. If you’re thinking about playing Engram, you should have Smith as a fallback option just in case.

Rookies to Sit:

QB David Blough, DET (Wk. 14: @Min.): Blough surprised us all on Turkey Day by throwing 2 first quarter touchdowns in his first NFL start. After tallying 131 yards and those two scores on his first 6 passing attempts, he managed just 149 yards and a pick on his other 32 attempts. I wouldn’t bank on a repeat with your season on the line. The Vikings rank just a middling 14^th in pass defense DVOA, but Blough’s best shot at a decent fantasy day will come from piling up stats in garbage time. The Lions are a 13-point underdog in this game and have an implied total of just 15 points.

QB Drew Lock, DEN (Wk. 14: @Hou.): Lock’s NFL debut was remarkably similar to David Blough’s. He put up the majority of his production in the 1^st quarter, when he completed 9 of 13 passes for 73 yards and 2 scores. He completed just 9 of 15 for 61 yards and an interception the rest of the game. The game plan for Lock is clearly to dink and dunk as evidenced by his sub-5 yards per attempt average. Unlike Blough, Lock gets a favorable matchup this week. The Texans allow the 6^th-most QB points per game and rank 25^th in pass defense DVOA. Lock could produce a nice day, but the conservative game plan will likely keep him from cashing in on a good matchup. I wouldn’t look at Lock as anything more than a desperation QB2 this week.

QB Dwayne Haskins, WAS (Wk. 14: @GB): There’s nothing to be excited about with Haskins this week, and likely for the rest of 2019. Through 4 starts, he’s averaging just 15 completions for 165 yards per game and has failed to throw a TD pass in 3 of them. The floor here is miserable, and we just haven’t seen any sort of ceiling yet, especially facing a Green Bay defense that allows the 9^th-fewest QB points per game.

QB Daniel Jones, NYG (Wk. 14: @Phi.): I mention Jones here just to make sure you’re aware that it’s highly unlikely that he plays this week. If he does get the chance to start, the Eagles aren’t as enticing a matchup as they appeared to be last week. Ryan Fitzpatrick shredded them for 365 yards and 3 scores, but no other QB had reached 250 yards or 3+ touchdowns against the Eagles since Kirk Cousins in week 6. Jones has been a turnover machine this year with 11 interceptions thrown and 9 fumbles lost in his 10 starts. He’d be no more than a low end QB2 if he does end up starting.

RB Darwin Thompson, KC (Wk. 14: @NE): It was nice to finally see Thompson get his opportunity last week with the Williamses banged up, and he made good on it by putting up 44 yards and a TD on 11 carries, but I’m not sold that it was more than just a 1-week flash in the pan. Much of Thompson’s work came with the game already out of hand, and the team signed Spencer Ware this week to add depth to their backfield. Head coach Andy Reid is really comfortable with Ware, and LeSean McCoy still figures to be the lead back if Darrel and Damien are both out. On top of that, the Patriots allow fewer RB points per game than any other team in the league. It all adds up to Thompson being a bit overhyped this week. I’d let someone else take that risk on Darwin.

RB Myles Gaskin, MIA (Wk. 14: @NYJ): After Kalen Ballage got hurt last week, it was the Patrick Laird show for Miami. Laird played 60% of the offensive snaps to Gaskin’s 22%. Laird is also clearly the guy the Dolphins prefer as a receiving back, out-targeting Gaskin 14 to 4 over the past 4 weeks. Gaskin is going to see more work going forward than he was seeing with Kalen Ballage healthy, but Laird is the Dolphin back to consider for fantasy purposes.

RB Tony Pollard, DAL (Wk. 14: @Chi.): Pollard has teased fantasy upside at times this season but has only turned in 2 useful weeks on the year. I wouldn’t be confident he makes it 3 this Thursday. He just doesn’t play enough to consider in any format this week with so many other options available. It doesn’t help his cause that he was also hit with a questionable tag this week. His status appears genuinely in doubt.

RB Ty Johnson, DET (Wk. 14: @Min.): The Detroit backfield has become the Bo Scarbrough show of late, and that has relegated Johnson to fantasy irrelevance. He continues to split 3^rd down work with JD McKissic, rendering both useless for fantasy purposes. There may be a little more work for the 3^rd down duo this week with the Lions a heavy underdog, but not enough to warrant fantasy consideration for either.

RB Darrell Henderson, LAR (Wk. 14: vs. Sea.): Henderson managed to get a handful of carries in last week’s blowout win, but I don’t expect him to see any work in what should be a closer game this week. Henderson totaled just 11 offensive snaps played in the 3 games prior to week 13.

WR Olabisi Johnson, MIN (Wk. 14: vs. Det.): Adam Thielen’s status seems to be uncertain once again this week, and Johnson continues to play a significant role in the offense with him out, but the Vikings have begun to lean even more heavily on 2-TE sets lately than usual. Both Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith played 85% of the offensive snaps last Monday while Bisi played just 56%, his lowest share since week 6. He’s even begun to split some of the WR2 snaps with Laquon Treadwell. With Minnesota favored by 2 touchdowns this week, I’d expect similar personnel usage as the Vikings lean heavily on the run game. You could make an argument that Johnson is a sneaky upside DFS option. The Lions allow the 7^th-most WR points per game, Stefon Diggs is likely to be shadowed by Darius Slay, and Johnson’s price tag is just $3,700 on DraftKings. He’s seen similar situations several times in the last few weeks though and hasn’t reached 45 receiving yards in any game this season. The last time the Vikings faced Detroit, Bisi put up 4-40-1 on 8 targets. It was his best fantasy game of the season, but without the TD it wouldn’t have been very useful.

WRs Terry McLaurin & Kelvin Harmon, WAS (Wk. 14: @GB): Haskins has torpedoed the value of any receivers that he throws to with his limited passing production. McLaurin’s 2 catches for 8 yards last week should be all you need to see to know you can’t trust him with your season on the line. Harmon has shown some value as a low upside PPR target with 11 catches for 147 yards over the last 3 weeks, but there are safer options out there for this all-important week.

WRs N’Keal Harry & Jakobi Meyers, NE (Wk. 14: vs. KC): With the Patriots back at full strength at wide receiver last week, N’Keal Harry saw his snap share drop precipitously. Meyers still played 70% of the snaps and drew 7 targets against Houston, but I think it’s likely New England was easing Mohamed Sanu back from what was originally supposed to be a multi-week injury. I’d expect Sanu to play a bit more this week. If you want to roll the dice on Meyers’ usage continuing this week, keep in mind that the Chiefs rank 6^th in pass defense DVOA and allow the 3^rd-fewest WR points per game. The only place I’d be considering Meyers this week would be in DFS tournaments, where he’ll cost just $3,500 on DraftKings.

WR Mecole Hardman, KC (Wk. 14: @NE): Mecole failed to see a single target in a matchup against one of the most burnable secondaries in the league last week. I’d look for the Chiefs to try and get him more involved this week, but I’m not confident he finds a way to fantasy relevance against a Patriots defense that has allowed just 2 offensive touchdowns in 5 games at Gillette Stadium. Hardman will need a touchdown to be fantasy relevant, and he’s not a great bet to find one.

WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside, PHI (Wk. 14: vs. NYG): Arcega-Whiteside did get into the end zone for the first time in his career on Sunday, but he saw his snap count cut in half with the returns of Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor. He split WR3 duties with Greg Ward and was targeted just twice. With fantasy seasons on the line, there’s no reason to read into that TD that his usage is going to increase. He’s caught just 5 passes all year and shouldn’t be on your radar this week.

WRs Andy Isabella & KeeSean Johnson, ARI (Wk. 14: vs. Pit.): Isabella & Johnson continue to be afterthoughts in the Cardinals’ passing game. Isabella seemed to be breaking out with back-to-back strong games a few weeks ago, but he’s tallied just 1 catch for 6 yards on 5 targets over the last 2 weeks. Johnson didn’t play a single snap in the loss to the Rams. Both should be afterthoughts for you too as you consider fantasy options this week.

TE Irv Smith Jr., MIN (Wk. 14: vs. Det.): Like his teammate Olabisi, Irv’s best fantasy game of the year came in the Vikings’ first meeting with Detroit. He’s trended towards being a full-time player over the last few weeks, seeing his snap share climb from 61% to 74% to 81% to 85% over the last 4 games. He’s been targeted at least 3 times in 6 straight contests, but I can’t recommend him with your season on the line. As long as he’s splitting the role with Rudolph, he’s shaky as anything more than a TE2 for a season long league, and just hasn’t shown the ceiling to warrant using him in a DFS tournament this week with bigger upside options at similar prices out there like OJ Howard, Kaden Smith, and Jonnu Smith.

TE Dawson Knox, BUF (Wk. 14: vs. Bal.): Knox is seeing the most extensive playing time he’s seen all year lately. He’s played more than 70% of the offensive snaps in 3 straight games after only hitting that mark once prior to week 11, but it isn’t translating to fantasy production and the Ravens have been wiping out tight ends. Baltimore has allowed the 4^th-fewest PPR points to the position per game, and since week 4 they haven’t allowed any tight end to reach 35 yards against them and have given up just 1 touchdown to the position. I wouldn’t hate Knox as an option in a league that requires you to start 2 tight ends, but I would look for better options if considering him as a TE1.

TE Noah Fant, DEN (Wk. 14: @Hou.): Fant had shown flashes of consistent production with Brandon Allen under center and Jeff Heuerman sidelined, but Heuerman’s return and the change to Drew Lock have made Fant a less than exciting option. Fant did drop a touchdown last week, but it was one of just 3 targets he saw from rookie Drew Lock. Heuerman, meanwhile, drew 5 targets despite playing 13 fewer snaps than Fant. Noah is still the better fantasy option of the two in Denver, but this week’s opponent hasn’t been particularly giving to tight ends. They’re in the top half of the league at limiting tight end points and have given up just 3 tight end scores all year. With other options emerging like Mike Gesicki, Jack Doyle, and Jacob Hollister, I wouldn’t be inclined to take a chance on Fant this week.

TE Foster Moreau, OAK (Wk. 14: vs. Ten.): With Hunter Renfrow out last week, Moreau didn’t really see a big bump in playing time. He still played his usual amount, about half the offensive snaps, but Keelan Doss got on the field for 55% of the offensive snaps after not playing since week 7. Neither of them will be useful fantasy options as long as Darren Waller is commanding 30% of the targets like he did last week. If you play Moreau it’s with a hope & a prayer that he finds the end zone. The Titans have given up 6 tight end scores in 12 games this year.

Deep League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:

QB Devlin Hodges, PIT (Wk. 14: @Ari.): The Steelers have certainly called a conservative game plan with Hodges under center. He’s averaged just 20.5 passing attempts and 172 passing yards per start in the 2 games he’s gotten the nod, but he’s shown a willingness to take shots down field as evidenced by his 4 completions to James Washington of 30 or more yards in the last 2 weeks. He’s averaging a healthy 8.7 yards per attempt on the year. This week he takes on a Cardinals’ defense that is hemorrhaging QB points at a rate rarely seen. For the season they’ve given up a full 3 points more per game to opposing QBs than any other team in the league, and in the last 5 weeks they’ve given up an insane average of 379 passing yards per game. They’ve also given up 14 passing scores in those games and given up 26.3 fantasy points per game to QBs. Hodges is a little pricier in DFS than I would’ve expected given his limited production so far ($5,900 on DraftKings), but this is a great week to consider him as a lower priced cash-game option and a sneaky QB2 in leagues that let you start 2. Don’t count on him to approach 380 yards, but he should be in line for the best passing day of his young career.

RB Patrick Laird, MIA (Wk. 14: @NYJ): With Kalen Ballage going on IR, the backfield in Miami is left to Laird and Myles Gaskin. As mentioned under Gaskin above, Laird is the guy who saw the bulk of the playing time after Ballage went down. The Jets have been a solid run defense this year, ranking 2^nd in run defense DVOA, but they have allowed an opposing back to tally 4 or more receptions in 10 of their 12 games this year. Laird hasn’t been much more efficient that Ballage was as a runner, but he has topped 40 receiving yards in 2 of the last 3 games. He’s worth consideration in deep PPR leagues if you’re struggling for a running back this week.

WR AJ Brown, TEN (Wk. 14: @Oak.): The Raiders have been one of the most burnable pass defenses downfield in the league, giving up 56 passes of 20+ yards, 24 of them going for 30+. The Titans have completed 14 passes this season of 30+ yards, and 6 of them have been to AJ Brown. Khalif Raymond and Jonnu Smith each caught 2, and no other Titan caught more than 1. Brown has been getting more consistent usage since the Titans made the switch to Tannehill at QB. He averaged 3.8 targets per game in Mariota’s starts, and 5.2 per game in Tannehill’s. Brown still doesn’t have a safe floor, but this looks like a spot where a smash game is possible. He’s a nice DFS tournament option and an upside flex play in deep leagues.

WR Parris Campbell, IND (Wk. 14: @TB): Campbell got in a full practice on Wednesday and looks on track to return this weekend in Tampa. TY Hilton said this week that he may be done for the year, and Campbell has been heavily involved whenever he’s been on the field and Hilton hasn’t. In the two games Campbell played with Hilton sidelined, he’s totaled 13 targets and 3 rushing attempts. And turned them into 10 catches and 105 scrimmage yards. The efficiency isn’t ideal, but the Buccaneers allow a full 5 more PPR points to wide receivers per game than any other team in the league. Campbell is practically free in DFS ($3,200 on DraftKings) and could be walking into a big role against easily the worst defense in the league against the position. If you can stomach playing a guy fresh off missing a month with an injury in your fantasy playoffs, Parris could be a really nice option in deep PPR leagues.

WR Diontae Johnson, PIT (Wk. 14: @Ari.): Johnson has been disappointing in recent weeks, coming up short of 30 receiving yards in 4 of his past 5 games. Granted, he did leave a game in the middle of that stretch concussed and bleeding from his ears, but those numbers aren’t going to help fantasy owners. This is as good a spot for him to get back on track as he’s had in a while. The Cardinals have been handing out receiving yards lately like they’re candy on Halloween. The Steelers still aren’t a high volume passing attack, and Johnson is likely to be the 3^rd-best fantasy option in this passing game this week behind James Washington and Vance McDonald, but he costs just $4,300 in DraftKings and has tied Washington for the team lead in targets over the last two weeks. I’m not sure where I would use Johnson this week, but I think this is a nice bounce-back opportunity for him. There is still a chance that JuJu Smith-Schuster could return this week, which would make everything written above irrelevant.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully it helps you with your toughest lineup decisions involving rookies. Make sure to keep an eye on the injury reports ahead of kickoff Sunday and make sure you don’t end up starting any inactive players. If you have any specific questions or want to yell at me about anything written above, feel free to reach out via twitter and let me know (@Shawn_Foss). As always: Good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It’s just a game.

Welcome back to the Rookie Report! Championship week is upon us. There are several rookies who have helped us get here along the way, but few that are easy to trust this week whether due to injury or tough matchups. This week is slated to have 8 rookie QBs under center, but unless you are in a 2QB league you probably won’t be starting any of them in your championships. The rookies that matter this week are the top tier running backs and the handful of receivers that have shown to be useful weekly options. I’ll still talk a bit about the QBs and a few deeper league guys that could help in DFS this week, but I know who you’re here to see. A lot of the rookie RBs and WRs are listed as borderline options. Keep in mind that all the guys at the same position and same header are listed in the order I would play them this week. Let’s look at which rookies could help carry you across the finish line…

Rookies to Start:

RB Alexander Mattison, Min (Wk. 16: vs. GB): I’m listing Mattison here to emphasize just how much I like him if he’s somehow able to play. He still wasn’t practicing Friday, and the Vikings don’t play until Monday night. There is a real chance that you don’t have much clarity on his status until Monday. The Packers have struggled to defend opposing backs all year, coughing up the 8^th-most PPR points to the position and ranking 25^th in Football Outsiders’ run defense DVOA stat. Dalvin Cook torched them for 191 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in the first meeting, and Green Bay has allowed a double-digit scorer at the position in half PPR scoring in 13 of their last 14 games. Damien Williams ended up with 9 in the other one. Mattison was considered a high value handcuff all year. This is the reason why. There has been a lot of hype this week for Mike Boone on fantasy twitter, and it’s warranted if Mattison isn’t able to play, but if Mattison does play he could win you your league. If you have other quality options that play Saturday or Sunday, I’d certainly consider starting them rather than waiting on Mattison, but if your other options are guys like Tevin Coleman or Carlos Hyde or other low-upside RB3 types, I’d move Mattison to a flex spot, pick up a Packers’ receiver as a fallback and hope he plays (assuming you weren’t able to get Boone as your fallback). Jake Kumerow should be available in most leagues. If Mattison does play, I like his chances to be a top-15 finisher at the position this week.

Borderline Rookies:

QB Kyler Murray, ARI (Wk. 16: @Sea.): It feels like Murray is close to turning a corner as a passer in his young career. After an up and down first half of the season, he’s posted a passer rating of 98 or better in 4 of his last 6 games. He’s also posted 12 total touchdowns in that span (10 passing, 2 rushing). The Seahawks are a slightly above average pass defense, ranking 12^th in pass defense DVOA, but this could turn into a shootout. Along with Tampa-Houston, this game is tied for the highest Vegas total of the week. Murray is a bit volatile for my tastes if I’m starting him as my QB1, but he should be a strong QB2 option this week and an interesting DFS play at a reasonable $6,100 on DraftKings.

QB Gardner Minshew, JAX (Wk. 16: @Atl.): Atlanta has been playing improved football over the past several weeks, and to be honest I’m not quite sure how they’ve pulled it off. They’re missing their top corner Dez Trufant and have their number 2 and 3 guys battling injuries as well, and this week sent leading pass rusher Takk McKinley to IR, yet they’ve managed to go 4-2 since their bye week and have held Kyle Allen, Drew Brees and Jimmy Garoppolo to an average of just 207 passing yards in their last 3 games. I’m not sure that Minshew is the guy to break that trend. He hasn’t had quite the same magic since being re-inserted into the starting role, but he showed flashes of getting it back last week in a comeback win against Oakland. If he’s able to carry over the way he played late in that game, he should have a great chance to finish as a mid-range QB2 this week. Despite their recent improved play, the Falcons still allow the 5^th-most QB points per game for the year.

QB Daniel Jones, NYG (Wk. 16: @Was.): Jones has been cleared to return this week, and he gets to face a Washington defense that can be burned by mediocre QBs. The list of QBs that have tallied 3 total touchdowns or more against Washington this year includes Mitch Trubisky, Kyle Allen, and Sam Darnold, but Jones’ Achilles heel has been turnovers and it’s one that Washington can exploit. Washington’s overall numbers aren’t terrible. They rank a middling 18^th in pass defense DVOA and have allowed the 14^th-most QB points per game. Jones has turned the ball over 20 times in his 10 starts this year, and Washington has forced 8 QB turnovers in their last 5. There is a bit of a ceiling to chase this week with Jones, but coming off a high ankle sprain I wouldn’t expect him to augment his score much with his legs. I’d view him more as an upside QB2 than anything else this week.

RB Miles Sanders, PHI (Wk. 16: vs. Dal.): Over the last 4 weeks, Sanders has averaged almost 16 carries and just over 5 targets per game. He doesn’t always make the most of his opportunities, but he’s playing well enough to be a fantasy asset when his usage looks like that. The Eagles are going to be without Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor again, so his passing game work should be secure. The key for how big a ceiling he has will come down to how efficient he is with his rushing attempts. We’ve seen him not always show the best vision and ability to get what’s blocked. He’ll have to do a better job of that here if the Eagles hope to win. Even if he doesn’t, Sanders should be on the cusp of the RB2 range. He has a top-10 ceiling and should probably be in your lineup this week unless you have a stud to play ahead of him.

RB Devin Singletary, BUF (Wk. 16: @NE): Singletary has been one of the brightest spots of the entire rookie class this year, but he gets a tough draw for championship week. He’s been held below 79 scrimmage yards just once since week 9 but must go to Foxboro to battle the Patriots’ league-best defense this week. New England has hung their hat on not letting running backs into the end zone. They’ve given up just two running back scores all year. Singletary hasn’t been putting up his points on touchdowns, so there is still a chance for him to post a nice day. If you’ve been starting him all year and have been happy with his output, you should strongly consider playing him again this week. This is unlikely to be a ceiling week for him, so he’s more of a contrarian DFS play, but the Pats have given up 90+ scrimmage yards to 6 different running backs this year. It’s probably close to a 50/50 bet that Singletary makes it 7 this week.

RB David Montgomery, CHI (Wk. 16: vs. KC): David Montgomery with good on-paper matchups might be one of the most frustrating things in fantasy football this year. Even when he gets good usage and runs well, the final stat line ends up being unsatisfying. Will this week continue that trend? Kansas City allows the 3^rd-most running back PPR points per game. They’re bad against the run, ranking 30^th in run defense DVOA, and they’re bad at limiting backs as receivers, coughing up the 2^nd-most RB receiving yards per game. Monty is unlikely to take advantage of their struggles to stop pass catching backs. Even as Montgomery has rattled off a stretch of 8 consecutive games with at least 15 touches, he’s been out-targeted by Tarik Cohen 47-19. It’ll likely take a touchdown for you to be happy with Monty’s output. He’s had red zone usage with 7 carries inside the 20 in the last 5 games, but none of them have ended in 6 points. Montgomery is best viewed as a high floor, low ceiling RB3.

WR AJ Brown, TEN (Wk. 16: vs. NO): AJ has been a revelation since Ryan Tannehill took over at QB. He’s put up the bulk of his fantasy points with Tannehill in 3 blowup games against bad defenses, but he’s still averaged 77.5 yards per game across all of Tannehill’s 8 starts. The Saints rank a respectable 10^th in pass defense DVOA, but they allow the 8^th-most PPR points per game to opposing receivers. The Saints haven’t proven to be a matchup to run away from, and I don’t see how you sit a player that has put up 23.5 PPR points or more 3 times in his last 4 games. I can live with starting Brown this week and him flopping much more easily that I’d be able to live with benching him if he blows up again.

WR DK Metcalf, SEA (Wk. 16: vs. Ari.): Metcalf has been remarkably steady from a fantasy perspective in the 2^nd half of the season. He’s topped at least 11 PPR points in 6 of his last 7 games and had at least 6 catches and 70 yards in 4 of the last 6. He hasn’t really shown the kind of ceiling that we’d hope for in recent weeks, but this may be a week where he’s able to do that. Only Detroit and Oakland allow more completions for 20+ yards than the Cardinals do. Metcalf fell flat in the first meeting between these teams with just 1 catch for 6 yards, but he’s become a much bigger cog in the offense since then. With Seattle favored by 9 and a half points, there is a chance this gets out of hand early and Metcalf winds up with a poor day, but I think it’s more likely that Metcalf comes up with a deep catch or two before things are settled.

WR Terry McLaurin, WAS (Wk. 16: vs. NYG): McLaurin made it two weeks in a row with a touchdown last Sunday and posted his best yardage day of the season, and this week he faces a New York defense that has given up the 6^th-most WR PPR points per game. They also rank an abysmal 30^th in pass defense DVOA. McLaurin seems to have re-established his connection with his college QB, but Washington’s run-first attack and inconsistent QB play always lurk as threats to Scary Terry’s opportunities. The passing game should still run through McLaurin, especially the high value deep targets, but just know that his chances to bust are a little higher than your average WR2 option.

WR Darius Slayton, NYG (Wk. 16: @Was.): Slayton managed to salvage his fantasy day with a touchdown Sunday, but the low volume might have been alarming for those of you who started Slayton last week. The Giants were playing the Dolphins and won easily. It isn’t something that happens often for them and they were able to lean on the run game late. This game should be a bit more competitive. Prior to last week, Slayton had been targeted 38 times in the previous 4 weeks.  Some of that came with other receivers sidelined, so don’t expect Slayton to be targeted 10+ times this week, but he should be more involved than he was last Sunday. Washington isn’t a terrible pass defense. They rank 18^th in pass defense DVOA and allow the 13^th-fewest WR PPR points per game, but Slayton has proven to be a threat to find the end zone in every game, and he’s scored multiple TDs 3 times this year. He’s got the kind of upside you don’t want to leave on your bench if you’re between him and a lower ceiling option.

WR Deebo Samuel, SF (Wk. 16: vs. LAR): Week 15 didn’t go according to plan for Deebo. He was held to single-digit PPR points for the first time since week 9 in what looked like a plus matchup on paper. This week’s matchup looks a little less inviting. That could change if it turns out Jalen Ramsey is going to shadow Emmanuel Sanders. The Rams have deployed Ramsey in shadow coverage in spots this year, but with San Francisco being a run 1^st offense with a tight end as their leading receiver, I’d be surprised if Ramsey is deployed that way in this one. That means both receivers will see a bit of him. Samuel is still in play as an upside WR3 this week. He’s shown the ability to post solid fantasy games with limited opportunity. He may have to do so again this week.

WR Marquise Brown, BAL (Wk. 16: @Cle.): Brown has been a volatile weekly option for fantasy lineups, and I’d have a hard time pulling the trigger on starting him this week with the title at stake. The Browns gave up three 100-yard days to wide receivers in the first 3 weeks of the season and have allowed just one since. Brown was held mostly in check in the first meeting between these two teams with 4 catches for 22 yards on 7 targets. In the past 5 weeks Brown has had PPR scores of 21.2 and 14.5 points…and failed to reach 5 points in any of the other 3 games. The highs are fun, but the lows are low for Hollywood. This doesn’t look like a smash spot for him, so I would suggest thinking long and hard about it before putting him into your championship lineups.

TE Noah Fant, DEN (Wk. 16: vs. Det.): Fant has played fewer than 50% of the offensive snaps in each of the last two games, but he also topped 50 receiving yards in each, a mark he reached just twice all year before week 14. The Lions have been better against tight ends this year than their recent history, but still allow the 15^th-most TE points per game. I wouldn’t look for Fant to post a blowup game this week, but he’s been utilized enough by Lock that he’s in play as a low-end TE1 for a consolation game. I wouldn’t be excited about him in a championship.

Rookies to Sit:

QB Devlin Hodges, PIT (Wk. 16: @NYJ): There is an outside shot that Hodges puts up a better game than expected this week since the Jets are strong against the run and may force Pittsburgh to throw more than they typically would, but we’ve seen Hodges fail to cash in against bad pass defenses a couple times now. The Cardinals are the worst QB defense in the league; The Bengals are bottom-10; The Browns are bottom-half, and Hodges didn’t reach 15 fantasy points against any of them. Sure, the Bengals’ game is tough to count since he didn’t start and instead replaced an ineffective Mason Rudolph, but I still wouldn’t want to bet on this week being the first time Hodges posts a big day.

QB David Blough, DET (Wk. 16: @Den.): Since throwing his second 1^st-quarter touchdown against the Bears on Thanksgiving, Blough has posted just 5.16 yards per attempt and thrown just 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions across almost 3 full games. This week he faces a Denver defense that allows the 9^th-fewest QB points per game. A low upside option in a bad matchup is not a recipe for fantasy success.

RB Tony Pollard, DAL (Wk. 16: @Phi.): Last week was a fun one to have Pollard in best ball leagues as Dallas unexpectedly trounced the Rams and Pollard piled up points in garbage time. Don’t treat that as a reason to start him this week. The Cowboys are unlikely to put that kind of beating on Philly, and the Eagles allow the 9^th-fewest RB points per game. Sure, there is a chance that the Cowboys decide to give Pollard a bit more work this week after his impressive performance, but chasing last week’s unexpected points is a recipe for disaster.

RB Darwin Thompson, KC (Wk. 16: vs. Chi.): It’s been nice seeing Thompson get a chance to get on the field and produce some fantasy points these past few weeks. He hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he’s flashed some of the talent that made people excited about him this preseason. Still, he was only playing about a third of the offensive snaps each of the past 3 weeks with Damien Williams out, splitting time with LeSean McCoy and Spencer Ware. Williams is going to return this week and push him back to the bench or at least into a smaller role. I’m out on Darwin this week.

RB Josh Jacobs, OAK (Wk. 16: @LAC): Just listing Jacobs in case you missed the news that he’s taking the week off to rest his ailing shoulder. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard will work in his place.

RBs Benny Snell & Kerrith Whyte, PIT (Wk. 16: @NYJ): With James Conner back on the field last week, Snell & Whyte combined to play just 8 offensive snaps. The Jets rank 2^nd in run defense DVOA and Snell still costs nearly $5,000 on DraftKings. Steer well clear of this duo.

WRs N’Keal Harry & Jakobi Meyers, NE (Wk. 16: vs. Buf.): Harry appears to have pushed Meyers and Phillip Dorsett to the bench for now, playing 38 snaps last week while the other 2 combined for 19, but we’ve seen New England switch things up before. This isn’t a great matchup to play any New England wide receivers, even Julian Edelman who is clearly playing at less than 100% and just put up a 9-yard game last week. The Bills allow the 4^th-fewest PPR points to the position and rank 3^rd in pass defense DVOA. They’ve allowed just one 100-yard receiver all year and only 8 receivers to reach 10 fantasy points in half-PPR. This isn’t the week to try Harry or Meyers in DFS or regular lineups.

WR Mecole Hardman, KC (Wk. 16: @Chi.): You know the drill with Mecole by now. With the full complement of Kansas City receivers healthy, Hardman just isn’t playing a whole lot. He’s made some exciting splash plays in those limited snaps and gotten in the end zone a few times, but that’s what you’re banking on if you use Hardman in any format, and the Bears have allowed just 7 offensive plays of 40+ yards all year against them. Mecole isn’t even the most likely guy on his own team to cash in on a big play as long as Tyreek Hill is around.

WRs Kelvin Harmon & Steven Sims, WAS (Wk. 16: vs. NYG): Both of these players have made some positive plays this year, but the passing volume just isn’t robust enough to consider anyone but McLaurin for fantasy lineups right now. The matchup this week is conducive to throwing the ball, but we’ve seen Haskins throw 30+ times just once in 6 starts, and the highest value targets are going to McLaurin. If I were scrounging for a deep DFS sleeper for tournaments I’d prefer Sims to Harmon as he’s been targeted 18 times in the last 2 weeks, but both have low ceilings unless they’re getting in the end zone.

WRs Hunter Renfrow & Keelan Doss, OAK (Wk. 16: @LAC): Renfrow is on track to return this week, but the injury that sidelined him was cracked ribs and a punctured lung suffered just a few weeks ago. I’d be surprised if the Raiders throw him back into a full-time role in his first game back no matter how good they claim he looks in practice. He was just a low-upside PPR WR4 most weeks before suffering the injury. His return will also render Doss unplayable. It was Doss who had picked up the extra snaps at WR in his absence. I’d stay away from both this week as the Chargers allow the 3^rd-fewest WR PPR points per game.

WR Bisi Johnson, MIN (Wk. 16: vs. GB): With Adam Thielen back in the lineup, Bisi was limited to 26 offensive snaps and one passing game target. He’ll be irrelevant for fantasy purposes with both Diggs and Thielen on the field. No team plays fewer 3-wide sets than Minnesota.

TE Irv Smith Jr., MIN (Wk. 16: vs. GB): Although he found the end zone last Sunday and this week faces a defense allowing the 9^th-most PPR points per game to tight ends, Smith is at best a touchdown dart throw this week. He’s playing plenty of snaps, but this just remains such a low volume passing attack that he isn’t getting enough opportunity to break through to fantasy relevance when he doesn’t find the end zone. It doesn’t help Smith that the team’s number 3 tight end Tyler Conklin has been playing 40+ percent of the snaps in each of the last 2 weeks as well. Irv’s cheap in DFS, but there are higher-upside tight ends to chase.

TE Dawson Knox, BUF (Wk. 16: @NE): Knox has been an afterthought in the Bills’ offense for the last month, and I don’t see this as the week where that changes. In his last 4 games, the rookie has pulled in a total of 7 passes for 76 yards on 11 targets, and New England allows the 7^th-fewest TE PPR points per game.

Deep League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:

QB Drew Lock, DEN (Wk. 16: vs. Det.): Lock has acquitted himself pretty well since taking over as the starting QB in Denver. He struggled last week in snowy conditions in Kansas City, but he performed well against the Chargers in his debut and shredded a mediocre pass defense in Houston two weeks ago. This week he gets to face the best matchup he’s gotten so far. Detroit has allowed 5 of the last 9 teams they’ve played to throw for *at least* 320 yards and 3 touchdowns. I’m not suggesting that Lock will put up those kinds of numbers. The Broncos are a touchdown favorite and will likely lean on the run game if they get out in front, but something in the range of 15-20 fantasy points wouldn’t be surprising for Lock. He’s a sneaky QB2 this week and an intriguing cheap DFS option.

QB Will Grier, CAR (Wk. 16: @Ind.): The Will Grier era in Carolina is upon us, at least for the next two weeks. Grier was known as a gunslinger in college. He was willing to push the ball down the field and had great results at West Virginia. He averaged nearly 10 yards per attempt and threw 37 touchdowns as a senior. He had a shaky preseason where he connected on just 1 of 11 deep passes and ultimately lost the backup job to Kyle Allen, but he’s behind Allen no more. As Carolina has fallen out of the playoff picture with 6 consecutive losses, they’ve finally decided to give Grier a shot. Grier’s debut comes in a pretty good matchup for him. The Colts allow the 10^th-most QB points per game and have given up the 5^th-highest passer rating to opposing QBs. They don’t give up a lot of deep balls, but this still feels like a game where Grier may connect downfield with Curtis Samuel a couple times. Grier costs barely more than the QB minimum on DraftKings, and Indy has coughed up 762 passing yards and 8 touchdown tosses in the last two weeks. There are worse options out there if you want to take a crazy swing in a DFS tournament.

QB Dwayne Haskins, WAS (Wk. 16: vs. NYG): Haskins had his best yardage game as a pro last weekend and gets a favorable matchup this weekend as well. The Giants allow the 8^th-most QB points per game and rank 30^th in pass defense DVOA. The Giants are much better against the run, ranking 8^th in run defense DVOA, so the burden to make plays will likely fall on Haskins. It remains to be seen which team will be more motivated to win this game. The winning team will get rivalry bragging rights, but the losing team will likely get to draft Chase Young. I don’t know that I expect Haskins to do enough to be trusted in lineups, but 200+ yards and 2 scores isn’t out of the question this week, and he’s only hit those marks twice in 6 starts.

RBs Patrick Laird & Myles Gaskin, MIA (Wk. 16: vs. Cin.): The Bengals have been a defense to target with your running backs all year, and that will hold true even in this toilet bowl of a matchup. The question of which running back to target them with this week got a little more muddled with Gaskin playing the same number of offensive snaps as Laird in week 15, but I think both have a chance to return nice value. Cincinnati ranks 27^th in run defense DVOA and coughs up the 6^th-most RB PPR points per game. Neither player would be trustworthy in your league championship, but in deep leagues and DFS tournaments both are worth looking at. I’d still prefer Laird over Gaskin. He got the start and played most of the first two drives on Sunday, but Gaskin will be involved moving forward as well. Even as the playing time evened up, Laird still handled 3 more carries and 2 more targets than Gaskin.

WR Diontae Johnson, PIT (Wk. 16: @NYJ): Johnson becomes much harder to trust if JuJu Smith-Schuster returns this week, but he’s carved out a nice role for himself with JuJu sidelined and Duck Hodges under center. Diontae has been targeted 15 times in the last 2 weeks and turned in 11-122-1 with at least 60 yards in each game. The Jets have proven to be a strong run defense and bad pass defense, which plays into Johnson’s hands a bit. They allow the 10^th-most WR PPR points per game despite playing a pretty easy WR schedule. The only top-14 WRs (in total PPR points) they’ve faced all year are Julian Edelman and Amari Cooper, and Cooper got hurt very early on in their meeting. Disregard Johnson if JuJu suits up, but if not, he’s got interesting upside for deep leagues.

WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside, PHI (Wk. 16: vs. Dal.): I know, talking about using JJ in any format feels like a joke at this point, and a bad one if you have him in any dynasty leagues. I don’t know if there is such a thing as a contrarian flyer in DFS, but that’s what I would call JJ this week. He costs just $3,500 in DraftKings and he’s been playing more than 90% of Philly’s offensive snaps with Alshon and Agholor out. He only has 6 targets and 2 catches to show for it in the last two weeks, but he also has 4 red zone targets in the last 5 games. It’s almost purely a gut call, but I have a feeling that Arcega-Whiteside cashes in his opportunities this week and posts a surprising 2 touchdown game. The Cowboys rank just 23^rd in pass defense DVOA.

TE Kaden Smith, NYG (Wk. 16: @Was.): Smith became a bit of a forgotten man in the past 2 weeks as Eli Manning filled in at quarterback. That could change this week with Daniel Jones back at the helm. With Jones under center Smith was targeted 14 times in weeks 12 & 13, tallying 11-87-1. With Eli in he was targeted just 8 times in the last 2 games and ended up with just 5 catches for 47 yards. There is some threat that Rhett Ellison returns this week, but Smith seemed to have a connection with Jones, and Washington allows the 5^th-most TE PPR points per game. It would be a big leap of faith to use Smith in the fantasy championship with Ellison looming, but I could see my way to using him in DFS lineups.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully it helps you with your toughest lineup decisions involving rookies. Make sure to keep an eye on the injury reports ahead of kickoff Sunday and make sure you don’t end up starting any inactive players. If you have any specific questions or want to yell at me about anything written above, feel free to reach out via twitter and let me know (@Shawn_Foss). As always: Good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It’s just a game.

Welcome to Statistically (in)Significant, the place to find great stats that probably only matter at the water cooler (or bar). Each week I'll dig through the stats of the week gone by and deliver you some choice conversation starters. All fantasy stats are half PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

95% Completion Rate

Minshew Mania is alive and well in Jacksonville. Gardner Minshew led the Jaguars to victory over the much-hyped Colts. So much for the tank in Jacksonville, though if we learned anything from the Dolphins last year, a tank mentality is generally only present in the front office. The players and coaches never want to tank. I say bravo Minshew. He was brilliant, completing 19 of 20 passes for a 95% completion rate. He has the third highest passer rating so far in Week 1, behind only the reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, and perennial MVP candidate Russell Wilson. Minshew’s 20.82 fantasy points are only good for 12^th best this week, but he finished ahead of Mahomes and is very much in the conversation as an every week QB2 and a good streaming QB option.

14 Receptions

DeAndre Hopkins had a career high 14 receptions in his first game with the Cardinals. By contrast, the Texans WRs had only 13 total receptions. Hopkins’ previous career high was 12 receptions, which he achieved only once. Sunday’s performance with his new QB Kyler Murray is just a signal of what’s to come on this high-powered offense that now has a true #1 option. It also highlights how much the Texans missed their former #1 option on offense. Back to Arizona, who were very impressive in defeating last year’s NFC champs. Kyler Murray did not need to do a ton in the passing game – only 12 of his 26 completions went to someone not named DeAndre. Murray’s real contribution to this game came on the ground, he had 91 rushing yards along with another TD. Murray and Hopkins both finished as the 5^th highest scoring fantasy player at their respective positions.

3 WRs in the Top 11

Perhaps the Packers brass knows what they’re doing after all, when it comes to WRs. Aaron Rodgers’ attitude towards his team was the subject of a lot of offseason talk. They did not acquire any new talent for Rodgers to play with, which was seen by many as a mistake. Rodgers, the true professional that he is, just poured himself a tall glass of tequila and made the best out of what he had to work with. 3 of his WRs finished in the top 11 at their position this week, with Davante Adams holding the top spot with a gaudy stat line of 14 receptions for 156 yards and 2 scores. Marquez Valdes-Scantling put up 17.6 points, good for 9^th and Allen Lazard was right behind him at 16.2 points and 11^th on the week. As for Rodgers, he was just the QB2 on the week, throwing for 364 yards and 4 touchdowns, totaling 30.76 points. Next up for Rodgers is Detroit, who just made Mitchell Trubisky look like the right choice for the Bears. Look out NFC North – Rodgers is about to rampage through your division.

3 of the top 11 TEs

Over the course of a season, the better TEs generally will rise to the top, but it’s often very hard to predict them outside of maybe a handful at best. This season appears to be no different. Only 3 of the top 11 TEs in Week 1 are even rostered in our drinkfive fantasy league. These top 11 TEs all scored at least 10 points, so they would have all ben fantastic starts, if you were able to take the leap in Week 1 and avoid many of the bigger names that were drafted higher. Week 1 saw Dallas Goedert, T.J. Hockenson and David Njoku all put up at least 50 yards and a TD – all now hot waiver wire pickups. Speaking of the wire, 4 guys in the top 11 are owned in 27% or fewer leagues on Fleaflicker – David Njoku, Logan Thomas, Jordan Akins and Jimmy Graham. Good luck picking the right guys on the waiver wire and not the ones who are a flash in the pan. I’m sure next week this column will feature another bunch of TEs putting up points that nobody started.

3 First Round Duds

Of the top 12 players drafted in 2020 (ranked by ADP), 3 of them were duds this week. We’re still waiting to see the results from Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley’s games tonight, but so far only 3 guys have disappointed out of the first round, and I think that’s a good consistency. The rest of the players drafted in the first round turned in really respectable to great stat lines, including the top RB and WR. We got disappointing performances from Michael Thomas (3 rec, 17 yards), Joe Mixon (69 yards, 1 rec for 2 yards and 1 fumble) and Nick Chubb (60 yards, 1 rec for 6 yards and 1 fumble). I expect all 3 players to recover nicely, especially Michael Thomas, who has now been held below 5 receptions in consecutive regular season games for the first time since Weeks 11 & 12 in 2018. Meanwhile, both Mixon and Chubb will need to help their teams find some sort of groove, as both teams combined for only 19 points.