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As we roll into Week 13 of the 2021 NFL season, the inevitable keeps happening: player injuries. We learned this week that Christian McCaffrey will miss the remainder of the season. It’s an unfortunate occurrence for him, and now the Panthers will turn to a combination of Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah. Dalvin Cook and Deebo Samuel will both miss a decent amount of time even if they are not dealing with season-ending injuries. The sport will go on, however, and so will your fantasy teams. The deeper we get into the season the more important hitting on your flex spot will become. Michael Gallup, Jaylen Waddle, Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon were all able to cash in after landing in this column last week. With new injuries and still some bye weeks in our view, we’ll have to find another group of players to help lead us to fantasy victories in Week 13.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Rams
It’s time to start trusting OBJ in your fantasy lineups again, maybe because you must. One thing is for certain, the Rams need OBJ, so he will be a factor. Let’s get some things out of the way first:
-Yes, we know that most of his production in Week 12 came on a 54-yard touchdown catch.
-Yes, he saw 10 targets and you may say “but they were in a negative game script”.
Look at it the other way around. He tied all-world receiver Cooper Kupp in targets! OBJ was in the game for 98.4% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 12 as opposed to only 27.3% in Week 10 (the Rams had a bye in Week 11). OBJ was never in for more than 81% of the snaps in a Browns uniform in 2021. Matthew Stafford and the Rams are looking to get back on track against a Jags team who finds wins hard to come by. Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and the rest of the Rams defense should be able to create more opportunities for their offense. Monitor his status as he suffered a hip pointer (but finished the game) after his touchdown catch in Week 12. Putting OBJ in your flex spot may be point chasing, but you also may not have a choice and there are certainly worse options out there.
Boston Scott, RB, Eagles
In a shocking twist, Scott out-carried Miles Sanders 15 to 9. The former was able to score a touchdown while Sanders was left in the dust. Who knows whether game-flow or the “hot hand” approach played a role, but on a day where Jalen Hurts and the Eagles could do nothing, Scott made the most of his touches. The matchup should get a tad easier vs. the other New York team, the Jets. The kicker here will be whether or not Jordan Howard can return in Week 13. Howard started to look like the Eagles’ best back before he went down with an injury. If the Eagles end up using a three-man RBBC then things could get ugly fantasy wise. If you’re rostering Scott though, you can find solace in knowing that the Eagles have a bye in Week 14 so that may keep the team from rushing Howard back. If Scott can secure another 13-16 touches, he is a good play this week.
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J.D. McKissic, RB, Washington Football Team
McKissic returned to being the pest (if you roster Antonio Gibson) that gobbles up points, touches and touchdowns. Despite Gibson getting a whopping 36 touches for 146 yards, McKissic was able to take his opportunities (12 touches for 65 yards) and score twice. Currently ranked as RB22 in PPR formats, McKissic faces a Raiders defense who is the fifth-worst against running backs in fantasy. In Week 12 another “second fiddle” running back, Tony Pollard, produced an efficient nine touches for 70 offensive yards against the Raiders (He also scored on a 100-yard kick return). McKissic suffered what looked to be a serious head/neck injury last week, but he seemed to escape that. That said, he did not practice on Wednesday, so his status is certainly worth monitoring later into the week. McKissic’s last tweet stated “I’m good!” If he’s able to go, fire him up!
Hunter Renfrow, WR, Raiders
The current WR21 (PPR scoring) has been nothing but reliable in 2021. Renfrow is coming off of a career-high eight-catch, 134-yard game against the Cowboys. A WR10 over the past four weeks, Renfrow has averaged 7.75 targets, 6.5 receptions and almost 65 yards per game during that span. He’ll face the Washington Football Team who trots out the fourth-worst defense against receivers in fantasy. Although they’ve played a little better, Washington still has only been the 23rd best fantasy defense the past three weeks. With Darren Waller being down, Renfrow will be the top target for Derek Carr, especially over the middle. An over/under of 49.5 tells us that both teams will be willing to let it fly to get the victory, as the Raiders did in Week 12. Renfrow is probably the most trustworthy option that you’ll read about in this article.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers
Deebo Samuel is hurt (get well soon, we love you) and now Aiyuk finally has the chance and experience to act as the true WR1 for his team. It is really that simple, but regardless, Aiyuk has been coming on as of late. In three of his last four outings, he’s been able to reach at least 85 yards. Aiyuk may find himself with more opportunities to carry the ball via jet sweeps/reverses as well. He’ll face the Seahawks defense who surprisingly boast the seventh-best defense against receivers in fantasy. Overall the Seahawks stink, the 49ers are rolling and that’s why Aiyuk is here. He is a playmaker waiting to be unleashed even more.
