STOCK UP
James Cook - RB, Bills
Ladies and gentlemen do we officially have a new RB1 in Buffalo? I’m not sure, but by the looks of things from the Bills in Week 13, it looks like it’s at least trending in that direction. Cooks saw his most productive day as a pro this far when he rushed 14 times for 64 yards, adding six receptions for an additional 41 yards. It was an efficient day for Cook as he out-touched his running mate Devin Singletary for the first time this season (20 to 13 respectively). Cook may be carving out some stand-alone value of his own, but it should be noted that both he and Singletary both played 44% of the running back snaps. Nyheim Hines filled in for the rest as he saw his most opportunities (four) as a Bill. In any event, Cook has finally had his “breakout” game and he should be among the top priorities on waivers as we head into the fantasy playoffs.
D’Andre Swift - RB, Lions
Swift finished as RB4 in Week 13 (Monday Night Football pending). It’s fair to say he’s back in his fantasy manager’s good graces after a game that saw him take 18 touches for 111 yards from scrimmage and score a touchdown. He’s a player I spoke about immediately after Thanksgiving as trending back up at the right time and he hasn’t disappointed. What’s more interesting, is he had more carries in a game than Jamaal Williams for the first time since Week 1. This is the type of volume we expected Swift to have coming into the season, but injuries and inconsistency stopped him from that. After seeing six targets from Jared Goff in Week 13, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that his dual-threat abilities are being used. The Lions have the Vikings, Jets, Panthers and Bears coming up on the schedule, that’s not a terrible stretch by any means and Swift could exploit it. Swift has arrived just in time for the fantasy playoffs.
Ezekiel Elliott - RB, Cowboys
I hate to say it to you (or maybe I don’t), but you’ll need Elliott in your fantasy playoffs. He’s another player (wink, wink) I spoke on after Thanksgiving simply because he’s not going away and he’s a vital part of the Cowboys offense. Elliott finished as RB9 (Monday Night Football pending) in Week 13 and there’s plenty left on the plate for him to eat. Jerry Jones let it be known that Zeke was not demoted despite not starting the game and Elliott was disciplined for a minor team rule that he broke, so there’s that. The Cowboys offense is functioning so well that both Elliott and Tony Pollard could warrant weekly starts in your fantasy lineups. Elliott has at least 15 carries in each of his last three games since returning from injury and he’s scored in every game. Fire up Zeke for the playoff run.
STOCK DOWN
Gabe Davis - WR, Bills
Davis, the fantasy Twitter world’s favorite preseason wide receiver just isn’t living up to the hype you bestowed upon him. Sure, the Bills’ offense may not be as dominant as it was earlier this season, but Davis has now been out-played by Isaiah McKenzie for two straight games. Davis is coming off of his worst game of the season from a receptions/yardage standpoint in Week 13 (2 receptions for 15 yards) and while he did score a touchdown, that still only netted him 9.5 fantasy points on seven targets from Josh Allen. He comes in at WR41 in Week 13 (Monday Night Football pending) and that’s just not good enough to trust in your FLEX spot at this pivotal time. Maybe a big game is on the horizon as we know he can go off at any moment, but is it worth the risk?
Derrick Henry - RB, Titans
This is not to suggest that you should be benching Henry in any form or fashion. From a fantasy perspective, I have to put you on notice that he’s been RB14 over the past four weeks. In that same span he’s failed to rush for over 3.1 yards per carry. The Titans just can’t seem to get the running game going right now and the offense is suffering because of it. They have now lost their last two games and in those games Henry had less than 40 yards in each of them. He should get some relief in a Week 14 matchup against the Jaguars, which just let D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams combine for 25/97/2. We never give up on the King, but you have to be aware.
Jakobi Meyers - WR, Patriots
Meyers is back to not catching touchdown passes and it’s become exhausting…But why? Isn’t he the Patriots’ top receiver? Well yes, he is, but the offense is running on fumes (not that it had a full tank). The Patriots’ clueless offense, coupled with Mac “Dink & Dunk” Jones leading the way, has been tough for Meyers’ fantasy prospects. Over his last four games he’s averaged 3.7 receptions for 44.5 yards per game. There’s a chance for some revival in the next couple weeks against the Cardinals and the Raiders, but with the offense moving how it is, does it really matter? Think about this, the Patriots’ only touchdown from Week 13 came from Marcus Jones, a third-round rookie defensive back who played his first offensive snap of the season. Pray for Meyers because he has talent.
