The playoffs are here, and bye weeks are officially behind us. If you’ve made it this far, we’re going to assume you’ve been following along with weekly waiver advice, and you’ve got a deep bench full of startable assets. It’s win-or-go-home time, so let’s try to identify which of these players you should put into your lineup for a pivotal playoff matchup this week. As always, these are players who are ranked outside the top 24 in the Fantasy Footballers Rankings, who I think will crack the top 24 and help you win your week. Here are the names:
Really, I mean it. McCormick has been impressive on the ground in his last two games, taking 27 carries for 142, an average of 5.3 per tote. He’s done that against two formidable run defenses in Kansas City and Tampa Bay, while this week he gets a more favorable matchup against a Falcons defense that just allowed 6.1 YPC to Minnesota’s running backs. Zamir White has been ruled out for the season, and although Alexander Mattison looks ready to return from his ankle injury, I expect him to steal more work from Ameer Abdullah‘s third-down/pass-catching role. McCormick has looked too effective to be replaced by Mattison this week, and with Desmond Ridder getting the start at quarterback, it should be a ground-heavy approach for the Raiders. I’d start him over names like Tyrone Tracy Jr., Travis Etienne Jr., and D’Andre Swift. He plays on Monday night, so be sure to put him in your flex.
Old man voice: “Startttt Meeee.” Thielen’s been excellent since returning from injury in Week 12, riding back-to-back top-20 performances into a plus matchup with the Dallas Cowboys this week. The improvement of second-year quarterback Bryce Young continues to be a fun story, and one you should capitalize on down the stretch of fantasy playoffs. Thielen’s drawn 21 targets from Young over the past two games, and I expect that to continue this week against a Dallas defense that’s bottom 10 against fantasy wide receivers. Thielen should be in starting lineups for Week 1 of the fantasy playoffs and beyond.
Mooney made this list last week, and he paid off if you started him, catching six passes for 142 yards against Minnesota. It’s another solid spot for Mooney this week, who leads the Atlanta Falcons in receiving yardage this year with 873. The Raiders’ defense ranks middle-of-the-pack at defending fantasy wide receivers, and they just (somewhat famously) allowed Jalen McMillan to find the end zone twice last week. Mooney hasn’t found the end zone since Week 9, because Kirk Cousins hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 9, but I think both streaks end this week. He is my bold touchdown guarantee this week, and I like him a lot as a Monday night flex option for your playoff matchup.
Detroit’s matchup with Buffalo has a 54.0 point over/under, giving Detroit (-2.5) an implied team total of 28. That sentence alone should have your mouth watering to play “Jamo” this week, but just in case you need more convincing, here are some stats. Williams is averaging 70 receiving yards per game in the five games since returning from his suspension in Week 10. He’s had incredibly steady target shares of 21%, 19%, 21%, 23%, and 20% over that stretch. Finally, the Bills’ defense allowed 299 receiving yards to the Rams’ wide receivers last week. Jameson Williams should smash this week, so get him into your lineups.
After spending the majority of the season looking like one of the greatest busts for fantasy football this year, Waddle has found his stride lately. Waddle has averaged seven catches for 99 yards over his last three games, adding a touchdown as well. This week he draws an excellent matchup against a Houston secondary that’s allowed 3.4 fantasy points above expected to wide receivers this year. The 47.0-point over/under suggests that this game should have plenty of offense, and I like Waddle’s chances to continue his hot streak this week. It only took 15 weeks, but you can feel confident playing Waddle right now as a solid flex option.
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