Fantasy Football Week 13 Instant Reactions: Josh Allen passes Cam Newton, but this wasn’t a bounce back
Fantasy football analyst Ray Garvin shares his thoughts on Week 13’s most noteworthy action.Buffalo went on the road and handled business 26-7, but this was not a bounce back for Josh Allen. After a three-touchdown eruption against Tampa, then a Thursday night dud versus Houston with two picks, Allen turned in a muted line here: 15 of 23 for 123 yards with one touchdown and one interception, plus 38 rushing yards and a rushing score. He set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (previously held by Cam Newton) and logged his 49th career game with both a passing and rushing TD, yet the aerial rhythm never showed.AdvertisementIt was James Cook who carried the offense here. He handled 32 carries for 144 yards and added 3 for 33 as a receiver — that’s 35 touches in a true bell-cow role. When your running back leads the team in receiving, the passing attack is off. Keon Coleman snagged the lone receiving touchdown. Otherwise, Buffalo played bully ball, leaned on Cook and let the defense choke out a Pittsburgh offense that never threatened.This should not be construed as panic for Allen. He remains one of the best fantasy quarterbacks with a rushing floor that bails you out even on light passing days. The schedule brings Cincinnati next, then New England, Cleveland and Philadelphia in Week 17. Expect Buffalo to keep featuring Cook while Allen finds his groove again.Quick Pittsburgh note: Aaron Rodgers left hurt and this unit looks cooked. There is no juice outside and they cannot run; tight end Darnell Washington leading the team with 2 for 45 says it all. This offense is going nowhere fast.AdvertisementInstant reaction: Keep rolling Josh Allen, but the story is James Cook — he is a volume monster and a locked-in RB1 while Buffalo leans on the ground against Cincinnati next week.Seattle wins, but “revenge” never shows up for Sam DarnoldThis was billed as a Sam Darnold revenge game. It was not. Darnold struggled from the jump and the passing game felt stuck in mud. He finished 14 of 26 for 128 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 picks, took 4 sacks and averaged 5.0 yards per attempt with zero rushing yards. That torpedoed any shot at a JSN spike. Jaxon Smith-Njigba saw just 4 targets and turned them into 2 for 23. That cannot happen.But Seattle did not need much from the offense because Max Brosmer melted down on the other side. He threw 4 interceptions with a pick six, was sacked 4 times and Minnesota coughed up another turnover on an Aaron Jones Sr. fumble. So the Seahawks sat on the game and bled clock. Kenneth Walker III logged 13 for 56. Zach Charbonnet handled 14 for 52 with 1 touchdown. AJ Barner led the team in receiving with 4 for 35 on 5 targets. When your tight end leads the room with 35 yards, that says plenty about where the aerial attack was.AdvertisementThe bigger concern sits beyond today. Over the last month, Darnold is the QB35 in fantasy at roughly 7.5 points per game since Week 10. That is not what you want steering your fantasy lineup pieces into the playoffs. The hope is that the matchup with Atlanta next Sunday jump-starts the rhythm because we just saw JSN show life last week, and the talent is not the question.Instant reaction: Darnold has to get it together for Jaxon Smith-Njigba as we roll toward the fantasy playoffs — Seattle’s defense can win games, but your wideouts need the quarterback to wake up.Bryce Young plays point guard in massive upsetThe Rams rolled in on a six-game win streak and left with a 31-28 loss. Statement.AdvertisementBryce Young didn’t need volume to win it. He tied his second-fewest attempts of the season and carved anyway, going 15 of 20 for 206 yards with 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while taking 2 sacks. He added 23 rushing yards. After last week’s clunker, this was all clean execution and timely shots.Carolina leaned on the ground game and stayed patient. The Panthers stacked 40 rush attempts and kept control. Chuba Hubbard handled 17 carries for 83 yards and caught 2 for 41 with a 35-yard score. Rico Dowdle logged 18 for 58 and added 2 for 21. That balance let the shots land when the offense dialed them up. Jalen Coker posted 4 for 74 with a touchdown. Tetairoa McMillan turned his lone target into a 43-yard house call. It is not a high-volume pass attack, but when they are on schedule, it works.This is exactly what you want from a facilitator. Young operated the offense, took care of the football and made the money throws when they were there. The low-attempt count will cap McMillan’s weekly ceiling even with strong usage, but the touchdown role keeps him in play. If Coker continues to settle on the outside, this passing tree gets easier to project.AdvertisementInstant reaction: Chuba Hubbard is back on the weekly start radar, Rico Dowdle looks like a flexible asset each and every week, Tetairoa McMillan remains a touchdown-driven WR3 and Jalen Coker is an add where available after this performance.Shedeur Sanders’ home opener starts fast, but Browns’ costly fumble flips the gameCleveland’s home opener had juice in the building and plenty of eyes on Shedeur Sanders in start No. 2. In the second quarter, he uncorked a 30-plus yard touchdown to Harold Fannin Jr., then the Browns converted the 2 with Quinshon Judkins to take an 8-7 lead. The rookie passer’s final line read 16 of 25 for 149 yards with 1 touchdown and 0 picks while taking 3 sacks. Early on, he looked comfortable and decisive.Then the third quarter changed everything.AdvertisementWith about seven minutes left, on fourth and short, Cleveland put the ball in Fannin’s hands and he lost it. San Francisco led just 10-8 at that moment, but the turnover pulled the plug on the momentum. From there, the offense pressed. The late slide on fourth and long is going to live on the cutups — you have to give your guys a chance — yet the hinge of this game was the fumble.From a fantasy perspective, you are not starting Sanders. This is about growth and whether he can keep the pass catchers afloat. He did enough to buoy Fannin, who finished 3 for 43 and the score. Jerry Jeudy managed 3 for 26 as the passing game stalled after the turnover. David Njoku was a non-factor. The hope is the rookie keeps stacking reps so he can play point guard and feed his playmakers rather than asking him to win as a pure dropback passer right now.Instant reaction: Keep Sanders on waivers, but monitor if he can stabilize targets for Harold Fannin Jr. and Jerry Jeudy in Week 14.Davante Adams’ touchdown heater hits six straightThe Rams took a bad L in Carolina, but Davante Adams stayed on brand as the league leader in touchdown grabs. He found the end zone again and that makes it six straight games with a score. Four of those were multi-touchdown efforts. On the season, he has scored in nine of his 13 games. That is rare air. This is what we drafted him for and he is delivering when it matters most.AdvertisementZoom out and the ranks back it up. Entering Sunday night, Adams sits as the WR7 in half PPR. Over the past month, he is the WR6 at almost 16 points per game. He is not winning on wild volume like Puka Nacua; he does not need it. Over that same stretch, Adams is living around a 24% target share while Nacua is closer to 28, yet Adams keeps pacing your lineup because the high-value looks are his. Another two touchdowns today reinforced it. He has been the Rams’ top scorer over the last month at 15 fppg and for the full season, he is only one point per game behind Nacua.The tape matches the numbers. Adams is running free. The timing with Matthew Stafford is clean and the red-zone chemistry is undeniable. When they get in tight, it is almost automatic. Corners cannot win at the line. Safeties are late. Stafford trusts him and that trust shows up where fantasy points count the most.Instant reaction: Keep riding Davante Adams’ touchdown upside — he is a set-and-forget WR1 as this heater rolls.AdvertisementBijan Robinson delivers an explosive workhorse show as fantasy playoffs loomThis is the version of Bijan Robinson you drafted to carry you. Robinson slammed the door with 23 carries for 142 yards at 6.2 a pop and a rushing score, then stacked 5 for 51 as a receiver. A couple of weeks ago he logged 23 carries with 2 touchdowns against Carolina. Today felt even bigger because we finally saw the chunk gains. He ripped a 42-yard catch that stands as his third-longest reception of the season and one of his five longest plays all year.Zoom out and the profile screams bell cow. Bijan sits at 853 rushing yards with 543 receiving on the season and over the last month, he is the RB6 in half PPR. With Kirk Cousins at the controls and Michael Penix Jr. on the shelf, this offense is built to run through No. 7. The line fired off the ball and the staff fed its star. Tyler Allgeier stayed involved with 8 for 20 and a touchdown, plus 2 for 35 through the air. He has scored in four of his last six games, which keeps him in the desperation-flex mix when you are chasing touches.AdvertisementThis is exactly what you want heading into the fantasy playoffs. The schedule brings Seattle, Tampa Bay and Arizona. That is a runway for volume and for Bijan to stack high-value touches. If Atlanta keeps the design this clean, you are walking into December with a true set-and-forget engine who can win your week on any snap.Instant reaction: Bijan is a locked-in RB1 the rest of the way, while Tyler Allgeier profiles as a touchdown-chasing flex you can plug when needed.C.J. Stroud returns and Nico Collins seals victoryC.J. Stroud was back after missing three games with a concussion and this was more grind than fireworks. He went 22 of 35 for 276 yards with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception while taking 2 sacks. No passing scores, but Houston found the finish on the ground. Nico Collins iced it with a 7-yard rushing touchdown. Nick Chubb also punched one in. Rookie Woody Marks set the tone with 19 carries for 64; at this point, he looks like the lead back with Chubb rotating as the hammer.AdvertisementCollins was the alpha through the air with 5 for 98 on 10 targets. Dalton Schultz turned 8 looks into 7 for 55. Jayden Higgins delivered again with 5 for 65. That makes four straight games with at least four receptions for the rookie — two touchdowns in that stretch — and it should be three after he was tackled at the 1 against Tennessee. Stroud shaking off rust while those pieces keep producing is exactly what you want as this offense resets.The Colts hung in. Daniel Jones threw 2 touchdowns while gutting it out on a bad leg, but Jonathan Taylor’s post-bye dip continued. After dropping 244 right before the week off he has failed to clear 100 in two straight, hasn’t scored, and sits under four a carry across those games. Alec Pierce did his job as the vertical spark with 4 for 78 and a touchdown while Michael Pittman Jr. remained quiet with 1 for 13.AdvertisementHouston moves to 7-5 and this felt like a step toward rhythm with Stroud back at the controls.Instant reaction: Jayden Higgins’ arrow keeps pointing up as we approach the fantasy playoffsJakobi Meyers keeps stacking his WR1 case in JacksonvilleDon’t look now, but do we have a new WR1 in Jacksonville? No, not Travis Hunter. No, not Brian Thomas Jr. No, not Parker Washington. It is Jakobi Meyers, and the chemistry with Trevor Lawrence is getting loud.The former Raider led the Jags in this win over Tennessee with 6 receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown, including a 50-yard shot that flipped the field. Since arriving a month ago, he has seen 6 targets in three of four games, and he has scored in two of four. That usage speaks volumes.AdvertisementThomas Jr. returned from his ankle injury and stayed quiet. Washington got banged up. Meanwhile, Meyers keeps popping open on third down and in the high-leverage spots. Lawrence seems to trust him. You can feel it in the timing routes and the way the ball finds No. 3 when the Jaguars need a play. Jacksonville sits 8-4 after Indy’s loss, with Houston at 7-5. This division is headed for a sprint and there will be no letup. The Jags will have to keep throwing and Meyers looks like the newfound chain-mover who can also hit you over the top.The next three bring the Colts, Jets and Broncos. That mix should keep volume steady and the red-zone chances live.Hunter is on IR. Thomas Jr. will have splash weeks, but right now, the steady drumbeat belongs to Meyers.Instant reaction: Jakobi Meyers should be treated as Jacksonville’s top target earner with steady WR3 value as the AFC South race heats up.AdvertisementBucky Irving can be started with confidenceBucky Irving was back for the first time since Week 4 and the “eased in” talk didn’t happen. Tampa Bay handed him the keys in a tight 20-17 win over Arizona and he answered with 17 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown, plus two catches for 20. Sean Tucker, who’d been the holdover while Bucky sat, was a non-factor with 2 carries for 0 yards. Rachaad White saw 2 carries for 7 and chipped in 3 for 22 as a receiver, but this backfield clearly belonged to Irving.It wasn’t perfect after two months off. There were snaps where the timing looked rusty. Then the touchdown run hit and you remembered why Bucky changes the calculus for this offense. With Baker Mayfield playing through pain and the passing game still searching, Todd Bowles leaned on the fresh legs. That usage speaks the loudest. When the game tightened, they trusted No. 7. That is bell-cow behavior in his first game back.AdvertisementFile away the ancillary notes, too. Emeka Egbuka’s downtrend continued with 4 for 42 — three straight under 45 — while Chris Godwin handled 3 for 78 as the downfield spark. None of that matters as much for us as does the fact that Tampa Bay needs Bucky right now. It is 7-5 in a tight NFC South race and the upcoming slate brings the Saints next, then the Falcons and two with the Panthers. If he walked out healthy after this workload, there is no reason to expect a step back for Irving.Instant reaction: Bucky Irving is back and in control — start him with confidence the rest of the way because the Bucs need his volume — and he just showed he can handle it.
已发布: 2025-12-01 01:27:00
来源: sports.yahoo.com
