After a Thanksgiving full of football and a very eventful Sunday slate, we’re back to diving into fantasy football as the playoffs quickly approach. I may have two final exams tomorrow, but you didn’t really think that’d stop me, right?
As we head into Week 13, allow me to bring to your attention possibly the most exciting afternoon slate of the season coming this Sunday.
First, the Miami Dolphins are making the cross-country trip to take on the 49ers. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel, another protégé from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, gets his first crack at his former mentor.
The Dolphins have had one of the league’s most explosive offenses, but they’ll get a real litmus test this weekend — the San Francisco defense is arguably the best unit in the NFL.
Then, the Chiefs and Bengals will kick off in Cincinnati.
These two teams played two absolute classics last season, one in Week 17 and another in the AFC Championship. Both ended with the Chiefs just falling short. Kansas City will have a chance to exact revenge, and we’ll get to see another duel between Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes, two of the league’s most exciting young QBs.
You can bet these games have some fantasy ripple effects.
Mike White Magic is Back
Everyone remembers “Money Mike” from last season, right?
When Zach Wilson was injured last year, the Western Kentucky alum saw his first career NFL start against the Cincinnati Bengals. White led the 1-5 Jets to a 34-31 victory over the Bengals in a complete shootout. Yes, the same Bengals who went on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. He was unfazed by one of the NFL’s best offenses and beat them at their own game, going 37-of-45 passing for 405 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw for the most yards of any NFL QB that week.
This season, the Jets are much improved, but Wilson seemed to be holding them back all season. After some poorly worded comments (to put it nicely) in his press conference following the Jets 10-3 loss to the Patriots on Nov. 20, Wilson was benched.
Enter Mike White once again. In his first start of the season, White gave Jets fans just what they wanted. He went 22-of-28 passing for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns as his name echoed throughout the MetLife Stadium crowd.
His performance earned him 24.8 fantasy points last week, and he is the starter for the foreseeable future in New York. This Jets team is legit, and while White likely is not the franchise guy, he’s a smart QB who can run offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s offense.
Also, he’s got new toys like receiver Garrett Wilson around him.
He’s still barely rostered and is a solid option if you need to stream a QB or are just looking for a signal-caller with high upside. He has some favorable pass defenses coming up on the schedule.
Comeback Corey
The return of Mike White coincided with Corey Davis’ return from injury as well. The wideout was the WR1 for the Jets when White played last season, so the chemistry is already there.
It has been a disappointing season so far for Davis, but look for that to change now that there’s another QB in New York. Davis is clearly the WR2 now behind the rookie stud Wilson, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help your team out.
Last week White showed he wanted to distribute the ball, completing passes to 10 different players! While Davis was only targeted three times, he played a large majority of the snaps, so more touches will come.
Plus, Wilson really breaking out means that there will be less attention on Davis than there was last season, likely giving him more opportunities to find open space.
Davis is also a tall pass-catcher and has proven to have big-play ability. He is available in most leagues, and as I said with White, the Jets are playing some weak pass defenses to round out the year. So, he could have some huge games down the stretch.
Really? Another Niners’ Running Back?
That’s right. We might have a new viable fantasy running back in San Francisco.
Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss the rest of the fantasy season with an injury, and Christian McCaffrey is questionable for Sunday’s contest against the Dolphins after not practicing on Wednesday.
This leaves Jordan Mason. A rookie who has seen only 10 carries all season as the possible RB1 for San Francisco. Even if McCaffrey suits up, we all know that the second running back in a Kyle Shanahan offense sees their fair share of touches.
This means that Mason is not only a great handcuff opportunity for this coming week, but is a high-risk/high-reward player going forward.
He’s rostered in a miniscule 1.5% of ESPN leagues, so if your playoff spot is locked up and you’re looking for some possible depth at running back, let him fill that open slot on your bench.
While we’re still over a month away from the NFL playoffs, we’re only a few weeks away from fantasy playoffs. Whether you’re going for first place or just trying to avoid being last, the next few weeks are key for bolstering your lineups before the postseason.
“Frankel’s Fantasy Files” runs every Thursday.