In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Knockaround:
on Thursday Night Football—it was the highest total of the week at 51.5 points—and it delivered.
Jared Goff passed for three touchdowns, including two to Tim Patrick (it meant something to someone, OK?), and Jake Bates kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired to give the Lions a 34-31 home win. The Lions have won 11 consecutive games and improved to 12-1, clinching a playoff berth, while the Packers dropped to 9-4.
The Lions went for it on fourth down five times and converted four. Josh Jacobs scored three touchdowns for the Packers, who are 7-2 in the last nine games with both losses to the Lions. Here is the Friday FAQ.
1. Should I start drinking if I am playing against Josh Jacobs?
It’s always difficult going against a player that goes off on Thursday. It means staring at a big number for several days. It’s still one player and it doesn’t mean a loss. Other players on your roster can easily put up big numbers on Sunday. Jacobs has fit in well with Green Bay, posting at least 20 PPR points in six of his last seven games, and has 10 touchdowns in the last seven games. He finished with 66 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns.
2. What happened to Jayden Reed?
In a game with 65 points, it was stunning to see Reed get one target and no receptions. Reed doesn’t get a lot of volume and is dependent on big plays and touchdowns. The last time he faced the Lions on Nov. 3, Reed had six targets, catching five passes for 113 yards. Reed has 26 yards receiving or fewer in four straight games. The Packers ran only 45 plays compared to 76 for the Lions. Jordan Love only completed 12 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown and Reed wasn’t a part of it. Christian Watson had four catches for 114 yards and Tucker Kraft had three catches for 41 yards with a touchdown.
3. How did the Lions overcome their defensive injuries?
With a potent offense that the Packers couldn’t stop. Jared Goff went 32-for-41 with 283 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Tim Patrick was the big surprise with six catches for 43 yards with two touchdowns. It’s the first time he scored since 2021. Goff spread the ball around as six players had at least five targets. Jameson Williams had five catches for 80 yards, Sam LaPorta had five catches for 54 yards and Amon-Ra St. Brown had five catches for 43 yards and a 10-yard run. As usual, the running backs were busy. David Montgomery had 14 carries for 51 yards with a touchdown and caught five passes for 33 yards and Jahmyr Gibbs had 15 carries for 43 yards and caught six passes for 30 yards with a touchdown.
WEEK 14 NFL GAME PROJECTIONS, ANYONE?!
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Stat of the Day: Nick Chubb Is Back
- Watercooler: A massive CFB preview, 50% off FL, and more
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An RB Reclaims His RB1 Throne
- By Geoff Ulrich
Nick Chubb took 77% of the rush attempts for Cleveland in Week 12
Chubb will make his sixth start of the season this week after returning from a major knee injury he suffered early in 2023. The 28-year-old hasn’t been his usual efficient self on the stat sheet yet as he’s averaging 3.0 yards per carry thus far – which is a far cry from his 5.1 ypc career average.
Still, there are signs that the Browns lead RB is starting to get into shape. On top of scoring twice against Pittsburgh, he was healthy and durable enough to take a season-high 77% of the rush attempts against the Steelers (via our Utilization Report).
Chubb only managed 3.0 ypc against the tough Steelers rush defense but that’s almost irrelevant in some respects as the coaching staff trusted him in the game's key moments, handing him eight red zone touches, overall.
The Broncos are another tough matchup for Chubb (who has returned to a brutal schedule) but they aren’t as tough on opposing RBs as they are on WRs.
For the season, Denver has allowed the 14th most fantasy points per game to opposing RBs (22.2) and grade out as a better matchup than Pittsburgh who have allowed the 24th-most fantasy points per game to opposing RBs (20.0).
I wouldn’t expect another two-TD game from Chubb, but we could see better efficiency with the veteran coming off a long rest having last played on Thursday in Week 12.
The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:
📊 Need help setting your lineup? Ian, Dwain, and Freedman help you out with the fantasy playoffs on the line.
❤️ We all have choices to make. Matthew helps you be more cheerful with playoffs on the line.
🧠 College Football conference championships are here, and Thor Nystrom breaks down the action.
🦁 Detroit is taking pride in this crew. And cooterdoodle presents the Lions’ state of the team.
🏈 This is the time for handcuffs. For your running backs.
🦇 He bought the Batmobile. Is the Batsuit next?
