🙏 Big Injuries & Rookie WR Explosions

Mike White threw the ball 57 times yesterday. You're welcome...

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Pristine Auction:

• Big injuries muck things up
• Bud Light Six Pack Recap: Fantasy takeaways from Week 13
• Another player is mad at us
• Kendall's Overreaction Monday: Christian Watson & injury prayers
• MNF: A Preview + Picks & Plays
• LaMarca's First Look: Early Bets for the week
  
• It's 12/5. Take it away, Peter Overzet...

In an alternate universe, we lead today's newsletter discussing all the high flying action (more on the top performers below) and the sweet, sweet revenge games from players like A.J. Brown and D.J. Chark.

But instead we must lead with another roundup of brutal injuries that threaten to shake up the fantasy landscape before the playoffs...

Jimmy Garoppolo (foot fracture) - Jimmy G is out for the year after his ankle got rolled up on against the Dolphins. It's another brutal loss at QB for the Niners, although if there's a silver lining, it's that the team's rookie 7th-round pick, Brock Purdy, looked really solid in relief.

I’m so impressed with how Brock Purdy is handling this post-game presser. Poised, confident yet humble, funny.
He just got asked his thoughts on starting vs Brady next. “It’s cool.” Remind us Brady’s been playing football longer than he’s been alive. 🤣

— Stephania Bell (@Stephania_ESPN)
Dec 5, 2022

Lamar Jackson (knee) - Jackson left the game with a knee injury, and Coach John Harbaugh inferred that it's likely a multi-week injury, but not season-ending. Tyler Huntley took over for Jackson and went 27/32 for 187 yards.

Kenneth Walker (ankle) - Walker left the game early with an ankle injury and did not return. DeeJay Dallas (10-37) and Tony Jones Jr. (7-14; 2-18) shared the carries after he left.

Treylon Burks (concussion) - Burks left the game after getting hit by multiple defenders while making an insane TD catch. I still can't believe he was able to hold onto the ball. He'll likely be in the concussion protocol for this entire week.

Hayden Hurst (calf) - Hurst left the game with a right calf injury and didn't return.

On a more uplifting note, read on for the biggest performances from Week 13, featuring alpha WRs and league-winning rookies...

🏈 Can we interest you in a free Justin Jefferson signed helmet?

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Every Monday, Pete will share his six big takeaways from the week's action compliments of our friends over at Bud Light. Let's crack open that six pack, Pete...

🍺 1. The Eagles let it rip

On Friday, Pat Kerrane said it was "A.J. Brown Week" in the newsletter and Dwain said DeVonta Smith was due for a blow up game. They weren't kidding. AJB served up a cold dish of revenge in the form of 118 yards and 2 TDs, while Smith hung a nice 5-102-1 line. Jalen Hurts (380 yards and 4 total TDs) was slinging it all day long against an overmatched Titans secondary.

The Eagles move to 11-1 on the year and remain the team to beat in the NFC.

🍺 2. The Sun God shines bright

ARSB doesn't score TDs, they say. Well, yesterday, he found the endzone twice while racking up 11 catches for 114 yards as the Lions clobbered the Jaguars 40-14. After injuries slowed him down in the middle of the season, St. Brown is back to scorching the earth with 20 receptions, 236 yards, and 3 TDs over his past two games.

Not enough people are talking about how big of “Alpha WR” Amon Ra St. Brown. This guy has been absolutely ridiculous all season.

He’s a set it and forget it top 5 play at WR rest of season.

— Regression to the Mean (@RTMFantasy)
Dec 4, 2022

In a surprising turn of events, D'Andre Swift led the Lions' backfield in Week 13. In a not-surprising turn of events, Jamaal Williams scored another TD from the one-yard line.

🍺 3. Garrett Wilson is a superstar & Christian Watson is unstoppable

What's left to say about the Jets' rookie WR? As long as Zach Wilson isn't QB, Wilson continues to flash massive upside. He dropped 8-162 on the Vikings secondary on 15 targets and is on pace to break Keyshawn Johnson's record for most receiving yards by a Jets rookie. With all due respect to Chris Olave, there's not a rookie WR I'd rather have in my lineups down the stretch.

As for Watson? Every week he touches the ball 3-4 times and scores a couple of times. And every week, we say he's due for some TD regression. That day may be coming, but it certainly wasn't yesterday as he went 3-48-1 through the air and took an end-around 46 yards to the house for another 20+ point fantasy day. His hot streak puts him in some elite company.

Remember this late-season surge by these rookie WRs next summer.

Garrett Wilson
Christian Watson

They are pushing fantasy managers into the playoffs.

Rookie WRs are under-drafted EVERY YEAR in fantasy football -- and they come through at the most important time.

— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland)
Dec 4, 2022

🍺 4. The Raiders stay hot

Don't look now, but Las Vegas has won three straight games, and Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs continue to scorch the fantasy earth. They generally ping-pong big weeks, but yesterday they both put up massive scores while putting the team on their back:

Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs combined totaled 321(!) of the Raiders' 404 yards of offense today

— Rachel Gossen (@rachelgossen)
Dec 5, 2022

Adams went ballistic, dropping 8-177-2, including this unreal one-handed catch. And despite coming into the game legitimately questionable with a calf issue, Jacobs rushed for 144 yards and 1 TD on 26 attempts.

🍺 5. CMC back to his RB1 ways

Yesterday we wondered if Eli Mitchell going to IR and Tevin Coleman not being activated would mean McCaffrey would return to a full blown bellcow. That's exactly what happened, as he rushed 17 times for 77 yards and caught eight balls for 80 yards and a TD. Jordan Mason did work in a bit (8 for 51), but it was great to see CMC lead the team in catches and receiving yards. 

Christian McCaffrey has gone 32 consecutive non-injured/traded games with 100+ yards and/or a touchdown

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz)
Dec 4, 2022

It certainly sucks for the team to lose Jimmy G for the year, but Brock Purdy looked like a competent backup who can keep this team afloat.

🍺 5.The Seahawks bounce back

After a bumpy past few games, Geno Smith and the Seahawks got back to their bread-and-butter in the air. Smith diced up the Rams secondary and both Tyler Lockett (9-128-1) and DK Metcalf (8-127-1) put up big days fantasy managers.

"They were monsters out there."

Carroll on DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

— Curtis Crabtree (@Curtis_Crabtree)
Dec 5, 2022

😡 Get this due the f$%#n ball! He demands it.

🔥 Now this is how you roll up to the stadium. An iconic look.

🎉 Week 13's best TD celebration. These injury fake outs are en vogue right now.

👑 He does it again. Justin Fields. didn't break the slate, but he still has it. 

💰 Who is the best DFS captain tonight? Find out who the pros are playing.

✍️ Another NFL player is mad at us. STOP @'ing these guys.

⚡️ The best throw of the day. The Chargers lost, but this was a laser.

🕺 The ultimate player's coach. Just dudes being dudes.

🎱 Can these fantasy superstars make it back for the stretch run?  Signs point to no, but maybe.

We're humans who play fantasy football, which means we are prone to overreact. In this weekly series, Kendall will lead us in overreacting to Sunday's action...

🏆 Christian Watson is the LEAGUE WINNER

Congratulations, Christian Watson fantasy managers. One of two things happened if you have Watson on your roster, and both make you look smart as hell.

1. You were patient. Maybe you drafted or traded for Watson and waited for the Aaron Rodgers connection to develop.
2. You read Fantasy Life weeks ago and knew you had to do whatever it took to claim Watson off waivers.

However, you did it; hats off to you and your league-winner wide receiver. Now, that’s not a phrase we like to toss around lightly but it's Overreaction Monday, so it fits.

What Watson has done in the last four weeks is incredible, especially after we thought there was no hope in Green Bay. On Sunday, Watson caught his eighth touchdown pass in the last four games, joining Randy Moss for the most touchdowns scored over a 4-game span for a rookie wide receiver.

We can all agree that some regression is inevitable.

In the last 4 weeks, Watson has had 15 receptions, 462 yards, and eight touchdowns. But damn, he has heated up at the right time for anyone making their fantasy playoff push. 99.2 points from a rookie wide receiver in four games is absurd. So to his fantasy managers, just ENJOY THE RIDE.

Why stop at league-winner? Who says no to Rookie of the Year?!

🙏 Send all your thoughts to the Fantasy Gods

BAN INJURIES FROM FOOTBALL.

That’s about as big of a reaction as I can give you because, honestly, you can’t overreact enough to some of the injuries we saw on Sunday.

We saw quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Jimmy Garoppolo go down early in their respective games. If you’re pushing into the playoffs right now, it is nothing that you want to see.

Let’s start with the worst news — Garoppolo suffered a broken foot and is out for the season. Time to fire up Brock Purdy?

As for the Ravens, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that Jackson’s injury is not season-ending but will need to be monitored as a “days or weeks” situation. Jackson has 234.7 fantasy points on the season (QB5), and anyone who has the potential of losing their fantasy QB will be hoping for good news this week.

Seahawks running back and the odds-on favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year Kenneth Walker left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury as well. 

Hope is not lost! Make sure to follow Fantasy Life this week to get the best Waiver Wire targets and utilize our Waiver Hub to make your fantasy decisions easier. 

It's island game time, and we have you covered from a fantasy, DFS, and betting perspective. We also have previews and picks for every game in our Game Hub! Saints @ Bucs, take it away Jonathan...

 📺 Saints at Bucs (-3.5) – 40.5 total

Monday Night Football brings us two great NFL rivalries. First, we have the actual game as the Saints head to Tampa Bay for a divisional showdown.

Second, we have the game within the game as Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore face off for the 12th time in their careers. It’s safe to say Lattimore has gotten the better of Evans over the years, but there’s no doubt they’ll both be locked in for this contest. 

While much of the attention will be on how Evans performs, it is Chris Godwin who has been ascending within the Tampa offense recently. He has gotten over 70 receiving yards and scored in each of his last two games, hopefully, a sign of what’s to come. You’re probably starting both Godwin and Evans, but the much tougher decisions come in the Buccaneers' backfield.

Leonard Fournette is on track to play after logging back-to-back full practices. How much work he takes away from Rachaad White is the million-dollar question in this game. 

Fantasy Life consensus rankings have Tom Brady as a borderline startable option, but this has the feel (and projection) of a low-scoring game, so I would at least take a look at the waiver wire if he’s in your lineup right now. 

On the Saints side, Alvin Kamara has a tough matchup against a Bucs defense that ranks top-5 against opposing RBs. In the passing game, Chris Olave continues to be a solid WR2 option each week, and there could be a more prominent TE role on tap for Taysom Hill after Juwan Johnson missed consecutive practices with an ankle injury.

Tampa Bay is rightfully favored in this one but if the Panthers win and the Falcons lose on Sunday you better believe I’m cheering for the Saints so we can live in a world where the entire NFC South has exactly five wins after Week 13.

💰 Not sure if you missed it, but we just launched our new Game Hub!

We have preveiws like this for every game, along with matchup stats, betting picks and more!

Timing is crucial when it comes to sports betting. Lines get released late on Sunday night, and every Monday, our betting specialist Matt LaMarca drops by to give you his first look at the betting markets. All lines from BetMGM...

💸 Bengals -4.5 (vs Browns)

• Pick: Bengals -4.5

Both of these teams were able to secure big wins in Week 13. The Bengals won a massive AFC Championship Game rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, defeating the Chiefs for the third straight time. Joe Burrow became the second quarterback to defeat Patrick Mahomes three times, joining the QB GOAT Tom Brady.

Meanwhile, the Browns were able to take care of business against the Texans. That was an expected result – they were listed as eight-point favorites – but it was a positive start to the DeShaun Watson era.

However, the Browns' win was definitely a bit fortunate. They were unable to move the ball against the Texans, racking up 304 yards of total offense. Watson struggled mightily in his first game in nearly two years, completing just 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards and a pick.

The reason they were able to emerge victorious was that Kyle Allen was even worse.

He has no business starting NFL football games unless your team is purposely trying to lose. Allen threw a pick on his first pass attempt of the game, and he added another interception and a fumble. The Texans scored on two of those turnovers, and they added a punt return touchdown as well. Scoring three non-offensive touchdowns in a single game is extremely rare, so the offense is going to need to play much better if they’re going to contend with the Bengals.

The Bengals opened up as just a moderate home favorite, and there isn’t a ton of value to be gained by jumping on a 4.5-point favorite early. Even if this line does rise, you’re not losing a ton of value if it goes to 5.0 or 5.5.

Still, the sharps are all over the Bengals to start the week, so I expect this line to close at a higher number.

💸 Eagles -6.5 (@Giants)

• Pick: Eagles -6.5

The sharps have been skeptical of the Giants all year, but they continue to get the job done. They were able to secure a push against the Commanders in Week 13, which was good enough to cover the spread.

However, they’re going to face a steep step up in competition in Week 14. They’re facing the Eagles, who have sprinted out to an 11-1 start and the best record in the NFL.

The Eagles had a matchup against a tough Titans team in Week 13, and they thumped them by 25 points. The Titans hadn’t lost by more than four points since Week 2 in Buffalo, so it was an extremely impressive result.

The Giants play hard under new head coach Brian Daboll, but they just don’t have the horses to keep up with Philly. That would be true if the team were at full strength, and it’s especially true given their current injury situation.

They’re extremely banged up in the secondary and along the offensive line, which is not ideal for a matchup with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ pass rush.

Like the Browns last week, I don’t expect this line to be available very long. The sharps have already declared an interest in the Eagles, so this number should get above seven quickly. I’m locking this one in early.

Don’t miss Fantasy Life @onamp ‼️

@EliotCrist and @JordanFiegleman break down everything from Week 13 AND answer all your questions today at 4:00pm ET!

Click here to download:

— Fantasy Life (@MBFantasyLife)
Dec 5, 2022