Thanksgiving is almost here. And if you’re anything like me, on Thanksgiving day you love sitting on the couch after a huge meal and watching some football. Frankly, it’s one of my favorite days of the year, especially if the kids go down for a nap.
There are a lot of very good matchups for players that make them viable streaming options this week, and as I’ve said before every start/sit decision gets more and more important as we close in on fantasy playoffs.
Let’s take a look at who the big names are for this week’s Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em.
Starts
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Geno Smith, QB (Seattle Seahawks)
Geno Smith has actually been startable for most of the season, but this is yet another game that should yield great results. The Seahawks welcome the Raiders on Sunday, a team that is currently giving up the third-most points to Quarterbacks.
With the way Smith and the Seattle offense have been playing, they should easily move the ball.
Going along with that is that the Raiders also have plenty of weapons that should be able to score against the Seattle defense. The over/under on this game currently sits at 48 points with the Seahawks slightly favored, so Smith is in line for a good fantasy day.
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Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr, Running Back (Miami Dolphins)
I’m giving you another 2-fer this week, with both Miami Running Backs heading for potential big outings against the league-worst run defense. Houston is giving up the most points to Running Backs, and I have a feeling this game is going to get out of hand quickly.
Both Mostert and Wilson have been carrying the ball as of late in a relatively evenly split touch count, and they should both get plenty of opportunities in this one.
Look for one or both to break big plays, and if Miami does build a big enough lead, they should rely on their backs to ice the game.
Both should be a good fantasy option this week.
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Michael Pittman Jr, WR (Indianapolis Colts)
So I was wrong about Michael Pittman Jr last week since I figured the Eagles would shut down the Colts’ pass game. That wasn’t the case, as Pittman Jr caught six passes for 75 yards.
This week he gets a much easier opponent. The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Indy and currently are giving up the most points to the Wide Receiver position. They are tied for giving up the most touchdowns to Wide Receivers as well.
Matt Ryan, since returning as the starter, has made Pittman relevant again. I do expect the Steelers to at least be able to score a few times to make this game competitive, but Pittman should be locked and loaded in lineups.
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Foster Moreau, TE (Las Vegas Raiders)
Foster Moreau was not very fantasy-relevant last week as the Raiders’ number-one Tight End, but we can probably give him a pass since he faced a good Denver defense.
This week he gets a much easier foe in the Seattle Seahawks, who are giving up the second-most points to the Tight End position.
The Raiders are without Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow, and even though Davante Adams will still get his targets, Derek Carr will have to throw elsewhere eventually, right?
Moreau is one of the better streamers this week.
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Brandon McManus, K – (Denver Broncos)
The Denver Broncos stink let's be real. But Brandon McManus has actually been a pretty good kicker so far for fantasy purposes.
This week they face the Carolina Panthers, who have a good enough defense to stop the Broncos offense. But I suppose who can’t stop this offense?
Still, McManus has a big leg and this game should be relatively low scoring. I still think the talent is there in Denver, at least enough of it to warrant a few field goal tries. I just don’t think there will be many touchdowns in this one.
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Kansas City Chiefs, DST
The Rams are absolutely atrocious, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they shut down the concussed Matthew Stafford for at least a few weeks now that the Rams are all but out of the playoff race.
The Rams have lost Cooper Kupp for the season already, and their run game is absolutely atrocious. With Stafford probably sitting, the Rams either turn to John Wofford (who is injured himself) or Bryce Perkins, who before Week 11 had attempted one NFL pass in his career.
The Chiefs aren’t a great defense, but they should easily shut down a Stafford and Kuppless team.
Sits
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Kirk Cousins, QB (Minnesota Vikings)
Kirk Cousins took an absolute beating in Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys and now has to turn around and face New England on a short week.
The Patriots have had their struggles, but they can for sure shut down opposing offenses and tend to take your best playmaker away. That should mean, if all goes well, Justin Jefferson will be non-existent and Cousins will have to throw elsewhere.
Apparently, the offensive line isn’t great, so New England may be bringing tons of pressure like the Cowboys did last week.
Short week, tough defense, and probably a bit sore. Hard pass this week.
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Tyler Allgeier, RB (Atlanta Falcons)
Tyler Allgeier has had a decent rookie season, but he, unfortunately, gets a surging Washington defense that just held Dameon Pierce to eight yards on 10 carries. The week prior they held Jalen Hurts to 28 yards and Miles Sanders to 54 yards.
They also have a chance to get Chase Young back, who should further bolster that run defense.
Atlanta lost Kyle Pitts last weekend, and will probably rely more heavily on pass-catching back Cordarrelle Patterson. Allgeier is a bench this week, figuring he gets limited work as the Falcons try to keep up with the Commanders.
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Diontae Johnson, WR (Pittsburgh Steelers)
It hurts watching a once-great fantasy Wide Receiver fall into irrelevance, but it seems to be heading that way for Diontae Johnson. Johnson hasn’t gone over 63 yards in the last three games, and it appears as though rookie George Pickens has taken over the top spot in the Receiver room.
Johnson also faces the fourth-toughest defense in points allowed to the Wide Receivers, so Pittsburgh will probably have to run the ball a little more to try and control the clock and beat Indianapolis.
With his low fantasy scores and going against a tough opponent, Johnson isn’t a must-start this week.
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Tyler Conklin, TE (New York Jets)
Tyler Conklin actually looked like he’d be a top Tight End this season, at least until Zach Wilson came back. Since then, Conklin has barely seen any action. In the last two games, he has had a total of three catches for 22 yards.
And now they face the Chicago Bears, who even though may seem like a good stream against the option, have actually been very good at preventing Tight Ends from scoring.
The Bears are currently the third-best team in not allowing points to Tight Ends, and that simply could be because they are beatable both on the ground and through the air (to Wide Receivers). Also, Wilson is in a bit of hot water with the team after seemingly placing the blame on his teammates for the Jets’ poor play.
If you were thinking about streaming Conklin this week, look to the waivers.
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Younghoe Koo, K (Atlanta Falcons)
Younghoe Koo is a pretty reliable kicker, but the Atlanta offense is just not very good. And now they lost Kyle Pitts for the season and are going up against a very good Washington defense.
The Falcons will probably have to run the ball a lot, and that doesn’t bode well for Koo. I could easily see this one being a shutout, so best to look elsewhere this week.
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New Orleans Saints, DST
The Saints’ defense of old is all but gone, even though they have had some bright spots along the way. In the last three weeks, however, they’ve given up at least 20 points to some pretty awful offenses.
Now they face a 49ers’ team that is looking to be a pretty strong Super Bowl contender, and they just absolutely blew out the Cardinals on Monday night.
With Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffery, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and a healthy Elijah Mitchell, the 49ers will be difficult to stop.
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