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Week 12: Taysom Hill & Planning for the Playoffs



Joyous praise and bountiful harvest,

 

Week 12 was fun! A few blowouts and a few squeakers. The Steelers drag the Ravens into their sub-20 point abyss, the Lions relegate the Jaguars to the XFL, and Joe Burrow’s MVP campaign continues at 4-7. Last week, we talked about trade deadline pivots for managers in panic mode. This week, let’s focus on the “haves” instead of the “have not”s by cutting taxes for the ri- I mean, preparing for your playoff run.

 

Week 12 Byes & Relevant Players:

  • Buffalo Bills – QB Josh Allen, RB James Cook, WR Amari Cooper, WR Keon Coleman, WR Khalil Shakir, TE Dalton Kincaid

  • Cincinnati Bengals – QB Joe Burrow, RB Chase Brown, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Tee Higgins, TE Mike Gesicki

  • Atlanta Falcons (great showing this week btw) – QB Kirk Cousins, RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, WR Darnell Mooney, TE Kyle Pitts

  • Jacksonville Jaguars – RB Travis Etienne, RB Tank Bigsby, WR Brian Thomas JR., TE Evan Engram

  • New Orleans Saints – RB Alvin Kamara, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, I guess, TE Taysom Hill, I guess

  • New York Jets – QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Breece Hall, WR Garrett Wilson, WR Davante Adams

 


Week 12 Over/Unders:

Highest (FanDuel Sportsbook)

  • 50.5 – Detroit Lions @ Indianapolis Colts

  • 50.5 – Phialdelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams

  • 50.5 – Baltimore Ravens @ Los Angeles Chargers

 

Lowest (FanDuel Sportsbook)

  • 35.5 – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

  • 39.5 – Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears

 


 

Week 12 Defenses for Beth:

Here are my favorites this week but also I don’t know!

 

  1. Minesotta Vikings

  2. Pittsburgh Steelers

  3. Kansas City Chiefs

  4. Denver Broncos

  5. Houston Texans

 


Taysom Hill:

He’s a “tight end” for the New Orleans Saints who sometimes plays “quarterback,” fakes hand-offs, fools no one, and then actually plays running back. His Week 13 stat line is longer than a Target Black Friday receipt. The Saints are under new management, depleted with injuries, and QB/TE Taysom Hill is their crutch. His floor is low but his ceiling is 15 points higher than your favorite tight end. Even if you don’t play him, you don’t want to play against him. So go put him on your bench.

 


Planning for the Playoffs:

I know what you’re thinking. “Disco, I made the playoffs already. Why worry about it? My team is good.” What’s the first rule of improv? Yes, AND we should do what we can to make sure your good team stays good. Use these strategies to set up safety nets and get the jump on your playoff-bound league-mates.

 

All fantasy leagues start their playoff bracket at different times. Some play two-week games. Some have first-round byes. First and foremost, go into your league settings and get the details.

 

 

Prep for Week 14:

How is my best player QB Lamar Jackson on bye during my first week of fantasy playoffs? In the year of our lord, Jameis Winston, 2024? I don’t know. But we can’t change the rules now so I have to play around this late bye week. If your league is stuck in the ESPN default setting dark ages, you may be facing the same problem. Let’s gameplan a lineup for that week ASAP.

 

Week 14 Byes: Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Washington Commanders.

 

 

Look Ahead to Matchups:

If you dealt with an injury recently, need to stream in Week 14, or have been scraping a flex position together all darn season, look ahead at those fantasy playoff matchups now. Scoop up the pass-catchers in potentially high scoring affairs and the running backs playing against bad defenses before your league-mates have the chance. Here are a few games I like to be high scoring on first glance.

 

Week 14:

  • Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions

  • Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams

  • Carolina Panthers @ Philadelphia Eagles – Saquon Barkley career day incoming. Avoid Panthers.

  • Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

  • Cincinnati Bengals @ Dallas Cowboys – Cowboys in primetime again, good god. Target Bengals only.

 

Week 15:

  • Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers

  • Miami Dolphins @ Houston Texans

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Chargers

  • Buffalo Bills @ Detroit Lions

  • Atlanta Falcons @ Las Vegas Raiders – I don’t know why I still like the Falcons. I’m ill. Avoid any Raiders not named Brock.

 

Week 16:

  • Houston Texans @ Kansas City Chiefs

  • Los Angeles Rams @ New York Jets

  • San Francisco 49ers @ Miami Dolphins

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys –  Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock. Can anyone on this e-mail do something about this?

 

Week 17:

  • Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans – Christmas Day game on Netflix. Paul vs. Tyson went well… haha…

  • Atlanta Falcons @ Washington Commanders

  • Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams

  • New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills

  • Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers

 

Week 18 (if teams are still competing for playoff spots, seeding, etc.):

  • San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals

  • Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams

  • Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets – Jets fans, 2049 is your year for sure.

  • New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 


Add the Handcuff Running Backs:

“Handcuffs” are those talented second-in-line running backs who scarcely see the field simply because they play behind an even more talented lead back who monopolizes their team’s rushing touches. The handcuffs I have interest in are the ones who have shown the ability, either in college or in the NFL previously, to adequately shoulder the full workload of a run game. It might not look pretty on paper, but these backs produce for fantasy football in a pinch. My list of handcuff running backs looks like this.

 

  • RB Zach Charbonnet (Seattle)

  • RB Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta)

  • RB Trey Benson (Arizona)

  • RB Ray Davis (Buffalo)

  • RB Cam Akers (Minnesota)

  • RB Austin Ekeler (Washington)

  • RB Jaylen Warren (Pittsburgh)

  • RB Jordan Mason (San Francisco)

  • RB Blake Corum (Los Angeles R)

 

Most of these guys are likely on shallow league waiver wires but could be a situational add for your fantasy team. If you have the lead back for these teams in your lineup, i.e. RB Kenneth Walker III, RB Bijan Robinson, or RB Christian McCaffrey, you should consider rostering Charbonnet, Allgeier, or Mason respectively. If, god forbid, your star back goes down with an injury right before the fantasy playoffs begin, you at least have their replacement with a similar ceiling in the same powerful offense. You have a safety net. Often, good NFL teams will also choose to rest some players late in the season if they have already mathematically secured their playoff spot. That can get annoying in Week 17-18 playoff matches. Handcuffs are great for that case too.

 

Backup running backs in bad offenses, like RB Tank Bigsby for the Jaguars, I have less interest in. Bad teams throw the ball late in games so there is less work for their running backs to begin with. I am also fading backups in more crowded running back rooms, like RB Raheem Mostert and RB Jaylen Wright for the Dolphins. Even if RB De’Von Achane were to miss some time, I predict Mostert and Wright would both get the rock. On a bad team or in a split backfield, the fantasy ceiling is already lower, and for that reason, I’m out.

 

Pro tip: If there is dominant 10-1 team in your league, you should also consider rostering THEIR handcuff running backs. Imagine their older RB James Conner, for example, suddenly goes down before your championship matchup. The following week, they may go to capture a checker on the waiver wire, try to add Trey Benson, and realize their king is already in check. Are you going to play Benson in that case? Maybe not. But keeping those points off your rival’s roster is just as valuable in a head-to-head title match.

 


Drop Your Depth:

I made recommendations to add above, which means we also have to drop some players. Bye weeks are almost over at this point in the season, so if your team is through the worst of it, you can drop those decent-floor, low-ceiling guys on your bench. I’ll list a few of the caliber I’m talking about. My rule of thumb is to ask yourself “when am I going to play them?” If the answer is likely never, salute to those gentlemen. Their services are no longer needed.

 

  • Backup QBs

  • RB Nick Chubb

  • RB Rico Dowdle

  • RB Alexander Mattison

  • WR Joshua Palmer

  • WR Mike Williams

  • WR Quentin Johnston

  • WR Keenan Allen (sorry Keenan, love you Keenan)

  • WR Demario Douglas

  • WR Diontae Johnson

  • WR Romeo Doubs

  • WR Tyler Lockett

  • TE Jake Ferguson

  • TE Dalton Shultz

 


That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading! See previous issues and my other writing projects on my website below. Good luck in Week 12!

 

Get Down,

Scotty Disco

 

 
 
 

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