RADIO
Can you believe there are only six weeks left in the NFL’s regular season?
Two months ago, Mike Glennon and Brian Hoyer were starting quarterbacks, Dalvin Cook and Aaron Rodgers were healthy, and Denver and Green Bay looked like the two favorites to meet in the Super Bowl. A lot has changed since then, but one thing that has not changed is that fantasy football players need to pick the right booms and busts if they want to win, especially with only a half-dozen weeks left to rake in big bucks.
Here are some under-the-radar booms and busts for the 12th week of NFL action to help you set a winning lineup. Good luck RotoBallers!
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including Best NFL Series, MLB Series, NBA Writer, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
Week 12 Under-the-Radar Booms
Lamar Miller (RB, HOU) at BAL
Miller has been as consistent as consistent gets this year. Houston’s top tailback has finished between 63 and 131 combined yards in all 10 of his contests. While he has not had Kareem Hunt-like outings where he singlehandedly won games for his fantasy owners, his solid but not spectacular performances have been a help nonetheless. With rookie backup D’Onta Foreman shelved for the season after tearing his Achilles last week, Miller’s workload will increase against Baltimore’s 26th-ranked run defense this Monday night. Look for Miller to have his season-high in touches and have one of his better games of the year.
Mohamed Sanu (WR, ATL) vs. TB
Have you seen how Tampa Bay’s secondary has been burned more often than a drag racer’s tires? Miami’s Kenny Stills torched the Buccaneers for 180 yards and a touchdown this past weekend. Every quarterback from Matt Moore to Tyrod Taylor has been able to pass freely against the Bucs’ pass defense without any repercussion. Sanu is the next lucky receiver to run slants and outs against the Buccaneers, and he has a terrific track record against his division rival. He had 10 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown against Tampa Bay last season, and the Bucs’ sad secondary has gotten much worse since then. With Julio Jones hobbled and Devonta Freeman concussed, Matt Ryan should hook up with Sanu a little more than usual, which could mean Sanu scoring his fourth touchdown over his past five contests if all goes well.
Kansas City Chiefs defense vs. BUF
Let’s hope Kansas City has read some books on proper tackling techniques during this holiday week. The Chiefs defense has been dreadful, ranking 28th or lower in rushing defense, passing defense and total defense. The Chiefs have been more respectable with their sacks, scoring defense and takeaways, however, so using them against a ghastly Buffalo offense can still be considered as a shrewd fantasy play. Even though Nathan Peterman has been yanked out after his five-interception fiasco set quarterbacking back about four decades, Tyrod Taylor is extremely stoppable, especially when his top four pass catchers (Charles Clay, Kelvin Benjamin, Jordan Matthews and Deonte Thompson) are all questionable to play due to various injuries. The Chiefs defense should be fired up at home to maintain their division lead and contain Taylor and the Bills’ atrocious offense.
Week 12 Under-the-Radar Busts
Corey Coleman (WR, CLE) at CIN
Coleman triumphantly returned after a two-month absence to catch six passes for 80 yards during a team-high 11 targets last week. Before you think that he is about to pull a Reggie Rucker and become a fantasy force week in and week out, though, take into account that DeShone Kizer is passing to him and has done Browns receivers about as many favors as President Trump has done for Democrats. Also take into account that Cincinnati has the sixth-ranked pass defense in the NFL and has been among the league leaders since Week 1. Coleman is going to have a tough time finding room to roam during Sunday’s interstate rivalry game. He will see plenty of targets, but that will not translate into plenty of catches and yards.
Marqise Lee (WR, JAC) at ARI
Being the No. 1 receiver in Jacksonville these days is like being the food item with the least amount of calories at your favorite fast food restaurant --- it’s OK, but not exactly what you want. Lee has two touchdown catches to go along with 32 targets over his past three games, yet because he is in a run-first offense and because half of the passes Blake Bortles is allowed to throw are normally spiked into the ground, Lee’s fantasy worth can only go so high. A nagging knee issue has also seemingly slowed him down as he averaged less than 10 yards per catch during the three-game span. With Patrick Peterson covering him, Lee will likely feel like he has been stuck in a straitjacket on Sunday and will not do much even if he leads the team in targets again.
Russell Shepard (WR, CAR) at NYJ
Fantasy owners might have been pegging the speedy Shepard as a cheap option in year-long or DFS leagues because he is slated to step into the starting lineup in place of the injured Curtis Samuel this week. But with tight end Greg Olsen returning from his injury, Shepard’s target total is not going to escalate much, if at all. Olsen, Devin Funchess and Christian McCaffrey are all ahead of him on the passing pecking order, and Carolina is only 21st in pass attempts in the NFL, so there will not be a lot of Cam Newton spirals headed his way. The Jets’ 15th-ranked pass defense has also not allowed any receiver to have 100 yards against them in their five home games this season.
