A few players to help you in your fantasy league playoff push
In the regular-season finale, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold could be an asset.
For most fantasy leagues, Week 13 is the finale to the regular season. The amorphous blob of 6-6 teams clogging up the middle of the standings in your league will learn their playoff fates.
As thrilling as this week will be, it’s still important to remember that this is only the end of the beginning.
Simply making the playoffs is great, but as Tom Brady once told Brandon Spikes, “We’re trying to win rings, that’s what it is here.’’
In order to win a ring — or the trophy, or the championship belt, or whatever it is that your league gives to its winner — you have to have one eye looking down the road.
It’s all fine and good to study the favorable matchups your players have in Week 13 (we will do that in a second), but it’s equally important to start taking stock of whom your players face in Weeks 14-16.
This can be especially important for your defense.
Outside of the Patriots and 49ers, the rest of the defenses in fantasy are matchup-dependant. It’s time to stash away your playoff defense now even if it costs you a backup player for a roster spot.
Of course, in order to plan for the playoffs, you have to get there first.
Here are a few players who could have big weeks as the regular season builds to its dramatic finish.
■ Sam Darnold, quarterback: Recommending the Jets quarterback for anything other than your bench would’ve seemed like folly not that long ago. This is the same person NFL Films captured admitting he was “seeing ghosts’’ when playing the Patriots, after all.
Yet since Week 8, Darnold has outperformed his expected fantasy point total in four of five games. His quarterback rating has exceeded 120 in each of his last two starts. Best of all, the Jets face the winless Bengals, making him a good candidate to start, if you need it.
■ Ronald Jones, running back: Jones has been making a case to be the Buccaneers’ primary back the last few weeks, having managed double-digit point totals in three of his last four games.
On top of that, Jones is facing a Jaguars defense that has allowed more than 200 rushing yards in three consecutive games. Jacksonville also allows a league-worst 5.4 yards per carry, and it’s likely that the second-year running back will get a decent number of carries this week.
■ Dede Westbrook, wide receiver: On the other side of the Buccaneers-Jaguars matchup, Westbrook could be in line for a solid week. His 70 targets this season are an underrated accomplishment, given that he’s spent a majority of the season catching passes from a rookie backup quarterback.
More importantly, Westbrook faces a Buccaneers defense that has been the worst in the NFL against wide receivers. Added to that is the likelihood of the Bucs scoring points, meaning that the Jaguars will have to pass more to keep pace. All of this should result in a good week for Westbrook.
■ DeVante Parker, wide receiver: It’s hard to advocate for any player in the Dolphins offense, given the team’s overall struggles this season. Still, Parker is about as close as it gets to a consistent fantasy option in the Miami offense.
He’s had five or more catches in five of his last six games, and has drawn double-digit target totals in three straight. He’s facing an Eagles secondary that has allowed a number of big plays this year. The combination of factors means Parker should have a high upside.
■ Jack Doyle, tight end: Amid so much inconsistency from tight ends in fantasy this season, Doyle has quietly been fairly predictable. Other than Week 11, he’s had at least three catches in every game since Week 3. That might not sound like a lot, but it’s been an acceptable option for fantasy lineups given the dearth of alternatives.
And the news gets better for Doyle, who will likely be the beneficiary of increased targets following the announcement that fellow Colts tight end Eric Ebron is out for the season.
A matchup against the Titans defense could help, as Tennessee has allowed several top-10 point totals to tight ends.
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