Fantasy Football: Player takeaways ahead of Week 13

Week 12 was a mix of dominant and lackluster performances. It was also defined by dropped passes and injuries to fantasy superstars. Today, we are going to look into some great outings as well as a shockingly disappointing one.

Here are my takeaways from Week 12.

Mixon on a Mission

I won’t bury the lede like the Bengals buried the Steelers, 41-10. Joe Mixon was a man on a mission, rushing for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns and finishing as the RB2 on the week.

The Steelers' defense was manhandled by Mixon and the Bengals’ offensive line as he posted a season-high yard per carry average (5.89). To add to the Mixon praise, this was his fifth week in a row with at least one rushing touchdown and his third week in a row with two rushing touchdowns.

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The team is using him as a true workhorse as he currently ranks third in carries per game (18.9), sixth in opportunity share (71.9%), and sixth in rushing yards per game (84). Not to mention his nose for the end zone has him ranked third overall in rushing touchdowns (11), which has contributed to his spot at fifth in points per game.

Basically, Mixon has been incredible and he is a no-brainer RB1 rest-o-season. I guess the Bengals are the new king of the jungle now, huh?

Cordarrelle STAT-erson

The legend of Cordarrelle Patterson is a tale that shall live on for generation — or maybe just until next season. Regardless, his RB10 production leading up to this game has been nothing short of spectacular. Let's be honest though, he really has been more of a receiver than running back this year. Prior to Week 12, he was sixth in targets, first in receiving yards per game (53), and sixth in receptions per game (4.3). While he has excelled in that department, something about his matchup with the Jaguars must have inspired the Falcons’ coaching staff to shake things up a little.

Before we get into this game, I have to remind everyone that Patterson was a game-time decision dealing with an ankle injury. Obviously, he isn’t human because this cyborg had a career day against the Jaguars, rushing for a career-high 16 times for 108 yards. He had more rushing yards in Week 12 (108) than Mike Davis had in Weeks 7-12 combined (102).

Surprisingly though, he was an afterthought in the passing game, only catching two passes for 27 yards. Game script may have played a part in this usage as the Falcons were in complete control for the majority of the contest. This performance by Patterson is just another example of why he is RB6 in points per game and a locked-in starter on your team regardless of the matchup. Good to have you back, C-Patt!

Full Waddle

As a Miami Dolphins fan, I am not only excited about the four-game winning streak, but about Jaylen Waddle being utilized in the offense. Going into Week 12, he was first in routes run per game (36), sixth in targets per game (8.6), and fifth in receptions per game (6.2). He has firmly established himself as the WR1 on the team, averaging a 24% target share. He was able to further showcase his upside in Sunday’s blowout win against the Panthers.

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Waddle “waddled” his way into a huge performance, posting a career-high 137 receiving yards and a touchdown and finishing as the WR1 overall. He saw a massive 32% target share and it was his first game over 100 yards in his career. Additionally, Waddle’s touchdown Sunday was his first receiving touchdown since Week 6 (in Europe) and his first receiving touchdown in the USA since Week 1.

That just tells me the Dolphins need to make Waddle scoring touchdowns a more frequent occurrence.

Going forward, Waddle is a WR2 with WR1 upside based on projected volume, regardless of matchup. Even though he has only had six games in the top 24 since Week 6, he is the WR7 in points per game. In that span, he has seen a target share of at least 25% five times. Keep on waddling, folks!

Hurts to watch

Everyone is entitled to having at least one bad day. Unfortunately, Jalen Hurts decided to make Sunday his, losing 13-7 to the pedestrian New York Giants. He was atrocious as a passer, posting a lowly 45% completion rate and throwing three interceptions. His only saving grace was that he rushed for 77 yards.

It didn’t help that Jalen Reager had two key drops that impacted the outcome of the game. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t be worried about Jalen Hurts going forward.

Despite his poor performance, he is still the QB6 in points per game. Hurts was the most consistent fantasy quarterback until this game, finishing top-5 three times and top-12 ten times. His rushing floor makes him a solid option every week even if he is having a rough performance as a passer. He was first in rushing attempts, second in rushing yards, and first in rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks prior to Week 12, according to PlayerProfiler.

The takeaway here is to continue starting Hurts with confidence; let’s pretend Week 12 never happened.

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