Tom Brady is available in your fantasy league right now.
Well, sort of.
So that's why I've made the easy decision to go with Brian Hoyer this week against the Saints. New Orleans has allowed an average of 24.92 fantasy points against quarterbacks this year. And that's with the crazy NFL.com-standard scoring system where you get negative points for touchdown passes. (Actually, NFL.com standard scoring is four points for a touchdown pass, which isn't fun. Most of my leagues are six points, as the lord intended. Don't worry; I plan to lobby the new product developer to make the change for NFL.com standard scoring. So if you play in regular fantasy leagues, then the Saints allow an average of infinity points.)
I know, there is a chance the Saints defense could be improved with the loss of Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator. There is a lot of pride down there with the Saints. And once it seems the fantasy community has started to rally around one player, that player fails to live up to expectations. Just take a look at Derek Carr last week and the infinite number of people who were burned in both traditional and daily fantasy leagues.
So exercise a little caution with Hoyer. Don't bench Aaron Rodgers and Carson Palmer because of this great matchup. It's cool to stream quarterbacks. I'm in a situation in one of my leagues where I have to play Hoyer because I've lost Andrew Luck for the near future. But I'm still with Carson in my League of Record because I'm not a crazy person.
I think I just hedged my prediction.
Thursday bonanza
Well, I'm going to take a few days off. But I did want to give you some sleepers for Thursday. So if you find this column on the weekend and see these players, please go into the comment section (or hit me on Twitter) with a, "Rank, these players already played on Thursday, you big dummy. You big goof. And what was up with your shoes on Sunday morning? Straight-up crazy."
He took kind of a backseat to James Jones in Week 11. But he's been pretty good as of late. I'm really worried the Bears will be down after a tough loss against the Broncos. Plus, I would imagine the Packers will be fired up for Brett Favre night. So I could envision a scenario where the Bears somehow drop this one, but go on to win out the rest of the season to finish 9-7. That would be pretty awesome. But I guess that makes Adams a fine start here.
I like the Panthers. I believe they are the best team in the NFC. But this looms as a trap game. The Cowboys are reborn with Tony Romo back. And this week, Williams could be the club's leading receiver with Dez Bryant destined for Lake Norman. It makes too much sense if you're really hurting.
The Eagles on the road with Mark Sanchez. Love the home teams on Thursday night games. A Thursday morning game is even better. The Lions D got busy against the Raiders. And Chip Kelly is probably already deciding between USC, the other USC, LSU and Texas. But he's going to Texas. Actually, there is news Sam Bradford could start (at the time of this writing), and yeah, that doesn't change my opinion at all.
Sunday, Fun Day
The matchup is decent enough for Winston. And there is always a concern for rookie quarterbacks on the road. But he's thrown 10 touchdowns and one pick in five career roadies. Not a huge sample size, but still a pretty impressive stat.
Eli has historically struggled against Washington. So be sure to bench him against the team that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks over the last month. Especially since he has Odell Beckham Jr., too. Yes, make sure he's on your bench this week.
Yeldon has been pretty good. The Chargers haven't been. I've seen this look in the Chargers eyes. I was a mere youth when the L.A. Rams folded after the 1994 season, the Chargers are going through the same motions. The Chargers have allowed the most fantasy points to running backs this season too, which makes Yeldon a nice option on Sunday.
Washington has allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to receivers over the last few weeks. DC has allowed 15 receiving touchdowns this year. And Harris has shown a nose for the end zone. He's scored three receiving touchdowns in his last three games.
He finally had a nice game last week when nobody started him. No you didn't, don't try to fool me. But here is a nice matchup if you want to try to catch lightning in a bottle again.
By now you all know about the Raiders, mostly because I write this line every week. But the great thing about Walker is that he's scored the second-most points among tight ends over the last month. I'm assuming the top guy is Tyler Eifert, so this is a pretty impressive stat, right?
The Jags D has scored 11.25 fantasy points per game in the last four. The Jags have eight sacks in the last two home games. The Chargers have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game in the last four weeks.
Manic Monday
You grabbed him off the waiver wire. You probably need to play him. The matchup isn't bad. I say you're going to have to start him. I'd feel a lot better about this if Joe Flacco was still his quarterback. But whatever. Good luck finding a No. 1 running back this late in the season.
Danger Zone
His snap count has increased. And more importantly, he's ran pretty well when given those opportunities. The Dolphins have allowed the second-most fantasy points to running backs this year. So this is a pretty good option for those of you who have been stung by running back injuries and were left on the wrong end of the waiver wire.
He's been the most consistent pass catcher for the Bears for the last three weeks. He has scored three touchdowns in his last three games, although he was shutout against the Broncos. He's got a better matchup this week against the Packers who have allowed double-digit points to tight ends this season. It's a Thursday night special so tune in!
-- You can hit Rank up for more advice or let him know how lousy his picks are on Twitter @adamrank. Don't be thrown off by his # wars, though.
