Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 13th at 4:05 PM ET
Location: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
Betting Odds: NYJ +13.5, 47.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: CBS
New York Jets
Quarterback
Sam Darnold (Sit)
You know it’s grim when the Seahawks are giving up the second-most points to fantasy quarterbacks this year, and the match-up still isn’t enough to even consider starting Sam Darnold this week. Darnold looked capable last week while he put up his second-best fantasy performance of the season, but it would be folly to expect another QB1 performance from Sam in the first week of the fantasy playoffs. He’s been far too inconsistent to trust this year, and plenty of football fans legitimately believe the Jets are trying to lose football games at this point in the season. Fantasy managers are better off looking elsewhere.
Running Backs
Frank Gore (Start if active, RB2), Ty Johnson (Start-able Flex with RB2 upside if Gore inactive)
Frank Gore disappointed plenty of fantasy managers when he suffered a concussion last week after only one carry. Ty Johnson took over in Gore’s absence with 22 carries and an RB1 performance against the struggling Raiders’ rush defense. If Gore has trouble clearing concussion protocol this week, it seems Johnson will get the nod once again. It could be tough navigating this situation in Week 14. If you’re in the fantasy playoffs, you need to ask yourself if you can even trust someone like Ty Johnson on your team in a must-win playoff match-up. This week’s opponent only makes that decision more difficult. The Seahawks are allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs this year.
I think this whole situation is fool’s gold for numerous reasons. First of all, the Raiders’ rush defense has been atrocious this year. It wasn’t exactly surprising seeing a fourth-stringer wipe the floor with Las Vegas. Secondly, Frank Gore is a tough, seasoned veteran, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he cleared concussion protocols in time to play this week. Lastly, anyone who could immediately use Johnson on their fantasy team is likely out of the playoffs anyway. I could never, in good conscience, tell anyone to start someone like Ty Johnson in a fantasy playoff week. If you’re especially RB-needy and found yourself in the consolation bracket this week, Johnson could be a sneaky play for one week against a poor Seattle rush defense.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Jamison Crowder (Start-able WR3), Denzel Mims (Sit), Breshad Perriman (Sit)
After four straight disappointing performances, Jamison Crowder finally returned to form last week with two touchdowns and 21.7 fantasy points. Crowder at least deserves to be in the “start” conversation this week. He’s been inconsistent this year, but this week’s match-up is encouraging. Seattle is allowing the most passing yards per game and fantasy points per game to wide receivers in the entire league. That said, Jamison hasn’t seen double-digit targets since Week 6, so starting him this week still isn’t a sure thing.
Denzel Mims only has six games under his belt this year, and his best fantasy performance so far was just 10.7 points. He has yet to reach the end zone this year too. Mims hasn’t given managers any reason to trust him, especially in the first week of fantasy playoffs. Breshad Perriman is in a similar situation. His inconsistency doesn’t inspire much confidence, even with the enticing match-up this week.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Russell Wilson (Start, QB1)
After his white-hot start this season, Russell Wilson has slowed down quite a bit over the past month with three of his worst fantasy performances so far this year. That said, Russ is still the overall QB3 on the season, and this week’s match-up couldn’t be juicier. The Jets are allowing the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year and the second-most passing yards per game, so I like Wilson’s chances for a bounce-back performance in the first week of fantasy playoffs.
Running Backs
Chris Carson (Start, Low-end RB1), Carlos Hyde (Sit)
Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll said earlier in the week that Chris Carson is still apparently “not 100%” but that they hope he can be back to full usage by Week 14. We didn’t need a Carroll coach-speak quote to know Carson is trending up, though. Backup Carlos Hyde only received two carries last week and is back to being no more than a fantasy handcuff.
Carson should be a dependable start heading into the fantasy playoffs. The Jets are allowing the 13th-most points to fantasy running backs and could easily fall behind early in this game, leading to more carries for Carson. Chris should be capable of a low-end RB1 performance this week.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
D.K. Metcalf (Start, WR1), Tyler Lockett (Start, High-end WR2), Jacob Hollister (Sit), Will Dissly (Sit)
D.K. Metcalf has been a bit inconsistent over the past month with a 27.7-point peak and a 4.8-point dud. That said, D.K. is still the overall WR3 on the season, and the match-up is fantastic this week. The Jets are allowing the tenth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this year, so I like Metcalf’s chances for a WR1 performance this week.
Tyler Lockett has been pretty up-and-down himself, but he’s been that way for quite some time. I know some fantasy managers are concerned he may under-perform, but fortunately, the Jets are allowing the second-most passing yards per game this year. I believe Lockett should have plenty of opportunities for an impressive fantasy performance this week.
Jacob Hollister and Will Dissly are pretty much splitting tight end pass-catching duties on this team, which is capping both of their fantasy ceilings. Neither is start-able.
-Ryan Kruse (@ryanpkruse)