(Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire)
Thanksgiving provides a wonderful opportunity for NFL fans to stuff themselves full of food while watching more than nine hours of football. While this is one of our favorite days of the year at QB List, it can be a challenging day for fantasy owners. The three early-week games force us to make earlier than usual start/sit decisions, which can be difficult when waiting on injury news for your Sunday players.
Erik Smith, Aaron Rader, and Matthew Bevins give you the players they would start and sit from the three Thanksgiving games. When they disagree, they will give you both sides of the debate. Starts are based on PPR scoring. Happy Thanksgiving, and good luck this week.
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Chicago @ Detroit
| Erik | Matt | Aaron | |
| QB Mitch Trubisky | Sit | Sit | Start* |
| QB Chase Daniel | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| QB Matthew Stafford | Sit | Start | Sit |
| RB Jordan Howard | Sit | Sit | Start |
| RB Tarik Cohen | Start | Sit | Start |
| RB Theo Riddick | Start | Start | Start |
| RB LeGarrette Blount | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR Allen Robinson | Sit | Sit | Start* |
| WR Anthony Miller | Sit | Sit | Start* |
| WR Taylor Gabriel | Sit | Sit | Start* |
| WR Kenny Golladay | Start | Start | Start |
| WR Marvin Jones | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR Bruce Ellington | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR TJ Jones | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| TE Trey Burton | Start | Start | Sit |
| TE Michael Roberts | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| K Matt Prater | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| K Cody Parkey | Sit | Start | Sit |
| D Chicago Bears | Start | Start | Start |
| D Detroit Lions | Start | Sit | Sit |
*Depending on QB Mitch Trubisky’s health
Up For Debate
Tarik Cohen
Start: With QB Mitch Trubisky looking unlikely to play this week, Chicago’s fantasy outlook takes a big hit. I expect Bears QB Chase Daniel to struggle, especially when targeting his wide receivers. However, if the Bears defense can dominate against a Lions team missing several key offensive weapons, RB Tarik Cohen should have plenty of opportunities to touch the ball. I expect the Bears to find creative ways to get him the ball, and his six to eight catch upside gives him a big boost in PPR leagues. With five touchdowns in the last seven weeks, Cohen is even holding his own in the red zone. -Erik Smith
Sit: I like Cohen, actually a lot. But I worry about the potential absence of Trubisky, or at the very least a Trubisky that’s somewhat broken. During the three weeks played from weeks 4 through 7 (their bye was inserted here), Cohen and Trubisky found their match, as Cohen caught 22 passes to the tune of just shy of 94 yards per game average. If Chase Daniels starts for Trubisky, I’m already shading almost all of the Bears offense, but I would lean to RB Jordan Howard, if only because he profiles more as a prototypical ground and pound back. Cohen is reliant on passing schemes, and Daniels well, uh, he hasn’t passed in a regular season game all year. Cohen could break off a long pass or two, he’s dynamic just a level below a player like James White or Kareem Hunt, but I’d rather not risk it if you have the options. -Matthew Bevins
Trey Burton
Start: This says more about the tight end position as a whole than anything else, but I would start TE Trey Burton this week unless I had a second legitimate TE1 on my roster. While the offense will struggle with Daniel at quarterback, it would make sense to feature the running backs and tight ends this week. Two weeks ago, Burton put up a respectable four catches on four targets for 40 yards and added a two-point conversion against the Lions. Burton is regularly used in scoring position, with seven of his ten red zone targets coming within ten yards of the end zone. I would be comfortable starting him this week as opposed to dropping solid depth for a one-week tight end streamer. -Erik Smith
Sit: Burton is coming off his worst game of the season. He recorded one target and one reception last week against the Minnesota Vikings. The Detroit Lions have held all but one tight end to four receptions all season. There is question about whether QB Mitch Trubisky will get the green light this week as well. If he is out, Burton’s upside is extremely limited. -Aaron Rader
Washington @ Dallas
| Erik | Matt | Aaron | |
| QB Dak Prescott | Sit | Sit | Start |
| QB Colt McCoy | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| RB Ezekiel Elliott | Start | Start | Start |
| RB Adrian Peterson | Start | Start | Start |
| RB Chris Thompson | Sit | Start* | Sit |
| RB Kapri Bibbs | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR Amari Cooper | Start | Start | Sit |
| WR Cole Beasley | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR Michael Gallup | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR Josh Doctson | Sit | Start | Sit |
| WR Maurice Harris | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR Trey Quinn | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| TE Jordan Reed | Start | Sit | Start |
| TE Blake Jarwin | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| K Brett Maher | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| K Dustin Hopkins | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| D Dallas Cowboys | Start | Sit | Start |
| D Washington Redskins | Sit | Start | Start |
*Depending on RB Chris Thompson’s health
Up For Debate
Dak Prescott
Start: In the last meeting with the Washington Redskins, QB Dak Prescott threw for a season-high 273 passing yards and a score. He also added 33 yards on the ground and rushed for a touchdown. He has had four rushing scores in his last five games and thrown for at least 200 yards in the last four games. The Dallas defense should be able to take advantage of backup QB Colt McCoy in Jerry World. This should also put Dak in plenty of positions to score. -Aaron Rader
Sit: While I think Prescott is a decent play, I rank him just outside of starting range in most leagues. Prescott has been propping up his fantasy production on his rushing touchdowns, but his rushing volume hasn’t changed much. Prescott’s high rushing yardage over the last three weeks is 11 yards, and outside of week 6 against Jacksonville, his yardage has been mediocre all year. If Dallas can take care of business against a Washington team being led by a backup quarterback, I would expect the Cowboys offense to lean heavily on RB Ezekiel Elliott. If Prescott is not needed in the passing game, fantasy owners will be counting on another rushing touchdown just to reach fantasy relevance. -Erik Smith
Amari Cooper
Start: Over the last 3 games since joining the Dallas Cowboys, the need for Dak to have a gifted wide receiver who can shake coverage and get looks has been incredibly apparent. In those 3 games, WR Amari Cooper has seen 23 targets. To put this in perspective, in those 3 games, which you’d also be inclined to give Cooper a bit of a break to fall into a role and learn the Cowboys playbook, he’s seen almost 25 percent of Dak Prescott’s passes. That’s immense. Ezekiel Elliott may remain his number one target, and number one option overall, but I find Cooper to be his clear number two. The CB Josh Norman matchup doesn’t scare me much, as even with Norman, per Football Outsiders, the Skins secondary is barely above average. Jason Garrett is not the best coach by any means, but he will try to find Cooper in this game. -Matthew Bevins
Sit: Cooper has been up and down all season. Of course, he has had a limited sample size with the Dallas Cowboys, but last week was a disappointing showing. He had only three receptions for 36 receiving yards against one of the worst defenses in the league. Now he will get shadow treatment from CB Josh Norman. This is also a game that Dallas should get ahead quickly and coast in. This means lots of rushing attempts from RB Ezekiel Elliott and QB Dak Prescott. If you start Cooper, limit expectations. -Aaron Rader
Atlanta @ New Orleans
| Erik | Matt | Aaron | |
| QB Matt Ryan | Start | Start | Start |
| QB Drew Brees | Start | Start | Start |
| RB Tevin Coleman | Start | Start | Start |
| RB Ito Smith | Sit | Sit | Start |
| RB Alvin Kamara | Start | Start | Start |
| RB Mark Ingram | Start | Start | Start |
| WR Julio Jones | Start | Start | Start |
| WR Calvin Ridley | Start | Start | Start |
| WR Mohamed Sanu | Start | Sit | Start |
| WR Michael Thomas | Start | Start | Start |
| WR Tre’Quan Smith | Start* | Start* | Start* |
| WR Austin Carr | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR Keith Kirkwood | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| WR Brandon Marshall | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| TE Austin Hooper | Start | Start | Start |
| TE Ben Watson | Sit | Start | Start |
| K Matt Bryant | Start | Start | Start |
| K Will Lutz | Start | Start | Start |
| D Atlanta Falcons | Sit | Sit | Sit |
| D New Orleans Saints | Sit | Start | Sit |
*Depending on WR Tre’Quan Smith’s health
Up For Debate
Ito Smith
Start: When Atlanta and New Orleans last played this season, they combined for 80 points. I expect Thursday night’s affair to look the same. RB Ito Smith has had at least eight touches in the last five games and is someone the Falcons have used a ton in the red zone. Ito is also a target in the passing game and the Falcons will be forced to sling it in order to keep up with the Saints. Ito is one of many pieces I want a part of in this one. -Aaron Rader
Sit: QB Matt Ryan and his high flying Falcons have seen their wings clipped recently, as they head into this game with a 4-6 record. RB Tevin Coleman was creeping up on RB DeVonta Freeman even before he got hurt, and has showcased at times he’s a speedier, more elusive option than even Freeman. So, when Freeman went down this season, the consensus of fantasy fans clutched their keyboards and snapped up Ito Smith expecting that he would do the same as Coleman when given the opportunity. The sad truth is at least as of now, Ito is not on Coleman’s talent level. He’s a goal-line back at best, who at times can make some defenders miss, or make a mistake. He maxed out at 64 all-purpose yards against the Redskins, so he, in my opinion, is a completely touchdown dependent backfield option. There’s talent there, but until Coleman leaves in free agency, or gets injured, I am willing to wait it out and play someone from my Sunday matchups. -Matthew Bevins
Mohamed Sanu
Start: With the Saints defense in the top five in limiting opposing running backs and tight ends in fantasy scoring, this matchup sets up well for all Falcons wide receivers. WR Mohamed Sanu may not be an exciting play, but he should provide a solid floor with a chance at a big game in this projected shootout. When these teams met earlier in the year, Sanu posted four catches on seven targets for 36 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion. With 19 targets over the last three weeks, Sanu has had some nice usage lately, and if the Saints run away with this one expect him to see a similar amount of targets. The Saints have allowed the most points to the wide receiver position this year, making all of Atlanta’s pass catchers in play. -Erik Smith
Sit: Why everywhere I read is Mohammed Sanu always brought up as some offensive darling? The man who’s been in the league for decades despite being just 29 years old, Sanu has only eclipsed 100 yards once and has only made 6 catches twice this season, as a max output. The Falcons have some other options on offense you may have heard of, such as Julio Jones, Austin Hooper, exciting rookie Calvin Ridley, and Tevin Coleman all vying for touches. While he has had brief flashes of potential, most of that was in Cincinnati, where only WR A.J. Green could save QB Andy Dalton from his pocket misery. In Atlanta, there’s plenty of mouths to feed around the Thanksgiving table, and Sanu may only get the leftovers. -Matthew Bevins