Welcome to Week 13! First and foremost, I want to extend a Happy Thanksgiving on behalf of all of us here at QBList! After dealing with six teams on the bye last week, we enter the holiday week with every team in action. Last week, Tampa Bay and Arizona came through strong for us with double-digit performances, while sadly, Washington suffered a complete special teams meltdown. Unfortunately, things are not much better right before six more teams enter their bye week just in time for the playoffs next week. This week is a little slim as a lot of the favorable matchups find themselves with teams that are already rostered in most leagues. A quick note for those that start the playoffs next week: I want you to keep a sharp eye on waivers, as a lot of the potentially good streaming candidates must first get through their unfavorable matchup this week, which could lead to some of them being dropped in a lot of leagues. Speaking of this week, let’s get in and find the opponents of the teams from New York that are rostered in around 50 percent of leagues or fewer.
Please note: there’s a decent chance that better teams above this 50 percent threshold are available in your league, but we can’t assume they’re out there for everyone. We have to draw the proverbial line somewhere, so stay active and monitor the league home page; someone might drop a desirable defense after waivers clear.
Dallas Cowboys
Opponent: vs New York Giants
ESPN % Rostered: 24%
Yahoo % Rostered: 30%
About 15% of teams in fantasy from ESPN and Yahoo started the mighty special teams unit of Dallas last week and were rewarded with a multi-touchdown performance as a result. While I do not expect a repeat performance this week, it is worth mentioning the Giants have given up three touchdowns to opposing D/ST units this season. Barring a setback in practice, this will be the first time this season Dallas will have both starting cornerbacks playing in the same game together. Earlier this season, when the Cowboys traveled to New York, they registered a sack and an interception while holding the offense to 15 points. This time around, they are coming into this rematch on a three-game interception streak as part of their 10 sacks and 6 turnovers generated over that stretch. The Giants have been generous to opposing defenses, with the most recent performance coming off their bye to give up four sacks and a turnover last week against the Buccaneers. The last game the Giants did not have a fumble lost was in Week 7. Dallas has the third-highest QB Hurry rate in the league and will look to force Tommy DeVito into rushed mistakes all game long.
Seattle Seahawks
Opponent: @ New York Jets
ESPN % Rostered: 10%
Yahoo % Rostered: 9%
For my deeper reach this week, we have the Seahawks trending in the right direction defensively, with 25 fantasy points over their past two games. They have seven sacks over that stretch since their bye week and have held the last three opponents to 20 points or fewer. Seattle currently stands on a five-game interception streak going to the Jets this week. New York is coming off their bye, and while that does warrant a bit of hesitation, this franchise is a dumpster fire currently. So, you have an older quarterback who was sacked six times in his past two games and is now even more immobile than before going against a Seattle defense that has the third-highest QB knockdown rate for the season. That feels like a strong start to me.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Opponent: @ Carolina Panthers
ESPN % Rostered: 36%
Yahoo % Rostered: 53%
We’re going back for seconds with Tampa Bay after such a good result last week. This is the first matchup between these divisional rivals this season. The Buccaneers came off their bye to register four sacks and only hold the Giants to seven points. Now they travel to Carolina looking to bring pressure against Bryce Young with their fifth-highest blitz count in the league. Last week off their bye against Kansas City was the first time they had not turned the ball over since week three. Young is averaging under 200 yards passing in his past four games, which is what the Buccaneers just held their previous opponent under last week. If things go right, we might be microwaving some Buccaneer leftovers next week, too.
Honorable Mentions
Washington Commanders (E:48% Y!:63%) – They are looking to rebound after last week by hosting a Titan offense that has surrendered 20 sacks in their past three games.
Indianapolis Colts (E:8% Y!:11%) – They travel to the Patriots, and their two turnovers per game average has been very generous to opposing fantasy defenses this season.
Buffalo Bills (E:40% Y!:63%) – Coming off their bye week to host a 49ers team in turmoil in a potential snow game. No way anyone from San Francisco knows what snow even is, right?
If you see something I don’t, leave a comment or hit me up with feedback @MikeoftheFF on Twitter or find me on Reddit!
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire