Good morning. Where has the time gone? Feels like yesterday that we were heading into Week 1 without enough shares of Josh Jacobs.

What we wrote about Josh Jacobs this offseason:

Nice, right? What we also wrote on Josh Jacobs:

Safe to say, we're sorry if you missed on Josh Jacobs. Fantasy football is the worst. 

PSA: We'll be in Philly this weekend to watch King Henry take on the Eagles, if anyone is in the area and wants to grab a beer (or six), just respond to this email!

QUARTERBACKS

Love (Jalen) Hurts

Jalen Hurts is breaking records. Hurts is now the first QB in NFL history to amass over 6,500 passing and 1,500 rushing yards in his first 30 games. Since Week 5, Hurts has 22 red zone rushing attempts (1st among QBs). The QB3 this year, Hurts ranks behind only Mahomes and Allen. 

• Trevor Lawrence is heating up. In November, Lawrence ranks 1st in completion % (76.9), 2nd in passer rating (116.1) and 2nd in Pass TD:INT (6:0) among QBs.

• Mike White is a living legend. White finished as QB6 while throwing 315 yards and 3 TD, while leading the NFL in passer rating (149.3). This week, White faces a Vikings D allowing the 2nd most passing yards on the year.

After missing the past two games because the new Call of Duty came out (ok maybe it was his hamstring), Kyler Murray finished as QB4, throwing for 2 TDs and rushing for 1. Imagine how good Kyler could be if the Cardinals weren't f***ed schematically. Could Sean Payton return to coach the Cardinals?

RUNNING BACKS

Team on His Back

Josh Jacobs had a legendary 303 yards from scrimmage (most in Raider history) and added 2 TDs. He is only the 4th player in the Super Bowl era with over 300 yards and 2 TDs - Adrian Peterson was the last to do it (2007). Jacobs now leagues the entire NFL in rushing yards, missed tackles and fantasy points for RBs. Maybe it's a good thing the Raiders declined his contract?

• After telling us not to draft him, Miles Sanders continues to have a career year. Sanders is now fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (900), 6th in rushing TDs (8) and rushing yards per game (81+).

• James Conner is a usage monster, leading all RBs in snaps (90%) and saw 90% of the backfield touches for Arizona. His 88% route involvement is also the highest rate of any RB this year. He's scored 4 TDs in his past 3 games and is primed for a strong finish.

• Dameon Pierce is averaging 1.07 yards per carry over his last two games and -6 rushing yards before contact. I just traded him away in my only league with a late trade deadline.

Here's a thread on Rhamondre Stevenson’s upside as THE RB1 Overall next season?

Right when Antonio Gibson looked good, Brian Robinson showed up. In a huge hat. Robinson broke-out with 105 yards and a TD, while out-touching Gibson 22-12. He also has a friend with an incredible big-hat company that could shake up the fashion industry.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Jets Soars

Amon-Ra St Brown is the 3rd highest graded WR by PFF and 2nd in targets per route run. He's coming off a nine catch, 122 yard & TD game against an elite Bills D. His 32% target per route run rate is second in the NFL, behind only Tyreek Hill. An elite WR1 ROS.

• Chris Godwin saw a 27.2% target share over the past 6 games and has put up top 30 finishes each week, since W4. He has a TD in two straight games including 12 catches for 110 yards last week.

• Tee Higgins continues to thrive without Ja'Marr Chase. No WR has scored more points than Tee in the past two weeks. Tee lost his father at the start of the 2022 season, so you love to see him thriving.

• Curtis Samuel is struggling since Taylor Heinieke took over. Samuel saw zero targets last week - on a season low 60% of snaps - and his targets per game dropped from 8.3 (with Wentz) to 3.7 (Heinicke).

In four games without Zach Wilson, Garrett Wilson is averaging 10 targets, 6 receptions, 77 yards and a TD. His expected fantasy points with Wilson is 6.3 pts, compared to 17.5 pts with anyone else.  And Wilson shares some ELITE company:

TIGHT END

Dak & Dalton Connection Shines

Dalton Schultz hasn't quite lived up to the off-season hype but finished as TE1 last week scoring 2 TDs. Schultz is the biggest beneficiary of Dak's return. Per @ScottBarrettDFB: Last 10 Games w/ Dak:

• Dalton Schultz: 15.0 FPG (~WR16)

• CeeDee Lamb: 13.5 FPG (~WR25)

• Hunter Henry had a season high in yards (63) and scored a TD. BUT he would've had a bigger day if this controversial TD was not called back. Henry has seen over 5 targets just 3 times this season, making him a risky play.

• Jelani Woods quietly led the Colts in targets (9) and receiving yards (98). He is an athletic freak (6-7, 253 lb) and it looks like they finally made a conscious effort to get him involved in the offense (video).

Deep Dives

The idea is you pick up a player the week before everyone wants to grab them off the waiver wire. This column wins leagues like no other. Last week, the perfect pickups were Kyren Williams and JaMychal Hasty. This week's players, available in almost every league, worth grabbing:

• Josh Oliver (0.1%) : With Isaiah Likely out (ankle), Oliver saw a 61% snap share and led the Ravens in receiving yards (76), tied for first in targets (6) and scored a TD. Baltimore relies heavily on their TEs - when Likely misses time, Oliver should produce.

• Olamide Zaccheaus (0.4%): After Kyle Pitts was lost for the year, Zaccheaus saw an increased role. He became the first Falcons player with over 90 receiving yards in a game this season, leading the team in targets, receptions and yards. Zaccheaus saw an elite 33% target share, 51% air yrd share - better than Davante Adams & Chris Olave in W12.

Also, more people should be talking about Zonovan Knight? Yes, James Robinson was a healthy inactive last week. But Michael Carter left the game with an ankle injury and Knight delivered 103 total yards while averaging 4.93 YPC. Carter is day-to-day, but Knight's productivity last week should earn him the opportunity to have a significant role in the (checkdown-heavy) offense. And if he wins out the role this season, watch out...

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QUICK SLANTS

• Josh Jacobs is not expected to practice much this week due to a calf strain but is still hoping to play.

• 32 Fantasy Stats that defined Week 12. One: Latavius Murray saw 87 percent of the Broncos' backfield carries.

• Ian Hartitz’s Week 12 fantasy football fallouts: Nullified touchdowns, missed big plays and more

• Mike McDaniels explains how he has been able to get the most out of Tua. A perfect example of why coaching and scheme matter. You can watch the clip here.

The Best NFL Receivers, According to ESPN Analytics. Seth Walder from ESPN has an incredible WR Rankings article based on NFL Next Gen Stats that are used to evaluate every pass-catcher. Two rookies crack the top 10, while AJ Brown and Stefon Diggs tie as the best WRs in the NFL. Great read.

Thanks for joining us this morning, and let us know if you'll be in Philly this weekend!

Jake Eddie, Matt

Tweet of the Day

Unfortunately for Eddie, this one hits close to home.