AJ Mass, scriitor al personalului ESPN1 decembrie 2024, 06:45 ET
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1 pm ET jocuri
Emari Demercado, RB, ARI: umăr — Îndoielnic Impact: Trey Benson ar avea mai puțină concurență pentru transporturile de rezervă în spatele lui James Conner.
Younghoe Koo, K, ATL: sold — Îndoielnic Impact: Riley Patterson, semnat în această săptămână, ar interveni dacă Koo nu poate juca.
Josh Downs, WR, IND: umăr — OUT Impact: Michael Pittman Jr. va vedea aproape sigur majoritatea țintelor WR.
Ashton Dulin, WR, IND: Glezna — OUT Impact: Adonai Mitchell și Anthony Gould au putut vedea câteva priviri.
Alec Pierce, WR, IND: Picior — Îndoielnic Impact: El a ratat câteva antrenamente în această săptămână, dar este de așteptat să joace.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, JAX: umăr — Îndoielnic Impact: Se așteaptă să joace, reîntorcându-l pe Mac Jones pe margine.
JK Dobbins, RB, LAC: genunchi — OUT/IR Impact: Trio-ul format din Gus Edwards, Kimani Vidal și Hassan Haskins va încerca să renunțe.
Josh Oliver, TE, MIN: încheietura mâinii — OUT Impact: Acum există și mai puține motive să ne îndoim de TJ Hockenson.
DeMario Douglas, WR, NE: Glezna — Îndoielnic Impact: limitat la antrenamente toată săptămâna, dar pare probabil să vedem terenul duminică.
Breece Hall, RB, NYJ: genunchi — Îndoielnic Impact: Hall spune că se așteaptă pe deplin să fie în grupul Jets în aceasta.
Tyjae Spears, RB, TEN: Comoție cerebrală — Îndoielnic Impact: Practicat joi și vineri. Tot ce are nevoie acum este să fie autorizat să joace.
Austin Ekeler, RB, A FOST: Comoție cerebrală — OUT/IR Impact: Brian Robinson Jr. (gleznă) a fost eliminat din raportul de accidentare. Jeremy McNichols îl va susține.
Meciuri de la 16:00 ET
Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, CAR: gat — OUT Impact: Adam Thielen și Xavier Legette ar trebui să continue să posteze numere de fantezie îmbunătățite.
Jalen Coker, WR, CAR: Quad — OUT Impact: Tommy Tremble se va ocupa de majoritatea sarcinilor TE ale echipei.
Tyler Higbee, TE, LAR: genunchi — OUT Impact: Cel mai bine este probabil să eviți înlocuitorii Davis Allen și Colby Parkinson.
Jamaal Williams, RB, NU: Inghinala — Îndoielnic Impact: Chiar dacă se potrivește, Saints poate continua să folosească Taysom Hill în afara terenului din spate.
DeVonta Smith, WR, PHI: ischiobiu — Îndoielnic Impact: Se pare că va fi un apel în timpul jocului.
Johnny Wilson, WR, PHI: ischiobiu — OUT Impact: Jahan Dotson și poate și Ainias Smith vor fi chemați pentru acțiune suplimentară.
Joc de duminică seara
Keon Coleman, WR, BUF: încheietura mâinii — Îndoielnic Impact: A fost limitat la antrenamente, așa că ar fi riscant să contezi pe el să joace duminică seara.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, BUF: genunchi — OUT Impact: Dawson Knox primește startul și ar trebui să fie o alegere de renunțare pentru cei care au nevoie.
Brock Purdy, QB, SF: umăr — Îndoielnic Impact: Brandon Allen va rămâne în alertă, dar este de așteptat să joace Purdy.
David Hale, ESPN Staff WriterDec 1, 2024, 01:45 AM ET
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College football reporter.
Joined ESPN in 2012.
Graduate of the University of Delaware.
We all have baggage. It’s the cost we pay for choices made, experiences endured, a life lived. For some, it might be the girl who got away. Maybe it’s the job they didn’t get. Or perhaps it’s the time you pretended to pee like a dog in the end zone during an Egg Bowl. The point is, to live life to its fullest is to understand that regret is part of the package.
The good news, however, is there is always a chance to do better, to set down that baggage and find something approaching redemption.
That’s what Saturday was supposed to be about for Ryan Day, Mario Cristobal and Dabo Swinney. Week 14 was going to be a redemption story. Instead, the college football gods delivered misery.
Well, unless you’re a Michigan fan. Then it was all comedy.
A quick accounting of where things began Saturday.
It had been 1,442 days since Clemson made a College Football Playoff, but with a win against South Carolina, the Tigers would’ve been poised to squeeze into the first 12-team postseason and erase years of doubts about Swinney’s ability to win in the modern era of college football.
It had been 1,828 days since Ohio State beat Michigan, but on Saturday, the odds were stacked so heavily in the Buckeyes’ favor, any other result was unfathomable. This was an Ohio State roster as talented as any in program history and a Michigan team put together with duct tape and glue sticks.
It had been 7,672 days since Miami won a conference championship. But the Hurricanes spent this season as the class of the ACC, finally living up to the immense expectations that have followed the program since its glory years, even if Miami has spent the past 20 years as college football’s version of U2 — still releasing new work, but effectively just a nostalgia act.
It’s tough to say how many days it had been since Cristobal properly handled a late-game scenario since you can’t divide by zero.
Week 14 didn’t promise to erase every blemish, forgive every sin or rewrite history for anyone, but it offered a bridge to somewhere better, some new timeline in which Day isn’t defined by a single game each year against his rival, Swinney isn’t lamented as an old man yelling at clouds and someone under the age of 40 can remember a time in which Miami mattered.
And on Saturday, Ohio State, Clemson and Miami saw those bridges and opted to light a flamethrower.
It’s hard to say exactly where things went wrong for Day and the Buckeyes in an excruciating 13-10 loss to Michigan. The slow starts have been a signature of 2024, the result of a team that knows it’s good enough to flip a switch or, perhaps, a result of so many noon kickoffs that even Gus Johnson’s voice started to go awry.
It’s certainly not on Day that Will Howard threw two brutal interceptions, that Jayden Fielding missed two short kicks or that Sherrone Moore opened his desk drawer Saturday morning to find a manila envelope marked, “For Your Eyes Only, Love and Kisses, C. Stalions.” But Day knew the stakes before the season began, and Ohio State spent enough money on this roster to finish third in the American League East, and Michigan was missing two potential first-round NFL draft picks, and it still didn’t matter. The Wolverines managed just 62 yards passing, threw two interceptions, had three different drives inside the Ohio State 5 that didn’t end in touchdowns and still won. There are no logical explanations for this, so it’s fair then to move to the next closest thing: Day is a Michigan sleeper cell installed as head coach in Columbus just to infuriate the Ohio State faithful in some sort of elaborate “Manchurian Candidate” scenario.
Regardless, the game ended with a loss, with a brawl, with police intervening and pepper-spraying players, but no amount of mace could burn away the images of the Wolverines celebrating on Ohio State’s field in what may well be the most devastating loss in the rivalry’s history.
Michigan players on the sideline after the altercation between Ohio State and Michigan pic.twitter.com/m5tdgIOma4
At Clemson, there’s similar frustration with a coach who has won enough to have a long leash, but has also climbed far enough out on a limb to endure the slings and arrows of fans and pundits and the occasional radio caller with some valid points but limited self-awareness.
Clemson has had so many chances in 2024. After being blown out in the opener against Georgia, the tide turned back in the Tigers’ favor amid a six-game winning streak. After a home loss to Louisville, the Tigers clawed their way back up the rankings, thanks in large part to attrition ahead of them, and found themselves as the first team out entering Saturday’s game, with a chance for a signature win — it would’ve been Clemson’s only decent win this year — against red-hot South Carolina. The playoff was within sight, but only if you could see past the imposing figure of LaNorris Sellers.
Clemson led by four with less than two minutes to play, but the Tigers’ defense never had an answer for Sellers. He threw for 164 yards, ran for 166 and scored twice, including a 20-yard run on a third-and-16 with just 1:08 to play to give the Gamecocks a 17-14 lead.
The Tigers had their shot to win — or at least send the game to overtime — but Cade Klubnik’s checkdown throw with 16 seconds left nicked off Phil Mafah’s hands and was picked off by Demetrius Knight Jr.
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South Carolina comes up with game-sealing INT vs. Clemson
South Carolina corrals the tipped pass and secures possession to seal its win over Clemson.
This marks the second time in three years Clemson had a realistic shot at the playoff, only to lose late to rival South Carolina.
Afterward, Shane Beamer gushed over the play of his quarterback and the resurgence of his team, which was 3-3 in mid-October but is now arguably the hottest team in the country. Beamer insisted South Carolina was a playoff team, and it may well be, but the decision by the committee won’t be easy. South Carolina entered the week ranked behind Alabama and Ole Miss, both of whom won in Week 14 to move to 9-3, and both of whom have head-to-head wins over the Gamecocks.
Perhaps ironically, it’s Clemson that remains in control of its own playoff destiny after Saturday’s disaster, and the Tigers can thank Cristobal for that.
All Miami had to do Saturday was knock off Syracuse, and it could punch its ticket — to the ACC title game and to the College Football Playoff. The Hurricanes even jumped out to a 21-0 lead, which should’ve been an insurmountable margin with Cam Ward on their side.
And yet, this is Miami — a program that flirts with disaster like it has had a half-dozen shots of Fireball and defeat is waiting tables at the Waffle House.
Syracuse turned its 21-0 deficit into a 35-28 lead entering the fourth quarter before Miami fought back to tie the game. But the Canes’ defense has been a red flag all year, and on Saturday, it had no answers for Kyle McCord, who threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns (and didn’t lose to Michigan).
McCord engineered a nine-play touchdown drive to put Syracuse up 42-35, but that still afforded Ward and the Canes more than nine minutes to match.
All of that should’ve just been prelude to another Miami win, because Ward was once again exceptional. And yet, this is Miami, where playoff hopes spend too much time on South Beach and wake up looking like the Pop Tarts Bowl.
Ward engineered a 13-play drive, setting up Miami with a first-and-goal at the Syracuse 8, but then things went haywire. An unsportsmanlike penalty pushed the Canes back, and a Ward completion and scramble set up a fourth-and-goal at the 15.
That left Cristobal with a decision: Put the game in the hands of the best quarterback to ever wear a Miami uniform or, with 3:42 remaining, kick a field goal and leave it up to your defense that has served as a maître d’ for Syracuse receivers the entire game.
Cristobal chose pain.
The rest was entirely predictable. Syracuse picked up three first downs and ran out the clock to move to 9-3, a playoff team in its own right had it not imploded against a woeful Stanford team back in September. Miami ceded its spot in the ACC championship to Clemson, may have lost its spot in the College Football Playoff and reminded the world that, even when U2 gives you its new album for free, it’s best to just go ahead and delete it and move on with your life.
And so Week 14 ended without redemption for those most in need of a second act. It ended with Clemson flubbing its best hopes, then being handed another just because the football gods enjoy seeing Swinney’s optimism squashed. It ended with Miami closer to its past than it had been in decades, yet still so far from those glory years that the world rolls its eyes every time the conversation comes up again. And it ended with Ohio State fighting Michigan, handing its conference title shot to Penn State and catching strays from Texas.
Members of the 2021 Ohio State recruiting class to beat Michigan:
The college football gods can be cruel, and while redemption is always within our reach, days like Saturday also remind us that our reach often exceeds our grasp, and redemption slips through our fingers for a backbreaking interception far more easily than we care to imagine.
Maybe Ohio State still makes the playoff and goes on a run.
Maybe Miami does the same.
Maybe Clemson takes its good fortune to be in the ACC title game and turns that into a playoff berth of its own.
Maybe.
So we’ll carry the baggage a little further, in spite of all the grief and hurt and anguish. Even if redemption remains painfully beyond our grasp, the price of admission is still worth it.
Jump to: Irish finish strong | Texas reaches SECCG Rivalry watch | Ducks dynasty Cyclones in Big 12 title game | Pack go bowling Herd win | Trends Heisman five |Under the radar
Irish finish strong
Jadarian Price came on in relief of an injured Jeremiyah Love and finished with 111 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while Xavier Watts (100 yards) and Christian Gray (99) each had long pick-sixes in the fourth quarter to lead Notre Dame to a 49-35 win over USC that should lock up a home game in the opening round of the playoff for the Irish.
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Notre Dame’s defense steps up for two massive pick-sixes
Notre Dame’s defense returns a 99-yard pick-six and a 100-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter.
USC finishes the regular season at 6-6, and it has now lost 11 of its past 19 games — a track record that would’ve meant past coaches needed an Uber home from the airport tarmac. USC QBs had 12 interceptions this season, one more than the Trojans accounted for in Lincoln Riley’s first two seasons there combined. Notre Dame has also now won six of the past seven games in the rivalry.
On the victorious side, the Irish have now won 10 straight after a disastrous loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2 that seems more like some sort of Tyrone Willingham-era fever dream in retrospect. Notre Dame has averaged 44 points and nearly 240 rushing yards per game during that stretch.
Horns ride to SECCG
After 13 years, the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry is back. Someone should let the Aggies know.
Quinn Ewers threw for 218 yards and a touchdown, Quintrevion Wisner ran for 186, and the Texas defense dominated in a 17-7 win over the Aggies that punches the Longhorns’ ticket to a rematch with Georgia in the SEC championship game.
The game had many of the familiar tones of the old rivalry, from the raucous Aggie Yell on Friday night to the traditional Texas fan ride into the game atop a bull while holding a dog. (Don’t get us started on Austin traffic. It’s a circus.)
Still, it had to be a frustrating outcome for the Aggies, who had a chance to draw to within one score late, but opted to go for it on fourth down at the Texas 1, only to be stuffed.
Texas is like the rich, successful high school friend who comes into town for a visit and guilts you into inviting him to a party, only for all your friends to love him while you sit in the corner eating Cheetos. After 14 years in the SEC, Texas A&M still hasn’t made a conference championship game, while Texas is now headed to Atlanta in Year 1. Still, Cheetos are delicious.
The bigger question for the Longhorns now is whether they’ve figured out any way to block Georgia’s pass rush since the Bulldogs eviscerated the Horns’ front in a 30-15 UGA win on Oct. 19. Even with a loss, Texas likely hosts a home game in Round 1 of the playoff, but it would be a blow for championship hopes to lose for a second time to Georgia.
Rivalry watch
Florida State has been arguing for weeks to throw out the records, but it’s not until Week 14 that we can officially do it. It was rivalry week, which meant major drama and offseason bragging rights across the country. Here’s how it played out.
Clean Old-Fashioned Hate
What was at stake: Georgia had a 30-game home winning streak on the line and appeared poised to make the 12-team playoff with a win. Georgia Tech was looking to remind anyone outside metro Atlanta it still had a football program.
Controversies: Officials appeared to miss a number of key calls that helped Georgia, including a possible red zone fumble, a possible tipped ball that would’ve negated a critical defensive pass interference flag, a possible targeting on a Haynes King fumble that likely cost Tech the game, an egregious hold before a Georgia overtime score and Kirby Smart’s unconventional use of a Ford F-350 at fullback. Perhaps worst of all, by the time the teams had finished with eight overtimes, The Varsity was closed and the Jackets couldn’t get chili dogs like Brent Key had promised if everybody tried their best.
End result: The two QBs were electric, with King throwing for 303 yards, rushing for 110 and accounting for five touchdowns. Carson Beck topped 300 yards of offense, and he tossed five touchdowns. Ultimately, it came down to 2-point tries, as Georgia cashed in on a Nate Frazier run in the eighth overtime session to secure a 44-42 win. The game underscores why college football should revisit its OT rules, which require dueling 2-point tries after the second frame. Instead, we recommend 2-point tries in the third OT, a pie eating contest in the fourth, a rock-paper-scissors competition between the coaches at midfield for the fifth, the QBs taking turns attempting to explain the ending of “Inception” in the sixth, Jimbo Fisher’s nephew wrestling each team’s recruiting coordinator in the seventh, and then it moves to a best-of-three “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe” with full “my mother” addendums in use.
Iron Bowl
What was at stake: Alabama hoped to keep its playoff hopes alive with a win. Auburn hoped to secure a bowl bid with a win. Finebaum callers hoped to call for everyone to be fired on both sides.
Controversies: Alabama won, but if this was its statement to the committee, it was hardly an emphatic one. The Tide turned the ball over four times — though Auburn turned those takeaways into just six points — meaning the committee will have to dive back into the secret file marked “How to explain why you’re putting Alabama into the playoff again this time” before releasing the final rankings next weekend.
End result: Jalen Milroe accounted for 360 yards and three rushing touchdowns, and the Tide D held Jarquez Hunter to just 56 yards in the 28-14 win, their fifth straight in the Iron Bowl. The win helps take some heat off Kalen DeBoer, who has suffered some ignominious losses in his debut season. Auburn, on the other hand, has now finished with a losing record in four straight years (and hasn’t won more than six since 2019), something Hugh Freeze chalked up to an unfortunate combination of his players doing dumb things and him being too good at his job to properly connect with players who can’t appreciate his genius.
Territorial Cup
What was at stake: Arizona State could secure a trip to the Big 12 title game with a win (with a little assistance elsewhere), while Arizona could attempt to prevent this game being played and instead just show highlights of last season.
Controversies: In true “Anchorman” fashion, things escalated quickly: Arizona State scored 49, Sam Leavitt threw three touchdowns, and the Sun Devils murdered the rivalry with a trident.
End result: Kenny Dillingham has as good a claim for coach of the year as anyone in the country after turning this program around so quickly. The 49-7 win was a resounding finish to a 10-2 season, and while the committee has yet to truly appreciate the Sun Devils’ résumé, it’s more than worth consideration with or without the conference championship. Arizona State’s two losses came by a combined 18 points. One came without its starting QB. It has three wins over ranked (at game time) opponents. It has won five straight. It’s hard to argue there are 12 teams playing better football today than the Sun Devils.
Egg Bowl
What was at stake: Ole Miss still had flickering playoff hopes if enough chaos happened higher in the rankings. Mississippi State was hoping to avoid a winless season in the SEC. The good news for the Bulldogs, though, is they could still finish with eight quality losses to remain on the committee’s radar.
Controversies: No coach took the field riding an ATV, and no players celebrated a touchdown by mimicking a dog introducing itself to a fire hydrant. Seriously, if no one’s going to give the opposing kicker a wedgie after an extra point, why even bother playing this rivalry game?
End result: Mississippi State led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, but the Bulldogs couldn’t find any offense beyond that. Ulysses Bentley IV ran for 136 yards and a score, and Ole Miss survived 26-14. A month ago, it would’ve been inconceivable Lane Kiffin wasn’t either taking the Florida job or prepping for the playoff on Dec. 1. Instead, he’ll just be doing what so many of us will be doing this week: resodding his lawn after Charlie Weis Jr.’s ill-fated attempt to deep-fry a turkey.
Governor’s Cup
What was at stake: Louisville was looking to snap a five-game losing streak against Kentucky while also securing the position of “second ACC team that blew a shot at the playoff by losing to Stanford.”
Controversies: Ale 8 is a mediocre ginger ale. There, we said it.
End result: Isaac Brown led the charge with 178 rushing yards and a pair of scores in the Cards’ 41-14 win. One of the nation’s top freshmen, Brown ends the regular season with 1,074 rushing yards, 12 total touchdowns, nearly 1,500 all-purpose yards and a solid fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks.
Florida-FSU
What was at stake: Florida could finish with seven wins and a rivalry win for the first time since 2021. Florida State was hoping that maybe this whole season was just a dream and it would wake up to find a healthy Jordan Travis ready to take on the Gators in November 2023.
Controversies: After demoralizing Florida State on the field, Florida tried to mark its territory, much to Mike Norvell’s displeasure.
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Norvell initially snubs Napier’s handshake as FSU-Florida get into it
FSU coach Mike Norvell initially avoids shaking Florida coach Billy Napier’s hand after the Gators plant their flag in the middle of the Seminoles’ logo at the game’s conclusion.
End result: Florida State’s season began 100 days ago, 4,000 miles across the Atlantic with a top-10 ranking and big expectations. Florida’s season began a week later with an emphatic loss to Miami and an assumption that head coach Billy Napier would be fired. What a difference a college football season makes. Florida’s defense held FSU to just 239 yards and won 31-11 behind two touchdowns from DJ Lagway. The Gators finished the regular season 7-5 with Napier’s job secured for 2025. Florida State can now turn its attention back to its real passion: lawsuits.
Fremont Cannon
What was at stake: UNLV’s faint playoff hopes still flickered, with a win putting the Rebels into the Mountain West championship game. Also the winner got tickets to see Cher at the Bellagio.
Controversies: Remember when UNLV’s quarterback quit because he wanted money the school hadn’t paid and then UNLV just inserted another quarterback who was much better? The lesson: The house always wins.
End result: Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 168 and ran for 135, accounting for three touchdowns in the 38-14 win over Nevada. The Rebels are now 10-2 with a rematch against Boise State pending and a playoff berth on the line.
The Commonwealth Cup
What was at stake: Both teams would be bowl-bound with a win and also get access to the loser’s beach house in Virginia Beach. It’s three blocks off the beach, but there’s a corn hole set in the back storage shed.
Controversies: Virginia Tech was playing without its top two quarterbacks, while Virginia was playing without any real hopes of ever getting the upper hand in this rivalry.
End result: Pop Watson threw for 254 yards and tallied two touchdowns while Bhayshul Tuten ran for 124 yards and two scores in Virginia Tech’s 37-17 win. The Hokies will go bowling and won the Commonwealth Cup for the 23rd time in the past 25 tries, but they also feel sort of like that meme of the guy ignoring his girlfriend to look at another girl who might look a lot like Shane Beamer.
Old Oaken Bucket
What was at stake: Indiana needed the win to effectively lock up its place in the College Football Playoff. Purdue was hopeful to make the game worth skipping a “MythBusters” marathon in order to play.
Controversies: Indiana is poised to make the playoff, despite Purdue somehow being only the fourth-worst team the Hoosiers have played this year, just ahead of Charlotte and just behind the Muncie Boy Scout Troop No. 214.
End result: Kurtis Rourke threw for 349 yards and six touchdowns, while Purdue threw for 54 yards and two interceptions. This would be embarrassing for Purdue if everyone wasn’t already focused on basketball season.
Battle on the Bayou
What was at stake: Louisiana could lock up a 10-win season and a berth in the Sun Belt championship, while Louisiana-Monroe needed a win to get bowl eligible. Also, the loser has to let Louisiana Tech crash on their couch this offseason.
Controversies: Why does Louisiana get to drop the Lafayette and just go by the state name, but ULM has to keep the Monroe? This game should really decide who gets to be “Louisiana” each year and the other school has to go by ULM or ULL.
End result: Zylan Perry rushed for 150 yards and two scores, and the Ragin’ Cajuns’ D picked off three passes in a 37-23 win. For ULM, it’s a frustrating finish to a season that started with the Warhawks at 5-1 but ended on a six-game losing streak.
Ducks dynasty
The No. 1 team in the country may also be the least interesting at this point.
Oregon won again Saturday, 49-21 against Washington, to finish the regular season at 12-0. Yawn.
Since their dramatic 32-31 win over Ohio State on Oct. 12, the Ducks have basically been the work-from-home guy who was told he had to start going into the office again. They show up, swipe their badge, grab a coffee, say hello to Denise in accounts receivable, Dillon Gabriel throws a couple touchdowns, then they’re home in time for “The View.”
So it was Saturday, with Gabriel accounting for three touchdowns, Jordan James running for 99 yards and the defense holding Washington to 244 yards while racking up 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. The 10 sacks in this game were more than rival Oregon State has all season, which should be a fun fact for Ducks fans to bring up with Beavers fans this holiday season.
Oregon now gets Penn State in the Big Ten title game, a result of Ohio State’s implosion against Michigan.
The Nittany Lions had no trouble with Maryland, earning a dominant 44-7 win capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass with no time left on the clock that riled Mike Locksley.
It may have been a bit of showmanship by Penn State, but on the other hand, if James Franklin had blindfolded his QB, handed him a football, spun him around a dozen times and sent him on his way, he still might’ve scored on this Maryland defense.
The question now is whether Penn State can give Oregon a real game after the Ducks have won five of their past six by at least 20 points. Franklin’s record in big games against top-10 opponents is probably something someone should look up before the game. There might be a story there.
Cyclones land title game berth
Iowa State is headed to the Big 12 championship game, possibly due to a 29-21 win over Kansas State on Saturday but likely because people are out to get Deion Sanders.
Rocco Becht accounted for three touchdowns in the win over the Wildcats, and combined with BYU’s 30-18 victory over Houston, the Cyclones locked up a shot to play Arizona State for what is almost certainly the league’s only playoff bid.
That leaves Coach Prime and the Colorado on the outside looking in, which is a real slap in the face. First, voters snubbed Travis Hunter for the Thorpe Award and suggest Ashton Jeanty could still win the Heisman. Then they refused to give Hunter a second Michelin star despite his exquisite take on a deconstructed duck confit. And now this. When will the bias end?
Pack go bowling
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1:18
Tempers flare as NC State attempts to plant flag following win over UNC
The end of NC State vs. North Carolina devolves into chaos as NC State players take offense to a Tar Heel player throwing their flag onto the ground.
Hollywood Smothers ran for two touchdowns, including a 2-yarder with 25 seconds to play to secure a 35-30 win over North Carolina — NC State’s fourth straight in the rivalry — and bowl eligibility for the Wolfpack.
Jacolby Criswell’s 47-yard touchdown throw to Omarion Hampton with 1:51 to play had given UNC a late lead, but the Wolfpack engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive for the win. Hampton finished with 185 rushing yards, 78 receiving yards and a pair of scores, putting the finishing touches on a season that would’ve had him in Heisman consideration if he played for anyone better than North Carolina.
This was the possible farewell for Mack Brown, too. In his second tenure with the Heels, the school announced he would not be retained for 2025. This came after he threatened to quit after a miserable loss to JMU this season, then insisted he’d return earlier this week. Now, Brown will retire to a life of quiet solitude, where he’ll work on his memoirs and tend to his garden until a ragtag bunch of UNC boosters arrive at his door in the year 2039, insisting he come out of retirement for one last job, at which time Brown will tip back his cowboy hat, stare off into the middle distance, take a swig from a bottle with a skull on the label and, in a gravelly, world-weary voice, announce, “I’m in.”
Herd rumbles past JMU
Marshall was down 17-0 at halftime, but roared back for a 35-33 win over James Madison to claim sole possession of the Sun Belt East.
Marshall managed just 261 yards in the game, 121 fewer than JMU, and the Dukes had an 11-minute edge in time of possession, but James Madison’s missed two-point try in the second overtime period proved to be the difference.
Marshall’s lone conference loss came by a point to Georgia Southern, but it also lost to Virginia Tech, which is pretty embarrassing.
The Thundering Herd will face Louisiana in the Sun Belt title game — though it won’t be until some time Sunday when computer composite rankings are tabulated before anyone knows who’s the home team, since the two teams didn’t play each other. The lack of a tie-breaker determined by a series of “Yo mama” jokes feels like a real missed opportunity for the Sun Belt.
Regular-season vibe shifts
We’ve reached the end of the regular season, and while each week has featured some seismic shifts in the college football landscape, some trends have simmered just beneath the surface. We’re looking back on those subtle, but significant, trend lines as we put a bow on 2024.
Trending down: The Group of 5
Week 14 began with the Group of 5 in position not only to steal a first-round playoff bye from the Big 12, but perhaps swipe a second playoff bid, too. Tulane checked in ranked ahead of all Big 12 teams except for Arizona State, but a trio of brutal turnovers deep in Memphis territory scuttled those playoff dreams. The Tigers topped the Green Wave 34-24, effectively ceding the Group of 5’s playoff bid to the Mountain West.
Ultimately, that the Group of 5 missed out on a statement opportunity to swipe a bid from the Big 12 should come as no surprise. The rich continue to get richer in college football, and the line of demarcation has never been wider. Despite San José State’s win over Stanford on Friday, the non-autonomy schools finished with a woeful 9-88 record against the Power 4 in the regular season — easily the Group of 5’s worst performance in decades.
Indeed, look back at the 2004-2013 era, just before the demise of the Big East, and teams outside the BCS conferences upended the big boys more than 22% of the time. From 2014 through 2021 — post realignment but before the effects of NIL and the portal were fully felt — these teams still won 20% of the time. Over the past three years though, the non-power schools have just a .153 win percentage against the Power 4/5.
Trending up: Buying your way into a conference
Turns out, coming in at a serious discount wasn’t such a bad move for schools desperate to find greener pastures in 2024.
Oregon will enter championship weekend as the No. 1 overall team in the country, despite getting only about 40 cents on the dollar to play in the Big Ten, and SMU now looks like as close to a sure playoff team as the ACC is capable of producing after effectively electing to play in the ACC for free.
The Mustangs knocked off fellow bargain-bin addition Cal, 38-6, on Saturday. Kevin Jennings threw for 225 yards and two scores, and Brashard Smith accounted for 134 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns.
SMU is now poised to win an ACC title in its first year, while Miami — conference championship free since 2003! — watches, and it’s happened in large part because of Miami transfers like Smith, Jahfari Harvey and Elijah Roberts.
And if Miami fans all weren’t already in their 16th straight hour of listening to house music at a club off A-1A, that might really bother some people.
Trending up: Big 12 hot seats
A month into the season, the hottest seat in the Big 12 was at Baylor, where Dave Aranda’s Bears were 2-4. But Baylor has now won six straight after Saturday’s 45-17 thumping of Kansas. QB Sawyer Robertson has blossomed into a star, tossing four TDs in the win. He has made 66% of his throws with 17 touchdown passes, 4 picks and nearly 1,600 yards passing during the win streak.
Aranda’s job is safe, but other coaches are now feeling the heat.
After UCF turned the ball over four times in a 28-14 loss to Utah, Gus Malzahn saw the writing on the wall and jumped ship to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State. Mixing Malzahn’s QB history with Florida State’s run of awful QB play by anyone not named Jordan Travis really sets the stage for transfer Thomas Castellanos to lead the country with 106 interceptions next year in Tallahassee.
Meanwhile, West Virginia’s Neal Brown and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy didn’t exactly end the 2024 season with fireworks.
Gundy’s Cowboys were steamrolled by Colorado 52-0 on Friday, finishing the season 0-9 in Big 12 play. Gundy is an institution at Oklahoma State, and he’s the country’s second-longest-serving head coach, but this season’s implosion might be enough to convince both sides it’s time for a fresh start — like going to the barbershop and finally trimming away an out-of-style haircut and trying something completely new.
Brown was on the hot seat entering 2023, but West Virginia finished a surprising 9-4, seemingly ending any speculation over Brown’s job security. But this season has been a bit of a step back, with an ugly loss to rival Pitt and a 52-15 trouncing in Saturday’s game against Texas Tech. West Virginia will go to a bowl, but the expectations were much higher this season.
And then there’s Scott Satterfield at Cincinnati. The Bearcats fell to TCU 20-13 on Saturday, their fifth straight loss to finish 5-7 after a 5-2 start to the year. Cincinnati is now 8-16 under Satterfield, including a 4-14 mark in conference play.
On the other hand, all could return and be in the Big 12 title game in 2025 because the entire conference is basically just like playing roulette at 4 a.m. at a riverboat casino in Shreveport. There is no logic to what’s happening, anyone can win big and everyone is sort of embarrassed to be there.
Trending down: Goalpost theft
Perhaps the most entertaining trend of the season has been fans celebrating with the theft of goalposts — from Georgia Tech fans bringing the goalposts to a campus pond, to Arizona State tearing down the goalposts, putting them back up when officials added time back onto the clock, then bringing them down again only to learn there’s no bodies of water in the desert in which to deposit them.
But it was Tennessee and Vanderbilt who did the goalpost celebrations best in 2024.
Absolutely dying at the police helicopter night vision of the Vandy goal posts going into the river… the kids tumbling over each ledge 💀 pic.twitter.com/KoXmOnBTc7
On Saturday, the two met with plenty on the line. Tennessee needed a win to all but lock up a playoff berth. Vandy needed a win to ensure a winning season for the first time since 2013.
The Commodores jumped out to the early lead, but it was the Vols who celebrated when it was over. Nico Iamaleava threw four touchdowns, Dylan Sampson ran for 178 yards and Tennessee overcame an early deficit with a 36-23 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Tennessee, which was in a do-or-die situation entering Week 14, now may be poised to host a playoff game after losses by Ohio State and Miami.
Sadly, Vols fans did not tear down the goalposts to celebrate the likely playoff bid, as making a big thing of beating Vanderbilt is like bragging about knowing all the words to “Shake It Off.” It’s nothing to be proud of, and it’s definitely going to hurt your reputation with the other dads. And no, this is not a personal story, so stop asking.
Holding steady: Big Ten tradition
This was supposed to be the year the Big Ten finally evolved into a conference with modern offenses. Wisconsin and Purdue had Air Raid coordinators, Penn State brought in Andy Kotelnicki to rejuvenate its attack, four teams arrived from the Pac-12 and Iowa installed a new game plan to replace Brian Ferentz’s playbook that was just 23 pages repeating the sentence, “What if punts?”
So, how’d it go?
Well, safe to say somewhere Ferentz is reenacting the Leo DiCaprio meme from “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood,” pointing at his TV and yelling, “What if punts!”
On Friday, Iowa won its eighth game of the season — one fewer than it had a year ago with Ferentz calling plays, in spite of scoring 120 more points — by beating Nebraska 13-10 with just five first downs and 164 total yards.
Iowa completed eight passes, averaged 1.9 yards per rush, and may have paused the third quarter for a group nap time, and yet it still won because this is what the Big Ten is all about. Oh, and also because Nebraska accepted the Big Ten’s terms and conditions without reading them and didn’t realize it’s now permanently barred from winning a close game. The loss was the Huskers’ 23rd by a TD or less in the past four seasons.
As for the rest of the league?
Those Air Raid coordinators at Wisconsin and Purdue were both fired. The new Pac-12 teams all averaged fewer points per game in conference play in 2024 than 2023 and, cumulatively, averaged 10 fewer points per game in Big Ten play than they had in the Pac-12 in 2023. Penn State is headed to the Big Ten title game, but still failed to score an offensive TD against Ohio State and finished the regular season with 46 fewer points than it had last year.
And all of these numbers add up to this: It’s not Ryan Day’s fault. This league just hates teams that try to score.
Trending down: Postgame routines
This season, we learned that Syracuse coach Fran Brown punishes himself after losses by refusing to shower because, as he noted, “washing is for winners.”
We also learned that Oklahoma coach Brent Venables celebrated his win over Alabama by spending $94 at Taco Bell, an amount that we hope also included the colonoscopy.
Sure, this forces us to ask several big questions.
For one, had Syracuse lost to Miami on Saturday, would Brown have gone shower-free until the bowl game? Luckily, he didn’t need to answer that, as Syracuse prevailed 42-38 over Miami, moving to 9-3 in Brown’s first season as head coach. Had it not been for a brutal loss to Stanford, the Orange would have an intriguing playoff résumé, including two wins over ranked opponents and a trip to the ACC title game in the offing.
Another: How much is too much money to spend at Taco Bell? Clearly $94 is too much, as the excessive beefy bean burritos had Venables off his game Saturday in Oklahoma’s 37-17 loss to LSU. After the game, Venables announced he would punish himself for the performance by consuming $1.99 worth of food from Arby’s.
Trending up: Stadium naming rights
Before the season kicked off, Pitbull bought the naming rights to Florida International’s home field, changing from its former name, “No, no, This is FIU; You’re Looking for FAU’s Stadium; Yeah, It’s About an Hour North, Just Take the Turnpike to 95 to Exit 48” Field.
Turns out, it was a wise investment for Mr. 305. FIU toppled Middle Tennessee 35-24 on Saturday, moving to 4-2 on the year at Pitbull Stadium, while finishing 0-6 on the road.
With this in mind, Kent State will be selling stadium naming rights to its stadium to its most iconic local musicians, Devo. Next season the Golden Flashes helmets will all just be those weird red Mayan-temple-shaped hats from the “Whip It” video.
Heisman five
The biggest question is whether more than two players need an invite to New York at this point. It’s a two-man race, and only one of them is going to get one last shot to impress voters before the award is handed out.
1. Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
Four players have rushed for more yards in a season than Jeanty. Three of them won the Heisman. The one who didn’t — UCF’s Kevin Smith in 2007 — was the lone member of that list from outside the Power 5. If that’s the line of demarcation for Jeanty, that’s a shame. He went for 192 yards and three touchdowns against the No. 1 team in the country, so any suggestion that his numbers are the result of a weak schedule seem absurd. His worst game of the season came against his FCS opponent when he got just 11 carries. He has nine games of 150 yards or more. He has scored 29 touchdowns. He has Boise State not just poised for the playoff, but a first-round bye. No, he doesn’t also play cornerback, but he’d probably be pretty good at it if he did.
2. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter
After Friday’s 52-0 win against Oklahoma State, Deion Sanders said Hunter was the clear favorite to win the Heisman, and anyone who argued differently had an agenda. He has some valid points. Hunter finished Friday with 10 catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns, plus an interception, a tackle and two PBUs. What Hunter has done this season is otherworldly, something that has never been done in college football history. But he has played three defenses ranked among the top 50 in adjusted EPA per game this year (18 catches, 191 yards, no touchdowns) and faced just one opponent who was top 30 in passing EPA (Baylor). If we’re holding schedule against Jeanty, we should do the same for Hunter.
3. Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo
Skattebo finished Saturday’s blowout of Arizona with 21 carries for 177 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 1,866 scrimmage yards and 19 touchdowns this season. In the playoff era, the only other power conference player with 1,300 rush yards, 400 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns in their first 12 games was Dalvin Cook in 2016. And because Skattebo missed a game, he’s actually done than in 11.
4. Miami QB Cam Ward
For much of the past month, Ward has been playing the Ralph Nader role in the two-man race for the Heisman between Jeanty and Hunter. Saturday’s loss to Syracuse probably dropped him to full Green Party status though. The long odds are hardly fair. Ward has been exceptional this season, and he was excellent again in Week 14, throwing for 349 yards and two scores, and if Cristobal had given him a shot on fourth-and-goal, he might’ve added another genuine Heisman moment to his résumé. Instead, he’ll probably getting an invite to New York, a dinner at Sbarro and a chance to watch Jeanty or Hunter accept the hardware.
5. South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers
Sellers is 245 pounds of utter physics-defying ridiculousness, and he showed it again and again Saturday against Clemson, running for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner.
Afterward, Shane Beamer insisted Sellers was “the best player in the country” and should be on anyone’s Heisman list. So, we’re obliging. But it’s not just bluster either. Take a look at this comparison.
Past seven games: Ward: 5-2, 82.0 Total QBR, 66% completions, 20 touchdowns, three picks, 2,372 total yards Sellers: 6-1, 80.5 Total QBR, 68% completions, 19 touchdowns, four picks, 2,174 total yards
His entrance into the discussion was a bit too late to win the Heisman, but he has made the season a heck of a lot more fun for the past two months.
Under-the-radar play of the week
Maalik Murphy screwed up the final play of regulation in Duke’s game against Wake Forest, but he and receiver Jordan Moore improvised a bit, turning a 5-yard route into a game-winning 39-yard touchdown with no time left on the clock, upending Wake Forest 23-17.
The Blue Devils finished the game with five sacks and 11 tackles for loss, another stellar day for what has blossomed into one of the most aggressive defenses in the country.
Duke finishes the regular season 9-3 with four wins vs. teams inside the state of North Carolina (Elon, UNC, NC State and Wake) in Manny Diaz’s first season in Durham.
And if Cooper Flagg mentions any of this in his next news conference, Duke fans will be very excited to learn about it for the first time.
Under-the-radar game of the week
Like “Wicked,” Saturday’s Jacksonville State-Western Kentucky game was just three hours of backstory to set the stage for the more significant sequel.
Unlike “Wicked,” this one actually had an exciting ending (though sadly it didn’t involve Rich Rodriguez belting out “Defying Gravity”).
Caden Veltkamp, whose name sounds like he should be the heir to a family tuna-canning dynasty but is actually the QB at Western Kentucky, led a 10-play, 44-yard drive in the final two minutes, and Lucas Carneiro drilled a 50-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to secure a 19-17 win.
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Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Full Highlights
Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Full Highlights
That field goal secured WKU’s spot in the Conference USA title game against … Jacksonville State.
Had Jacksonville State prevailed, Sam Houston State would’ve made the title game. Instead, the Hilltoppers have a shot to win the league for the first time since 2016.
Fără echipe la revedere, formațiile de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13 sunt mai multe decât săptămânile anterioare. Pe cine implementați ca parte a strategiei dvs. de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13, este mai mult decât doar jucători individuali, ci și apărarea cu care se confruntă. Running-i ca Bucky Irving și Rachaad White pot fi în mod normal opțiuni flexibile și decizii de start/ședință, dar se vor confrunta cu o apărare Panthers care a permis cele mai multe puncte Fantasy la alergători oponenți în 2024. Astfel, acei fundași Bucs au puțin mai multă alură după cum alege săptămâna 13 de fotbal Fantasy.
Între timp, nicio echipă nu a permis mai puține yarzi sau aterizări prin grabă decât Minnesota. Odată cu vikingii înfruntându-i pe Cardinals, este James Conner cineva care este mai bine servit să călărească pe bancă, mai degrabă decât în echipa ta? Unde se încadrează veteranul în clasamentul RB de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13? Înainte de a vă stabili formațiile de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13, asigurați-vă că consultați clasamentele de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13, după modelul computerizat dovedit de la SportsLine.
Când vine vorba de clasarea jucătorilor, modelul SportsLine a depășit experții umani în fotbalul Fantasy în ultimele sezoane, mai ales când au existat diferențe mari în clasament. Pe parcursul unui sezon, asta ar putea fi literalmente diferența dintre a-ți câștiga liga sau a merge acasă cu mâinile goale.
Același model are o experiență dovedită de a oferi sfaturi de fotbal Fantasy, inclusiv a fi în fruntea curbei cu jucători precum AJ Brown, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara și Jahmyr Gibbs. Oricine a bătut pe jucători ca aceștia și-a dat curs la titlul de ligă.
Acum, SportsLine a simulat întregul program NFL din Săptămâna 13 de 10.000 de ori și a lansat cel mai recent clasament de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13. Accesați SportsLine acum pentru a le vedea.
Top Săptămâna 13 Fantasy Football QB clasamente
Iată o privire la cele mai bune selecții de fotbal Fantasy din săptămâna 13 ale SportsLine:
1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: Cincinnati are scor 4-7, dar nu a fost vina lui Burrow, deoarece a aruncat pentru 3.028 de metri și a fost lider în ligă 27 de touchdown-uri cu doar patru interceptări în 11 jocuri. El a avut două săptămâni să se pregătească pentru Steelers și a aruncat pentru 1.035 de yarzi și 12 touchdown-uri în ultimele sale trei ieșiri.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: În ciuda faptului că i-au pierdut pe primitorii de top Stefon Diggs și Gabriel Davis în acest extrasezon, Bills sunt 9-2 și Allen este motivul pentru care. El a aruncat pentru 2.543 de metri și 18 touchdown-uri cu doar cinci interceptări, în timp ce se grăbește și pentru 316 de metri și cinci scoruri.
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: Jackson vine dintr-o prezentare dezamăgitoare împotriva lui Pittsburgh, completând 16 din 33 de pase pentru 207 de metri, un touchdown și o interceptare. Cu toate acestea, a terminat cu cel puțin două touchdown-uri în ultimele cinci jocuri ale sale și este aproape de vârful cotelor MVP în săptămâna 13. Jackson are o confruntare dificilă cu Chargers, dar numerele sale din acest sezon nu pot fi trecute cu vederea. Vedeți mai multe QB-uri de top aici.
Top Săptămâna 13 Fantasy Football RB clasamente
Iată o privire la cele mai bune alegeri RB de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13 ale SportsLine:
1. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles: Barkley s-a repezit pentru 255 de yarzi și două touchdown-uri în timp ce a adăugat patru capturi pentru 47 de metri. El este pe cale de a doborî recordul de curse de un singur sezon al lui Eric Dickerson (2.104 de yarzi) și recordul de yarzi pentru un singur sezon al lui Chris Johnson (2.509). El a atins cel puțin 198 de metri de scrimmage și două touchdown-uri în trei din ultimele sale patru jocuri.
2. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers: McCaffrey a fost campionul la curse anul trecut și, de asemenea, a condus NFL cu 2.023 de yarzi scrimmage și 21 de touchdown-uri. El nu a fost încă în zona finală în trei meciuri în acest sezon, dar cei de la 49ers l-au încărcat cu 56 de atingeri de la întoarcerea lui dintr-o tulpină lui Ahile.
3. Joe Mixon, Houston Texans: Mixon este încă un alt alergător veteran care pare să fi beneficiat enorm de pe urma schimbării de peisaj în acest extrasezon. El s-a grăbit pentru 786 de yarzi și 10 touchdown-uri, adăugând, de asemenea, 23 de capturi pentru 226 de metri și un alt touchdown ca primitor în nouă jocuri în acest sezon. Vedeți mai multe RB-uri de top aici.
Top Săptămâna 13 Fantasy Football WR clasamente
Iată o privire la cele mai bune alegeri ale fotbalului Fantasy WR din Săptămâna 13 ale SportsLine:
1. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: Chase are o șansă de a câștiga Tripla Coroană de primire în 2024, deoarece conduce deja liga la ambele yarzi de primire (1.056) și la primirea de touchdowns (12), în timp ce se află în primele cinci la recepții ( 73). Cu Cincy ocupând locul 28 în apărarea de marcare, se angajează adesea în lovituri de departajare cu scoruri mari, care joacă în avantajul lui Chase și jocului de pase în ansamblu.
2. Nico Collins, Houston Texans: Collins conduce NFL cu 101,9 yarzi de primire pe joc și ocupă locul al doilea printre primitori în puncte Fantasy pe joc. El ar putea să-și mărească avantajul față de primul și să reducă diferența cu cel din urmă după meciul de duminică împotriva Jacksonville, deoarece Collins a înregistrat o medie de 9,5 capturi pentru 127,5 yarzi și un touchdown în ultimele două jocuri împotriva lui Jaguars.
3. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: În urma jocurilor consecutive cu peste 117 de metri de primire, Nacua este în mod clar recuperat de la accidentarea la genunchi care l-a trimis la IR. Duminică, el se va confrunta cu o apărare Saints, care permite a cincea cele mai multe yarzi de primire pe joc la largi. Nacua are, de asemenea, un istoric foarte favorabil împotriva lui Saints, deoarece a plecat pentru o linie de statistică 9-164-1 împotriva lor sezonul trecut. Vezi mai multe WR-uri de top aici.
Top Săptămâna 13 Fantasy Football TE clasamente
Iată o privire la cele mai bune alegeri ale TE de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13 ale SportsLine:
1. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: Hill este listat ca un tight end, dar utilitatea lui este înrădăcinată în realitatea că se aliniază ca QB, RB, WR și TE pe tot parcursul jocului. New Orleans vine de la revedere din Săptămâna 12 și când l-am văzut ultima oară pe Hill, el s-a repezit de șapte ori pentru 138 de yarzi și trei touchdown-uri, în timp ce a prins și opt pase pentru 50 de metri într-o victorie asupra lui Browns. Așteaptă-te la modalități și mai creative de a-i obține lui Hill mingea duminică împotriva lui Rams.
2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: Kittle conduce la NFL tight end-uri cu opt touchdown-uri primite în acest sezon și există doar alte două tight end-uri cu mai mult de patru (Mark Andrews și Tucker Kraft au ambii șase). El a ratat două meciuri, dar are încă 49 de capturi pentru 642 de metri și a fost cea mai consistentă opțiune în ofensiva din San Francisco tot sezonul.
3. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: Tânărul de 25 de ani a comandat o cotă țintă masivă într-o înfrângere cu Seattle săptămâna trecută, prinzând 12 din 15 ținte pentru 133 de metri. El a fost singurul punct luminos al echipei, deoarece următorul coechipier cel mai apropiat a fost vizat doar de șase ori. McBride continuă să zboare sub radar din cauza lipsei sale de aterizări, dar cota-țintă îl face o alegere excelentă în această săptămână. Vedeți mai multe TE-uri de top aici.
Top Săptămâna 13 în clasamentul de apărare din fotbalul fantastic
Iată o privire la primele trei alegeri D/ST de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13 ale SportsLine:
1. Broncos D/ST: Atacul lui Sean Payton vine cu Bo Nix sărind în conversația pentru Rookie of the Year ofensive NFL, dar apărarea a fost cea care a ținut Denver în poza playoff tot sezonul. Broncosi ocupă locul al treilea în apărare cu punctaj și apărare totală, iar acum se vor egala cu Jameis Winston, predispus la rulaj, în săptămâna 13.
2. Jets D/ST: A fost un sezon accidentat pentru Jets din punct de vedere ofensiv, dar apărarea este încă pe locul 13 la puncte permise și pe locul opt la yarzi permise. Acum se vor confrunta cu o ofensivă a lui Seahawks care nu a înscris mai mult de 20 de puncte în peste o lună și care a fost reținută la sub 300 de metri de ofensă totală în trei din patru jocuri.
3. Comandanti D/ST: Washingtonul a profitat de meciurile favorabile din acest sezon, înregistrând o medie de 8,6 puncte Fantasy împotriva ultimelor opt infracțiuni ajustate de program din ligi. Comandanții se confruntă cu o abatere din Tennessee care ocupă locul 25 în NFL în yarzi pe joc (302,1) și pe locul 28 în puncte pe joc (18,4). Titanii au fost menținuți sub 20 de puncte de opt ocazii în acest sezon, așa că modelului îi place apărarea Washingtonului în această săptămână. Vedeți mai multe D/ST de top aici.
Cum să obțineți clasamentele de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13
Acum că știți cine sunt primii trei la fiecare poziție, veți dori să vedeți clasamentul complet de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13 de la SportsLine. Modelul a identificat un uimitor în top 10 la capătul strâns, iar știind cine este acesta vă poate oferi un avantaj uriaș în liga dumneavoastră. Mergeți acum la SportsLine pentru a obține clasamentele de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13.
Așadar, pe cine ar trebui să vizezi în clasamentul tău de fotbal Fantasy din Săptămâna 13 și care final surprinzător te-ar putea conduce la victorie? Vizitați SportsLine acum pentru a obține clasamentele din Săptămâna 13 Fantasy Football pentru fiecare poziție, toate de la modelul care are o istorie de a efectua apeluri câștigătoare în ligă și aflați.
Încă o săptămână, o altă rundă de decizii cruciale de început/ședință. Pentru a vă ajuta să le creați, iată o privire la șase jucători cu potențial de pierdere în Săptămâna 13.
Ceva de reținut în timp ce citiți: o desemnare „decolorare” sau „scăpare” nu înseamnă automat că ar trebui să șezi un jucător, în funcție de adâncimea restului listei tale sau de opțiunile disponibile pe firul de renunțare.
QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
OK, OK. Ascultă-mă.
Acesta nu este deloc o chemare de a așeza clasamentul QB1 al fotbalului fantastic pe an – nici pe departe de imaginație. Cu toate acestea, datoria mea în calitate de cronicar rezident „încălță și estompează” este să avertizez cu privire la potențialele mine din formațiile tale – să te avertizez nu doar despre jucătorii pe care ar trebui să-i eviți complet din fantezie, ci și să avertizez când statisticile spun că plafonul unui jucător ar putea fi mai jos decât este de obicei. La urma urmei, aceste cunoștințe pot schimba modul în care abordezi setarea restului grupului tău.
Lamar Jackson a avut cel mai sigur etaj al oricărui quarterback fantasy în acest sezon; a terminat în afara top 12 doar o singură dată (Săptămâna 11 vs. Steelers) și a terminat în top-5 QB în șapte din 12 meciuri din acest sezon – amestecul perfect de avantaj și siguranță în poziția pe care nu am văzut-o niciodată. . Săptămâna aceasta, Jackson se va confrunta cu o apărare în creștere a Eagles, care a făcut pași mari atât în acoperirea lor, cât și în apărarea rapidă în a doua jumătate a sezonului.
Verificare căldură 🔥 Încă îl începi pe Lamar Jackson în fiecare dintre formațiile tale fantastice de-a lungul sezonului; pregătește-te pentru o potențială săptămână de jos.
RB James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Managerii de fantezie ai lui James Conner au fost într-o plimbare sălbatică până acum în acest sezon, cu producția sa între linia lui 21-122-1 în Săptămâna 2 până la 7 ieșiri de transport și 8 în curte în săptămâna 12. După cum am spus, un rollercoaster. Totuși, se simte că săptămânile de jos devin puțin mai frecvente. În ultimele sale patru jocuri, el a înregistrat o medie de puțin peste 50 de metri de urgență pe joc (37,3 de metri în primire). El are o medie de 3,53 de yarzi pe transport în acea perioadă și o rată de lucru de 22,8% care ocupă locul șase cel mai mare dintre cele 26 de RB-uri cu peste 50 de porturi care datează din săptămâna 8.
Pe lângă eficiența în scădere a lui Conner în ultimele săptămâni, el are o confruntare provocatoare pe punte cu Minnesota Vikings – una dintre cele mai formidabile apărări în grabă din ligă în acest sezon. Vikingii conduc liga cu o notă de apărare de 86,1 PFF, a patra cea mai mică adâncime medie de placaj (3,41 de metri) și 27 de tacleri ratate. Apărarea Minnesota este la egalitate cu cinci TD-uri în cursă permise în acest an, permițând a doua cea mai mică medie YPC (3,6), a doua cea mai mică yarzi după contact per încercare (2,4) și a treia cea mai mică rată de rulare explozivă (9,4%), toate echivalând cu al doilea cel mai puțin PPG fantezie față de RB-uri adverse.
Verificare căldură 🔥 Fiind primul alergător la o ofensă bună (deși inconsecventă), este o provocare să-l lași pe Conner pe banca ta. Cu toate acestea, având în vedere că toate cele 32 de echipe joacă în această săptămână, aveți mai multe opțiuni decât ați avut în săptămâna 12. Dacă aveți opțiuni flexibile mai bune (Bucky Irving, de exemplu), nu ezitați să le începeți de la Conner. în această săptămână.
RB Jeremy McNichols, comandanți de la Washington
Am un sentiment clar că Jeremy McNichols va fi pe multe liste de dormitori săptămâna aceasta ca buton „în caz de urgență”. Comandanții care încep RB Brian Robinson Jr. se confruntă cu o entorsă mare a gleznei, iar statutul lui este în aer în săptămâna 13. Între timp, coechipierul Austin Ekeler se află în protocolul de comoție după ce a suferit o lovitură brutală la o retur de la lovitura de început în același meci . Asta îl lasă pe McNichols, domnul RB3, să-și umple pantofii.
Chiar dacă McNichols primește startul în săptămâna 13, el are un meci provocator pe punte împotriva Tennessee Titans, care au fost o apărare puternică în acest sezon. Titanii au a patra unitate de apărare cu cea mai bună calificare în acest an, la egalitate cu cea de-a cincea cea mai mică medie YPC permisă (4,0), a șaptea cea mai puține yarzi în cursă după contactul per încercare (2,7) cu al patrulea cel mai puține tack-uri pentru un pierdere sau nici un câștig în acea perioadă pe PFF.
Verificare căldură 🔥 McNichols rămâne pe băncile fantasy în majoritatea ligilor fantasy, chiar dacă primește startul și va vedea volum.
WR Terry McLaurin, comandanți de la Washington
Nu este un secret pentru nimeni că ofensiva condusă de Kliff Kingsbury a comandanților de la Washington s-a răcit de la începutul lor fierbinte de sezon. Terry McLaurin, în special, a fost un mare beneficiar al jocului îmbunătățit al fundașului, poziționând destul de mult ca WR5 general în formate de punctaj jumătate PPR, cu o medie de 15,8 YPR, cel mai bun din carieră, și-a egalat deja cel mai mare record din cariera anterioară de șapte touchdown-uri primite în doar 12 jocuri. .
Titanii acordă al patrulea cel mai puține puncte de fantezie pe joc WR adversarii, dar totuși nu renunță la un singur joc de peste 18 puncte de fantezie vreun adversar în acest an, în ciuda faptului că s-au confruntat cu o concurență solidă (Nico Collins, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Garrett Wilson). Această echipă permite a treia cea mai mică rată de succes de joc din ligă la ținte către WR în acest sezon, la 45,7% pe NFL Next Gen Statistics, renunțând la a patra cea mai mică rată de yarzi per țintă și a cincea cea mai mică rată de finalizare la astfel de jocuri în tot sezonul (59%).
Verificare căldură 🔥 Introduceți McLaurin în formațiile dvs. din Săptămâna 13, dar cu așteptarea că cel mai bun pariu pentru o zi mare de fantezie este un alt apel la domiciliu de 86 de metri pentru a salva ziua.
WR Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills
Nu există nicio îndoială că Buffalo Bills WR Khalil Shakir a fost una dintre cele mai sigure ținte din ligă anul acesta. Are mâini de încredere zile întregi, cu o rată de prindere de 87,5% care datează din sezonul trecut, care conduce toate WR-urile (min. 50 de ținte, inclusiv postseason). El este, de asemenea, incredibil de eficient cu oportunitățile sale și cu un rating de 124,5 de pasageri atunci când este vizat (al treilea cel mai mare), în timp ce are o medie de 7,7 yarzi după captura per recepție (a patra cea mai mare). Cu toate acestea, săptămâna 13 ar putea provoca podeaua lui de obicei sigură.
Volumul constant al lui Shakir (7+ ținte în fiecare dintre ultimele cinci jocuri) l-a făcut o opțiune populară de flex/sleeper într-o săptămână dată. Cu toate acestea, San Francisco 49ers ar putea fi un factor limitativ pentru el în săptămâna 13, chiar dacă există câteva ținte libere peste mijloc în absența unui Dalton Kincaid accidentat. Deși Niners sunt în prezent un pic un incendiu de gunoi, LB Fred Warner rămâne lipiciul care le ține împreună acoperirea de la mijlocul terenului. Warner își continuă poziția de unul dintre cei mai buni sprijinitori de acoperire din ligă și are un număr limitat de receptori de sloturi. Începând din Săptămâna 7, cei de la 49ers permit al doilea cel mai scăzut EPA pe joc pentru ținte de slot (-0,176), renunțând la 0 TD, 3 INT și un rating de pasageri de 46,3 la un nivel scăzut în ligă pentru astfel de jocuri. Shakir, care operează în principal în afara slotului la un clip de 75,8% în acest sezon, ar putea vedea o scădere a eficienței sale în acest loc.
Verificare căldură 🔥 Shakir este un complet bun pentru săptămâna rămasă, dar cu toate cele 32 de echipe în amestec, plafonul său nu este suficient de mare pentru a risca o săptămână în jos într-un meci provocator.
TE Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars ies la revedere din Săptămâna 12, ceea ce înseamnă că TE Evan Engram este proaspăt odihnit și gata să preia toată munca pe care o poate face. Ar trebui să fie mult de lucru pentru el săptămâna aceasta, deoarece echipa a primit mai multe vești proaste despre accidentări înainte de rămas-bun, pierzându-l pe WR Gabe Davis pentru sezon, cu o accidentare la genunchi, după ce deja a ratat Christian Kirk (de asemenea, în sezon cu un claviculă ruptă). Chiar dacă vede un volum decent, totuși, s-ar putea să nu fie o potrivire grozavă pentru o zi fantastică.
În săptămâna 13, Jaguars primesc o confruntare intratradițională provocatoare cu Houston Texans – o confruntare care a făcut unele performanțe dezamăgitoare TE chiar și pentru cei mai buni din ligi. Houston ocupă locul 27, cu 7,51 puncte de fantezie pe joc permise TE adverse (3,3-25,5-0,4 linie medie), în timp ce are o medie a treia cea mai scăzută EPA per dropback și o rată de joc de succes de 39,1% la ținte la poziția TE pe NFL. Statistici de generație următoare.
Verificare căldură 🔥 Engram ar trebui să aibă o pardoseală solidă în formate de notare PPR jumătate și completă din cauza necesității volumului țintă, dar nu vă așteptați la o eficiență de mare timp. Această apărare a permis doar trei TE-uri tot sezonul să depășească marca de 50 de iarzi de primire.
Bo Nix, începător de la Broncos, continuă să producă, după ce a avut încă o performanță TD cu mai multe treceri în Săptămâna 12, cu un alt meci intrigant la orizont. (Fotografia de Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Bun venit în săptămâna 13 a sezonului de fotbal fantasy 2024! Pe măsură ce te apropii de viitoarele playoff-uri fantastice, deciziile din fiecare săptămână devin cu atât mai importante. Vestea bună? După o listă redusă de meciuri din Săptămâna 12, în care șase echipe au fost la revedere, le-am readus în acțiune pe toate cele 32 de echipe. Vestea proastă? 32 de echipe înseamnă mult mai multe opțiuni pentru tine, managerul de fotbal fantasy, ceea ce face procesul de stabilire a formației cu atât mai obositor.
O decizie la care probabil că nu te mai gândești în acest moment este dacă să-l dai sau nu pe începătorul QB Bo Nix în fiecare săptămână. Nix a mers cu 25 din 42 în săptămâna 12, aruncând pentru 273 de yarzi prin trecere și două touchdown-uri pentru a doua sa performanță de TD cu mai multe pase, datând din săptămâna 5. Se pare că el este adevărata afacere, ocupând calitatea de QB7 general al anului. cu o confruntare intrigantă împotriva unui secundar din Cleveland Browns în săptămâna 13.
Aflați cât de sus a atins Nix în clasamentul echipei noastre de fotbal fantasy din Săptămâna 13:
Care fundas preziceți că va termina în vârful clasamentului din Săptămâna 13?
United Football League a anunțat luni că și-a lansat procesul de extindere în speranța de a crește de la cele opt echipe cu care a început sezonul trecut.
UFL s-a născut în urma fuziunii dintre USFL și XFL. Sezonul 2024 a început cu Arlington Renegades, Birmingham Stallions, Michigan Panthers, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, San Antonio Brahmas, St. Louis BattleHawks și DC Defenders în primul său sezon ca o ligă nou-nouță.
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Quarterbackul de la Birmingham Stallions, Matt Corral, numărul 2, coboară înapoi pentru a trece împotriva Arlington Renegades în a doua jumătate pe Stadionul Choctaw din Arlington, Texas, pe 30 martie 2024.(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
Acum, UFL speră să împingă pe noi piețe.
„Pe măsură ce UFL pune bazele creșterii viitoare, suntem încântați să începem să explorăm noi piețe de expansiune, unde fotbalul de primăvară nu numai că poate trăi, dar poate prospera”, a declarat Russ Brandon, președinte și CEO al UFL, într-un comunicat de presă.
„Aceste eforturi de extindere validează viziunea și succesul nostru timpuriu, demonstrând modul în care fotbalul de primăvară rezonează cu fanii și întărind angajamentul nostru de a-și extinde acoperirea. Cu puterea și structura grupului nostru de proprietate, împreună cu partenerii noștri media, suntem bine poziționați pentru pe termen lung și așteptăm cu nerăbdare să identificăm comunități care au potențialul și dorința de a găzdui o echipă UFL.”
Fundașul defensiv al Birmingham Stallions, Chris Jackson, numărul 1, îl abordează pe tight-ul lui Arlington Renegades, Sal Cannella, numărul 80, în timpul celei de-a doua reprize, pe Stadionul Choctaw din Arlington, Texas, pe 30 martie 2024.(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
EAGLES' SAQUON BARKLEY SETĂ RECORDUL RUSHING ÎN FRANZIȘĂ ÎN JOC SINGUR ÎN CÂȘTIREA DECLARAȚII ÎN FAȚA RAMS
UFL a ajutat să facă din fotbalul de primăvară – cândva o idee exagerată – un succes.
Jucători precum KaVontae Turpin, Brandon Aubrey, Jake Bates și Gareon Conley sunt doar câțiva dintre jucătorii care au trecut de la fotbalul de primăvară la NFL în ultimii ani.
Liga a spus că „se uită la câteva atribute de bază atunci când își selectează noile orașe, inclusiv interesul fanilor și cultura sportivă existentă, geografia și populația, locația și disponibilitatea infrastructurii”.
O vedere a fanilor Arlington Renegades în timpul celei de-a doua jumătăți a jocului împotriva armăsărilor din Birmingham de pe Stadionul Choctaw din Arlington, Texas, pe 30 martie 2024.(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
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Sezonul 2025 UFL începe pe 28 martie.
Urmărește Fox News Digitalacoperire sportivă pe X, și abonați-vă la buletinul informativ Fox News Sports Huddle.
Ryan Gaydos este redactor senior pentru Fox News Digital.
What happened in Week 13? We are now down to one undefeated FBS team following No. 5 Indiana’s loss to No. 2 Ohio State and No. 19 Army’s loss to No. 6 Notre Dame. On top of that, four ranked teams fell to their unranked opponents on Saturday.
With No. 16 Colorado’s loss to Kansas and No. 14 BYU falling to No. 21 Arizona State, the Big 12 has a four-way tie at the top of the standings. What does each team have to do next week to reach the conference title game?
After their defense dominated the Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes have one more conference matchup left. What do they need to do to meet Oregon in the Big Ten title game?
How did Saturday’s action affect our Power Rankings?
Here’s the latest top 25 from our college football experts, who provide their insight on each team following Week 13.
Previous ranking: 1
Oregon’s second bye week of the year is as good a time as any to recognize not just how the Ducks have gotten to 11-0, but how far the offensive line specifically has come since the first few weeks of the season. In its first two games, Oregon’s offensive line gave up seven sacks. Over the past nine games, it has kept quarterback Dillon Gabriel upright, allowing only five sacks total. The improvement began in the Ducks’ third game against UCLA, when they shifted Iapani Laloulu to starting center. Lalolulu, a sophomore from Hawaii, has anchored the unit. Per Pro Football Focus, Laloulu has not allowed a sack in 270 pass blocking snaps.
The move and subsequent improvement has both limited the number of sacks and quarterback pressures, but beyond that, it has facilitated the Ducks’ running game. In the first two games of the season, they averaged fewer than 3 yards per carry. Since then, they have averaged over 5 and have 20 rushing touchdowns total. It has all added up to one of the most effective offenses in the country, an undefeated season so far and a potent recipe as Oregon heads toward a conference championship and playoff run. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 2
The Buckeyes (10-1) have upped their blitz rate since their 32-31 loss to Oregon on Oct. 12. They didn’t get a single sack against Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who threw for 341 yards while averaging a whopping 9.6 yards per dropback. Since then, they have overwhelmed opposing quarterbacks. During Saturday’s resounding 38-15 win over Indiana, Ohio State sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. Off the blitz, linebacker Cody Simon especially wreaked havoc, finishing with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. With little time to throw, most notably in obvious passing situations, Rourke completed just 8 of his 18 attempts for 68 yards. If the Buckeyes take care of Michigan, they’ll get a rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. There, they’ll be sure to unleash the blitz in a way they didn’t in Eugene. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 3
The Longhorns (10-1) have consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 2008-09, accomplished in both the Big 12 and the SEC. But this team hasn’t been all flash. The Longhorns have been able to adapt to whatever form necessary to keep winning, aside from their loss to Georgia this year. On Saturday, Quintrevion Wisner had a career-high 158 yards rushing, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. But the biggest difference this season has been the pass defense. Last year, Texas allowed 254.4 yards per game through the air, and this year, they have cut that to just 143.5 per game, ranking No. 1 in the nation.
The pass rush has helped quite a bit. Against Kentucky, the Longhorns pressured Brock Vandagriff and Cutter Boley on 14 of their 31 dropbacks. The Longhorns have a big one next week, traveling to College Station to renew their rivalry with Texas A&M (whom they haven’t played since 2011), with a spot in the SEC championship game for the winner. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 9
The Irish won their ninth straight game Saturday night with a 49-14 blowout of previously unbeaten Army at Yankee Stadium. Since that forgettable 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7, Notre Dame (10-1) has been better at a little bit of everything and looks to be a lock for the playoff if it can finish out the regular season with a win over USC. The Irish have improved across the board on defense after giving up nearly 400 yards to Northern Illinois, and they clamped down on Army’s running game.
The Black Knights came into the game leading the country in rushing (334.9 yards per game), but Bryson Daily could never get on track. The Irish haven’t played what you would call a killer schedule since the loss in Week 2 but have won every game but one by double digits. Running back Jeremiyah Love continues to be a key weapon for the Irish. He scored two more rushing touchdowns, including a 68-yarder, and has 14 on the season. — Chris Low
Previous ranking: 5
Tyler Warren had a touchdown catch in Penn State’s (10-1) season-opening win at West Virginia, but the tight end extraordinaire wasn’t the focal point of the Nittany Lions’ offense right away. He had 50 receiving yards or fewer in four of the team’s first five games before his record-setting performance Oct. 12 at USC, when he set career highs for receptions (17) and receiving yards (224). Since then, Warren has been the centerpiece of Penn State’s offense. He has seven or more receptions in four of Penn State’s past five games, while taking on a bigger role in the run game as well.
In Penn State’s 26-25 win over Minnesota on Saturday, Warren led the team with eight receptions for 102 yards, including an 11-yard reception on fourth-and-1 that allowed the Nittany Lions to run out the clock and keep their CFP hopes firmly intact. He continues to provide quarterback Drew Allar with a reliable option and offset PSU’s limitations at wide receiver. Warren and Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. are the top two candidates for the Mackey Award (given to the top tight end in the nation). — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 8
The Bulldogs (9-2) might have been a popular pick to reach the SEC championship game before the season, but their route in getting back to Atlanta has been far more difficult than it was the past few seasons. Injuries along the offensive line and at tailback resulted in a mediocre running game, putting more pressure on quarterback Carson Beck. He had 12 interceptions in a six-game stretch and played poorly in the first half of a loss at Alabama and another loss at Ole Miss. Beck has played efficiently and avoided big mistakes in Georgia’s past two victories over Tennessee and UMass.
After All-America guard Tate Ratledge returned, the offensive line has provided enough protection (one sack in the past two games), and the Bulldogs are running the ball again. Georgia’s tight ends have also stepped up, and freshman tailback Nate Frazier looks like a star. If Georgia beats Georgia Tech at home Friday night, it should be back in the CFP, regardless of what happens against the Texas-Texas A&M winner in the SEC championship game. — Mark Schlabach
Previous ranking: 10
Cam Ward has dazzled for the majority of the season, starting with the opener against Florida. But where Miami (10-1) has improved the most is building depth in its running back room, and that showed in a 42-14 win over Wake Forest. The Hurricanes added freshman Jordan Lyle to the mix with Damien Martinez and Mark Fletcher Jr. Lyle had seven carries for 115 yards and a score, while Martinez added 63 yards and Fletcher 55. Miami rushed for 228 yards and a whopping 7.1 yards per carry. Ward added 280 yards passing, showing the type of balance Miami wants but has not achieved consistently. Up next is a Syracuse team that has struggled to stop the run this season. A win clinches a spot for the Hurricanes in the ACC championship game. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 13
Kevin Jennings and the offense were dominant again, and SMU’s emphatic win at Virginia offered the latest statement that the Mustangs aren’t just ACC upstarts, but the genuine favorite in the conference and a legitimate playoff team. SMU (10-1) is one of just eight remaining undefeated or one-loss teams in the Power 4, and since Jennings took over as the starting QB, the Mustangs are 8-0 and averaging 41 points per game. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 12
While SEC (and CFP) rivals Ole Miss and Alabama were suffering upset losses, Tennessee benefited by simply handling its business against UTEP in a 56-0 win. Nico Iamaleava overcame a slow start — three punts in the first three drives — to complete 17 of 23 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns, including Bru McCoy’s first two touchdown catches of the season. Iamaleava was nearly perfect as the Volunteers unleashed a 28-0 second quarter to salt the game away. Tennessee’s offense hasn’t averaged over 5.8 yards per play in an SEC game all season but cruised along at 6.8 against the outmanned Miners, and after finding themselves on the outside looking in with this week’s CFP rankings, the Vols should be comfortably in the field of 12 when the rankings are updated Tuesday. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 4
Even though Indiana got routed by Ohio State 38-15 on Saturday, the Hoosiers have continued to impress with their red zone defense. In the first half at Ohio Stadium, Indiana allowed just one touchdown on three Ohio State possessions in the red zone. The Hoosiers stuffed Quinshon Judkins on fourth-and-1 from the Indiana 2-yard line.
Later, D’Angelo Ponds broke up a pass, which landed in the arms of Jailin Walker for an interception at the Hoosiers’ 11, thwarting another Ohio State scoring opportunity. Those plays kept Indiana in the game through halftime, even though its offense gained just 53 yards, the Hoosiers’ lowest first-half total in a decade. In Indiana’s previous game, it allowed Michigan to score just one touchdown on three red zone chances. The Hoosiers are now in the top half of the Big Ten in red zone defensive efficiency. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 11
For all of the attention Ashton Jeanty and Boise State’s offense gets, there isn’t much discussed about the Broncos’ defense. When the season began, there wasn’t much to praise on that side of the ball. Opponents scored over 30 points in three of the first five games, and Boise State allowed over 400 yards three times. Over the past five games, however, the unit has shown slight yet important improvements. No team has scored more than 24 points on the Broncos (10-1), and they’ve held teams under 350 yards three separate times. Spencer Danielson’s team has shown time and time again that it can win shootouts. All they need is for the defense to be serviceable and do enough to allow their offense to win games. In the back half of the season, the Broncos have done just that. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 20
The Sun Devils (9-2) are one of the hottest teams in the country, and a trip to the Big 12 title game (and even the CFP) is now within reach following their dramatic 28-23 win over BYU. They’ve won four in a row ever since Sam Leavitt came back from his rib injury. We’re watching the redshirt freshman blossom into one of the best young QBs in the FBS on a weekly basis. Leavitt has the second-best QBR in the Big 12 over the past month (83.8) (behind only Shedeur Sanders) and is averaging 8.7 yards per attempt with a 10-1 TD-INT ratio. He’s taking care of the football and playing his best at the best possible time. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 19
The Tigers picked a good week to play an FCS team. While chaos ruled the day around them, Clemson took care of business with a 51-14 win over The Citadel behind three touchdown passes by Cade Klubnik. The Tigers are now 9-2, marking their 14th straight season of nine wins or more. More importantly, the losses around them in the top 25 leave the door wide open for a playoff berth. A win next week against South Carolina would offer a signature victory over the SEC — home of the majority of the teams Clemson would be judged against. A Miami loss next week would also push the Tigers into the ACC title game, which could be either a blessing or a curse at this point. — Hale
Previous ranking: 6
It’s difficult to pull many positives after the Crimson Tide’s crushing stumble at Oklahoma in Week 13, but a once-vulnerable Alabama secondary that Georgia tore up for 439 passing yards on Sept. 28 has steadily improved over the course of the season. The Sooners’ success on the ground — and the overall state of their passing game — meant there wasn’t much work for the Crimson Tide defensive backs in Saturday’s 24-3 defeat.
While the secondary remains the weak link in Alabama’s defense, the unit anchored by Malachi Moore and Domani Jackson was strong enough to keep a lid on LSU’s passing attack on Nov. 9, and the Crimson Tide (8-3) entered the weekend ranked 18th among FBS defenses in pass defense (181.2 yards per game) after holding four of their past five opponents below 200 passing yards. — Eli Lederman
Previous ranking: 7
All Ole Miss had to do was beat Florida and Mississippi State, and Lane Kiffin’s Rebels would have likely secured their first College Football Playoff bid. Instead, they became the second straight ranked team to fall in the Swamp, suffering a 24-17 defeat. Jaxson Dart threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns, but he lost the plot late, throwing two bad interceptions; his 22-yard scoring strike to Cayden Lee with 9:05 left in the second quarter turned out to be the Rebels’ last touchdown of the day. Ole Miss (8-3) scored just three points in its last eight drives. There was enough chaos elsewhere that the Rebels’ playoff hopes aren’t completely dusted, but they’re going to need some more chaos over Rivalry Week to have a chance. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 18
With the CFP bubble getting a lot weirder, and a couple of key conference mates joining the pile of three-loss teams on Saturday, South Carolina, 18th in the CFP rankings, got a breather with a 56-12 win over Wofford. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers overcame an early interception to go 23-for-27 for 307 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 53 rushing yards and another score. Dalevon Campbell caught five passes for 120 yards, and 12 different receivers caught at least one pass. The Gamecocks (8-3) gained 608 yards with 34 first downs, and while this was obviously an FCS opponent, the improvement of South Carolina’s offense has been a consistent storyline over the second half of the season. Even with the SEC’s Saturday upsets, they might not have a particularly realistic path toward the CFP, but their hopes aren’t completely dead yet, either. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 22
The Cyclones (9-2) didn’t crack 90 rushing yards in either of their first two games this fall and have emerged as an effective complement to the Big 12’s fifth-ranked passing attack. Sophomore rusher Carson Hansen upped his touchdown tally this fall to 11 with another pair of scores at Utah on Saturday, including his go-ahead, 3-yard touchdown with 1:31 remaining in a 31-28 road win that got dicey late for the Cyclones. Iowa State’s run game remains middle of the pack in the Big 12, but the Cyclones leaned on the program’s ground attack heavily in conference wins over Baylor (265 rushing yards) and UCF (256), and Hansen has emerged as a red zone weapon with seven of his 11 touchdowns coming from inside the 5-yard line. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 21
The Green Wave offensive line allowed eight sacks across a pair of September losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma. Since then, Tulane quarterbacks have been sacked just six times during the eight-game winning streak that vaulted the Green Wave (9-2) to No. 20 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings coming off of an idle weekend. Tulane is buoyed by one of the Group of 5’s rising stars in freshman quarterback Darian Mensah and the AAC’s leading rusher in Makhi Hughes. And both are succeeding this fall with the help of an offensive line that enters the final weekend of the regular season ranked 25th in sacks allowed while powering the nation’s 10th-ranked rushing attack. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 14
The Cougars (9-2) played a dangerous game for weeks and their luck has caught up with them having now suffered back-to-back losses with a 28-23 loss at Arizona State on Saturday. The defeat leaves BYU as one of four two-loss teams in the Big 12 and it no longer controls its destiny, as it would not reach the title game if both ASU and Iowa State win next week. After falling behind 21-0 to ASU, the Cougars played much better, but their Hail Mary fell two yards shy of the end zone, which could be the difference between a second-tier bowl game and a College Football Playoff appearance. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 15
The Aggies (8-3) lost a heartbreaker on the road at Auburn, with the first drop of Amari Daniels’ season coming on the last play of the game, as the ball bounced off his hands in overtime in the end zone. It was improbable in many other ways: It marked Auburn’s first win in 15 tries against an AP-ranked team and the first overtime loss by the Aggies after winning seven straight.
The Aggies found some rhythm in their passing game (Marcel Reed was 22-of-35 for 297 yards and a career-high three TDs, adding 66 rushing yards), but the Aggies’ defense imploded, giving up 43 points to a Tigers team that hadn’t scored more than 24 in SEC play this season. The loss is a blow to hopes the Aggies had of reaching the College Football Playoff, but Alabama’s loss means the Aggies can still reach the SEC championship game with a win over Texas next weekend, leaving the door cracked for them to play their way back in. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 24
The Rebels (9-2) can wrap up a 10-win regular season with a win against Nevada next week and would qualify for the Mountain West title game against Boise State in the process. If UNLV loses to Nevada and CSU wins, then it would go to a computer tiebreaker. Beyond the conference title, the Rebels are still in play for the playoff. If they win the Mountain West and finish ranked ahead of the AAC champion in the final CFP rankings, then the Broncos would be in. The early-season QB drama seems so long ago now as UNLV is on pace to finish with one of its best seasons in school history. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 16
It was Army’s first loss of the season and a lopsided one, as Notre Dame outmanned the Black Knights 49-14 on Saturday in Yankee Stadium. Afterward, Army coach Jeff Monken said it would be unfair to judge his team on that one game and he was proud of the way his team had continued to progress in all areas. Army had one turnover against Notre Dame but has been terrific at taking care of the ball this season.
The defense couldn’t stop Notre Dame, but the goal-line stand in the first half was indicative of the way Army has fought on defense this season. The Black Knights (9-1) still have a lot to play for. They face UTSA on Saturday and then Tulane the following weekend in the AAC championship game and of course rival Navy in the finale. — Low
Previous ranking: 25
The offense started with a pair of three-and-outs, but a 28-7 run resulted in a comfortable 39-20 win for Missouri at Mississippi State. It was the Tigers’ first win over the Bulldogs in three tries since joining the SEC in 2012, and it moved them to 8-3 for the season. Brady Cook completed 15 of 20 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, and after gaining under 300 yards for two straight games while Cook was battling injury, the offense followed up on last week’s 381-yard effort by gaining 472 against MSU. The difference? Big plays. Cook completed five passes of 28 yards or more, and to four different receivers. The Tigers are still out of the playoff picture, but they have a chance to finish 9-3 with a Battle Line Rivalry win over Arkansas on Saturday. — Connelly
Previous ranking: NR
Coach Bret Bielema’s teams always have been known for running the ball, but Illinois (8-3) showed other strengths for much of the season before returning to its roots down the stretch. The Illini ran for 182 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s 38-31 road win against Rutgers, marking their second straight game with three rushing scores and third in the past six contests. Other than the loss to Penn State, when Illinois finished with 34 net rushing yards, the Illini have averaged 158.3 rushing yards in their other seven Big Ten games. Quarterback Luke Altmyer and running backs Josh McCray and Aidan Laughery all found the end zone at Rutgers, as Illinois averaged 5.1 yards per carry. The Illini aren’t the elite run outfit that Bielema frequently had at Wisconsin, but they provide enough on the ground to balance out a passing attack led by wideout Pat Bryant, who had 197 receiving yards and the game-winning touchdown with four seconds to play. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 17
The Buffaloes’ defense showed so much progress under new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston throughout this season, but they had no answers for stopping Devin Neal and Kansas in their 37-21 loss in Kansas City. Colorado (8-3) had held every opponent on its schedule under 200 rushing yards — and gave up just 31 yards vs. Utah last week — until the resurgent Jayhawks burned them for 331 yards on 57 carries, with Neal surpassing 200 all by himself. Deion Sanders believes it was an uncharacteristic performance for his defense in every way. They can prove it was a fluke by slowing down Ollie Gordon II and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in their regular-season finale on Friday. — Olson
Fișa Cheat Sheet a fost creată astfel încât să puteți obține răspunsuri rapide la întrebările dvs. de start/ședință Fantasy, cu analiza deja încorporată. Pentru o justificare detaliată, consultați cel mai recent conținut al meu, inclusiv coloana mea săptămânală de Decizii de acțiune.
Ce înseamnă numerele?
Toate analizele mele din săptămâna, de la punctele de date la perspectivele de confruntare până la previziunile fluxului de joc, sunt în principiu reprezentate de un număr pe o scară de încredere de la 1 la 10. Cu cât este mai mare numărul de lângă numele unui jucător, cu atât sunt mai încrezător că ar trebui să-l începi. Cifrele nu sunt o proiecție, ci doar un scor de încredere pentru a vă ajuta să alegeți pe cine să începeți. Fiecare jucător relevant pentru această săptămână este aici, așa că dacă un jucător nu este listat, nu-l începe.
Pentru a găsi un anumit player, utilizați funcția de căutare — CTRL-F pe computere și Command-F pe Mac. Dacă niciuna dintre acestea nu este opțiune sau dacă sunteți pe un dispozitiv mobil, puteți derula în funcție de joc. Dacă ești încă nu sunt sigur, trimite doar o notă pe X.com (@daverichard), și îi voi arunca o privire, dacă timpul îmi permite. Nu uitați să utilizați hashtag-ul #AskFFT!
Dacă citiți acest lucru duminică, vă rugăm să consultați clasamentele noastre săptămânale, care sunt actualizate în timp real.
Ești gata să cobori cu piciorul drept? Iată cum să abordăm fiecare joc din această săptămână în ligile PPR — puteți găsi fișa noastră non-PPR aici.
Săptămâna 12 va fi distractivă. Avem șase echipe la revedere (Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New Orleans și Jets), iar managerii Fantasy ar putea avea niște formații interesante într-o săptămână crucială.
Vestea bună este că avem câțiva jucători remarcabili care se întorc din accidentare, cu Mike Evans (ischio-coarde), George Kittle (ischio-coarde) și Sam LaPorta (umăr), toți programați să revină la acțiune și poate că și Isiah Pacheco (picior) ar putea reveni. Având în vedere că toți jucătorii vedete sunt la revedere, vom primi orice întăriri putem obține.
Una dintre poveștile interesante de urmat este Giants cu Tommy DeVito care începe pentru Daniel Jones, și ce înseamnă asta pentru Tyrone Tracy Jr. și Malik Nabers. Încep pe amândoi cu meciul lor cu Tampa Bay.
De asemenea, vrem să vedem ce face Anthony Richardson împotriva Lions după performanța sa impresionantă împotriva Jets în săptămâna 11. Jonathon Brooks este programat să-și facă debutul în NFL în săptămâna 12 și vom vedea ce înseamnă asta pentru Chuba Hubbard. Și în același joc, ar putea fi o săptămână grozavă pentru Patrick Mahomes și Chiefs, având în vedere confruntarea cu Panthers.
Sunt încântat să văd ce se întâmplă în săptămâna 12. Și sper că toate formațiile tale sunt gata de plecare. Playoff-urile Fantasy se apropie, așa că haideți să câștigăm și să construim un impuls înainte de postsezon.
Proiectii alimentate de
Sportsline
La începutul sezonului, Brian Robinson Jr. l-a depășit pe Bijan Robinson, făcându-i pe managerii Fantasy să creadă că au elaborat „B. Robinson” greșit în acest an. Asta s-a schimbat în ultima vreme, dar Brian Robinson Jr. are încă o campanie solidă. Și ar trebui să aibă o ieșire mare în săptămâna 12 împotriva Cowboys.
Robinson a marcat cel puțin 13,1 puncte PPR în șase din opt meciuri din acest sezon. El s-a întors dintr-o absență de două meciuri cu o accidentare a hamstringului în săptămâna 11 la Philadelphia și a marcat 14,2 puncte PPR cu 16 porturi pentru 63 de metri și un touchdown și o capturare pentru 9 metri pe o țintă.
Săptămâna aceasta, el se confruntă cu o apărare de la Dallas care vine dintr-o înfrângere luni seara în fața Houstonului, iar Robinson ar trebui să aibă picioare proaspete de când a jucat ultima dată joi seara în Săptămâna 11. Și acesta este o confruntare grozavă, deoarece fundașii au avut mult succes împotriva lui. Cowboys din ultima vreme. În ultimele lor cinci jocuri, cinci fundașii alergători au marcat cel puțin 12,1 puncte PPR, cu șapte touchdown-uri permise.
Îmi place Austin Ekeler ca dormitor în săptămâna 12, dar Robinson are avantajul în top-12 în toate ligile. Căutați-l pe „B. Robinson” pentru a domina Dallas în acest joc.
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A apărut o eroare la procesarea abonamentului dvs.
Cowboys au fost o mizerie ofensiv de când Dak Prescott (ischio-coarda) a fost rănit, iar acum linia ofensivă este lovită. Apărătorul drept Zack Martin (gleznă/umăr) și gardianul stâng Tyler Smith (gleznă/genunchi) nu s-au antrenat miercuri, iar acest lucru ar putea fi un dezastru dacă ambii sunt în fața Comandanților. Este și Dan Quinn, fostul coordonator defensiv din Dallas, care se confruntă cu fosta sa echipă. Și Cowboys au înscris 16 puncte combinate fără Prescott în ultimele două jocuri, în timp ce au permis opt sack-uri și șapte turnover-uri.
Buccaneers (la NYG)
Cardinals (la SEA)
Urși (vs. MIN)
Ambalatori (vs. SF)
Mi-a plăcut DST-ul Packers din Săptămâna 11 la Chicago, dar apărarea a fost o ușoară dezamăgire, cu doar trei sack-uri și fără refaceri, în timp ce a permis 19 puncte. Săptămâna aceasta, DST-ul Packers ar trebui evitat cu o confruntare cu cei de la 49ers. San Francisco a înregistrat doar două turnover-uri în ultimele trei jocuri, iar Brock Purdy a fost demis de trei ori sau mai puțin în opt jocuri la rând. Ar trebui să găsiți un alt oră de vacanță pentru săptămâna 12.
Last Saturday, I sat at a good friend’s house to catch “The Boxing Match of the Century,” and the “Arrested Development” clip kept replaying in my head. I grew up watching Mike Tyson. I remember when I was watching the ’97 match against Holyfield that turned into a brawl. His speed and power were a marvel. But that was nearly 30 years ago. Conspiracy notions aside, the real clash over the weekend was preconceived notions battling with a heavy dose of reality. And we see which concept won.
The 2024 fantasy football and NFL seasons have presented us with similar situations. Most recently, I hoped my Bengals could keep their season alive on the primetime stage. But we, and every offense they’ve faced, knew their defensive struggles were a problem. I had the same feeling after the final play. Regardless, setting expectations helps reconcile the eventual results. More importantly, we know how to navigate the takeaways.
And as the fantasy playoffs creep up on us, leveraging those actionable nuggets can make or break your season.
The Sun God continues to shine
Admittedly, I didn’t watch the game in real time, but here are the storylines I gleamed from social media:
Jared Goff redeemed himself from his five-INT outing in Week 10.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are this year’s version of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
Doug Pederson is about to have a lot of free time on his hands.
Between Jameson Williams doing his best Marshawn Lynch impersonation and Gibbs flashing his speed, Jacksonville didn’t have a chance. In either case, the big plays made the headlines. Imagine my surprise when I checked the box score and saw how much Amon-Ra St. Brown got in on the fun.
It’s a testament to the strength of the offense that a multi-touchdown game from its WR1 isn’t the leading topic afterward. Although, that’s a feature, not a bug in Detroit. The Lions have had bottom-12 early-down passing rates for three straight years. TE Sam LaPorta was their WR2 last year. But I’d be careful before labeling St. Brown anything other than one of the best at the position.
Contested Catch Rate: 70.0% (2nd out of 24 WRs — min. 20.0% target share)
Explosive Play Rate: 21.3% (8th)
Forced Missed Tackles: 8 (T-10th)
Typically, I use the standard advanced metrics like yards per route run or air yards to contextualize a receiver. But most know ARSB primarily operates out of the slot. His receiving aDOT hasn’t been over nine yards at any point in his career. We’d expect him to be efficient. Honestly, I had to double-check the contested catch rate stat. St. Brown (17) has more explosive receptions than George Pickens (16), and this changed my perception of the fourth-year receiver even more. So, his WR1 status can’t be due to volume alone.
Touchdown streak aside, the USC product finds himself at the intersection of talent and situation. He accounts for 28.2% of Goff’s passing yards. For reference, Tyreek Hill represents 26.5% of Miami’s aerial attack. Plus, St. Brown’s ability to move the chains is unmatched by his peers. At 44 receiving first downs, he has the most of any WR at this point in the season. Put another way, Goff has finished as a top-12 QB four times this season, and St. Brown has been the overall WR1 in half of those games. However, even in that stat, we can see the potential cap on his weekly ceiling.
I mentioned the Lions’ gritty ground game earlier; they’re 28th in early-down passing rate and run at the fifth-highest rate in the green zone. Before Goff was throwing five picks, he had back-to-back weeks under 150 yards. A low-volume script isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Nevertheless, St. Brown’s role and impact on the offense remain unquestioned. And, with matchups against high-scoring offenses (Packers and Bills) during the fantasy playoffs, we should see more of the Sun God when we need him the most.
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Jauan Jennings should’ve gotten the Brandon Aiyuk contract
To be clear, I’m kidding. I do wonder how many 49ers fans would agree with the sentiment, though. And, not for nothing, Jauan Jennings gave a few reasons to question his place in the hierarchy earlier in the season.
Through 11 weeks, Jennings’ 46.5-point PPR total in Week 3 is the second-highest of any WR this year. Still, that result should come with an asterisk (or three). Deebo Samuel and George Kittle both missed the game. It was Brandon Aiyuk’s third game back after his offseason hold-in. Christian McCaffrey was in Germany. But we’ve seen HC Kyle Shanahan make do with less. So, watching Jennings fade as the primary pieces of the offense returned made sense.
However, chalking up Jennings’s resurgence to Aiyuk’s injury alone would be reductive. Aiyuk saw more man coverage as he lined up as a perimeter receiver on 80.4% of his snaps. Meanwhile, Jennings manned the slot 48.9% of the time with the two on the field. Since he missed two games with a hip injury, we only have a two-game sample to determine his sustainability as a fantasy asset. But really, Week 10 should have been enough.
Jauan Jennings route chart. (Photo by Next Gen Stats)
Two things stick out when looking at Jennings’ route charts provided by Next Gen Stats. First, he instantly returned to a double-digit workload. No asterisks are needed here. Yes, Aiyuk was out, but Christian McCaffrey was back for his first game. George Kittle was (relatively) healthy. Even rookie Ricky Pearsall had a 70.0% route rate. And yet, Jennings pulls up after a two-game absence with a gaudy 33.0% target share. The second part is his route depth.
Schemed-up receivers turning short and intermediate catches into explosive plays had been a staple of the 49ers offense for years. It’s been part of why we, as a football community, have debated Brock Purdy’s contribution to the offense since he became the starter. However, only Anthony Richardson had a higher passing aDOT through the first month and a half of the season. CMC’s return not only added another option but enabled more concepts that took more off Purdy’s shoulders. Back in that Week 3 explosion for Jennings, he averaged 12.4 air yards per target. Fast forward to Week 10, it was down to 7.6. We’re not only getting the volume from Jennings, but also high-percentage looks boosting his weekly floor.
Even with San Francisco’s slim hopes of a playoff spot, we have a sense of how the offense runs with everyone healthy. Jennings has led the team in targets in two consecutive games (11 and 10) with the highest slot target rate of the 49ers’ receivers. If pressured, Purdy has looked to Jennings (five targets) the same number of times he’s thrown to McCaffrey and Kittle.
Jennings is the team’s WR1 and should have top-24 value for the rest of the fantasy season.
Brock Bowers? More like Brock Towers (over the competition)
If you passed on Brock Bowers during your draft, I get it. We only start one TE. Rookies are tough to project. Plus, for Bowers specifically, he had target earners around him. But history highlights why finding prospects like Bowers can change your season.
On the one hand, saying targets and running a bunch of routes equals fantasy points sounds overly simplistic. But the receiving component of the TE position is what matters to us. I’ve yet to play in a points-per-block league. Using the ’23 season as a proxy, five of the top six TEs all had target shares of 20.0% or more. Nobody’s route participation rate was below 70.0%. So, on the other hand, prioritizing pass-catching talent can give you an edge. However, in the case of Bowers, the advantage is even greater.
Brock Bowers route chart. (Photo by Next Gen Stats)
Watching Bowers snap off routes and instantly create separation backs up what his route tree shows. He’s a receiver playing TE. His 16 targets on Sunday match the third-most of any TE over the last five years. Bowers has had more pass attempts thrown his way (89) than Justin Jefferson (86). At 16.0 PPR PPG, the Raiders’ TE1 would be the WR10 ahead of Garrett Wilson. But the workload superlatives only go so far for our purposes.
Volume can’t be Bowers’ only path to production. He has Gardner Minshew throwing him the ball. Las Vegas has a bottom-five rank in yards per drive and an offensive line sitting at 23rd in pass-block win rate. I’d be more concerned, except check the route depths for Bowers against the Dolphins. For all their other issues on offense, the scheme has revolved around finding ways to get their rookie the ball.
Bowers’ 5.4 air yards per target are ahead of only Cade Otton and Will Dissly. Even better, Bowers leads all TEs in looks with an average time to throw less than 2.5 seconds. In other words, the plan is to quickly get the ball out of Minshew’s hands and over to Bowers. Unsurprisingly, he’s one of the five players at his position with a YAC per reception over five yards. At worst, we’ve got a high-end WR2 we can play in our TE spot.
For dynasty managers, don’t rejoice just yet. We’ve seen offenses shift when WRs develop. Just ask Sam LaPorta. But for the remainder of this season, there’s no more context needed. Bowers has the talent and scheme to overcome his poor situation. And with positive matchups throughout the fantasy playoffs (KC, TB, and JAX), Bowers will be one of the pieces you need to secure a championship.
No QB1 performances for Jayden Daniels in a while — what gives?
Kliff Kingsbury was the first person I thought about during the Commanders’ loss in TNF. Actually, I have Jayden Daniels on a couple of squads, so my mind was already there. Regardless, I figured our collective attention would turn to OC because, well, we’ve been here before.
I asked Kliff Kingsbury about having Kyler Murray call the plays via radio on Saturday: “I just wanted him to know that, ‘Hey, this shit ain’t easy.’ Every now and then, he starts shaking his head when I’m calling it in there. I’m like, ‘Alright, go ahead big dog.’”
Arizona fans know the story currently unfolding in Washington well. Kingsbury will cook up a dynamic game plan that will have the offense humming early in the year. In 2021, you’d find the Cardinals in the top 10 for any efficiency metric in Weeks 1-8. But they slid to the middle of the pack to close out the season after Kyler Murray’s return in Week 13. And after a seven-game losing streak to end Kingsbury’s stint in Arizona, we all needed a trip to Thailand to recover. However, I’m not placing all of the blame on him just yet.
Nobody knew or would admit to knowing when Jayden got hurt postgame. It seemed apparent it occurred on the 46-yard run with the awkward finish. On the next play, he grabbed at his ribs following the handoff.
Daniels missed the rest of the above Week 7 game after his 46-yard scamper. Fantasy managers breathed a sigh of relief when they got their QB1 back in Week 8, but the recent results have been underwhelming. He’s been outside the top 20 in consecutive weeks. And a quick check on his superpower points to a glaring problem.
Daniels was averaging 53.7 yards per game as a runner before he got hurt. At the time, that was more than Breece Hall (51.8). But Daniels’ legs provided more than points to people who had him on their roster. They lifted the floor of the entire offense.
Daniels’ ability to keep plays alive and draw defenders in only to uncork a ball downfield is something LSU fans routinely experienced. Now, the injury has forced him to be more of a dropback passer. And it’s not like he’s been able to turn to his non-McLaurin options during this time. Luke McCaffrey has 13 catches on the season. Zach Ertz, at 34 years old, is Washington’s second-best option. However, with a limited throwing ability, throws that looked routine earlier are stalling out drives lately.
2 plays here – 1st clip from the Giants game 2 weeks ago, 2nd from last night. Similar types of throws, very different outcomes for Jayden Daniels. Have to wonder about his rib injury on a short week pic.twitter.com/VeI9HJuPmA
But like I said, I’m not giving up on the play-calling. Let’s remember who Daniels had to face with the rib injury. Pittsburgh came into the game with the same plan as the Giants: blitz him. Both defensive units sent five or more rushers on over 50.0% of his dropbacks. However, the Steelers knew how to account for Daniels on the ground when compressing the pocket. The Eagles had the secondary to put a cap on explosive plays. Last Thursday was his first game without a completed deep shot in five weeks.
Luckily, the schedule opens up starting Sunday.
Washington has Dallas, Tennessee, and the (heavily) injured Saints in the fantasy playoffs. All three have allowed at least one QB1 finish over the last three weeks. The mini-bye gives Daniels extra time to rest. His matchups will put him back in the top-12 conversation.
Houston’s passing game takes a Collins-sized step forward
I led off last week’s piece with expectations about the return of Nico Collins. Since Houston capped off Week 11 in primetime, let’s see if having their WR1 back had the desired effect.
Now, in Collins’s defense (and the fantasy managers rostering him), he had a 77-yard TD catch off a screen pass called back on a holding penalty. Also, on that run after the catch, Collins pulls away from S Donovan Wilson. Even though it didn’t count, it was an encouraging sign about his health. If the Texans hadn’t been beating the brakes off the Cowboys, Collins might have run more routes. Regardless, even with the disappointment in the box score, Houston’s passing game improved like I had hoped.
EPA per DB: -0.15 (Weeks 7-10), 0.29 (Week 11)
Completion Percentage Over Expected: -8.0%, -5.3%
Explosive Pass Rate: 13.6%, 16.7%
To be fair, C.J. Stroud didn’t produce perfect film. His interception highlighted some of the mechanical issues that have plagued him throughout the season. But his down-to-down efficiency hit its third-highest mark of the season (50.0% passing success rate). And part of the uptick was due to something I noted last week:
“The Texans used quick-game concepts (passes with an average time to throw under 2.5 seconds) on 44.0% of Stroud’s dropbacks in Weeks 1-4. Unsurprisingly, Collins led the team in targets on these concepts (23) at a clip of 2.97 yards per route run. Put another way, he turned those 23 looks into 14 first downs.”
Against the Cowboys’ pass rush, Stroud’s average time to throw was 2.48 seconds. That’s his fastest release in a single game all season. Accordingly, he faced pressure at the lowest rate since Week 7 (29.6%). As expected, Collins turned half of his receptions on quick-game concepts into first downs. Tank Dell generated an explosive on one of his. Collins’ return brought a missing piece back to the offense. And looking at Houston’s upcoming schedule (Titans, Jaguars), he came back at just the right time for fantasy managers.
Clean Old-Fashioned Hate
Iron Bowl
Territorial Cup
Egg Bowl
Governor’s Cup
Florida-FSU
Fremont Cannon
The Commonwealth Cup
Old Oaken Bucket
Battle on the Bayou
