A Lions Running Back on Thanksgiving: Fantasy Football Weekly

Richard Trueman

25 Nov 2020, 07:45 PM IST

(Bloomberg) -- Happy Thanksgiving to all. I remember many a happy turkey day involving fantasy football. The one that sticks out the most was in 1997. I was fortunate enough to have Barry Sanders on my team that year. All the Lions star did that day was rush for three touchdowns and 167 yards against the Bears.

This year, I’m taking a shot on another Detroit running back. Like Sanders, D’Andre Swift is short in stature and a dynamic runner. And on Thanksgiving he could run wild against the NFL’s worst run defense. Just make sure to check that Swift is cleared to play this week.

Here’s how we did last week:

Bulls

QB: Kirk Cousins: (Actual 23, Proj. 16.2)

RB: Antonio Gibson (Actual 17.4, Proj. 14)

WR: Justin Jefferson (Actual 17.6, Proj. 15.2)

TE: Taysom Hill (Actual 24.4, Proj. 2.9)

Bears

WR: Christian Kirk (Actual 9, Proj. 13.6)

TE: Hayden Hurst (Actual 0, Proj. 10.2)

Low Volatility

QB: Cam Newton: (Actual 19.2, Proj. 19.2)

Week 12 Value Plays

QB: Carson Wentz: They are calling for him to be benched in Philadelphia, but I am going with Eagles quarterback against the weak Seahawks secondary. (Projected for 17.5 points)

QB: Deshaun Watson: Expecting a high-scoring Thanksgiving affair against the Lions. Watson basically accounts for all of the Texans scoring so looking for a big game. (23.1 points)

RB: D’Andre Swift: Have to check his status. He missed last week’s game because of a concussion. Like the Lions rookie against the worst team against the run in the NFL. (12.9 points)

RB: J.D. McKissic: The Washington back gets more targets than most wide receivers and Alex Smith likes the short passing game. (11.7 points)

WR: Will Fuller: Has cooled off lately. Has not scored the past two games, but predicting he’ll hook up with Watson for a TD or two. (16.2 points)

WR: Calvin Ridley: Teammate Julio Jones may not play. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan will be looking for Ridley often. (16.5 points)

TE: Noah Fant: The Bronco is healthy and may see some extra targets against the Saints who are stingy against the run, but mediocre against tight ends. (9.5 points)

TE: Evan Engram: The Giants play the Bengals, who are giving up the fourth most fantasy points to tight ends. (10.5 points)