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NFL Week 13 fantasy picks – Five players to add to your NFL fantasy lineup this Sunday

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As everyone prepares for a feast of Thanksgiving football, attention turns to Sunday’s slimmer slate as we take you through our week 13 fantasy picks.

Our week 12 captain pick proved to be a worthy investment as Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-27 overtime win against the New York Giants.

Gibbs’ quarterback, Jared Goff, was the quarterback pick in week 12, and the 31-year-old passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns, with just one interception coming up as the only blotch on his record, returning 18.16 fantasy points.

It was a quieter Sunday for our running back pick, TreVeyon Henderson, who scored only 11.1 fantasy points, totalling just 81 yards from scrimmage all game for the New England Patriots.

Henderson’s Patriots teammate Hunter Henry was our tight end pick, and the 30-year-old led all tight ends for points scoring in fantasy last week, tallying 24.5 points thanks to a 115-yard and one touchdown performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Finally, our wider receiver pick also garnered a big return, with AJ Brown coming in as the fifth-highest-ranked fantasy receiver in week 12, catching one touchdown and notching up 110 yards in the Philadelphia Eagles’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Before we get into this week’s picks, if you would like to get involved with the UK’s dedicated NFL fantasy app, download the Fantasy Gameday app today and use the code FULL10 when you sign up to get a free £7.50 game entry, and always gamble responsibly.

Captain – De’Von Achane – Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints, 9000

With six games taking place outside of the 6 pm and 9:05/25 pm slates in week 13, there is slim pickings for electric offensive talent this week.

The most obvious home run pick of the week comes in an otherwise dismal affair as De’Von Achane promises to shine for the 4-7 Miami Dolphins as they welcome the 2-9 New Orleans Saints.

Achane is the fourth-highest scoring running back in fantasy this season, despite the Dolphins’ offensive woes, coming in behind only Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey.

The Saints are a middling rush defence, and a legitimate x-factor option like Achane should be able to put up good numbers at home on Sunday.

Quarterback – Cam Ward – Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars, 5000

Week 13 draws most of the NFL’s best fantasy quarterbacks up against strong defensive opposition, hence the slightly left-field pick here.

Cam Ward pieced together the best performance of his rookie season in week 12 against a strong Seattle Seahawks defence, and he won’t face quite as tough a challenge in week 13 against the Jaguars.

The Jaguars are in the top 10 in the NFL for passing yards allowed, and come into the top five for passing touchdowns given up so far this season.

If Ward can build on a promising showing in week 12 and the Jaguars’ defence continues their current performance levels, this could be a sneaky good pickup.

Running back – Travis Etienne Jr. – Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans, 6400

On the other side of Ward’s AFC South matchup with the Jaguars is Jacksonville’s running back Travis Etienne Jr., who will be on the hunt to continue his upward fantasy trajectory.

The Titans are the fifth-worst defence against opposition running backs in fantasy football this year, and Etienne will want to punish that weakness.

Etienne comes into the week as the 12th-ranked running back so far this year, but a big week in Tennessee could see the 26-year-old break into the top 10.

Since the Jaguars’ week eight bye, Etienne Jr. has topped 15 fantasy points every week, with his number steadily progressing up to an appealing 20.6 in week 12 against the Arizona Cardinals, something that will be worth keeping an eye on heading into this matchup.

Wide Receiver – Ladd McConkey – Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers, 6000

Week 13 is light on the ground for premium wide receiver options, as the top three defences against wideouts in the league are all playing in primetime this week.

Digging a little deeper, one matchup that could yield promising results is Ladd McConkey against a Las Vegas Raiders defence that gives up the 10th-most fantasy points to receivers this season.

McConkey is the Chargers’ leading receiver and always comes up big in AFC West matchups for his team, with week 13 promising to deliver more of the same.

Jim Harbaugh’s side is coming out of their bye week after being humiliated by the Jaguars, so a boiceback game is in order, and we’re placing our trust in McConkey to lead that showing.

Tight End – Dawson Knox – Buffalo Bills @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 2200

Last week’s tight end selection provided the bargain of all our picks, with Henry putting up the leading numbers for his position in fantasy in week 12, and this Dawson Knox matchup could offer similar projections.

Dalton Kincaid didn’t practice during Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring injury, so Knox may be in line for a start against the fourth-worst defence against tight ends in fantasy this season so far.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have given up an average of 10.3 fantasy points to tight ends, and Knox may be the beneficiary of that on Sunday.

Despite being a low-scoring option so far this season, if Kincaid does continue to trend downwards with his injury designation, then it may be worth the risk on Knox.

Fantasy Football picks summary

This week, the picks are:

  • Captain – De’Von Achane
  • QB – Cam Ward
  • RB – Travis Etienne Jr.
  • WR – Ladd McConkey
  • TE – Dawson Knox

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Rookies of the Week – Week 3

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50-point demolitions, supposed tanking teams pulling off shock wins, and a media frenzy in Kansas. Has the NFL ever been more eclectic than it is at the moment?

Anyway, let’s shake it off and take a look at the standout rookies from Week 3.

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De’Von Achane, Running Back – Miami Dolphins

Achane was outstanding in the Miami Dolphins’ 70-20 victory over the Denver Broncos, rightfully earning himself the AFC Offensive Player of the Week title.

Finishing with four touchdowns and 233 all-purpose yards, Achane became only the second player in NFL history to have two rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns, and at least 200 rushing yards in a game.

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Brian Branch, Cornerback – Detroit Lions

Branch, who was unlucky not to get in my Week 1 article, was outstanding in the 20-6 win against the Falcons. Not only did he hold his own against Kyle Pitts and Drake London in coverage, but he also helped his team stifle fellow rookie sensation Bijan Robinson, limiting him to 60 total yards.

Finishing the game with two quarterback hurries, 11 solo tackles, three for a loss, and two pass breakups, Branch only seems to be getting better.

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Jalen Carter, Defensive Line – Philadelphia Eagles

Carter continued his dominant streak for the third consecutive week, wreaking havoc on Tampa Bay’s offensive line. With half a sack, a QB hit, four pressures, and a first-career forced fumble, he’s proving to be a game wrecker. His 20.5% pressure rate so far this season is not just good; it’s All-Pro level good.

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Christian Gonzalez, Cornerback – New England Patriots

Could Gonzalez be having a Sauce Gardener-type year? It may be early in the season, but if his start is anything to go by, then he is well on pace. In Sunday’s 15-10 win over the Jets, Gonzalez was lined up against Garrett Wilson on 23 of his 41 snaps and held him to only three catches for 18 yards.

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Sam LaPorta, Tight End – Detroit Lions

LaPorta continues his hot streak on this list thanks to an eight-reception, 84-yard showing where he also scored his first touchdown as a pro. He now leads all tight ends in receiving yards with 186 and is second in receptions to T.J. Hockenson.

It’s also a third week in a row for the rookie tight end! To put that into perspective, only two players got on the list three times last year: Garrett Wilson and Dameon Pierce, albeit on a smaller ranking list last year.

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C.J. Stroud, Quarterback – Houston Texans

If Week 2 saw Stroud sneak into my article over Anthony Richardson, then Week 3 was where he cemented his place. The young quarterback had 20 completions on 30 attempts for 280 yards and two touchdowns. His PFF grade of 91.1 when throwing from a clean pocket led all quarterbacks in the league.

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Tuli Tuipulotu, Edge Rusher – Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers haven’t exactly wowed on defence, but that hasn’t deterred Tuipulotu from making his case as an early Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and his performance against the Vikings will only help his case. With nine pressures and three sacks in the game, he now totals 12 pressures and three sacks in just two starts this season.

Honourable Mentions: JuJu Brents (Colts), Tank Dell (Texans), Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), Marvin Mims Jr. (Broncos), Michael Wilson (Cardinals)

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Most Crucial Matchups As The Saints Take On The Chargers

The Saints have joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers this week, followed by a preseason game on Sunday. There are likely to be more important things to take from the practices than the game itself. As HC Dennis Allen has already stated he feels the joint practices are where they get their best work during training camp.

So what matchups are to most important to monitor? I’ve got 5 here that I think will tell us a lot regarding the development of some of the players most linked to the Saints success this season.

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Trevor Penning Vs Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa

Trevor Penning has been developing nicely so far this off-season, Hes only missed 1 practice so far after missing all of OTAs and minicamp recovering from the foot injury he sustained at the end of last season, and he saw extended snaps in the preseason opener. Per PFF Penning saw 23 snaps in the opener 11 as a run blocker and 12 as a pass blocker giving up zero pressures on those 12 pass blocking snaps.

He will have a stiffer test on his hands this week though, with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Both rush from both sides of the line so Penning should see a lot of both players. Both are skilled, athletic and powerful rushers who have dominated the NFL in a multitude of ways for a number of years. They will give Penning a real test and it will be a good gauge of where Penning is with his development.

We do need to temper expectations on this. Penning is likely to take his lumps over the coming days against Mack and Bosa and the sign that he is developing is not that he wins every rep but that he holds his own in pass protection and gets some wins, at this stage Penning just needs reps and reps against this level of competition will only work in his favour.

Juwan Johnson Vs Derwin James

Derwin James is the Taysom Hill of defense, in 2022 he took snaps at FS, SS, Slot Cornerback, Outside Cornerback, Linebacker and as a pass rusher. Except he is slightly different to Taysom in that he might be elite at every single one of these spots. He is a matchup player in Brandon Staley’s defense and is used a lot due to his size to match up with athletic TEs.

Cometh Juwan Johnson who is soaring right now towards a pro bowl calibre season. He’s been excellent in camp and his chemistry with Carr looked to be fermenting along nicely, on the first drive vs the Chiefs on Sunday.  For him to continue this momentum and meet these lofty expectations that I and many other Saints fans are setting for him, he needs to be able to win these kinds of matchups. 

At times last season as a relatively unknown player, it felt like Johnson was a player the defense forgot, that will not be the case this season with more tape for teams to watch and the fact that teams (especially the Chargers) know that Derek Carr loves to throw to the TE.  Every opposing defense will be prepared for Johnson to be a focal point of the Saints’ attack and will plan for that accordingly. 

Carl Granderson/ Payton Turner Vs Rashawn Slater

Carl Granderson and Payton Turner have both had really strong training camps and have given media and fans hope that finally, the DE position opposite Cam Jordan will be in good hands. Both were solid in the preseason opener, especially Turner who hit a filthy spin move to clatter poor old Blaine Gabbert on Sunday.

This week though they will be facing a different animal in Rashawn Slater, who was a second-team all-pro as a rookie which is incredibly hard to do as usually O-linemen are not recognised that early in their careers. He missed most of last season with a triceps injury and has been reportedly dominating camp so far. 

If Granderson and Turner manage to have some success against Slater this week then that is an accurate indication that they are for real and that the Saints pass rush will be a force once again. If they are stonewalled it doesn’t necessarily mean that the promising camp has been a lie but it would just mean we need to bring our expectations back down a little.

Mike Thomas Vs Everyone 

This will be the first time we will see Mike Thomas for extended snaps against anyone other than the Saints CBs, specifically Marshon Lattimore.  Yes, Thomas played in the preseason opener but only 12 snaps, of those 12 snaps only 8 were passing plays. So an extended look at Thomas against a solid but not elite secondary like he’s been used to facing in Saints camp.

Thomas has had plenty of time to ramp up and build chemistry with Carr. now so it’s important that we start to see some results. There’s a lot riding on Thomas this year as the depth is quite behind him and doesn’t appear as strong as we suspected it would be. Shaheed’s injury and the other vets not really stepping up does put a bit more pressure on Thomas to be at least part of the player he used to be, if he’s going to be this week would be a great time to show it.

Adebo and Taylor Vs Chargers WRs

Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor are still in a close battle for CB2 spot opposite Marshon Lattimore. the next test comes in the shape of a pretty loaded Chargers WR room, led by Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, with 1st round rookie Quentin Johnston and Josh Palmer as explosive 3rd and 4th options. 

Adebo is still out in front currently but Taylor who was the pre-camp favourite has started to claw his way back in the race, some might look at his spotty performance against the Chiefs as a factor in this race but the only part that mattered was Taylor’s play on the outside (he tipped the pass that resulted in the interception whilst playing outside CB) the fact that he played poor in the slot does not factor in this battle.

Another reason it’s a bit week for this battle? quite often joint practices bring out the officials. This will help to decide if Adebo is being too physical and winning reps where in a game he would have been called for a hold.

For more Saints articles- https://www.full10yards.co.uk/saints/ 

Make sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion throughout the 2023 season and beyond.

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Week 4: Rookie Standouts

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With the injury bug taking hold across multiple teams, there is a plethora of rookies making significant contributions to their teams. Let’s take a look at three that shone this week, including a couple that did so on their first ever starts

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Jamaree Salyer, Tackle – Los Angeles Chargers

The pressure on Salyer must have been immense as he was thrust into his first NFL game to protect Justin Herbert’s blindside due to All-Pro Rashawn Slaters’ injury. Salyer had predominantly been transitioning to guard in the offseason, but despite only having a week to reacquaint himself with his position at Georgia, he dominated on his side.

During the game, the sixth-round pick had a pass block grade of 90.4 and allowed 0 sacks, 0 pressures, and 0 hurries across 41 pass blocking snaps. The Chargers will likely have to rely on Salyer for the foreseeable future as the current timeline for Slaters’ return isn’t until late 2022 at the earliest.

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Dameon Pierce, Running Back – Houston Texans

Despite ending up on the losing side of the game against the aforementioned Salyer’s Chargers, Pierce himself also had a career day after sparking the fast fading Texans into life halfway through the second quarter.

With the Chargers up 21-0, the Texans looked down and out, but Pierce had other ideas. He took the handoff from Davis Mills and breezed past the Chargers’ defensive front for a 75-yard touchdown, and hauled them back into the game. The 113 rushing yards from the game took his total for the season to 313, enough to crack the top 10 above players like Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook.

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Jack Jones, Cornerback – New England Patriots

Jack Jones had been eyeing up a pick all season on underneath passes, and finally his aggressive nature paid off. With the team down 3-7 just before the half, Jones jumped in front of Aaron Rogers’ pass intended for Allen Lazard and took it the 40 yards for the pick-six. Amazingly, this is only the second pick-6 Rogers has ever thrown at Lambeau Field.

Jones, who was starting due to a hamstring injury suffered by Jalen Mills, also caused a forced fumble and recovery earlier in the game as he punched the ball out of fellow rookie Romeo Dobbs’ hands.

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Los Angeles Chargers: Preseason Questions

Welcome to the Powder Blue Report! This is a little corner of Los Angeles within the Full 10 Yards network, hosted by myself (Lee) and Ash.

We will be the voices that you were when we are bringing you our podcast,  and the faces that you see on the video. We will bring you some written analysis on everything LA Chargers alongside all the other stuff we are going to be getting up to – You can expect a weekly podcast for you that’ll be available on all your favourite podcast platforms as well as YouTube!

In terms of the written stuff, you have stumbled upon the very first one! Ash and I are going to nail our colours to the mast and bring you some preseason takes.

As always with this sort of thing, I am sure that we will be perfectly correct in all of what we say here and we absolutely will not look stupid come the end of the season… Let’s get into it.

So first question, let’s start with the main man, is Justin Herbert a realistic MVP candidate and if so, why?

Lee – Justin has about as good a chance as anyone. However, it hinges on team success coming along with him putting up insane numbers once more. The offensive staff and Herbert himself have talked a lot about familiarity and continuity this offseason, which is big because then they can work on advanced aspects of the offense and nuances. Add this to the fact that the talent level is higher with the additions of Zion Johnson, Gerald Everett and Zander Horvath, plus it’s year two for the likes of Rashawn Slater and Josh Palmer. It’s all there for him if the defense is as good as it looks on paper and the wins flow.

Ash – Absolutely! Just starting out from last year. 2nd in passing yards, 5th in TDs but also in that he’s authored five fourth quarter comebacks and game winning drives. It says a lot about who he is as a leader and as a player. So MVP? I can’t see why not! 

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Following on from that, are there any other players who you feel could be walking away with any of the major awards come the end of the season?

Lee – Joey Bosa has never had an edge rusher opposite him who is as good as Khalil Mack – No disrespect to Melvin Ingram – and he’s also never had a defensive line with as much talent as what the Chargers have right now. I think Bosa could be as destructive of a force as he ever had been in the league because all of the attention isn’t going to be on him. He sounds happier and healthier than he ever had been in training camp and entering his peak years, if health remains, he could be a defensive MVP candidate. 

Ash – Getting a major individual award takes some doing in the NFL. Forget the Pro Bowl – That for me isn’t major anymore. But if I were to punt on a player or 2 I’d say Rashawn Slater and Corey Linsley make 1st team all pro and with all these new pieces on defense I think one blows up and I’m going for Khalil Mack to make the shortlist for Defensive MVP. 

Which rookie are you most looking forward to seeing this year for the Chargers and why?

Lee – I wrote this up in the Full 10 Yards NFL Season Guide (available to buy here), but JT Woods is a guy who can really unlock the potential of this Chargers defensive unit. The reasons are twofold; he can be a ballhawk on the back end and generate turnovers but his ability to play deep next to Nasir Adderley means that Derwin can play much closer to the line of scrimmage, which is where he can be a game changer.

Ash – For me it’s clearly Zion. Ever since we took him at 17, it’s been nothing but excitement to see how this guy can deliver in season next to guys like Slater, Feiler and Linsley. This offensive line is legit. 

And kind of on the same train of thought, do you feel like any player in particular is ready to have a breakout year?

Lee – I’ll stick on the back end and say Nasir Adderley… He was so unlucky with balls hitting him in the hands last year – Balls that he was picking off in college at Delaware. I think a bunch of those stick this year and he really becomes the playmaker we know he has inside him.  

Ash – To be a nice surprise package and break out it’s gonna take snaps and a fair few at that. Can he make plays and impact games? To me I can’t really see past Josh Palmer. Palmer has the clearest path to snaps and showing us what he’s all about when he came out of Tennessee. 

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And which Chargers player has the most to prove this year?

Lee –  I know Ash is going to say Jerry Tillery so I’ll go for the other defender who has a lot to prove and that’s Kenneth Murray. Murray hadn’t lived up to his draft position at all so far in powder blue, both in terms of on-field play and also with his availability. Of course, his lack of availability isn’t wholly his fault but he needs to be on the field and consistently playing like he did against the Patriots in 2020, which was his best game, in my book.

Ash – Jerry Tillery and frankly it’s not close. Tillery has underwhelmed on a consistent basis, leading to us declining that 5th year option. He’s got to show us why we were so wrong to do that. 

Looking outside of the Chargers roster for a second, is there a player who is available, either as a free agent or as a realistic trade target, who would you love to add to the roster that we have?

Lee – The only real concern for me is the right tackle spot at the moment. I’m all for giving Trey Pipkins or Storm Norton a shot to start if they’ve shown the required leap in the first couple of preseason games but they’re not dominant against backups in preseason I will be hoping that Tom Telesco is looking to grab a veteran… Maybe at final roster cuts. However, for now, I’d be happy to see Daryl Williams come in as a free agent – I know it’s not perfect but it’s the best we can do at the moment.

Ash – I’ve never been happier to see the quality of players we have at our disposal than in 2022, But these questions always bring up areas of concern. RT and LB would probably be areas we could address via trade or FA. But I’m gonna have fun here and help out Herbert. A few people were tagging us with a YAC WR in last year’s draft, so let’s go get Herbert, a Swiss army knife in Laviska Shenault. Jacksonville has a crowded wide receiver group and could use some capital for their rebuild in next year’s draft. Grabbing their now probable WR4, to have on a rookie deal could be win-win for both organisations giving us a big bodied WR that we all hoped Joe Reed would have been. A 2023 4th or 5th may be enough to get that done. 

If this all goes wrong, not that it is going to of course, is anyone on the hotseat on this coaching staff or in the front office? 

Lee – I could make a case for Staley being on the hot seat if the Chargers don’t make the playoffs this year. He gets a pass for last year because he simply didn’t have the horses he needed to run his scheme, but now he’s got pretty much everything. Now it’s time to prove that he’s the defensive genius he was billed as. It sounds harsh, and I don’t want to it seem like a dig – I’ve got every confidence in him and the team but it’s time to prove that the Chargers can do it and be more than offseason darlings.

Ash – With how much money and assets this defense has had thrown at it this off season, I’d say Renaldo Hill has to get this defense firing on all cylinders. If he doesn’t? we could be seeing a New DC in LA come 2023. 

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However, we know that the Chargers are going to have a great season, so what is your final record prediction?

Lee – I think we go 12-5 this year and depending on results against the other AFC West teams, that could be enough to win the division, which would be huge! The division is going to be insane. A good start is a must but on their day, this team is going to be able to beat any team in the NFL. If they hit the playoffs as a divisional winner they’ll feel battle hardened after the season they’ll have put together and be a problem for anyone they play in the postseason. The ceiling is unlimited for this team in 2022.

Ash – This is the year we start HOT! 6-1 before the bye in week 8, Only losing to them pesky Chiefs in arrowhead. After the bye it’s an up and down typical Chargers losing when we should of won, and Winning when frankly we should of lost going 4-4 before the Battle of LA. This is the defining moment of our season beating the current Super Bowl champions in Sofi giving us a record of 11-5 before going to Denver. Due to us already making the playoffs Staley rests Justin which into gives us a loss in mile high finishing with 11-6 record.

Alright that’s a wrap for these preseason questions. I’m sure we can bookmark this one for future reference and look back on later in the year to see how close to the truth our answers turned out to be.

Check us out and give us a follow on Twitter – @PowderBReport, and follow each of the guys, follow Lee @Wakefield90 and Ash on @tillsa9909s.

And here’s out linktree to all of our channels, Our first podcast is out now – https://linktr.ee/powerbreport