Thoughts go out to anyone who drafted a 49er...

By Martin Richardson

Bill Parcells famously said, ‘the season only starts after Thanksgiving.’ Well unfortunately for some football fans, the Fantasy Football season is drawing to a close. For some, the end cannot come soon enough, for others, the promised land of the playoffs looms large. So, let’s make the most of the time we have and look at some of the players who will be making an impact on those all-important match ups.

Just like Andy Reid said this week, let’s ‘tickle your tonsils’ with some Fantasy football talk to get the weekend going just right. Yes, that’s right, he actually said that exact phrase. Don’t believe me, here it is:

 

JUSTIN JEFFERSON

Seeing as we don’t have long left of the season, I’m going big early. There are real issues for the Vikings and their season has to be chalked off as nothing short of a disaster. The decision to draft JJ McCarthy could well come back to haunt their front office in the near future. He has been atrocious in parts this season and someone as elite as Justin Jefferson deserves a QB that will elevate him to that proper elite, best WR in the league status.

Last week, albeit with Max Brosmer (jeez) he has two receptions for a total of 4 yards. Prior to that, he has 4 receptions for 48 yards; and even when he gets targeted more, like his 12 targets against Baltimore, he only gets 37 yards. I would have said the season softens a bit for the  Vikings now with the Commanders and Cowboys around the corner, but the Cowboys have beaten the past two Super Bowl winners in consecutive weeks and Quinnen Williams looks like a defensive monster right now, which bodes well Brosmer or McCarthy.

Right now, Jefferson is not even in the top 20 for WR in Fantasy football and yet he is always considered one to take in the Top 3 every summer. He has two touchdowns all season. Two. This isn’t right for someone of his talent. That first round pick Fantasy players spent on a player like Jefferson must be painful to see as the season rushes forward. It will be interesting to see how he goes on next summer in Fantasy rankings if they persist with JJ McCarthy long term.

LAMAR JACKSON

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Is Lamar not healthy? Have they rushed him back because of their perilous position in the AFC? Whatever the reason, things have been inconsistent to say the least; and even then, I think I’m being generous with the word generous.

Since his return against the Dolphins, Jackson has thrown 5 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and had two fumbles and even then, 4 of those touchdowns came against the Dolphins. He has rushed for 48 yards total in his last three games, which is an incredible statistic when you think of how successful it makes him as a player. Jackson has not thrown a touchdown in three weeks against the Browns, the Jets and the Bengals, none of whom you would consider to be on the level of the Ravens. Myles Garrett may have something to say about that regarding his mighty performances for the Browns, but you would normally expect the Ravens to push past teams of that ilk.

I genuinely don’t know if I can trust Jackson at the moment. Something isn’t right. He faces a big matchup this week against the Steelers, then the Bengals again before the Patriots. There is genuine chance that Jackson and Ravens not only lose all three but lose them badly if Jackson doesn’t step up.

brenton strange

And just like that, the Jaguars are the top of their division and this week’s game against the Colts can go a long way to confirming that. Prior to his injury, TE Strange was becoming a mainstay in their offensive scheme, amassing chunk yardage when given the chance. Now, after his injury, he has added touchdowns to his game. The loss of rookie Travis Hunter has helped the likes of Strange, but the arrival Jacobi Meyers hasn’t hindered his output either. Chances are he’s lurking out there on your waiver wire and you can probably pick him up and he will be just as productive as anyone else out there if you need a deciding factor in your matchup. He has a couple of nicer games as well down the stretch, with the Jets and Titans in the mix, so make the most and pick up Strange.

chris godwin

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I am so happy to see Chris Godwin back playing for the Buccaneers. His injury was an awful one last season and the setback this year had me worried he may not come back. But, against the Cardinals, in a much nervier game than I would have liked, Godwin looked solid. With just shy of 80 yards, all he needed was a touchdown to get those Fantasy points looking just as healthy as he is.

If you’ve had Godwin stashed on your IR slot for most of the season, you can look the business end of the Fantasy season with some optimism as the Bucs have the Saints, then Falcons, the Dolphins and Panthers twice to end the season. There is massive pressure in those divisional games, but if the Bucs want to be considered more then winners of a weak division, they will need to put points on the board against average teams like those other NFC teams, and Godwin being part of that will only help Fantasy players who are in search of the playoffs.

MARTIN RICHARDSON

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

A Yorkshireman living in Lancashire, Martin is a massive NFL fan but his heart belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also a huge Fantasy Football enthusiast and spends far too long crunching the numbers! Follow him at @MRBucsFan31

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