NHL Best Bets for Tuesday (11/19)
Kenneth Le
With only a matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints left, the Week 9 slate is complete. We saw terrible performances from a few big names and fresh new faces atop the positional ranks – including Justin Fields, who posted 42.72 points and a top QB performance this week – a player I highlighted last week.
On the flip side, it was yet another down week for Gabe Davis, AJ Dillon, Kyle Pitts and many more. Below, I’ll break down a few key takeaways from Week 9.
Avoid the Packers’ ground game
It is extremely concerning that a 38-year-old Aaron Rodgers led his team in rushing in Week 9 of the season – especially against a defense that gives up over 130 yards per game on the ground. The most concerning part was that he only had 40 yards rushing on four carries. Now, the Packers lost Aaron Jones to an injury partway through this game, but before this, he only produced 25 yards on nine carries and added 20 yards on two receptions.
Sadly, his running mate AJ Dillon was no better. Dillon posted 34 yards on 11 carries along with two receptions for 10 yards. Most frustrating was the fact that both failed to find the end zone, leading both players to post under 7 PPR points. This is the fifth time this year that the leading rusher was under 50 yards rushing, and the only player to break 100 this year is Jones, who has done so twice. It is wise to avoid Dillon moving forward unless you are desperate. On the flip side, if Jones avoided a significant injury, he is startable but carries a high risk each week – so beware.
Cordarrelle Patterson may be a league winner.
After a four-week stint on injured reserve, Cordarrelle Patterson returned to the lineup with a bang. Patterson led the Falcons in carries this week with 13, but rookie Tyler Allgeier led the team with 99 yards on nine carries. However, Patterson led the team for fantasy, as he finished as RB5 this week. This was caused by two touchdowns, as he only produced 53 scrimmage yards. But if we look at the early part of the season, Patterson has scored in every game but one (WK2).
Additionally, he has posted three 18-plus-point performances in only five games. As a part of an offense that is predicated on running the ball, Patterson is a must-start going forward – especially when we look at their schedule going forward, as they only face one team inside the top 10 in points allowed to running backs (Saints 7th- 20 Pts/G). Patterson may become a league winner for anyone lucky enough to roster him.
The Hock is back
T.J. Hockenson has been one of the most talented tight ends in the NFL since he entered the league, but for some reason, the Lions chose to underuse him. This led to a trade this past week that landed him in Minnesota. Many believed this was a lateral move when it came to his fantasy production. However, in his first game in purple and yellow, Hockenson posted a top-5 finish in PPR scoring. He did this by way of nine receptions for 70 yards on nine targets, which led to 16 PPR points. His nine targets were the most he has seen since Week 4 when he saw 12 targets, and it was the most targets directed to a tight end all season for the Vikings. The most significant thing to remember is he only had four days to learn the offense, so moving forward Hockenson is likely to get even more involved.
He will begin to find the end zone more, so it’s likely he becomes a top-5 tight end for the rest of the season. Next week is a true test, as the Vikings travel to western New York to face a tough Bills defense. If he posts a quality game there, it’s wheels up on the “Hock” going forward.
Wilson to Wilson is so sweet
Rookie Garrett Wilson exploded onto the scene in Week 2 with Joe Flacco under center when he posted back-to-back 12-plus point weeks while seeing 25 targets. However, once Zach Wilson took over, he failed to exceed six targets or four receptions. Additionally, he failed to post a single game over 7 PPR points. That was until last week when Garrett Wilson saw seven targets, which he turned into six receptions for 115 yards and 17.5 PPR points.
This week, he followed it up with another 17-point performance against one of the league’s best pass defenses. He caught 8-of-9 targets for 95 yards but was unable to find the end zone. The more impressive part of these back-to-back games is that they were against two of the best pass defenses in the league.
The Jets are headed into their bye week, but after that, they have a favorable schedule when it comes to wide receiver matchups. They don’t face a top-5 WR defense until Week 12 when they face the Bears. This makes Garrett Wilson a quality start down the stretch.
Raheem Mostert who?
After arriving this week via trade, Jeff Wilson was expected to have a limited role, but this was not the case. Wilson came in and seemingly took over the lead role for the Dolphins. Both he and Raheem Mostert carried the ball nine times this week, but Wilson outproduced him 51 yards to 26 on the ground. Additionally, Wilson added three receptions for 21 yards and a score on three targets.
Wilson finished with 16.2 PPR points and a top-12 finish this week. Going forward, I would expect to see this backfield shift more toward Wilson, as Mike McDaniel trusted him enough to give him 12 touches even though he has been with the team for less than a week. We can credit some of this trust to their time together in San Francisco, but either way, it looks likely he is the guy going forward.
