Yahoo Sports fantasy analysts Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens look ahead to this week’s action and pick a pair of wide receivers who can lift fantasy managers to victory in the most pivotal week of the season. Hear the full conversation on the “Yahoo Fantasy Forecast” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
Let’s toss it to our keys to winning presented by Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL.
And for week 17, our keys to winning could simply not be anything else, but picking that perfect final flex player for the people out there, Andy Behrens, who is your player to highlight this week?
I’m gonna go with Jalen McMillan of the Tampa Bay Bucks, and he, he took us on a, he, he took us on a journey uh a week ago because he, he gave us, he gave us a touchdown catch.
He’s been doing that a lot lately.
He, he also had a shot at another touchdown.
Catch they probably should have reeled in deep ball that actually became an interception so it’s not always, it’s not always a clinic necessarily with McMillan, but he has emerged as the pretty clear #2 receiving option for Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield is dealing.
Um, they get a great matchup this week against Carolina.
You, you look back at these last three games, it’s 4 touchdown catches and 20 targets for McMillan, so the volume is there consistently.
If we get another 6 to 8 targets in this one against Carolina, I feel really good about his shot at 65, 75 yards, and yet another touchdown.
I’m gonna go on the complete other end of the wide receiver.
Career arc here and go to Panthers wide receiver, Adam Thielen.
Uh, we’ve got like just a great floor with Theen basically every single week, even the last two games where he’s kind of quieted down from a target perspective, he’s still giving you like 5 catches a game.
But if you go back to really what was one of his more explosive outings and an explosive for Adam Thielen is in a little bit of quotations here, uh, week 13 against this Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.
10 targets, 8 catches, 99 yards.
Uh, this very zone-heavy, ultra generous Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has been given up, given it up to wide receivers, basically all season long and certainly of late here.
Adam Thielen, when you just look since week 12 in terms of when the Panthers get zone coverage.
He’s the clear target leader, 22% of the targets.
He’s the only guy.
Above 20% targets per route run.
He’s been pretty effective, pretty efficient against zone coverage, which makes sense, right?
He’s the slot receiver, he’s the trusted target for the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young.
He’s extremely trustworthy, both for the Panthers, and I think he’s trustworthy for fantasy lineups here in week 17, especially if you’re looking for just a nice safe floor at the wide receiver position for that flex spot.