NFL fans and fantasy managers are looking for the same thing every Sunday: hope. The idea that today can be better than yesterday, and tomorrow can be better than today.
Anthony Richardson gave us hope in Sunday’s upset of the Jets. He gave us a bunch of fantasy points, too.
Richardson accounted for three scores in the 28-27 victory, two on the ground and one through the air. Both touchdown runs were physical, lower-your-shoulder specials, and the touchdown pass to Josh Downs was a strike on a slant. Richardson had occasional issues with accuracy but overall his 20-for-30 day passing represented a major step forward. And he made chunk-play connections with all three of his primary wideouts, Downs (5-84-1), Alec Pierce (3-74-0) and Michael Pittman Jr. (5-46-0).
Richardson was improved — but not perfect — at avoiding negative plays. He had two fumbles, losing one. He wasn’t intercepted. He took two sacks. This all represents progress from his previous play. His 20 completions went for 272 yards, and while he merely had 32 yards on the ground, both of the touchdown rushes were emphatic punctuation marks — and the second one decided the game. When the smoke cleared, Richardson had 28.08 fantasy points, the QB4 as this story went live.
If Richardson’s passing can maintain this level, Downs, Pittman and Pierce slot back into our fantasy lineups. They get plenty of downfield separation. Shane Steichen schemed all of them open at times against the Jets. This could be a fun offense again.
Detroit will be a challenge next week — we usually focus on the formidable Lions offense, but the defense is also playing very well. The Patriots follow in Week 13, and then Indianapolis takes one of those pesky December bye weeks. The schedule maker is not your friend. Still, with six teams on bye in Week 12, Richardson is worth an add and is available in 53% of leagues.
Taysom king of the Hill in Week 11
One of the rare quarterbacks to beat Richardson in fantasy this week was Taysom Hill. Wait, did you use him at tight end? Did you use Hill at all — he was started in just 27% of Yahoo leagues. He remains one of fantasy’s most enigmatic players.
Hill only had two solid fantasy games on his résumé entering Week 11. Blame it on injuries, timing, the previous head coach. Failure, like success, has many parents. But the Saints unleashed Hill against Cleveland and the result was a fantasy bonanza for the ages — 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with eight catches for 50 yards. Hill being Hill, he also threw a pick and lost a fumble. Throw it all in the blender and you get 38.52 fantasy points, ready to serve.
It’s impossible to know where the Hill story is headed. He’s truly a unicorn, a knuckleball player in a fastball world. He is 34 years old, after all. New Orleans has a Week 12 bye. Alvin Kamara (20 touches, 89 total yards) is still the signature player of this offense.
But no one denies Hill’s value as a power runner and versatile offensive piece. When most teams unveil some kind of wildcat or hybrid package, there isn’t a major threat of a pass. Hill can theoretically do anything when the ball is in his hands. The Browns certainly didn’t know how to defend him.
We mention Hill’s QB eligibility basically as a lark, but he’s certainly worth considering as a tight end, given the shallowness of that position. And it’s not like the Saints are loaded with downfield options. After Hill’s 10 targets Sunday, nobody had more than four. Marquez Valdez-Scantling shocked the world again (2-87-1), but it’s hard to make your hay on one long touchdown per week. No other New Orleans wideout got to 20 yards.
I expect we’ll be having our share of Hill discussions in the final quarter of the year.
Lions continue to be a juggernaut
If only every offense were as simple as the Lions. Detroit played essentially a perfect game against the hapless Jaguars. The first Detroit seven drives all went for touchdowns, the first time we’ve seen that trick since the 2007 Patriots.
And because the Detroit usage tree is especially narrow, the touchdowns mostly landed where fantasy managers wanted. David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St. Brown scored twice (Brown also had 11-161 on 11 targets). Jahmyr Gibbs had a spike and 123 total yards. Jameson Williams parlayed a long touchdown into a 4-124-1 hit. Jared Goff (412 yards, four touchdowns) only had five incompletions and didn’t make any negative plays.
Goff faces the Colts next week, a favorable matchup for fantasy purposes. Then the schedule gets a lot harder. The final five opponents on the fantasy docket (Bears, Packers, Bills, Bears, 49ers) are all stingy when it comes to allowing QB fantasy points. While acknowledging that offenses control outcomes more than defenses in the modern NFL, we have to be careful ranking Goff & Co. moving forward.
That said, the Lions still have plenty of advantages: loaded offensive line, shrewd offensive coordinator, four straight indoor games, skill talent that threatens the entire field (including Sam LaPorta when he’s healthy). It’s very likely the road to the NFC Championship will run through Detroit. And players like Montgomery, Gibbs, St. Brown, Williams — they basically start themselves. Grab a comfortable chair and watch them go.
Note: I’ll continue to add Week 11 fantasy analysis throughout Sunday.