Lineup Prep: Championship Games
Wed Jan 24 8:44am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
Gibbs can produce big this week
Last week was sure entertaining. Let’s hope the games this week are just as good. I sure think it is possible. The matchups seems pretty even to me. I know the 49ers are pretty good favorites against the Lions at home, but I think Detroit can keep it close. And the Chiefs/Ravens game is setup to be fantastic. These teams are both rolling right now. We get to see two of the greatest quarterbacks in football battle it out to make the Super Bowl. This should be fun.
Now for my random thoughts for the week. . . .
Those were some games last week. It was fun to watch, especially that Chiefs/Bills game. You have to feel for Josh Allen. He had a great run in the playoffs, but just can’t get over that Kansas City hump. It was there for the taking last week for Allen, but his field goal kicker let him down. I still think Allen is an elite level quarterback than can win the big game. It will come for him sooner than later. He is just running into a buzz saw with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs right now.
I don’t think Brock Purdy silenced the doubters after last week’s game. He was not great until that last game-winning drive. He still looked a little shaky to me most of that game. And the loss of Deebo Samuel could be huge for him and the offense. Samuel seems to be a calming influence for Purdy. I am interested to see him play this week. This could be make or break for him.
Aaron Jones sure is a difference maker when healthy. He was unbelievable for the Packers down the stretch, having five straight 100-yard rushing games. The issue is Jones is hard to trust because of his injury history and age. He is 29 years old and missed five games each of the last two seasons and played a full season just once the last five years. I love his talent, but have a hard time taking him on draft day - even after his huge finish to this season.
I’m happy for Baker Mayfield. He seems to have found a home after a rocky start to his career. He was terrific for the Bucs with that great group of receivers. And he almost played that team into the NFC Championship game last week, throwing three more touchdown passes. I don’t see the Bucs letting him loose and I think he could be a top-10 fantasy quarterback once again next season in Tampa. I don’t think it was a fluke this year.
I am really hoping the Texans make a run at Saquon Barkley this offseason. Could you imagine him in that offense? I think he would be a great fit and a huge spark for that running game in Houston. I think this would just be an ideal landing spot for Barkley when it comes to his fantasy value. Let’s make this happen!
The Ravens have a great team and are the favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but can you imagine that offense with a healthy JK Dobbins or Keaton Mitchell all season. Both these backs are difference makers in my eyes and big upgrades over what they are using right now. I still think Dobbins can be a star in this league. Just something to keep in mind next season when these guys are back playing.
I like the Titans hire of Brian Callahan as their next head coach. He should be a positive for that offense, especially quarterback Will Levis. Hopefully, he can take this offense to a new level and give us a bunch of fantasy relevant players. Callahan is a bright, young offensive mind that has been integral in the development of Joe Burrow. Let’s hope he can do the same for Levis.
News and Notes: The Lions signed tight end Zach Ertz to their practice squad on Monday. Ertz gives the Lions depth at the position after an injury to Brock Wright.
HOT PLAYS
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers. With Deebo Samuel very iffy to play, Aiyuk should be the top target at receiver for the 49ers this week. He didn’t do much last week, but was targeted six times in the game, which was encouraging. He gets a much better matchup this week against the Lions, a team that has allowed five straight 300-yard passing games. Aiyuk can have a big showing in this matchup.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions. Gibbs had a big game last week, topping 100 total yards while scoring a touchdown. He has touchdowns each of the first two playoff games for the Lions. He has 16-plus fantasy points each of those games. Gibbs is playing well and should be heavily involved in the offense again this week. The 49ers have been great against the run much of the year, but shown some issues stopping the run lately. San Francisco allowed 136-rushing yards last week and given up 100-plus rushing yards four of five games.
COLD PLAYS
Jared Goff, QB, Lions. Goff had a great overall season, but his fantasy numbers haven’t been too off the charts. He has fewer than 20 fantasy points three of five games. He is getting his yards, but the Lions tend to run the ball in more for scores than pass. He might be an iffy fantasy play this week against the 49ers. San Francisco allowed the ninth fewest fantasy points to quarterback during the regular season.
Gus Edwards, RB, Ravens. Edwards has failed to score each of his last two games, giving him really poor fantasy numbers. He has fewer than six fantasy points each of his last two games, failing to hit 50-rushing yards each of those games. Edwards could have a similar showing this week against the Chiefs, a team that allowed the 10th fewest fantasy points to running backs. Kansas City allowed just 10-rushing touchdowns all season.
SLEEPERS
Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens. Bateman had three receptions for 39 yards on three targets last week. He had a solid game but failed to hit double-digit fantasy points once again. The good news is he got his looks once again. The Chiefs have a very good pass defense, but Bateman could have more favorable coverages than Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham. Those guys should draw the tougher assignments, leaving Bateman a chance to make some big plays in the passing game. He could surprise this week.
Justice Hill, RB, Ravens. Hill led the Ravens in rushing last week, including rushing attempts. He got more work than starter Gus Edwards. Hill had 15 touches for 77 total yards. He could be setup for a similar workload in what could be a high-scoring fantasy teams. This means Hill could have a big fantasy showing. At this point, we might trust Hill more than Edwards, who is a more touchdown dependent player.
High/Low Scoring Games
Each week we will take a look at some of the high and low scoring games for the coming week. In high scoring affairs, get your marginal players on those teams in your lineup to take advantage of the possible points barrage. And in the low scoring games, keep those marginal players on the bench and make sure to have your defenses involved in those contests.
High Scoring Games: Chiefs/Ravens, Lions/49ers.
Low Scoring Games: None.
Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.
- Broncos LB Drew Sanders has torn Achilles
- WR DeVante Parker retires 2 months after signing with Eagles
- Eagles sign second-round pick CB Cooper DeJean
- Chiefs WR Rashee Rice participating in OTAs
- Jags coach on Trevor Lawrence extension: Sooner the better
- Legendary Raiders C Jim Otto dies at 86
- Former All-Pro RB David Johnson announces retirement
- Fanatics sues Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Vikings TE TJ Hockenson might not be ready for Week 1
- Cowboys, Texans road favorites Week 1
- Netflix, NFL unwrap football for Christmas through 2026
- Falcons release OLB Ade Ogundeji
- Jaguars sign DBs Terrell Edmunds, Tre Flowers
- Vikings sign veteran TE Robert Tonyan
- Pats sign C David Andrews through 2025
- Hall of Fame Game returns to ABC
- Lions QB Jared Goff: 'More fired up than ever'
- NFL week-by-week 2024 schedule
- NFL team-by-team 2024 schedules
- NFL schedule gives Chiefs, Jets major exposure
- Fantasy Six Pack: Fantasy Football Rankings
- Fantasy Six Pack: Fantasy Football Rankings PPR
- Fantasy Six Pack: Fantasy Football Rankings Standard
The Paur Report
Dynasty | Steelers running back Najee Harris has apparently changed his diet in order to improve his performance. Dynasty Analysis: Well, it can't hurt. Harris is now in a contract year after having his option declined and appears motivated to perform at a higher level as he seeks a lucrative second contract in the league in Pittsburgh or elsewhere. Harris was much better towards the end of last season but Jaylen Warren continues to push for carries and it's hard to believe this won't end up in a timeshare. Harris is best served as a RB2/Flex at the moment but he does have a runway to move up in the rankings should he finally reach his potential.
The Cleveland Browns re-signed kicker Lucas Havrisik to an undisclosed deal on Monday and waived quarterback Jacob Simon in a corresponding move. Havrisik returns to the team after recently being waived on May 14. The 24-year-old spent time on Cleveland's practice squad last year and also went 15-for-20 on his field-goal attempts and 19-for-22 on extra-point tries in nine games in his rookie season for the Los Angeles Rams. As things stand right now, Havrisik is third on the Browns' kicking depth chart behind Dustin Hopkins and Cade York, so he's clearly not a lock to make the team's final roster for the 2024 season out of training camp and the preseason.
From RotoBaller
Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro continues to skip the portion of the team's voluntary offseason program, which has allowed undrafted rookie Harrison Mevis to shine during organized team activities. Mevis made all five of his field-goal attempts on Monday, including a long of 47 yards. Pineiro is the league's 21st-highest-paid kicker and is in the final year of his two-year, $4.1 million deal. "I'm sure Eddy has a plan for this whole thing," head coach Dave Canales said. The 28-year-old veteran missed the final two games in 2023 for the Panthers with a hamstring injury, but he's likely healthy now and should report for mandatory minicamp next month. Carolina's offense should improve with more offensive weapons in quarterback Bryce Young's second season in 2024, but fantasy managers in standard-sized leagues can avoid Pineiro on draft day.
From RotoBaller
Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn did more weightlifting over the winter in hopes that it will keep him healthy after he missed more games than he played in his first three seasons in the NFL due to injuries. The 24-year-old is big and physical and has always had the talent to be elite if he can just stay on the field. His injury history includes soft-tissue problems, including a hamstring injury from Week 1 last year that required surgery and cost him 10 games. The former eighth overall pick in 2021 out of South Carolina has 85 tackles (60 solo), four interceptions and 13 passes defended in his three years in the league. The Panthers secondary will be much more effective if Horn can stay healthy for a full season. "Just trying different things. Obviously, what I did the years before didn't work with dealing with injury and it can be some unlucky-ness," Horn said.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys running back Deuce Vaughn could see more playing time in the slot next season as a way to utilize his talents in space more often. The 5-foot-6, 176-pounder was taken in the sixth round last year, and he finished with just 23 carries for 40 yards while catching all seven of his targets for 40 yards through the air in seven regular-season games. But with Tony Pollard no longer in town, the Cowboys could look to get Vaughn more involved in the passing game to capitalize on Vaughn's burst, quickness and change-of-direction abilities in open space. It would make him intriguing as a sleeper in PPR leagues, but the fact remains that Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott will likely be ahead of Vaughn on the RB depth chart. For now, it's just something to watch for fantasy managers in deep PPR formats.
From RotoBaller
Carolina Panthers second-year quarterback Bryce Young, who looked lost in his rookie campaign in 2023, has impressed head coach Dave Canales at offseason workouts. Canales loves the way Young has picked up an offense that has helped Baker Mayfield, Russell Wilson and Geno Smith to career-best seasons. "He's doing fantastic with it," Canales said Monday after the first full day of voluntary workouts. "So, for us the formations are pretty vanilla so we can just teach the concept we want out of each route, the depth, the footwork we want." Young said having just Canales' voice in his ear has been "super important" after a rough rookie season in which he ranked 29th out of 30 QBs in total QBR (33.4). It will be hard for Young to be much worse in his sophomore season in 2024, and the Panthers also added some playmakers around him via the draft and trade market, but he'll still merely be a low-end QB2 with upside in fantasy leagues.
From RotoBaller
The New York Giants said that quarterback Daniel Jones (knee) took part in 7-on-7 drills during organized team activities on Monday. Jones and the team have said that the expectation is that he'll be fully cleared for the start of training camp this summer after he tore his ACL in November of last year. In addition to his season-ending knee injury last year, Jones also missed some time with a neck injury that is apparently a thing of the past. The 26-year-old former first-rounder didn't have much of a chance behind the team's atrocious offensive line in 2023, but he's going to need to show more in 2024 while coming off a major injury after signing a four-year, $160 million deal last offseason. In his six starts last year, Jones threw for 909 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions. His rushing upside keeps him relevant as a QB2 in fantasy, but that could be negatively affected by his knee injury.
From RotoBaller
Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford participated in the voluntary workout Monday, May 20.
Fantasy Spin: Stafford has been looking to rework his contract but is not holding out during the offseason. He has one of the better receiving duos to work with in the NFL and should throw for plenty of yards in 2024. Fantasy players in most leagues probably can consider Stafford a No. 2 fantasy quarterback.
From TheHuddle
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is present at OTAs. The veteran signal-caller wants more money, so there were rumblings he wouldn't attend. He finished last season by throwing for 3,965 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 62.6% of his passes. Stafford is due to make $31 million guaranteed this year. However, he is only guaranteed $10 million for the remaining two seasons after the 2024-25 campaign. At any rate, Stafford is predicted to be a semi-reliable fantasy option for at least a few more seasons. But his fantasy stock will fall if he doesn't report to training camp if a new deal isn't reached.
From RotoBaller
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins isn't expected to attend OTAs next week. This isn't surprising, considering the wideout wants a new contract. He also requested a trade in March, although it doesn't appear that the Bengals are looking to move him. The 25-year-old had a down season in 2023-24, amassing 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns, all the lowest marks of his career. He was also limited to just 12 games due to injury. With that said, there's still a chance things will get resolved heading into training camp. If that's the case, Higgins could turn things around in 2024-25, especially if Joe Burrow (wrist) stays healthy. Yet, if both parties can't reach an agreement, he'll play on a franchise tag.
From RotoBaller
Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVante Parker announced his retirement from professional football Monday, May 20.
From TheHuddle
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is not expected to attend OTAs, which will commence on Tuesday. This isn't anything new, although the latest report indicates things seemingly haven't changed regarding Lamb's desire for a new deal. He's due to make nearly $18 million in 2024-25 on his fifth-year option. However, as expected, Lamb wants to be one of the league's highest-paid wideouts. The 25-year-old was a top contributor throughout the 2023-24 campaign, finishing with 135 receptions (181 targets) for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. He's anticipated to be one of the first fantasy options taken in drafts heading into the new season. But that could change if Lamb doesn't get what he wants, especially if it means he doesn't show up for training camp in July.
From RotoBaller
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVante Parker announced his retirement on Monday evening. The 31-year-old, who signed with the Eagles in March, was once one of the NFL's most promising wideouts. He spent most of his career in Miami, where he had the best season of his career in 2019 by amassing 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns off 72 receptions. Parker spent a few more years in Miami before suiting up for the Patriots over the last two seasons. However, he was nowhere near as productive as he was in 2019, so New England released him. The 31-year-old will finish his NFL career by totaling 690 catches for 5,660 yards and 27 touchdowns.
From RotoBaller
Jacksonville Jaguars QB C.J. Beathard (shoulder), RB Lorenzo Lingard (shoulder) and S Andre Cisco (shoulder) were limited during the voluntary workout Monday, May 20.
From TheHuddle
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Christian Kirk (core) is on track in his recovery from a core muscle injury and has been able to participate in offseason workouts, according to head coach Doug Pederson.
Fantasy Spin: Kirk should be fine for training camp and will be a big part of the passing game this upcoming season. He can be considered a No. 3 or No. 4 receiver in fantasy leagues when healthy.
From TheHuddle
Jacksonville Jaguars LB Foyesade Oluokun (undisclosed) was limited during position drills Monday, May 20, because of an undisclosed injury.
From TheHuddle
Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) is expected to be eased into the voluntary workouts with the hope of participating in seven-on-seven and team drills near the end of organized team activities and into the mandatory minicamp.
Fantasy Spin: Watson seems to be on track for the start of training camp, but fantasy players should keep an eye on the situation over the next few months. He has not posted great numbers since joining the Browns and probably can be a No. 2 quarterback in most fantasy leagues.
From TheHuddle
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Gabe Davis (hamstring, personal) will be sidelined for the next few days of practice, according to head coach Doug Pederson.
Fantasy Spin: Davis does not appear to be dealing with any serious issues and likely will be fine for training camp. He should be one of the main options in the passing game for the Jaguars this upcoming season but may not be a weekly starting option in fantasy leagues.
From TheHuddle
New England Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett received the first snaps during drills at the voluntary workout Monday, May 20.
Fantasy Spin: Brissett will be competing with Drake Maye for the starting job during training camp. Brissett could win the competition, but Maye likely will take over the job at some point during the 2024 season. Brissett can be avoided in fantasy leagues even if he opens the season as the starter.
From TheHuddle
Dynasty | Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will attend OTAs this week. Dynasty Analysis: It's never a good thing when we have a multitude of player updates for you in the off-season and virtually none of them revolve around football. Such has been the case with Rice, however, as he is currently facing what looks to be a potentially long suspension after a racing incident and most recently, a potential assault. Attending camp is good but he's nearly impossible to move in a dynasty league with a black cloud currently over his head. Rice will remain a hold as this whole thing unfolds over the next few weeks and months.
