Jimmy Garoppolo has had two starts in his four-year career, spent mostly behind Tom Brady in New England. (John Hefti/Associated Press)
The big NFL news of the week is the unexpected benching of Eli Manning, and although that won’t have a huge effect in fantasy, given the Giants’ offensive woes, it will be interesting to see how Geno Smith fares as the new starter. For all we know, Smith might get benched in-game for rookie Davis Webb, but he also gets a nice matchup with the Raiders’ QB-friendly defense.
Smith was a turnover machine in 2013 and 2014, his two seasons as the Jets’ full-time starter, but it’s worth bearing in mind that those were his first two seasons in the NFL, and he did also show some promise. Since then, the West Virginia product has had just one start, which was cut short by an anterior cruciate ligament tear, but he has had some time to study his craft.
In other words, Smith might not be terrible! That would certainly be good news for Evan Engram owners, who have seen the impressive rookie do almost nothing in the past two weeks, and those looking to start Orleans Darkwa can hope that Smith at least keeps the chains moving in Oakland (insert Michael Crabtree joke here).
However, Smith is not the only QB making a start this week after a layoff, as there are also these next two names of intrigue:
Jameis Winston, QB, Buccaneers
Matchup: at Packers, Sunday, 1 p.m.
Winston is expected to be back after missing three-plus games with a shoulder injury he originally suffered in Week 6. In his absence, Ryan Fitzpatrick won as many games (two) as Winston had in his eight starts, and Fitzpatrick posted a better touchdown rate.
Winston, though, had a better completion rate and threw for many more yards per game, and his return can’t be anything but good news for Cameron Brate, who fell off the map completely with his fellow Harvard product at the helm, catching a total of four passes for 37 yards over his past four games. In that span, O.J. Howard’s role has grown, so Brate may not regain TE1 status, but at this point, any relevance at all would be a major improvement.
Elsewhere for the Bucs, Doug Martin may miss this game with a concussion he suffered last week. That would likely leave a messy RB committee in his absence, but if one of Jacquizz Rodgers, Peyton Barber and Charles Sims really steps up with an impressive performance, he could conceivably displace even a healthy Martin, who has not looked great this year.
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, 49ers
Matchup: at Bears, Sunday, 1 p.m.
Apparently those two passes he threw at the end of last week’s loss to the Seahawks impressed the heck out of Coach Kyle Shanahan, and why not? Garoppolo completed both of them for a TD and a stellar 143.8 rating.
Seriously, though, the former Patriot should be an upgrade over rookie C.J. Beathard (who, in fairness, had shown some improvement), but assuming so, which Niners will benefit the most? Since Pierre Garcon went down, speedy Marquise Goodwin has been the most consistent element of a thin WR corps, but Garoppolo may prefer the possession skills of, say, Trent Taylor or TE George Kittle.
It could be a mixed bag for Carlos Hyde, who might get more TD chances but who had been seeing a large amount of pass targets from Beathard. In any event, Hyde should remain heavily involved.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs
Matchup: at Jets, Sunday, 1 p.m.
I made the case on our latest episode of The Fantasy Football Beat that Hunt was no longer a must-start and, in fact, was eminently bench-able (depending on the state of his owners’ rosters and league settings, of course). So give that a listen (and subscribe!) for the whole discussion, but suffice it to say here that the rookie has not been a top-24 RB since Week 6, and he hasn’t been so much as a top-40 RB over his past four games.
The Jets have been tough against the run of late, holding opposing RBs to just 3.5 yards per carry over their past seven games and allowing just one TD to the position since Week 7. However, this game does represent a chance for Hunt to rebound after bottoming out, one would hope, last week with just 26 yards on 12 touches against the Bills. The Chiefs’ upcoming slate looks inviting, with matchups against the Raiders, Chargers and Dolphins, but those also come during most leagues’ fantasy playoffs, so Hunt owners will want some reason to start him with even a little confidence.
Then and now.
Kareem Hunt’s Week 1 and Week 12 #NextGenStats carry charts pic.twitter.com/ZDOIY6Znhq
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) November 27, 2017
Josh Gordon, WR, Browns
Matchup: at Chargers, Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Fantasy players have been waiting three years to see Gordon on the field again, so to say that his debut Sunday is much-anticipated would be an understatement. Adding to the excitement is Browns Coach Hue Jackson’s suggestion that he wants Gordon to play “as much as possible” right away.
However, folks should temper their expectations for immediate success, given that Gordon has an awful lot of rust to shake off. In addition, when last seen, the 2013 receiving yardage leader was not all that effective in his five-game 2014 campaign, accumulating just nine catches for 108 yards and no TDs over his final three contests.
Then there’s the fact that Cleveland will have Corey Coleman as its top WR, with a decidedly inconsistent QB in DeShone Kizer. Oh, and the Chargers are allowing the 11th-fewest fantasy points to WRs and have been even stingier in four of their past five games. Nevertheless, we’ve all waited ages to get Gordon back in action, and perhaps his return will help the Browns get their first win. Okay, that’s probably being way too unrealistic.
Read more from The Post:
Fantasy football start/sit tips for Week 13: Bet on Marshawn Lynch going Beast Mode
The best and worst fantasy football matchups for Week 13
Five moves you should make to your fantasy football roster entering Week 13
Key players withdraw from coalition as NFL tries to reach agreement on activism, anthem protests
source http://hdsportsnews.com/fantasy-football-scout-qb-spotlight-is-on-jameis-winston-jimmy-garoppolo-and-geno-smith/
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