Yahoo Finance 2019 Week 13 game-by-game recap: Matchup of giants doesn't disappoint
San Francisco 49ers @ Baltimore Ravens
In a game featuring the two teams averaging the most PPG this season, the Ravens and 49ers produced a 3-3 second half. Weather was also a factor, but a stingy 49ers defense held Lamar Jackson to a career-low 4.6 YPA and also forced the QB to lose the first fumble of his career. San Francisco entered allowing the fewest passing yards per game (136.9) since 1980, but Jackson overcame that historically tough pass defense to still help fantasy managers with another big performance running, becoming the first quarterback ever to record four 100-yard rushing games in a season.
The Ravens came in on pace to punt the fewest times in NFL history, possessing an offense in a league of its own this year and outscoring their opponents (including @Sea, NE, Hou, @LAR) by 28.0 points over their last five games, but they pulled out this thriller thanks to an incredibly difficult field goal by Justin Tucker at the buzzer … Raheem Mostert was a monster, but with Matt Breida returning soon, San Francisco’s backfield is going to be tough to trust during the first week of the fantasy playoffs in New Orleans (George Kittle was quiet in the box score, but he made a significant impact on San Francisco’s rushing attack). The 49ers somehow have the NFL’s second-best rushing offense but not a top-20 rusher, as it’s hard to be so productive without helping fantasy managers more.
Jimmy Garoppolo lost a crucial fumble but otherwise continued to play well, and it will be nice to see what he can do with a healthy Emmanuel Sanders and George Kittle down the stretch, especially with Deebo Samuel continuing to emerge (the rookie scored again Sunday one week after he recorded the second-fastest time of any ballcarrier this season).
After turning the ball over on downs in a tied game with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter, the 49ers wouldn’t get another chance on offense, and the 10-2 team could very well be the No. 5 seed after Monday night (meanwhile, the Cowboys lead the NFC East at 6-6). If this was a Super Bowl preview, a rematch would certainly be intriguing.
Green Bay Packers @ New York Giants
Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns in tough weather conditions, while Daniel Jones tossed three picks, although he at least didn’t lose a fumble for the sixth straight game … Davante Adams scored twice in a highly favorable matchup, but Aaron Jones got just 1.6 YPC and has been held out of the end zone in back-to-back games for the first time all season … Saquon Barkley secured a 27-yard dump-off at the end to help his stats, but he was mostly quiet yet again Sunday versus a GB run defense that entered ranked 28th in DVOA. Barkley hasn’t scored a touchdown since October, and he gets a tough matchup in Philadelphia to open the fantasy playoffs in Week 14.
Washington Redskins @ Carolina Panthers
Dwayne Haskins didn’t turn the ball over, while Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice combined to run for 238 yards and three scores on just 23 carries against a Panthers rush defense that entered ranked 31st in DVOA. Guice is tough to trust in fantasy right now as a committee back (which includes Chris Thompson now back to help out on passing downs) on a team that came in with the league’s last-ranked offense, but he’s certainly had some eye-popping plays during his NFL debut this season. Now he just needs to stay healthy … Greg Olsen left after a horrific hit from Ryan Anderson, while the Panthers (and Eagles) ended some Survivor pools … Christian McCaffrey turned in his second-worst performance of the season despite Carolina coming in as double-digit home favorites. Pay up for him in DFS in Week 14.
Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts
Ryan Tannehill continues to impress, getting 8.3 YPA while tossing two TDs somehow without targeting anyone more than four times. Derrick Henry lost a fumble for the second straight week but has now run for 496 yards (7.3 YPC) over the last three games (with seven TDs over the last four). He'll be a top-five RB in Week 14 with a matchup in Oakland … Jack Doyle predictably benefitted from Eric Ebron’s absence while seeing a season-high 11 targets and will be a borderline top-five TE down the stretch ... Jonathan Williams took a backseat to Jordan Wilkins, lost a goal-line score to Nyheim Hines, and Marlon Mack is now expected to return in Week 14, so his fantasy value didn’t exactly go up Sunday … It could be argued Adam Vinatieri has cost the Colts at least four games this season (he has to lead the league in the category).
Philadelphia Eagles @ Miami Dolphins
Carson Wentz tossed three touchdowns but got just 6.7 YPA against arguably the league’s worst defense and was badly outplayed by Ryan Fitzpatrick (9.4 YPA) despite getting a healthy Alshon Jeffery back and having a huge advantage up front … Miles Sanders continues to dominate work in Philadelphia’s backfield with Jordan Howard out and recorded his second receiving touchdown on the year. Sanders is second among all backs in air yards during his rookie campaign … DeVante Parker put up 159 yards with two scores and continues to look like one of the best receivers in the league — just remember, Adam Gase didn’t like him … Miami opened the second half with an onside kick and also attempted one of the best fake field goals of all time, culminating in a punter throwing a TD to a placekicker. Matt Haack has now attempted two passes during his career — he has a pick and a touchdown, so he makes them count.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Nick Foles committed three turnovers in the first 20 minutes and was replaced by Gardner Minshew, who deserves to start over the rest of the season and becomes a huge FAAB add in Superflex leagues with Jacksonville’s favorable schedule in the fantasy playoffs … Dede Westbrook scored versus the league’s worst defense against the slot, while DJ Chark disappointed mightily in such a favorable setup … Breshad Perriman and O.J. Howard both had more receiving yards than Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, while Peyton Barber scored twice on fantasy benches/waiver wires while Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette were held out of the end zone.
New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals
Sam Darnold crashed back to earth against a Bengals defense that’s played much better lately, while Andy Dalton returned with a solid game that would’ve been better had C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Eifert not each dropped balls in the end zone on two separate drives (Uzomah’s was especially egregious) ... Le’Veon Bell is up to 183 carries on the season without a single one going for 20 yards. He gets a prime home matchup against the Dolphins in Week 14, but Bell is going to be awfully tough to trust during fantasy’s championship weeks (@Bal, Pit).
Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Baker Mayfield predictably struggled in a tough matchup against a Pittsburgh defense that’s played among the best in the league since Week 4, although a hurt finger didn’t help. Meanwhile, Devlin Hodges (10.1 YPA) was a big upgrade over Mason Rudolph and is making James Washington an intriguing fantasy asset … Odell Beckham Jr. failed to reach 30 yards for the third game this season and continues to take a backseat to Jarvis Landry, and to think, his numbers would likely be even worse had David Njoku not been out since essentially Week 1 … The Steelers have committed a turnover an NFL-high 19 straight games, and Benny Snell played with a spinner in his mouthguard Sunday.
Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals
Jared Goff bounced back with a huge game, throwing for 400+ yards and two touchdowns with nine minutes still remaining in the third quarter (he had seven 20+ yard passes by halftime). Unfortunately, a Rams blowout (and defensive score) meant not much else for the final 1.5 quarters from Goff, who helped Robert Woods (19-13-172) and Tyler Higbee (8-7-107-1) produce big games. Woods has the most receiving yards (835) by someone without a touchdown this season, and the Higbee/Cardinals matchup combined with Gerald Everett’s injury and a minimum DFS price that seemed almost too good to be true wasn’t … Christian Kirk went missing like Jimmy Hoffa (The Irishman is really good!) for long stretches in this game, and Kyler Murray’s hamstring injury was partially to blame … Kenyan Drake continues to act as Arizona’s clear lead back (Chase Edmonds returned but didn’t see a touch, and David Johnson looks comically slower whenever he replaces him), and he has a bunch of PPR upside down the stretch, but Week 14 brings a tough Steelers defense.
Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
After ripping off four TD passes in one quarter when these teams met earlier this season, Patrick Mahomes managed just 6.0 YPA with one touchdown despite a prime home matchup against a vulnerable Raiders secondary and with a healthy Tyreek Hill back. Weather played a role, but Mahomes was supposed to be closer to full strength after KC’s bye, and the reigning MVP has now produced fewer than 7.0 YPA with just one TD pass in three of his last four games. Of course, Mahomes wasn’t needed much in the second half with KC up 31-0 midway through the third quarter (the Raiders would laughably later kick a FG to bring them to within 28), and he ran in his first TD of the year Sunday, so maybe that ankle is feeling better and a big finish is coming, but it won’t be easy with KC’s upcoming schedule (@NE, Den, @Chi) … Kansas City entered leading the NFL in 20+ yard pass plays while Oakland had allowed the most, so naturally, they didn’t have one Sunday.
The Chiefs continue to sneakily be one of the worst matchups for fantasy wide receivers, while Derek Carr now has more interceptions against KC (six) than he does the rest of the league (five) over his last 23 games … LeSean McCoy was worthless outside of a goal-line touchdown, Darrel Williams left injured after scoring, and Darwin Thompson entered the mix with a team-high 11 carries and a TD run of his own. The preseason star (Thompson) needs to be added in fantasy leagues, but Damien Williams could return soon too, so Kansas City’s backfield remains a total mess for fantasy purposes despite its massive upside.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos
The Broncos had been outscored 40-0 during the fourth quarter over their last five games but won Sunday thanks to a 53-yard field goal at the buzzer during Drew Lock’s debut. Lock managed just 4.8 YPA but connected with Courtland Sutton for two scores (including this incredible catch) despite Casey Hayward (and a returning Derwin James) in coverage … Philip Rivers played well enough and wasn’t benched as rumored, but he threw another head-scratching interception, as the Chargers have lost all eight of their games this season by seven points or fewer.
New England Patriots @ Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson came in owning the highest QBR in primetime games since entering the league and got 9.4 YPA with a 3:0 TD:INT ratio against the league’s best defense. In fact, Houston threw as many touchdown passes Sunday night (four) as New England had previously allowed all season, including this perfectly normal one by wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins ... The Patriots have been dealing with a major illness throughout the week, but the offense still doesn’t have a 100-yard rusher in any game this year, and Tom Brady’s decline is real (although two TD drives in the final four minutes completely turned his fantasy day around) … James White went from posting negative yards from scrimmage last week to totaling 177 YFS with two TD catches during the game of his life Sunday night.
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