Heading into Week 13 can be a bit treacherous for those on the bubble of their league’s playoff picture as we’ve got a few situations which require your attention. Obviously, the injury to Melvin Gordon and the suspension of Leonard Fournette are going to take center-stage, but there are also a few other places you should watch to see if you’re utilizing the right personnel, whether it’s as a starter or just a handcuff. Let’s take a look.
Indianapolis Colts
Having suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over Miami, Marlon Mack is now listed as questionable for the Colts’ Week 13 match-up against the Jaguars. There is nothing the Colts can do to help expedite the situation, so hopefully you handcuffed Mack to Nyheim Hines who should see the majority of the work as he has done in the weeks where Mack has not been present. Jordan Wilkins will continue to see some complementary work, but even just a simple look at the team’s snap counts will show you just how much more involved Hines is in this offense both with and without Mack. Continue to keep tabs on Mack’s condition this week and don’t make any rash start/sit decisions until you have all the information in front of you.
Jacksonville Jaguars
It looks like Leonard Fournette screwed both you and the pooch this week when he was handed a one-game suspension for fighting during the game against Buffalo in Week 12. Word is that he will appeal the suspension, but it seems unlikely that he will be granted permission to play this week against the Colts. That’s going to put the ball into the hands of both Carlos Hyde and T.J. Yeldon . Both are likely to be viable options as we anticipate a relatively even split. Hyde should see the early-down work while Yeldon handles the pass-catching and third-down work. Obviously, that puts Yeldon as the better option in PPR formats, but we’ve also seen Hyde catch passes in his career, so don’t just dismiss him if that’s your scoring format.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Melvin Gordon injury (sprained MCL) could be the death-blow for many fantasy owners this week, especially if you failed to handcuff him to Austin Ekeler or simply lack the necessary depth at the running back position. There might be some hope for you, though, if Justin Jackson happens to still be sitting on waivers as he will see some work on the early downs. Ekeler is expected to see an expanded role, but the Chargers also don’t want to put all their eggs into his basket this week and risk losing another member of the backfield. Jackson has been relatively quiet here in his rookie season, but the former Northwestern tailback also has some highly underrated skills and actually finished his college career as the school’s all-time leading rusher. Again, Ekeler is the guy to own right now, but Jackson will have a role against the Steelers this week, a team that has allowed 132.7 rushing yards per game over their last three.
New England Patriots
You could tell the Sony Michel owners breathed a sigh of relief after watching the rookie rumble to 133 yards and a touchdown against the Jets, but those who own James White are now suddenly getting nervous as Rex Burkhead was activated to the 53-man roster. White has been fantastic for his owners in the limited backfield, but now the extra body gives Tom Brady and Bill Belichick another asset to incorporate and given the way Burkhead has been used in the past, it could be White who loses some of the work. It was fun while it lasted, right? You could confidently roll out Michel (when healthy) and White and expect both to see enough action to be productive in fantasy. Now we’re right back to where we started – everyone scratching their heads, wondering which running back will see the bigger workload. Don’t make any rash moves, i.e. getting crazy and dropping White, but keep a close watch on how the snaps and touches are distributed, at least for this week against Minnesota. And, of course, please keep in mind that this is not a good match-up for the Patriots running backs. You’re simply watching for distribution so you have a better idea for Week 14 against the Dolphins.
San Francisco 49ers
Just a handcuff change for you Matt Breida owners. It seems that Alfred Morris has fallen even farther out of favor and the handcuff to Breida is rookie Jeff Wilson . The undrafted free agent out of North Texas was signed off the practice squad last week and immediately saw a 39-percent share of the snaps while Morris was left inactive as a healthy scratch. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk continues to stay involved, but it looks like Wilson is now the next man up. Given Breida’s injury history, his owners should pick Wilson up immediately.
Kansas City Chiefs
Just updated on Saturday, Dec. 1 to reflect the Kareem Hunt news. Don't think we need to discuss that in specifics anymore, but we can certainly make the proper adjustments here as Spencer Ware takes over as the lead RB while Damien Williams steps up into a larger role.