Who are the top NFL Fantasy Football targets ahead of Week 13 of the season? From a Kansas City Chiefs tight end not named Travis Kelce to a throwback in Las Vegas...
While the New England Patriots may not be winning, rookie quarterback Drake Maye continues to make incredible throws on a weekly basis as he settles into life as an NFL starter. His latest was a stunning cross-body downfield strike to Austin Hooper while rolling to his right during Sunday's 34-15 defeat to the Miami Dolphins. Maye finished the game 22 of 37 for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and has now thrown for 894 yards and five touchdowns alongside 172 rushing yards in the last four games as part of an understaffed Patriots offense. Maye is doing a lot with little, showing his willingness to push the ball downfield and demonstrating his ability to create off-platform and outside of the pocket. Some encouragement under center amid another gruelling Patriots season.
Seventh-round rookie Devaughn Vele was the latest beneficiary of Bo Nix's ascent on Sunday as he caught six of nine targets for 80 yards in Denver's 29-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders to amass 14 points in fantasy, bettered only by Courtland Sutton's eight catches for 97 yards and two scores. He also made four catches from five targets for 66 yards against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11 on the back of scoring his first career receiving touchdown against the Chiefs in Week 10, amounting to double digits in fantasy points over three straight games. Broncos head coach Sean Payton noted this week his desire to introduce more touches for Vele, pointing towards an expanded role over the second half of the season.
What a throwback! It is November 2024 and we are still talking about Ameer Abdullah as a potential fantasy option, what a time to be alive. Recent injuries to Alexander Mattison and Zamir White have provided a reminder that Abdullah remains in the NFL, having been a popular fantasy option years ago after being drafted as a second-round pick by the Detroit Lions. The Raiders running back has a receiving touchdown in each of his last two games, and also carried the ball eight times for 28 yards in Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos. He featured on 88 per cent of offensive snaps on the day, used heavily as a blocker while sharing the workload with 2022 undrafted free agent Sincere McCormick. Steve Spagnuolo's stubborn Chiefs run defense doesn't present an ideal opportunity in this week's Black Friday matchup, but we couldn't pass the opportunity to give a nod to Abdullah.
He is hardly your go-to wide receiver option mid-way through the season, but Nick Westbrook-Ikhine finds himself in the middle of a scoring hot streak for the Tennessee Titans. He made two catches for 48 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's win over the Houston Texans, meaning he has now scored a touchdown in six of his last seven games having also managed 285 receiving yards over the previous five outings. With that he has put up double digits in fantasy points in four of his last five, somewhat benefitting from the aggression of quarterback Will Levis. His season includes a 117-yard outing against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, during which he raced away for a 98-yard house call down the sideline as one of the bright spots to a difficult Titans campaign.
It may feel odd to look towards any Kansas City Chiefs tight end not named Travis Kelce, but as the Super Bowl champions continue to find different ways to succeed on offense Noah Gray has emerged as a key contributor. Gray caught all four of his targets for 66 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers to follow up his four catches from five targets for 23 yards and two scores against the Buffalo Bills the previous week. So often employed primarily as a blocker in Andy Reid's multiple tight end packages, Gray is beginning to prove a trusted target in the red zone. There will always be some uncertainty over his volume of targets given who is around him on the Chiefs offense, but he now faces a Las Vegas Raiders defense that has been generous to tight ends this season.
Week 11 staged National Taysom Hill day as the New Orleans Saints unicorn erupted for seven carries, 138 yards and three rushing touchdowns alongside eight receptions for 50 yards and a 42-yard kick return to inspire his side to a 35-14 win over the Cleveland Browns. It was good for 41.5 fantasy points and followed up his 110 combined scrimmage yards over the previous two weeks in hinting at an increased role amid Klint Kubiak's efforts to reignite his Saints offense. There isn't another player in the NFL like him; when he goes big, he really goes big - as this fantasy player was reminded recently. The Darren Rizzi-inspired Saints are coming off a bye week to take on the Los Angeles Rams, who rank 29th against the run on defense this season.
Tune into Sky Sports NFL from 5pm on Thanksgiving Thursday ahead of the Detroit Lions against the Chicago Bears at 5.30pm, followed by the Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins' matchup with the Green Bay Packers
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