Teams on the Outside looking in - Buffalo, LA Chargers, and Seattle all are still mathematically alive. Do you give extra weight into players from these teams this week? Who is your must play from each of these teams (Buf, LAC, Sea) this week?
Phil Alexander: I'm not going overboard on players from these teams simply because they need a win, but I might look at their situation as a tie-breaker over a similarly projected player on a team with nothing to play for. My top play from each team:
Bills: LeSean McCoy - No shocker here. McCoy has been the engine of Buffalo's offense this season, accounting for nearly 35% of the team's total yardage. Miami's rush defense is slightly above average, but McCoy was able to rack up 96 total yards and 2 touchdowns when these teams met two weeks ago. Look for continued involvement in the passing game for McCoy (12 targets and 122 receiving yards combined in the last two games) to boost him on full PPR sites.
Chargers: Antonio Gates - We all saw Gates turn back the clock with a vintage stat line (6-81-1) in the Chargers first game without Hunter Henry, but it was his usage that was most encouraging. Gates was in on 77% of the Chargers offensive snaps and he ran 35 pass routes, which was sixth-most at the tight end position last week. With Melvin Gordon's status up in the air (ankle), the Chargers could take to the air more frequently against an Oakland defense that ranks 29th in yards per pass attempt allowed to enemy tight ends.
Seahawks: Russell Wilson - There is no other acceptable answer to this question. Wilson ranks second in the league in passing touchdowns (32), his 550 rushing yards are more than Mike Davis, Eddie Lacy, and Thomas Rawls combined, and he's been a part of 35 of the team's 36 offensive touchdowns. If Seattle meets or exceeds their 24-point implied team total, it will be because Wilson had a big game.
John Mamula: I am not going out of my way to target players from these teams (Bills, Chargers, Seahawks) but I am also not specifically avoiding players from any of these teams either. Matchups will dictate whether I am overweight or underweight on many of these players in my GPP lineups.
The injury and practice reports are key for the Chargers. If Melvin Gordon is inactive, Philip Rivers will be a strong play and I will be overweight with the Chargers quarterback. Without Gordon, the offensive gameplan will flow through Rivers against the Raiders.
James Brimacombe: When it comes down to making decisions based on two players at a position I will for sure be looking at what each of those teams are playing for and favor the player who is in a must win type of game. For the Bills I think LeSean McCoy is the slam dunk play, as they will try to get the ball into his hands as much as possible as he is the most talented player on that offense. Last time out against the Dolphins, McCoy had 96 total yards and a pair of touchdowns on 24 total touches (20 rushes, 4 catches).
The Chargers player that I want is Keenan Allen. With Melvin Gordon's status up in the air early in the week it makes me want to trust in Rivers and Allen more in the passing game. Allen is having a remarkable season with 147 targets for 93/1260/5. I can see him wanting to hit that 100 target mark with at least 7 catches this week.
I am with Phil as well with Russell Wilson for the Seahawks, as he is the main weapon in that offense. Despite only throwing for 142 and 93 yards the past two games he will look to get back on track against the Cardinals a team who he passed for 238 yards and a pair of touchdowns back in Week 10.
Chris Feery:
Buffalo: LeSean McCoy. He’s the engine that makes the Bills offense go. We can safely expect him to have a huge workload against the Dolphins, and he’s potentially one of Week 17’s free square options based on opportunity alone.
