Other than Josh Gordon.

Because if I ask you, the dedicated fantasy football owner, what you’re thankful for, I’d say a good 90% of you who’ve been stashing Gordon will say just that. His return was everything we could’ve hoped for (sans the TD cherry on top). Eight catches, 120 yards, 16(!) targets. All the nonsense about him being limited to 20-30 snaps, which yours truly told you was haberdashery this past Sunday morning on Major League Fantasy Football Radio, turned into 52 snaps on 75 total plays. After three months of holding out and hoping it would be worth the wait, enjoy the ride. It should be a fun one.

But in the grander scheme, this time of year is about so much more. Yes, Thanksgiving and football will always go hand in hand. Many of you will enjoy a hearty turkey dinner with all the fixins surrounded by your closest family and friends, followed by a retreat to the living room to watch the traditional Lions and Cowboys games. Those who haven’t fallen prey to a tryptophan-induced slumber will get to cap the night off with the best rivalry in the game today, Seahawks/49ers. Can’t ask for much better than that, although there is one thing I am going to ask from you.

Take time to remember those who don’t get to share in all of the Turkey Day festivities. There are those among us who won’t get to share a table with family members. Those whose professional responsibilities won’t allow them to kick off the holiday season at home. That especially goes for the brave members of our Armed Forces who never take a day off so that the rest of us can have the luxury and freedom to celebrate all that we are fortunate enough to have.

Enjoy the football. Enjoy the food. Enjoy the family and friends. Even if your #1 running back goes out and lays a complete egg this week or one of your receivers pulls a hammy in the second quarter, be thankful that you live in a place where such an occurrence can even be considered a problem. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

The Hot List is thankful for a very strong week that only saw two of 10 calls really miss the mark badly. Let’s see what a few interesting Week 12 performances could mean going forward:

Week 12 Hits:

Trent Richardson – Standard scoring: 10.2 pts; MLFS scoring: 10.2 pts

Josh Gordon – Standard scoring: 12.0 pts; MLFS scoring: 27.15 pts

Torrey Smith – Standard scoring: 9.8 pts; MLFS scoring: 14.8 pts

Anquan Boldin– Standard scoring: 19.7 pts; MLFS scoring: 35.4 pts

Marques Colston – Standard scoring: 14.2 pts; MLFS scoring: 18.2 pts

Latavius Murray– Standard scoring: 23.2 pts; MLFS scoring: 25.35 pts

Week 12 Misses:

Tre Mason – Standard scoring: 8.8 pts; MLFS scoring: 9.8 pts

Giovani Bernard – Standard scoring: 6.7 pts; MLFS scoring: 8.7 pts

Charles Sims – Standard scoring: 3.3 pts; MLFS scoring: 5.3 pts

Cecil Shorts III – Standard scoring: 0.6 pts; MLFS scoring: 1.6 pts

I’d be remiss if I didn’t start with a favorite topic (and probably least favorite player) of the Hot List and that is Trent Richardson. Once again, being tied to an elite offense can make up for a complete lack of ability as his TD plunge masked a paltry 3.2 yards per carry average in this game. The biggest takeaway, however, is the Colts’ immediate trust of Dan Herron. It was Boom, not T-Rich, who led the team in touches with 17 and was far more efficient when called upon, posting a 5.4 YPC average. If you want to be dismissive of the situation, I can’t say I blame you. The upside here could be negligible. But a quick glance at the Colts’ remaining schedule shows some favorable matchups down the stretch (vs. WAS, @CLE, vs. HOU, @DAL, @TEN). Herron should be added this week as insurance and a potentially useful RB3 as the fantasy playoffs begin.

Even though I’ve recommended him on more than one occasion, I think it’s time for a full-blown love fest directed at Anquan Boldin. Do we realize just how good he’s been this year? For starters, he’s 13th in the NFL in receiving yards. That’s puts him above Steve Smith, Alshon Jeffery and DeAndre Hopkins, wideouts who are routinely ranked ahead of Boldin despite none of them having more than five touchdowns on the year. For the PPR crowd, Boldin is eighth among WRs with 65 catches, two more than the trio of Maclin, Hilton and Dez Bryant. Perhaps it’s the low yards per catch average (12.7) or the subdued TD total (4) that has us thumbing our nose. Or maybe we dismiss the entire 49ers passing attack at this point due to the disappointments of Crabtree, Davis and Kaepernick. But any receiver who has a six-game stretch of 40 receptions for 522 yards and four touchdowns is worth our time, at least more time than we’ve given Boldin so far.

Onto the recommendations for Week 13, a very important week as for most of us it’s our last shot at securing a playoff berth. Every decision becomes crucial as a few points left on the bench could mean the difference between Shiva glory and Sacko shame. If you’re struggling to find a RB or WR for this week’s all-important matchup, here are 10 names that could get you to the promised land:

Andre Ellington, RB (ARI) – I get it. The results the last three weeks haven’t been pretty. You keep throwing Ellington in your lineup, expecting that at least the sheer volume of touches he gets (22 per game this season) will bring with it a useful stat line, and it just hasn’t been there recently. The loss of Carson Palmer has certainly hurt Ellington as teams can now focus a bit more on the Cardinals’ running attack with Drew Stanton taking the snaps. And those last three matchups have been absolutely monstrous (vs. STL, vs. DET, @SEA). The good news is Arizona has a trip to Atlanta this week, and the Falcons’ defense isn’t even in the same breath as those previous three. Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West just made Atlanta look silly last week to the tune of 150 yards and two TDs, and there’s no doubt Ellington is more talented than either side of the Cleveland timeshare. But Ellington is highlighted here for a more specific reason. If you thought his past schedule was brutal, just take a look and what’s in store after Week 13. It starts with a home game against the Chiefs, followed by @STL, vs. SEA, @SF. Hopefully you won’t have to be relying on him in the fantasy playoffs because things could get ugly. However, if you’ve been squatting on Ellington in player eliminator games, this is by far your last, best chance to deploy him with confidence.

Expectation: Top-10 RB

Denard Robinson, RB (JAC) – Anytime Toby Gerhart eclipses your rushing total in just four carries, cause for concern is understandable. Last week’s showing in Indianapolis (25 yards on 14 carries) was especially surprising considering the four-game tear Robinson was on. Nothing cures ills, however, quite like a date with the Giants, who are allowing the third most points to opposing running backs and allowing 4.9 yards per carry (31st in NFL). Shoelace should be double knotted in this one, not only exposing New York on the ground but also in the passing game. The G-Men are next to last in passing yards allowed to opponents’ running backs and Robinson is coming off his best receiving performance of the season, notching four catches and 47 yards last week against the Colts. He rebounds with another strong performance here, entering the conversation as a low-end RB1.

Expectation: Top-12 RB

Jeremy Maclin, WR (PHI) – As Jordan Matthews’ emergence has coincided with Mark Sanchez taking the reigns at QB, so too has a steady drop in production for Jeremy Maclin. In his last three games, the Mizzou product is averaging just 63 yards per game with one touchdown, a far cry from the multi-TD efforts we were getting accustomed to. This week against Dallas, however, I expect the scoreboard operator to be putting in overtime as both teams will march it up and down the field. At least one of the big plays will come on a long bomb to Maclin as the Cowboys have given up the 11th-most pass plays of 40+ yards this season. And it’s not as if the targets haven’t been there for Maclin, either. He’s still getting almost nine passes thrown his way each of the last three games. Much like I told you regarding LeSean McCoy a few weeks back, R-E-L-A-X when it comes to Jeremy Maclin.

Expectation: Top-15 WR

Fred Jackson, RB (BUF) – For all the hoopla the weather situation in Buffalo received last week, no player benefited from it more than Fred Jackson. Not only did he get an extra day of rest, but getting to avoid those frosty field conditions certainly earned Jackson flex consideration last week. The numbers may show that Anthony Dixon had more carries and the better fantasy day, but much of that happened after the game was out of reach. This week against the Browns, Jackson should see his carries somewhere in the low- to mid-teens to go along with the handful of catches you can rely on. Don’t be fooled by Cleveland’s recent success against the run the last five weeks; those were some pretty shoddy running games they were defending (OAK, TB and ATL among the group). Jackson and the Bills will assert themselves on the ground early and often, making him a solid RB2 selection

Expectation: Top-20 RB

Jerick McKinnon, RB (MIN) – Much like Keenan Allen before him, it looks like I’m either riding it out with McKinnon or going down with the ship. Those who’ve been trotting him out week after week are certainly frustrated by the giant goose egg still sitting in McKinnon’s TD column. Last week seemed like a prime spot to change that, but Green Bay’s defense kept him in check, which really shouldn’t be too surprising. The Packers have allowed 80 yards or fewer on the ground in four of the last six games and have surrendered just two rushing TDs to opposing running backs over their last eight games. On the other side of the ledger is the Vikings’ Week 13 opponent, Carolina, who have allowed 10 TDs to opposing backs in that same eight-game time frame. The recommendation of McKinnon also means I have little faith in Ben Tate this week, thinking Minnesota will again opt to focus on getting the flashier of the two runners more of the load. I’m thinking fringe RB2 numbers are well within reach.

Expectation: Top-24 RB

UPDATE (Nov. 28) – McKinnon has been ruled out for this Sunday’s game due to recurring back issues. This leaves Matt Asiata, Ben Tate and Joe Banyard as the available backs, and while I’m not excited about any of these options, look for Banyard to get the larger split of the carries. He ran five times for 26 yards last week and head coach Mike Zimmer had good things to say about Banyard when asked about the situation at running back. I expect Banyard to be a top-36 play at RB, making him a decent sleeper for those desperate for a fill-in this week.

Martavis Bryant, RB (PIT) – Is it just me or does Martavis Bryant seem like he happened forever ago? A bye week and one Odell Beckham takeover-Twitter catch later and the young Steelers’ receiver has become merely an afterthought. Ok, so maybe he’s not quite that forgotten, but a date with the Saints and their anemic excuse for a defense makes for quite the return to action. It would be very surprising if, after the bye week, we aren’t seeing more and more of Bryant on the field. He’s just too dominant a physical specimen to be limited as much as he has. A return to the end zone, a place he’s visited six times in five games this season, feels like it’s on the docket as well.



Expectation: Top-30 WR

Jarvis Landry, WR (MIA) – I continue to sing the praises of Landry and he continues to back it up with his performances week after week, culminating in the best game of his rookie season against Denver last week (7 Rec, 50 Yds, 2 TD). You’re never going to be wowed by his yardage totals. This was just the third time all season Landry reached the 50-yard plateau. But the volume of catches makes Landry a PPR darling as he now has 24 receptions in the last four weeks, adding in four TDs in that time. Now here come the poor pathetic Jets, fresh off being gashed by Kyle Orton and his connection with another member of this week’s Hot List (spoiler alert!). Landry has bypassed Mike Wallace as Ryan Tannehill’s favorite intended receiver, garnering double-digit targets in two of his last three games. Usage like that makes it hard not to love Landry’s upside in New York.

Expectation: Top-32 WR

Pierre Thomas, RB (NO) – If we’re going with a crapshoot pick for my deep league RB play of the week, let’s take a trip down to the Big Easy. Mark Ingram struggled on Monday night, putting the ball on the ground multiple times and finishing with just 27 yards on 11 carries. The returning Thomas picked up some of the slack, touching the ball 11 times (six receptions, five rushes) and tallying 56 yards. The Steelers get a bad rap as being vulnerable against the run, but in their last four games they are giving up an average of just 55 rushing yards to opposing RBs. I think they can do an adequate job of slowing down Ingram and will jump out to a decent lead as Brees and Co. again struggle on the road. More passing means more Thomas and he’ll be the beneficiary of 45+ attempts from Brees, making him a viable deep-league flex play.

Expectation: Top-36 RB

Robert Woods, WR (BUF) – I had Woods all queued up as a sneaky deep WR pickup this week that no one would see coming. Then something like 9-118-1 happened on Monday night and the secret was out three days early. No matter, still plenty of love left to give for a very underrated receiving option in Buffalo. The majority of my mancrush on Woods this Sunday comes from an intriguing matchup with Cleveland. Conventional wisdom suggests that Joe Haden will spend much of his time shadowing Sammy Watkins, leaving Woods to feast on the scraps. The last time Watkins faced this type of daunting matchup was Week 6 against New England when he was marooned on Revis Island. This was also the last time Robert Woods made an appearance on the Hot List and he backed it up with a tasty 7-78-1 line. Kyle Orton finds the open man regardless of what number he’s wearing, so expect another healthy showing from Woods while Watkins and Haden battle it out.

Expectation: Top-40 WR

Charles Johnson, WR (MIN) – Raise your hand if you had banked on Charles Johnson being the most relevant Vikings pass catcher at this point in the season (I’m looking at you, Cordarelle Patterson believers). The last two weeks have been quite encouraging for the young Grand Valley State product, recording nine catches for 139 yards and a TD. I’m especially fawning over the 18 targets he received over that span considering no other player in Minnesota managed to even reach double digits. As bad as Carolina has been against the run, they’ve been nearly as vulnerable through the air as well (8th most generous to opposing wide receivers. As far as desperation plays go, you can do worse than Johnson.

Expectation: Top-45 WR

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