Welcome back to your direct line of fantasy football advice, our mailbag article series powered by the Fantasy Football Advice Network.
This is your path to expert advice, where we tackle your questions and provide valuable insights to help you make informed decisions. As the season progresses, we understand the importance of making the right choices to secure those crucial wins. The In-Between Media (IBT) team and I are here to answer your queries and keep your fantasy rosters strong.
If you would like to submit a question, be sure to tag us on the Fantasy Football Advice Network.
Week 13 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag
Should I Trade Jaylen Waddle, DeAndre Hopkins & Alvin Kamara in Exchange for Josh Jacobs & Mike Evans? — @Jzamudio24
Context: @Jzamudio24 has a trade proposed to him in a redraft leage. In this one, the player would receive Josh Jacobs and Mike Evans for Jaylen Waddle, DeAndre Hopkins and Alvin Kamara.
Thanksgiving is in the books, but here’s some advice to kick off Black Friday. We’re also inching closer to the playoffs, so we’re certainly locking in here. However, with the focal point being rest-of-season wide receiver values, we’ll mainly focus on Waddle and Hopkins here.
Let’s get into it.
The Jaylen Waddle Affect
Waddle came into the Miami Dolphins’ Thanksgiving matchup against the Green Bay Packers hot. He had his best game of the season in Week 12, finishing with eight catches for 144 yards and a touchdown in the Dolphins’ win over the New England Patriots. This equated to 28.4 Points Per Reception (PPR) fantasy points, which is something fans have waited for all year. However, he came back to earth a bit with a four-catch (including a two-point conversion), 53-yard performance in the Dolphins’ Turkey Day loss. Granted, the Packers have the seventh-ranked defense against opposing receivers in the league, and Tua Tagovailoa is 1-7 in cold-weather games. This was not entirely surprising.
The Dolphins face the New York Jets twice, the Houston Texans, the San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns in their final five games. I expect him to bounce back facing the defeated Jets in Week 14, but Mike McDaniel has interestingly made the offense more De’Von Achane-centric. The Dolphins’ offense is something I would continue to watch out for, considering their lackluster performance this season.
The DeAndre Hopkins Effect
DeAndre Hopkins’ role with the Chiefs differs greatly from Waddle’s with Miami. Kansas City needed a receiver with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rashee Rice going down for the season. Hopkins’ experience is helpful for Patrick Mahomes and company. Hopkins finished with five catches for 35 yards and a touchdown in an unexpected, gritty win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 8. He followed it up with a strong Black Friday performance against the Las Vegas Raiders, resulting in four receptions on nine targets for 90 yards and 13 fantasy points.
According to FantasyPros, Hopkins had a 44.7% route share (sixth on the Chiefs) and drew a 16.2% target share and 22.7% first-read share with two end zone targets against the Panthers. While these are not pretty numbers, I am more bullish on Hopkins’ role than Waddle’s beyond Week 13. Yes, the Chiefs’ offense includes Xavier Worthy alongside Travis Kelce. However, the former Clemson Tigers’ numbers have increased since the Chiefs faced Las Vegas on Oct. 27. Kansas City faces the Los Angeles Chargers, the Cleveland Browns, the Houston Texans, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos to close out the regular season. He’ll face daunting defenses, but I will still have some confidence in him beyond Black Friday.
Green Bay’s Two Loves: Cheese & Josh Jacobs
The running back position has been loved and appreciated this season more than it has in quite some time. Primarily the Holy Trinity of Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs is who to thank. Barkley and Henry may be fighting for the regular season MVP, but Jacobs could be your own league’s one.
Jacobs has scored double-digit fantasy points in all but three games this season and came off a monster performance in Week 12 against the 49ers. He rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns off 26 carries in that Week 12 clash against San Francisco. His rushing yards depleted against the Dolphins on Thanksgiving despite scoring a touchdown, but he was more active in the passing game. He caught all four targets for 74 yards, leading to a 17-fantasy point game. Jacobs’ numbers could take a hit when MarShawn Lloyd returns, but he is recovering from appendicitis and could be inactive until the NLF Playoffs. The former Alabama Crimson Tide has a stretch of divisional games coming up. However, I am all aboard the Jacobs train moving forward, especially with Jordan Love leading the Packers’ offense.
Mike Evans, We Are So Back
I’m keeping this one short as it is pretty straightforward. Every fantasy manager has one or two players they always die on a hill for. For some, it’s Kyle Pitts. For me, it’s Mike Evans. After missing a month of action due to a hamstring injury, Evans returned against the New York Giants in Week 12 and picked off where he left off. He was not a big factor fantasy-wise, with five catches for 68 yards, but he did not have to do much against a Giants team that is full of drama.
He faces a weak Panthers pass defense – 30th in pass Defense-adjusted Vale Over Average (DVOA) – in Week 13. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have favorable matchups to close out the regular season with the Panthers twice, the Las Vegas Raiders, the New Orleans Saints, the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers. The latter teams could give Tampa Bay’s passing game some trouble, but if Evans has a breakout game in Week 13, it’s a solid sign of his health moving forward.
The Verdict
This trade proposal is actually pretty even and a win-win for both managers beyond the numbers. What @Jzamudio24 has to consider is his Week 14 and 15 lineups, with some interesting bye weeks trickling up. There’s an argument that keeping Kamara, Waddle and Hopkins would work for either party. On the other hand, landing Jacobs and Evans could also be that final key to advancing deep into the playoffs.
This is a tough one, but I prefer the outcome of Jacobs/Evans a bit more. Waddle concerns me, and Jacobs is too hot to pass on right now.
Check out all of our Week 13 fantasy football content:
- Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 13 News & Notes (2024)
- Week 13 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag (2024)
- Week 13 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
- Week 13 Shore Thing Sleepers (2024)
- Week 13 In the Scope Targets (2024)
- PropKings: NFL Week 13 (2024)
Thanks for reading our Week 13 Fantasy Football Mailbag, powered by the Fantasy Football Advice Network. Check out more of our fantasy football and other written content here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.
Follow me on Twitter/X @nrojo5 for more fantasy football & sports takes.
*Photo Credit: Jasen Vinlove – USA TODAY Sports*
