Good morning. What a year it's been. The finals kickoff Thursday, with the Titans hosting the Cowboys. Now is not the time to get complacent. 

And if you're not in the finals, Eddie and Matt are with ya. It's never too early to prepare for next season.

Derrick Henry: “Ready if Needed”…not exactly promising for Thursday night... GRAB Hassan Haskins to start if desperate.

One other tip: check out the Savage Sports newsletter, who can be there for you when we aren't (this offseason).

QUARTERBACKS

Prescott Shines

A week after we wrote that Dak Prescott hasn't thrown for over 300 yards all season, he throws for 347 and 3 TDs. You're welcome. Dallas's run game was ineffective (a first) so they relied heavily on the passing game. Prescott is tied with Joe Burrow for the most games with a completion percentage of 75.0%-or-better in 2022, with five such games.

• Surprising top 10 QB Daniel Jones threw for 334 yards, a TD and an INT last week. While he's thrown for multiple TDs just 3x this year, he only has 4 INTs on the year and is averaging 40 rushing yards per game. Jonese has high upside thanks to his rushing ability but faces a strong Colts pass defense that limited Justin Herbert to 5.5 fantasy points.

• Pro-bowler Geno Smith has struggled. Despite facing weak passing defenses the past two weeks, Geno failed to hit 240 yards passing in each game and only scored 2 TDs while throwing a pick. The injury to Tyler Lockett clearly hurts, while Geno faces a Jets team allowing the least amount of passing TDs on the year.

Cap'n Kirk Cousins is QB1 over the past three weeks, stepping up big in the fantasy playoffs. You like that. 

RUNNING BACKS 

Winners and Losers

Saquon Barkley hit another level over the past two weeks with 100+ total yards and a TD in each game. His passing game involvement has jumped, with 13 catches on 18 targets during that stretch. He is the focal point of the offense facing a Colts team in a must-win game. 

Removing the Week 14 game where he played just 31% of snaps due to a neck injury, Saquon has seen 15+ touches in all 14 games and 20+ touches in 10 of 14. He's currently the RB5 in PPG for both half and full PPR, even including Wk 14, per @MarkDank.

Tony Pollard was a DNP for the 2nd straight day, making him questionable to play in Thursday's game against the Titans. On a short week with the playoffs locked up it is a real possibility Pollard misses the game or plays in a limited fashion making him a risky play for championship week.

This makes Malik Davis is worth an add, as the Cowboys 3rd-stringer came from Florida, where he was good enough to command targets playing alongside Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney, & Dameon Pierce.

• James Conner's usage makes him a league winner. Over the past 3 weeks he's seen 96% of backfield opportunities, played 94% of snaps and ran 88% of backfield routes for the Cardinals. Peak CMC 2019 usage...

• Alvin Kamara has not been the elite RB we were promised, largely due to the decline of his third down involvement (from 81% to 63% this year) and only scoring 4 TDs all season. We could see more positive regression this week.

• Tyler Allgeier could be the future. He had the third highest RB usage last week and out-snapped Patterson 18-8. Since Week 10 (min 20 carries), Allgeier ranks 3rd among RBs in yards after contact per attempt and 2nd in PFF's elusive rating. 

Cam Akers is everyone's consolation bracket league winner. 

WIDE RECEIVERS

Breaking Records

Justin Jefferson broke Randy Moss's single season record for receiving yards set by a Vikings player. JJ is 208 yards away from breaking the NFL single season receiving yardage record set by Calvin Johnson (in only 16 games). Vikings will do their best to make sure he breaks this record. Does Justin Jefferson deserve MVP consideration?

• Keenan Allen saw 14 targets, catching 11 passes for 104 yards and was inches away from a TD (he stepped out of bounds). He's a WR1 for the Chargers and your fantasy team (and saw 10 more targets than Mike Williams).

• Jerry Jeudy is one of the only productive Broncos players, with 70+ yards and 6+ catches in three straight. Jeudy is averaging 17 PPR FPPG (would rank WR10 on the season) whenever he plays over 60% of snaps.

• In weeks with rookie QB Desmond Ridder, Drake London has 20 targets, 14 receptions and 166 yards. Ridder has made London relevant to end the season. Shame Kyle Pitts never had a shot.

Remember when Eagles had no WRs? Now they have two. Last week, DeVonta Smith took the WR1 role, leading the team in catches (8) and yards (113). Consider Smith and AJ Brown elite plays in Week 17 as they try and clinch the 1 seed against the Saints. Smith and Brown are also the first ever Eagles WRs to both have 1,000 yards in a season.

TIGHT END

Domination

After complaining all year how bad the TE position has been, we had four TEs go over 20 PPR points last week. 

• TJ Hockenson finally had the breakout game owners prayed for since his trade to the Vikings. Hock went for 109 yards on 13 catches and 2 TDs, leading all players in scoring in Week 16 (35+). He's been a must-start.

• George Kittle is in fantasy playoff MVP consideration after scoring 2 TDs in both of his last two games. The 213 yards he's amassed doesn't hurt, either. Clearly Brock Purdy's go-to, we're firing up Kittle everywhere we can.

• Tyler Higbee led the Rams last week in targets (11), receptions (9), and receiving yards (94). He also found the end-zone twice, and now has 3 TDs in 3 games with Mayfield.

• Shane Zylstra scored 3 TDs last week. Don't buy the hype. He saw just 44% of the snaps and only had 26 yards. If he scores another 3 TDs we'll buy you all lottery tickets.

Travis Kelce hasn't scored a TD in 4 straight weeks but kept owners alive with yardage, ranking 7th in the NFL in receiving yards on the year. He's still TE1 by a considerable margin and positive regression is coming. 

DEEP DIVES

Hopefully you won't have to use this column on championship week but with injuries starting to pile up, it may be inevitable. This week's players, available in almost every league, worth grabbing:

• Jordan Akins (0.8%): Atkins has averaged 4.4 targets per game and scored 2 TDs over the past five weeks. He leads the Texans in TDs (3) and is 2nd on the team in red-zone targets (9).

• Trenton Irwin (0.1%): Irwin caught 3 passes for 45 yards with 2 TDs, and continues to produce when given an opportunity. If Tyler Boyd sits, Irwin becomes worth consideration.

• Khalil Shakir, BUF — Flashed earlier this year and passed Isaiah McKenzie again in Week 16. Shakir would have Half/Full-PPR value if he’s the locked-in slot option.

Also, more people should be talking about Rob Gronkowski. Not for this year, but Gronk has left the door open for a return next year. Video shows Gronk discussing the potential return to the NFL next year. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUICK SLANTS

• [Michael Thomas reposted this rumor on his IG Story] “As the coaching carousel prepares to spin, there's increasing chatter in league circles about Sean Payton returning to the Saints -- possibly with Tom Brady at QB.”

• Antonio Gibson has a "sprain" that will be monitored throughout the week. The report was vague but expect Brian Robinson to continue to get a heavy workload.

• JJ Watt indirectly announced his retirement in a tweet stating he has played his last home game of his career. One of the best to ever do it - congrats JJ on a hall of fame career!

Thanks for joining us this morning - we've got no Saturday games this weekend, so we'll see you Sunday morning.

Jake Eddie, Matt 

Tweet of the Day

What were your greatest screw ups this year and lessons learned? Great reddit thread. Two gems: