Fantasy Football 2020: Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 12 Thanksgiving Edition
By Kole Berrey
Detroit Lions vs Houston Texans
Start of the Week: Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans
Brandin Cooks has quietly been a solid fantasy option this week, and in the past couple of weeks, Deshaun Watson has been cooking. This Thursday, Houston’s offense is going to be without David Johnson and Randall Cobb, opening the door for Cooks to step in and see an uptick in targets. Anytime you see an increase in targets from an elite quarterback like Watson, you should be in a good position to put up fantasy points.
The Lions defense also isn’t anything to be scared of. They are right in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to the wide receiver positions. Whenever you can pair opportunity with talent, and you aren’t facing an elite defense, then you should be Cooking (see what I did there? A Cooks-related pun on a Thanksgiving article. I’ll be here all week folks.)
Sit of the Week: Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
I am less than thrilled about the prospects of Matthew Stafford at quarterback this week. Maybe if this was a normal game, I would have him in the start category because of how bad the Texans’ defense can be. This is anything but a normal game, however. The Lions are on a short week, and even shorter than usual considering the game is kicking off early in the afternoon.
Not only is the game a quick turnaround for Detroit, but they are also expected to be without D’Andre Swift and Kenny Golladay. Having his top weapons out hurts, and Stafford himself hasn’t been too inspiring even when his guys have been healthy. Stafford has only scored over 20 points three times this season and is coming off of a single-digit performance against the Carolina Panthers.
It not that I think that Stafford will definitely have a bad game. He has a chance to play well because he is a good player with an easy matchup, but there are safer options at the quarterback position. You would be better off with someone like Taysom Hill, who has a rushing baseline you can rely on. Avoid Stafford this week and look for options on the waiver with a higher floor.