Each week during the 2022 NFL season, Field Yates will help fantasy football managers by providing the precise intel needed on the most important, fantasy-relevant storylines. Field's Rolodex is vast; he'll dial up whomever he needs. This is the Field Pass.
The New York Jets handed the keys to their offense over to Mike White in Week 12, a move that felt necessary after Zach Wilson's lackluster Week 11 effort, followed by a lack of accountability after the game.
White performed extremely well in Week 12, albeit against a depleted Bears defense, and it sure seems like he'll maintain this job going forward. The praise he has received is truly well earned, and I'm excited to see how he performs in successive weeks.
For fantasy football purposes, the most important development from Sunday was that Garrett Wilson had yet another massive day in a game that was not started by Zach Wilson, as he snatched five catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Garrett Wilson has now played seven games this season with Zach Wilson as the starter, posting a total of 26 catches for 316 yards and no touchdowns.
In four games with Joe Flacco or White as the starter, Garrett Wilson has 23 catches for 309 yards and four touchdowns.
There is some nuance to the stark difference in production that can be noted (the final four teams Zach Wilson started against were the Broncos, Bills and Patriots twice -- all excellent defenses), but the bottom line is that the offense has operated at a much fantasy-friendlier level with Zach Wilson off the field this season.
For Garrett Wilson, this means the chance to earn lineup lock status going forward with his combination of abundant talent and opportunity.
The Jets' schedule also lightens up, as here is where their remaining opponents rank in fantasy points per game allowed to opposing wide receivers:
Vikings: 28th
Bills: 25th
Lions: 30th
Jaguars: 19th
Seahawks: 8th
Dolphins: 20th
A ripe opportunity awaits, as Wilson is my WR20 for this week.
Here's more of what's on the mind in our Week 13 Field Pass.
Deshaun Watson makes season debut
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is set to make his Cleveland debut this Sunday against the Texans after serving an 11-game suspension.
Watson's debut will be against his former team and take place 700 days from the last time he was on the field for an NFL regular-season game. For his career, Watson has averaged 22.1 fantasy points per game, trailing only Patrick Mahomes among all quarterbacks since the start of 2017.
Watson immediately cracks the top 10 for quarterbacks in Week 13, a spot I expect him to rank in most, if not all, weeks going forward. Teammate Amari Cooper has already been among the best wideouts in fantasy this season with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback (he's WR8 for the season), but his floor and ceiling immediately spike, as we expect the passing offense to be more prolific. Cooper is my WR11 in Week 13. Teammate Donovan Peoples-Jones, who has at least 11 fantasy points in five of his past six games, is a stronger flex consideration now, and tight end David Njoku is that much more valuable of an option at a position where very few can be counted on. He's my TE5 for the week.
Surging Chris Godwin
Thinking back to the preseason, there were elements of uncertainty surrounding Chris Godwin as he worked his way back from an ACL tear in December 2021. Those who were hesitant on Godwin might have felt vindicated when he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1, as his body was perhaps not quite ready to go, and he would then be out for the next two weeks.
Those who were more bullish on Godwin's value are getting the last laugh, as he has looked like his old self since returning in Week 4. During that stretch, Godwin has posted 7.1 catches per game on 10.4 targets per game, both tied for fifth in the entire league since that time. Specifically, those numbers are tied for fifth with Stefon Diggs, one of the scariest players to face in any given week.
And while that volume production has been excellent for a prolonged period, there has been a recent turn that is especially encouraging for Godwin: He has finally found the end zone! Godwin has scored a touchdown in each of the Bucs' past two games, resulting in a finish of WR13 back in Week 10 and WR2 in Week 12. While he has never been the dominant touchdown-maker that teammate Mike Evans has, and the Bucs' touchdown production has dropped considerably this season, Godwin's absence from the end zone was downright unexpected and unlucky.
If we suspect that Godwin will finish the season with normal fortune in terms of touchdowns (i.e., not scoring every week, but also not ignoring the end zone), we'll look back at his preseason ADP of WR25 as one of the better values at the position.
Dameon Pierce's dip
Rookie running back Dameon Pierce has been the brightest spot on the entire Texans roster this season, as he is a top-10 rusher and looks like a building block for their offense going forward.
The past two weeks have been humbling for the Texans, however, as a team that was playing scrappy early in the season is now finding itself on the wrong side of blowouts. In back-to-back weeks, the Texans have fallen behind by a cumulative 50-0 score at halftime to the Commanders and Dolphins, in part because of a defensive touchdown allowed in each game. They're just outmanned right now, and it has severely limited Pierce's production.
Week 11: 10 carries for 8 yards; 2 catches for 7 yards on 3 targets (3.7 fantasy points, RB45)
Week 12: 5 carries for 8 yards; 3 catches for 8 yards on 6 targets (4.7 fantasy points, RB49)
These past two weeks have basically been the blueprint for the fear of a running back in this type of offense: Attempts are limited by negative game script, efficiency is limited by teams keying on Pierce when he does run (Pierce has just 0.27 yards before contact per rush during this two-game stretch) and the passing game usage is not robust enough to offset the other factors.
My fear for Pierce is that the Texans now face the Browns with Deshaun Watson, the Cowboys and the Chiefs over the next three weeks, all teams fully capable of building a massive lead early and sustaining it.
Is that enough to kick Pierce out of lineups? It is not, as he's talented enough to overcome some of the circumstances around him at times. But the days of Pierce profiling as a top-10 weekly play are gone for now, as he's my RB18 on the week.
Can you still start D'Andre Swift?
There are a variety of factors that contribute to a running back's fantasy value, but here are a few core tenets that can boost the profile:
1. Natural ability
2. Volume of overall snaps, rushing attempts, catches/targets
3. Presence of other backs on the roster
4. Goal line opportunities
5. Health/availability
When it comes to evaluating Lions running back D'Andre Swift, there is no doubt he has the ability. Star potential. He's really good.
But since returning from a shoulder injury earlier this season, here is Swift's weekly usage:
Week 8: 5 rushes, 6 yards; 5 catches on 5 targets, 27 yards, 1 TD (14.3 points)
Week 9: 2 rushes, 10 yards; 3 catches on 4 targets, 40 yards (8.0 points)
Week 10: 6 rushes, 6 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch on 3 targets, 6 yards (8.2 points)
Week 11: 5 rushes, 20 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches on 3 targets, 12 yards (12.2 points)
Week 12: 5 rushes, 19 yards; 4 catches on 8 targets, 24 yards (10.3 points)
Doing some math on that stretch, Swift is averaging fewer than eight touches per game since his return and has reached 50 yards of total offense just once.
Looking back at those core tenets that can equate to fantasy value, Swift is falling short in a few categories:
• Swift has played just 28% of the snaps since his return, 50 snaps fewer than Jamaal Williams and the same as fellow back Justin Jackson
• Williams has emerged as the best goal-line runner of the 2022 regular season, as he leads the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns. He has 27 goal-to-go opportunities this season, nine more than any other player. Swift is getting minimal goal-line work, reducing his touchdown upside.
• While Swift has continued to play, he has also continued to be listed on the injury report because of shoulder and ankle injuries. It's clear he's battling through pain right now.
So, what's the net impact of all this as it pertains to Swift's fantasy value? He has fallen behind Williams as the most valuable weekly play out of the Lions' backfield and is better categorized as a low-end flex play who needs that target share to be closer to six per game than it is three in order to pay off.
I'm bullish on Swift long term as one of the most talented young backs in the league, but his value for the rest of this season has dipped dramatically since the start of the season. He's my RB29 for this week.