Fantasy Football Week 12 Thanksgiving Special Start/Sit: Amari Cooper, Jordan Reed
Start
Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins
Washington tight end Jordan Reed caught seven passes for a season-high 71 yards and his first touchdown since Week 1 last week against the Texans. Thanksgiving Day, Reed gets a heaping helping of the Cowboys’ stingy defense. But with what little chemistry we saw between he and replacement quarterback Colt McCoy in Week 11, and given that Washington’s receiving corps leaves much to be desired, I like Reed as a decent floor play for the volume he’ll receive come Thursday.
Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Amari Cooper’s fantasy owners shouldn’t let the prospect of shadow coverage from Washington cornerback Josh Norman intimidate them, Norman hasn’t been the matchup nightmare he has been in seasons past. Odell Beckham, Julio Jones, Davante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins have all had good fantasy days against Norman and Washington’s secondary. Cooper is in line to do the same Thursday with Washington giving up nearly 85 yards per game against opposing teams’ No. 1 receivers this season according to Football Outsiders. That mark is well above the league average of about 70 yards per contest.
Sit
Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears
The last time Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson played against the Lions, he went off for 133 yards and two scores on six catches. Don’t expect history to repeat itself Thursday. Two big changes will drastically impact Robinson’s performance on turkey day. The first is that when the Lions and Bears met a couple weeks ago, Detroit’s top cornerback Darius Slay was out with a knee injury. He’ll be on the field Thursday. Also, Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky is expected to be out with a shoulder injury. Enter backup Chase Daniel. A new quarterback brings new questions as to how efficiently the offense will run. I’m betting that the inclusion of both Slay and Daniel to the equation will result in a more bust than boom performance from Robinson Thursday.
Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons
The Saints have been a nightmare for opposing tight ends. New Orleans has allowed just one score to the position all season and surrender just 39 yards a contest to enemy tight ends per Football Outsiders. That average ranks fifth in the NFL. Consider that Zach Ertz ran into a buzz saw last week against New Orleans after catching 14 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns a couple weeks ago against Dallas. Hooper will be nigh nonexistent on Thanksgiving.





