Happy Turkey day, fantasy fans. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because of the four “Fs” — family, food and fantasy football. Dallas and Detroit continue their traditions of playing on the holiday. Dallas takes on the undefeated Carolina Panthers and the Lions square off against the Eagles. The night game features a divisional battle between the Bears and Packers.
Without further ado, let’s look at the starts and sits for Thursday’s holiday slate of games.
Start
Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has a favorable matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly allows about 246 passing yards per game which makes them a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of average passing yards. However, they have allowed 20 passing touchdowns on the season which is fourth-most in the league. Stafford has one of the league’s most dangerous weapons in receiver Calvin Johnson. Expect big things out of the duo on Thursday.
Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys
The recovering Dallas Cowboys face their biggest challenge yet as the undefeated Carolina Panthers stroll into town on Thanksgiving Thursday. While quarterback Tony Romo gives the team a potent passing attack, I believe this game will come down to Dallas running the ball effectively. With one of the best offensive lines in football and a rushing attack that ranks 8th in the league, running back Darren McFadden should have a productive day against the Panthers who have allowed rushing or receiving touchdowns to the running back position in six of their last eight games.
Sit
Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears
Running back Matt Forte is officially listed as questionable for Thursday night’s game against Green Bay. He’s been sidelined since Week 8 with a sprained MCL. There are a couple reasons not to like this matchup. For one, Forte has been bad against the Packers historically. According to Pro Football Reference, Forte has just five touchdowns over the span of 14 games against Green Bay and an average of 73 yards per game. Even if Forte does play he’ll probably split carries with rookie running back Jeremy Langford who has performed admirably in his absence.
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys
If you’ve been reading my columns, you know where I’m going. Wide receiver Dez Bryant has been an enormous disappointment this year. Between missing six weeks of the season to a broken foot and having to deal with Matt Cassel at quarterback, Bryant’s 2015 fantasy outing has been far from the top-five production he had last year. This year he doesn’t crack the top 75. Nevertheless, the road gets worse for Bryant as he’ll probably see Carolina’s shutdown corner Josh Norman. T.Y. Hilton, Brandin Cooks, James Jones, Jordan Matthews and Allen Robinson have all fallen victim to Norman. The stud corner probably won’t completely silence Bryant but he’ll limit Dez to a quiet outing
Hugh Johnson: 303-954-1037, hjohnson@denverpost.com or @HughJohnsonDP
Week 12 waiver wire targets:
Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Spencer Ware, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Brock Osweiler, QB, Denver Broncos
Javorius Allen, RB, Baltimore Ravens
