Juicy Week Twelve NFL Matchups
Three NFL matchups to keep your eyes on this week
Jauan Jennings (WR, San Francisco 49ers) vs the Green Bay Packers
Jujuan Jennings is the 49ers WR1 whether you want to admit it or not. He is second on the team in total receptions with 42 (George Kittle has 43), first in receiving yards (588), and second in touchdowns (4). He averages 2.66 yards per route run this season, proving to be dominant and a primary target for Brock Purdy.
Jennings has stepped up with the season-ending injury to Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel’s inability to consistently see the field. In the three games he played 85% of snaps or more, Jennings averaged 9.3 receptions, 119.67 yards, and 1.3 touchdowns per game. In those same three games, he was the WR1, WR16, and WR7. He’s playing like an alpha but gets no hype since he’s on a team full of superstars.
The 49ers come to Green Bay this week to face off against the Packers. Green Bay has been solid against the pass this year, ranking 13th in the league in pass yards allowed per game. They will likely be without their top corner, Jaire Alexander, who currently has a torn PCL. The injury to Alexander is good news for Jennings’ fantasy managers, but it will not be a cakewalk. Safety Xavier McKinney is playing incredibly well in his first season as a Packer, with six interceptions.
The 49ers unfortunately will be without Brock Pury which will almost certainly change their game plan this week. It may be a more run-heavy approach with Christian McCaffery back, but the 49ers must still make it a point to get Jennings the ball often. He has been a bit of a revelation this year and it will be interesting to see how he plays with a quarterback other than Purdy. He is still a must-start fantasy-wise as he has consistently put up alpha numbers when in a featured role.
Chuba Hubbard (RB, Carolina Panthers) vs the Kansas City Chiefs
Chuba Hubbard has been great this year. It seemed that the rushing game would be lackluster until rookie Jonathon Brooks was 100% ready to go, but that has not been the case. The rushing attack has been the only bright spot for the Panthers this season. Chuba is fourth in the league in rushing yards, 11th in total touchdowns among running backs, and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He also has another 124 yards off of 30 receptions.
Chuba has been a steal for fantasy managers this season. He is the RB12 on the season after being drafted as the RB42 on average. Getting a borderline RB1 for the price of a RB4 is insane value. He has finished outside of the top 24 running backs only twice this year, with five weeks finishing inside the top 10. He has had a fairly easy schedule, so this upcoming week against the Kansas City Chiefs will be a good test for him.
Kansas City will be a tough matchup; they boast the third overall run defense in yards allowed this season. To make matters worse for Chuba, Jonathon Brooks is back from injury. Chuba should still be the lead back for the rest of the season, but how many carries will be given to Brooks as he gets eased into the offense? Will Chuba look the part of a solid lead back against a stout defense or will he now be part of a crowded backfield? This is his chance to prove himself worthy of a workhorse role against an elite defense. He can be viewed as a solid RB2 this week, even against a tough Chiefs run defense.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Defense vs the New York Giants
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive rotation hasn’t been a great unit this season. They are 30th in passing yards allowed, 16th in rushing yards allowed, and 30th in total yards allowed. They average 26.6 points given up per game and have a poor red zone defense (57.9% red zone TD rate). To be fair, the Buccaneers have been in several shootouts with good offenses (Atlanta twice, Baltimore, and Kansas City), but they allowed the yardage nonetheless.
Even though they have struggled in the top half of the season, the Buccaneers get a bit of a break in the back half. They have a nice schedule ahead of them. They matchup this week against a New York Giants team who have seemed to throw in the towel. The Giants are 2-8 on the season and have just released Daniel Jones after demoting him to a backup role. Aside from Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy, the G-Men are pretty bare when it comes to playmakers and will struggle to move the ball for the rest of the season.
The Buccaneers should have no problem stopping the Giants offense this week. Malik Nabers is a rising star but every good receiver needs a quarterback to get him the ball, and Tommy DeVito is not a starting-caliber quarterback. The Giants will be playing from behind the majority of the game and will be predictable once the run game is quickly abandoned. The Buccaneers' defense will be a great start this week and for the rest of the season as their only tough matchup left is the Chargers.