Saquon Barkley's Historic Night Makes Him Fantasy MVP Leader
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Paramount+
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Paramount+:
What left is there to say about Saquon Barkley?
Josh Jacobs and Bucky Irving went nuts in the afternoon (more on them in the recap piece below), but then Barkley said hold my beer on SNF.
Tush push be damned, Barkley continues to defy logic with monster fantasy outings week after week thanks to plays like this.
He finished last night’s game vs. the Rams with 26 rushes for 255 yards and a pair of long touchdowns. He added 4 receptions for 47 more yards. Barkley’s rushing mark is the 9th-best single-game mark in NFL history.
He leads the league in basically every big rush milestone and shows no signs of slowing down.
On a day where the Giants got completely dismantled, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between Barkley and his former team. He now has more rushing yards than the entire New York Giants. He even has a better yards per rush attempt than the Giants have yards per pass attempt. Let that sink in.
I’m not an “RB for MVP” guy, but let’s not let that get in the way of appreciating what Barkley is doing for fantasy squads this year.
All I can say is thank the Lord for DFS so I can atone for my sins of not drafting enough of him in season-long.
Read on for a full recap of Week 12, including a deeper dive into the Giants’ woes …
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What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Pete’s Week 12 recap: Better late than never
- Watercooler: Injury watch
Week 12 Fantasy Football Takeaways
by Pete Overzet
It's time for Pete's Pick 6—a weekly recap column where I round up all of the best fantasy action from Sunday's games and spotlight the biggest winners and losers.
Let's dig in …
⌛️ Better late than never?!
Fantasy is a cruel game.
You spend all season waiting for Justin Jefferson to produce a monster outing only to watch Jordan Addison be the Vikings’ WR who goes nuclear (8-162-1) in Week 12 vs. the Bears.
Or you've already been eliminated from the playoffs with a 2-9 record only to watch your Round 3 pick, Jaylen Waddle, turn in back-to-back monster games, including 8-144-1 in yesterday's game vs. the Patriots.
I recommend heading to your league message board and firing off a missive along these lines:
NEVER WRONG, JUST EARLY. SEE YOU IN '25.
Or if you don't have one of those and are still looking for catharsis, try screaming this into your pillow:
I WAS DIRECTIONALLY ACCURATE. TRUST THE PROCESS.
Don't ask how I know about these coping mechanisms. It's purely hypothetical.
👰 Always the McBridesmaid
It's hard to be mad about Trey McBride's fantasy day vs. the Seahawks. He performed objectively well:
- 12 receptions
- 133 yards
- 25.3 fantasy points
Buuuuuut, permission to be a little greedy?
0 TDs
Can we please for the love of God get this guy a receiving TD? He has zero on the year.
On their final red-zone possession, I watched Kyler Murray not see him wide open in the end zone on one play and then sail a ball over his head on the next play.
At this point, it feels like an inside joke that the fantasy community hasn't been let in on.
I hate to stoop to empty threats, but I've been left with no choice:
GIVE MCBRIDE A TD OR ELSE.
A late-season rookie breakout
If you've watched any Bucs football this year (or read the Utilization Report), it was obvious that Bucky Irving was a powder keg waiting to explode down the stretch.
It's been a slow burn, though, and justifiably so—Rachaad White is very good in passing situations and Sean Tucker has earned a piece of the pie. But Liam Coen and Co. came out of the bye with a clear intention to feature Bucky and he did not disappoint:
- 18 touches
- 151 total yards
- Outsnapped White for the first time
- 7.2 yards per carry
- 6 missed tackles forced
- 1 TD
- 27.1 PPR points
What's really crazy is that his day could have been even bigger, although I'll let Ian save that specific tilt for the Sheesh Report.
With Mike Evans back in the fold, I'm expecting a big finish for this Bucs squad down the homestretch. Irving is going to deliver some fantasy 'ships. Enjoy the ride.
RELATED CONTENT:
- Ian and Dwain provide an instant fantasy football recap of the action from Week 12.
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AROUND THE WATERCOOLER
The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:
🤝 Week 12 isn’t over yet. Showdown DFS projections for Monday Night Football.
🚑️ Key Week 12 injuries to monitor. Some key names to watch on a short week.
💪 Sonic and Knuckles. Dumb nickname, great fantasy duo.
👀 Looking ahead … three spots to target in Week 13.
🔮 2025 NFL Draft order. Bad teams stay bad, eh.
☄️ An impressive streak. Who is stopping them?
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