Like last weeks Studs and Duds, this list will focus more on players that had stand out performances AND may be available in your league.  I am doing this because going into the Fantasy Football playoffs, it will give you the edge knowing who’s getting hot down the stretch.  However I am going to note the standout performances from players that are probably not available in your league right now.

Julio Jones: 12 catches 253 yards 2 touchdowns and 38.8 fantasy points.  Now this is the Julio that we all expected when drafting our fantasy teams.  This is perfect for those of you who have him on your team because it seems like he’s getting hot right when you need it.

Antonio Brown: 12 catches 169 yards 2 touchdowns and 30.9 fantasy points. Brown has been really good this year with the exception of a few weeks.  But like Julio he is starting to pick it up right around the push for the playoffs.  Or as AB would put it, Business is Boomin!

Alvin Kamara: 11 touches 188 total yards 2 touchdowns and 30.8 fantasy points.  Last week Kamara averaged 17 yards per touch. Yes you read that right.  He was averaging 17 yards every time he touched the ball.  That’s ridiculous.  Kamara deserves offensive rookie of the year without a doubt. The only person who might have beat him out was Deshaun Watson.

Now that I’ve noted a few standout performances that probably won you your matchup in week 12, lets take a look at the guys who played well and are still available in a chunk of fantasy leagues.

Studs

Philip Rivers, QB Los Angeles Chargers: Rivers threw for 434 yards and 3 touchdowns for 28.9 fantasy points on Thanksgiving.  I think the rest of the year Rivers is a top 8 QB solely because of the match ups he has.  They go, vs. Cleveland, vs. Washington, @ Kansas City, @ New York Jets, and then vs. Oakland.  The only matchup that slightly scares me is the game vs. Washington.  If Rivers is available in your league and you are having QB troubles then I recommend starting him the rest of the way.

Rex Burkhead, RB New England Patriots: Burkhead has slowly inched his way into a reliable flex play each week in the New England backfield.  From what I can see the patriots are utilizing him in the red zone more than anything.  After running for and catching a touchdown against Miami I am comfortable playing him solely because of his involvement in one of the leagues best offenses.

Cooper Kupp, WR Los Angeles Rams: With Robert Woods sidelined, Kupp took advantage of his opportunities.  He caught 8 of his 11 targets for 116 yards.  While he didn’t get into the end zone 11 targets on the Rams high powered offense warrants fantasy relevance.  While Woods is off the field Kupp is a WR2 for me going forward.

Ricky Seals-Jones, TE Arizona Cardinals: Seals-Jones has been lighting it up the last two weeks.  The rookie former college WR has racked up 7 catches for 126 yards and 3 touchdowns over the past two games.  He made his way into fantasy relevance really quick and I think he is a starter in 10 team leagues for the rest of the year.

Duds

Marcus Mariota, QB Tennessee Titans:  Mariota has been nothing like what we expected he would be back in the start of the season.  With 7.8 fantasy points in week 12 I recommend looking elsewhere for your fantasy quarterback needs.  Specifically Case Keenum who I mentioned last week or Philip Rivers.

Jay Ajayi, RB Philadelphia Eagles: Ajayi has 14 touches in the two games he has played with the Eagles. The former Miami Dolphin has been doing well with the limited touches he’s been getting.  Although he has made the most of his touches, unless he can get more each game he is a risky play for the rest of the year.

Amari Cooper, WR Oakland Raiders: Cooper exited the game against Denver after recording one catch for 9 yards and a touchdown.  Even when Cooper comes back from his ailment he is no longer a must start in any formats.  His abysmal fantasy performance this year is a result of the Raiders sub par play and I don’t think that changes in the upcoming weeks.

Evan Engram, TE New York Giants: Engram had 3 catches for 18 yards in the Giants loss to Washington.  I don’t know what exactly is going on with Engram, he should be performing better solely from volume.  I think he gets his act together in the upcoming weeks.

Written By: Jon Tetreault ( @jtetreault13 )