Heading into Week 13, two key contributors for both the Denver Broncos and fantasy teams, Jerry Jeudy and Phillip Lindsay, head into Week 13 with “questionable” tags. So what will Jerry Jeudy’s fantasy football outlook be? What can we expect from Phillip Lindsay in fantasy? Let’s take a further look.
Update Sunday, December 6: The Denver Broncos have officially activated both Jeudy and Lindsay for tonight’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Are Phillip Lindsay and Jerry Jeudy going to play in Week 13?
After suffering a knee injury in Week 12, there was concern about Lindsay potentially missing the rest of the season. Those concerns proved to be premature as Lindsay ended up only missing one day of practice. By the end of the week, he was a full participant, which is a great sign. While he is listed as “questionable” going into Sunday, he is trending in the right direction and should be expected to suit up against the Chiefs. Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport reported that Lindsay is expected to be active.
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Jeudy also appears to be heading towards playing Sunday night alongside his teammates after practicing all week before even getting in a full day of practice on Friday. Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport reported that Jeudy is expected to be active. He has taken on a big role in his first season in the NFL and should be out there leading the wide receiver group for the Broncos. In a tough matchup against the Chiefs (and in the last week of the fantasy football regular season for most), many people will need Jerry Jeudy to step up.
What is Jerry Jeudy’s fantasy outlook for Week 13?
Trending upward going into Week 13
Prior to Week 12’s all-around disaster of an offensive showing, Jeudy had been playing well and was on the upswing. He had seen at least eight targets in each of his previous four games. Jeudy had at least four receptions and 68 yards in three of those four games, including seven receptions, 125 yards, and a touchdown against the Falcons in Week 9. Jerry Jeudy has been clearly operating as the team’s number one wide receiver, and fantasy football owners should expect to see more of that this weekend.
Looking at the first matchup between Broncos and Chiefs
Jeudy and the Broncos are expected to be vastly overmatched by the high-powered Chiefs’ offense. This could lead to the Broncos being forced to adopt a pass-heavy gameplan. Lock has attempted at least 40 passes in four of his last five games. That is including the Broncos’ first matchup against the Chiefs in Week 7. While Jeudy only reeled in two receptions for 20 yards on four targets in that game, he has taken on a bigger role since. The Chiefs have also been giving up fantasy points to opposing teams’ top wide receivers as of late, sparking some hope for Jerry Jeudy’s fantasy outlook in Week 13.
How have the Chiefs done in fantasy football against opposing wide receivers?
Over the last three games, the Chiefs have given up 50 or more receiving yards to five different opposing wide receivers. That also includes four receiving touchdowns and at least six receptions on four separate occasions. The Chiefs have also given up at least 24 points in each of their last three games. The Broncos have scored 20 or more points in three of their previous four games (excluding Week 12). So we can expect to see the Broncos put up some points in their Week 13 matchup. Overall, it is fair to call Jerry Jeudy a mid-tier WR3/FLEX fantasy football play for Week 13.
What is Phillip Lindsay’s fantasy outlook for Week 13?
What has the split been like between Lindsay and Melvin Gordon?
While Jerry Jeudy and Phillip Lindsay are both expected to be active for fantasy teams in Week 13, Lindsay has less certainty around his status. After suffering an injury in Week 12, the Broncos could sit Lindsay out with Melvin Gordon seeing more work recently. Gordon has at least 11 carries in each of the last three games. Lindsay has only cleared double-digit carries once in his previous six games.
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Gordon has been more productive from a yards per carry perspective as he has cleared 3.0 yards per carry in three of his last four games. Phillip Lindsay has only done that once over the same span, disappointing his hopeful fantasy football managers.
How did the duo fare against the Chiefs earlier this season?
Both Lindsay and Gordon had success in their first matchup with the Chiefs. Both had 60 or more rushing yards and 4.0 yards-per-carry or better. Gordon had nearly twice as many carries (17 to nine) and the only rushing touchdown. However, Lindsay managed to outgain him (79 to 68) despite eight fewer carries.
The Chiefs have given up at least 50 yards and a touchdown to an opposing running back in three straight games. One thing that will be working against both of them is a negative game script in a high-scoring game. However, that is music to the ears of fantasy teams containing Jerry Jeudy.
Expectations for Week 13
Neither Melvin Gordon nor Phillip Lindsay has a reception in each of the last three games. This has limited their fantasy football value, especially in PPR formats. Gordon appears to be the favorite of the two for more work considering his usage as of late.
If Lindsay does end up suiting up, it’ll be hard to see him getting more than 10-12 offensive touches. That’s including his little work in the passing game. On top of that, Lindsay will probably be ceding most (if any) goal-line work to Gordon. He’ll be the safer as a low-end RB2, while Lindsay is likely to be more of a mid-RB3/FLEX.
Overall, both Phillip Lindsay and Jerry Jeudy make for solid floor fantasy football plays in Week 13.
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Doug Moore is a fantasy football writer for Pro Football Network. Follow him on Twitter at @DMooreNFL.