NFL Nation Fantasy Fallout: Add Jayden Reed? Concern for Chase?

After a long week of NFL games over the Thanksgiving holiday, we are getting ever so close to the fantasy football playoffs, but there’s still time to make adjustments to lineups to secure a spot or improve positioning.

Each Tuesday during the season, ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Moody will ask NFL Nation reporters what to make of the fallout after games are played and the most pressing questions heading into the next weekend. Who is primed for a big performance, who is impacted by injuries and what roles might change? Here’s what our crew had to say about some of the biggest storylines after Week 12 as we head into Week 13.

Will the Packers continue to find ways to get touches for Jayden Reed, including in the run game?

It’s clear he has earned more opportunities. He’s perhaps their most dynamic offensive player outside of Aaron Jones, and Jones is still dealing with that knee injury. Even if Jones is back, the Packers’ history tells us that they won’t immediately turn him loose and will limit his reps. Reed seems to be able to handle whatever the coaches throw at him, whether it’s in the running game or the passing game. — Rob Demovsky

Eight of Jake Browning‘s 19 completions went to tight ends Sunday vs. Pittsburgh. What does that mean for Ja’Marr Chase‘s fantasy value the rest of the way?

It could be a sign of things to come. If defenses continue to take Chase away in the passing game, look for Browning to find the best option, much like Joe Burrow did when he was healthy. Browning’s interception occurred when he tried to find Chase on the sideline but was picked off by a lurking defender. Chase still has plenty of big-play potential, but his usage should be monitored. — Ben Baby

Pat Freiermuth had a career-high nine catches in the first game after the Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Do you expect this level of involvement to continue?

If defenses keep giving the Steelers two-high looks as the Bengals did on Sunday, they certainly will. Freiermuth had the best game of his career against the Bengals, and while part of it was Cincinnati’s defense, it’s also notable that Kenny Pickett was effective targeting the middle of the field — something he hadn’t done so far this season. Entering Sunday’s win against the Bengals, the Steelers targeted tight ends just 4.8 times per game, good for 28th in the league. But a big piece of that was Freiermuth being sidelined with a lingering hamstring injury. He might not have 100-yard games every week, but he should be more involved than he was the first half of the season. — Brooke Pryor

Bijan Robinson had his best statistical day as a pro, but he split backfield touches with Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson. Any reason for concern?

No. No reason for concern. Robinson still had 22 potential touches (16 carries, 6 targets), continues to lead the Falcons in touches (173) and is No. 12 in the league in yards from scrimmage (943). Plus, Falcons coach Arthur Smith has said Robinson will be a “huge part of the game plan” going forward. The big issue with Robinson was red zone work — and the Falcons played Robinson on all four red zone snaps against New Orleans. Atlanta will likely have enough work for Robinson, Allgeier and Patterson, but even if they don’t, the Falcons will continue to have a lot of Robinson in their offense. — Michael Rothstein

Is Javonte Williams trending toward a three-down role for the Broncos after playing 70% of the offensive snaps against the Browns?

Tread carefully. The Broncos have run the ball at least 38 times in three of their past four games, and they are far more composed and productive on offense when they do that. But coach Sean Payton hasn’t always been that patient with it in real time, so five-game win streak or not, it’s still unclear whether he’s willing to lean that hard on the run game moving forward. And Samaje Perine, who had 55 yards and a touchdown against the Browns on Sunday, continues to carve out a little more space in the offense each passing week. Williams will be RB1, but Perine has been a reliable receiver and is their best back in pass protection, so he will not be moved out of some personnel groupings. He has averaged 4.8 yards per carry, and the Broncos like the combination of his physicality, paired with Williams’, when they do get into pound-the-rock mode. — Jeff Legwold

Should we be concerned about Dalton Schultz splitting offensive snaps and routes run with other tight ends against the Jaguars?

No, we should not be concerned. Schultz is one of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud‘s favorite targets, as he is third in receptions (40) and targets (61). The Texans want to run the football, and Schultz is the most capable blocking tight end on the team. So you can count on him to consistently get snaps throughout the season even though he split snaps last week. One week isn’t enough to be worried. — DJ Bien-Aime

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