It’s Thanksgiving week, which means food, football, and… if you’re in too many dynasty leagues… emotional damage. Between injuries, breakouts, and a few surprise stat lines, Week 12 gave us plenty to feast on.
🚘 Fast Lane Fun Facts
You should probably check out these 6 fun facts I tracked down while grieving my Giants’ 10th loss of the season.
Ashton Jeanty’s yards per carry (YPC) this season: 3.638. The top 4 Raiders rushers last season (Mattison, Abdullah, White, McCormick) averaged collectively 3.632 YPC.
Dynasty Take: This is not the stat the Raiders want to see after spending the sixth overall pick on Jeanty. But context matters. He is PPR RB10 as a rookie in one of the worst offensive environments in the league. He has not lived up to the elite ceiling many expected immediately, but he has absolutely lived up to being a foundational dynasty piece. Jeanty looks like a player who will thrive once the team around him improves (and it can only go up from here). Hypothetically, I would move the 2026 1.02 for him without hesitation. The 1.01 is where things get interesting.
Trey McBride is on track to outscore Brock Bowers’s 2024 season point total… by about 50 PPR points. He’d finish just 5 points short of Travis Kelce’s best 17 game season point total.
Dynasty Take: McBride has been on another planet all season, and he has somehow leveled up since Kyler’s injury. Over the six-game stretch without Murray, McBride is averaging an absurd 23.2 PPG. He is three years older than Bowers, but there is a very real argument he should be valued higher in dynasty right now. KeepTradeCut does not agree. McBride managers will be glued to the offseason quarterback news in Arizona. That’s for sure.
Wan’Dale Robinson is averaging more PPR PPG (13.6) than Devonta Smith (13.5), Rome Odunze (13), Tee Higgins (12.9), and Ladd McConkey (12.9).
Dynasty Take: Wan’Dale is one of my favorite players in the NFL (I also happen to be a Giants fan). Last year, he commanded the 13th most receptions of all pass catchers in the NFL, but finished just 51st in the league in receiving yards (699). That is not good. But the guy is tough… and with added opportunities due to Malik Nabers's injury, he’s really impressed. And, he’s already exceeded last year’s yardage total (now with 794) in 5 fewer games and with 27 fewer receptions. I think he can be a pretty solid asset going forward with a full-strength Giants team. But I do worry the Giants could spend one of their top picks at the WR position in the draft. He will be a free agent, though, and I’d easily burn a second rounder to buy him, regardless.
George Pickens is the WR2 on the season…since CeeDee Lamb’s return, Pickens is averaging 19.98 PPR PPG (5 games).
Dynasty Take: Pickens is skyrocketing up dynasty boards, and it feels fully earned. He looks like a true alpha and is going to get paid like one. Whether the next big contract comes from Dallas or another team, he is going to be treated as a WR1. At this point, it is no longer outrageous to consider him on equal footing with CeeDee in this Dallas offense until something changes. He is still valued as a mid-to-late 2026 first on KTC, and I would pay that easily. This is not buying hype… he just looks so good whenever I watch him play.
Shedeur Sanders is the first Browns rookie QB to win their debut since 1995.
Dynasty Take: Shedeur has already been named the starter despite Dillon Gabriel clearing concussion protocol. While this will be a fun story to track, and I’ll be rooting for the guy, he will not be the starting QB next season. I’d wait to see if he has a good game and then try to flip him for anything better than a mid 3rd round pick in Superflex.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on track to finish with 2,029 yards on the season… which would be the single-season NFL record.
Dynasty Take: I do not know what more you can say about JSN. He and Sam Darnold have been a perfect match. The production is unreal, the film is incredible, and he is only 23.8 years old. He is now the second-most valuable dynasty asset on KTC behind Josh Allen. I think it is wild he leapfrogged Ja’Marr Chase, but I cannot say I am surprised given the season. The downside is that he is entering the untouchable tier of value. It will be unpopular, but I do think he is slightly overpriced right now.
-- Dynasty Detour Jesse
📝 Traffic Report: Is Odunze… Odonezo?
Let’s get into some of the best and worst performances of Week 12, and what you need to do about them:
Cam Ward, TEN QB - 28/42, 256 YD, 2 TD
The number 1 overall pick nearly doubled his best fantasy outing (previously 13 pts), posting 24 vs a staunch Seattle defense. One of the touchdowns may have come in garbage time, but what else can you expect from the worst team in the league. Ward connected with Dike (pronounced Dee-kay) early and often, and flashed his rushing ability with 37 yards and a score.
Dynasty Takeaway: Finally, owners got a decent game from Cam Ward. On one end, the Titans will continue to trail in every game, leading to positive game scripts. But unfortunately, this team is so devoid of talent it won’t matter. For me, Ward is in the Trevor Lawrence and Bryce Young tier of failed 1st overall picks; although I believe it is too early to deem him a failure.
Rome Odunze, CHI WR - 3/9 REC, 53 YD
After a hot start to the season, Odunze has cooled off… significantly. Since the bye week, he has posted single digits in 5 of 7 games. The 2 good games totaled 39 fantasy points, but the inconsistency has been frustrating to say the least.
Dynasty Takeaway: The breakout may not be as large as we initially thought, but there is still a lot to like from Odunze’s 2025. He’s the clear #1 in Chicago (26 targets ahead of DJ Moore), and is attached to Caleb Williams & Ben Johnson in a pass-happy offense. Odunze remains my dynasty WR14, just ahead of Ladd McConkey. So no, he is not ‘Odonezo’.
Kenneth Gainwell, PIT RB - 10 CAR, 92 YD, 6/6 REC, 30 YD
Kenny G. A once legendary,saxophonist. Now, a stud NFL RB. Maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but damn has he looked good! Gainwell is tied with Metcalf for most receptions on the Steelers, and 6th in all RB targets. He and Jaylin Warren are serving as the Walmart version of Melvin Gordon & Austin Ekeler.
Dynasty Takeaway: While Warren will continue to get the bulk of the carries, Gainwell has carved out a real role for this Pittsburgh offense. He is a solid FLEX option going forward, as his receiving upside is real. In a deeper league, I’m easily giving up a 3rd to acquire his services, even if his value capitulates after this season. Also, if it wasn’t somehow already clear to you, Kaleb Johnson is finished.
🚑️ Injury Report
Joe Burrow is expected to start for the Bengals on Thanksgiving. Welcome back to lineups everywhere, Joe.
Unfortunately, he’ll be without his WR2, as Tee Higgins suffered a concussion.
Alvin Kamara suffered a sprained MCL and could miss time. Expect Devin Neal to lead the way in his absence, but don’t expect much. This offense is a disasterclass.
Baker Mayfield is believed to have suffered a minor shoulder sprain. With an MRI pending, keep an eye on this one. An injury to Baker would significantly hinder all Tampa Bay weapons.
-- Dynasty Detour Tom
Thanks for riding with us, and best of luck in the week ahead. See you on Thursday, Detourists.
We’re officially in the swing of things, so be sure you follow us for all the must see events and reactions of every week. Follow us @dynastydetour on Instagram and X/Twitter to get our reactions and opinions in between write-ups, as well as email us with any questions at [email protected]. See you out on the road 🚘️.
