Packers fantasy outlook: Start Packers D/ST again as dreadful Eagles come to town

The Green Bay Packers host the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday and if you hadn’t noticed, the Eagles’ offense is straight up not having a good time.

One could call it a dumpster fire, but it does not look like any facet of Philadelphia’s offense can get hot.

Green Bay, on the other hand, scored five offensive touchdowns against the Bears. It looks like two offenses going in completely opposite directions.

With all that in mind, who should you start? Who should you avoid? We are here to help.

Players are graded on a 1-5 scale of football emojis, from “don’t even think about starting him” (?) to “you’re a fool if you bench this guy”(?????).

Here’s how Week 13 shakes out:

GREEN BAY PACKERS

QB Aaron Rodgers: ?????

Rodgers looked like his typical self against the Chicago Bears with four touchdowns and 211 yards in the Packers 41-25 win. He may not put up quite those statistics against the Eagles, which have allowed just 14 passing touchdowns in 11 games (but have only three interceptions), however he will have a good fantasy day. Start him.

RB Aaron Jones: ????

Jones tallied his second-highest rushing yardage total against the Bears with 90 yards on the ground. He was adequate in his previous three games after returning from his calf injury, accumulating 145 rushing yards and 14 catches for 100 yards in that span. There have not been incredible performances yet from Jones since he has come back, but he has been consistent and that means something.

RB Jamaal Williams: ??

I gave Williams one ball last week and, go figure, he rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown vs. the Bears. Of course, in Green Bay’s two games before that had 71 total yards. There are better backs (or ones that will see more production at least) out there in Week 13, but if you’re in a difficult spot then it would not be surprising if he filled in well in your lineup.

WR Davante Adams: ?????

I know you should start Adams. You know you should start Adams. Adams knows you should start Adams. The Fresno State product leads the NFL with 100.9 receiving yards per game, totaling 908 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. Start Adams.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling/Allen Lazard: ??

Lazard appears to be good to go for Sunday’s game after enduring a big hit against Chicago. He finished with four catches for 23 yards and a touchdown, which is great but does not really inspire trust in him as a starter moving forward. Similarly, Valdes-Scantling did not even register a target against the Bears. Both of these two are capable of having spectacular outings but the consistency is not there.

TE Robert Tonyan: ????

It looks like Tonyan is becoming more and more a part of the Packers offense. He led the team in receiving with five catches for 67 yards and a touchdown in the Bears game and has recorded at least four targets per game in all but three games this season. Plus, Rodgers looks to him as a deep threat which could obviously lead to more fantasy points for Tonyan.

Packers D/ST: ?????

The Eagles’ offense may not be as bad as the Bears’ offense, but it is very close. Philadelphia is averaging 322.8 yards per game, which is 28th in the NFL, and have turned it over 21 times. Fantasy managers were rewarded by starting the Packers D/ST last week and they should do the same this week.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

QB Carson Wentz: ?

Similar to Mitch Trubisky in last week’s game, you should absolutely not start Wentz. In his last four games, he has averaged 195.25 passing yards and has thrown six touchdowns and five interceptions, but a lot of those yards and some of the passing scores have come in garbage times. Sure, he will add some rushing yards and garbage time stats count, but unless you are in a really tough spot then stay away.

RB Miles Sanders: ????

As good as the Packers have been this season, opposing running backs have still had success against them. Bears running back David Montgomery did not make a big impact against the Packers’ 30th-ranked fantasy rush defense, finishing with 11 carries for 103 yards. Rushing lanes are there for Green Bay’s foes and a desperate Philly team that does not have full trust in its quarterback will likely lean on Sanders, who in his own right is having a good year with 600 rushing yards, a 5.6 average (second among running backs) and three touchdowns.

WR Travis Fulgham: ?

Fulgham emerged as the Eagles’ best receiver, but that is not saying much. He leads the team with 467 receiving yards but has just four catches for 32 yards in Philadelphia’s last three games. He will probably be matched up against Jaire Alexander, too, which is just one more reason to keep him on the bench.

TE Dallas Goedert: ???

Goedert’s production has improved the last two weeks, with seven receptions for 75 yards and a TD against the Seahawks and five receptions for 77 yards and a score against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. The Eagles’ offense makes it tough to trust any of their pass-catchers but Goedert is the best receiving threat on the team and is coming on strong.

TE Zach Ertz: ?

Ertz was activated off injured reserve this week after missing five games with an ankle injury. He was limited at Wednesday’s practice and in the six games he did play this season he only had one touchdown with just one game with 50+ yards receiving. If you’re going to start an Eagles tight end, stick with Goedert.

Eagles D/ST: ??

Philadelphia’s defense is not bad, in fact it is one of the better units in the league, ranking in the top 10 in yards allowed. But yards only mean so much for fantasy defenses and when up against a Packers team that has only committed nine turnovers this season (and the Eagles D has only 11 takeaways), it probably won’t have a fantastic fantasy performance. There are also other D/ST groups out there that will play awful offenses, so start one of those instead and keep Philadelphia on the bench for later.