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Week 13 serves up a packed plate of football, and the fun begins with a Thanksgiving tripleheader! So, who are the players to watch for this Turkey Day? See who is expected to feast in each Thanksgiving matchup.
Dan Campbell’s grit is apparent in his RB room. Over the last two seasons, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have combined for a league-high 2,252 rushing yards after contact while each breaking 97 tackles, per Next Gen Stats. But with the latter nursing a shoulder injury during a short week, Gibbs could carry an heavier workload against the Bears, especially in the red zone.
In two career games against Chicago, “Sonic” has averaged 5.4 yards per carry and tacked on a pair of touchdowns. The Bears also allowed 127.5 rushing yards per game despite the Lions only running on 37.7% of plays in those two meetings. This season doesn’t appear any more promising for Chicago. Detroit rushers have been contacted behind the line of scrimmage on designed runs at the league’s third-lowest rate (35.8%) while generating a 47.4% rushing success rate on such plays, second-best in the NFL this season. Chicago, meanwhile, has contacted opposing rushers behind the LOS on just 35.1% of designed runs this season, the league’s third-lowest mark. Add in Gibbs’ propensity for catching passes out of the backfield and the Bears have their paws full.
The Lions, who rank first in points per game (32.7) and points differential (+177), are looking to extend a historic stretch, becoming the first NFL team to ever score a rushing touchdown in 25 consecutive games, including playoffs. Behind a stellar offensive line, look for Gibbs to gobble up another rushing score on Thanksgiving. (Check out this All-22 playlist of Gibbs’ runs in his last meeting with Chicago.)
Fantasy Outlook (from NFL.com's Matt Okada)
Gibbs has been a fantasy stud all season, finishing as an RB1 or RB2 every single week and scoring 19+ fantasy points in four of his last six games. And while the Bears appear to be a middling matchup for the position, they have allowed the most receiving yards per game (59.0) and the second-most receiving touchdowns (7) to running backs this season. Gibbs could add a receiving breakout on top of his already elite ground game and be a top-tier fantasy back once again.
Malik Nabers has dominated headlines but another Big Blue rookie is quietly amassing a fantastic season. Tyrone Tracy Jr. earned the starting RB job in Week 5 and hasn’t looked back. New York’s new RB has averaged the second-most yards per carry (5.5) on carries directed between the tackles, per Next Gen Stats. How does that stack up against his Week 13 opponent? The Cowboys, who rank No. 31 overall in rush defense, have allowed a 46.4% rushing success rate on carries directed between the tackles, the NFL’s sixth-highest rate.
Tracy has averaged 5.1 expected yards per carry this season, the most among 37 running backs with at least 75 carries, while forcing missed tackles on 22.1% of his carries since Week 6. The Giants have also gotten their running backs involved in the passing game as New York’s rushers have gained 164 yards on screen routes this season, the second-most in the NFL. That could be a crucial part of Brian Daboll’s game plan.
America’s Team, meanwhile, has crumbled at home. In Arlington, the Cowboys are 0-5 and hold a -118 point differential. Big Blue holds key advantages over Dallas in 11 of NFL Pro’s 12 rushing categories -- and Tracy has phased out all other members of the Giants’ RB stable. If New York win on Thanksgiving, Tracy should be a big reason why. (Check out this All-22 playlist of Tracy’s success running between the tackles.)
Fantasy Outlook (from NFL.com's Matt Okada)
Tracy has been a revelation for the otherwise struggling Giants offense -- his 79.7 rushing yards per game since becoming the starter in Week 5 ranks ninth in the NFL. But more importantly, the Cowboys are a disaster. Prior to last week (when the Commanders lost both their top backs mid-game), Dallas had surrendered 100+ rushing yards to the position in five straight games and given up seven touchdowns in that same span. Tracy is a rare bell-cow back in a great matchup: he’ll be an RB1 again on Thanksgiving.
With sub-30 degree weather and possible snow showers on the menu, Tua Tagovailoa steps into a frigid scene at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night. But Tagovailoa enters on a heater of his own, having completed 76.5% of his attempts while owning an 11:1 passing touchdown to interception ratio over his past five games. Tagovailoa has led Miami to three straight wins and was just named Week 12’s AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Tagovailoa will need to get the ball out quick against a formidable Packers’ defensive line -- but he has been doing that all season. Tagovailoa has averaged 2.41 seconds time to throw this season, the quickest in the NFL. That follows a 2023 campaign in which Tagovailoa threw for a Next Gen Stats era record 2,791 yards on quick passes. On the flip side, the Packers have allowed 7.3 yard per attempt to quick passes, the most in the league this season.
Mike McDaniel’s game plan for Tagovailoa is simple: play point guard and distribute the ball to playmakers in space. The Dolphins QB has attempted a pass behind the LOS on a league-high 30.6% of his passes this season, 6.7% up from his previous career-high last season. With Tyreek Hill always a deep threat, Tagovailoa could catch Green Bay sleeping after setting up the short game. Tagovailoa and Co. should bring the lightning on a chilly night at Lambeau Field. (Check out this All-22 playlist of Tagovailoa’s efficiency on quick passes this season.)
Fantasy Outlook (from NFL.com's Matt Okada)
There’s a pretty high (cold) hill for Tagovailoa to climb in this matchup at Lambeau Field, but as one of November’s hottest quarterbacks, he might be up to the challenge. Tagovailoa has scored 52 fantasy points over the last two weeks (most among quarterbacks) on the back of 605 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He’ll likely need to get the ball out quick against the Packers front, but with a YAC quartet of De'Von Achane, Hill, Jonnu Smith and Jaylen Waddle, that could be a recipe for fantasy success even in a tough environment.