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‘Twas the night after Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas Foles soon would be there. Monday Night Football is here as the Indianapolis Colts host the Los Angeles Chargers at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts announced this week that for the third time this season they will be making a quarterback change, benching Matt Ryan again and turning to veteran Nick Foles in hopes of sparking the offense and upsetting the Chargers, who are looking to clinch their first playoff berth since 2018 with a win. Let’s dig into which players you need to target to get the most out of your DFS lineup and cap off the holiday season with some cash!
Showdown Captain: Keenan Allen
Allen is Herbert’s favorite target, having seen seven or more targets in 5 straight games. While the Colts began the season as one of the best units versus wide receivers, they have shown holes in the last two weeks, allowing 3+ touchdowns and 36+ fantasy points to wide receivers in each game. Herbert has attempted at least 42 passes in his last four games, which should give Allen plenty of opportunities in this game with Mike Williams likely to be shadowed by Stephon Gilmore. Allen runs 56% of his routes out of the slot, where the Colts have announced that their primary slot corner, Kenny Moore, will be out for this game. Everything adds up for Allen to have a field day versus the Colts.
Flex Option: Michael Pittman
Pittman has been a focal point for the Colts offense when they are going right, seeing 11+ targets in two of his last three games. Foles taking over at quarterback should not play a factor for Pittman, as Foles is a veteran quarterback with plenty of experience. The matchup is solid against a Chargers defense who has struggled recently against their opponent’s WR1, including Tyreek Hill (4 catches, 10 targets, 81 yards, 1 touchdown), Davante Adams (8-12-177-2), and DeAndre Hopkins (4-6-87-1). Foles competency should be enough to keep Pittman fantasy relevant.
Flex Option: Zack Moss
The Colts’ backfield is a bit of a question mark, but it appears as though Moss took a step forward as the early-down back last week with Jonathan Taylor out for the season. Moss saw 63% of the snaps, taking 24 carries for 81 yards while Deon Jackson saw 34% of snaps and had 13 carries for 55 yards. Game script probably played a hand in the heavy split as Jackson is likely to see more of the passing situations, but Moss had eight red zone carries to Jackson’s three, and there should be scoring opportunities this week versus the Chargers. The Chargers are one of the worst run defenses in football, having allowed 110+ yards in 7/8 games, including 4.93 yards per carry. The Colts should have opportunities to score, and it is expected that Moss will get the touches in the red zone.
Flex Option: Austin Ekeler
Ekeler has held tight to his workhorse role for the Charges, seeing 60% or more snaps every week since week 6. Joshua Kelley has taken over the backup role and is running well, seeing 35% or more snaps in three straight games and vultured a touchdown from Ekeler last week while handling 10 carries. Kelley’s involvement has not cut too much into Ekeler’s fantasy output, though, as he has still scored a touchdown in 4/5 games and has 14+ touches in his last three games. The Colts are giving up 5.18 yards per carry over and eight touchdowns over their last three and gave up 95 yards receiving just a week ago. Ekeler should be able to take advantage of this matchup on the ground and through the air.
Flex Option: Chase McLaughlin
A positive for a kicker is a new quarterback, as even if teams can move the ball well the inexperience within the offense may show in the red zone. Foles should be able to move the ball, but McLaughlin is coming off a career day and could benefit from red zone issues. McLaughlin has attempted 13 field goals over his last four games, accruing 45 fantasy points. The Chargers have allowed 2+ attempts in 4/6 games, opening the door for multiple chances for McLaughlin.
Sleeper: Josh Palmer
Since the return of both Allen and Williams, Palmer’s role within the offense has decreased. He still has seen 5+ targets in nine straight games and could boom with Williams seeing a potential shadow from Stephon Gilmore. As previously mentioned, the Colts have struggled versus wide receivers over their last two games, giving Palmer an opportunity to find his way back to relevance even with both str wide receivers on the field.
Sleeper: Parris Campbell
Campbell had a string of solid games with Matt Ryan but hasn’t been able to get much going as of late. Plug in Nick Foles and a player like Campbell could potentially see a boost due to his low ADOT (5.7), which ranks 103rd among wide receivers. In Foles last season as a starter in 2020, his yards per attempt (5.9) ranked towards the bottom in the NFL, and his air yards per attempt (7.8) ranked 19th amongst qualified quarterbacks.
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