How dare you?
Seriously.
How F****** Dare You?
That was my reaction this past Monday when I saw Dan Snyder was trending on Twitter/X.
This is not a new occurrence. Snyder has trended on Twitter many, many times. It’s honestly so hard to keep track. As anyone who has read/watched/listened to me for any amount of time knows, I am a die-hard, lifelong fan of the pro football team from Washington, D.C.
I lived in Virginia until I was 12 because my dad was a professor at the University of Virginia, and while I was living there, the Joe Gibbs era started and of course, I was hooked.
I’ve been with them ever since and will die a fan of the team.
How die hard of a fan am I? I never stopped being a fan during the entire Dan Snyder era (1999-2022). If that doesn’t say dedication, I don’t know what does.
So, back to Snyder trending on Twitter/X the other day. I wish I was joking, but it got to the point as a fan where he’d be trending and someone would say to me: “Did you see the Snyder story?” or “You hear about the lawsuit/investigation?” and I would genuinely have to say “Which one?”
Dan Snyder is/was the worst owner in professional sports history. Full stop. There is not even someone close to second. Because whoever else you want to point to – whatever that owner did – Snyder did it as well. Along with a zillion other things.
That is why I was so annoyed this past Monday. When I saw Snyder trending, I rolled my eyes. “What did he do now?” I thought.
Turns out Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper had fired head coach Frank Reich after just 11 games into his first year with the team. It was the second straight season that Tepper had fired his head coach in the middle of the year (he let Matt Rhule go last year after a 1-4 start). That fact, along with other rumors of too much meddling, including that it was he (Tepper) that wanted Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud (who Reich was rumored to have preferred) that set Twitter/X abuzz, comparing Tepper to Snyder. “The NFL’s new Dan Snyder” was a common theme that led to Snyder trending. People comparing Tepper to Snyder.
And my reaction, again, was “HOW DARE YOU?!”
Then Jay Croucher mentioned David Tepper on the Tuesday episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour and that set me off, leading me to start ranting about this. But rather than help me get it out of my system it actually just enraged me more. Because as I watched the clip back on social I started to remember all the other awful things Snyder did that I forgot to mention because there’s so damn many of them.
So yes, Panthers fans and every single other person that suggested David Tepper is the “New Dan Snyder” — I have a message for you.
HOW DARE YOU PUT DAVID TEPPER’S NAME IN THE SAME SENTENCE AS DAN SNYDER?
HOW F****** DARE YOU?!!??
Sure, David Tepper has fired coaches in their first year in back to back seasons. You know what Commanders fans call that? Tuesday during the Snyder era.
Let me know when the Panthers’ training facility is raided by the DEA.
Let me know when the Panthers’ stadium railing breaks almost killing people. Or when an unidentified liquid (sewage?) rains down on fans.
Let me know when Washington, D.C. attorney Beth Wilkinson AND former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White are hired to do TWO separate investigations into the team.
Let me know when David Tepper is investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia, by the attorney general of Virginia, and the attorney general of Washington, D.C. IN THE SAME YEAR.
Let me know when David Tepper reportedly agrees to a confidential settlement of $1.6 million with a former employee (that comes with an NDA) to settle an allegation of sexual misconduct that happened on his private plane.
Let me know when there are just over FORTY former female employees of the Panthers that accuse the team and its high-level executives of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination.
Let me know when David Tepper has been accused of sexual harassment by a female marketing executive, which is a DIFFERENT person than the woman that was paid $1.6 million in exchange for silence.
Let me know when David Tepper has to TESTIFY BEFORE A CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE convened to investigate the team’s history of workplace misconduct.
Let me know when David Tepper gets sued by his minority partners.
Let me know when David Tepper decides to honor the greatest and most beloved player in franchise history (Sean Taylor) and gives the fans three days’ notice to show up and see a department store mannequin as the statue in tribute to this legend who died too soon.
Let me know when David Tepper becomes the first owner in NFL history to charge for attendance to pre-season practice and also parking.
Let me know when David Tepper decides to sell used bags of peanuts to fans in the stadium from a defunct airline 9 to 12 months after their expiration date.
Let me know when David Tepper SUES his own season ticket holders during a RECESSION. Especially please let me know when David Tepper, who, like Dan Snyder is a billionaire, sues a down-on-her-luck, 72-year-old grandmother who had been a season ticket holder and fan for almost 50 years for $64,000. Because Snyder did THAT.
Let me know when David Tepper puts the Panthers logo on his own private plane and then allegedly charges his own team $4.5 million for the “right” to advertise the team logo on his private plane.
Let me know when David Tepper is reportedly accused of fraud and misusing team funds by his minority owners for taking out an unauthorized $55 million loan.
Let me know when the NFL forces David Tepper to step away from the day to day of the team and puts his wife in charge.
Let me know when David Tepper is fined $60 million by the NFL.
Let me know when Tepper enables a hapless general manager who fractures the relationship and loses the trust of your franchise star left tackle (Trent Williams) over a misdiagnosed cancer treatment, leading to trading him for pennies on the dollar or franchise tagging your starting QB (Kirk Cousins) multiple years in a row because you can’t reach a fair deal.
Let me know when an investigation accuses David Tepper of hiding ticket revenue from his fellow owners and defrauding his season ticket holders.
Let me know when Tepper enables a general manager (Bruce Allen) with a bottom-five winning percentage for a DECADE while the GM is busy being part of racist and homophobic email strings just because the GM is his golfing and drinking buddy.
Let me know when David Tepper reportedly uses multiple private investigators and allegedly other methods to harass/intimidate potential witnesses in an effort to try and subvert an investigation he publicly said he would support.
Let me know when David Tepper can’t get any state to help him with a new stadium because no politician will back his bid. EVEN STATES THAT DON’T HAVE AN NFL TEAM. (Could it be that even though everyone loves the NFL, aligning with someone like Snyder would be political suicide?)
Let me know when David Tepper is accused of receiving naked, behind-the-scenes, outtake videos of the team’s cheerleaders delivered to him, of taking the cheerleaders to a remote island out of the country, taking their passports, telling them the shoot is now topless and inviting all male sponsors and suite holders to watch. Then make the cheerleaders escort the sponsors later that night.
And let me know while all this is happening the Panthers are one of the five worst teams by win-loss record in the NFL for over TWO DECADES. (From 1999 to 2022, Washington’s regular season record was 164-220-2 and 2-6 in the postseason).
When ALL THAT has happened, and only when ALL THAT has happened, THEN you can put David Tepper’s name in the same sentence as Daniel Snyder.
And only then.
Because, I get it Panthers fans. It’s been a tough couple of years. I feel for you. I really do.
But we Washington fans had to endure the WORST OWNER IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS HISTORY. For over 20 years.
Don’t minimize our pain. Our suffering. No, we wear our survival of the horror that was Snyder with pride. We survived that, dammit. It’s not for a fan base that is faint of heart. It’s not for any fan base. It’s us. Us alone.
So, calm down and realize you have no earthly concept of how bad it could be.
And never put anyone’s name in the same sentence as Snyder.
Hail to Josh Harris. Hail to the Commanders. Hail Victory.
A reminder to check out my daily show “Fantasy Football Happy Hour.” It’s available as a show on Peacock (live at noon ET and then available on demand), on the NFL on NBC YouTube channel, on Channel 85 on SiriusXM radio and, of course, wherever you get your podcasts.
And on Sunday morning, be sure to tune into “Fantasy Football Pregame” at 11 a.m. ET on Peacock and the NFL on NBC YouTube page. We go all the way until kickoff at 1 p.m. ET and answer more questions than any other pregame show. Tweet the show using the #FFPregame or just jump into the comment section on YouTube. As always, a thanks to my producer Damian Dabrowski for his help at various points in this column.
Let’s get to it.
Quarterbacks I Love in Week 13
Tua Tagovailoa at Washington
I get it. You read the open and you were like “Come on, Berry! Stop living in the past! All those awful things about the Washington professional football team are history!” Fair enough. So, let’s talk about currently awful things about Washington, starting with their secondary. Since Week 8, Washington is allowing touchdown passes at the highest rate in the league. And, over the past four weeks, Washington is allowing the third-most passing yards per game. Plus, there’s the fact that four of the last five quarterbacks to face Washington have scored 22-plus fantasy points. If that information feels too analytical for you, then try this: Tua gets to play a defense this week that is so bad, they just fired their defensive coordinator and secondary coach. So, yeah. Tua is my QB 3.
Brock Purdy at Philadelphia
I learned this week that Brock Purdy’s younger brother, the quarterback at Nebraska, goes by Chubba Purdy because he was chubby as a child. So, if you think about it, “Chubba Purdy” essentially means “big is beautiful.” What a wonderful message. But this is about Chubba’s much less chubba older brother, who continues to put up beautiful performances. Purdy is averaging 20.3 PPG in the three games since San Francisco’s bye. This week he faces an Eagles team that, over the past four weeks, is allowing a league-high 28.3 PPG to quarterbacks. The Eagles have also allowed two-plus touchdown passes in all four of those games, and three of the quarterbacks they’ve faced in that span have thrown for more than 330 yards against them. I have Purdy as a Top 6 quarterback in Week 13.
Trevor Lawrence vs. Cincinnati
Trevor Lawrence now has back-to-back 20-point games and his three best fantasy games of the season have all come in the past five weeks. So, he’s playing well and now he gets a great matchup. Since Week 7, Cincinnati is allowing a league-high 9.1 yards per pass attempt. Also, four of the past five quarterbacks to face the Bengals have scored 18-plus fantasy points. Then there’s the fact that last week, Cincinnati’s defense allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers put up over 400 yards for the first time since before Joe Biden was elected president. So yeah, not to get political, but the Bengals’ defense kind of stinks. Lawrence is an easy Top 7 quarterback against them this week.
Others receiving votes: Since Week 7, Sam Howell is averaging a league-high 45 pass attempts. He should be throwing early and often in a game in which Miami is favored by 9.5. By the way, Howell now has five straight games with 17-plus fantasy points and for the season, the Future Hall-of-Famer is QB 7 on the year. … No, Jared Goff is not at home this week, but he is playing in a dome and he will have a clean pocket. Over the last month, the Saints are just 28th in pressure rate. Add to that, no Marshon Lattimore for New Orleans and an implied team total for Detroit of 25.5 (Goff averages over 18.2 fantasy points when Detroit scores at least 24 points) and I have Jared Goff as a high-end QB2 this week. … Over the past four weeks, Houston is allowing 21.3 PPG to quarterbacks. Now, the Texans face a red-hot Russell Wilson who has 30-plus rush yards in three of his past four games and five of his last seven. Wilson seems to have discovered the Fountain of Youth (or at least the Fountain of Not Being Coached by Nathaniel Hackett).
Quarterbacks I Hate in Week 13
Geno Smith at Dallas
Geno Smith is struggling big time. Seattle has just three touchdowns on offense in its past four games and Smith has less than 14 fantasy points in seven of his past eight games. Smith may go from the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Award to the Hey, Maybe Don’t Come Back Next Year Award. And this week will only help his campaign. Dallas leads the league in pressure rate, while Geno ranks 27th in yards per pass attempt when pressured. Only two quarterbacks have thrown for 230-plus yards versus Dallas this season, and only five have put up 17-plus fantasy points against the Cowboys … but three of them had either a rushing score or 50-plus yards on the ground. All of that is why I have Smith outside my Top 15 quarterbacks in Week 13.
Matthew Stafford vs. Cleveland
Last week, Matthew Stafford played the Arizona Cardinals and put up a season-high three passing touchdowns (in the first half alone!) on the way to four passing touchdowns total and a season-high 23.3 fantasy points in a 37-14 victory. Now, this week he faces the Cleveland Browns defense. That’s like going from Rookie mode to All-Madden. Only three quarterbacks have scored more than 14 points against Cleveland this season and each of them had a rushing score. Cleveland is also allowing the lowest completion rate to opposing QBs. I have Stafford as my QB 21 this week.
Running Backs I Love in Week 13
Zack Moss at Tennessee
Zack Moss gets the Love List thumbs up this week primarily because Jonathan Taylor’s thumb is down. Or maybe sideways. I’m still not exactly sure what happened to his thumb. But Taylor is out, so Moss should very much be in. So far this season, in his four games with a snap share of at least 70%, Moss is averaging 21.4 PPG. He is also averaging 24.3 touches and 129 scrimmage yards in those games. And when Moss played this same Titans defense back in Week 5, he went for 195 yards and two scores on 25 touches – and that was with Taylor playing 10 snaps. Zack Moss is an easy Top 6 back this week for me.
Rachaad White at Carolina
Rachaad White entered last week’s game with a questionable designation and then put up his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season. The only thing questionable about White this week would be keeping him out of your fantasy lineups. I know. I know. What do you want from me? It’s Week 13. Sometimes you just got to play through it. Anyways, running backs who have seen 15-plus touches versus the Panthers average 21.5 PPG, and nine of the 10 RBs to see 15-plus touches versus Carolina this season have scored at least one touchdown. Considering White has 15-plus touches in 10 of his 11 games this season, he should be in for a nice day against a Carolina team that is not only a bottom 12 scoring defense over the last month, but also has an owner that is most certainly not as bad as Daniel Snyder, dammit. Give me White as a Top 12 fantasy back in week 13.
Bijan Robinson at New York Jets
Bijan Robinson told Mike Florio this week that he “never wants to be the guy who talks about touches.” And that’s completely fine. Because there’s already a guy whose full-time job is essentially talking about Bijan Robinson’s touches. Talking about and complaining about Bijan Robinson touches. And that person is me. Matthew Berry. Hi. I’m the complainer. But, in fairness to Arthur Smith, I’ve had less to complain about as of late. Robinson has 19-plus touches in back-to-back games after having only two such games from Week 1 through Week 9. He also has three touches inside the 10-yard line the past two weeks, the same amount he had in the first nine weeks. Seriously, read that again. How in the hell did Bijan Robinson only have THREE touches inside the 10-yard line in the first nine weeks? Ugh. I’m back to complaining now. But on the plus side, they are starting to use him more in close, they are starting to use him more in the pass game and I expect another 19 or more touches this week. Considering Robinson averages 18.6 PPG when he sees 15-plus touches and the Jets are coming off three games in a row in which they’ve allowed at least 135 rushing yards to backs, I have Bijan as RB 9 this week.
Others receiving votes: Over the past four weeks, Arizona is allowing a league-high 142 rushing yards per game to backs. And on the season, the Cardinals allow the most receiving touchdowns and the second-most rushing touchdowns to backs. All of that suggests Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are both in line for nice days. Especially now that Pittsburgh is experimenting with gaining yards on offense. … Denver heads into its matchup against the Texans allowing a league-high 5.8 YPC to backs this season, including a clip of 6.4 YPC over their past three games. Yikes. Meanwhile, Devin Singletary saw an 81% snap rate for Houston last week, including being on the field for 12 of 13 third-down plays and all three snaps inside the 5-yard line. Usage plus the opportunity of playing that Broncos run defense should mean flex-worthy production, even if Dameon Pierce gets some work.
Running Backs I Hate in Week 13
Joe Mixon at Jacksonville
Opposing defenses are going to key heavily on Joe Mixon with Jake Browning under center instead of Joe Burrow, as Jake Browning is not as good at throwing footballs as Joe Burrow. Hashtag: analysis. And we saw it last week when Mixon rushed for just 16 yards on eight carries against the Steelers. Now Mixon gets a Jaguars defense that, for the year, has allowed the fewest rushing yards to running backs. In fact, Jacksonville has allowed only two touchdowns to running backs all season. In a week where six teams are on a bye, it’s going to be hard to bench Mixon given his insane volume, but for sure expectations need to be lowered. I have Mixon as a low-end Top 20 option in Week 13.
Zach Charbonnet at Dallas
The Cowboys have allowed only two backs to put up more than 78 scrimmage yards against them this season and, in the past six games, Dallas has surrendered just two rushing scores to backs. Also, since Week 4, Dallas is surrendering just 3.6 YPC to RBs (sixth-fewest). Add to it that Charbonnet saw a dip in usage last week – playing on just 54% of third downs – and there’s very little to like here for Charbonnet managers other than the fact that Ken Walker is highly unlikely to play on Thursday night. Just like Mixon, with six teams on a bye, it’ll be tough to keep him out of your lineup but hope he falls into the end zone and catches some passes in what is likely to be a negative game script for the Seahawks. He’s just outside my Top 20 this week.
James Conner at Pittsburgh
This is James Conner’s first game back in Pittsburgh since he left the Steelers after the 2020 season, capping eight years playing football in the city between the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh. If you scripted this, Conner would go off on Sunday in his homecoming. But, despite the NFL’s early-season ad campaign, the NFL is not scripted and I don’t see Conner having a good day on Sunday. Since Cam Heyward returned to Pittsburgh’s lineup in Week 9, the Steelers rank Top 7 in rush yards and YPC allowed to backs. Conner, meanwhile, hasn’t seen a snap rate above 70% since Week 2. And since returning from injury in Week 10, Conner has just 44% of Arizona’s goal-line carries as well as a measly six receiving yards in total. Without the passing down work (and now competing with Clayton Tune – you heard me – for goal line plunge work) Conner has basically become Gus Edwards-esque on a much worse offense. Conner will rightfully be welcomed back to Pittsburgh this week, but I’d also pray he gets welcomed to the end zone because that’s likely the only way he pays off this week. He’s just my RB 26 this week.
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Pass Catchers I Love in Week 13
Brandon Aiyuk at Philadelphia
In the offseason, Brandon Aiyuk directed some shade at the Eagles’ defense. But when asked about Philadelphia’s defensive unit this week, he opted not to engage. That’s fine. Because I’ve got all the Eagles defense trash talk anyone could ever want. “Hey, Philly. You think you’re Super Bowl contenders, then how come since Week 8 you’ve allowed a league-high 52.3 fantasy PPG to wide receivers?” Burn. Or how about this one? “Hey, Eagles. Yo momma is so bad at pass coverage … yet she could still start in your secondary, because the Eagles have allowed 225-plus yards and multiple touchdowns to wide receivers in three of their last four games.” Wow. I’m really good at this. Anyway, considering Aiyuk ranks second behind only Tyreek Hill in yards per route run this season, I see him putting up some big plays on Sunday. He’s my WR 7.
Jaylen Waddle at Washington
Jaylen Waddle had a tough matchup last week against the Jets, yet still went for 8 receptions for 114 yards, including a 33-yard grab on Sauce Gardner. Usually when someone burns a sauce that bad, Gordon Ramsey screams at them for five minutes. But after putting up numbers on a bad defense, I like Waddle to have another good game against a not-so-bad defense. Washington has allowed the most touchdowns to wide receivers this season and WRs who see seven-plus targets versus the Commanders are averaging 22.3 PPG. Meanwhile, Aiyuk has a 24% target share over his past four games, averaging 8.5 targets per game over that span. Waddle is my WR 9 this week.
DeVonta Smith vs. San Francisco
I’m not going to argue that the Eagles are a better team without Dallas Goedert. But DeVonta Smith is definitely a better fantasy receiver when Goedert isn’t in the lineup. Over Philadelphia’s last two Goedert-less games, Smith is averaging 19.8 PPG. He’s also averaging 102 receiving yards and a 32.7% target share in those games. Then there’s this: teams facing the 49ers this season average the third-most WR targets per game (22.4). With a lot of those targets sure to come Smith’s way, I like fantasy points to follow. He’s my WR 15.
George Kittle at Philadelphia
George Kittle left the field on Thanksgiving with an entire turkey and even stopped to toss a leg to a 49ers fan in the crowd. Kittle’s generosity will continue this week, only this time through the gift of fresh cooked fantasy points. The Eagles have allowed a touchdown to a tight end in three of their past four games, and five of the six TEs who saw six-plus targets versus the Eagles this season scored 15-plus fantasy points. Kittle is an easy Top 2 TE this week.
Others receiving votes: Since Week 6, Cincinnati is allowing the fourth-most yards per game to wide receivers and now the Bengals face Calvin Ridley coming off back-to-back performances in which he’s put up at least 21 fantasy points. Ridley also has four straight games with at least one end zone target, including five over the past two weeks alone. … You can’t get a much better matchup than the one Courtland Sutton has this week against the Texans. Over the past four weeks, Houston is allowing a league-high 18.1 YPR to wide receivers. The Texans have also allowed four touchdowns to wide receivers over their past three games, while Sutton has six straight games with an end zone target. … I get it, it’s scary playing any Mac Jones Bailey Zappe (maybe?) pass catcher who isn’t an opposing defensive back. But assuming he clears the concussion protocol, Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas is still worth consideration with six teams on bye against a Chargers team that allows the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Douglas also has had a team-high 23.5% target share since Week 7 and four straight games with five-plus receptions. … Back in Week 5, Josh Downs put up a 6-97-1 line against the Titans along with a 25% target share. Look for something similar in the rematch this week, especially considering Downs had a 32.5% target share last week and that he is averaging 15.2 PPG in his last five full games. … Cincinnati allows the second-most fantasy PPG to tight ends and five of the seven TEs who have seen five-plus targets against the Bengals this season have gone for 70-plus yards. That all sounds very positive for the tight end facing the Bengals this week, one Evan Engram. … In Pittsburgh’s first game without Matt Canada last week, they discovered a secret and magical part of the football field called: the middle of the field. And there they found one Pat Freiermuth. Young Heath Miller had a team-high 34% target share last week and was targeted on 48% of his routes. This week, he faces a Cardinals team that, over the past four weeks, is a bottom-10 defense in PPG allowed to tight ends.
Pass Catchers I Hate in Week 13
DeAndre Hopkins at Indianapolis
Will Levis and DeAndre Hopkins do not go together as well as coffee and mayonnaise. Or, I guess, they go together exactly like coffee and mayonnaise. Whatever. My point is that since Levis’ first start back in Week 8, Hopkins has not gone over 60 receiving yards once. Hopkins also has four or fewer receptions in all five of the rookie’s starts. And Tennessee also happens to have run the second-fewest plays per game since Levis got the job. Not much to like there. I have Hopkins outside my Top 25 at the position.
Puka Nacua vs. Cleveland
Since Week 6, Puka Nacua has just one game with more than five receptions. He also has less than 50 receiving yards in three of his past four games. And over that same stretch, only three of Nacua’s 15 receptions have gained 15-plus yards. More like Puke-a Nacua, amiright? Okay, perhaps that’s a little harsh. But there’s no way around it: Nacua has cooled off. And chances are that cooling trend continues against a Browns defense that allowed the lowest catch rate to WRs and the second-fewest yards per game to the position. Nacua is just WR 30 for me in Week 13.
Drake London at New York Jets
I wouldn’t count on Drake London getting you fantasy points through a touchdown this week. The Jets have allowed only three touchdowns to wide receivers all season and London has not seen an end zone target since Week 7. This game’s paltry Over/Under of 34 is also the lowest on the Week 13 slate. But maybe London could still do some fantasy damage in other statistical categories, right? Eh. Maybe not. Don’t forget: the Jets give up the fifth-fewest yards per reception to wide receivers. London is outside my Top 35 WRs.
