Thanksgiving is always one of the best football days of the year. We get three island games, each of which we can devote our full attention to if we're inclined to be a little, shall we say, negligent of the family aspect of the holiday. 

Let's go over what to expect in each game with the latest player updates then also review the rest of the news in advance of Week 13. 

Chicago at Detroit

The Bears head to Detroit to kick off the day, in a game with an over/under that started low at 41 and has been bet down to 38.5. Jeff Driskel has a hamstring injury that will keep him out for the game, which means David Blough will get the start. It probably goes without saying that this is a huge downgrade for the Lions pass-catchers with Blough making his first career start in an already tough matchup with the Bears. That makes Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and company not the most enticing options this week. T.J. Hockenson has been limited with a shoulder injury this week, but wouldn't be a preferred option even if he does suit up. 

What we'll likely see from the Lions is plenty of early-down bruiser Bo Scarbrough, who has rushed 32 times for 153 yards and a score over the past two games but has just one catch-less target. Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic figure to again split the passing downs work, and Scarbrough is a much better option in non-PPR formats. 

The Bears, of course, have struggled offensively all season. One thing that's become clear is they are more than happy to play conservatively, so they'll likely match the Lions with a run-based attack in what figures to be a low-scoring game. That should mean plenty of reps for David Montgomery, but the Bears have struggled running the ball for several weeks, as Montgomery has averaged 2.6 yards per carry over 58 November attempts. He also has just six catches in those four November games, and 21 for the year, so he'll likely need to find paydirt to be a solid Fantasy option.  

Of course, the Lions' pass defense is far more beatable than that of the Bears, and Allen Robinson looks like the best pass-catching option in this game. Taylor Gabriel is also in the league's concussion protocol and doesn't figure to be cleared in time for the game, which should mean more targets for Anthony Miller and perhaps Tarik Cohen out of the backfield. Javon Wims figures to pick up snaps in Gabriel's place, while we might see Cordarrelle Patterson mix in. Robinson is a solid option, while Miller and Cohen make some sense in PPR if you're in a tough spot. 

Buffalo at Dallas

The Cowboys return home after a poor offensive showing in bad New England weather last week. Owner Jerry Jones took to the media to air out some displeasure with the team's performance, as he's wont to do, and while they are working on a short week to prepare, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Dallas come out aggressively. 

Amari Cooper is off the injury report this week, and while he's coming off two down games and will face off with a very good No. 1 corner in Tre'Davious White, Cooper has hit at least 88 receiving yards in all five home games this season, a trend that stretches back to last season after being traded to the Cowboys. Including a postseason game last year, Cooper has now played 11 home games with the Cowboys, and he's gone over 100 yards in seven of them with 11 total touchdowns. He's scored fewer than 15 PPR points in just one of those 11 home games, which makes him a tough sit even in the difficult matchup. 

Michael Gallup is another solid option, while Randall Cobb is a deeper play if you believe the Cowboys will try to make a statement. The Bills haven't faced the most difficult schedule and are on the road in a short week, and Dallas has certainly shown a willingness to amass a ton of air yards in a vertical passing game, something we didn't see from them last week due to the weather in Foxboro.

But the way most teams have gotten to Buffalo is on the ground, and Ezekiel Elliott is also a must-start. While I am expecting some more passing than the numbers might suggest, it's important to note that the Bills are far more susceptible to the run and we'll likely see plenty of Zeke in any potential game script. 

Buffalo's offense is less enticing, as Josh Allen's propensity to run limits their passing volume and his particular ability to scramble for scores in the green zone soaks up a good chunk of Buffalo's scoring potential. That makes Allen a worthwhile streamer most weeks, and the Bills will likely need him to make plays to keep them in this game. But it also limits the viability of the pieces around him.

John Brown is his clear No. 1 option, and he's been hot the past two weeks. He does have a low floor if he doesn't hit on any downfield shots — before a 34-yard touchdown late last week he had just one catch for 5 yards in three quarters — but the upside should be there in this matchup. Meanwhile, Cole Beasley has been a usable WR3 or flex option most weeks, and he's returning to his old stomping grounds in Dallas with perhaps a bit of extra motivation to produce. 

Devin Singletary continues to play big snaps in the backfield, but his targets have been limited by the offense's passing volume despite Singletary running a lot of routes, and his green-zone touches have been limited by Allen's rushing ability in close. That makes him more of a high-floor but lower-ceiling player, unless he can break a few big plays. 

New Orleans at Atlanta

The nightcap features two NFC South teams with a lofty over/under in the game that projects to bring us the most scoring on the day. 

Julio Jones is the big injury question mark, as he left the Falcons' Week 12 game with a shoulder injury. He did return for some second-half reps, but wound up playing just about half the snaps for the game, and was a nonparticipant in practice through Tuesday. Given that he played through the issue last week, it seems likely he'll be able to play, but he might not be 100% even if he does. Assuming he's active, he'd be tough to sit for a Falcons team that leads the NFL in passing attempts. He'll likely draw Marshon Lattimore if the cornerback can make his return, but Lattimore has been limited in practice this week and is also questionable to play. 

With Jones ailing, Calvin Ridley stepped into big volume last week, seeing 14 targets and a season-high 189 air yards. Ridley had a down game when these teams met back in Week 10, but he has 22 targets over the past two games with Austin Hooper out, catching 14 balls for 228 yards and two scores. Hooper got in some light work Tuesday but seems unlikely to return this week, which would make Ridley nearly a must-start with the concentrated target tree in an offense that throws this frequently. 

Russell Gage has also come on in Mohamed Sanu's role, playing solid snaps and seeing elevated volume. He caught eight of 10 targets last week with Jones banged up. If Jones were to miss, Christian Blake would likely see elevated snaps. Blake saw nine targets last week in a part-time role behind Jones. 

Devonta Freeman was a full go for Tuesday's practice and looks ready to return after a multi-week absence. Freeman should immediately jump back into the lead role, but we'll likely see Brian Hill mix in and perhaps still see Qadree Ollison as the goal-line back, a role he's seemed to play over the past two games with Freeman out. Freeman does have some PPR upside, having caught three or more passes in eight of nine games this year. 

The Saints will be without starting left tackle Terron Armstead, after the top-10 tackle by PFF grades suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 12. That's clearly not ideal given the Falcons got to Drew Brees for six sacks in the last meeting between these two teams. Several of those were coverage sacks, though, and we should likely expect the Saints to come out with a different scheme to adjust to what the Falcons were doing in their secondary in Week 10. 

I'm expecting plenty of quick passing, meaning big days for Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas on his underneath routes. Kamara's Fantasy point totals haven't quite been there this year, but that's largely due to just two touchdowns — there's almost nothing to worry about in his profile, as I expect the touchdowns to come. 

Jared Cook has emerged as the No. 3 option in the Saints' passing game, and he saw 10 targets the last time these teams met. He'll be a solid tight end option again, and his emergence has pushed Ted Ginn and Tre'Quan Smith even further down the target totem pole on a team that will still heavily feature its top two passing options in Thomas and Kamara. 

Latavius Murray had a 26-yard touchdown run last week, but he has just 22 carries and five targets in three games since Kamara returned to the lineup. He's a touchdown-dependent, lower-end flex option with that workload. 

Here are some more injury situations to monitor for Week 13 from Chris Towers: 

Quarterbacks

  • Drew Lock (thumb) could be activated this week — Lock, who hasn't played since the preseason, is getting close to making his NFL debut. The second-rounder figures to start at some point this season, but there might be more pressure to get him out there after Brandon Allen passed for just 82 yards in Week 12. Allen has completed just 46.4% of his passes for 6.1 yards per attempt in his three starts since taking over for Joe Flacco, and you have to think Lock would be an upgrade for the likes of Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Noah Fant, and Phillip Lindsay/Royce Freeman.
  • Carson Wentz (hand) dealing with bruise — Wentz was spotted after Sunday's game against the Seahawks with his hand bandaged and iced, but he is expected to be fine for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. Maybe that game will be what gets Wentz back on track, as he hasn't thrown multiple touchdowns in any of his last five games, with three interceptions and five fumbles lost. It would help if Wentz had Alshon Jeffery (ankle) and Nelson Agholor (knee) back, as both missed Week 12.
  • Devlin Hodges will start vs. the Browns — Hodges started a game earlier this season when Mason Rudolph was injured, but this one comes as the Steelers try to find a spark to their offense. Hodges completed 15 of 20 passes for just 132 yards in that start, and James Conner was the only player to catch more than two passes, as Hodges primarily focused on short, high-efficiency passes. However, he sparked the Steelers to a win with a long pass to James Washington in Week 12, and the hope is he'll take a few more chances down the field than Rudolph had been, at least.
  • Andy Dalton returns to starting lineup — The Bengals saw enough from their 2019 fourth-rounder, as he completed just 47.1% of his passes for 474 yards — 5.4 yards per attempt — with two interceptions and two touchdowns in his three starts. Dalton wasn't great before being benched, but he was more effective than that, so this should be a boost for Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon, at least.

Running backs

  • Elijah McGuire signs with Chiefs practice squad — This could be nothing, but with LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams leaving the team's last game with injuries, it could be seen as an insurance policy. McCoy is not in the league's concussion protocol, per Andy Reid, but we haven't really seen any updates on Williams since he left Week 11 with a rib injury.
  • Marlon Mack (hand) is out for Week 13 — Jonathan Williams figures to start and a see another significant role this weekend against the Titans, coming off consecutive 100-yard games. Williams played 67% of the offensive snaps in Week 12 against the Texans and appears to have fully stepped into Mack's role.
  • Matt Breida (ankle) "has a chance" to return — Breida has missed two weeks so far with his injury, as was expected at the time, but head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Breids could be back this week. He figures to be more of a game-time decision, but hopefully we'll see him out there in practice. Breida should return to the flex conversation if he is cleared to play, especially as Tevin Coleman continues to struggle.
  • Chase Edmonds (hamstring) should return —Edmonds hasn't played since Week 8, and the addition of Kenyan Drake likely means he won't have much of a role down the stretch. The bigger question is whether Edmonds will see more work than David Johnson, as the former superstar played just eight snaps in Week 11 before the bye and hasn't had more than six touches since Week 6 as he deals with lingering back and ankle issues.

Wide receivers

  • T.Y. Hilton (calf) isn't sure if he'll play Sunday — Hilton returned from his injury last Thursday but told The Athletic Tuesday he didn't have his typical "explosiveness," and isn't sure if he'll play in Week 13 yet. We'll have to monitor this one throughout the week, but you might be best off making alternate plans.
  • Adam Thielen (hamstring) expects to return — Thielen was back at practice Tuesday and seems likely to return from injury that has kept him out for all but seven plays since Week 7. Plan on having Thielen back in your starting lineup for Week 13 against the Seahawks. 
  • Nelson Agholor (knee) hopes to return — Agholor missed Week 12 but told reporters Tuesday he is "pushing hard" to get back out there Wednesday. It's not clear whether Alshon Jeffery has made enough progress from his two-game absence, so Agholor could be in a significant role against Miami if Jeffery remains out.

Tight ends

  • Gerald Everett (knee) is day to day — We'll have to keep an eye on this one throughout the week to see if Everett is able to play in Week 13, however he has just three targets over the last two games, so you might want to look for an alternative option anyway.