Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers

Total: 41.5
Line: LAC by 1.5

After losing to the Giants at home while coming off their bye week, I don’t think anything can be assumed about the Broncos as a football team. This is a rematch of a game that took place back in Week 1 where the Broncos won 24-21, though that game was in Denver. All but one of the Chargers six games have been decided by five points or less and they’ve finally come out on top in the last two games against the Giants and Raiders. Their defense has been consistent in the way that they’ve allowed in between 16 and 26 points every week, while the Broncos defense has allowed anywhere in between 10 and 26 points. Expecting a shootout wouldn’t make sense with the way these teams are playing defense and oddsmakers agree with a low total of just 41.5 points as of the time I’m writing this. The Broncos will be without Emmanuel Sanders for this game, though it seems like Trevor Siemian will be available.

QBs: Broncos fans had a scare in Week 6 when Brock Osweiler was forced to come on and play a few snaps for Trevor Siemian, who turned out to be okay and returned to the game, not allowing Osweiler to throw a single pass. Since throwing for six touchdowns in the first two weeks, Siemian hasn’t been a fantasy asset anyways, throwing just two touchdowns in the following three games. The Chargers have one of the worst run defenses in the league, so it wouldn’t make sense for a banged-up Siemian to throw much at all, even if he did throw two touchdowns against this defense in Week 1. Consider Siemian just a low-end QB2 this week. After allowing seven passing touchdowns in their first three games, the Broncos have gotten back on track while allowing just one passing score in each of their last two games. They have actually held every quarterback to less than 240 yards passing, including Philip Rivers, who threw for 192 yards but also three touchdowns against them in their first meeting. Rivers have been solid through much of the year, totaling at least 17.2 fantasy points in four of his six games, though he’s failed to score more than 20 points in any one week. Against the Broncos, it’s hard to trust many quarterbacks as anything more than a QB2, which is where Rivers finds himself in my rankings.

RBs: What in the world was the Broncos offensive gameplan in Week 6? After having success while handing the ball off to C.J. Anderson 20 or more times in three different games, they decided to give him just nine carries against the Giants. It was actually the first game of the season where he averaged less than four yards per carry, as well as the first game he didn’t catch at least one pass. Consider it a glitch in the matrix, because the Broncos will go back to Anderson when they head to Los Angeles. The Chargers have now allowed 152.5 rushing yards per game to opponents, including a rushing touchdown in each of the last four games. Anderson ran for 81 yards in their first meeting, but the Chargers have seemingly gotten worse since then. Consider Anderson a high-end RB2 for this game that could wind up as a top-five play this week. Jamaal Charles has seen his carries decline every week this season, as he’s touched the ball just six times in each of the last two games. The return of Devontae Booker has had more of an effect than most would have thought. Charles can’t be played as anything more than a big-play-dependent RB5 in fantasy leagues. Booker is not on fantasy radars at this moment, as he’s just getting work in the passing game on what should be a run-first team. If you invested a first-round pick on Melvin Gordon, you’re a happy camper right now. He’s once again scoring touchdowns at an incredible rate, including four receiving touchdowns. The best part – it can continue. Opposing teams cannot put too much attention on Gordon with the other receiving options on the Chargers offense. The Broncos defense had a hiccup last week against the Giants, but have been a lights out defense against the run in every other game, holding every opponent to less than 3.0 yards per carry, including Ezekiel Elliott and LeSean McCoy. Gordon can get it done in the passing game, so don’t be too concerned, but he’s more of a low-end RB1 than the elite-play he’s been the last few weeks.

WRs: As mentioned in the opening paragraph, the Broncos will be without Emmanuel Sanders for this game and maybe longer. It’s a bit worrisome for Demaryius Thomas as well, as he seemed to be playing through a leg injury against the Giants that required an X-ray. He’ll likely be playing at less than 100 percent in this matchup against Casey Hayward, who has been asked to shadow clear-cut No. 1 wide receivers. Because of that, Thomas is just a low-end WR2, though he should get tons of volume, as he and Sanders have averaged a combined 17.2 times per game. You cannot fade him with the 10-plus targets he should get, even in a run-heavy gameplan. Bennie Fowler should also see a bump in targets and don’t forget that this is the team he scored his two touchdowns against in Week 1. It’s hard to feel very confident about him in what projects to be a low-scoring game, but you can’t ignore him, either. He actually leads the team with seven red zone targets, while Sanders has six and Thomas has four. Consider Fowler a WR4/WR5 you can use in a pinch during bye weeks. Keenan Allen is seeing tons of targets and ranks fourth among wide receivers with 61 of them, so it’s disappointing to see him sit as just the WR13 in PPR formats, where he should excel. It just seems as if he and Rivers aren’t on the same page, because their 54 percent completion rate ranks dead last among the top-10 targeted wide receivers. He was targeted 10 times in their Week 1 matchup where he finished with just 35 yards, but did score a touchdown. Don’t bank on that again when matching up against Chris Harris Jr., the best slot cornerback in the game. You should be happy if Allen can post a double-digit PPR game, making him just a WR3 in this game. It’s hard to recommend Tyrell Williams in good matchups right now, let alone one against the Broncos secondary. He’s now totaled 27 yards or less in three of his last four matchups. He’s a WR5/WR6 that you can do better than. Travis Benjamin has now scored in two of his last three games against the Broncos, though he’s been held to less than 50 yards in each of the games. He’s also going to start losing snaps to rookie Mike Williams, making him a high-risk WR5 and droppable in most leagues. Williams himself played just 11 snaps last week, but he was on the field, so we’ll pay attention to his workload going forward.

TEs: With Sanders out, the targets have to be disbursed throughout the offense, but there isn’t a clear-cut target. They are sharing snaps between A.J. Derby, Virgil Green, and Jeff Heuerman, though Derby was the one who’s had the most success. The target distribution has been Derby 16, Green 8, Heuerman 5. Because of that, it’s not going to be recommended to play any of them in season-long leagues. On top of that, the Chargers have held Travis Kelce to just one yard, Evan Engram to zero yards, and Jared Cooks to 14 yards. Don’t play a Broncos tight end. Hunter Henry continued his rise to stardom in Week 6, totaling a season-high 83 percent of the snaps, while Antonio Gates played just 57 percent of the snaps and saw one target. Henry is the man in L.A. now, making him a must-play every single week, including against the Broncos. He wasn’t targeted in their first matchup, so it’s hard to take anything away from that. But what we do know is that the Broncos have allowed quarterbacks a 113.8 rating when targeting tight ends, including a 5/82/1 performance to Evan Engram last week. Henry is a high-end TE1 this week, while Gates is just a touchdown-dependent TE2.

Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots

Total: 55.0
Line: NE by 3.5

In the rematch of last year’s Super Bowl, the Falcons are out for revenge. But is it for last week’s loss or the Super Bowl loss? In both games, the Falcons decided to take their foot off the gas on offense and allow the other team back into the game, only to lose it in the final seconds. They are at a weird point as a franchise and this game is big for their psyche going forward. The Patriots haven’t been able to hold any offense down this year, allowing 26.5 points per game, the third-highest total in the NFL. Oddly enough, that number has been 36.0 points per game while at home. Even worse, the Patriots may be without their big free agent acquisition Stephon Gilmore, as he suffered a concussion prior to Week 6.

QBs: Through five games, the 2016 MVP Matt Ryan has just six touchdown passes to go along with his six interceptions. Meanwhile, Tom Brady has thrown 13 of them. It’s clear that these two quarterbacks who were compared a lot in 2016 are on different paths in 2017, though Ryan can get his season back on track in this game. He’s still completing 66 percent of his passes and has thrown for 8.0 yards per attempt (second-highest total of his career), so it’s just the touchdowns that are lacking. The Patriots have allowed 14 passing touchdowns through six games thus far and have yet to hold a quarterback below 18.5 fantasy points. Five of the six quarterbacks who played against them this year have finished as the QB9 or better, with the only one not doing that was DeShaun Watson, who scored 20.1 points (it was just a very high scoring week for quarterbacks). They are allowing a touchdown on 6.0 percent of passes, while Ryan has been throwing one on just 3.5 percent of his. He’s locked in as a high-end QB1 for this game. You don’t need me to tell you to start Tom Brady in season-long leagues, but when reading about him here, you’re likely doing so for a DFS take. The Falcons have allowed just seven passing scores through their five games and have yet to allow an opponent more than 26 points. Keep in mind that they did play Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. Actually, Rodgers was the only one who did not finish as the QB18 against them. Yes, four of five quarterbacks finished as the QB18 on the week against the Falcons, while Rodgers finished as the QB6. It’s hard not to like Brady while at home in a game that has one of the highest over/unders of the year, so feel free to plug him into DFS lineups.

RBs: Over the last year and a half, Devonta Freeman has played much better while at home than on the road from a fantasy perspective. While at home, he’s scored 13 touchdowns in 11 games, while scoring just four times in 10 road games. Why? Hard to say because his yards per carry numbers are actually better on the road. It’s likely due to play-calling on the goal-line when they have the home crowd silent. It’s not like you’re going to fade Freeman, but know that the Patriots have been solid against running backs since the start of 2016. Over their last 22 games, there has been just one running back who has totaled more than 89 yards on the ground and that was Kareem Hunt in Week 1. Freeman needs to be worked into the passing game a bit more this week, as the Patriots have allowed a league-high 462 yards and three touchdowns through the air to running backs. You don’t even want to fade him in DFS considering the high total on this game. Tevin Coleman continued to see an extended role with Mohamed Sanu out last week and now has 23 touches over the last two games, leaving him in the low-end RB2 conversation considering how much he’s utilized in the passing game. Mike Gillislee fumbled early on in Week 6, essentially ruining what was supposed to be a solid game. Instead, Dion Lewis got the carries and goal-line work, scoring 11.2 standard points against the Jets. Because of the fumble, Gillislee played a season-low 13 snaps. It’ll be hard to trust him as anything more than a RB3, though if he gets out of the doghouse, this game checks all the boxes. The Patriots are at home, a favorite, and are against a team that isn’t known to be great at stopping the run. The same could be said about Lewis, though it’s hard to envision him keeping the goal-line job. He’s still worth sticking into lineups as a RB3/flex-option now that he’s seen increased snaps in each of the last four weeks. He’s actually eating into James White‘s snaps as well, who went from 61 percent in Week 4, to just 47 percent in Week 5, and then 43 percent in Week 6. White is still seeing plenty of work in the passing game to be considered an RB3, especially in PPR formats. It’s odd that he hasn’t scored yet, but that’ll come. He’s the ideal tournament play because of that.

WRs: I said in this article last week that if Julio Jones didn’t go bananas that I wouldn’t write this week. Well, I obviously lied, because here we are. It’s funny, though, that even without seeing the targets he should, Jones ranks No. 4 in yards per snap this season. It just goes to show what he’s done throughout his career with limited volume. Head coach Dan Quinn came out this week and said that he’s not happy with how little Jones has gotten the ball. Stop me if you’ve heard me say this before, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease, especially in a matchup against a Patriots secondary that has allowed 1,191 yards to the wide receiver position already, the most in the NFL. The Patriots do a great job of taking away opposing No. 1 threats, so it’ll be an interesting showdown, though Jones will get his after all the publicity this has received during the week. He’s a WR1, but not necessarily one that you need to play in DFS. Taylor Gabriel was disappointing last week despite seeing a season-high eight targets against the Dolphins, totaling just 39 yards. With a lot of the attention focused on Jones, he should have some room to operate against a Patriots team that’s struggled to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Gabriel is a high-upside WR4/5 option this week. Even if Mohamed Sanu plays, it’ll be difficult to fully trust him coming off a multi-week hamstring injury. You could do worse than him as a WR5, but if you can wait to ensure he’s fully healthy, do that. Through six games, both Brandin Cooks and Chris Hogan each have 41 targets. They also have 24 receptions apiece. The difference is the yardage, which goes to Cooks 472 to 307, but Hogan has dominated the red zone work, catching five touchdowns compared to just two for Cooks. You typically want to favor the yardage guys, as they are more predictable, though the Falcons have yet to allow 100 yards to any wide receiver this year. They have really struggled to defend slot wide receviers, and have allowed touchdowns to Jarvis Landry, Jordan Matthews, and Golden Tate over their last three games. Hogan and Danny Amendola are the two who occupy the slot the majority of the time, making them very appealing in this game. Consider Cooks a WR2 who can pay-off with one big play, while Hogan remains a very strong WR2. Amendola is someone who’s been forgotten about the last few weeks, but don’t make that mistake here, as he’s a pretty solid bet for WR3 production, especially in PPR formats.

TEs: We knew that when Mohamed Sanu went down that Austin Hooper would see increased targets, but we did not know that he’d see 16 of them in two games. He’s turned them into 12 catches for 98 yards, though he’s yet to score a touchdown since the Week 1 game against the Bears. That should change against the Patriots who have now allowed a touchdown to the tight end position in five of their six games. Ed Dickson was the only one who failed to find the end zone. Hooper can be in line for a true breakout game with all the attention that will be placed on Julio Jones. Consider Hooper a rock-solid TE1 in this contest. There were some questions I received in the Sunday morning live chat about Rob Gronkowski and whether or not he should have been played in season-long lineups. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – you never sit Gronkowski when he is active. The only formidable tight ends the Falcons have played against this year were Martellus Bennett (who has been extremely disappointing) who caught five passes for 47 yards and Charles Clay, who posted a season-high 112 yards against them. Gronkowski is in a league of his own at the position and is worth paying up for in DFS most of the time to eliminate questions on the most difficult position to predict in fantasy sports.

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

Total: 48.5
Line: PHI by 4.5

It’s a showdown in the NFC East between two teams that were expected to be behind both the Cowboys and Giants by many football analysts, but no, they are sitting as the top two teams in the division. The Redskins will be without cornerback Josh Norman once again and potentially Bashaud Breeland, which will hurt against an Eagles team that has the fifth-most passing yards in the league. It also helps that the Eagles will get back right tackle Lane Johnson for this game after he missed Week 6 against the Panthers with his concussion. The Redskins are likely also without their first-round pick Jonathan Allen, who suffered a Lisfranc injury in Week 6. It’s not as troubling for a defensive lineman as it is for a running back, but he’s likely out for a few weeks. These two teams know each other very well and it should make for a good game on Monday night.

QBs: It’s now been three straight weeks where Kirk Cousins has scored at least 20 fantasy points, putting him in the must-start conversation. It’s worth noting that Cousins did already play this team back in Week 1 where he had what was his worst game of the year, throwing for 240 yards with one touchdown. He’s never really dominated the matchups with the Eagles, despite their weak secondary, even dating back to last year when he averaged 248.5 passing yards with 2.0 touchdowns and 1.0 interceptions in each game. But it’s also worth noting that the Redskins offensive line has blocked well, allowing a sack on just 4.82 percent of dropbacks, while the Eagles are sacking quarterbacks on just 5.32 percent of dropbacks, which ranks as the sixth-worst in the league. The Eagles should put up some points and the Redskins aren’t running the ball very well, so Cousins remains in the QB1 conversation despite his mediocre past with the Eagles. The stars align for a massive game from Carson Wentz this week, as the Redskins may be without their top two cornerbacks and one of their best pass-rushers for this game. Even with those players on the field, while on the road, Wentz was able to post 307 yards and two touchdowns against them. The Redskins have allowed just four passing scores in their last four games, though it’d be hard to see a situation where Wentz throws less than two touchdowns. He’s locked in as a QB1 this week.

RBs: These are two teams who have less-than-ideal run games and no matter which Redskins running back is starting, it’s hard to recommend either Robert Kelley or Samaje Perine. If Kelley were to play, he may be at less than 100 percent, while Perine has looked like plodding running back. This is a matchup that favors Chris Thompson in the end, as the Eagles have already allowed three running backs to accumulate 52 or more receiving yards, including Thompson himself in their Week 1 meeting. If the Eagles don’t have trouble moving the ball on the Redskins depleted defense (which they shouldn’t), the Redskins aren’t going to have much of an option to run the ball. Over the last two weeks, the Eagles defense has allowed 18 yards on 26 carries. Yes, you read that right. Thompson is a high-end RB3 who has RB2 appeal in PPR leagues. Whichever of Kelley or Perine starts, they shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a desperation RB4 who needs to score to hit any sort of value. Outside of Kareem Hunt‘s two-touchdown game in Week 2, the Eagles have allowed just one rushing touchdown that went to backup running back Austin Ekeler. LeGarrette Blount has run the ball a lot better the last few weeks, totaling 344 yards on his last 58 carries (5.93 YPC), which has all come after he didn’t receive a single carry in Week 2. He’s only scored one touchdown in that time, limiting his upside, but Carson Wentz isn’t going to throwing over two touchdowns per game. Blount totaled 46 yards on 14 carries in their first meeting and scored, though it was a receiving touchdown. The stars align here, though, as they are a home favorite with an offense that should score points against a banged-up defense. Blount is most definitely on the RB2 radar in standard leagues, though he’s not quite as appealing in PPR formats. The other Eagles running backs are fighting for the scraps behind him, but none of them should have to contribute very much in this game.

WRs: After playing Josh Doctson on just 25 percent of the snaps in Week 6, head coach Jay Gruden said that they will “actively expand” his role going forward. It would make sense, as he’s the most talented wide receiver on the team. Health has always been the concern, but he appears to be healthy moving forward. Despite seeing just nine targets on the season, he’s scored two touchdowns (which is tied for the lead among wide receivers) and it should have been three, but there was a red zone pass that was tipped. It’s tough to rely on him as anything more than a desperation WR5, but know that if he gets to play over half the snaps, he’s going to become fantasy relevant. Fellow FantasyPros writer Nate Hamilton sent me a stat this week saying that there was a quarterback (Cousins) who was top-10, but doesn’t have a top-50 wide receiver or top-24 tight end. It’s only a matter of time before one emerges and my money is on Doctson. Terrelle Pryor has been a massive disappointment and is just a questionable fantasy player at this point. He had a great matchup last week and totaled just three catches for 23 yards. He’s now totaled 31 yards or less in three of the last four games, and if not for his one big play against the Chiefs, it would have been four games in a row. This matchup is great against an Eagles defense who struggled to stay with him in Week 1, and that was with Ronald Darby. They’ll be without him once again, making Pryor someone who could surprise in Week 7, though we’ve heard that before. But still, if you don’t play him in this matchup, when will you? He’s an upside WR4 at this point. Jamison Crowder has been playing through multiple injuries this year and has seen just six targets over the last two games, making him a risky WR5 in any format, though we are expecting the Redskins to throw quite a bit in this game. We know the talent is there, because he’s shown up with limited volume, but he just doesn’t seem right. If you’ve been waiting for a great matchup for Alshon Jeffery, now is the time. Nelson Agholor has stolen the spotlight from him in quite a few games this year, but this is one where Jeffery should finish close to the high-end WR2 he was drafted as. His 48 targets are solid considering the competition he’s played thus far, but expect an even bigger portion of the pie in this game. We know that Josh Norman will miss this game, but if Bashaud Breeland misses it as well, Jeffery will match-up with a combination of Quinton Dunbar, Kendall Fuller, and Joshua Holsey. None are household names and the Eagles should have plenty of time to find their prized free agent acquisition. Agholor is interesting as well, as Fuller was someone who was benched for poor play last year, though he’s played well in 2017 and actually has two interceptions while allowing zero touchdowns in his coverage. Agholor is just a WR4-type in this game who should take a backseat to Jeffery. Torrey Smith is just a role player at this point in his career who has now seen just nine targets in the last three games combined. To know that he’s had little-to-no success even with Wentz throwing as well as he has says a lot. He belongs on waiver wires as someone who will have a big play from time-to-time, similar to Travis Benjamin.

TEs: Those who spent a fourth-round pick on Jordan Reed this offseason would have been jumping for joy if they knew he’d play five of the first six games and be relatively healthy, but him being on the field hasn’t produced the results that most expected. He’s failed to reach 50 yards in any one game and has still yet to find the end zone. It’s hard to see that changing in Week 7, as the Eagles have allowed just one tight end to finish as a top-10 tight end and that was Travis Kelce. Dating back to last year, the Eagles have been one of the better teams in the NFL at slowing down opposing tight ends, as evidenced by Reed’s one-catch, 10-yard performance in Week 14 of 2016. It’s tough to sit him considering how bad the Redskins wide receivers have been, and it’s not like we don’t know how good he can be. Consider him a low-end TE1 who should only be benched if you have a sure-fire starter to take his place. You are playing Zach Ertz anywhere you can in 2017 and this matchup doesn’t deter you from doing that. The Redskins may be the worst team in the NFL at defending the tight end position and Ertz already posted an eight-catch, 93-yard performance against them in Week 1 on just eight targets. George Kittle was the first tight end to play against them and not finish as a top-12 option, but he was playing with a rookie quarterback who was seeing his first game action off the bench. Ertz is the No. 2 tight end behind only Rob Gronkowski for the remainder of the season.

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Total: 47.5
Line: KC by 2.5

Of all the games that fans expected the Chiefs to lose, at home to the Steelers was probably not it. They are really struggling with injuries and it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see them go out and try to trade for a pass-catcher. On the flip side, the Raiders have now lost two home games in a row to both the Ravens and the Chargers, putting them in what is essentially a must-win situation. This feels like a game the Chiefs should win, but it’s a primetime game at home for the Raiders. It’ll be closer than most think.

QBs: It was only a matter of time before the lack of playmakers on the offense showed up with Alex Smith. It’s not really his fault, but if opponents take Travis Kelce out of the game, he’s going to struggle to find other reliable options – it’s the reason he targeted running backs on seven of his 34 attempts last week. Fortunately, the Raiders haven’t been able to generate much of a pass rush this year, which is huge because Smith has been under duress this year as the fourth-most pressured quarterback. They also struggle to defend tight ends, which is where we know Smith wants to go. The Raiders look solid on paper against quarterbacks, but the collection they’ve played isn’t what I’d call great. Smith should be able to produce solid QB2 numbers in this game. Derek Carr returned to game action last week and although the results weren’t ideal, his form was, showing no ill effects while throwing across his body. We can assume that he’s at almost full health. The Chiefs defense has gone from one to avoid throwing against, to one that you can find mismatches throughout their secondary. The injuries to Eric Berry and Steven Nelson have showed up big, as they’ve now allowed 10 passing scores in the last five games, which included five to Deshaun Watson in Week 5. The only quarterback who failed to throw for at least 7.2 yards per attempt against them this season was Philip Rivers, and he always struggles against the Chiefs. In two games against them last year, Carr totaled 225 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting and then just 117 yards without a touchdown in the second game. The better game was the one at home, which is where he’ll be in this matchup. Considering the Chiefs defensive struggles recently, play Carr as a high-end QB2 who can surprise.

RBs: Kareem Hunt has been used quite a bit this year, as his 127 touches through six weeks is the fifth-most at the position. Charcandrick West had to leave the game against the Steelers with a concussion, so it’s very unlikely he’ll get cleared on a short turnaround, leaving Hunt as someone who may lead all running backs in touches this week. He’s coming off his worst performance of the season, but the Raiders have allowed four straight running backs to finish as a top-20 option, including three of them to finish as top-six options. Similar bellcow Melvin Gordon just tagged them for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 34 touches in Week 6. He was the second running back who was able to post more than 30.0 PPR points against them this season. Hunt is an elite RB1 this week. It’s gotten to the point where Marshawn Lynch just doesn’t play on a team good enough to grind him out in wins, leaving him to touch the ball a maximum of 13 times over the last five weeks. He’s coming off a matchup against the Chargers who may just be the worst run defense in the league, yet he walked away with just 63 yards. Lynch isn’t done, but he’s also not getting enough work to trust on a weekly basis. Sure, Le’Veon Bell totaled 179 rushing yards against them last week, but they hadn’t allowed a running back more than 79 yards on the ground coming into that game. The only way Lynch comes close to the high-end RB2 he was drafted as, is if he scores in this matchup. I wouldn’t bank on that, making him a dicey RB2/3 option. It’s a mess behind him with Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, and now they have started to put Cordarrelle Patterson back there for a few carries a game. None of them are suggested fantasy options.

WRs: Late in the game against the Steelers, Tyreek Hill took a nasty hit on a punt return, forcing him to leave the game and get examined for a concussion. They have said he did not suffer a concussion, so he should be good to go against the Raiders. They have not allowed a wide receiver touchdown in any of the last three weeks and have allowed just one wide receiver to finish top-15 in any week. That was Jermaine Kearse back in Week 2 when he caught two touchdowns in Oakland. He and Mike Wallace are the only wide receivers who were able to total more than 12 PPR points against them. Hill has seen at least six targets in every game this year, but has relied heavily on the splash play to live up to expectations. The Raiders struggled with speed last year and it showed when Hill hit them up for 6/66/1 late in the season when he was somewhat of a full-time player. Considering his upside on a weekly basis, keep plugging him into your lineups as a low-end WR2 and you’ll be rewarded roughly half the time. With Chris Conley out, the Chiefs called upon Demarcus Robinson to fill his role, though he caught just one pass for 16 yards. He’s not an option in fantasy leagues right now. De’Anthony Thomas scored a 57-yard touchdown against the Steelers that came on a brilliant play design that won’t happen all that often. He’s not to be considered in fantasy leagues. Michael Crabtree continued his hot start to the season and now has five touchdowns in his last four games. He lines up on Marcus Peters’ side of the field a majority of the time, but he’ll only see him roughly 45 percent of the time. It’s enough to downgrade him slightly, but he’s still starting as a WR2 with the way Amari Cooper is struggling. The Chiefs have already allowed seven wide receivers total at least 15.5 PPR points against them on the season and a large part of that reason is due to the play of RCB Terrance Mitchell, who will match-up with Cooper this week on roughly 50 percent of his snaps. It’s been a rough season for Cooper as well, but we know that one of them is uber-talented. The Raiders designed some shorter routes and confidence-boosting passes to Cooper last week, as he caught five of six targets, though they only went for 28 yards. He’s is a slump so we can’t get too excited, but he should be in lineups as a WR3 with massive upside in this game. Phillip Gaines has actually done a really good job defending the slot this year, making Seth Roberts an afterthought in this game.

TEs: You’re always going to have to worry about teams trying to take away Travis Kelce, but it’s harder with tight ends than it is with wide receivers. Reason being, tight ends stay in to block quite often. In Kelce’s case, he is blocking about 40 percent of the time, essentially wasting a safety or linebacker on those plays. Only few teams can support this and the Raiders are not one of them. They have already allowed four top-eight performances to tight ends and the 14.0 PPR points to Hunter Henry could have been a lot more if they’d not ruled him down at the half-yard-line. When these two teams played in Week 14 last year, Kelce was able to rack up five catches for 101 yards on eight targets. Provided he gets the targets (don’t know where else they’d go), Kelce is going to smash on Thursday night football. Some wondered (myself included) how the Chiefs would defend the tight end position once Eric Berry went down, but they’ve responded well, failing to allow any tight end to finish inside the top-10 in any week. Keep in mind that they played against Zach Ertz and the combination of Hunter Henry/Antonio Gates. Jared Cook has totaled just 39 yards over the last two weeks and should be left on fantasy benches against the Chiefs.

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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.