Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

Total: 50.5
Line: DAL by 2.5

It seems like no matter where the Cowboys are at, they’re favored. With this being a divisional game against the Redskins, I figured it would have been more of a pick’em. Regardless, both team’s offenses are hitting their strides, with the Cowboys averaging 32.3 points over their last four games and the Redskins averaging 24.8 points over their last five games. It seems like the Redskins are planning to have Josh Norman back for this game, though it’s unclear if they’d have him shadow Dez Bryant. Still, it’d be a lift for their defense that just allowed Carson Wentz four touchdowns on primetime television last week. The Cowboys should be relatively healthy coming into this game and got Sean Lee back last week, which was a huge plus to their run defense. But let’s be real, the Redskins don’t run the ball very well anyway.

QBs: There isn’t a quarterback in the league who’s played as consistently as Dak Prescott, and no, that’s not an overreaction. I said prior to last week’s game that he’d be my No. 2 quarterback to own for the remainder of the season. The Redskins have allowed just one passing touchdown in their four games against quarterbacks not named Carson Wentz. They did allow 27.3 fantasy points to Alex Smith in between there as well due to his 56 rushing yards and a touchdown, a quarterback who has similar mobility to Prescott. In his two games against the Redskins last year, Prescott totaled 18.3 and 21.7 fantasy points against them, which included a rushing touchdown in each of those games. Knowing Josh Norman is going to play knocks Prescott out of the elite starters this week, because he doesn’t have another legitimate option to throw to. He’s still a QB1 because that’s just what he does, but I wouldn’t expect him to win you a tournament this week. Should Norman miss this game, forget everything I said and start Prescott as a top-three quarterback. Kirk Cousins has apparently hit his stride as well, as he now has 10 passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in his last four games, though they were all plus matchups. It’s still hard not to have a slip-up in between that stretch of games, especially when you consider how inconsistent his wide receivers and tight ends have been. The Cowboys have yet to hold a quarterback to less than 18 fantasy points since way back in Week 1 against Eli Manning. Cousins is squarely in the mid-QB1 territory as he crushed a much better Cowboys secondary last year for 364/1 and 449/3. The Redskins obviously have a good grip for what the Cowboys want to do on defense, so don’t be shy about using Cousins in season-long or DFS.

RBs: We have clarity for one more week with Ezekiel Elliott, who may have to start serving his six-game suspension after this game. He was running like a man who was playing his last game against the 49ers, as he totaled a season-high in rushing yards (147), rushing touchdowns (2), and receiving yards (72). He’ll be busy once again this week against a Redskins team that’s faced just two running backs who have carried the ball more than 14 times. Those two running backs were Todd Gurley who totaled 136 total yards and two touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt who totaled 121 total yards but didn’t score. Knowing that Dez Bryant will be occupied with Josh Norman should mean additional opportunities in the passing game, making him a safe play even in DraftKings cash lineups. You don’t want to start another Cowboys running back while Elliott is active. The Redskins got Rob Kelley back last week, but is that really a reward? Against a stiff Eagles front-seven he totaled just 16 yards on seven carries, though it’s important to note that Samaje Perine didn’t play a single snap in that game. The Cowboys have only allowed two rushing touchdowns on the season, but considering this game is supposed to be of the high-scoring variety, Kelley would be getting the goal-line work. Even if he scores, you’re likely looking at a stat-line of 12 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown, making him a risky RB3 in season-long leagues. Chris Thompson has been the running back to own in the Redskins backfield, as he’s now starting to get more carries as well. He’s now totaled 37 carries over the last four games and although he hasn’t scored on any of them, he’s getting them which is important for his floor in fantasy leagues. He still leads all running backs in receiving yards (366) despite already getting his bye out of the way. His three receiving touchdowns are more than all but one running back (Melvin Gordon) and 12 wide receivers. The Cowboys feed right into this as they have allowed these receiving totals to opposing running backs: Shane Vereen 9/51/0, C.J. Anderson 3/36/1, Andre Ellington 5/59/0, Todd Gurley 7/94/1, Carlos Hyde 4/20/0. Continue playing Thompson as an upside RB3 in standard leagues and an RB2 in PPR formats.

WRs: As mentioned throughout this game preview, Josh Norman is expected back this week, which means Dez Bryant will see a lot of him. The silver-lining here is that Norman hasn’t shadowed at all this year, which is similar to what they did with him last year. Going back to look at what Bryant did in their games last year, he totaled 7/102/0 in the first game and 5/72/0 in their second game. This should be a fun matchup to watch, though the Cowboys would be smart if they just left Bryant at LWR or in the slot all game, which is where he does play about 75 percent of his snaps anyway. It’ll be interesting to see if the Redskins change how they’ve used Norman, though I’d consider it unlikely now that he’s coming back from a serious lung injury. Plug Bryant into your fantasy lineup as a high-end WR2 and don’t worry too much about it. The Cowboys didn’t use the bye week to push Brice Butler ahead of Terrance Williams on the depth chart, so it’s hard to see that happening at all at this point. Williams will see the most of Norman if he plays sides, making him irrelevant in fantasy leagues and DFS. Outside of Nelson Agholor (twice) and Mack Hollins (who caught a long touchdown), the Redskins haven’t allowed any other wide receiver to finish inside the top-20, which doesn’t bode well for anyone outside of Bryant as a sleeper option. Outside of Cole Beasley‘s two touchdown game, he’s done nothing to even make you consider him in fantasy leagues. He played well against them last year, but his role has changed with more of those passes going to Ezekiel Elliott. The Redskins wide receiver corps got a massive shake-up last week when Josh Doctson out-snapped Terrelle Pryor 54 to 30. That came after a week where Doctson played a season-low 25 percent of the snaps. It’s clear the Redskins aren’t happy with Pryor, who dropped another pass in his limited role last week. I’d like to see Doctson play another full complement of snaps before trusting him in season-long, but some owners aren’t so lucky with six teams on a bye this week. Prior to playing against the rookie-led 49ers in Week 7, the Cowboys had allowed eight wide receiver touchdowns in their last four games, making Doctson a high-upside WR4 option. Jamison Crowder played the most snaps among all Redskins wide receivers but he has just 149 yards… on the season. Think about that for a second. There have been 85 wide receivers and 21 running backs who have totaled more yardage than him, including Brandon Marshall and Jalen Richard. He cannot be trusted in fantasy lineups right now, especially when his matchup against Orlando Scandrick may be the toughest one on the team. He might be playing through injuries, he might not, but whatever the case, he should be left on benches or waiver wires. Pryor does lead the team in receiving yards, but he’s yet to see more than five targets since Week 1 when he saw 11 of them. He’s also failed to catch more than three passes in any game during that time span, making him a touchdown-or-bust play, similar to those in Robby Anderson‘s territory which is just a WR5 option.

TEs: When looking at the struggles the Redskins have had against tight ends this year, you have to like Jason Witten as a streaming TE1 this week. Through six games, here’s what they’ve allowed to starting tight ends: Zach Ertz (8/93/0, 5/89/1), Gerald Everett (3/95/0), Jared Cook (4/43/1), Travis Kelce (7/111/1), George Kittle (4/46/0). Seeing that, you now know that the minimum they’ve allowed is 8.6 PPR points, which is suitable for a streaming tight end, let alone one who has shown to have some gas left in the tank. He’s now posted at least 54 yards in 4-of-6 games, including a touchdown in three of them. If you’re looking for a cheap option at tight end who comes with a high floor, Witten is your guy. Of all the weeks Jordan Reed could show up, he does against one of the better teams in the league at defending tight ends? He saw a season-high 10 targets against the Eagles, bringing him back into the TE1 conversation until he gives us a reason not to. He’s always been more of a wide receiver and if they’re going to start limiting Terrelle Pryor‘s role, then there’s plenty of room for him to grow in this offense. The Cowboys have yet to allow a top-12 tight end this season, though the competition hasn’t been great. Outside of Evan Engram, they haven’t played a single tight end inside the top-20 for the season. Reed needs to be in lineups as a TE1 for this game. Vernon Davis somehow has 58 or more yards in four straight games despite seeing just four targets per game, putting him on the TE2 radar even with Reed healthy.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions

Total: 45.5
Line: PIT by 3.0

Coming off their bye week and at home, you’d think the Lions would be favored over a disappointing Steelers team that has lost to the Bears and Jaguars this season. The Lions have been in a bit of a slump, though, allowing at least 27 points in three of their last four games. But knowing Ben Roethlisberger‘s struggles on the road, this could be a game where they’ll be able to keep it together. The Steelers defense has been top-notch through seven weeks, allowing just 20.6 points per game, the 10th fewest in the league. The Lions are going to be missing a vital part of their offense, which could be part of the line swing, as Golden Tate is expected to miss this game. They should get back rookie Kenny Golladay, who has been out since their Week 3 game. The Steelers may be without JuJu Smith-Schuster, who reported concussion-like symptoms on Monday, forcing him into the concussion protocol. Outside of that, they are relatively healthy.

QBs: If you’ve been living under a rock for the last three and a half years, you may not have heard about Ben Roethlisberger‘s struggles on the road. That’s what I’m here for. Below are the splits for his home/road games since the start of 2014.

As you can see, he turns into a quarterback who is not very good. Over a 16-game pace, those road numbers would amount to 4,248 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. To give you a comparison, Joe Flacco threw for 4,317 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions last year. Now, does this change in a dome? It’s too small of a sample size to test, but he did smoke the Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium last year. Before their bye, the Lions had allowed multiple passing touchdowns in three of their last four games, and the only one who didn’t was Case Keenum. Consider Roethlisberger a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 who has upside, but also has a floor outside the top 20 quarterbacks, even though there are just 26 teams playing this week. He’s best suited for DFS tournament lineups, because he’ll be under-owned. Matthew Stafford has been a rollercoaster this fantasy season, throwing for six touchdowns in the first two weeks, then one touchdown over the next two weeks, and now back to five touchdowns the last two weeks. It’s really going to hurt his projection if Golden Tate misses this game, though it likely means they’ll use Theo Riddick as a slot receiver a lot more often than they have. Losing your go-to possession receiver can do a lot, especially against a Steelers defense that has yet to allow a quarterback to score more than 18 points, including 5-of-7 to be held to 10 or less points. They’re allowing just 5.6 yards per attempt on the season, the lowest mark in the league. Because of that, Stafford is just a middling QB2 who will need to adjust his game without Tate.

RBs: This should be a week where Le’Veon Bell is leaned on heavily. Wait, isn’t that every week at this point? He’s touched the ball a ridiculous 137 times over the last four weeks, which amounts to 34.3 times per game. Let it be known that if a running back averages 20 touches per game, it’s rare-air. The Lions haven’t exactly been known to stop the run very well, either, and are without defensive tackle and run-stuffer Haloti Ngata. There’s only been one game this year they’ve played without him, and in that game, they allowed Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara to combine for 237 total yards and two touchdowns. Maybe the Steelers give him 40 touches this game? He’s an elite RB1 this week and is a must-use in all cash games. The Lions have been leaning on Ameer Abdullah more than most realize, and although the results haven’t quite hit massive levels, he’s been competent. His 16.7 touches per game rank 17th in the league, just behind Devonta Freeman and Doug Martin. The Steelers haven’t shown much vulnerability this year on defense, but if there’s one area teams have had success, it’s the run. All but two of the starting running backs that have played against them have averaged at least 5.3 yards per carry. While that’s not the only measuring stick, it’s clearly showing they have difficulty stopping the run. They have also allowed five rushing touchdowns on the young season, though Abdullah has been somewhat allergic to touchdowns. Consider him a rock-solid RB2 this week, while Theo Riddick can also be considered in season-long leagues. With Golden Tate sidelined, expect to see Riddick’s 40 percent of snaps rise to somewhere in the 50-60 percent range, with a lot more targets coming his way. The Steelers have allowed over 300 receiving yards to running backs, though they’ve yet to allow a touchdown to them. With all of the bye week issues for fantasy owners, Riddick should be considered as a flex-play with upside in PPR leagues.

WRs: It’s hard to talk about any Steelers wide receiver other than Antonio Brown because we don’t know who will play at this time. Martavis Bryant has been demoted to the scout team, while JuJu Smith-Schuster is in the concussion protocol. Brown will without a doubt get matched up with Darius Slay, while likely see a safety shaded his way, if the Lions are smart. Knowing they’ve had two weeks to prepare, I’d like to say they’ll double Brown. He’s still a WR1 who is going to be a target-hog, though you don’t need to aggressively play him in DFS this week. Should Smith-Schuster play, he’d be a WR3 with the bye weeks full in effect and a matchup with Quandre Diggs on the horizon. It’d be interesting to see if they let him play on the perimeter and stick Eli Rogers in the slot. As of this time, I’d assume that Justin Hunter plays on the perimeter and Rogers plays the slot. Hunter would be an interesting “what the heck” WR5 option, as he’ll likely get a few deep shots against Nevin Lawson. But all of this becomes very situational, as this game is taking place on Sunday night, which means you’d have to hold multiple players on the Steelers in order to make it work. Golden Tate is not going to play in this game, making Marvin Jones a potential target-hog for the Lions, as Kenny Golladay will be coming off a multi-week absence and T.J. Jones has been a disappointment his entire career thus far. The issue with counting on Jones as any more than a WR3 is because the Steelers have yet to allow a wide receiver more than 61 yards in any of their seven games, which is quite the accomplishment. Jones has seen four red zone targets, which ranks second on the team to only Tate, so he’s a touchdown away from hitting value. Consider him a somewhat safe-floor WR3, though he lacks massive upside against this defense. Golladay is not someone I’d want to trust coming off a multi-week absence, though he should see at least five targets, making him a WR5. Jones is not on the fantasy radar.

TEs: This past week, the Steelers tight end snap counts went like this: Jesse James 50, Vance McDonald 29, Xavier Grimble 28. McDonald ran a pass route on a season-high 15 of his snaps, while James and Grimble each ran just six routes apiece. This is what we look for in potential breakouts. Not only might the Steelers be without two wide receivers, but McDonald is seeing an increased role. He’s not a great idea in season-long as there is just too much risk, but he makes for an interesting tournament play that’ll be under two percent owned. The Lions have only allowed two tight end touchdowns thus far, but the competition hasn’t been great and they’ve only seen 33 targets on the year. Quarterbacks are averaging 11.5 yards per attempt to them, though, which is the highest total in the league (next closest is 10.2 yards). Is Eric Ebron a thing in Week 8? My answer: Probably not. He’s witnessed his snaps dip to the point where he’s now playing just under 50 percent of the snaps over the last three weeks, generating just 11 targets, while catching just four of them for 42 yards. Meanwhile, Darren Fells has seen 11 targets in that same span, after seeing just two targets in the first three games. It’s a legitimate 50/50 timeshare at one of the hardest positions to predict. Fells is the one producing, as he’s turned his 11 targets into 8/90/3. They should both see targets in this game, though it’s hard to recommend either of them against a Steelers team that’s held tight ends to just 244 yards on 43 targets all year. If forced, I suppose it’s got to be Fells at this time.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

Total: 43.0
Line: KC by 7.0

It seems like the Chiefs have been on primetime every single week, right? Can you imagine how we’d feel about that if Alex Smith wasn’t playing MVP-type football? Meanwhile, the Broncos are who we kind of thought they were going to be when led by Trevor Siemian. The Broncos seemingly untouchable defense has now allowed 21 or more points in 4-of-6 games this year, including the Giants and Chargers over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, all systems go against the Chiefs defense that is a shell of what it used to be, allowing 23.0 points per game with most of it going to quarterbacks and wide receivers. It’s important to remember that the Chiefs have played much better defense at Arrowhead Stadium, which is where this game will take place.

QBs: Since his hot start that included seven total touchdowns, Trevor Siemian has totaled just two touchdowns in the following four games. It’s almost like he’s not a game-changing quarterback… odd. He’s playing with a shoulder injury now that won’t help matters, but what does help is that the Chiefs have now allowed three top-two performances through seven weeks. That’s incredibly hard to do. Every quarterback outside of Philip Rivers (who always struggles against the Chiefs) who has played against them has averaged at least 7.2 yards per attempt, including at least 8.0 yards per attempt to each of the last four quarterbacks. Their cornerback duo of Marcus Peters and Terrence Mitchell has been among the worst in football, but can Siemian take advantage of that? I’d think he’ll be competent but nothing more. Consider him just a middling QB2 with how bad he’s played recently. Alex Smith has played lights out football, taking shots when he needs to and taking off running if there’s nothing there. Keep in mind that he’s doing this with no real No. 1 wide receiver on his team. The Broncos are not a team to attack in fantasy matchups, however. Despite their points allowed on the season, they’ve still yet to allow a top-10 quarterback this season. It’s also worth noting that no quarterback has finished outside of QB2 territory against them, either, making Smith a low-upside QB2 for the week.

RBs: Don’t try and ask anyone what the Broncos are doing with their running backs, because no one can give you a logical explanation why C.J. Anderson has totaled just 19 carries over the last two weeks. They have won three games this year, and in those games, here are Anderson’s carry totals: 20, 25, 20. Here are Anderson’s carry totals in their three losses: 8, 9, 10. Seems to be a trend, right? Their defense is good enough to allow them to run the ball 25-plus times per game, so there’s really no excuse. Anderson should be plugged into lineups as a RB2, though the Chiefs are better against the run than they are the pass. The reason to have optimism is that they’ve allowed six rushing touchdowns and not much in the receiving department, somewhere Anderson doesn’t contribute much anyways. Jamaal Charles is losing snaps to Devontae Booker, so they cancel each other out as someone you could take a shot on. Since taking the league by storm in the first three weeks of the season where he averaged 133.7 rushing yards, 45.7 receiving yards, and 2.0 touchdowns, he’s cooled off quite a bit over the last four games, averaging 79.0 rushing yards, 37.0 receiving yards, and 0.0 touchdowns. If you recall, Spencer Ware started the year very hot last year and cooled off considerably as the season went on. Hunt is still an RB1 seeing massive touches every single week, but he may not be Walter Payton reincarnated (never was). The Broncos have had one hiccup this year against the Giants when they allowed Orleans Darkwa 117 yards, but outside of that, they have yet to allow an entire team of running backs total more than 76 yards. And keep in mind they played against Ezekiel Elliott and LeSean McCoy. In games they haven’t been able to get it going on the ground they’ve gone to the air with him, which helps. Hunt is more of a low-end RB1 this week than the elite RB1 you’ve come to expect.

WRs: It seems like the Broncos are saying that Emmanuel Sanders has a chance to play this game, but considering how fast he was ruled out for Week 7, I’d consider it unlikely. Demaryius Thomas fell flat on his face against Casey Hayward last week, which wasn’t too surprising knowing how talented he is, but what was surprising was his six targets with Sanders out of the lineup. It was his second lowest total of the season, giving you little confidence, though it should help knowing that he’s going against the combination of Terrance Mitchell and Marcus Peters this week. Together, they’ve allowed over 900 yards and seven touchdowns in their coverage. That sounds made up, but I promise you it’s not. Expect Thomas to get back on track in this game as a solid WR2 play. Bennie Fowler‘s role didn’t change much with Sanders out of the lineup, as he stuck to slot duties, while Jordan Taylor and Hunter Sharp helped cover the perimeter. Surprisingly, the best cornerback on the Chiefs this year has been backup slot cornerback Phillip Gaines. Fowler is nothing more than a desperation WR5 play. I don’t see Taylor or Sharp talented enough to play in season-long leagues, despite the good matchup. Tyreek Hill had one of his better games in Week 7 against the Raiders who were susceptible to the big play, something the Broncos haven’t really had an issue with. They have yet to allow a wide receiver more than 64 yards against them this year, and have allowed just 104.2 yards per game to wide receivers combined. Is that good? It really sounds like it’s good. Hill will need to be used on some trickery plays, something Andy Reid is known for, so I’d still plug Hill in as a WR3 with some upside that can take place on one play. Demarcus Robinson flashed a little bit last week, though his matchup this week with the combination of Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby is no joke. He’s not on the fantasy radar this week.

TEs: The Broncos don’t seem to be dead-set on one tight end, though A.J. Derby leads the position with 23 targets, and he’s done some damage with those targets. He’s now totaled at least 66 yards in two of the last three games, but is impossible to trust because the Broncos didn’t even use him against the Giants, who have been known to allow massive tight end games every single week. Until we see them target him five-plus times in back-to-back weeks, it’ll be hard to recommend him. The Chiefs are still one of the better teams in the league at defending tight ends, even without Eric Berry, so if Derby can get something going in this game, we may be onto something with him. Travis Kelce is an elite TE1 in this game, as the Broncos struggle to defend tight ends seemingly every week. They have now allowed 73 yards and/or a touchdown to a tight end in 4-of-6 games this year, which is similar to last year where they allowed the 12th most yardage to tight ends, despite allowing the fewest yardage to quarterbacks (and it wasn’t even close, more than a 200-yard gap). On Monday night, we may see Kelce be the player of the game.

Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens

Total: 37.5
Line: BAL by 3.0

Just when you thought the Thursday night games couldn’t get any worse (though last Thursday night’s game was epic), the NFL has arranged for a Joe Flacco vs. Matt Moore showdown. Both of these teams are struggling, though the Dolphins have somehow won three games in a row. Meanwhile, the Ravens have lost four of their last five games by an average of 16.3 points. They will also be without Mike Wallace for this game, which is something they cannot afford, as their receiving corps wasn’t good to begin with. They should have Jeremy Maclin back, though he’s the only legitimate threat in the passing game and may not be 100 percent. The Dolphins are rumored to get DeVante Parker back for this game after missing Week 7 and almost all of their Week 6 game. This figures to be a low-scoring game and one that isn’t too enticing for fantasy owners.

QBs: Jay Cutler has been diagnosed with broken ribs, meaning Matt Moore will get the start in Week 8 and for the foreseeable future. Some were already calling for his name before the Cutler injury, so it’s really hard to say he’s a downgrade. In his short stint last year where he started three games, Moore averaged 224.7 yards and 2.7 touchdowns, though he played against the Jets, Bills, and Patriots in those games. It’s difficult to see him as someone who will put together a solid fantasy day against the Ravens, as they’ve now held 5-of-7 quarterbacks under 200 yards passing on the year. In fact, not one single quarterback has thrown for more than 241 yards against them. Outside of their one game in London, the Ravens have allowed just four passing touchdowns in the other six games. Moore shouldn’t be considered in fantasy leagues this week. Joe Flacco has been one of the worst quarterbacks in football through seven weeks, throwing for just 5.3 yards per attempt. His previous career-low was just 6.4 yards per attempt, so maybe his back is a bigger issue than most want to admit. Whatever the case, Flacco has more negative scoring weeks than he does 15-point performances in 2017. He’s actually scored single-digits in 5-of-7 weeks. The Dolphins are coming off a game in which they allowed Josh McCown to throw for three touchdowns, but they’d allowed just six passing scores in their previous five games. Let’s be clear here, you’re not starting Flacco outside of 2QB leagues, where you can because there are six teams on bye.

RBs: We’re now headed into Week 8 and Jay Ajayi has yet to score a touchdown. Even those who were against drafting Ajayi in the second round wouldn’t have predicted this, especially when you consider he’s healthy and has totaled 125 carries, the sixth-most in the league. In fact, there isn’t another player with more than 99 carries who’s failed to score less than two touchdowns. They are coming, though Baltimore may not be the place. They have allowed five rushing scores on the season, but a lot of those took place while run-stuffer Brandon Williams was out of commission. He returned last week, and although they did allow Latavius Murray a big week, that was bound to happen when you allow your opponent 32 rushing attempts. Opposing teams have averaged 33.1 rushing attempts against the Ravens, which ranks second in the NFL, so the volume should be there for Ajayi. The issue is that Ajayi has struggled in games the Dolphins have lost and they’re projected to lose this game. Still, with the high projected carry numbers, he needs to be started as a high-end RB2. The rest of the running backs on the Dolphins have combined for just 16 carries and 10 receptions, leaving them out of fantasy conversations. You are simply never going to feel comfortable putting Javorius Allen into fantasy lineups, as he’s about as unpredictable as they come. Take a look at these rushing attempts: 21, 14, 8, 2, 21, 10, 6. They were trending down, went back up and are now trending down once again. He’s got to be viewed as a guy who’ll get roughly 6-8 carries per game and a handful of receptions, similar to James White, but in a worse offense. That puts him in the low-end RB3 conversation most weeks, but the fact that he’s hit the 20-carry mark twice leaves room for hope, but don’t count on it. The Ravens didn’t play him at all in 2016 for a reason – they really don’t want to play him. Alex Collins has now carried the ball at least 10 times in each of the last three games, but the lack of scoring opportunities leaves him as just a dicey RB3/4 option. Opposite of the Ravens, the Dolphins opponents have averaged just 22.8 carries per game which ranks as the fourth-fewest in the league. It’s the reason no running back has totaled more than 15 carries against them, and in fact, there hasn’t been one to hit 10 carries in the last two weeks. It’s not a matchup to target in season-long or DFS.

WRs: This is a tough matchup to recommend for any wide receivers, as the Ravens have been pretty lights out against the pass, not allowing a single wide receiver to post a 100-yard game. For that reason, they’ve allowed just one WR1 performance this year and that was to Michael Crabtree when he totaled 82 yards and a touchdown. Knowing their matchups, Jarvis Landry has the best outlook, as the Ravens have struggled to defend slot wide receivers in the red zone. Landry has now scored in three straight games and is impossible to bench considering he’s seen at least 10 targets in 5-of-6 games this year. He’s a WR2 in both standard and PPR formats. DeVante Parker might return for this game, though both he and Kenny Stills won’t be recommended starts against the duo of Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr, who have done a great job with perimeter wide receivers this year. Parker may also be at less-than-100-percent, so feel free to bench him for an upside WR4. Stills has always been underappreciated as a football player, but will return to No. 3 on the pecking order, making him a touchdown-or-bust WR5. The fact that the Ravens have allowed just three wide receiver touchdowns should be enough to keep you away. Jeremy Maclin was close to playing in Week 7, so we have to assume he’ll be out there on Thursday night, though he’s unlikely to be at full health. He’s also going to be asked to play somewhat of a different role in the offense with Mike Wallace in the concussion protocol. If he were sticking to the slot, his matchup with Bobby McCain is a plus one, as he’s allowed 16 of 18 targets come his way be completed, though he hasn’t allowed a touchdown in his coverage yet. With the lack of pass-catching options in the Ravens offense, Maclin should be in line for eight-plus targets in this game, putting him on the low-end WR3 radar. Breshad Perriman may return from his concussion, though it’s hard to trust him in anything as he’s caught just four of his 18 targets this season for a measly 26 yards. Chris Moore has seen 15 targets over the last two weeks, making him someone to at least pay attention to. The matchup isn’t ideal, but if Maclin is playing through his shoulder injury, Moore could surprise. He’s still nothing more than a WR5 in season-long leagues who gets an even bigger bump if Perriman were to miss this game.

TEs: Week 7 was the first time Julius Thomas had posted more than 29 yards since way back in Week 1 of last year, so it’s a step in the right direction, though you don’t want to trust him or anything. The Ravens have struggled against tight ends this year, allowing 305 yards and six touchdowns to them on just 37 targets. Moore has no issue throwing to the tight end position, as he hit Dion Sims for two touchdowns in his first start last year. Thomas is a red zone option against a team that struggles with allowing touchdowns to tight ends, making him at least a consideration as a TE2 streamer. You’d think Ben Watson would have more yardage than he does, especially when you consider the lack of pass-catchers on this offense. He’s totaled more than 43 yards just once on the season and has scored just one touchdown, which came from Ryan Mallett and not Flacco. The Dolphins aren’t a team who defends the tight end position extremely well or extremely bad; they’re average. All of this combined means that Watson is just a low-upside TE2, though the injuries to wide receivers won’t hurt his overall target outlook.

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Google Play | TuneIn | RSS

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