Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks
Total: 45.0
Line: SEA by 7.0
QBs
Kirk Cousins: It’s been somewhat of a miracle that Cousins has been able to produce the way he has considering how lackluster his option are in the passing game. Don’t expect him to walk into Seattle and do what Deshaun Watson just did. That was just the second week this season where the Seahawks had allowed more than one passing touchdown. Despite that performance, they’ve still allowed just 230.9 passing yards per game and nine touchdowns to eight interceptions on the year. Cousins is just a mediocre QB2 this week. (Note: If Earl Thomas were to miss this game, Cousins would have an upgraded matchup)
Russell Wilson: He’s now scored at least 26 fantasy points in four of his last five games, which is a territory some don’t reach all season. He’s throwing the ball more than ever and is on pace for 590 pass attempts, which is 44 more than his previous career-high set in 2016. The Redskins biggest weakness also happens to be the Seahawks biggest strength, attacking the middle of the field. It’s hard not to love Wilson this week as an elite QB1.
RBs
Robert Kelley and Chris Thompson: Now that Kelley is back in the mix, Thompson has gone back to his old role, carrying the ball just a handful of times per game but being utilized heavily in the passing game. Despite touching the ball more than 12 times just twice all season, Thompson currently sits as the RB8 in PPR formats. Meanwhile, Kelley has averaged 3.8 yards per carry and just scored his first touchdown of the season last week. The Seahawks did struggle a bit against the run earlier in the year, but have since turned things around, holding each of the last four teams they’ve played to 75 or less rushing yards. Kelley is nothing more than a touchdown-hopeful RB4 this week, while Thompson should be able to hold RB3 value despite the Seahawks allowing just the third-fewest receiving yards (194) to running backs this season. He’s simply posting too many points to put him on your bench, though I’d probably try to stay away in DFS.
Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy: This combination has been brutal this year. Not that the offensive line hasn’t been as well, but together they have totaled 167 yards on 72 carries (2.32 YPC) with no touchdowns, including a combined 12 carries for -1 yard last week against the Texans. Even against a Redskins team that has allowed four rushing touchdowns over the last three weeks, neither of them are recommended starts. It’s tough, too, because this is a game they should win in blowout fashion. If you want to play one of them in a tournament lineup, Rawls should be the one. If C.J. Prosise were to get on the field, I’ll be watching, because the other two stooges can’t get anything done.
WRs
Josh Doctson: Whew, that touchdown sure saved what was an ugly day in the rain for Doctson. He was second behind only Jamison Crowder in snaps, which is a great sign, though we want him to see more than three targets before trusting him as a WR3/4-type option. He’s played on both sides of the formation, meaning he won’t see Richard Sherman for more than maybe 40 percent of the time. Still, a tough matchup, Doctson is just a touchdown-dependent WR4 this week.
Jamison Crowder: If you started Crowder last week, great job. It’s not something I would’ve done. It was good to see him play up to his potential, as he’d been lackluster all season, though we knew there’s plenty of talent inside of him. With the game-flow concerns for the run game, it’s likely they lean on their passing game to move the sticks. It just so happens that Crowder has the best matchup to do so, making him a solid WR3 option while all these bye weeks are in effect.
Terrelle Pryor: He’s not a fantasy option at this point in time, as he has played just 49 of a possible 123 snaps over the last two weeks. He’s simply not involved in the offense.
Doug Baldwin: Of all the fantasy scoring in Week 8 for the Seahawks, Baldwin walked away with just 6/54/0? Have no fear, he should make up for it in this game, as the Redskins have had issues defending slot wide receivers and tight ends over the middle of the field. Baldwin is going to be ranked inside my top 12 wide receivers for the week.
Paul Richardson: Good to see him find the end zone with some regularity. Now has five touchdowns in the last six games. He’ll see Bashaud Breeland the majority of the time, while Tyler Lockett will see a lot of Josh Norman. Consider Richardson a high-end WR4 with how often they’re looking his way in the red zone.
Tyler Lockett: Oddly enough, Lockett’s average depth of target is 1.5 yards less than Richardson’s, despite popular belief to the contrary. He moves into the slot a bit more than Richardson, though, which could help them create a mismatch. Knowing he’ll see Norman the majority of time, Lockett is just a long-play hopeful WR4 this week.
TEs
Vernon Davis: If you haven’t heard, Jay Gruden said earlier this week that Jordan Reed is likely going to miss this game. Davis has been performing with him in the lineup, as he actually has more fantasy points than Reed (35.2 to 33.1) despite 13 fewer targets. The Seahawks aren’t extremely tough against tight ends, making Davis a low-end TE1 if Reed is out.
Jimmy Graham: It’s weird to see Graham struggle at times, simply because he was dominant for so long. You can just kind of tell that he’s not fluid in his movements the way he used to be. He’s caught four touchdowns over the last three games, hiding some of the flaws in his performances, though he’s still near the top of the tight end chain considering his 6.4 targets per game. The Redskins are a beautiful matchup for tight ends, as they have already allowed four top-eight performances to them. Graham is among the elite plays at tight end this week.
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers
Total: 39.0
Line: ARI by 2.5
QBs
Drew Stanton: Even though he’s playing against one of the softest defenses in the league, he’s not an option you really want to use. The Cardinals have one of the poorer offensive lines in football and Stanton isn’t what you’d call mobile. In relief of Carson Palmer in Week 7, he completed just 35 percent of his passes while throwing an interception. Against the 49ers last year, he completed just 11-of-28 passes for 124 yards, though he did connect on two touchdowns. He’s fine in 2QB leagues, but trusting him on the road in standard leagues? No thanks.
C.J. Beathard: It’s hard to say that Jimmy Garoppolo will be ready to go for this week, so I’m going to assume we get at least one (if not two) more start out of Beathard. He’s completed just 53 percent of his passes on the season with two touchdowns and three interceptions, not showing any signs of someone who could lead their franchise, forcing them to go out and make the trade for Garoppolo. The Cardinals have been a much worse defense on the road, but in a divisional match and off their bye, I’d expect them to be competent. I’d actually prefer Stanton over Beathard if forced to choose one for this week.
RBs
Adrian Peterson and Andre Ellington: Losing Palmer cannot be a good sign for the amount of scoring opportunities for this offense, making Peterson less valuable. He’ll still see plenty of carries, which automatically puts him on the fantasy radar, especially against the 49ers, whose opponents average a league-high 33.9 carries per game. Knowing Bruce Arians, the Cardinals may run the ball 40 times this week in order to keep Stanton from blowing the game. There’s been at least one running back in every game to score 11.0 or more PPR points against the 49ers, so Peterson would naturally be the one you’d want to assume. Knowing he’ll get at least 15 carries in this game, Peterson is a low-end RB2, though it shouldn’t shock anyone to see a line of 16 carries for 45 yards or something like that. Ellington is going to be more valuable in games the Cardinals fall behind, but that shouldn’t happen here. Consider him a desperation RB4 in PPR leagues.
Carlos Hyde and Matt Breida: It was another down week for Hyde, as he’s now totaled just 132 rushing yards on his last 47 carries (2.81 YPC) over a span of four games. He’s scored twice, keeping his overall numbers afloat, but it’s not pretty. Earlier this year against a tough Cardinals run defense, Hyde totaled a respectable 68 yards on 16 carries and added another 27 yards through the air. In a game that should remain close, Hyde should total at least 15 touches, though the tough matchup makes him just a middling RB2. Breida may look good in short spurts, but there’s been just one game where he’s seen double-digit touches. He’s nothing more than a handcuff to Hyde in season-long leagues.
WRs
Larry Fitzgerald: If you’ve been playing fantasy football the last few years, Fitzgerald is someone who has severely fallen off over the second half of the season. Over the last three and a half seasons, Fitzgerald has averaged 6.2 receptions for 73.4 yards and 0.6 touchdowns from Weeks 1-8, but has averaged just 6.0 receptions for 57.4 yards and 0.1 touchdowns from Weeks 9-17. In the game against the 49ers earlier this year, he did score, though that came in over time, as he had just 13 yards at the end of regulation. He’s just a ho-hum WR3 with Stanton under center.
John Brown: There have been 12 games in which Brown has played with Stanton (where he’s thrown at least five pass attempts), and in those games, he’s averaged just 3.1 receptions for 40.2 yards and 0.2 touchdowns. The matchup against the 49ers is great and Brown only needs one play to hit value, so don’t cross him off as a sneaky WR4 this week.
Pierre Garcon: You should know by now not to play wide receivers against Patrick Peterson, which is what Garcon owners found out back in Week 4 when he saw eight targets, but totaled just 4/36/0. He’s not shown any chemistry with Beathard, catching just 7/66/0 on 11 targets over the last two weeks. You can likely find better options to play than him this week, as he’s just a risky low-upside WR4.
TEs
Jermaine Gresham: No, just… no. If you need a reason, the 49ers have allowed the second-fewest points to tight ends.
George Kittle: The Iowa connection between Kittle and Beathard has been non-existent, as he’s seen just six targets over the last two weeks for a total of three catches for 38 yards. His snap count has also been down the last few weeks, making him an unreliable fantasy option. Against the Cardinals, he’s off the radar.
Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys
Total: 51.5
Line: EVEN
QBs
Alex Smith: We are now officially at the halfway point of the NFL season and Smith is still the No. 1 fantasy quarterback. Granted, Deshaun Watson has played one less game, but it’s still a real accomplishment for Smith. He’s been crushing in cake matchups, which is what Dallas has been for much of the season, allowing 18 or more fantasy points to the opposing quarterback in five of their seven games. The only two who didn’t were Eli Manning and Kirk Cousins, both divisional rivals. If you have Smith on your roster, he should be in your lineup, as this game appears to have the highest total of the week.
Dak Prescott: Four of the last seven quarterbacks to play against the Chiefs were able to post 20 or more fantasy points, including 30-point games to both Deshaun Watson and Derek Carr. Don’t be shy about using Prescott in season-long, cash-games, tournaments, whatever. He’s an elite QB1 at home this week.
RBs
Kareem Hunt: He’s not the elite running back everyone thought he was going to be after the first couple of weeks, as the NFL has seemingly caught up with him. The offensive line has had a few injuries, but Hunt has now totaled less than 50 yards in two of his last three games. He’s going to get back on track and likely this week against the Cowboys. They’ve allowed opposing teams of running backs over 20 PPR points in five of their seven games, and we all know that Hunt dominates about 90 percent of the Chiefs scoring. Three running backs have been able to hit the 100-yard bonus against them as well. Get Hunt back into lineups and expect elite results this week.
Ezekiel Elliott: Stop me if you’ve heard this before… Elliott’s suspension has been delayed. Yeah, get him back into lineups as an elite RB1, as the Cowboys appear dead-set on giving him the touches before he’s not there. Over the last three weeks, Elliott has totaled 30, 27, and 34 touches. Those are Le’Veon Bell-type touches on an offense that’s scored 28 or more points in each of their last five games. The Chiefs have been better against the run than most realize. Outside of Week 1 when they allowed Mike Gillislee three touchdowns, they have allowed just one running back to score 15 PPR points and that was Bell with his 35 touches. Elliott is still a phenomenal play.
WRs
Tyreek Hill: It’s like clockwork with Hill, as he’s seen 6, 7, or 8 targets in every single game this year. Nothing more, nothing less. He wins in good matchups, loses in bad ones. Against the Cowboys, I expect him to win in a matchup against a secondary that’s already allowed five performances of 17.0 or more PPR points through seven games. Hill is a high-end WR2 for this game and one who I’d expect to do very well.
Demarcus Robinson: Not quite ready for fantasy lineups, though he’s worth monitoring if you’re in a deep league. He saw 13 targets in the two games before their win over the Broncos where he saw just one target.
Dez Bryant: The Cowboys didn’t need to throw a whole lot with Elliott going off for 150 yards and two touchdowns last week, but the Chiefs will put up a fight this week. Fortunately for Bryant, he’ll match-up with the cornerback who has allowed the most yardage to opposing wide receivers this year and it’s really not even close. Terrance Mitchell has been burned in coverage for almost 600 yards and five touchdowns, making Bryant a top-five play this week.
Terrance Williams: He’s slowly being phased out of the offense, seeing just three targets in each of the last three games. He’ll also match-up with Marcus Peters this week, who has been playing below his usual standards, but he’s talented enough to knock Williams down to the WR5/6 territory.
Cole Beasley: The Chiefs got their starting slot cornerback Steven Nelson back in Week 8 and he’ll be covering Beasley, who has been an afterthought in the offense this year. He’s still yet to top 33 yards in any game this year, meaning he’s off our radar.
TEs
Travis Kelce: After catching just four passes in back-to-back games in Weeks 6 and 7, Kelce popped off against the Broncos last Monday night for 7/133/1. He’s already just one touchdown off his career-high, though the Cowboys have done a great job with opposing tight ends this year, allowing the third-fewest points to them. It is important to note, however, they have played just one tight end who sits among the top-20 fantasy tight ends and that was Evan Engram in his first career game where he totaled four catches for 44 yards. There doesn’t seem to be any reason to fade Kelce in this game.
Jason Witten: With a shortage among passing options, Witten has been a bigger factor than most thought he’d be this season. He’s now totaled 54 or more yards in 4-of-7 games, something not many tight ends can say. The Chiefs lost safety Eric Berry early in the season, which has affected them rather significantly as they’ve now allowed 546 yards to the tight end position, which is the second-most in the NFL. Knowing how high-scoring this game is projected to be, Witten is at the tail-end of the TE1 conversation.
Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins
Total: 44.0
Line: OAK by 2.5
QBs
Derek Carr: We talked about it before the season, that Carr was just a streaming-type quarterback who reminded me of a younger Matt Ryan for fantasy football purposes. Now through seven games, he’s scored more than 12 fantasy points just three times and two of those games came in Weeks 1 and 2. The Dolphins don’t have an elite pass defense by any means and have allowed at least one passing score in every game this season. Over their last two games, they’ve allowed five touchdowns on 49 pass attempts to the combination of Josh McCown, Joe Flacco, and Ryan Mallett. Carr had better perform like at least a low-end QB1 in this game, otherwise there are some big problems.
Jay Cutler: It seems like Cutler will be under center this week, according to Adam Gase. We have to at least look at the matchup, as the Raiders have been weak against the pass, allowing 11 passing touchdowns without a single interception. Still, Cutler may be at less than 100 percent and hasn’t been what you’d call reliable over the course of the season. He’s off the streaming radar, outside of 2QB leagues.
RBs
Marshawn Lynch, DeAndre Washington, and Jalen Richard: This is not a great matchup for running backs, let alone a trio that have been extremely disappointing. Richard now has just 1.7 fewer fantasy points than Lynch despite touching the ball 19 less times. Maybe the week suspension gave Lynch time to get his head right, though who really knows what goes on inside his head? The Dolphins have allowed just three rushing touchdowns this year, though they have allowed a healthy 4.13 yards per carry. Prior to the Ravens last week (who totaled 35 carries), no individual running back has carried the ball more than 15 times against them. Consider Lynch just a high-end RB3, while Washington and Richard go back to their RB5 roles.
Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams: Let’s start by saying the Dolphins wouldn’t have traded Jay Ajayi if they didn’t have a plan in place for Drake and Williams. From beat writers, Drake has taken on the lead role when Ajayi missed time in practice. It’s also important to note that this regime selected him in the third round just one year ago, which was higher than Ajayi himself was drafted. This is going to be somewhat of a timeshare, but there are plenty of touches to go around. After not allowing a rushing touchdown in their first four games, the Raiders have now allowed three of them in their last four games. As of now, expect Drake to be the leader in a 60/40 timeshare, making him a high-end RB3, while Williams is more of a flex-play during bye weeks.
WRs
Michael Crabtree: After starting out the game hot, Crabtree slowed down as Carr did and finished with mediocre results. He’s still been able to post at least 80 yards in 4-of-7 games this year, despite trailing teammate Cooper by 17 targets. The Dolphins don’t have a shadow cornerback, so Crabtree will see a mix of Cordrea Tankersley and Xavien Howard, though more of Tankersley. Despite allowing just 10.9 yards per reception, he’s allowed three touchdowns in his coverage on just 23 targets. Crabtree should be in lineups as a solid WR2.
Amari Cooper: The fact that the Raiders have targeted Cooper 27 times over the last two weeks tells you how bad they want to get him involved and this week is one where they should utilize his speed. Xavien Howard is one of the slower cornerbacks in the league and hasn’t been what I’d call good in coverage this year. There’s risk associated with Cooper, but tell me a wide receiver outside of the top 10 who doesn’t come with risk. He’s a high-risk/high-upside WR2 who is trending upward.
DeVante Parker: There have been some who have been asking me if they should drop Parker. No. The answer is a definitive “no.” In his three full games played, he’s totaled 4/85/0, 8/76/1, and 6/69/0 in them. Guys, that’s WR1 territory. He was seeing multiple deep targets in every game from Cutler, which is exactly what the Raiders secondary has struggled with. Knowing there may be rust on him, you don’t want to trust him as anything more than a WR3, but he comes with WR1 upside.
Jarvis Landry: It can’t be good to hear your name swirling in trade rumors, but in the end, Landry stayed right in Miami. He’s now seen at least 10 targets in 6-of-7 games, making him a WR3 at worst, no matter the matchup. The Raiders have T.J. Carrie covering the slot and although he’s been better than expected, it’s not a matchup to run from. If Cutler still has rib pain, he may check down more than usual, making Landry a low-end WR2.
Kenny Stills: Now that Parker is back, Stills will have to make do on a smaller target share than the 9 and 10 targets he’s gotten the last two weeks. Prior to those targets, Stills had finished with 51 or less yards in each of the first five games. He shouldn’t be forgotten since the Raiders struggle with the deep ball, but he’s just a desperation WR4/5 option.
TEs
Jared Cook: Now having seen at least five targets in 7-of-8 games, Cook needs to be on your fantasy radar. He’s only scored once, but the Dolphins have allowed a tight end touchdown in four of their seven games. They have allowed just one tight end to top 48 yards and that was way back in Week 2, so it almost seems like touchdown-or-bust for Cook. Call me a little bit skeptical, but he is definitely on the TE1/TE2 border with all the targets he’s seeing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – follow the targets at tight end.
Julius Thomas: He had a chance to make his move with no Parker in the lineup, but he’s maxed out at five targets and three receptions, making him like most backup tight ends – touchdown or bust. He’s failed to score a single touchdown this season, though the Raiders have allowed three of them to tight ends. In fact, quarterbacks have a 110.4 Rating when targeting tight ends against them. Still, it’s not enough for me to like Thomas, who moves like a 45-year-old tight end.
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Total: 43.0
Line: DET by 1.5
QBs
Matthew Stafford: After throwing for 423 yards and not a single touchdown (how does that happen?) against the Steelers, Stafford will play the divisional rival Packers on Monday night football. The Packers defense has been surprisingly decent against quarterbacks this year, allowing one or less passing touchdowns in 5-of-7 games. They’re allowing a healthy 7.3 yards per attempt, though, so it may come down to situations, as they’ve allowed seven rushing touchdowns (2 QB, 5 RB). He threw for more than 340 yards in each of their two meetings last year, which gives me confidence saying that he’s a solid QB1 for this contest.
Brett Hundley: For those who thought Hundley would just come in and take Aaron Rodgers‘ spot without a hitch were simply dreaming. He’s now thrown 69 career passes that have amounted to 33 completions for 261 yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions. The Lions are going to give him an opportunity to boost those numbers, as they’ve struggled over their last three games, allowing 9.03 yards per attempt along with six touchdowns. I wouldn’t stream him in standard formats, though, as he at least show he’s capable of producing in a good matchup before that.
RBs
Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Dwayne Washington: The Lions are really trying to make Abdullah become a thing, as he’s now got 101 carries through seven games, while all other running backs have a combined 47 carries. The offensive line simply isn’t clearing any room and he’s not a “put your head down and gain a few yards” type of runner. Because of that, he’s stuck in the volume RB3 conversation, though he’s capable of breaking off runs with a hole. The Packers are definition of a mediocre run defense, allowing just over four yards per carry, and have allowed five rushing scores on the season. The only running back to see double-digit carries and not score at least 14 PPR points was Latavius Murray, though his teammate Jerick McKinnon scored almost 27 points that game. Abdullah needs to be started, but I can understand your frustration. Riddick seems to be scoring in between 3-6 standard points and 6-10 PPR points, making him a RB4 in standard leagues and a borderline RB3 in PPR formats. In one game against them last year, Riddick totaled 48 total yards on 17 touches – eek. Washington is their goal-line running back who has still yet to score, leaving him off fantasy radars.
Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery: It’s going to be very telling when the Packers take the field on Monday night, as they’ve had the bye week to figure out how they’re going to handle their backfield. On top of that, Montgomery likely got a lot healthier from his broken ribs. Once Rodgers went down in Week 6, Jones finished that game with just 42 total yards on 14 touches. The following week, against the Saints, Jones broke a long touchdown run that has everyone saying it’s his backfield. While I do believe it’s his starting job, I don’t think Montgomery is going away. Remember that an Aaron Rodgers-led offense is a lot more valuable than a Brett Hundley-led offense, so whatever happens, they aren’t guaranteed to return RB1 value or anything. The Lions played well against Le’Veon Bell last week, but they were torched by the Saints just two weeks before that. Without Haloti Ngata, they’re missing a plug up the middle, which is an area the Packers should attack. Play Jones as an RB2 and Montgomery as a risky flex.
WRs
Golden Tate: Playing last week gives us more than enough confidence playing Tate on the Monday night game. He played well, too, accumulating seven catches for 86 yards on eight targets against a team that hadn’t allowed a wide receiver to total more than 61 yards all year. Tate is healthy. The Packers have been forced to rotate Damarious Randall into the slot, a different position than he’s used to playing, so upgrade Tate’s matchup. He’s a rock solid WR2 for this game.
Marvin Jones: He’s been the go-to-guy when Stafford is in trouble and it’s worked out well for him so far, as Jones ranks 25th in yardage and 16th in touchdowns among all wide receivers. The Packers were the team Jones destroyed for over 200 yards early in the season last year, though he tumbled after that. Despite being better against quarterbacks, the Packers have a weakness covering wide receivers, allowing the seventh-most points per game to them. Consider Jones a solid WR3 with bye weeks in full effect.
T.J. Jones/Kenny Golladay: With this game being played on Monday, it’ll be rough to count on production from either of them, though Jones may have the No. 3 role with how long Golladay has been out. Jones has seen a very-high 17 targets over the last two weeks, so you could potentially do worse as a desperation WR5, though this game likely won’t have Stafford throwing the ball 52 or 45 times like he has the last two weeks.
Jordy Nelson: The first two games in the Brett Hundley experience haven’t been great to Nelson as he’s totaled just 73 yards on seven catches in the two games combined. For whatever reason, he only saw four targets in the game against New Orleans, a problem that was likely addressed during their bye week. Nelson should theoretically be the one least effected by the change, as he’s been running shorter routes, but you have to downgrade him to WR2/3 territory for this week. We are unsure who Darius Slay will cover, as he’s been shutting down wide receivers as of late, but Nelson would make sense.
Davante Adams: We thought Xavier Rhodes would cover Nelson a few weeks back, but instead he followed Adams, so we can’t automatically assume that Adams will evade Darius Slay’s coverage this week. Adams suffered in Week 7 with just two catches for 12 yards with Hundley under center, something that should have been expected. Adams is just a WR3 with Hundley at the helm and not a must-play if you have other solid options.
Randall Cobb: The Lions have used Quandre Diggs to cover slot receivers this year, though that’s not worked out like they’d hoped. He’s allowing a rather-high 15.8 yards per reception and has allowed three touchdowns on just 25 targets in coverage. Quarterbacks have a 131.2 Rating when targeting him, which is among the higher marks in the league. The issue is that Cobb has seen just seven targets over the last two weeks and hasn’t topped 44 yards since way back in Week 2. Consider Cobb a WR4 who could post his best game in a while.
TEs
Eric Ebron: Apparently the Lions were taking calls on Ebron before the trading deadline but ultimately decided to keep him. Why would they do that if they weren’t planning on using him? He did see six targets against the Steelers, though Stafford dropped back to pass a bunch. The Packers are the league’s best defensive unit against tight ends, allowing just 33.7 yards per game to them without a single touchdown. Let’s see them use Ebron before trusting him in fantasy again.
Martellus Bennett: Apparently Bennett says this will be his final year playing in the NFL. Most players would choose a better time, not when your playoff hopes are diminishing after losing your starting quarterback. He’s been a massive disappointment himself this season, as he’s totaled just 233 yards and has still yet to score a touchdown. The Lions aren’t one of the better teams at defending tight ends, though the stats look semi-decent. They have only faced 36 targets, the lowest number in the league. If you think Bennett is going to turn things around, this is a week he could do it, though he remains in the Ebron category with me where I want to see him do it at least once before trusting him.
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Total: 42.0
Line: BUF by 3.5
QBs
Tyrod Taylor: Despite not allowing more than 254 passing to any one quarterback, the Jets have allowed at least 16.2 fantasy points to 6-of-8 quarterbacks they’ve played, via a collection of passing touchdowns or rushing yards. Taylor himself has hit that total in 4-of-7 games. Consider him a high-floor, high-end QB2 for this contest.
Josh McCown: After eight weeks of football, McCown is a QB1 in fantasy football. Yes, this is the end. The Bills have now allowed 300 yards passing in each of their last three games, but have still allowed just six passing touchdowns all year. McCown should be considered a low-upside QB2 for this game.
RBs
LeSean McCoy: Coming off his bye week, McCoy now has back-to-back 27-plus PPR point games. He’s totaled a massive 61 touches in those two games. The Jets’ weakness has been stopping pass-catching running backs, as the only running backs who have scored more than 11 PPR points against them are those who have caught 49 or more receiving yards. McCoy is more than capable. RB1, though unlikely to match the last two weeks.
Bilal Powell and Matt Forte: Over the last two weeks, Powell has 23 carries to Matt Forte‘s 11 carries, making him the preferred option in the run game, but Forte has caught 19 passes over the last three weeks, while Powell has seen his receiving totals dip, catching just five passes the last two weeks. The Bills have allowed just 3.58 yards per carry, but have allowed almost 350 yards through the air to running backs. Consider Powell a low-end RB3, while Forte can be played as a flex/RB4-option with more upside in PPR formats.
WRs
Kelvin Benjamin: Umm, what? The Bills traded for a No. 1 wide receiver, yet had to give up just third- and seventh-round picks? It’s unknown on how much he’ll be contributing on such short notice, but he’s already the No. 1 on this team. He’s a risky WR3 this week who’s arguably in a better situation than he was just one week ago, though you may not reap the benefits this weekend. It takes a wide receiver much longer to learn the playbook than it does a running back.
Jordan Matthews: He’s yet to see more than five targets in any game and has three or less targets in 4-of-6 games. Now he has Benjamin on the roster to compete for targets with. The Jets were without slot cornerback Buster Skrine last week, which was already a matchup to target. Not enough targets to feel great about it, but Matthews is someone who should be on the WR4 radar.
Zay Jones: Has actually averaged more than six targets per game over the last month, but has yet to total more than three catches or 32 yards. Those numbers are going down with the arrival of Benjamin. He’s not to be played in fantasy until he gives us a reason.
Robby Anderson: Despite it being rainy all game, Anderson had his best game of the year in Week 8. Maybe connecting more with McCown as the season goes on, he’ll match-up with Tre’Davious White, a tough matchup. Still, he’s seeing at least five targets per game, making him a useful WR4 with bye weeks here.
Jermaine Kearse: Has now totaled just 17 targets over the last four games, though he’s scored twice and still leads the team with four touchdowns. If he doesn’t score, he’s going to disappoint, which means he falls into WR5 territory most of the time. This game is no different.
TEs
Nick O’Leary: Now having just five targets over the last two games, it’s clear he’s no Charles Clay in this offense. Earlier in the season, Clay had 4/53/1 against the Jets, though he had nine targets to get there. You can find better streamers to use this week.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins: I’ve kept talking about it, but Seferian-Jenkins was going to disappoint if he didn’t score a touchdown. He’s seen 39 targets in his six games, but has yet to record more than 46 yards. You’ll want to play him in games we project the Jets to score a lot of points or games against lackluster defenses against the tight end position. The Bills have only allowed two touchdowns to tight ends this season, but have allowed plenty of yardage. It’s hard to bench him with all the targets he gets, making him a low-end TE1.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
