Cincinnati Bengals vs Indianapolis Colts

Date/Time: October 18, 1:00pm ET
Odds: Colts -360
Over/Under: 46.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Colts 27.25, Bengals 19.25

Cincinnati Bengals

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Indianapolis Colts

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Quarterback

Cincinnati: Burrow struggled immensely against the Ravens defense in week five and he hurt a lot of fantasy managers that still started him. While Burrow’s unlikely to repeat the atrocious performance that he had last week here, it’s still a tough matchup against the Colts defense. Burrow should be viewed as a mid-range QB2.

Indianapolis: Rivers’ arm is toast. He simply doesn’t have it anymore and he still has the propensity for turning the ball over. He’s off the redraft radar.

Running Backs

Cincinnati: Mixon had a tough matchup in week five and didn’t get much done on the ground, but it shouldn’t extremely concerning due to the volume he received. Not only did Mixon see 24 carries on the ground, he saw eight targets out of the backfield! Mixon has another tough task ahead of him with the Colts run defense, but he is simply going to see too much volume to not be viewed as a safe high-end RB2.

Indianapolis: Taylor only saw 14 touches in week five, but he was able to save his fantasy day by finding the end zone. In this matchup against the Bengals run defense, Taylor should be viewed as a high-end RB2 with incredible upside. Hines is seeing just enough work to be rolled out as a safe RB3 option in Full PPR leagues. Otherwise, he should remain on your bench.

Wide Receivers

Cincinnati: Boyd struggled in week five, along with the rest of the offense, but he should bounce back to a fine option against the Colts. While the Colts have a solid pass defense, Burrow should be able to be efficient enough to sustain Boyd’s fantasy value as a low-end WR2. Higgins has taken over as one of the main target options in this receiving corps. He can be viewed as a safe WR3 with upside every single week moving forward. Green is off the redraft radar. He can be dropped in most formats.

Indianapolis: Hilton was able to see enough volume to be a fine FLEX option for your lineup in week five, but the Colts were forced to throw the ball a bit more than they normally would prefer. In this matchup, Hilton doesn’t come with much upside. He’s a low-end FLEX play again. Pascal’s seeing enough work to be considered for fantasy football, but as nothing more than a FLEX play in this matchup.

Tight Ends

Cincinnati: Sample’s not seeing enough work to be considered a reliable fantasy option this week.

Indianapolis: Burton seems to be the tight end to roster here in Indianapolis, but that’s not saying much. He’s a low-end TE2.

FantasyProjection Buster: As we saw last week, Burrow can crumble when he faces a tough defense. While the Colts are not on the Ravens’ level, will we see them pressure Burrow and force a repeat performance from last week?

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Detroit Lions vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Date/Time: October 18, 1:00pm ET
Odds: Lions -177
Over/Under: 54.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals:

Detroit Lions

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Jacksonville Jaguars

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Quarterback

Detroit: Stafford should absolutely be on the streaming radar this week in a great matchup with a high over/under. Start up Stafford as a low-end QB1.

Jacksonville: Minshew has been throwing the ball like crazy the past couple of weeks and he’s been a fine fantasy football QB. He can be rolled out as a streaming option yet again in this great matchup with a high over/under.

Running Backs

Detroit: If you can, I’d personally avoid playing any of the Lions RBs. However, if you’re forced into playing one, Peterson is probably the only one that you can rely on. It’s a great matchup for opposing RBs and AP has the guaranteed volume in this backfield. He’s a mid-range RB3 this week.

Jacksonville: Robinson disappointed fantasy managers last week, but he still got enough volume to be viewed as a solid start this week against the Lions. Robinson should be viewed as a solid RB2 for your lineup.

Wide Receivers

Detroit: Gollday is an automatic start for your lineup every single week. In this matchup, he should be viewed as a solid low-end WR1. Jones has had the opportunity to be productive this season, but it simply hasn’t happened. He’s nothing more than a WR4 this week.

Jacksonville: At this point, it seems unlikely that D.J. Chark suits up for this matchup. If that’s the case, Cole skyrockets up rankings to a low-end WR2 purely based on volume. The Jaguars are throwing the ball a ton this season and Cole would be in a great position to receive 8+ targets in this plus matchup. The Lions are currently allowing 27.7 points on average to opposing WRs and Cole has a nose for the end zone. Fire him up as a low-end WR2 if Chark sits and a solid WR3 if Chark does end up playing. Shenault appears to be on track to play this week after missing practice earlier on in the week. If he does play, he’s worth firing up as a high-end WR3 in this matchup. He should see significant targets and he has the talent to make them count in a plus matchup for opposing WRs.

Tight Ends

Detroit: Hockenson’s usage is enough to view him as a solid TE1 week in and week out. In this matchup, he should be viewed as a top-8 option.

Jacksonville: None of the Jaguars tight ends should be considered for fantasy football this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Minshew looks to be in a prime spot to deliver in a plus matchup, but we’ve seen what he looks like without Chark on the field. Will he crumble in this plus matchup?

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Chicago Bears vs Carolina Panthers

Date/Time: October 18, 1:00pm ET
Odds: Panthers -121
Over/Under: 45 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Panthers 23.25, Bears 21.75

Chicago Bears

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Carolina Panthers

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Quarterback

Chicago: Foles is starting to get acclimated to this offense and the receiving weapons, which is good news for his fantasy outlook moving forward. The Panthers have been surprisingly good against opposing QBs, so Foles should be viewed as a mid-range QB2 this week.

Carolina: Bridgewater is coming off of back-to-back nice performances, but he’s not worth looking at against the Bears defense. He’s a low-end QB2.

Running Backs

Chicago: Montgomery is the unquestioned workhorse back of this offense. While he hasn’t been effective on the ground the past two weeks, he’s gone up against some stout run defenses in Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. This week, Montgomery is a solid high-end RB2 that has a very good chance of finding the end zone yet again against the Panthers run defense.

Carolina: With CMC out one more week, Davis gets the nod here in a tough matchup. While the Bears are a stout defense, their run defense isn’t the same without Eddie Goldman up the middle. Davis should be able to get enough done on the ground, to go along with his work in the receiving game, to be viewed as a safe low-end RB1. However, he doesn’t have much upside in this tough matchup.

Wide Receivers

Chicago: Robinson is the centerpiece of this Bears offense and he’s only just now building chemistry with Foles. Robinson should be viewed as a low-end WR1 every single week. Miller always has the potential to find the end zone any given week, but he’s simply not seeing enough targets to be considered anything more than a boom-or-bust FLEX play. Mooney continues to see targets in this offense and he’s now teetering on FLEX consideration. It may need to be one more solid week before we consider him a trustworthy start, but he’s certainly on his way. If he’s on your waiver wire, and you have space for a stash, I’d recommend scooping him up.

Carolina: Anderson has continued to dominate here in the Panthers offense. He’s a high-upside WR2 normally, but this is a tough matchup for the entire Carolina passing attack. Anderson should be viewed as a low-end WR2 this week. Moore was able to breakaway for a long touchdown in week five, but he’s going to have a tough time producing the same way in this matchup. He should be viewed as a WR3 this week against the Bears defense. Samuel is continuing to see touches as a part of this Panthers offense, but it simply isn’t turning into consistent enough production for fantasy football. He’s a low-end FLEX play this week, if anything.

Tight Ends

Chicago: Graham continues to be utilized in the parts of the field that matter the most for fantasy football. He’s the clear first target in the red zone for the Bears offense and he’s delivering. If you’re looking to stream the position, Graham’s one of the better options due to the likelihood that he scores.

Carolina: None of the Panthers tight ends should be considered for fantasy football this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Based on the Vegas implied point totals, the touchdowns had to go somewhere for Carolina. However, it’s hard to trust Moore with that aggressive of a projected point total based on what he’s done previously this season. The Bears have been shutting down opposing wideouts, so Moore has a pretty low floor this week and not much of a ceiling. He could easily fall short of my projections.

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Washington Football Team vs New York Giants

Date/Time: October 18, 1:00pm ET
Odds: -141 points
Over/Under: 43 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Giants 22.75, Washington 20.25

Washington Football Team

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New York Giants

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Quarterback

Washington: Allen is set to start again in this matchup, but he’s simply not worth looking at for fantasy purposes yet.

New York: Jones has been downright awful so far this season. He has a QBR of 49.6 on the season to go along with only two touchdowns, five interceptions, and four fumbles. This Washington defensive line is going to harass him all game long and there’s no way he can be considered this week for fantasy football.

Running Backs

Washington: Gibson has had a tough go at it recently, but he’s had some brutal matchups. Moving forward, Gibson’s schedule opens up quite a bit and it starts against the Giants run defense. Gibson should put together a fine performance and he should be viewed as a solid RB2 this week. McKissic saw an increase in work in the receiving game last week with Allen and Smith at QB. He should continue to offer a safe floor each week with his work as a receiver. He’s a low-end RB3 this week against New York.

New York: Freeman produced last week on the ground against Dallas, but he gets a tougher matchup here against Washington. With that being said, Freeman comes with a safe floor each week with his work in the receiving game. He should be viewed as a high-end RB3 this week.

Wide Receivers

Washington: McLaurin continues to see significant targets, but he wasn’t able to convert last week in a tough matchup. This week, you should have confidence firing up McLaurin as a solid WR2. Gandy-Golden has done next to nothing in the NFL so far, but his snaps are increasing each week. He was one of my favorite receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft class and he could absolutely make an impact as he continues to acclimate to the speed of the NFL. Simply keep an eye on him moving forward.

New York: Slayton was able to produce last week in a great matchup. While he still isn’t finding the end zone, mainly due to Jones’ struggles, Slayton’s still a solid weekly WR3 play. Tate’s soaking up targets in this offense, but he’s still nothing more than a low-end FLEX play in Full PPR formats.

Tight Ends

Washington: Thomas isn’t worth considering for fantasy football. He’s off the redraft radar.

New York: Engram simply isn’t being utilized the correct way in this offense and he’s barely being targeted. While he did find the end zone last week, it was on a rushing attempt, which is just impossible to project moving forward. Engram’s a low-end TE1 based on the TE landscape, but I’d look elsewhere if I can.

FantasyProjection Buster: Engram gets the touchdown in my projections, but it’s easy to see how he could fall short of those projections by a good amount. There’s very little upside for Engram with the way he’s being used in this offense.