Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Las Vegas Raiders

Date/Time: October 25, 8:20pm ET
Odds: Bucs -195
Over/Under: 52 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Bucs 28, Raiders 24

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Las Vegas Raiders

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Quarterback

Tampa Bay: It’s hard to look across the NFL and find a team that’s clicking as much as Tampa Bay right now. This is a team that is getting healthy and has the chance to make a very deep playoff push. As for this game, Brady should put together a fine performance, but he doesn’t have as high of a ceiling as in some other games. The Bucs should be able to run the ball all over the Raiders defense, which doesn’t leave much left over for Brady. He should be a fine high-end QB2, but it’s unlikely that this game turns into a shootout where he’s forced to throw the ball a ton.

Las Vegas: Carr was able to succeed in a tough matchup a couple of weeks ago, but it’s difficult to see how he has a big game in this one. The Bucs defense has been making life very difficult for opposing QBs. Carr should be viewed as a low-end QB2 this week.

Running Backs

Tampa Bay: Jones has been dominant over the past few weeks and has looked like one of the better RBs in the entire NFL. While there’s always the possibility that Bruce Arians pulls him out of the game, he’s earned enough of a leash to be trusted as a high-upside RB2 this week. Against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, Jones could have a monstrous game. Fournette appears to be on track to play in this game, but Jones has established himself as the lead option in this backfield. For right now, Fournette is simply a dart throw FLEX play.

Las Vegas: Jacobs has been receiving a ton of carries this season, and that should continue in this game, but it might be wise to pump the brakes on him just a bit this week. The Bucs are shutting down opposing RBs and it’s hard to envision Jacobs having a big game this week. He’s obviously still worth starting, but he should be viewed as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 here.

Wide Receivers

Tampa Bay: Godwin came back into the lineup last week and received a large target share right out of the gates. As long as Godwin’s healthy, he needs to be in your starting lineup. He should be viewed as a low-end WR1 this week with upside. In the three games that Godwin and Evans have played together this season, Evans has seen a total of 10 targets. That’s not great, Bob. Evans is clearly not one of Brady’s top priorities when Godwin and Gronk are on the field, which limits Evans’ upside. Evans is a touchdown-dependent WR2 until we see his target share jump up when Godwin is on the field.

Las Vegas: Ruggs continues to get more involved in this offense as the season progresses, but he’s going to have a tough time getting free against this Tampa defense. Ruggs should be viewed as a boom-or-bust FLEX play this week against one of the league’s toughest matchups. Renfrow has been a fine plug-and-play option so far this season, but he’s nothing more than a FLEX play in Full PPR leagues with Ruggs back in the lineup now.

Tight Ends

Tampa Bay: Gronk has emerged as the main receiving option in this offense that we were expecting heading into the season. Gronk led the Bucs in targets last week and he put up a top-6 performance last week off of it. Brady obviously trusts Gronk and is going to look his way frequently in this one. Fire up Gronk as a top-10 option in week seven.

Las Vegas: Waller’s been one of the league’s most consistent options at the TE position this season. He’s always in your starting lineup as a top-5 option if he’s healthy.

FantasyProjection Buster: Jacobs’ projections are already a bit conservative due to the matchup, but the Bucs have simply been suffocating opposing RBs. There’s a possibility that we see him fall short even of my already adjusted projections.

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Chicago Bears vs Los Angeles Rams

Date/Time: October 26, 8:15pm ET
Odds: Rams -265
Over/Under: 45 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Rams 25.5, Bears 19.5

Los Angeles Rams

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Chicago Bears

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Quarterback

Chicago: Foles is doing great things for the Bears from an actual football perspective, but it simply hasn’t translated into fantasy success. He’s a low-end QB2 in this matchup.

Los Angeles: Goff had been playing fairly well up until last week, but there simply seems to be something about his performance in primetime games. While there’s certainly a time and space to argue whether or not there’s something to that, we’ll leave that be for right now. However, there is something to be said about Goff’s performances against this Bears defense. In two career games against the Bears defense, Goff has yet to throw a single touchdown. Meanwhile, he’s only completed 50% of his passes, averaged 5.9 Yards Per Attempt, and thrown five interceptions. While I’m not projecting anywhere near that bad of a performance from Goff here, he has an extremely low floor in this matchup. Goff’s a low-end QB2 in this matchup and I’d recommend looking elsewhere if you can.

Running Backs

Chicago: Montgomery hasn’t been efficient on the ground, but it hasn’t mattered much for fantasy. He’s providing a safe floor every single week with his work in the receiving game and he’s been around the end zone regularly. Last week, Montgomery was marked down inches away from the end zone. If that would have counted, Montgomery would’ve been a top-6 RB on the week. It’s another tough matchup here for the Bears OL, but Montgomery’s simply too safe to not start every single week as a high-end RB2 now.

Los Angeles: Henderson continues to see the majority of the work in this backfield. He’s looked fantastic with his opportunity and I expect McVay to stick with him as the primary back yet again this week. With Akers being a non-factor in this offense, Henderson can be rolled out as a safe RB2 every week with upside.

Wide Receivers

Chicago: Robinson was shut down last week for the most part, but he’s still a solid low-end WR1 start every single week based on his opportunity in this offense. Miller continues to be a non-factor in this offense and can be dropped to the waiver wire for the right player at this point. Mooney continues to develop into a good NFL receiver and has carved out a nice role for himself in this offense. While it’s not enough yet to warrant starting consideration, Mooney should be someone to keep an eye on in this game.

Los Angeles: Woods has struggled to live up to the offseason hype with this offense being as run-heavy as it is, but he’s still been a consistent option for your starting lineup every single week. Woods should be viewed as a high-end WR3 in this matchup against the vaunted Bears pass defense. Kupp has not been as steady of a contributor as we all were hoping at the beginning of the season. Over the last two weeks, Kupp has been the WR55 in Half PPR formats. Now, he has a matchup against the Bears defense that are suffocating opposing wideouts and allowing very little to opposing QBs from a fantasy perspective. Kupp should be viewed as a WR3 this week against the Bears that will need to find the end zone to finish higher than that mark.

Tight Ends

Chicago: Over the past four games, Graham has seen 28 targets. He’s clearly a part of this passing attack and he always has the potential to get his number called in the red zone. Fire up Graham as a mid-range TE1 this week in a fine matchup for opposing TEs.

Los Angeles: Higbee’s a touchdown-dependent TE2 at this point and should be avoided if you have the opportunity. Everett’s usage is simply too spotty to trust him for fantasy right now. He’s outside the TE2 range.

FantasyProjection Buster: Can I answer the entire Rams offense? My projections are already altered to take into account that Goff has struggled immensely against the Bears defense, but it might not be enough. If Goff struggles, this entire Rams offense will struggle.

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Kyle Yates is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Kyle, check out his archive and follow him @KyleYNFL.