Kyle Yates’ Week 10 Fantasy Projections (2020 Fantasy Football)

Seattle Seahawks vs Los Angeles Rams

Date/Time: November 15, 4:25pm ET
Spread: Rams -2
Over/Under: 54 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Rams 28, Seahawks 26

Seattle Seahawks

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Los Angeles Rams

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Quarterback

Seattle: Wilson’s thrown some uncharacteristic turnovers recently, but that’s no reason to remove him from your fantasy lineup. Continue to fire up Wilson as a weekly top-5 option.

Los Angeles: The last time we saw Goff on the field, he committed four total turnovers. It’s hard to trust someone coming off of that type of performance, but Goff’s in a prime matchup here and should be worth looking at as a streaming option. The Seahawks are currently the easiest matchup in fantasy football for opposing QBs and WRs. Goff should be viewed as a high-end QB2 with upside in this matchup.

Running Backs

Seattle: At the time of writing, we don’t have any clarity yet on whether or not Carson is going to play in this matchup. If he does end up suiting up, he can absolutely be plugged into your lineup as a low-end RB2. If he misses this game, DeeJay Dallas would be the main beneficiary, but it’s going to be hard to trust him as anything more than a RB3 in this matchup.

Los Angeles: Henderson suffered a minor injury in their last game, but he should be well-rested coming off of their bye. The Seahawks have actually been pretty stout against opposing RBs, but Henderson should see plenty of scoring opportunities in this game. He can be plugged in as a mid-range RB2 this week.

Wide Receivers

Seattle: Metcalf has now moved into the weekly top-5 conversation. He’s the WR2 in all of fantasy football this year and he possesses week-winning upside every time he steps onto the field. Plug in Metcalf as a locked-in WR1 in this matchup. Lockett’s been a bit boom-or-bust recently, but he’s still tied to one of the best QBs in the NFL, which makes it very difficult to sit him. Lockett should be viewed as a high-end WR2 every week with a wide range of outcomes.

Los Angeles: The Rams WRs have disappointed fantasy managers relative to what their expectations were coming into the year. With that being said, this is a game where they should absolutely put on a show. The Seahawks have been historically bad against WRs this season and both Kupp and Woods should have no problem putting up big performances. Start both options as mid-range WR2s with upside this week.

Tight Ends

Seattle: None of the Seattle TEs should be considered for fantasy football this week.

Los Angeles: When both Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee are healthy, it’s best to just avoid this TE room for fantasy purposes.

FantasyProjection Buster: Lockett’s been a bit hit-or-miss lately. He always has the potential to go off for multiple scores, but he hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations recently and there’s always the possibility that that happens again here.

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Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Date/Time: November 15, 4:25pm ET
Spread: Steelers -7
Over/Under: 45.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Steelers 26.25, Bengals 19.25

Cincinnati Bengals

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Pittsburgh Steelers

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Quarterback

Cincinnati: Burrow has a tough test in front of him this week, but he’s done enough in tough matchups previously to give me confidence in plugging him into my starting lineup. He should throw the ball enough to give him a safe floor and he has the WR weapons to take advantage of the Steelers’ weakness on defense. Burrow can be viewed as a high-end QB2 this week.

Pittsburgh: Big Ben has plenty of things working against him this week. He’s been placed on the Covid-19/Reserve list as a close contact and he also suffered minor injuries to both knees during last week’s game. With that being said, if Ben suits up this week, you’re playing him. This is simply too good of a matchup to sit Ben in and he should be viewed as a low-end QB1 with upside.

Running Backs

Cincinnati: Mixon practiced on Wednesday in a limited fashion, but he was a non-participant on Thursday. It’s looking like Mixon’s going to miss yet another game here, which means that Bernard will get the nod as the starter yet again. Bernard doesn’t have a high ceiling in this matchup against the Steelers defense, but he’s going to see too much work to ignore. Bernard can be viewed as a high-end RB2 in this matchup.

Pittsburgh: Conner disappointed fantasy managers last week in a prime matchup, but this was in large part due to the game-script going much differently than anyone could have anticipated. Now, Conner gets a matchup against the 7th easiest matchup for opposing RBs. He should be fed the rock consistently in this game and he has ridiculous upside with his scoring potential. Conner should be started as a mid-range RB1 this week that does have No. 1 overall RB upside in this matchup.

Wide Receivers

Cincinnati: If there’s a place that you want to attack the Steelers defense from a fantasy perspective, it’s their secondary. The Steelers shut down every other position group, but they’re currently the 8th easiest matchup for opposing WRs. Boyd has emerged as one of Burrow’s favorite targets this season and he’s seeing an insane amount of work in this offense. He has the talent to turn this into top-tier fantasy production, which puts Boyd in the weekly WR2 conversation now. In this matchup, Boyd can be viewed as a low-end WR2 that should be peppered with targets. Through nine weeks, Higgins is the WR30 in all of fantasy football. He’s emerged as a fantastic fantasy option this year and he should continue to be heavily involved in this offense this week. He’s bringing a safe floor every single week and he’s been one of the most consistent fantasy options out there. Over the last three weeks, Higgins has finished as the WR12, WR16, and WR27. Start Higgins as a solid low-end WR2 in this matchup. There was reason to be optimistic on Green’s fantasy outlook after he strung together a couple of solid performances, but Green went back to being an afterthought in this offense in their last game against Tennessee. Green is simply too unpredictable to trust this season, which puts him in the low-end FLEX conversation this week.

Pittsburgh: There are very few, if any, teams in the NFL that we can say that we want to start all three top wideouts for fantasy football. Pittsburgh’s receiving trio absolutely deserves to be viewed as must-start options this week in this matchup. Johnson finished with 10 targets yet again last week and he’s bringing an extremely safe floor every single week. We’ve seen what can happen though when the touchdowns go his way and he has week-winning upside. Johnson should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 this week in a plus matchup. Smith-Schuster has certainly bounced back from his performances in the beginning of the season. Over the last three weeks, Juju has finished as the WR28, WR35, and WR16. He’s providing a safe floor each week and he needs to be in your starting lineup again this week against the Bengals secondary. Juju can be viewed as a low-end WR2 in this matchup. Claypool has truly emerged as one of 2020’s breakout stars. He’s been playing extremely well and he’s seeing an absurd amount of targets recently. Last week, Claypool saw 13 targets and it’s not unrealistic to expect that he sees 8+ targets again in this game. Start Claypool with confidence this week as a low-end WR2.

Tight Ends

Cincinnati: Sample’s been hit-or-miss this season and this is a matchup that you most likely want to avoid playing him, if you can. He’s a low-end TE2 in my rankings.

Pittsburgh: Ebron has been extremely productive recently and this is a smash spot for him. The Bengals are currently the 2nd easiest matchup for opposing TEs and, because of this, Ebron should be viewed as a mid-range TE1 this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Based on the Vegas implied point totals, there wasn’t much wiggle room to divvy up the receiving touchdowns for Pittsburgh. All three receivers are top-24 options for me, but it’s all going to come down to which one is able to find the end zone. If Claypool gets the touchdown instead of Johnson, it’ll blow away my projections for both players.

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San Francisco 49ers vs New Orleans Saints

Date/Time: November 15, 4:25pm ET
Spread: Saints -9.5
Over/Under: 49 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Saints 29.25, 49ers 19.75

San Francisco 49ers

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New Orleans Saints

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Quarterback

San Francisco: Mullens was without several of his top receiving weapons last week, but his performance doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for fantasy managers that are looking for a streaming option this week. Against this Saints defense, Mullens is a low-end QB2.

New Orleans: Brees and the Saints picked apart the Buccaneers defense last week and they should continue rolling against the 49ers defense that is nowhere near as dominant with all the injuries they’ve sustained. Brees can be viewed as a low-end QB1 this week.

Running Backs

San Francisco: With Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman already ruled out for this game, the 49ers are going to turn right back to McKinnon to help carry their offense. Last week, the game-script got out of hand pretty quickly, so the 49ers were forced to lean on McKinnon heavily versus Hasty. This is a tough matchup for the 49ers, so it’s possible that we see them abandon the run game again early on. McKinnon should see plenty of work out of the backfield as a receiver, which puts him in the low-end RB2 conversation. There’s little scoring upside in this game for the 49ers RBs, so McKinnon will have to finish there on the back of pure volume. Hasty was a huge disappointment for fantasy managers that plugged him into their starting lineups last week, but the 49ers fell behind early and they abandoned their run game. Against the Saints defense, which is currently the 3rd most difficult matchup for opposing RBs, Hasty’s merely a bye week fill-in option that you’re hoping is able to break away a long run here or there. He can be viewed as a mid-range RB3 this week.

New Orleans: Kamara’s matchup may look tough on paper, but there’s no sense in downgrading the dynamic RB. He’s a top-3 lock every single week. Murray’s merely a bye week fill-in option at this point. He can be viewed as a low-end RB3.

Wide Receivers

San Francisco: At this point, it seems unlikely that Deebo Samuel suits up for this game. With that in mind, Aiyuk moves into must-start territory. The Saints are currently shutting down opposing RBs, but they can be beat through the passing game. They’re currently the 10th easiest matchup for opposing WRs and Kyle Shanahan is going to be itching to get Aiyuk the ball to help move this offense. Aiyuk can be viewed as a low-end WR2 this week with upside. James could be someone that fantasy managers look at this week with Kendrick Bourne back on the Covid-19/Reserve list (although Bourne has a chance to play in this one) and Deebo Samuel seeming unlikely to play. With that being said, he’s not worth looking at as anything more than a FLEX play that could easily take a back seat to Aiyuk in this matchup.

New Orleans: Thomas returned to the lineup last week, but he failed to make a huge impact. He saw six targets and put up a 5-51-0 stat line, but that’s not what we’ve come to expect from MT. With that being said, the Saints were playing with a big lead essentially from kickoff and Thomas was just coming back off of injury. Thomas is worth plugging right back into your lineup as a solid WR2 with upside if he can get back to seeing plenty of targets from Brees. Sanders was able to find the end zone last week, but he only saw five targets in that game. It’s hard to rely on Sanders as anything more than a low-end WR3 now with Thomas back in the lineup. For this matchup, Sanders can be viewed as a boom-or-bust FLEX play. Smith found the end zone last week, but he was only targeted twice in that game. At this point, Smith’s not on the redraft radar with MT and Sanders ahead of him on the depth chart.

Tight Ends

San Francisco: Reed was barely involved in the offense last week and he only ran six total routes. However, there was uncertainty about whether or not he’d even be activated for that game last Thursday. Now, with a full week of rest, Reed should be more involved and this offense desperately needs receiving options. It’s hard to trust Reed after what we saw last week, but he should be viewed as a mid-range TE2 this week with upside.

New Orleans: Cook’s always a solid bet to find the end zone any given week, but if he doesn’t score, you’re going to be very disappointed that you started him. Cook can be viewed as a high-end TE2 this week with a wide range of outcomes.

FantasyProjection Buster: Cook is always the answer here. If he doesn’t find the end zone, he’ll fall significantly short of my projections.

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Baltimore Ravens vs New England Patriots

Date/Time: November 15, 8:20pm ET
Spread: Ravens -7
Over/Under: 43.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Ravens 25.25, Patriots 18.25

Baltimore Ravens

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New England Patriots

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Quarterback

Baltimore: Jackson has greatly disappointed fantasy managers this year that took a shot and selected him early on in their drafts. He’s only the QB13 on the year and was drafted as the No. 1 or No. 2 QB off the board routinely. He’s struggled as a passer and has yet to deliver a huge blow-up performance this season. Now, he gets a matchup against the New England Patriots that are going to do their best to force Jackson to beat them as a passer. There’s very little upside for Jackson in this matchup and he should be viewed as a low-end QB1 at best in this game.

New England: Even with a lackluster receiving corps, Newton’s getting the job done for fantasy football with his work as a runner. While this is a tough matchup, Newton should provide a safe enough floor to be viewed as a high-end QB2.

Running Backs

Baltimore: With the news that Ingram is likely to be back in the lineup this week, this backfield becomes a complete mess to project again. If the coaching staff goes back to what we saw previously, Ingram is the RB that you should want to play, but that’s not a guarantee anymore. Dobbins and Edwards both played well in Ingram’s absence, so there’s no guarantee that Ingram receives the type of workload that he was seeing previously. Right now, it’s probably best to avoid this backfield altogether until we get a little bit of clarity of how the Ravens handle this three-headed monster now. Otherwise, all three backs can be viewed as low-end RB3s this week.

New England: Harris’ injury doesn’t appear to be too serious and it looks like he’s going to play in this matchup. However, this is an extremely difficult matchup for opposing RBs and Harris doesn’t possess much upside here. He can be viewed as a high-end RB3 that could finish higher if he’s able to get the goal line opportunity.

Wide Receivers

Baltimore: Brown has been viewed as a must-start option all season long due to his upside, but we really have not seen that this season. Brown has yet to go off for a huge game and fantasy managers that continue to roll him into their lineups are disappointed week after week. Right now, Brown should be viewed as a low-end WR3 that doesn’t have much upside in this matchup. Stephon Gilmore might not be 100% for this game, but he’ll be tasked with shutting down Brown. This doesn’t bode well for Brown’s fantasy outlook and he can be avoided if you have better options.

New England: Meyers is the only Patriots WR worth playing right now, but this is a matchup that you want to sit him if you can. The Ravens are one of the toughest matchups for opposing WRs and Meyers could have a tough time in this one. He’ll have to see an absurd amount of volume again to break into the top-36. He can be viewed as a FLEX play this week, but you most likely have better options on your roster.

Tight Ends

Baltimore: Is it time that we call Andrews a disappointment yet? With Jackson struggling as a passer this season, Andrews has been hurting your fantasy lineup more than he’s been helping it. We can no longer view him as a top-3 option at the TE position and it’s going to be fairly easy for the Patriots to take away Andrews and force Jackson to beat them somewhere else. Andrews is a low-end TE1 this week that will have to find the end zone to finish higher.

New England: None of the Patriots TEs are worth considering for fantasy football.

FantasyProjection Buster: This entire game.