Kyle Yates’ Week 13 Fantasy Projections (2020 Fantasy Football)

New York Giants vs Seattle Seahawks

Date/Time: December 6, 4:05pm ET
Spread: Seahawks -10
Over/Under: 47.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Seahawks 28.75, Giants 18.75

New York Giants

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Seattle Seahawks

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Quarterback

New York: Jones is almost certainly out for this game, which means that Colt McCoy will get the start. It’s an extremely favorable matchup against the Seahawks secondary, but McCoy can’t be trusted in your fantasy football lineups.

Seattle: Over the last three weeks, Wilson has finished as the QB19, the QB12, and the QB19. That’s not exactly what you wanted to see after Wilson setting the league on fire to begin the season. He still has ridiculous upside, and he belongs in your starting lineup still every single week, but you can’t be as excited about it as you were earlier on in the year. Wilson can be viewed as a mid-range QB1 this week against the Giants who could struggle to put points up on the board.

Running Backs

New York: Gallman looks like he’s going to get the start here yet again. If he’s the clear lead option in this backfield, he should see plenty of work. Even in a tough matchup, Gallman’s worth considering as a low-end RB2.

Seattle: Carson was significantly out-touched by Carlos Hyde last week, but the Seahawks could have been just easing Carson back into the lineup after his extended absence. It’s a reason to be concerned moving forward, but it’s not enough to significantly downgrade the talented RB. Carson should be viewed as a mid-range RB2 in this matchup.

Wide Receivers

New York: Looking at the matchup, it’s extremely enticing to plug Slayton into your starting lineup. However, with McCoy at QB, it’s going to be near impossible to trust Slayton as anything more than a boom-or-bust FLEX option. It’s probably best to err on the side of caution and sit Slayton this week. McCoy looked Tate’s way a bit last week, but he presents very little upside. It’s best to view him as a low-end FLEX play or even someone who can remain on your league’s waiver wire.

Seattle: As of right now, there are very few players in Dynasty formats that I would take over DK Metcalf. He has truly emerged as one of the NFL’s best WRs and Russell Wilson trusts him completely. Continue to plug Metcalf into your lineup as a top-5 option every single week. Lockett’s been a little bit too boom-or-bust for my liking here this season, but he simply can’t be put to your fantasy football bench. With the upside that he presents in this offense, Lockett absolutely belongs in your lineup every single week and it’ll just require you knowing that he has a wide range of outcomes. He can be viewed as a mid-range WR2 in this matchup.

Tight Ends

New York: Engram obviously loses some of his shine with Daniel Jones out of the lineup this week, but he’s still worth starting due to the TE landscape. McCoy should look to get him the ball in the short passing game and pepper him with targets. He can be viewed as a mid-range TE1.

Seattle: Hollister was targeted five times this past week, but he wasn’t able to turn it into much. He’s worth keeping your eye on this week to see if he can do more with his opportunity, but he’s not worth playing just yet.

FantasyProjection Buster: Engram’s projections are a bit lofty, but the ball has to go somewhere. If McCoy chooses to focus somewhere else, Engram could bust.

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Los Angeles Rams vs Arizona Cardinals

Date/Time: December 6, 4:05pm ET
Spread: Rams -2.5
Over/Under: 48 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Rams 25.25, Cardinals 22.75

Los Angeles Rams

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Arizona Cardinals

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Quarterback

Los Angeles: Outside of his big performance against the Buccaneers two weeks ago, Goff hasn’t finished above the QB18 in fantasy football since Week 5. If you’re looking his way in this matchup, you’re simply playing with fire and it’s probably best to let someone else roll the dice on him. Goff can be viewed as a mid-range QB2 this week.

Arizona: Murray hasn’t been the same since injuring his shoulder two weeks ago. He certainly could jump back to being a top-tier fantasy asset at any point, but it’s all going to hinge upon his comfort level with his shoulder. He can be started as a mid-range QB1 this week, but you’re stuck hoping that his shoulder gets back to full strength quickly.

Running Backs

Los Angeles: At this point, there’s a little bit more clarity on who to play in this backfield, but it’s still not a situation that I want to deal with here. Akers seems to be establishing himself as the main option, but that doesn’t exactly mean that he’s seeing enough carries to be a viable fantasy asset. Akers can be viewed as a mid-range RB3 this week, but there’s always the possibility that it turns into a Darrell Henderson or Malcolm Brown game and Akers is stuck riding the bench.

Arizona: Drake has finally established himself as the fantasy asset that we were all waiting for at the beginning of the season. He’s delivering some key performances for fantasy lineups recently and he should be viewed as one of the safer options in all of fantasy football. Drake has a tough matchup in front of him this week, but he should be started as a high-end RB2 with upside if he can continue to find the end zone. Edmonds isn’t seeing enough work to be viewed as a viable fantasy asset. He can be plugged into your lineup if you’re in a pinch, but he offers very little upside.

Wide Receivers

Los Angeles: Based on what we’ve seen the past couple of weeks, it’s hard to get away from starting Robert Woods. Woods has now seen 27 targets over the past two weeks and he’s coming with an extremely safe floor. Goff’s struggles are certainly worrisome, but you can’t ignore the opportunity Woods has in this offense. He can be started as a high-end WR2 this week. Kupp fell flat last week and took a clear backseat to Woods from a target perspective. It’s not going to be easy to plug him right back in your lineup, especially in such a crucial week for a lot of teams, but Kupp’s upside makes it very difficult to sit him. He should be started as a low-end WR2 this week. Reynolds has established himself with a clear role in this offense. He’s still merely a FLEX play, but he does come with a safe floor due to his target volume.

Arizona: Hopkins hasn’t exactly been a top-tier contributor over the past few weeks and he now gets another tough matchup against Jalen Ramsey. Hopkins is still an automatic start every week, but he can’t be viewed as a top-3 option in this matchup. Hopkins should be viewed as more of a low-end WR1 than anything else. Kirk is an intriguing name for fantasy managers heading into this game, but this is all depends on Murray’s health status. If Murray’s shoulder is still bothering him, it’s hard to see how Kirk has a good game as the downfield threat in this offense. Against one of the toughest matchups for opposing WRs, it’s probably best just to sit Kirk in this one if you can. Otherwise, he can be viewed as a high-end FLEX play.

Tight Ends

Los Angeles: When both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett are healthy, it’s wise to just avoid either of them for fantasy purposes.

Arizona: None of the Cardinals TEs should be considered for fantasy this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Murray’s projections are assuming that he’s fully healthy, but will we know that until he steps on the field? We’ll find out.

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New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Chargers

Date/Time: December 6, 4:25pm ET
Spread: Patriots -1
Over/Under: 47.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Patriots 24.25, Chargers 23.25

New England Patriots

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Los Angeles Chargers

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Quarterback

New England: Newton brings tremendous upside each week due to his involvement as a runner around the goal line, but he’s not providing a safe floor with the way he’s looked as a passer recently. Newton’s no longer a must-start option and he can be viewed as a high-end QB2 this week.

Los Angeles: Herbert finished outside the top-12 QBs last week for the first time since week three. However, he now gets a matchup against the Patriots secondary which is allowing 8.0 yards per attempt to opposing QBs this season. Herbert could easily throw for over 300 yards in this game and he absolutely belongs in your lineup as a mid-range QB1 with upside.

Running Backs

New England: This is an absolute mess of an offense, so trying to get excited about Damien Harris this week isn’t exactly feasible. However, we know that he’s going to see 12+ carries and he’s a talented back. Against the defense that’s currently allowing the 13th most fantasy points to opposing RBs, Harris is a fine high-end RB3 option. He doesn’t present much upside, but he’s not going to crush your lineup. White was only targeted once last week, but he found the end zone twice as a runner. That’s not exactly going to be the norm moving forward, so fantasy managers need to manage their expectations heading into this game. White’s merely a boom-or-bust RB3 with this offense looking the way that it has lately.

Los Angeles: Welcome back, Austin Ekeler! We certainly missed you. Ekeler handled 14 carries his first week back from injury and saw an absurd 16 targets from Justin Herbert. While Ekeler saw Joshua Kelley get the touchdown on the ground this past week, there’s no denying his workload. Ekeler belongs in your lineup as a low-end RB1 that could easily finish within the top-3 if he finds the end zone.

Wide Receivers

New England: While the target totals are enticing for both Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd, there’s no consistency or upside within this offense. With Newton struggling to break even 100 passing yards, it’s probably best to just avoid this WR room, if you can. Otherwise, both Byrd and Meyers can be viewed as high-end FLEX plays.

Los Angeles: Allen posted modest receiving numbers this past week, but he still saw 10 targets and he was able to find the end zone. At this point, Allen’s in your lineup every single week as a locked-in top-5 option. Williams didn’t hurt your fantasy team last week, but he certainly didn’t help either. Williams is now going to, most likely, draw coverage from Stephon Gilmore this week. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see the upside with Williams. He can be viewed as a high-end FLEX play that comes with a wide range of outcomes.

Tight Ends

New England: None of the Patriots TEs should be considered for fantasy football.

Los Angeles: After providing one of the lowest floors at the TE position earlier this season, Henry has emerged as one of fantasy football’s most consistent contributors. Based on his target totals, Henry belongs in your lineup every single week as a high-end TE1.

FantasyProjection Buster: Newton’s passing yardage predictions are always a complete guessing game. If he doesn’t hit my passing numbers, there’s a very good chance that he falls well short of his projection.

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Philadelphia Eagles vs Green Bay Packers

Date/Time: December 6, 4:25pm ET
Spread: Packers -8.5
Over/Under: 48 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Packers 28.25, Eagles 19.75

Philadelphia Eagles

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Green Bay Packers

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Quarterback

Philadelphia: Wentz looks broken. There’s simply no other way to put it. In one of the tougher matchups for opposing QBs, Wentz is better left on your bench. He can be viewed as a low-end QB2 this week.

Green Bay: Coming off of a game where he threw the ball all over the Bears’ vaunted defense, Rodgers is a top-5 play yet again in this matchup. The Eagles typically shut down opposing QBs, but Rodgers is playing too well to not have him in your starting lineup this week.

Running Backs

Philadelphia: This is a dream matchup for opposing RBs. The Packers are allowing the 3rd most fantasy points to the position, but there’s reason to be concerned with Sanders moving forward. Over the past few weeks, Sanders has seen his snap share percentage drop down while Boston Scott has seen his involvement in the offense dramatically increase. If we knew Sanders was going to receive 15+ carries and a few targets in this game, it would be very easy to rank him as a top-10 option in this matchup. However, with the state of the offense around him, plus Scott’s increased involvement, Sanders is a risky mid-range RB2 play. It could certainly pay off in a big way for your lineup, but there’s too much volatility to rank him higher than that. Scott’s become more involved in this offense, but he’s not someone worth plugging into your lineup confidently just yet. He’s a fine bye week fill-in option in Full PPR formats, but otherwise he can be left on your bench.

Green Bay: Jones’ fantasy managers are certainly concerned with the amount of work that Jamaal Williams has been seeing lately, but this is what we expected from the Green Bay Packers heading into the season. They’re going to want to keep Jones’ legs fresh for a deep playoff run, which is going to limit his overall ceiling for fantasy purposes. With that being said, he’s still one of the best fantasy assets out there and he absolutely belongs in your starting lineup. He might not finish as a top-5 back this week, but he should still be viewed as a solid RB1. Williams continues to see work in this offense and he could be heavily utilized here again. He’s a risky play due to the uncertainty, but he can be viewed as a high-end RB3 option in week 13.

Wide Receivers

Philadelphia: At this point, it’s probably best to leave all Eagles receivers on your bench. You simply cannot trust any of them right now.

Green Bay: Adams is an automatic start every single week. It doesn’t matter who will be lining up across from him. He’s a top-3 option again for week 13. Lazard wasn’t able to get much done last week in terms of receiving yards, but he was able to find the end zone. He’s got another great chance to score here this week and he can be viewed as a low-end WR3.

Tight Ends

Philadelphia: At this point, there’s no clarity just yet on Ertz’s return to the lineup. If he does return, he’s not someone that you can look at for fantasy football, but it hurts Goedert’s outlook. Goedert is a top-5 play if Ertz misses this game, but he’d fall to a high-end TE2 if Ertz plays.

Green Bay: At this point, Tonyan belongs in your starting lineup every week. He’s now finished as the TE7 and TE2 in back-to-back weeks and Rodgers is looking his way repeatedly. Tonyan can be viewed as a mid-range TE1 this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Sanders should have a great game against the Packers’ run defense, but there’s no guarantee that he’s given the necessary touches by this coaching staff.

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