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

Cincinnati Bengals vs Miami Dolphins

Date/Time: December 6, 1:00pm ET
Spread: Dolphins -11.5
Over/Under: 42.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Dolphins 27, Bengals 15.5

Cincinnati Bengals

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Miami Dolphins

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Quarterback

Cincinnati: Allen was able to keep this offense afloat last week against the Giants, but he’s nowhere near the redraft radar.

Miami: It’s an absolute mystery right now as to who is going to start on Sunday for the Dolphins. If it’s Fitzpatrick, he belongs in your starting lineup as a low-end QB1 with upside. If Tua gets the start, he can still be considered as a solid streaming candidate, but he’d be pushed down the board a bit to a mid-range QB2.

Running Backs

Cincinnati: At this point, all the shine has worn off with Gio and he’s now merely a bye week fill-in option. He’s simply not getting enough volume to have sustainable fantasy value in a poor offense. He can be viewed as a mid-range RB3 this week.

Miami: As of right now, we don’t have any clarity on whether or not Myles Gaskin will be activated for this game. If he’s active, he’s worth looking at as a low-end RB2 due to the unknowns surrounding this backfield. Will Gaskin get back to his massive workload? Or will we see more of a committee approach with Salvon Ahmed if he’s indeed healthy? Ahmed’s a solid RB2 if Gaskin sits this one out, but he’s not worth looking at if Gaskin is active. If Gaskin is active and Ahmed’s out, Gaskin would shoot up to a high-end RB2.

Wide Receivers

Cincinnati: Higgins saw only five targets in week 12, but he was still able to produce for fantasy football by finding the end zone. It’s hard to trust Higgins as anything more than a low-end WR3 with Brandon Allen at QB, but he’s still worth plugging into your lineup due to the safe floor he provides. Boyd saw six targets last week, but he was only able to go 3-15-0 with his opportunity. Boyd’s a risky FLEX play this week with the QB situation. There just might not be enough volume to go around in this passing attack for both Bengals WRs to be fantasy relevant.

Miami: If Parker could have his choice, I think he’d much prefer to have Fitzmagic in there throwing the ball to him. Parker saw 14 targets last week and went off for 8-119-0 with his opportunity. He has another plus matchup here against the Bengals this week and he should be viewed as a high-end WR2 if Fitzpatrick is throwing the ball. If Tua starts, he’s going to spread the ball around more, which pushes Parker down to a mid-range WR3.

Tight Ends

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

Miami: Gesicki wasn’t especially efficient with his target share last week, but he was able to find the end zone, which is fantasy gold at the TE position. This is another fantastic matchup for Gesicki and he belongs in your lineup as a mid-range TE1.

FantasyProjection Buster: Can I put down the entire Miami offense? This offense changes dramatically if a different QB is under center.

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Washington Football Team vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Date/Time: December 6, 1:00pm ET
Spread: Steelers -8.5
Over/Under: 42 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Steelers 25.25, Washington 16.75

Washington Football Team

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Pittsburgh Steelers

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Quarterback

Washington: Smith’s taken a back seat here to the running game lately. While he’ll be needed more this week, it’s not worth looking his way against one of the toughest matchups in all of fantasy football.

Pittsburgh: Ben didn’t put up crazy passing numbers in week 12, but that was to be expected with the matchup against the Ravens. He has another tough matchup on paper here against Washington, but with his receiving weapons, Ben should always be in the start-worthy conversation. He can be viewed as a high-end QB2 this week.

Running Backs

Washington: Gibson’s been on fire recently and he’s now established himself firmly in the low-end RB1 conversation. While it’s hard to see how he has much upside in this matchup against the Steelers defense, he’s still worth trotting out as a solid option. He’s seeing too much work and he’s way too talented to ignore this week. Fire him up with confidence. McKissic has not been needed much with Antonio Gibson playing lights out recently. However, this is a matchup where we could see Alex Smith throw the ball quite a bit, which lends itself to McKissic being a bit more involved. It’s a risky play, but if you’re in a pinch and need someone to plug in, McKissic’s a fine mid-range RB3 option.

Pittsburgh: At the time of writing, there’s very little clarity on Conner’s situation. He was placed on the COVID-19 list, but there’s no news as to whether or not he’s asymptomatic. If he’s asymptomatic, he could potentially return for week 13 against the Washington Football Team. If he does play, he should be viewed as a mid-range RB2 with little upside. If Conner sits, Snell’s absolutely in the starting conversation due to his workload. Washington’s a pretty tough defense to go up against, but Snell’s going to see too much opportunity on the ground to ignore. He can be viewed in the same range as Conner would as a mid-range RB2.

Wide Receivers

Washington: Just like this entire season, there’s only one Washington receiver that you should be looking at for fantasy purposes. McLaurin has been one of the most consistent options for your fantasy lineup and he’s now the WR14 on the entire year. The matchup against the Steelers might scare off some fantasy managers, but McLaurin is matchup proof at this point. Continue to plug him into your lineup as a high-end WR2.

Pittsburgh: Johnson continues to see a target share like very few receivers in the NFL. While he struggled with drops in week 12, it doesn’t quite matter for fantasy purposes when Big Ben continues to send the ball his way. Johnson can be played as a mid-range WR2 in this matchup that should present an extremely safe floor. At this point, there’s no reason to ever bench Claypool. No matter what the matchup is, he’s going to see a large target share and he always has the potential to find the end zone. Claypool can be started as a mid-range WR2 this week. Juju had a fantastic matchup last week against Tramon Williams in the slot and he was able to find the end zone. It’s hard to predict which Steelers receiver is going to score, but all of them belong in your starting lineup every week. Juju can be viewed as a low-end WR2 this week.

Tight Ends

Washington: Thomas was involved in this offense last week, which makes him an intriguing option at the TE position for week 13. However, this is a very tough matchup for opposing TEs. If you’re looking to play Thomas, you’re hoping that he’s able to find the end zone to help him crack the top-12. He can be viewed as a high-end TE2 this week.

Pittsburgh: Ebron saw an absurd 11 targets last week. At the TE position, it doesn’t get much better than that. Ebron had a bad drop in the red zone that could’ve turned into a score too. He’s worth firing up as a mid-range TE1 against the defense that’s allowing the 13th most fantasy points to opposing TEs.

FantasyProjection Buster: Will McKissic be heavily involved in a game that Washington should be trailing in? If he’s not, he’ll fall well short of my projections.

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Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans

Date/Time: December 6, 1:00pm ET
Spread: Colts -3.5
Over/Under: 50.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Colts 27, Texans 23.5

Indianapolis Colts

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Houston Texans

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Quarterback

Indianapolis: Rivers has now finished as the QB13, the QB10, and the QB10 each of the past three weeks. He has a fantastic matchup here this week against Houston and he’s certainly back in the streaming conversation.

Houston: Watson will now be without Will Fuller for this game, but he’s still worth rolling out in your starting lineup as a low-end QB1. He might not have as high of a ceiling anymore, but he should look to utilize his mobility a bit more, which can provide a safe floor.

Running Backs

Indianapolis: Taylor’s cleared off the COVID-19 list and appears on track to play this weekend. It’s hard to fully trust JT with this coaching staff, but two weeks ago, he was given the clear majority of the work in this backfield. In this matchup, if Taylor does receive the majority of the work again, he’s a smash play. The Texans are allowing the second most fantasy points to opposing RBs and Taylor should be able to find the end zone pretty easily in this one. He can be started as a high-end RB2. Hines was heavily targeted last week as the Colts were playing catch up for the majority of that game. He’s unlikely to have that type of workload again in this matchup, but it’s certainly in the realm of possibilities. Hines can be started as a mid-range RB3, but he does come with risk.

Houston: As of right now, we know that the Texans have activated David Johnson‘s 21-day return window, but there’s no clarity as to whether or not he’s suiting up for this game. If he plays, he should be viewed as a high-end RB3 in a very tough matchup. If Duke Johnson is the only Texans RB here, it’s going to be very hard to trust him when the Texans offense now has to deal with DeForest Buckner back in the Colts’ lineup. Johnson can be viewed as a high-end RB3 that you’re hoping starts to see more work in the receiving game.

Wide Receivers

Indianapolis: Pittman continued to be heavily targeted last week, although he wasn’t able to do much with the nine targets he saw. Rivers just simply could not put the ball on target for him and Pittman’s stats look a lot worse than what the film shows. Fantasy managers need to lean into the target volume and the talent with Pittman, but the QB play certainly downgrades his fantasy potential. Pittman can be plugged in as a mid-range WR3 this week with upside due to Bradley Roby now being out for the year. Hilton was able to find the end zone last week, but he’s still just a volatile low-end FLEX play.

Houston: As of right now, Cooks is the only WR that you should be looking to play in Houston. He certainly gets a huge boost with Will Fuller out for the year, Randall Cobb on IR, and Kenny Stills no longer with the team. He’s been playing extremely well here lately and should see plenty of targets funneled his way. It’s a tougher matchup on paper, but Cooks should see enough volume to be viewed as a high-end WR2. Coutee gets an obvious bump up for fantasy purposes here, but it’s going to be hard to trust him right away in this matchup. He can be viewed as a low-end FLEX play.

Tight Ends

Indianapolis: It’s difficult to trust any of these Colts TEs on a weekly basis, but Burton seems to have established himself as the main receiving option out of this group. In a plus matchup, Burton can be viewed as a high-end TE2 with upside.

Houston: Akins certainly receives a boost with the Will Fuller news, but he’s still in the streaming-TE conversation. Against the Colts, who have been stout against the position this season, Akins should be viewed as a mid-range TE2. Fells should see an uptick in targets as well this week, but he’s a low-end TE2.

FantasyProjection Buster: This Texans offense is very difficult to project with Will Fuller out of the lineup. There’s simply no guarantees as to where the ball is going to go in a tough matchup.

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Las Vegas Raiders vs New York Jets

Date/Time: December 6, 1:00pm ET
Spread: Raiders -8.5
Over/Under: 46.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Raiders 27.5, Jets 19

Las Vegas Raiders

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New York Jets

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Quarterback

Las Vegas: Carr hurt fantasy managers last week. There were plenty of people that plugged him into their lineups last week and he simply just let them down. Based on that, it’s hard to trust him right away…but he gets a matchup against the Jets secondary this week. Carr’s still certainly in the streaming conversation, but it’s not going to be easy to trust him in your starting lineup.

New York: Darnold’s not on the redraft radar in this offense.

Running Backs

Las Vegas: At this point, it’s looking unlikely that Josh Jacobs plays in this game. If he does end up suiting up, he can be viewed as a mid-range RB2, but there are certainly questions as to what his workload will be. As for what happens if Jacobs sits, Booker would be the biggest beneficiary and would immediately shoot up into high-end RB2 territory due to the matchup.

New York: Gore continues to see a significant workload each week and he now has a fantastic matchup against the Raiders run defense. Gore can be viewed as a high-end RB3 with little upside.

Wide Receivers

Las Vegas: With the Raiders playing catch up for the majority of last week’s game, Renfrow was heavily targeted. The Raiders are unlikely to fall behind that badly yet again here against the Jets, but the matchup is fantastic. Due to the projected game-script, Renfrow can’t be viewed any higher than a high-end FLEX play. The Raiders tried to look Ruggs’ way repeatedly last week, but they failed to connect on a big play downfield that would have us talking about the rookie wideout in a different light. Ruggs is a fine low-end FLEX play due to the matchup, but he’s worth keeping an eye on moving forward to see if the Raiders start featuring him more heavily. Agholor had been on fire recently, but he failed to deliver last week in a prime spot. The offense struggled against Atlanta, but it’s in a great spot to bounce back here against the Jets. Agholor can be played as a high-end FLEX option that could easily find the end zone.

New York: Mims has now seen 23 targets over his last three games and he’s putting together some fairly decent performances from a fantasy perspective. It’s hard to trust any of the Jets receiving options, but if you’re in a pinch, you can pick up and play Mims this week as a low-end FLEX option. Perriman has now finished his last three games as the WR4, the WR26, and the WR31. It’s near impossible to trust Perriman with his injury history, but he’s producing in this offense. He’s worth picking up and playing if you’re absolutely desperate, but heading into the fantasy playoffs, it’s probably best just to leave him on your bench.

Tight Ends

Las Vegas: Waller fell flat in week 12, along with the rest of the offense, but he absolutely belongs back in your lineup as a top-tier option against the Jets.

New York: None of the Jets TEs should be considered for fantasy football.

FantasyProjection Buster: Predicting what this Jets offense is going to look like any given week is an absolute mystery. Any of these Jets WRs could fall short of expectations.

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