Curtis Samuel Week 12 Outlook - Chargers at Bills

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Wed, Nov 25th 2020, 7:25pm EST

I mentioned last week that Samuel is somewhat of an extension of the run game, and knowing the Lions were struggling with that, he made sense as a bounce-back play. He was tied for the team lead with 10 targets, turning them into a team-high eight receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. How do the Vikings stack up? Well, they've been very good against the run, but their defense in the slot has been lackluster, to put it nicely. They have rookie Jeff Gladney covering the slot, and of the 42 cornerbacks who've played 75-plus snaps in slot coverage, his 123.0 QB Rating ranks as the sixth-highest in the league. He's allowed five touchdowns in the slot, which is two more than any other cornerback. We know the running backs won't rack up 28.7 touches, which is what the Vikings have faced, which leaves even more targets and/or carries for Samuel, who should be considered a low-end WR3/high-end WR4.