Fantasy Football Player Notes

It hasn't been the explosion fantasy managers were expecting when Taylor took over the starting job with the Colts, as he's racked up a solid 48 carries, but he's averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and scored twice on them. He's currently the No. 15 running back through three weeks and now set to go against the Bears tough run defense. Going back to the start of last year, there have been just three running backs who've hit the century-mark against them, and one of them was in Week 17 in a throwaway game. The good news is that running backs get plenty of opportunity to rack up the touches, as there have been 15 running backs who've totaled at least 15 touches against them in their last 19 games. Both Adrian Peterson and Todd Gurley were able to accumulate 80-plus yards on the ground against them, so it's not like it's a must-avoid matchup, but rather one that caps upside. We knew the opting out by Eddie Goldman would impact this defense, but they've allowed 0.94 PPR points per opportunity in 2020, which ranks as the eighth-most through three games, with the majority of that coming on the ground, as they've allowed 4.93 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, they've allowed just 4.71 yards per target and 22.9 PPR points through the air, which is the eighth-fewest in the league. This matchup suits Taylor's skillset better than it does Hines, so keep plugging Taylor in as a high-end RB2 who's getting great workloads, even if he's not crushing his opportunity just yet. Hines bounced back and saw 12 opportunities last week, which restores confidence, and it's possible he's even more involved now that Campbell and Pittman are out, though the Bears have done well with pass-catching running backs to this point. Still, I'd guess he sees at least 10 opportunities, which makes him a flex/RB4-type option in a tough matchup.

Through three games with Philip Rivers, Hilton currently sits as the WR69 on the season. That's not great, especially when you consider Parris Campbell has missed essentially two games and Jack Doyle missed one game. Hilton has just 17 targets, 10 receptions, and 133 yards on the season, which amounts to less fantasy points than Tim Patrick. This matchup is a problem with his lack of yardage, as the Bears are the only defense in the league who's still yet to allow a single wide receiver touchdown (check Monday night game). On the season, they've allowed just 1.30 PPR points per target, which is the lowest in the league, and it's not without plenty of volume, as they've faced the second-most targets to wide receivers. Hilton won't see more of Kyle Fuller or Jaylon Johnson in coverage, as he moves back and forth while the Bears play sides. If you're expecting a Hilton bounce-back, that's fine, but this may not be the best week to bet on that. Sheer expected volume is what carries into low-end WR3 territory, but he's not very exciting.

The Colts are now without both Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman indefinitely, meaning Pascal is a surefire every-down player moving forward. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean very much against the Bears defense that's allowed just one receiver to post more than 13.1 PPR points through three weeks despite facing the second-most targets to wide receivers. Pascal played most of his snaps in the slot for the second straight week, so it appears that's his new home. The Bears have Buster Skrine covering the slot, and though he might be the weakest link, he hasn't been bad with the Bears over his 19 games, allowing 66-of-99 passing for 649 yards and four touchdowns. That's just 6.56 yards per target and a touchdown every 24.8 targets in his coverage. Pascal might have some appeal, but against the Bears, there are better options out there.

It hasn't been the explosion fantasy managers were expecting when Taylor took over the starting job with the Colts, as he's racked up a solid 48 carries, but he's averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and scored twice on them. He's currently the No. 15 running back through three weeks and now set to go against the Bears tough run defense. Going back to the start of last year, there have been just three running backs who've hit the century-mark against them, and one of them was in Week 17 in a throwaway game. The good news is that running backs get plenty of opportunity to rack up the touches, as there have been 15 running backs who've totaled at least 15 touches against them in their last 19 games. Both Adrian Peterson and Todd Gurley were able to accumulate 80-plus yards on the ground against them, so it's not like it's a must-avoid matchup, but rather one that caps upside. We knew the opting out by Eddie Goldman would impact this defense, but they've allowed 0.94 PPR points per opportunity in 2020, which ranks as the eighth-most through three games, with the majority of that coming on the ground, as they've allowed 4.93 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, they've allowed just 4.71 yards per target and 22.9 PPR points through the air, which is the eighth-fewest in the league. This matchup suits Taylor's skillset better than it does Hines, so keep plugging Taylor in as a high-end RB2 who's getting great workloads, even if he's not crushing his opportunity just yet. Hines bounced back and saw 12 opportunities last week, which restores confidence, and it's possible he's even more involved now that Campbell and Pittman are out, though the Bears have done well with pass-catching running backs to this point. Still, I'd guess he sees at least 10 opportunities, which makes him a flex/RB4-type option in a tough matchup.

Once you let the genie out of the bottle, you can't put him back in, right? Well, the Colts did their best to make sure Alie-Cox fell back behind Doyle last week while playing him on just eight pass plays while Doyle was in on 16 of them. That didn't stop Rivers from targeting Alie-Cox on three of those routes, which amounted to 3/50/1 while Doyle didn't see a single target. It's tough to trust anyone in this tight end unit, but with all the injuries at wide receiver, someone is going to be relevant. The Bears have allowed a 75 percent completion-rate to tight ends through three games, including 1.99 PPR points per target, which is the 12th-most in the NFL. Both T.J. Hockenson and Evan Engram totaled 56-plus yards, but then we saw Hayden Hurst total just one catch for one yard in Week 3, though it was a touchdown. If you're trusting one of them, it should be Alie-Cox based on what we've seen the last two weeks. He's a risky TE2 but one who comes with some major upside. Doyle is not someone you can play coming off a game with zero targets, as he might not be completely healthy at this point.

Once you let the genie out of the bottle, you can't put him back in, right? Well, the Colts did their best to make sure Alie-Cox fell back behind Doyle last week while playing him on just eight pass plays while Doyle was in on 16 of them. That didn't stop Rivers from targeting Alie-Cox on three of those routes, which amounted to 3/50/1 while Doyle didn't see a single target. It's tough to trust anyone in this tight end unit, but with all the injuries at wide receiver, someone is going to be relevant. The Bears have allowed a 75 percent completion-rate to tight ends through three games, including 1.99 PPR points per target, which is the 12th-most in the NFL. Both T.J. Hockenson and Evan Engram totaled 56-plus yards, but then we saw Hayden Hurst total just one catch for one yard in Week 3, though it was a touchdown. If you're trusting one of them, it should be Alie-Cox based on what we've seen the last two weeks. He's a risky TE2 but one who comes with some major upside. Doyle is not someone you can play coming off a game with zero targets, as he might not be completely healthy at this point.