Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

Total: N/A
Line: N/A

QBs
Andy Dalton: If you read Dalton’s notes here last week, you weren’t shocked by his lackluster performance against the Saints. He’s now played 12 games without A.J. Green in his career, and in those games, he’s averaged 244.9 yards, 1.0 touchdowns, and 0.8 interceptions. Now he gets to go on the road to play Baltimore? Some will say that he deserves consideration for his 265-yard, four-touchdown performance against them in Week 2, but it was a different situation with Green. That was also on Thursday night while the Ravens were without Jimmy Smith, and three of those touchdowns (I believe) came in the first quarter. Outside of that one game, the Ravens have allowed just 219.9 yards per game with just eight touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games. On the road with Baltimore coming off their bye week? He’s not a streaming option.

Joe Flacco (doubtful): We have to move forward assuming that Flacco plays this game, as he hasn’t been ruled out, and even if he didn’t play, we don’t know whether the Ravens would start Lamar Jackson or Robert Griffin, who they’ve kept on the 53-man roster this whole time. The Bengals have been a defense to attack with your fantasy players, but as for Flacco, it’s tough to say you should. The Ravens are in desperation win-mode while trying to save John Harbaugh’s job and the best way to win this game is to run the ball. The Bengals have allowed 10 passing touchdowns over the last three weeks, but they also played Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, and Ryan Fitzpatrick/Jameis Winston in them. Flacco did throw for 376 yards and two touchdowns against them back in Week 2, but it required 55 passes to get there as the Ravens fell behind early. Part of the reason that teams are scoring so many fantasy points against the Bengals is due to the fact that they run 71.6 plays per game against them, which is the second-most in the NFL. The Ravens average 71.0 plays per game (most in the NFL), so this would seem like a great marriage of the two, but with the season on the line, my expectation is that they run the ball in this game, a lot. Even if Flacco suits up, he’s just a desperation QB2. Update: Flacco has been ruled as doubtful for this game, which almost certainly means he won’t suit up. The Ravens have still yet to tell us who their starting quarterback is, so this is a situation I’ll be talking about during our FREE YouTube livestream this Sunday morning from 11-12am EST.

RBs
Joe Mixon: So, the Bengals had their bye week and lost A.J. Green, so naturally, they’d target Mixon just two times. If there was an eye roll emoji on my keyboard, I’d insert it here. But don’t worry, Hue Jackson has been brought on-board as a special assistant. Another eye roll. Mixon was able to total 84 yards on 21 carries against the Ravens the last time they played, but he also saw just one target in that game. Knowing that the Ravens have allowed just 3.56 yards per carry (5th-lowest) and just 3.51 yards per target (lowest in the NFL), this isn’t likely to be a very productive day for Mixon. There have been two running backs to finish as top-15 options against them this year, and those two running backs combined for 11 receptions, 67 yards, and two touchdowns through the air. If Mixon doesn’t score in this game, he’s not even going to finish in RB2 territory which is sad considering his talent level.

Alex Collins: Are you ready for a Collins explosion this week? You should be. The Ravens defense is going to have no issues shutting down the Bengals offense. They are at home. They are favorites. This is a must-win game, and not only to save John Harbaugh’s job, but to save their season. Coming out of the bye week with fresh legs against a Bengals defense that was on the field for 74 plays last week? Oh, they also just fired their defensive coordinator. Their issues may have something to do with injuries? They’ve lost defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow to injured reserve, linebackers Vontaze Burfict and Nick Vigil for multiple weeks, defensive end Carl Lawson to injured reserve, and then nickel cornerback Darqueze Dennard has missed multiple weeks. Since losing Glasgow, they’ve allowed 955 yards on 174 carries (5.48 yards per carry) with seven touchdowns over the span of seven games. There have been six running backs who’ve finished as top-six options against them in that time. It’s always worrisome when starting a Ravens running back because of how often they mix them in, but knowing the Bengals allow opponents 71.6 plays per game, there should be plenty of work to go around. He’s a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 who should go off.

WRs
Tyler Boyd: There was concern about Boyd last week due to the way the Saints approached Boyd, and all those fears came to light as Boyd totaled just three catches for 65 yards on four targets. He’ll be targeted a lot more this week, as the Ravens won’t put up 51 points on them and control the ball the way the Saints did. Boyd did play well against them back in Week 2, but that was with Green, which changes a lot. Still, the slot is the area of the field where the Ravens are weakest, as they’ve continued to trot Tavon Young out there, who has allowed a 71 percent catch-rate and a touchdown every 10.3 targets in coverage. Two of the touchdowns he allowed this year came to the Bengals, so you kind of have to trust Boyd out there as a solid WR2 who should bounce back.

John Ross: You’d think that I’d like Ross more with Green out of the lineup, as his target share should increase, but not against the Ravens. He’ll match-up with both Brandon Carr and Jimmy Smith, one of the best perimeter duos in the league. As a defense, the Ravens have allowed just one pass play over 40 yards, which is the lowest mark in the NFL. In fact, they’ve allowed just 24 plays over 20 yards, which ranks as the third-lowest. The only team who’s allowed fewer receiving yards to wide receivers is the Jaguars, so feel free to place Ross on your bench this week.

John Brown: After a blazing hot start to the season where he had 396 yards and three touchdowns over the first five games, Brown has cooled off the last month, totaling less than 30 yards in three of the last four games. He did post 92 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals the last time they played, but be careful when relying on that, because even though he totaled 116 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers the first time they played, it didn’t amount to any success in their second game, as he totaled just 15 scoreless yards. He needs the quarterback position to play better, whether that be Flacco, Jackson, or Griffin. He’ll match-up with Dre Kirkpatrick most of the time, who has allowed 15.6 yards per reception in his coverage and has been beat on two go-routes for touchdowns, so it makes sense to play Brown as a WR3, but he comes with more risk than you’d like.

Michael Crabtree: Many continue to start Crabtree due to his name and haven’t really looked at his production. He’s totaled more than 66 yards just one time all season and has scored just once since Week 1. Sure, his targets are nice, as he ranks 14th in the NFL with 76 of them, but knowing how bad Flacco has looked recently, he’s offering more risk than reward. He’s totaled just 63 yards over the last two games and will now match-up with William Jackson, the Bengals best cornerback in coverage. Jackson hasn’t been nearly as good as he was in 2017 when he held quarterbacks to just a 36.1 QB Rating in his coverage, but when you’re on the field for 71.6 plays per game and wide receivers are averaging 22.9 targets per game against you, things are going to happen from time-to-time. Crabtree would be considered a WR4 for this game if he didn’t have a history of production. While you can’t ignore his past, it hasn’t translated to much success this year, as his 6.2 yards per target indicates.

Willie Snead: He’s on most waiver wires, while everyone owns Crabtree. Does that make sense? Well, Crabtree has six more targets, Snead has four more receptions, Crabtree has 24 more yards, and Crabtree has one more touchdown. Does that sound like one player should be 72 percent owned and the other 32 percent owned? Snead has now totaled at least 49 yards in 7-of-9 games, though he’s failed to score a touchdown since back in Week 1. He’s been targeted at least seven times in each of his last six games and has netted at least five receptions in five of them, so he’s continually delivering a high-floor, though very low ceiling as he’s yet to top 60 yards this season. The Bengals may be without Darqueze Dennard for the fourth-straight week, which would put fifth-round rookie Darius Phillips on Snead. He’s allowed 13-of-16 passes to be completed, though for just 94 yards, which seems right up Snead’s alley. Consider him a high-floor WR4, though he likely won’t score more than 10-12 PPR points.

TEs
C.J. Uzomah: It’s getting grimmer by the week with Uzomah, who has now totaled just 36 yards over the last three weeks combined. Keep in mind that the Bengals were without A.J. Green and Tyler Kroft last week, so he should’ve been in line for a lot of work. It was a brutal matchup against the Saints, so we don’t want to completely forget about him, but it’s hard to recommend him with confidence. He did total three catches for 45 yards against the Ravens back in Week 2 while in a backup role, so there’s hope. The Ravens have allowed a 71 percent completion rate to tight ends this year along with 8.5 yards per target, and the ball has to go somewhere for the Bengals. If Kroft is out again, Uzomah should see five-plus targets, making him a TE2 who should come with a semi-decent floor.

Mark Andrews: We’re starting to see a trend among the Ravens tight ends, and it’s that both Andrews and Hayden Hurst are going to be sharing pass routes. Over their last two games, Andrews has run 42 routes, while Hurst has been out there for 30 of them, though Andrews has been the preferred option, seeing 11 targets in those two games while Hurst has seen six in them. It’s still a timeshare, but it’s possible that we can still find use in Andrews with his newly-found targets. The Bengals have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends while allowing them a 73.7 percent catch-rate and 8.3 yards per target. Andrews scored against them back in their Week 2 meeting, as he was one of six tight ends to finish as a top-12 option against the Bengals. It’s unlikely we see a ton of pass attempts out of the Ravens this week, which is enough to concern me and drop Andrews down into the middling TE2 territory, and on top of that, it shouldn’t shock anyone if Hurst is the one who produces this week.

Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals

Total: 40.5
Line: ARI by 4.0

QBs
Derek Carr: A game in 2018 with an over/under that’s near 40 points? Yikes. Carr has now failed to score a single touchdown in three of the last four weeks without Amari Cooper, and the Raiders offensive line has allowed 12 sacks over the last two weeks. It’s clear that they have nothing going for them and are now heading out to Arizona to play against a defense that’s allowed multiple touchdowns just three times all season. The Cardinals boast a 9.1 percent sack rate, which ranks third-highest in the NFL, and have now racked-up at least four sacks in four of the last five games, including a five-sack game against Patrick Mahomes, who hadn’t been sacked more than twice all season. There’s no reason to play Carr in any format, even if he does pop-up on the fantasy radar from time-to-time. With no Cooper, Martavis Bryant, and a less-than-100-percent Jordy Nelson, he’s got little to throw to, with little time to do it.

Josh Rosen: While watching Rosen over the last few weeks, I feel confident saying that he’s regressed in some ways, as his pocket awareness has been weak while taking 14 sacks over the last three weeks and his accuracy has started to fade as he’s completed just 55.9 percent of his passes while throwing six interceptions in that time. The move to Byron Leftwich has changed some things, but Rosen isn’t going to become a reliable fantasy option this year, that much is clear. The Cardinals shouldn’t need to throw the ball a whole lot this week, either, as the Raiders run defense has now allowed at least 112 rushing yards in each of their last four games. That’s why opposing offenses have averaged just 25.5 pass attempts against them during that stretch. The Cardinals defense will keep that offense in check, so you should be expecting a limited volume game from Rosen who should have much better efficiency, though it won’t be enough to consider streaming him. The Raiders have allowed a touchdown rate of 10.8 percent over the last four weeks, so Rosen is still playable in 2QB formats, but that’s about it.

RBs
Doug Martin and Jalen Richard: If there’s one thing on the Raiders offense that still has life, it’s the running back position, as Martin and Richard have combined for 269 total yards over the last two weeks, even though there’s been no touchdowns. The Cardinals biggest weakness this year has been against the run, as they’ve allowed the third-most points per game to the position, though it may not be as good as it was a few weeks ago. The Steve Wilks defense has apparently started to make sense to the front-seven, as they’ve held Kareem Hunt and Matt Breida to just 113 yards on 32 carries (3.53 yards per carry) with no touchdowns over the last two weeks. They’ve done really well against pass-catching backs all season, as the 89.1 PPR points they’ve allowed through the air is the eighth-fewest in the league. That could be due to it being unnecessary, as teams have averaged just 32.1 pass attempts per game against the Cardinals (4th-fewest), because there have been two running backs (Chris Thompson, Kyle Juszczyk) who’ve totaled at least six catches and 60 yards through the air against them, so it’s possible. With Richard being an absolute necessity for Carr at this point in time, he should offer an RB3 floor in standard leagues and low-end RB2 numbers in PPR. Martin comes with some risk, but he’ll get enough work where he should be considered an RB3 for this contest.

David Johnson: If there were ever a game where we could project Johnson for 20-plus touches this year, this game should be it. The Raiders opponents have averaged 29.4 carries per game and 5.3 targets per game, so this game sets up well while in Arizona. The Raiders have now allowed five running backs to eclipse 22 PPR points against them, so the upside/efficiency has been there as well. The 5.12 yards per carry they’ve allowed ranks as the second-worst in the league, though they’ve arguably been getting worse as the year’s gone on. We also know that Johnson is the sole red zone running back and the Raiders have allowed 54 red zone touches to running backs, the most in the NFL. Running backs haven’t had to do much in the passing-game against them (only 48 targets through nine games), but on those targets, they’ve allowed 7.73 yards per target, which is the third-most in the league, so Johnson’s season-high nine targets look mighty good. Everything about this matchup says to start Johnson as an RB1 and expect top-10 results.

WRs
Brandon LaFell: In the three games without Amari Cooper on the team, we have LaFell leading the wide receivers in targets by a solid margin, as he’s seen 13, Roberts 9, Jordy Nelson 8, and Martavis Bryant 5. Not that those 13 targets have amounted to much, as 106 yards and a touchdown over three weeks doesn’t scream “start me,” especially when the Cardinals have allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers, though that number looks better than it did going into Week 10 when they allowed Tyreek Hill 117 yards and two touchdowns. He was just the sixth player to top 63 yards against them this year, so it’s hardly a matchup to target. LaFell is just a low-end WR4 who lacks upside, but he’s likely going to see six-plus targets in this game.

Seth Roberts: With Martavis Bryant out for a bit, Roberts is going to become somewhat of a full-time player. If you go back to Weeks 5-8 when he played more snaps than ever, he totaled 17 targets over a three-game span, totaling 113 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals biggest issue in their secondary is the slot, as they’ve had Budda Baker covering the slot when he’s a natural safety. It’s shown, too, as he’s allowed 30-of-34 passes to be completed for 330 yards and a touchdown. If there’s one receiver on the Raiders who’s a desperation PPR option, I’d go with Roberts, who is still just a WR5 with the way the Raiders have struggled to score.

Larry Fitzgerald: He’s now seen 38 targets over the last four games while Kirk has totaled just 26 targets in that span, so it’s clear that Fitzgerald has replaced him as the go-to option in the offense. The matchup against the Chiefs was tougher than most realized, but the Raiders don’t pose that same issue. They’ve allowed nearly two more yards per target than the Chiefs have to wide receivers, though the volume hasn’t been quite the same. Wide receivers average just 18.3 targets per game against the Raiders, compared to the 24.2 targets against the Chiefs. The gamescript isn’t going to be very friendly to the Cardinals this week, but Fitzgerald’s new-found No. 1 role should be enough to carry him through with a WR3 performance against Leon Hall, a fellow veteran who’s been tasked with covering the opposing slot receiver most of the year, though the Raiders seem like they could be moving on to rookie Nick Nelson, who played a season-high 24 snaps in Week 10. If given his first start against Fitzgerald, he’d likely have his hands full. Whoever they go with, Fitzgerald should present a solid WR3-type floor, though he doesn’t offer a massive ceiling in this game.

Christian Kirk: It’s games like this where falling behind Fitzgerald in the pecking order will hurt Kirk, as receivers have averaged just 18.3 targets per game against the Raiders. Kirk has now totaled six or seven targets in each of the last four games, but we also need to note that Rosen has thrown the ball an average of 37.3 times in those games and never less than 31 times. You’d have to go back to Week 4 to see the last time the Raiders saw an opponent total more than 31 pass attempts. He’ll be lucky to see five targets in this game, though it’s worth noting that the Raiders have allowed more big passing plays (40-plus yards) than all but one team (Bucs), so there’s always that possibility that Kirk catches a long touchdown. Still, you really shouldn’t bank on that, making him a middling WR5 this week.

TEs
Jared Cook: There will be many who look to Cook this week knowing that Nelson is a bit banged-up and Bryant is out, but you should be warned that the Cardinals have done well with top-tier tight ends over the last two weeks, holding studs Travis Kelce to 6/46/0 and George Kittle to 5/57/0. The biggest fantasy performance against them this year came way back in Week 1 when they were playing a brand-new defensive scheme, though it was just four catches for 48 yards and a touchdown to Jordan Reed. In a tough matchup with the Chargers last week, Cook saw nine targets, so you definitely want to play him, as Carr is running out of options to throw to. With his targets, combined with the 72 percent catch-rate the Cardinals allow to tight ends (even if it’s not for many yards), he’s a high-floor middling TE1 this week.

Ricky Seals-Jones: For those who missed it, we were fans of Seals-Jones last week, as he hauled in five catches for 51 yards on a career-high nine targets. He’s now run 77 routes over their last two games and totaled 13 targets, so it’s safe to say that Byron Leftwich definitely wants him involved. His previous two-game high for pass routes was 64 which came way back in Weeks 1-2. He’s now going into a matchup with the league’s softest secondary against tight ends. They’ve allowed 11.9 yards per target to them while there’s no other team who’s allowed more than 9.9 yards per target. They’ve allowed a touchdown every 7.8 targets to them, while the closest team has allowed one every 8.9 targets. They’ve allowed a league-high 81 percent of passes completed to tight ends while just two other teams have allowed higher than a 75 percent completion rate. The volume is the lone concern in this game because it’s easily one where we could see Rosen pass the ball 25 times, but Seals-Jones’ matchup is as good as you could ask for. He’s on the TE1/TE2 radar and one I’ll be streaming in a few leagues.

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers

Total: 46.5
Line: LAC by 7.0

QBs
Case Keenum: If anything, Keenum has displayed a lot of consistency over the last six games, as he’s completed in between 61-68 percent of passes, averaged 6.9-7.9 yards per attempt, and thrown 0-2 touchdowns in each of them. These are wonderfully mediocre numbers, but hey, at least we know what we’re getting, though the offense didn’t look as good without Demaryius Thomas. The Chargers defense has come alive over the last month and haven’t allowed more than 268 yards in each of the last five games, while allowing just five passing touchdowns in them. Their pass-rush has been great, tallying 18 sacks in those five games, though they did lose linebacker Denzel Perryman to injury last week, which doesn’t help matters. With everything combined, you can understand why they’ve held each of their last five opponents to less than 20 points. With Casey Hayward on Courtland Sutton, Keenum will need to look to Emmanuel Sanders quite a bit, which isn’t a bad thing for his production, as he boasts a 108.5 QB Rating when targeting him. Keenum is the definition of a middling to low-end QB2 who’ll likely deliver a decent floor but lacks any sort of upside.

Philip Rivers: It’s always a pain projecting Rivers in divisional games, so to see him post 223 yards and two touchdowns in a great matchup against the Raiders wasn’t all that shocking. The Chargers and Broncos haven’t met this year, but in the two meetings against this defense last year, he totaled just 192 yards and 183 yards through the air, though he did combine for five touchdowns in the games. With Chris Harris defending his favorite target in Keenan Allen, Rivers will be forced to get the ball out to the other pass-catchers this week a bit more than usual. The Broncos haven’t been an elite pass-defense, though they haven’t been a pushover, either, as we saw them hold Jared Goff to just 201 yards and no touchdowns in Week 6, though that was the Todd Gurley 200-yard, three-touchdown game. But the Broncos haven’t allowed a quarterback to throw for more than 304 yards this season, which is saying something considering they’ve played Patrick Mahomes twice. Still, Rivers has thrown for at least two touchdowns in every game this year, though he hasn’t topped 22 fantasy points since way back in Week 1, so he’s almost a Tom Brady-esque quarterback this year. He’s a high-floor, low-ceiling QB2 this week.

RBs
Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman, and Devontae Booker: Welcome back to the three-headed monster of a backfield that’s tough to predict when they’re all active. Here’s a chart that breaks down their touches by week:

Knowing that Freeman is coming off his high-ankle sprain, it’s likely that he falls in the lower range of his 8-15 touches per game. Meanwhile, Lindsay has totaled at least 14 touches in 7-of-8 games he wasn’t hurt in, so he’s the clear No. 1 here. Meanwhile, Booker hasn’t topped five touches in any game that Lindsay/Freeman played the whole thing. Freeman is essentially a non-play this week considering the Chargers have allowed just three rushing touchdowns all year, and that’s where he gets all his production, as he’s caught just four passes all year and doesn’t get enough carries to rack up the yardage. Lindsay is somewhat interesting because he’s utilized in the passing-game a lot more than Freeman, and the Chargers have allowed a league-high 8.1 yards per target to the position. There have been just five running backs who’ve delivered top-24 performances against the Chargers and all of them totaled at least 32 yards through the air. Lindsay has the best opportunity, but he’s still a low-end RB2. Booker may catch a few passes, but knowing his touch-total is limited to five with Lindsay and Freeman in the lineup, he’s nothing more than an emergency RB4/5 in PPR leagues.

Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler: After being held out due to a hamstring injury, the Chargers have seemingly changed-up the timeshare between Gordon and Ekeler. The touch-count over the last two weeks is 40-7, which is a crazy-high 85.1 percent share to Gordon. Before the injury, it’d been a 121-55 split, which was a 68.8 percent share. Whatever the case, Gordon has been elite no matter what. This has more to do with Ekeler, who is apparently just a handcuff at this point. The Broncos have been Jekyll and Hyde against the run this year, as there was a four-week stretch of games where they allowed the opposing team’s running back group total at least 27.1 PPR points against them, which included two 200-yard games. In all other games, though, they’ve held the opposing team of running backs to less than 20 PPR points, including each of their last three games which included David Johnson, Kareem Hunt, and Lamar Miller. In two games against them last year, Gordon totaled just 92 yards on 36 carries (2.56 yards per carry) and no touchdowns on the ground, though he added 31 yards and a touchdown through the air. This doesn’t set-up as a smash game for Gordon like last week did, but he’s still an every-week RB1 regardless of the matchup, especially with his newly-found 85 percent workload. It’s always possible the Broncos revert back to the team that allowed back-to-back 200-yard games, though you shouldn’t take that chance in your DFS cash lineups.

WRs
Emmanuel Sanders: We wondered what the Broncos would do with Sanders with Demaryius Thomas out of the picture and the answer was that he’ll play slightly fewer snaps in the slot. After running 65 percent of his routes in the slot with Thomas on the team, he ran just 51 percent of his routes from there in Week 9, though that’s still enough to do his damage. You have to figure Casey Hayward tracks Sutton around the field, as he typically doesn’t travel into the slot, so you don’t want him to go to waste on Sanders. That means Sanders would see a mix of Michael Davis (who is filling in for Trevor Williams with a knee injury) and Desmond King. These are much better matchups than Hayward, as they’ve combined to allow a 79.4 percent catch-rate in their coverage. Of the four biggest fantasy performances they’ve allowed this year, slot receivers have counted for two of them, so feel free to play Sanders as a low-end WR2 who could potentially be shadowed by Hayward, though I don’t think that happens.

Courtland Sutton: In his first game without Demaryius Thomas as the projected No. 1 receiver, Sutton saw… five targets. Sorry for the build-up, but there were so many who thought it automatically meant eight-plus targets per game. It’s likely that he’s going to see the Chargers top cornerback Casey Hayward this week, which doesn’t bode well for his production. There’s a chance that Hayward covers Sanders, but knowing that he goes into the slot more than half the time, while Hayward doesn’t travel there, it doesn’t make that much sense. Sutton has only run 20 percent of his snaps from the slot, which is why he makes the most sense. Hayward has allowed just a 57.6 percent catch-rate in his coverage this year and hasn’t allowed more than 29 yards in a game since way back in Week 3. Sutton is still playable as a WR4 with the chance he doesn’t get Hayward, but he’s far from a lock for production here.

Keenan Allen: He gets the matchup nobody wants this week, as Chris Harris Jr. awaits in coverage. Here’s the games that Allen has had against him over the last few years (most recent first): 3/41/0, 5/35/1, 3/18/0, and 9/73/1. Oddly enough, Allen has scored four times in his career against the Broncos, with all of the touchdowns coming while in Denver (this game is not). If you added up his last three games against Harris, it’d amount to 25 targets, 11 receptions, 94 yards, and one touchdown. Harris has been better than ever, too, as he’s allowed just a 57.8 percent catch-rate and 4.76 yards per target in his coverage without a single touchdown, which is good enough for an abysmal 60.8 passer rating. Allen is still likely to see seven-plus targets like he has in 7-of-9 games this year, but he doesn’t come with a massive ceiling in this game, or a high-floor for that matter, making him just a middling to low-end WR2 who needs to score in order to not bust.

Tyrell Williams: It finally happened… Williams saw more than five targets for the first time this season. Unfortunately, he dropped one of them and netted only 46 scoreless yards on the rest. The good news is that the Broncos have been susceptible to the deep ball and have allowed 32 pass plays of more than 20 yards. His primary cornerback in coverage this week will be Adam Jones, who has played limited time this year due to a hamstring injury, though he returned in Week 9. He hasn’t been one to allow much over the top, as he’s defended five combined post- and go-routes but has allowed just one completion for 30 yards and intercepted one of them. He won’t shadow Williams and as of now, the other starter Bradley Roby is questionable with an ankle injury, so it’s not all bad, as Tramaine Brock would step in, who’s allowed 15.5 yards per reception this year. With Allen tied up with Chris Harris Jr., we could see Williams make an impact. He’s on the WR4 radar and one who comes with more upside than most in that territory.

Mike Williams: It seems that the Chargers are continually moving away from Williams, though it’s unclear why, as he’s been productive on a per-target basis. He’s the No. 9 receiver in the NFL (minimum 30 targets) in yards per target (10.6) and has caught a touchdown every 7.0 targets. I have no idea why he’s played just 29 and 46 percent of the snaps the last two weeks. He’s now caught just seven passes over the last six games and wasn’t targeted a single time against the Raiders in Week 10. Knowing that he’d see most of Bradley Roby or Tramaine Brock, it’s enticing, but you cannot start him with any confidence. Wide receivers have only seen 19 red zone targets against the Broncos in nine games, so it’s not like the odds are on his side. He can win this matchup, but he’s nothing more than a WR5 with the lack of opportunity.

TEs
Jeff Heuerman: There are many running to the waiver wire to snag Heuerman after his 11-target, 10-catch game against the Texans, though I’d be a bit more hesitant. He’s topped 23 yards just twice all season despite seeing four or more targets in six games. We’ve talked about him here because of the increased volume over the last two months and it seemed to help him with Demaryius Thomas out of the lineup, but if you think he’ll continue to out-target Sanders and Sutton, you’re wrong. The Chargers have allowed a couple big games to tight ends, though every one of them totaled eight or more targets, something that Heuerman has seen just once (in Week 9) this year. On a per-target basis, the Chargers have been one of the toughest matchups for tight ends, as they’ve allowed just a 57.5 percent catch-rate (2nd-lowest) and 5.84 yards per target (3rd-lowest). Tight ends have also seen 16 targets in the red zone against them but netted just four touchdowns. It’s hard to find tight ends who are continually getting five-plus targets per game (he has in three of the last four games), so he’s on the streaming high-end TE2 radar, but he’s far from a sure thing in this game.

Virgil Green: Do we now all understand why Antonio Gates was let go by the Chargers this offseason? He’s played 16 snaps or less over each of the last four games, so he’s done with football. Green has started to get more involved, as he’s totaled three targets in each of the last two games, netting four catches for 58 yards. He’ll be going against his former team in this game, who have happened to allow six different tight ends to post at least 49 yards against them. Tight ends haven’t been targeted too much against them, but they have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per target to the position. We’re trending in the right direction with Green, but it’s hard to say he’s a preferred streamer with Gates still getting some snaps, especially in the red zone. We’ll keep Green on the waiver wire watch list, but if you play in a 2TE league, he can be played in the game.