Kyle Yates’ Week 11 Fantasy Projections (2020 Fantasy Football)

Philadelphia Eagles vs Cleveland Browns

Date/Time:
Spread: 
Over/Under: 
Implied Vegas point totals:

Philadelphia Eagles

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Cleveland Browns

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Quarterback

Philadelphia: Wentz is currently on a 16-game pace for 3,717 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. Gross. It’s not pretty in Philadelphia and it’s getting very difficult to feel even remotely confident plugging Wentz into your starting lineup. It’s a fine matchup on paper, with the Browns allowing the 11th most fantasy points to the QB position, but there’s no way we can trust Wentz now. He’s a risky high-end QB2 play this week with a wide range of outcomes.

Cleveland: Mayfield wasn’t exactly needed much last week as he only threw the ball 20 total times. This is the risk with plugging Mayfield in as a streamer in plus matchups as he can take a back seat to the running game. While Mayfield should have to throw more in this game, this isn’t a matchup that you want to plug Mayfield into your starting lineup in. He can be viewed as a mid-range QB2 this week.

Running Backs

Philadelphia: Can you name something that was more frustrating last week than watching Corey Clement and Boston Scott score the rushing touchdowns for the Eagles instead of Sanders? Even though he didn’t cash in, Sanders looked explosive and was able to average well over 5 YPC. Against the Browns run defense, which has actually been pretty stingy in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing RBs, Sanders should be viewed as a safe low-end RB1. He’s unlikely to have multiple touchdowns “vultured” away from him again this week and he should see more than enough volume to return that value. Some people are going to see the fantasy points that Scott put up in week ten and look to plug him into their starting lineups in week 11. However, that’s not exactly the best idea. Scott only saw four total touches in this past game. While he made the most of his opportunity, that’s not a workload that you can comfortably rely on for fantasy purposes. Scott can be viewed as a high-end RB4 this week.

Cleveland: Do you think the Browns missed Nick Chubb? This offense didn’t put up gaudy point totals in week ten, but they were able to execute their game plan and what they want their identity to be about. The Browns ran the ball 38 times with Chubb and Hunt and only threw the ball 20 times. They have a more difficult matchup this week against the Eagles run defense, but Chubb is absolutely someone you should be confidently plugging into your lineup in this one as a mid-range RB1. He’ll see 15+ touches easily and he has the talent to make those count. Start him with confidence here. There were obviously concerns about Hunt and whether or not he could be trusted for fantasy with Chubb back in the lineup. We have our answer as Hunt finished as the RB13 on the week in Half PPR scoring. While the matchup certainly played a part in that, there’s even more room to grow for Hunt with an increased role as a receiver out of the backfield. Fire up Hunt as a mid-range RB2 in this one.

Wide Receivers

Philadelphia: Reagor led the Eagles in targets last week and he tied with Fulgham with 59 total snaps. While it didn’t amount to much fantasy production – thanks Carson – it’s a good sign for fantasy managers that were concerned about his involvement in the offense with everyone on the field and healthy. This matchup against the Browns secondary is certainly enticing on paper, but the offense goes as Wentz goes, unfortunately. Reagor can be plugged into your lineup this week as a mid-range WR3 that should bring a safe floor with his target volume, but also has some upside due to the matchup. Fulgham was still heavily involved in the offense last week from a snap share perspective, but he disappointed fantasy managers that took the shot on him. Fulgham went 1-8-0 on five targets. It’s going to be hard to trust Fulgham this week, but he’s at least worth rolling out as a solid FLEX play again due to the amount of time that he was on the field and his target share. Ward continues to be utilized in this offense out of the slot and he’s bringing a safe floor in Full PPR formats. While he’s nothing more than a low-end FLEX play, if you need a safe floor, Ward should continue to see enough work to be a steady option for your lineup.

Cleveland: With the Browns not needing to throw much last game, neither Landry or Higgins really did anything of note for fantasy purposes. Now, the Browns have a tough matchup here on paper against the Eagles pass defense that is one of the more difficult matchups from a fantasy points allowed perspective. It’s going to be hard to trust Landry as anything more than a low-upside WR3 in this matchup. Meanwhile, Higgins can be viewed as a FLEX option that should see enough volume to bring a safe floor, but there’s not much of a path for upside here.

Tight Ends

Philadelphia: Ertz doesn’t appear on track to play in this game, which means that Goedert and Richard Rodgers should both see plenty of action. It’s hard to trust either one of them fully, but based on the TE landscape, Goedert can be viewed as a mid-range TE1 with upside. Rodgers can only be played if you’re absolutely desperate as a low-end TE2.

Cleveland: Hooper was in a great spot last week, but wasn’t able to see enough volume to be fantasy relevant. This week, Hooper should be needed more and this is a great matchup for fantasy TEs. The Eagles are currently allowing an average of 9.5 fantasy points per game to the TE position, which is the 7th most in the league. Hooper can be plugged into your lineup this week as a low-end TE1.

FantasyProjection Buster: The Eagles have been beat by opposing TEs this season, but there’s no telling where the ball is going to go in this Browns offense. Hooper could easily fall short of his projections in this one.

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Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints

Date/Time: November 22, 1:00pm ET
Spread: Saints -4
Over/Under: 51.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Saints 27.75, Falcons 23.75

Atlanta Falcons

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New Orleans Saints

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Quarterback

Atlanta: Ryan’s certainly had an up-and-down season, but he’s been a relatively safe option over the past few games. In his last three outings, Ryan has finished as the QB16, the QB10, and the QB12. While he’s not delivering the huge blowup performances, he’s not hurting your fantasy roster either. It’s hard to see a path where Ryan finishes as a top-5 QB in this matchup against the Saints defense, but he should be viewed as a safe high-end QB2 play.

New Orleans: With the news that Hill will be the starting QB for New Orleans this week, he becomes an intriguing option for fantasy. Due to his rushing upside, Hill can be viewed as a high-end QB2. We have yet to see how Hill will do in full command of an offense and how he’s able to distribute the ball, so there’s a ton of unknowns there, but he should bring a safe enough floor with his rushing ability.

Running Backs

Atlanta: Gurley has been unable to surpass 2.79 YPC over his last four games. For a starting NFL RB, that’s absolutely atrocious and it’s even more surprising when you factor in that he played Minnesota, Detroit, and Carolina in that time frame. This legitimately may be the final year that we see Gurley in the NFL due to his production and the fact that his knee issue seems to be flaring up. He always has a chance to find the end zone, but it’s going to be tough sledding in this matchup against the Saints defense. Gurley should be viewed as a touchdown-dependent RB2 this week. Hill’s usage in this backfield recently would indicate that the coaching staff would love to pivot to Hill, but he’s been just as inefficient as Gurley. Until we see Hill take over the workload that Gurley has been seeing, he can’t be trusted for fantasy football.

New Orleans: What would the over/under have to be for Kamara’s fantasy point totals this week for you to take the under? Start Kamara as a top-tier option yet again. Murray was efficient with his workload this past week, but he’s not seeing enough work to be a reliable fantasy option. If you’re absolutely desperate, you can plug in Murray into your starting lineup as a bye week fill-in option, but nothing more than that.

Wide Receivers

Atlanta: The Falcons should be able to throw all over the Saints defense this week. The Saints are currently allowing the 13th most fantasy points to the WR position and they’re going to struggle against the Falcons receiving trio. Jones should be viewed as a top-5 lock this week. Ridley should be back and fully healthy, which puts him back on the low-end WR1 radar that always has a chance to find the end zone. Gage takes a bit of a hit with Ridley back in the lineup and he’s been extremely hit-or-miss this season. He can be viewed as a low-end FLEX play in Full PPR formats.

New Orleans: What is this offense going to look like with Hill at QB versus Drew Brees? We have yet to see Hill take command of an offense and perform as a drop-back passer, so there’s no telling who he’s going to target or what this offense is going to look like. Every single receiving option takes a huge hit with the unknowns here. Thomas can be viewed as a low-end WR2, while Sanders and Smith are off the redraft radar.

Tight Ends

Atlanta: Hurst has been heavily involved in this offense here recently and there should be no reason to doubt that that will continue here. The Saints are allowing the 6th most fantasy points to opposing TEs and Hurst has seen 22 targets over his last three games. Plug him into your lineup with confidence as a low-end TE1 this week.

New Orleans: Over the past two weeks, which have both been rough performances, Cook has seen his snap share and routes run numbers plummet. In week eight against Chicago, Cook had a 56.3% snap share and he ran 32 total routes. In weeks nine and ten, Cook had a 34% snap share both weeks and only ran a total of 33 routes in that time frame. He can be viewed as a touchdown-dependent TE2 this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Any of the Saints receiving options has to be the answer here. There’s absolutely no sample size for us to fall back on with Hill to try and project this game confidently.

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Cincinnati Bengals vs Washington Football Team

Date/Time: November 22, 1:00pm ET
Spread: Washington -1.5
Over/Under: 46.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Washington 24, Bengals 22.5

Cincinnati Bengals

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Washington Football Team

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Quarterback

Cincinnati: Burrow fell short of my expectations in week ten, but he’s still on the redraft radar in this matchup. The Washington defense is one of the tougher matchups out there, but Burrow has too talented of a surrounding cast to ignore. He can be viewed as a mid-range QB2 this week that can still be plugged in if a better option is not available on your roster.

Washington: Smith’s going to throw the ball at a ridiculous pace and this is a great matchup for opposing QBs, but it’s hard to trust him with the way this offense looks right now. Smith can be viewed as a low-end QB2 this week.

Running Backs

Cincinnati: With Mixon apparently out another week, the Bengals will turn once again to Gio Bernard. Bernard should see plenty of work, but this is a tougher matchup for opposing RBs. Start Bernard as a safe RB2 option, but one that doesn’t possess a ton of upside.

Washington: Gibson performed well in a great matchup last week and there’s little reason to doubt that he won’t do the same thing here. Washington should look to lean on Gibson early and often in this one and he has an excellent chance of finding the end zone yet again. Fire up Gibson as a low-end RB1. The running joke on the podcast for us last week was that we can’t expect 14 targets from McKissic again in week ten. Well, we were partially right. He got 15 targets last week and he now has 29 over the past two weeks. While McKissic isn’t viewed as a top-tier fantasy asset, he’s proving to be incredibly reliable now with Alex Smith at QB. In Half PPR scoring, McKissic has finished the last two weeks as the RB12 and the RB14. Continue to plug him into your starting lineup as a safe RB2 with upside in this matchup.

Wide Receivers

Cincinnati: How many WRs would you like to have over Tee Higgins in Dynasty right now? The answer is probably not many…he’s been lights out for fantasy ever since he stepped into the starting lineup in week three. While this is a tough matchup on paper for opposing WRs, there’s very little reason to sit Higgins right now. He’s been matchup proof so far this season and he has incredible upside each week. He can be viewed as a low-end WR2 this week with upside. Boyd continues to see an incredible target workload in this offense. While he didn’t put up incredible numbers in week ten, there’s no reason to move away from Boyd this week against Washington. As long as he continues to see 7+ targets every single week, he’s going to be a safe option for your starting lineup. Boyd can be viewed as a low-end WR2 this week.

Washington: McLaurin is essentially the only receiver that opposing defenses have to key in on to slow down the Washington passing game, but they still can’t stop him. McLaurin is one of the most talented receivers in the game and he presents week-winning upside every single time he steps onto the field. He can be started as a low-end WR1 with upside in this matchup.

Tight Ends

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

Washington: Thomas hasn’t exactly presented much upside here in recent weeks, but if you’re looking for a streaming option at the TE position this week, Thomas should be your guy. The Bengals are allowing the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing TEs this season and Thomas has an excellent chance of finding the end zone here.

FantasyProjection Buster: Sample gets the touchdown in my projections due to the matchup, but he’s barely involved in this offense. It’s quite possible that the touchdown goes elsewhere in this offense.

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New York Jets vs Los Angeles Chargers

Date/Time: November 22, 4:05pm ET
Spread: Chargers -9.5
Over/Under: 46 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Chargers 27.75, Jets 18.25

New York Jets

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Los Angeles Chargers

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Quarterback

New York: Joe Flacco actually didn’t look that bad the last time we saw him on the field, but the Patriots defense hasn’t exactly been a top-tier unit this season. Flacco will be under duress all game long by this Chargers pass rush, which makes it difficult to view him as anything more than a low-end QB2.

Los Angeles: Herbert hasn’t finished outside the top-12 QBs since week three. Against the Jets defense, Herbert has No. 1 overall QB upside. Fire him up as a top-tier option this week.

Running Backs

New York: At this point, if you’re playing either Frank Gore or Lamical Perine, you’re hoping that either one of them finishes with more than seven fantasy points on the week. Gore’s the safer bet between the two due to the fact that he’ll see more work on the ground, but he’s nothing more than a low-end RB3 in this matchup. Perine’s outside the top-36 RBs, which puts him off the redraft radar.

Los Angeles: It’s revenge time for Ballage here against the Jets! Ballage has emerged as a viable fantasy option here in this Chargers backfield after being one of the league’s most inefficient runners in recent years. Ballage will now get to face off against his old coach and you know that he’s going to be motivated in this one. With Troymaine Pope not involved at all last week, Ballage has a hold of this job and should see the majority of the touches here yet again. He can be viewed as a low-end RB2 this week. Kelley’s been insanely inefficient this season and it’s hard to see that changing any time soon. Kelley’s not on the redraft radar.

Wide Receivers

New York: As of right now, the only Jets receiver that you want to rely on is Jamison Crowder. While Crowder certainly sees a drop-off in production with Joe Flacco behind center, he’s still worth looking at as a solid FLEX option in Full PPR leagues. Otherwise, Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman are too boom-or-bust to trust for fantasy football. If you plug them into your lineup, you’re playing with fire.

Los Angeles: Should we be talking about Allen as the No. 1 overall WR this week? It’s certainly possible in this matchup against the Jets secondary. Allen should put up big numbers against one of the worst defenses in the league. He’s a top-5 lock in my rankings this week. Williams had started to string together some solid performances before last week, but he fell short of expectations in a pretty favorable matchup. With that being said, Williams comes with absurd upside this week in this matchup. He’s worth plugging into your lineup as a mid-range WR3 that could easily find the end zone here.

Tight Ends

New York: None of the Jets TEs are worth considering for fantasy football this week.

Los Angeles: Last week, I criticized Henry for not bringing much upside at the position. He must have heard me, because he finished as the TE3 in week 10 after finishing as the TE30, the TE21, and the TE26 the three weeks prior. Henry certainly needs to find the end zone to finish within the top-10 at the position, but this is an excellent matchup for that to happen. Henry can be viewed as a low-end TE1 with upside this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: It’s near impossible to predict what’s going to happen with the Jets RB room. While the coaching staff has promised to get more touches for Perine coming out of their bye week, that’s no guarantee.