Intro/Methodology
Every week, I’m going to break down an entire division, focusing on their play on the field that week. Specifically, I’ll go through each team and focus on their dynasty assets, especially anybody who suffered injuries or a massive value change. I won’t look at any player or team in too much detail. This article is more of a summary piece. I also included links to all my previous divisional nuggets articles at the bottom of the page. With that said, let’s jump right in!
Steelers
Summary
The Steelers walloped the Bengals this week, 36-10. They had their full complement of offensive weapons, all healthy and available, and it showed in this win. Honestly, the Steelers don’t seem like a 9-0 team, but they’re a robust and solid group.
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger had an excellent game against the Bengals. He threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Roethlisberger managed to involve all of his receiving weapons, and he shows no signs of slowing down. At this point, I have to believe that Roethlisberger will remain the Steelers’ quarterback for at least 2021, if not longer. I don’t think the Steelers will replace Roethlisberger as long as he’s healthy until he retires, making him an excellent cheap buy for Superflex contenders.
Running Backs
Despite the strong matchup, James Conner put up his second straight dud game with 13 carries for 36 yards. Benny Snell only had three carries for 12 yards, and Anthony McFarland was a healthy scratch. I’m confident that the Steelers’ 2021 starting running back is not on their roster. Conner will likely leave in free agency while Snell and McFarland have shown me nothing this year. I would love to see Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, or another rookie running back lead this backfield in 2021. If you’re not a strong contender, Conner is a must-sell for whatever you can get.
Receiving Weapons
All of the Steelers’ receivers excelled in this game. Diontae Johnson led the team with 116 receiving yards and a touchdown on six catches. Juju Smith-Schuster had the most receptions with nine, which he turned into 77 yards and a touchdown. Even Chase Claypool had a strong day, as he caught four of 10 targets for 56 yards and two touchdowns.
I believe that Johnson is the real number one receiver on this team, and he will remain in that alpha role in the future. He is currently my WR21 and 41st overall dynasty asset. I would rank him higher, but he’s had a few health struggles this year and doesn’t necessarily have a long-term quarterback. However, I would love to have him as my WR2 on any dynasty team.
Interestingly, I rank Smith-Schuster ahead of Johnson as my WR16 and 35th overall player. I believe that Smith-Schuster will not return to the Steelers in 2021, and I think he’ll sign a massive free-agent deal elsewhere. Smith-Schuster is an excellent slot receiver, as he’s caught 54 of 70 targets thus far in 2020. Watching him in free agency will be one of the most critical dynasty stories this offseason.
Claypool also rates highly for me, as he’s my WR25 and 49th overall player. Unfortunately, I would significantly decrease Claypool’s value if Smith-Schuster somehow re-signs in Pittsburgh, as Johnson is the clear WR1 on the Steelers. But, I believe that Claypool has immense talent, and he’s about two years younger than Johnson and Smith-Schuster. He’s another player I’d love to have on my dynasty team.
Unfortunately, there’s little room for either Eric Ebron or James Washington to produce behind such a dynamic WR trio. But, both players have flashed during this season. Neither is particularly old, so they represent nice dynasty stashes if they can find more consistent targets in 2021.
Bengals
Summary
The Bengals still didn’t have Joe Mixon in this loss, as well as John Ross, who barely matters. Overall, the Bengals’ offense looked relatively miserable, which wasn’t a surprise given the matchup. I think the big takeaway is that they need Mixon badly to run their intended offense.
Quarterback
This game wasn’t Joe Burrow’s finest performance. He only completed 21/40 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. However, he didn’t commit any turnovers, so I haven’t lowered him in my rankings based on this performance. Burrow is currently my QB5 in Superflex rankings and ninth overall. He’s a cornerstone dynasty Superflex asset.
Running Backs
I’ll essentially skip what the running backs did. All of Giovani Bernard, Samaje Perine, and Trayveon Williams received carries, and none of them particularly impressed me. The Bengals need to acquire a superior backup to Mixon for 2021, and they need to get Mixon back on the field. It’s just that simple.
Receiving Weapons
Tee Higgins is a future stud. He caught seven of his nine targets for 115 yards and a touchdown, and he’s established himself as the clear WR1 in Cincinnati. You probably can’t acquire Higgins anymore, and I agree with owners who hold him tightly. Higgins is in a dogfight for the rookie WR3 with Jerry Jeudy, behind CeeDee Lamb, and Justin Jefferson. If he continues to excel, he might vault himself into a higher conversation.
The Bengals also have Tyler Boyd, who’s Mr. Reliable. He caught six of eight targets for 41 yards in a floor game for him. Boyd has had another solid season in the “Justin Jefferson” slot role for Joe Burrow. I believe that Boyd is the type of player where his dynasty value will never match his production, so he represents a great buy candidate for any contenders thin at WR.
Earlier in the year, I buried A.J. Green after his slow start, but he proved me wrong with some stronger performances in Weeks 6 and 7. However, in the last two games, Green has caught two of 10 targets for 19 yards, and he’s done absolutely nothing impressive in either game. I think Green’s better games were a mirage. Green has no dynasty value, and I hope the Bengals begin to give Auden Tate and Drew Sample more targets over Green. They’re wasting time throwing to Green.
Speaking of Sample, I don’t understand what’s going on. He continues to play an every-down role, but he once again only saw two targets, catching one of them for nine yards. The Bengals spent a second-round pick on him in 2019, and I hoped they would involve him in the offense. I guess they plan to use him as a blocker, not for his receiving skills. You can cut Sample in non-tight end premium leagues.
Ravens
Summary
The Ravens’ offense has many issues right now, all of which came up in this week’s 23-17 loss to the Patriots. Mark Ingram returned from his ankle injury for this game, but they lost vital blocking tight end, Nick Boyle, for the season. They also had issues on the offensive line, although it was an absolutely hellish weather landscape. I’d feel tempted to give the Ravens a pass on their poor performance, but these were game plan issues, not just execution.
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson had a better game this week, as he managed 11 carries for 55 yards, providing a rushing floor. He also played decently as a passer, completing 24/34 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Jackson hasn’t been the quarterback dynasty owners wanted this season, but I can’t forget that he was the NFL MVP just last year. I still have Jackson as my dynasty QB3, although he’s in Tier 2 behind Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray in Tier 2.
Running Backs
This running back room is an absolute mess. Gus Edwards had seven carries, while Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins had five carries each. Only Edwards had any success as a runner with 42 yards, and he also had a 31-yard reception. For 2020, you cannot start any of these three players if they’re all healthy.
Looking ahead to 2021, Edwards is a restricted free agent, and the Ravens can cut Ingram, saving $5 million. I believe that Edwards is the more talented back at this stage in their careers, and the Ravens will re-sign him, creating a split backfield between Dobbins and Edwards. Right now, I can no longer assume that Dobbins will magically become a workhorse back.
I currently rank him as my RB11 and 20th overall player, but he’ll continue to drop if he doesn’t emerge over the rest of the season. Dobbins is now my rookie RB4 behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jonathan Taylor, and D’Andre Swift, although Taylor, Swift, and Dobbins are all close in value for me. I wish that the Ravens would do the right thing and feature Dobbins or get Ingram off the field and go to a Dobbins-Edwards split. But, I’m not sure we’re going to see that anytime soon.
Receiving Weapons
At this point, the Ravens’ receiving weapons are all mostly worthless because of Jackson’s poor passing and the low pass volume. The only reason you can play Mark Andrews is that the tight end position is a fantasy wasteland. Andrews had his season-high in receptions and receiving yards in this one, with seven receptions for 61 yards. Somehow, Andrews remains my dynasty TE3, although he’s a far cry from the top tier of George Kittle and Travis Kelce.
As for everyone else, Willie Snead was the only player who produced in Week 10, as he had five receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns. I don’t plan to start Snead anytime soon, so this performance helped zero fantasy owners. Devin Duvernay did manage three receptions for 45 yards, so I guess you can stash him.
However, we need to discuss the disaster that Marquise “Hollywood” Brown has been thus far in 2020. Brown caught two of six targets for 14 yards in another dismal performance. Brown has 32 catches on 55 targets for 431 yards and two touchdowns in nine games, averaging a miserable 9.7 fantasy PPG.
I think that Brown is just a deep threat and spark plug, and you’ll never want to start him in fantasy leagues. He’s plummeted in my dynasty rankings to 84th overall and WR44. I don’t care that he’s a young player and the WR1 on his team. With the way he’s played, he’s not going to be the WR1 on the Ravens for very long.
To cover two final players, Miles Boykin had no targets, and I think Duvernay has passed him for the WR2 role. I’m not chasing more weapons on this passing offense, so Boykin is an easy cut in most dynasty leagues. The Ravens also failed to activate Dez Bryant from their active roster, so you can let him go from your dynasty roster. There’s nobody worth playing here, let alone an aging Bryant.
Browns
Summary
This was the Browns’ second horrible weather game in a row, although this one was even worse than the last. The game required a delay even to begin, and the Browns won a messy 10-7 contest. The Browns luckily avoided any further injuries in this game, as Austin Hooper and Nick Chubb returned healthy to the lineup, and even Baker Mayfield looked a bit healthier.
Quarterback
Honestly, I want to take Mayfield’s actual performance and throw it in the garbage. He completed 12/20 passes for 132 yards on a disastrous day for passing. More importantly, the Browns are now 6-3, and there isn’t any more discussion that Mayfield will lose his starting job.
I expect the Browns to pick up Mayfield’s fully-guaranteed fifth-year option this offseason and for Mayfield to likely keep the starting job through 2022. I’m not sure that Mayfield will be anything more than a low-end QB2 in the Browns’ run-first offense. But, he’s valuable in Superflex leagues as he has a long-term starting role.
Running Backs
Both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt had massive days with 19 carries each. Chubb had 126 yards and a touchdown on his carries, while Hunt had 104 yards on his rushes. Hunt also added three receptions for 28 yards through the air. For the rest of 2020, I expect Chubb to gain an increased share of rushing attempts, as this was his first game back from injury. Chubb is a low-end RB1, and Hunt is a mid-RB2 in the future in this run-first offense.
The Browns already extended Hunt on a team-friendly deal through 2022, but I can’t imagine they let Chubb walk. However, Hunt’s contract provides them some leverage with Chubb when negotiating an extension this offseason. Chubb is a free agent after 2021, and I believe he would want to get paid when eligible this offseason.
I expect Chubb to sign a larger contract than Hunt’s but smaller than players like Dalvin Cook or Joe Mixon. Either way, both players will have value as long as they remain in this offense. I think we will continue to see a Chubb-Hunt committee through 2022.
Receiving Weapons
Like the quarterback, it’s hard to take away much from the Browns’ receivers in this game. Hooper saw 85% of snaps, but he only had one catch for 11 yards. Don’t quit on Hooper after this game, as the Browns recently began to integrate him into the offense. He’s an excellent buy-low for the rest of 2020, as I believe he has TE1 value over that stretch.
Jarvis Landry also had a down game, catching only three of five targets for 29 yards. But, he led the team in targets, and he’s the clear WR1 in Cleveland for the rest of 2020. I think the Browns will trade Odell Beckham Jr. to another team in the offseason, potentially making Landry an excellent value in 2021 and beyond. You can probably buy Landry for a future second-round pick, and I would make that move.
Outside of Landry and Hooper, the most important takeaway is that Rashard Higgins and KhaDarel Hodge saw starter snaps over rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones. I don’t have any hope that Peoples-Jones breaks out in Beckham Jr.’s place, and I would sell him for anything I could get. Mayfield has chemistry with Higgins, not Peoples-Jones.
Lastly, Harrison Bryant continues to see snaps over David Njoku. The Browns need to send Njoku to another team in the offseason. He’s the TE3 on this depth chart, but he would be the TE1 on many NFL teams. If Njoku goes away, Bryant could step into a “Dallas Goedert” role next season as a high-snap TE2. Bryant and Njoku are both excellent stashes in TE-premium leagues.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
Previous Divisional Nuggets Articles: NFC East (Week 2), AFC North (Week 3), AFC South (Week 4), NFC West (Week 5), NFC East (Week 6), AFC North (Week 7), AFC South (Week 8), NFC West (Week 9), NFC East (Week 10)
