Baltimore Ravens - Fantasy News

Texans at Ravens Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Aaron Bowers

11/22/17

NFL

Baltimore Ravens

Javorius Allen

In one of the dullest matchups of the week, the Houston Texans will travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens.

Truthfully, the Texans’ season ended when Deshaun Watson tore his ACL after Week 8, but in a weak AFC they are still in the playoff picture. Without Watson, the passing game has been reduced to check-downs and throwing 15 prayers a game at DeAndre Hopkins. Though the team was built on its defense in years past, that unit has given up 26.6 points per game this season, third-worst in the league.

The Ravens have been one of the worst offensive teams in football through ten games, but are currently in the driver’s seat for a Wild Card spot with four of their final six games at home. Their defense has been up and down, giving up more than 24 points five times and shutting out three opponents.

Houston Texans Week 12 Projected Fantasy Points
DeAndre Hopkins: 15.0 PFP
Lamar Miller: 11.0 PFP
Tom Savage: 7.5 PFP
Bruce Ellington: 6.5 PFP
Ka’imi Fairbairn: 6.0 PFP
C.J. Fiedorowicz: 6.0 PFP

Baltimore Ravens Week 12 Projected Fantasy Points
Joe Flacco: 10.0 PFP
Jeremy Maclin: 9.0 PFP
Justin Tucker: 8.5 PFP
Javorius Allen: 8.5 PFP
Alex Collins: 8.0 PFP
Mike Wallace: 7.0 PFP
Benjamin Watson: 6.5 PFP
Danny Woodhead: 6.0 PFP

Start 'Em: Lamar Miller (11.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 12.98

Quietly, Lamar Miller is having one of the best seasons of his career. He’s averaging 86.8 yards per game, setting him on pace for a career-high.

The Ravens field one of the worst run defenses in football, giving up more than 120 rushing yards a game. Houston just lost D’Onta Foreman, their promising rookie running back who averaged 8.4 touches per game and vultured two rushing touchdowns from Miller last week.

With a stable workload and a favorable matchup, we recommend targeting Miller on Dober Play Cards this week.

Sit 'Em: Tom Savage (7.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 5.52

Make no mistake about it; Tom Savage is one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

He takes an eternity to process plays, and he struggles to get the ball to his receivers even when he makes the correct read. In the four games Savage has started this season, he has DFP totals of 2.48, 10.76, 4.84 and 13.2.

The Ravens have one of the best pass defenses in the league, giving up just 185 yards per game with an 11:16 touchdown to interception ratio. They’ll focus all of their attention on DeAndre Hopkins here, setting up a long day for Savage. With seven turnovers in his last three games, Savage doesn’t have much chance of finding his way to 7.5 DFP this week.

Start 'Em: Jeremy Maclin (12.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 8.49

In his first season with the Ravens, Jeremy Maclin hasn’t been the player many remember from his Kansas City and Philadelphia days. He has just 31 receptions and scored more than 12.0 DFP three times this season.

However, the numbers don’t tell the full story. Maclin struggled through injuries, poor quarterback play and bad matchups in the early part of the season and still managed a respectable 8.49 DFP per game. Now healthy, he’ll get to face a defense giving up 28.5 DFP per game to wide receivers, fourth-worst in the NFL. Despite missing two games, Maclin leads all Ravens receivers in targets, making this a good opportunity for him to get over his 12.0 DFP

Sit 'Em: Javorius Allen (8.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 9.63

Earlier this season, when he was scoring fantasy points in bunches, Javorius Allen was the only game in town. Now, the Baltimore backfield has become a three-headed monster with Danny Woodhead and Alex Collins.

Allen doesn’t run between the tackles or in short-yardage situations as well as Collins, and he isn’t as good of a receiver or pass-protector as Woodhead. As a result, he became a forgotten man in Week 11 with just four non-descript touches for 17 yards.

Possibly due to how bad their pass defense has been, the Texans have been stout against running backs, giving up just 14.08 DFP per game to the position, best in the NFL. With an uncertain role and a bad matchup, we recommend fading Allen on Dober Play Cards this week.