2020 GAME CAPSULES WEEK 16 SUNDAY – MONDAY MATCHUPS By Matt Wilson FantasySharks.com Senior Writer This is the final edition of our VIP Report Game Capsules for 2020. Thank you for reading. Have a safe and Happy New Year! -- Matt Wilson INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (10-4) PITTSBURGH STEELERS (11-3) SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27 TH 1 :0 0 P.M. ET HEINZ FIELD PITTSBURGH, PA LINE: PICK ’ EM OVER/UNDER: 4 3 .0 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS INJURIES TO MONITOR: Philip Rivers (toe), Marcus Johnson (quad), Mo Alie-Cox (knee), Jack Doyle (quad) BYE: Week 7 The Indianapolis Colts are 10-4 but still haven’t clinched a playoff berth. If the Baltimore Ravens lose, a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers will punch the Colts’ ticket to the postseason. If the Tennessee Titans lose to the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis will win the AFC South. QUARTERBACK MATCHUP Philip Rivers continues to play his best football of the season, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have permitted the second-fewest passing yards and the ninth-fewest touchdown strikes. A moderate from Rivers is the best you can expect. RUNNING BACK MATCHUP Jonathan Taylor has received heavy workloads in recent weeks, but you should dial back your expectations for him since the Steelers defense has yielded the seventh-fewest rushing yards and the fewest fantasy points to running backs. Because of the tough rushing matchup, Nyheim Hines will see more action than usual in a pass-catching role. I like his chances for a score. WIDE RECEIVER MATCHUP The Steelers defense has permitted the ninth-fewest wideout fantasy points, and Pittsburgh is usually stingier versus the pass at home. T.Y. Hilton lines up on both sides of the formation and will battle Joe Haden and Steven Nelson, who are both playing well. Hilton has been playing well lately, too. Zach Pascal also will battle Haden and Nelson. Pittsburgh has been softer against slot guys, but Michael Pittman has gone stone cold. TIGHT END MATCHUP The Colts' three-person tight end rotation that’s made up of Trey Burton, Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox remains unpredictable. Here’s what is predictable: The Steelers defense has permitted the fewest tight end fantasy points and one score to the position. There are better streaming options out there. WEEK 16 PLAYER PROJECTIONS PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Philip Rivers 240 2 0 0 RB Jonathan Taylor 67 0 4 24 0 RB Nyheim Hines 25 0 5 30 1 RB Jordan Wilkins 10 0 0 0 0 WR T.Y. Hilton 5 64 1 WR Michael Pittman 3 30 0 WR Zach Pascal 5 40 0 WR Marcus Johnson -- -- -- -- -- -- -- WR Ashton Dulin 0 0 0 TE Trey Burton 3 20 0 TE Jack Doyle 2 12 0 TE Mo Alie-Cox 3 20 0 FGM FGA XPM XPA PTS PK Rodrigo Blankenship 3 3 2 2 14 P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Colts 20 5 2 1 0 PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2019 Regular Season – Week 9 Indianapolis lost to Pittsburgh 26-24 at Heinz Field. Brian Hoyer passed for 168-3-1 and rushed for 1-6-0. Jacoby Brissett threw for 59-0-0 and rushed for 2-4-0. Marlon Mack compiled a 21-89-0 rushing line and a 0-0-0 receiving line (0 targets). Nyheim Hines amassed a 1-7-0 rushing line and a 1-21-0 receiving line (3 targets). Jordan Wilkins rolled up a 1-6-0 rushing line and a 1-6-0 receiving line (6 targets). T.Y. Hilton missed the game because of a calf injury. Zach Pascal caught five passes for 76 yards and one touchdown (6 targets). Chester Rogers (FA) made three grabs for 22 yards and one touchdown (5 targets). Jack Doyle hauled in three passes for 22 yards and one touchdown (4 targets). PITTSBURGH STEELERS INJURIES TO MONITOR: Ben Roethlisberger (knee), James Conner (quad), Eric Ebron (back), Chris Boswell (groin), Anthony McFarland (illness) BYE: Week 4 Even though the 11-3 Pittsburgh Steelers have lost three in a row, they’ve alrealy clinched a playoff berth. A victory over the Indianapolis Colts would give Pittsburgh the AFC North crown. The Steelers desperately need their struggling offense to get back on track. QUARTERBACK MATCHUP Pittsburgh is desperate for a win, and Ben Roethlisberger usually plays his best at home. Can he and the Steelers offense get turn things around? During the last four weeks, the Indianapolis Colts defense has coughed up the most passing yards and the 12th-most quarterback fantasy points. Roethlisberger could have a huge game, but I’m expecting another moderate outing from a passing attack that’s just not clicking. Big Ben comes with upside…and downside, too. RUNNING BACK MATCHUP James Conner (quad) was expected to return, but he hasn’t been playing well when healthy. Last week Benny Snell rushed for 18-84-1 versus the Cincinnati Bengals. If Conner struggles, we could see more of Snell than expected. Indianapolis has limited the last seven tailbacks not named Derrick Henry to 70 or fewer yards. Conner is a risky fantasy RB3 play while Snell is a risky fantasy RB4 play with upside if Conner struggles. Be careful here. WIDE RECEIVER MATCHUP The Colts defense has yielded the 10th-fewest wideout fantasy points. Diontae Johnson probably won’t have a big game against Xavier Rhodes while JuJu Smith-Schuster has the best matchup versus slot cornerback Kenny Moore. Chase Claypool hasn’t done much lately, but I like his chances for a touchdown grab against Rock Ya-Sin. CHICAGO BEARS (7-7) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1-13) SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27 TH 1 :0 0 P.M. ET TIAA BANK FIELD JACKSONVILLE, FL LINE: C H I – 7 . 5 OVER/UNDER: 4 7 .0 CHICAGO BEARS INJURIES TO MONITOR: Allen Robinson (hamstring), Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) BYE: Week 11 The Arizona Cardinals’ shocking loss to the San Francisco 49ers Saturday afternoon left the door open for the Chicago Bears to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card. Chicago needs to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars and a Green Bay Packers team that could be resting its starters in Week 17. The red-hot Bears offense has scored at least 30 points in three straight contests. QUARTERBACK MATCHUP In Mitchell Trubisky’s last four games, he passed for moderate yardage and either one or three touchdown strikes per contest depending on the success of the ground game. The Jacksonville Jaguars defense has coughed up the sixth-most passing yards and the most touchdown strikes. Since David Montgomery should run well, expect a moderate outing from Trubisky despite the very favorable matchup. RUNNING BACK MATCHUP During Chicago’s last four games, David Montgomery racked up six touchdowns and rushed for 100-plus yards three times. He’s also coming off a season-best 32-146-2 outing versus the Minnesota Vikings. Montgomery is a strong play versus a Jacksonville defense that has permitted the fifth-most rushing yards and the sixth-most rushing scores to opposing tailbacks. WIDE RECEIVER MATCHUP Averaging 9.5 targets per game with Trubisky slinging the rock during the last month, Allen Robinson has compiled a combined 27 catches for 356 yards and three scoring grabs. Robinson has either scored or cleared 70 receiving yards in four straight. Jacksonville’s defense has allowed the ninth-most wideout fantasy points, and this is a revenge game for Robinson. TIGHT END MATCHUP Although Cole Kmet drew just two targets during the Bears’ win over the Minnesota Vikings last week, he played 100 percent of the offensive snaps as Chicago continues to phase Jimmy Graham out of the offense. If you’re desperate for a streamer, Kmet has appeal against a Jaguars defense that has allowed the second-most touchdown grabs to tight ends. WEEK 16 PLAYER PROJECTIONS PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Mitch Trubisky 255 2 20 0 RB David Montgomery 125 2 4 33 0 RB Cordarrelle Patterson 25 0 1 10 0 RB Ryan Nall 0 0 0 0 0 WR Allen Robinson 8 85 1 WR Darnell Mooney 3 37 0 WR Anthony Miller 4 30 0 WR Javon Wims 1 10 0 TE Cole Kmet 5 40 1 TE Jimmy Graham 2 10 0 FGM FGA XPM XPA PTS PK Cairo Santos 1 1 4 4 7 P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Bears 24 5 2 1 0 PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2016 Regular Season Chicago was outdueled by Jacksonville 17-16 at Soldier Field. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS INJURIES TO MONITOR: James Robinson (knee), Collin Johnson (hamstring) BYE: Week 8 The 1-13 Jacksonville Jaguars have lost a franchise-record 13 straight games. With remaining contests versus the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts left on the schedule, the Jaguars probably won’t win another one this season, unless the Colts are in a position to rest their starters in Week 17. Jackonville has switched from Gardner Minshew back to Mike Glennon, and only head coach Doug Marrone knows the real reason why. QUARTERBACK MATCHUP In the two of three starts that Mike Glennon finished, he passed for 235-2-0 versus the Cleveland Browns and 280-1-2 against the Minnesota Vikings. While he could make some noise against a Chicago Bears offense that has allowed the seventh-most passing yards and the fifth- most touchdown passes during the last month, he’s not a safe streaming option. RUNNING BACK MATCHUP With James Robinson ruled out, pass-catching specialist Dare Ogunbowale and early-down grinder Devine Ozigbo will split the backfield duties.