Tom Savage Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

The 49ers have signed QB Tom Savage, who presumably will serve as backup to C.J. Beathard, who has had a decent degree of success thus far as the 49ers starting QB after the loss of Jimmy Garoppolo.

Tom Savage will now miss the rest of the season due to a concussion. T.J. Yates will now get the ball in hands for the last two weeks of the season. As expected Yates struggled against a very good Jaguars defense last week. He failed to surpass 130 passing yards and will have another tough matchup against the Steelers' 10th-ranked defense in pass DVOA. DeAndre Hopkins should continue to be another target monster and will continue to have appeal based upon his tremendous upside.

Tom Savage is still in the concussion protocol and isn't expected to suit up for the team's Week 16 matchup against the Steelers. T.J. Yates is expected to get another start this week. As expected Yates struggled against a very good Jaguars defense last week. He failed to surpass 130 passing yards and will have another tough matchup against the Steelers' 10th-ranked defense in pass DVOA. DeAndre Hopkins should continue to be another target monster and will continue to have appeal based upon his tremendous upside.

Devonta Freeman suffered his second concussion of the season against the Cowboys Sunday. Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported the running back isn't expected to be cleared in time to play next Monday night and added it's possible he'll be out for an extended period of time. That will give Tevin Coleman the start against the Seahawks, whose defense is limiting RBs to the fourth-fewest PPR points. He turned a season-high 21 touches into 85 yards and a score against Dallas in Week 10. On the season, he’s averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 8.1 yards per target. Generally speaking, he’ll carry plenty of upside in the featured role, but he’ll have a tough matchup this week.

Marcus Mariota is dealing with non-throwing shoulder and ankle injuries heading into a Thursday night matchup with the Steelers but he's fully expected to play. It's a difficult spot considering the Steelers are fifth in pass DVOA and holding QBs to the third-fewest fantasy points this season. However, with injuries to CB Joe Haden and S Mike Mitchell, the matchup will be a bit easier than it looks on paper. The Titans are 7.0-point road dogs, which could force Mariota to the air often. He attempted a season-high 44 attempts in Week 10 and finished with 256 yards and a score. On the season, he's 18th with 7.19 yards per attempt and 29th in touchdown passes (7). He's added three scores on the ground though and picked up at least 24 rushing yards in five games. He was expected to be more involved as a runner this past weekend and he followed through with 51 rushing yards. Delanie Walker suffered a wrist injury Sunday but still led the team with six receptions and 63 yards. He's also expected to suit up against the Steelers, whose defense continues to shut down tight ends. They were second in DVOA heading into the week and limited Jack Doyle to a 2/9/0 line on five looks. They're now third in PPR points allowed to the position.

Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery both left Week 10 early. Jones is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain and he’s expected to miss 3-6 weeks while Montgomery re-aggravated a rib injury and could also miss some time. That leaves Jamaal Williams as Green Bay’s featured back. He ended up seeing 21 touches Sunday but only managed 74 scoreless yards. Next week he’ll face a Ravens defense giving up the third-most rushing yards (110.8/g) and ninth-most rushing scores (0.7/g) to RBs. Brett Hundley tweaked his hamstring during the game which is something to keep an eye on this week.

Will Fuller is dealing with cracked ribs. Although it’s nothing too serious, Fuller will be sidelined for at least one game. Bruce Ellington will serve as the WR2 behind DeAndre Hopkins while Fuller is down. He managed to pick up eight targets and caught Tom Savage’s lone touchdown. Hopkins piled up 14 looks and will undoubtedly continue to be a target monster. With Savage under center, he’ll continue to have some efficiency problems though – he’s only caught 43% of his passes the past two games – and he won’t have as many scoring opportunities. C.J. Fiedorowicz could also benefit from Fuller’s absence. He saw six looks in his first game since Week 1 but he only caught two for ten yards.

Rob Kelley was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain and a grade 1/2 MCL sprain. It’s not clear how long he’ll be out for but it’s highly doubtful he’ll be able to suit up this weekend against the Saints. That should elevate Samaje Perine to the early-down role with Chris Thomspon mixing in for carries while continuing to handle the bulk of the passing downs. Both backs tallied nine carries and Thompson attracted seven targets. Week 11 isn't a bad matchup for Thompson. In addition to the Saints ranking 28th in rush DVOA, they’ve given up the second-most receptions and sixth-most receiving yards to the position. On top of that, Thompson will have a friendly $5.4k price tag on DraftKings this week, possibly the cheapest he'll be the rest of the season. Given the spot and his ability to generate huge plays, Thompson is shaping up to be a solid DFS play in Week 11. Ryan Grant entered the concussion protocol. Despite the receiver leaving early, Terrelle Pryor didn’t see a single target and was out-snapped by Maurice Harris, who made a terrific touchdown grab. It’s possible Harris operates as the WR3 if Grant is out, it’ll be something to monitor this week.

Allen Hurns injured his leg late Sunday and is in danger of missing Jacksonville’s Week 11 matchup with the Browns. Should he sit, it would be a nice boost for Marqise Lee, who caught a touchdown for the second straight game. Dede Westbrook could be activated for the first time this season and may immediately step into a sizable role if Hurns is sidelined.

Jacoby Brissett has entered the concussion protocol. He’ll have an extra week to clear it with the Colts on a bye. If he’s able to play in Week 12, he’ll have a terrific matchup with the woeful Texans pass defense.

Steelers CB Joe Haden has a non-displaced fibula fracture and S Mike Mitchell is dealing with an ankle injury. Fortunately, Haden’s injury won’t require surgery but he’s expected to miss up to six weeks due to the injury. He was having a really strong season, his absence will undoubtedly be a downgrade for the stout Steelers secondary. Coty Sensabaugh played poorly in place of Haden, allowing a 3/83/1 line on four targets. He’ll primarily battle Rishard Matthews on Thursday night. The receiver was second on the team with five catches and 50 yards in Week 10 but he was out-targeted by Corey Davis 10-7 in the rookie’s first game since Week 2. Davis will have his hands full with Artie Burns, who’s 19th in cover snaps per reception (14.1, per PFF), which could encourage Marcus Mariota to send more passes in Matthews’ direction.

Jets CB Morris Claiborne re-aggravated his foot injury causing him to leave Week 10 early. He’ll have a bye to rehab this week. If he’s able to return for their Week 12 matchup with the Panthers, Claiborne will likely shadow Devin Funchess around.

Adam Jones is in the concussion protocol. Although he’s picked up PFF’s 100th cover grade, he’s limiting receivers to a 50% catch rate and 0.85 yards per cover snap which would be 19th if he qualified. He’d primarily line up across from Demaryius Thomas in Week 11 if he plays. Although Thomas tends to be Brock Osweiler’s favorite target, Emmanuel Sanders picked up a team-high 11 looks against the Patriots due to his more favorable matchup with CB Malcolm Butler – he finished with a 6/137/0 line. Sanders would arguably have the better spot again going up against Dre Kirkpatrick, PFF’s 104th cover corner, who’s allowed 1.06 yards per cover snap (43rd).

Cowboys LB Sean Lee injured his hamstring Sunday and could miss a couple of games. It would be a huge loss for Dallas as Lee is playing well this season, earning PFF’s tenth-best linebacker grade. His 11.9% run-stop rate would be good for second at his position if he qualified. His absence would open up a better matchup for the stable of Eagles backs. It’s not yet clear if Jay Ajayi will take over the featured role this week after he logged 17 snaps in his first game with the team. That situation will be worth watching during the week.

Browns LB Jamie Collins suffered a torn MCL and is out for the year. His 9% run-stop rate would be tenth among linebackers if he qualified. His absence will be a little boost for Leonard Fournette. Cleveland’s run defense was the top-ranked unit in DVOA and second in adjusted line yards (per FO) heading into the week but they allowed Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick to combine for 5.8 yards per carry on Sunday with both managing runs of 20+ yards. Fournette is coming off his worst game of the season in which he turned 19 touches into 46 yards against a much worse Chargers run defense. He’ll have a tough spot to bounce back but his volume should remain high.

Giants RT Justin Pugh left early with a back injury. If he misses any time, Bobby Hart, PFF’s 67th-ranked tackle, would continue to fill in. It’s a slight downgrade but Pugh has also scored poorly this season. Running back Orleans Darkwa has taken over the Giants backfield, logging 16 touches against the 49ers. He's now averaging 5.1 yards per carry heading into a Week 11 showdown against a Chief run defense currently in 30th in adjusted line yards (4.66).

It was reported earlier in the day that head coach Bill O'Brien would name Deshaun Watson (ankle) the starter if he was able to get through practice. By all accounts, he made it through and he took all of the first-team snaps during the portion of practice open to the media. As of now, it appears that Watson will start but we may not know for sure until Thursday.

UPDATE: Beat writer Aaron Wilson reports his sources reiterated Deshaun Watson is expected to start Thursday, adding it "would take an unanticipated setback with [Watson's] ankle for that to change."

The rookie QB immediately generated a touchdown drive when he came in for Tom Savage to start the second half. He struggled the rest of the way though, ending up with 102 yards, a touchdown, and a pick while completing 12-of-23 attempts. Due to the lack of pass-catchers on this team, DeAndre Hopkins finished with a week-high 16 targets. On Thursday in Cincinnati, Watson should continue to pepper Hopkins with looks. Whether he can be efficient with his opportunities is a different story as the Bengals with undoubtedly focus on taking him away. Against Jacksonville, he only caught seven passes for 55 yards but managed to find the end zone.

Brock Osweiler will start for Houston and Savage will serve as his backup. It's well within the realm of possibility that Savage replaces Osweiler at some point. He's done so before and the Texans are expected to struggle offensively. Vegas currently has their implied team total set at 14.25 points. That said, Osweiler posted his highest QBR of the season last week against the Raiders (85.4) and the Patriots rank 23rd in pass DVOA, whereas Oakland ranked 25th. He still only completed 56% of his passes for 168 yards and a single touchdown though. He added a rushing score, which saved his fantasy day, but can't be counted on (he had two during the regular season). With so many better options available at quarterback this week, he won't be a recommended fantasy play.

Savage remains in the concussion protocol and won't be available this weekend. Brock Osweiler will get the start and Brandon Weeden will serve has his back up. While much attention will be given to Houston's DST, the Raiders DST is worth consideration as well. Osweiler threw the fourth-most interceptions (16) despite being benched at the end of the season and Oakland has forced a turnover in eight straight games - they averaged 1.9 per game during that stretch. As we mentioned earlier, Houston ranks 21st in interceptions. Oakland ranks 9th. Even though the Texans are favored to win, they have a low implied team total of 20 points. Simply put, Houston has one of the worst offenses in the league. They accumulated the fourth-fewest yards and scored the fourth-fewest points. With Houston's defense expected to be a chalky play, Oakland could fly under the radar with relatively low ownership and make for an interesting contrarian play.