The Ravens and Steelers finally played what was supposed to be a Thanksgiving night game. The time off led to subpar performances by both teams, but the Steelers were able to remain undefeated while the Ravens' path to the playoffs became more difficult with the loss.
From a fantasy perspective, most position groups were impacted by either someone missing or someone returning. While most regular starters could be back by the next game, there are some replacements who could still be in starting lineups next week, if not.
As always, this collection of fantasy reactions will include snap counts for skill players on each team, along with notes on players who saw their fantasy stocks rise or fall during the action — and how we should react to anything new.
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
| Baltimore Ravens | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| WR | WR |
| Marquise Brown – 42 snaps | JuJu Smith-Schuster – 67 snaps |
| Devin Duvernay – 41 snaps | Diontae Johnson – 65 snaps |
| Dez Bryant – 32 snaps | Chase Claypool – 45 snaps |
| Miles Boykin – 17 snaps | James Washington – 24 snaps |
| James Proche – 1 snap | Ray-Ray McCloud III – 9 snaps |
| TE | TE |
| Luke Willson – 37 snaps | Eric Ebron – 49 snaps |
| Eric Tomlinson – 15 snaps | Vance McDonald – 27 snaps |
| Sean Culkin – 15 snaps | |
| HB | HB |
| Gus Edwards – 27 snaps | Benny Snell Jr. – 50 snaps |
| Justice Hill – 26 snaps | Anthony McFarland Jr. – 14 snaps |
| Total – 53 snaps | Total – 71 snaps |
Winner: WR Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens
The defenses for both teams outperformed the offenses, so there wasn’t a clear fantasy winner for the majority of the game. The Ravens gained 50 passing yards over the first 57 minutes of the game. Then Brown caught a 70-yard touchdown, which was enough to give him the best fantasy numbers for the game. Brown gained more yards on that one play then he did in his previous four games combined. The four Steelers receivers had the next four best games thanks to the quantity of targets. They combined for 42 targets, but the leader in receiving yards was Eric Ebron with 54.
Covid-19 Replacement: RB Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens
Both J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram II were placed on the Covid-19 list, turning the Ravens’ four-person committee into a two-back rotation. Edwards was the primary back on first and second downs while Justice Hill was a backup on those downs while also taking the third downs. Edwards has had a lot of success against the Steelers in past games, but he was held to 10 yards on nine carries. He scored the Ravens’ only touchdown, which saved his fantasy value for the game. Hill was more successful in the run game with 35 yards on eight carries. He had the third-most targets (2), catches (2) and yards (5). There is a chance with how well Hill played relative to Edwards that Hill could see a little more playing time in the future. Once Dobbins is off the Covid-19 list, it would be safe to drop Edwards.
Covid-19 Replacement: RB Benny Snell Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
James Conner landed on the Covid-19 list, and Jaylen Samuels was declared out due to injury. This also moved the Steelers from having four possible running backs to two. This put Snell in position to be the lead back for Pittsburgh. Snell played two-thirds of the snaps regardless of situation. Snell gained 60 yards on 16 carries with most of his successful runs coming in the last three minutes of the game. He added 33 yards as a receiver on three catches. Snell might not be a safe fantasy play next week even if Conner misses another game. The Steelers face an even tougher run defense in the Washington Football Team on Monday night. Rookie Anthony McFarland Jr. played in the rest of the snaps for Pittsburgh. He made a nice 17-yard catch but wasn’t given many opportunities in the run game.
Covid-19 Replacement: WR Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens
Willie Snead IV is also on the Covid-19 list, which left an opening for the Ravens in the slot where Duvernay took over. The rookie had been gaining more playing time but recently saw a decrease in snaps with the addition of Dez Bryant. The Ravens stayed in 11 personnel the vast majority of plays because they didn’t have their fullback or either of their top two tight ends. This meant Duvernay rarely left the field. He finished second in receiving yards for Baltimore with 20 after catching all three passes thrown his way. Snead is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so there is a good chance this is the role Duvernay will have in 2021.
Covid-19 Replacement: TE Luke Willson, Baltimore Ravens
Mark Andrews landed on the Covid-19 list and Nick Boyle recently went on injured reserve. The Ravens called up three different tight ends off the practice squad hours before the game started. Willson was the clear receiving tight end with 20 routes run, while the other tight ends saw two routes each. If Lamar Jackson returns and Andrews misses another game, Willson would be more involved than today.
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