Just like every Monday morning, let's try to make some sense of Sunday's contests, highlighting the biggest fantasy impact for each team:
Buccaneers -- When was the last time fantasy's #1 QB was benched? There's nothing shameful about getting stymied in Chicago, yet Tampa Bay isn't your ordinary NFL team. The franchise would be making a huge mistake -- and fantasy managers would pay the price -- if it turns to Jameis Winston the rest of the way. And I also need to highlight the backfield, where rookie Ronald Jones out-touched Peyton Barber, signalling that the fantasy-irrelevant Barber is now somehow even more irrelevant
Bears -- It sounds artificial, but yesterday morning I seriously considered inserting the ultra-cheap Mitch Trubisky into my 50/50 DFS lineup. Tampa Bay's secondary can't stop anyone. They still can't. Trubisky advocates can point to this game as a sign that he's the next Jared Goff. I still won't go there; they're not playing the Bucs again this season.
Lions -- Two straight good games for Kerryon Johnson. He's now the clear-cut #1 back in Detroit, though on this pass-happy team, he might not average more than 12 touches the rest of the game.
Cowboys -- Regretting not keeping Ezekiel Elliott in my 50/50. My original reasoning was that Detroit was great against the pass and terrible against the run, and Dallas's offense runs through Zeke. It played out beyond my high expectations. The more interesting story concerns Geoff Swaim, who's locked in as Dak Prescott's #1 TE target following a preseason where three or four guys were battling to replace Jason Witten.
Dolphins -- Kenyan Drake built on last week's 10-yard effort with 16 more. #Sarcasm
Patriots -- I spent a good chunk of the week reassuring fantasy managers that Tom Brady would be fine. He was. The biggest story is Chris Hogan -- someone I also hyped -- couldn't capitalize. Brady threw to him only once. With Julian Edelman returning, it's fair to wonder if this seemingly sure-thing is now a has-been in New England.
Bills -- A letdown should have been expected. But this was an awful performance by the league's worst offense. The biggest fantasy story is LeSean McCoy's irrelevance. If you didn't see this disastrous season coming, here's an explanation from five weeks ago: www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com/2018/08/contrarian-predictions-s-16-and-17-josh.html
Packers -- Aaron Jones split carries with Jamaal Williams. Jones was unquestionably better, as expected. He remains the RB to roster in Green Bay, and he's further cemented a 1A role. And we can't leave Green Bay without acknowledging Geronimo Allison's concussion, which could sideline him for a game or two (or three?). With Randall Cobb on the mend, rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling could become a surprise streaming option against a tough Detroit pass D in Week 5.
Jets -- Once again, Bilal Powell seized control of this backfield with the Jets mostly trailing. It's becoming fairly predictable. Set your lineups accordingly.
Jaguars -- Leonard Fournette re-injured his hamstring, though the severity isn't known as of this morning. T.J. Yeldon remains one of fantasy's most valuable handcuffs.
Bengals -- First, Cincy lost Tyler Eifert to a broken ankle, meaning Tyler Kroft (my preference) or C.J. Uzomah will battle looks; if one rises to the top, he'll be a top-16 option. Second, Andy Dalton was better than I expected, with a last-second TD pushing him into the QB1 camp. His next four games before the bye are mouth-watering matchups against Miami, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay. What are you waiting for?
Falcons -- Calvin Ridley once again was the biggest fantasy story, collecting his fifth and sixth TDs. Julio Jones has zero. That trend can't continue, can it?
Eagles -- Alshon Jeffery returned in a big way, while Nelson Agholor couldn't capitalize on 12 targets. If you sold high on Agholor, congratulations; he'll have a tough time coming close to matching last year's numbers.
Titans -- Corey Davis finally came through. As long as Marcus Mariota is functioning, Davis will be a weekly starter.
Texans -- A hamstring injury to Will Fuller opened the door for rookie Keke Coutee, who made the most of the opportunity. Coutee will be a fashionable speculative ad this week.
Colts -- A wonky hamstring also knocked out T.Y. Hilton. If he's forced to sit next week in New England, Andrew Luck would be a tough sell as a top-18 QB.
Seahawks -- Chris Carson's absence opened the door for Mike Davis to rumble for 124 total yards and two scores. The result will be a more chaotic backfield going forward, which is bad news for fantasy managers.
Cardinals -- The big story here is rookie Josh Rosen's fairly impressive debut as an NFL starter. He's surrounded by enough talent to be in the weekly QB2 conversation.
Browns -- Baker Mayfield also enjoyed a successful first NFL start. The more interesting story, though, is Nick Chubb, whose 41- and 63-yard TD runs were incredible. Available in 80% of leagues, he's someone I've urged readers to pick up as recently as six days ago. I believe he's more talented than Carlos Hyde; it's only a matter of time before Hyde's value takes a hit.
Raiders -- Derek Carr needed this one. I pushed him hard this summer, and he was a disaster until yesterday. With several soft defenses on the horizon, he'll be fine this year.
Saints -- Alvin Kamara is on pace for 2,460 total yards and 24 touchdowns. No player at any position is close to matching his 34 fantasy points per game. For perspective, in his historic 2013 season, Peyton Manning averaged a little under 26 fantasy points per game.
Giants -- Sterling Shepard overshadowing OBJ? Don't be surprised. I've been singing Shepard's praises since early July. His preseason WR-45 ADP was ridiculous then, and it's ridiculous now.
49ers -- Almost got knocked out of the Survivor Pool, courtesy of C.J. Beathard and George Kittle. It'll be interesting to see whether this connection strengthens, as Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis both got hurt during this one.
Chargers -- Melvin Gordon ran as well as I've seen him run. The more notable story is something I also raised last week: Keenan Allen's fantasy impact. Last year he averaged 9.9 targets and 6.4 receptions per game en route to #3 WR production. This year he's averaging an almost identical 9.0 and 6.0 -- yet he's producing like a WR3. Fantasy managers have little choice but to wait it out. The big-yardage games have to come eventually, though it's now a stretch to call him a WR1.
Ravens -- John Brown does it again. He's been an every-week starter despite averaging fewer than four catches a game.
Steelers -- I urged readers to sell high on James Conner last week. Don't make the mistake of thinking Le'Veon Bell trade talks signal that Conner's the new bellcow. Even if Bell doesn't return, who's to say Stevan Ridley won't get into the action? Conner's saving grace is a home matchup next week against a Falcons D that can't stop the run. If Pittsburgh's #1 back struggles again, I'm predicting he'll start losing some touches.
Buccaneers -- When was the last time fantasy's #1 QB was benched? There's nothing shameful about getting stymied in Chicago, yet Tampa Bay isn't your ordinary NFL team. The franchise would be making a huge mistake -- and fantasy managers would pay the price -- if it turns to Jameis Winston the rest of the way. And I also need to highlight the backfield, where rookie Ronald Jones out-touched Peyton Barber, signalling that the fantasy-irrelevant Barber is now somehow even more irrelevant
Bears -- It sounds artificial, but yesterday morning I seriously considered inserting the ultra-cheap Mitch Trubisky into my 50/50 DFS lineup. Tampa Bay's secondary can't stop anyone. They still can't. Trubisky advocates can point to this game as a sign that he's the next Jared Goff. I still won't go there; they're not playing the Bucs again this season.
Lions -- Two straight good games for Kerryon Johnson. He's now the clear-cut #1 back in Detroit, though on this pass-happy team, he might not average more than 12 touches the rest of the game.
Cowboys -- Regretting not keeping Ezekiel Elliott in my 50/50. My original reasoning was that Detroit was great against the pass and terrible against the run, and Dallas's offense runs through Zeke. It played out beyond my high expectations. The more interesting story concerns Geoff Swaim, who's locked in as Dak Prescott's #1 TE target following a preseason where three or four guys were battling to replace Jason Witten.
Dolphins -- Kenyan Drake built on last week's 10-yard effort with 16 more. #Sarcasm
Patriots -- I spent a good chunk of the week reassuring fantasy managers that Tom Brady would be fine. He was. The biggest story is Chris Hogan -- someone I also hyped -- couldn't capitalize. Brady threw to him only once. With Julian Edelman returning, it's fair to wonder if this seemingly sure-thing is now a has-been in New England.
Bills -- A letdown should have been expected. But this was an awful performance by the league's worst offense. The biggest fantasy story is LeSean McCoy's irrelevance. If you didn't see this disastrous season coming, here's an explanation from five weeks ago: www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com/2018/08/contrarian-predictions-s-16-and-17-josh.html
Packers -- Aaron Jones split carries with Jamaal Williams. Jones was unquestionably better, as expected. He remains the RB to roster in Green Bay, and he's further cemented a 1A role. And we can't leave Green Bay without acknowledging Geronimo Allison's concussion, which could sideline him for a game or two (or three?). With Randall Cobb on the mend, rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling could become a surprise streaming option against a tough Detroit pass D in Week 5.
Jets -- Once again, Bilal Powell seized control of this backfield with the Jets mostly trailing. It's becoming fairly predictable. Set your lineups accordingly.
Jaguars -- Leonard Fournette re-injured his hamstring, though the severity isn't known as of this morning. T.J. Yeldon remains one of fantasy's most valuable handcuffs.
Bengals -- First, Cincy lost Tyler Eifert to a broken ankle, meaning Tyler Kroft (my preference) or C.J. Uzomah will battle looks; if one rises to the top, he'll be a top-16 option. Second, Andy Dalton was better than I expected, with a last-second TD pushing him into the QB1 camp. His next four games before the bye are mouth-watering matchups against Miami, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay. What are you waiting for?
Falcons -- Calvin Ridley once again was the biggest fantasy story, collecting his fifth and sixth TDs. Julio Jones has zero. That trend can't continue, can it?
Eagles -- Alshon Jeffery returned in a big way, while Nelson Agholor couldn't capitalize on 12 targets. If you sold high on Agholor, congratulations; he'll have a tough time coming close to matching last year's numbers.
Titans -- Corey Davis finally came through. As long as Marcus Mariota is functioning, Davis will be a weekly starter.
Texans -- A hamstring injury to Will Fuller opened the door for rookie Keke Coutee, who made the most of the opportunity. Coutee will be a fashionable speculative ad this week.
Colts -- A wonky hamstring also knocked out T.Y. Hilton. If he's forced to sit next week in New England, Andrew Luck would be a tough sell as a top-18 QB.
Seahawks -- Chris Carson's absence opened the door for Mike Davis to rumble for 124 total yards and two scores. The result will be a more chaotic backfield going forward, which is bad news for fantasy managers.
Cardinals -- The big story here is rookie Josh Rosen's fairly impressive debut as an NFL starter. He's surrounded by enough talent to be in the weekly QB2 conversation.
Browns -- Baker Mayfield also enjoyed a successful first NFL start. The more interesting story, though, is Nick Chubb, whose 41- and 63-yard TD runs were incredible. Available in 80% of leagues, he's someone I've urged readers to pick up as recently as six days ago. I believe he's more talented than Carlos Hyde; it's only a matter of time before Hyde's value takes a hit.
Raiders -- Derek Carr needed this one. I pushed him hard this summer, and he was a disaster until yesterday. With several soft defenses on the horizon, he'll be fine this year.
Saints -- Alvin Kamara is on pace for 2,460 total yards and 24 touchdowns. No player at any position is close to matching his 34 fantasy points per game. For perspective, in his historic 2013 season, Peyton Manning averaged a little under 26 fantasy points per game.
Giants -- Sterling Shepard overshadowing OBJ? Don't be surprised. I've been singing Shepard's praises since early July. His preseason WR-45 ADP was ridiculous then, and it's ridiculous now.
49ers -- Almost got knocked out of the Survivor Pool, courtesy of C.J. Beathard and George Kittle. It'll be interesting to see whether this connection strengthens, as Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis both got hurt during this one.
Chargers -- Melvin Gordon ran as well as I've seen him run. The more notable story is something I also raised last week: Keenan Allen's fantasy impact. Last year he averaged 9.9 targets and 6.4 receptions per game en route to #3 WR production. This year he's averaging an almost identical 9.0 and 6.0 -- yet he's producing like a WR3. Fantasy managers have little choice but to wait it out. The big-yardage games have to come eventually, though it's now a stretch to call him a WR1.
Ravens -- John Brown does it again. He's been an every-week starter despite averaging fewer than four catches a game.
Steelers -- I urged readers to sell high on James Conner last week. Don't make the mistake of thinking Le'Veon Bell trade talks signal that Conner's the new bellcow. Even if Bell doesn't return, who's to say Stevan Ridley won't get into the action? Conner's saving grace is a home matchup next week against a Falcons D that can't stop the run. If Pittsburgh's #1 back struggles again, I'm predicting he'll start losing some touches.