Got back on track with my 50-50 DFS Lineup of the Week, and half the highly unconventional Week 10 predictions (Saturday's column) hit. But even if you found similar success, there's no use getting complacent. Next week is another critical week. The first step in preparing is to make sense of what happened yesterday. So let's run through the most notable fantasy impact of each Sunday team:
Lions -- Kerryon Johnson performed better than I expected, scoring twice on 20 touches against a tough Bears D. That Detroit kept going to him after they were down big suggests he might be more gameflow-proof than a good chunk of NFL RBs, which would be a boon for fantasy managers going forward. The more pressing fantasy story is Marvin Jones's status after he injured his knee; any absence would boost Johnson and Kenny Golladay.
Bears -- Allen Robinson is healthy, and Mitch Trubisky remains incredible. Robinson won't be nearly this good most weeks. Mitch will.
Saints -- The most interesting/unexpected thing for New Orleans was Tre'Quan Smith's donut. He wasn't even targeted. For the second time in a week (and for different reasons), he's droppable in most leagues.
Bengals -- Simply a disaster. And how did Andy Dalton throw only 20 passes despite being down 20+ points for most of the afternoon? The thing that interested me most was Joe Mixon’s 61 yards on 11 carries (5.5 YPC) against the NFL's stingiest run defense (3.4 YPC). Mixon is a top-8 fantasy RB disguised as an RB2, thanks to injuries and an offense that runs the ball less than 30 other teams. If you're in dynasty, buy low on Mixon.
Cardinals -- David Johnson dominated. The midseason coaching change has paid off, at least for him and those who didn't sell low. His remaining schedule looks pretty nice.
Chiefs -- Tyreek Hill will enter Week 11 as fantasy's #2 scoring wideout.
Patriots -- I don't remember the last time a Bill Belichick-led team got shut out in the second half. Julian Edelman led all New England receivers and has been far more effective than I anticipated back in August.
Titans -- Entering Week 10, Alfred Blue had more fantasy points than Derrick Henry. But Henry enjoyed his best game of the year yesterday and cut into Dion Lewis's value. I also have to mention the often-maligned Jonnu Smith, who I've hyped up several times this year. It's taken a while, but he now has two good performances in a row and, interestingly, served as Marcus Mariota's #2 receiver.
Jaguars -- I thought Leonard Fournette would need a game to get going. He needed far less than that. As a side note, Jacksonville threw away a fifth-rounder on fairly useless insurance policy Carlos Hyde.
Colts -- Three things to highlight: Anyone who thinks Marlon Mack has locked up the #1 spot in this backfield is fooling themselves. Whether he was slowed by a foot injury or the Jags' defense (or both), Indy has plenty of options, most of whom have looked damn good at various times this season. Also, Dontrelle Inman appears to be the #2 wideout, replacing previous #2's Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers. And finally, Eric Ebron: wow. As some of you know, I was down on Doyle this week. But never expected Ebron to keep up his early-season pace.
Bills -- Zay Jones has been Buffalo's #1 fantasy WR, and he distanced himself further yesterday. If you're in a deep league, hope NFL castoff Matt Barkley starts again in their next game.
Jets -- Apparently Sam Darnold is the Jets' best QB. I thought Josh McCown would be decent. I was very wrong.
Falcons -- Austin Hooper led all players in this one with 10 receptions. He'll begin Week 11 as fantasy's #7 scoring TE. If you've been reading my stuff all season, you know how remarkable that is, with 97% of all fantasy experts ranking him outside the top 14. He was a low-end TE1 on my board, earning me a considerable number of “You’re freakin’ nuts” responses.
Browns -- The most impressive win for this franchise in years? This ain't your 2016 Falcons, and Cleveland was only a modest underdog, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Nick Chubb was the difference, further reinforcing this page's view this summer that he was easily the most underrated Brown RB. If Chubb can get consistent usage in the passing game, he'll enter next season as an RB1.
Redskins -- Maurice Harris led all receivers. No surprise there, but a good reminder that midseason WR3 value is rarely hard to find.
Buccaneers -- A dismal outing for Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose mistakes weren't offset by his trademark big plays. With the season essentially over, Tampa Bay would be wise to stick with Fitz rather than risk a financially costly Jameis Winston injury.
Chargers -- Melvin Gordon has done it all, did it all once again, and seemingly will keep doing it all in the future.
Raiders -- When they couldn't punch it in at the Chargers' 1, you knew where this contest was going. Fantasy-wise, it's worth noting Doug Martin dominated backfield touches. It's also worth noting he was essentially unstartable as always.
Dolphins -- While Kenyan Drake was in and out with an injured shoulder, this was Frank Gore's game. The 35-year-old somehow remains rosterable as an RB4 in deep leagues.
Packers -- If you've been reading this page since the summer (and really since last summer), you've known my unwavering views on Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. For the last time, Jones is a legit NFL starter. Williams is a legit NFL handcuff. Why it took the Packers so long to unleash him is beyond me.
Seahawks -- No Chris Carson, yet Rashaad Penny had to come in and overshadow Mike Davis's impressive outing. This is why it's hard to trust Seattle's backfield. Penny is now rosterable, though certainly far from startable if Carson returns.
Rams -- A non-contact injury to Cooper Kupp marred a great win. There's concern he could be out for the year, which would obviously make Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks more prominent must-start options, while Josh Reynolds would be a decent flyer in very deep leagues.
Cowboys -- Dallas desperately needed this one. Amari Cooper solidified his role as a sub-par #1 receiver.
Eagles -- Jordan Matthews started over the newly acquired Golden Tate. While an optimist would say, "Tate's still learning the playbook," a realistic like me will reiterate what I warned after the trade: Tate's value is lower in Philly than it was in Detroit. Surely he’ll be better than today, but he won’t be a safe starter.
Lions -- Kerryon Johnson performed better than I expected, scoring twice on 20 touches against a tough Bears D. That Detroit kept going to him after they were down big suggests he might be more gameflow-proof than a good chunk of NFL RBs, which would be a boon for fantasy managers going forward. The more pressing fantasy story is Marvin Jones's status after he injured his knee; any absence would boost Johnson and Kenny Golladay.
Bears -- Allen Robinson is healthy, and Mitch Trubisky remains incredible. Robinson won't be nearly this good most weeks. Mitch will.
Saints -- The most interesting/unexpected thing for New Orleans was Tre'Quan Smith's donut. He wasn't even targeted. For the second time in a week (and for different reasons), he's droppable in most leagues.
Bengals -- Simply a disaster. And how did Andy Dalton throw only 20 passes despite being down 20+ points for most of the afternoon? The thing that interested me most was Joe Mixon’s 61 yards on 11 carries (5.5 YPC) against the NFL's stingiest run defense (3.4 YPC). Mixon is a top-8 fantasy RB disguised as an RB2, thanks to injuries and an offense that runs the ball less than 30 other teams. If you're in dynasty, buy low on Mixon.
Cardinals -- David Johnson dominated. The midseason coaching change has paid off, at least for him and those who didn't sell low. His remaining schedule looks pretty nice.
Chiefs -- Tyreek Hill will enter Week 11 as fantasy's #2 scoring wideout.
Patriots -- I don't remember the last time a Bill Belichick-led team got shut out in the second half. Julian Edelman led all New England receivers and has been far more effective than I anticipated back in August.
Titans -- Entering Week 10, Alfred Blue had more fantasy points than Derrick Henry. But Henry enjoyed his best game of the year yesterday and cut into Dion Lewis's value. I also have to mention the often-maligned Jonnu Smith, who I've hyped up several times this year. It's taken a while, but he now has two good performances in a row and, interestingly, served as Marcus Mariota's #2 receiver.
Jaguars -- I thought Leonard Fournette would need a game to get going. He needed far less than that. As a side note, Jacksonville threw away a fifth-rounder on fairly useless insurance policy Carlos Hyde.
Colts -- Three things to highlight: Anyone who thinks Marlon Mack has locked up the #1 spot in this backfield is fooling themselves. Whether he was slowed by a foot injury or the Jags' defense (or both), Indy has plenty of options, most of whom have looked damn good at various times this season. Also, Dontrelle Inman appears to be the #2 wideout, replacing previous #2's Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers. And finally, Eric Ebron: wow. As some of you know, I was down on Doyle this week. But never expected Ebron to keep up his early-season pace.
Bills -- Zay Jones has been Buffalo's #1 fantasy WR, and he distanced himself further yesterday. If you're in a deep league, hope NFL castoff Matt Barkley starts again in their next game.
Jets -- Apparently Sam Darnold is the Jets' best QB. I thought Josh McCown would be decent. I was very wrong.
Falcons -- Austin Hooper led all players in this one with 10 receptions. He'll begin Week 11 as fantasy's #7 scoring TE. If you've been reading my stuff all season, you know how remarkable that is, with 97% of all fantasy experts ranking him outside the top 14. He was a low-end TE1 on my board, earning me a considerable number of “You’re freakin’ nuts” responses.
Browns -- The most impressive win for this franchise in years? This ain't your 2016 Falcons, and Cleveland was only a modest underdog, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Nick Chubb was the difference, further reinforcing this page's view this summer that he was easily the most underrated Brown RB. If Chubb can get consistent usage in the passing game, he'll enter next season as an RB1.
Redskins -- Maurice Harris led all receivers. No surprise there, but a good reminder that midseason WR3 value is rarely hard to find.
Buccaneers -- A dismal outing for Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose mistakes weren't offset by his trademark big plays. With the season essentially over, Tampa Bay would be wise to stick with Fitz rather than risk a financially costly Jameis Winston injury.
Chargers -- Melvin Gordon has done it all, did it all once again, and seemingly will keep doing it all in the future.
Raiders -- When they couldn't punch it in at the Chargers' 1, you knew where this contest was going. Fantasy-wise, it's worth noting Doug Martin dominated backfield touches. It's also worth noting he was essentially unstartable as always.
Dolphins -- While Kenyan Drake was in and out with an injured shoulder, this was Frank Gore's game. The 35-year-old somehow remains rosterable as an RB4 in deep leagues.
Packers -- If you've been reading this page since the summer (and really since last summer), you've known my unwavering views on Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. For the last time, Jones is a legit NFL starter. Williams is a legit NFL handcuff. Why it took the Packers so long to unleash him is beyond me.
Seahawks -- No Chris Carson, yet Rashaad Penny had to come in and overshadow Mike Davis's impressive outing. This is why it's hard to trust Seattle's backfield. Penny is now rosterable, though certainly far from startable if Carson returns.
Rams -- A non-contact injury to Cooper Kupp marred a great win. There's concern he could be out for the year, which would obviously make Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks more prominent must-start options, while Josh Reynolds would be a decent flyer in very deep leagues.
Cowboys -- Dallas desperately needed this one. Amari Cooper solidified his role as a sub-par #1 receiver.
Eagles -- Jordan Matthews started over the newly acquired Golden Tate. While an optimist would say, "Tate's still learning the playbook," a realistic like me will reiterate what I warned after the trade: Tate's value is lower in Philly than it was in Detroit. Surely he’ll be better than today, but he won’t be a safe starter.