Arguably the most important fantasy Sunday of the year is in the books. Let's try to make sense of it, highlighting the most impactful fantasy story of each team:
Bills -- Josh Allen has been far from flawless since returning from an injury two games ago, but he has been game-changing. Back-to-back elite QB1 performances thanks to a combined 234 rushing yards on 22 carries. Incredible.
Dolphins -- Kenyan Drake boosted his TD streak to six in his past five games. That's all that's saved him from fantasy irrelevancy; he's averaging only 11.3 touches per contest.
Browns -- Jarvis Landry enjoyed his first 100-yard receiving day in 10 games. He's averaged only four catches in his last four.
Texans -- While the fantasy numbers have been spotty, Lamar Miller is now averaged 5.0 yards per carry on the season.
Ravens -- Lamar Jackson has looked the part against such lowly defenses as the Bengals, Raiders, and Falcons. There's talk that he might split QB work with a soon-to-be healthy Joe Flacco next week. It would disastrous primarily for two-QB leaguers leaning on Jackson as their #2, as well as some deep one-QB leaguers.
Falcons -- Four straight losses and a defense that can't stop most offenses. But how about Austin Hooper! For the preseason grief I got ranking him 12th (better than all 152 experts compiled by Fantasy Pros), I'll keep giving him well-earned props.
Broncos -- Phillip Lindsay has seven TDs in his last six contests and is averaging 6.1 YPC this season. He's on pace to squeeze into the top 10 among fantasy RBs.
Bengals -- Starting A.J. Green, what's the worst that can happen? He can get knocked out after netting one catch for seven yards. Tyler Boyd will once again be an every-week-starter.
Rams -- Todd Gurley returned to form and Malcolm Brown injured his shoulder. If Brown's forced to sit next week, John Kelly and Justin Davis will need to be on the radar of every self-respecting fantasy manager.
Lions -- Bruce Ellington led all Lions with seven receptions and 10 targets. He'll be a cheap WR3/4 the rest of the way.
Cardinals -- David Johnson ran poorly and is now averaging 3.7 YPC. Chase Edmonds ran brilliantly and scored from six and eight yards out. Edmonds was one of the 10 handcuff RBs I drafted in my very deep league this summer. If something happens to Johnson, Edmonds won't miss a beat -- and might just be better.
Packers -- A disastrous fantasy day for Aaron Rodgers, not to mention a crushing home loss that essentially eliminates them from playoff contention. He'll get one more favorable start (next week against Atlanta) before assuming a (shockingly, but not really) more benchable role against the Bears and Jets.
Bears -- Tarik Cohen had his biggest fantasy day of the year. He now has six good-to-great games and six not-so-great games. He's like DeSean Jackson in his prime.
Giants -- The wheels fell off once again for Eli Manning, though in fairness he was facing the Bears. He'll do just as badly in Washington next week.
Panthers -- Cam Newton's first four-interception game since his rookie campaign. The biggest fantasy story going forward will be Greg Olsen's apparently season-ending injury. Heading into yesterday he'd averaged 10.4 fantasy points per game since returning from an early-season injury. In other words, he'd been a solid mid-range to back-end TE1 most weeks. Ian Thomas (a 5/46 line yesterday) is worth a deep-league add).
Buccaneers -- Chris Godwin was one of my favorite young receivers last year, this summer, and as recently as this past week. And he's remaining relevant despite playing alongside Mike Evans and at least one or two other strong-usage receivers each game.
Colts -- Arguably the worst start of Andrew Luck's career. A few weeks ago he up up 29 on the Jags, which had yielded 20+ points to opponents in seven straight contests entering yesterday. The bigger fantasy story is Marlon Mack, who's been virtually unstartable in three of four games. Now he's headed to Houston. It's terrible timing for those who successfully rode him midseason.
Jaguars -- Cody Kessler did it! Obviously this was all about a revitalized Jacksonville D finally producing like their September selves. Most notably, T.J. Yeldon outplayed Carlos Hyde. Again. Yeldon out-touched Carlos Hyde only 15-14 despite Hyde losing a fumble on the opening drive. Doesn't matter with Leonard Fournette returning in Week 14, but worth reinforcing, since Yeldon has looked noticeably better then Hyde.
Jets -- Many of you asked me about Elijah McGuire a few weeks ago. My answer was fairly consistent: "I don't understand the hype." In parts of two seasons, including yesterday, he's shown nothing to suggest he's a future bellcow.
Titans -- Derrick Henry has reached double-digit points in four of six games. Dion Lewis? Three of eight. The difference has been touchdowns, with Henry leading 5-1 during that span. I'm having a hard time seeing how either one will be startable the rest of the way (Jaguars, @Giants, Redskins).
Chiefs -- My pre-game -- and really, six months -- hyping of Spencer Ware wasn't warranted after all on Sunday. He was barely startable as a high-end RB3. Andy Reid said during the game that he'd like to have a committee backfield. Speaking for fantasy managers everywhere, that's the last thing we need. But if it helps them reach the Super Bowl, well, fine.
Raiders -- When Marcell Ateman is merely Oakland's third-best receiver, you know the offense is cooking. #Sarcasm.
Vikings -- Kirk Cousins wasn't startable as expected. And he probably won't be when facing Seattle on the road in Week 14.
Patriots -- On a day when Rex Burkhead returned, of course James Develin poached two scores. Bill Belichick plays mind games with the world, and the world crumbles.
49ers -- First, Nick Mullens outperformed my expectations, so credit to those who happened to start him and earned QB1 production. Second, Matt Breida re-injured himself before the game, and then again during the game, surely frustrating expecting 20 touches from him. Instead, Jeffery Wilson, Jr. could be in line for a nice role next week -- or at the very least, he's not going away even if Breida starts.
Seahawks -- Bobby Wagner's fourth-quarter pick-6 single-handedly turned my underperforming DFS lineup into a winner. Fantasy-wise, Russell Wilson dominated as expected. I've been pushing him for weeks on this page as the most underrated fantasy QB around because of his talent and softening schedule.
Chargers -- Made this very clear to many of you this past week: Austin Ekeler was a trap play, as this backfield was more "hot hand" than most experts realized. One of my favorite deep-dive preseason bargains, Justin Jackson came through and should be an RB3+ if Melvin Gordon misses more time.
Steelers -- Once again, all eyes will be on James Conner's health. Jaylen Samuels could be the week's biggest waiver add.
Bills -- Josh Allen has been far from flawless since returning from an injury two games ago, but he has been game-changing. Back-to-back elite QB1 performances thanks to a combined 234 rushing yards on 22 carries. Incredible.
Dolphins -- Kenyan Drake boosted his TD streak to six in his past five games. That's all that's saved him from fantasy irrelevancy; he's averaging only 11.3 touches per contest.
Browns -- Jarvis Landry enjoyed his first 100-yard receiving day in 10 games. He's averaged only four catches in his last four.
Texans -- While the fantasy numbers have been spotty, Lamar Miller is now averaged 5.0 yards per carry on the season.
Ravens -- Lamar Jackson has looked the part against such lowly defenses as the Bengals, Raiders, and Falcons. There's talk that he might split QB work with a soon-to-be healthy Joe Flacco next week. It would disastrous primarily for two-QB leaguers leaning on Jackson as their #2, as well as some deep one-QB leaguers.
Falcons -- Four straight losses and a defense that can't stop most offenses. But how about Austin Hooper! For the preseason grief I got ranking him 12th (better than all 152 experts compiled by Fantasy Pros), I'll keep giving him well-earned props.
Broncos -- Phillip Lindsay has seven TDs in his last six contests and is averaging 6.1 YPC this season. He's on pace to squeeze into the top 10 among fantasy RBs.
Bengals -- Starting A.J. Green, what's the worst that can happen? He can get knocked out after netting one catch for seven yards. Tyler Boyd will once again be an every-week-starter.
Rams -- Todd Gurley returned to form and Malcolm Brown injured his shoulder. If Brown's forced to sit next week, John Kelly and Justin Davis will need to be on the radar of every self-respecting fantasy manager.
Lions -- Bruce Ellington led all Lions with seven receptions and 10 targets. He'll be a cheap WR3/4 the rest of the way.
Cardinals -- David Johnson ran poorly and is now averaging 3.7 YPC. Chase Edmonds ran brilliantly and scored from six and eight yards out. Edmonds was one of the 10 handcuff RBs I drafted in my very deep league this summer. If something happens to Johnson, Edmonds won't miss a beat -- and might just be better.
Packers -- A disastrous fantasy day for Aaron Rodgers, not to mention a crushing home loss that essentially eliminates them from playoff contention. He'll get one more favorable start (next week against Atlanta) before assuming a (shockingly, but not really) more benchable role against the Bears and Jets.
Bears -- Tarik Cohen had his biggest fantasy day of the year. He now has six good-to-great games and six not-so-great games. He's like DeSean Jackson in his prime.
Giants -- The wheels fell off once again for Eli Manning, though in fairness he was facing the Bears. He'll do just as badly in Washington next week.
Panthers -- Cam Newton's first four-interception game since his rookie campaign. The biggest fantasy story going forward will be Greg Olsen's apparently season-ending injury. Heading into yesterday he'd averaged 10.4 fantasy points per game since returning from an early-season injury. In other words, he'd been a solid mid-range to back-end TE1 most weeks. Ian Thomas (a 5/46 line yesterday) is worth a deep-league add).
Buccaneers -- Chris Godwin was one of my favorite young receivers last year, this summer, and as recently as this past week. And he's remaining relevant despite playing alongside Mike Evans and at least one or two other strong-usage receivers each game.
Colts -- Arguably the worst start of Andrew Luck's career. A few weeks ago he up up 29 on the Jags, which had yielded 20+ points to opponents in seven straight contests entering yesterday. The bigger fantasy story is Marlon Mack, who's been virtually unstartable in three of four games. Now he's headed to Houston. It's terrible timing for those who successfully rode him midseason.
Jaguars -- Cody Kessler did it! Obviously this was all about a revitalized Jacksonville D finally producing like their September selves. Most notably, T.J. Yeldon outplayed Carlos Hyde. Again. Yeldon out-touched Carlos Hyde only 15-14 despite Hyde losing a fumble on the opening drive. Doesn't matter with Leonard Fournette returning in Week 14, but worth reinforcing, since Yeldon has looked noticeably better then Hyde.
Jets -- Many of you asked me about Elijah McGuire a few weeks ago. My answer was fairly consistent: "I don't understand the hype." In parts of two seasons, including yesterday, he's shown nothing to suggest he's a future bellcow.
Titans -- Derrick Henry has reached double-digit points in four of six games. Dion Lewis? Three of eight. The difference has been touchdowns, with Henry leading 5-1 during that span. I'm having a hard time seeing how either one will be startable the rest of the way (Jaguars, @Giants, Redskins).
Chiefs -- My pre-game -- and really, six months -- hyping of Spencer Ware wasn't warranted after all on Sunday. He was barely startable as a high-end RB3. Andy Reid said during the game that he'd like to have a committee backfield. Speaking for fantasy managers everywhere, that's the last thing we need. But if it helps them reach the Super Bowl, well, fine.
Raiders -- When Marcell Ateman is merely Oakland's third-best receiver, you know the offense is cooking. #Sarcasm.
Vikings -- Kirk Cousins wasn't startable as expected. And he probably won't be when facing Seattle on the road in Week 14.
Patriots -- On a day when Rex Burkhead returned, of course James Develin poached two scores. Bill Belichick plays mind games with the world, and the world crumbles.
49ers -- First, Nick Mullens outperformed my expectations, so credit to those who happened to start him and earned QB1 production. Second, Matt Breida re-injured himself before the game, and then again during the game, surely frustrating expecting 20 touches from him. Instead, Jeffery Wilson, Jr. could be in line for a nice role next week -- or at the very least, he's not going away even if Breida starts.
Seahawks -- Bobby Wagner's fourth-quarter pick-6 single-handedly turned my underperforming DFS lineup into a winner. Fantasy-wise, Russell Wilson dominated as expected. I've been pushing him for weeks on this page as the most underrated fantasy QB around because of his talent and softening schedule.
Chargers -- Made this very clear to many of you this past week: Austin Ekeler was a trap play, as this backfield was more "hot hand" than most experts realized. One of my favorite deep-dive preseason bargains, Justin Jackson came through and should be an RB3+ if Melvin Gordon misses more time.
Steelers -- Once again, all eyes will be on James Conner's health. Jaylen Samuels could be the week's biggest waiver add.