Yesterday was one of those remarkable days where there were few injuries and a lot of massive performances. There were five 40+ point scorers. For perspective, in the first four weeks only six players exceeded 40 points. Will Fuller led the way with the biggest fantasy day in six years. And we'll talk more about him in a moment.
For now, as always, let's make sense of Sunday's games, highlighting each team's biggest fantasy storyline:
Cardinals -- David Johnson had his best day on the ground in ages. As for backup Chase Edmonds, he's somehow available in 97% of ESPN leagues. That shouldn't be.
Bengals -- In any other week, my Joe Mixon / Tyler Boyd stack would have paid off. As I wrote yesterday, with John Ross sidelined, Boyd is unquestionably Andy Dalton's top weekly receiver until A.J. Green returns.
Bills -- There's probably no more shocking WR2 than John Brown. He's also caught an unsustainable 28-of-39 (72%) balls thrown his way.
Titans -- Marcus Mariota could afford a dud. He can't afford too many, though.
Bears -- David Montgomery is now averaging 3.1 YPC and a healthy 15.6 touches per game. Something has to give, but I can't figure out which way it'll go.
Raiders -- Josh Jacobs proved me wrong against a very tough Bears D. I'd like to say sell high, but I've said that before about Jacobs, and it hasn't exactly helped.
Buccaneers -- Folks rostering Ronald Jones have to be wondering when he'll take over. If it does happen, Jones would be an instant RB2.
Saints -- Michael Thomas was the big story, obviously. The more interesting story was Latavius Murray, who got back on track with nine touches. Given how early he went in most drafts, managers need him to be a stand-alone RB3/4 at minimum.
Vikings -- Last week it was Stefon Diggs' turn, while Adam Thielen spouted off. Sunday it was Thielen's turn. The 3-2 Vikings have three more winnable games upcoming and need to take two. All eyes will be on Kirk Cousins and his monster contract.
Giants -- No one besides Darius Slayton enjoyed seeing Darius Slayton lead all receivers. We have to remember that, despite his initial breakout performance, Daniel Jones is a rookie throwing to a solid-but-not-great receiving corps.
Jets -- I picked up Philly's DST last week in anticipation of a 15+ point performance. Certainly next expected 35. But back to the Jets. I've said this before and will keep saying it: What was Le'Veon Bell thinking? His o-line is worse. His quarterback is worse (even when Sam Darnold's healthy). His team's receiving corps is worse. His team's defense is worse. He's averaging a pathetic 2.9 YPC and barely six yards per reception (more than two yards below his career average). We know how good he can be, but we don't know how good he can be in a Jets uniform. That's the problem.
Eagles -- Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard each had 13 touches, but Howard did much more with his. Once again, a fascinating backfield competition that probably won't be won this season.
Ravens -- Surprisingly pedestrian performances for Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram, both of whom I was wrong about this preseason. Jackson is the real deal. But I still haven't bought into Ingram's age-29 career year.
Steelers -- If Mason Rudolph's injury is serious, Pittsburgh's offensive weapons are in yet another heap of trouble.
Patriots -- Sony Michel finally got going against a terrible team. A great time to sell high.
Redskins -- No clue why Adrian Peterson continues to get the start. If Jay Gruden handed the reins to Wendell Smallwood, the team would have a better shot. It certainly can't get worse.
Jaguars -- Jacksonville's had a different leading receiver in each of the past four seasons. That streak might end next year, as D.J. Chark looks like a #1 WR for the foreseeable future.
Panthers -- If you're a fan of RB handcuffs like I am, Reggie Bonnafon is worth an add.
Falcons -- Atlanta is somehow 1-4, and six of their next seven games will be tough. The offensive line remains a big reason for their dismal record. But fantasy-wise, it's largely on Devonta Freeman, who's in danger of losing more touches to Ito Smith.
Texans -- I went big in DFS on the wrong QB-WR stack. Deshaun Watson? Check. DeAndre Hopkins? Once again, no. Instead, Will Fuller simply dominated. Before the game I shared on Twitter that if Fuller did go off, managers should sell high, as he had only one WR2+ performance in his previous eight games: https://twitter.com/_FF4W/status/1180883345481318400. After his incredible day, I'd still sell high. Just make sure you get a weekly starter for him.
Broncos -- Phillip Lindsay one-upped Royce Freeman yet again. This is one of my favorite RB battles, though recently it hasn't been much of a battle.
Chargers -- An ugly loss. Most notably, Austin Ekeler caught 15 balls, while Melvin Gordon converted 12 rushes into 31 yards. With another week of practice under his belt, next game we'll get a better sense of how these two will be utilized going forward.
Packers -- A couple weeks ago Aaron Jones fell into a timeshare with Jamaal Williams. Heading into yesterday he was averaging only 3.3 YPC. Last year he averaged barely two catches per game. So of course it was impossible to anticipate yesterday's breakout.
Cowboys -- Lost in Amari Cooper's superb outing was the fact that Michael Gallup dominated on 14 targets. I tried to buy low on Gallup while he was hurt. He's the real deal, and is one Cooper injury away from likely WR1 production.
Colts -- A shocking upset over the overloaded Chiefs. They sacked Patrick Mahomes four times, which is all the more incredible knowing Mahomes had been sacked only 29 times in 20 starts. On offense Marlon Mack deserves a mention as the true difference maker. Fantasy-wise, T.Y. Hilton is now averaging a 6-58-1 line in four games. TDs have kept him relevant, but they aren't sustainable. He's a risky weekly WR2 with WR3/4 downside.
Chiefs -- Hats off to the one of you who picked up Byron Pringle, and the zero of you who started him. With Tyreek Hill potentially returning next week and Sammy Watkins possibly getting back on his feet, we might not hear from Pringle again this season. The most interesting fantasy angle comes from the backfield, where Damien Williams returned with a whimper, while LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams combined for zero carries and five receptions. Once again, this is the hardest RB corps to predict. And for the 14th time, all I know is that Damien Williams isn't the answer.
For now, as always, let's make sense of Sunday's games, highlighting each team's biggest fantasy storyline:
Cardinals -- David Johnson had his best day on the ground in ages. As for backup Chase Edmonds, he's somehow available in 97% of ESPN leagues. That shouldn't be.
Bengals -- In any other week, my Joe Mixon / Tyler Boyd stack would have paid off. As I wrote yesterday, with John Ross sidelined, Boyd is unquestionably Andy Dalton's top weekly receiver until A.J. Green returns.
Bills -- There's probably no more shocking WR2 than John Brown. He's also caught an unsustainable 28-of-39 (72%) balls thrown his way.
Titans -- Marcus Mariota could afford a dud. He can't afford too many, though.
Bears -- David Montgomery is now averaging 3.1 YPC and a healthy 15.6 touches per game. Something has to give, but I can't figure out which way it'll go.
Raiders -- Josh Jacobs proved me wrong against a very tough Bears D. I'd like to say sell high, but I've said that before about Jacobs, and it hasn't exactly helped.
Buccaneers -- Folks rostering Ronald Jones have to be wondering when he'll take over. If it does happen, Jones would be an instant RB2.
Saints -- Michael Thomas was the big story, obviously. The more interesting story was Latavius Murray, who got back on track with nine touches. Given how early he went in most drafts, managers need him to be a stand-alone RB3/4 at minimum.
Vikings -- Last week it was Stefon Diggs' turn, while Adam Thielen spouted off. Sunday it was Thielen's turn. The 3-2 Vikings have three more winnable games upcoming and need to take two. All eyes will be on Kirk Cousins and his monster contract.
Giants -- No one besides Darius Slayton enjoyed seeing Darius Slayton lead all receivers. We have to remember that, despite his initial breakout performance, Daniel Jones is a rookie throwing to a solid-but-not-great receiving corps.
Jets -- I picked up Philly's DST last week in anticipation of a 15+ point performance. Certainly next expected 35. But back to the Jets. I've said this before and will keep saying it: What was Le'Veon Bell thinking? His o-line is worse. His quarterback is worse (even when Sam Darnold's healthy). His team's receiving corps is worse. His team's defense is worse. He's averaging a pathetic 2.9 YPC and barely six yards per reception (more than two yards below his career average). We know how good he can be, but we don't know how good he can be in a Jets uniform. That's the problem.
Eagles -- Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard each had 13 touches, but Howard did much more with his. Once again, a fascinating backfield competition that probably won't be won this season.
Ravens -- Surprisingly pedestrian performances for Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram, both of whom I was wrong about this preseason. Jackson is the real deal. But I still haven't bought into Ingram's age-29 career year.
Steelers -- If Mason Rudolph's injury is serious, Pittsburgh's offensive weapons are in yet another heap of trouble.
Patriots -- Sony Michel finally got going against a terrible team. A great time to sell high.
Redskins -- No clue why Adrian Peterson continues to get the start. If Jay Gruden handed the reins to Wendell Smallwood, the team would have a better shot. It certainly can't get worse.
Jaguars -- Jacksonville's had a different leading receiver in each of the past four seasons. That streak might end next year, as D.J. Chark looks like a #1 WR for the foreseeable future.
Panthers -- If you're a fan of RB handcuffs like I am, Reggie Bonnafon is worth an add.
Falcons -- Atlanta is somehow 1-4, and six of their next seven games will be tough. The offensive line remains a big reason for their dismal record. But fantasy-wise, it's largely on Devonta Freeman, who's in danger of losing more touches to Ito Smith.
Texans -- I went big in DFS on the wrong QB-WR stack. Deshaun Watson? Check. DeAndre Hopkins? Once again, no. Instead, Will Fuller simply dominated. Before the game I shared on Twitter that if Fuller did go off, managers should sell high, as he had only one WR2+ performance in his previous eight games: https://twitter.com/_FF4W/status/1180883345481318400. After his incredible day, I'd still sell high. Just make sure you get a weekly starter for him.
Broncos -- Phillip Lindsay one-upped Royce Freeman yet again. This is one of my favorite RB battles, though recently it hasn't been much of a battle.
Chargers -- An ugly loss. Most notably, Austin Ekeler caught 15 balls, while Melvin Gordon converted 12 rushes into 31 yards. With another week of practice under his belt, next game we'll get a better sense of how these two will be utilized going forward.
Packers -- A couple weeks ago Aaron Jones fell into a timeshare with Jamaal Williams. Heading into yesterday he was averaging only 3.3 YPC. Last year he averaged barely two catches per game. So of course it was impossible to anticipate yesterday's breakout.
Cowboys -- Lost in Amari Cooper's superb outing was the fact that Michael Gallup dominated on 14 targets. I tried to buy low on Gallup while he was hurt. He's the real deal, and is one Cooper injury away from likely WR1 production.
Colts -- A shocking upset over the overloaded Chiefs. They sacked Patrick Mahomes four times, which is all the more incredible knowing Mahomes had been sacked only 29 times in 20 starts. On offense Marlon Mack deserves a mention as the true difference maker. Fantasy-wise, T.Y. Hilton is now averaging a 6-58-1 line in four games. TDs have kept him relevant, but they aren't sustainable. He's a risky weekly WR2 with WR3/4 downside.
Chiefs -- Hats off to the one of you who picked up Byron Pringle, and the zero of you who started him. With Tyreek Hill potentially returning next week and Sammy Watkins possibly getting back on his feet, we might not hear from Pringle again this season. The most interesting fantasy angle comes from the backfield, where Damien Williams returned with a whimper, while LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams combined for zero carries and five receptions. Once again, this is the hardest RB corps to predict. And for the 14th time, all I know is that Damien Williams isn't the answer.