As always, there's a ton to talk about today, and I'll do my best to summarize the most important stuff in 1,400 words or less. My DFS 50/50 lineup fell a few points shy of a winner, and I was 8-3 on contrarian bargains and busts (with Mason Rudolph left to play).
And now, here's the most important fantasy storyline of each Sunday team.
Seahawks - While I try to limit these rundowns to one player each, Seattle merits an exception. I never expected rookie D.K. Metcalf to thrive as the likely #4 option on offense. Instead he's posted startable production in seven of eight games. And trade prospect Rashaad Penny got some nice run; depending on whether he goes elsewhere by Tuesday, his value could skyrocket.
Falcons -- Devonta Freeman dominated touches, but fumbled and gave way to Brian Hill on an impressive touchdown run. Hill and Ito Smith each have a rushing score this year, while Freeman has none. He's had only one rushing attempt inside the opposing 7.
Eagles -- After yesterday's strong performances, Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders are both posting RB2 numbers.
Bills -- Despite the ugly loss, Josh Allen put up 17+ fantasy points; he's 14th among all fantasy QBs in points per game.
Chargers -- By all accounts, Keenan Allen escaped without re-injuring his hamstring. And I sold high on Austin Ekeler a few days ago; volume-wise, he crashed yesterday with five touches.
Bears -- The long-awaited David Montgomery bust-out. Of course, the Bears still lost. Now 3-4 and predictably headed toward a .500-or-worse season, their best chance going forward likely will be continuing to use Montgomery as a bellcow.
Giants -- In the three games since Sterling Shepard went down, Golden Tate has averaged a 7-89 line. Admittedly, did not anticipate he still had this much juice in him.
Lions -- First off, I warned yesterday morning on Twitter that Ty Johnson was never a high-volume back in college. As it turned out, he was not the savior many high-spending managers had hoped for. If Detroit doesn't trade for someone, expect a committee backfield with Tra Carson and perhaps J.D. McKissic (not Paul Perkins). Also, Kenny Golladay, one of my favorite preseason bargains, is now the #11 WR in points per game.
Buccaneers -- Jameis Winston reminds me of 2018 teammate Ryan Fitzpatrick--at times so good, and at times so bad. Four more turnovers to go with two scores. He now has 14 TDs and 15 turnovers on the season. Oh, and it was Mike Evans' turn to go nuts. So hard to gauge whether he or Chris Godwin will be the #1.
Titans -- Had my pick of about a half-dozen TE flyers Wednesday morning and rolled the dice on Jonnu Smith, on the assumption Delanie Walker wouldn't make it back. Some of you remember how hard I pushed Jonnu last year when Walker got hurt. What he did yesterday shouldn't have surprised anyone.
Broncos -- For the 50th time (ok, not 50th), Royce Freeman's TD aside, until Denver finds a better QB, Courtland Sutton will be the only weekly startable option.
Colts -- Every time I think Marlon Mack will slow down, he keeps proving me wrong. He's the #19 RB in points per game, held back by minimal passing-game usage.
Bengals -- Signs of life from Joe Mixon.
Rams -- Darrell Henderson out-touched Todd Gurley, though Gurley got the score. If you're leaning on Gurley, it's officially a precarious situation. Oh, and yes, Cooper Kupp was incredible, and Brandin Cooks' miserable season got worse after exiting early.
Cardinals -- A mammothly disappointing outing for Chase Edmonds, who couldn't find any running room, and then got knocked out. With David Johnson expected out for another week, Edmonds should retain the near-term bellcow role if he can get healthy.
Saints -- Latavius Murray did it again, and Michael Thomas is super-human.
Jets -- Officially time to panic re: Le'Veon Bell? Love his second-half schedule. But man, what a grueling way to get there.
Jaguars -- Dede Westbrook exited early, opening the door for Chris Conley. If you're in a 20-team league and have Conley, sell high.
Browns -- The only surprise was how "well" Cleveland's D played, holding New England to 20 fairly hard-fought points (plus seven points Nick Chubb handed to them). Speaking of Chubb, he fumbled twice in his second-to-last game before Kareem Hunt returns. Realistically, Chubb has earned a bellcow role going forward. Equally realistically, Hunt will be asked to do more than Dontrell Hilliard has done.
Patriots -- Mohamed Sanu has to be mentioned here. I warned heavily about over-hyping this solid veteran, who will compete for looks with about 7-8 other guys. There's nothing about Sanu's game that makes him a more trusted receiver than Julian Edelman, more indispensable than Sony Michel or James White, more versatile than Rex Burkhead, or even more talented than former first-rounder Phillip Dorsett. There's still a belief that Sanu was only easing into things (he played on 54% of the snaps). But I continue to doubt he'll be a weekly fantasy starter.
Panthers -- Kyle Allen was 4-0 mostly because of Christian McCaffrey. In each of his last three games he'd averaged 213 passing yards and one touchdown on 32 throws (a paltry 6.7 yards per pass attempt). Yes, he played turnover-free football. But suggestions that he would supplant Cam Newton seems a bit outrageous. After yesterday's shellacking in San Francisco, and with a softening schedule on the horizon, Cam needs to be rostered in all deeper leagues.
49ers -- Matt Breida's injury was one factor, but let's be honest: I was completely wrong about Tevin Coleman, who entered yesterday with a pedestrian 3.8 YPC. He needed only 13 touches to rack up 37.8 fantasy points. Incredible.
Raiders -- On paper, Derek Carr shouldn't have the 10th highest passer rating. His opponents have included three top-10 pass defenses, plus Chicago and Minnesota. With Tyrell Williams back, Carr's second-half schedule will make him a fantastic weekly streamer.
Texans -- My Kenny Stills push fell flat, while my Duke Johnson push hit nicely. Fantasy-wise, TE Darren Fells has caught 22 of the last 24 balls thrown his way, racking up five scores in those six games. He's getting enough looks to be relevant most weeks even without the TDs. Oh, and DeAndre Carter started over Keke Coutee, which shows how far Coutee's fallen since briefly vying for the #2 role last season.
Packers -- Thought I sold high on Aaron Jones after his four-TD outburst three weeks ago. He's now the #3 scoring fantasy RB, sucking the air out of every other Green Bay player except Jamaal Williams (two scores). Remarkably, it was also the fourth time in five games that Jones has been targeted 7+ times.
Chiefs -- A costly LeSean McCoy fumble (aren't all fumbles costly?) opened the door for Damien Williams, who scored on K.C.'s next drive while McCoy sat on the bench. McCoy never returned, though it's safe to assume the otherwise reliable veteran will be back in the fold next week. And interestingly, Sammy Watkins earned eight targets in his first game back in a month; his upside makes him a worthwhile weekly streamer if you don't have a reliable WR3+, particularly when Patrick Mahomes returns.
Seahawks - While I try to limit these rundowns to one player each, Seattle merits an exception. I never expected rookie D.K. Metcalf to thrive as the likely #4 option on offense. Instead he's posted startable production in seven of eight games. And trade prospect Rashaad Penny got some nice run; depending on whether he goes elsewhere by Tuesday, his value could skyrocket.
Falcons -- Devonta Freeman dominated touches, but fumbled and gave way to Brian Hill on an impressive touchdown run. Hill and Ito Smith each have a rushing score this year, while Freeman has none. He's had only one rushing attempt inside the opposing 7.
Eagles -- After yesterday's strong performances, Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders are both posting RB2 numbers.
Bills -- Despite the ugly loss, Josh Allen put up 17+ fantasy points; he's 14th among all fantasy QBs in points per game.
Chargers -- By all accounts, Keenan Allen escaped without re-injuring his hamstring. And I sold high on Austin Ekeler a few days ago; volume-wise, he crashed yesterday with five touches.
Bears -- The long-awaited David Montgomery bust-out. Of course, the Bears still lost. Now 3-4 and predictably headed toward a .500-or-worse season, their best chance going forward likely will be continuing to use Montgomery as a bellcow.
Giants -- In the three games since Sterling Shepard went down, Golden Tate has averaged a 7-89 line. Admittedly, did not anticipate he still had this much juice in him.
Lions -- First off, I warned yesterday morning on Twitter that Ty Johnson was never a high-volume back in college. As it turned out, he was not the savior many high-spending managers had hoped for. If Detroit doesn't trade for someone, expect a committee backfield with Tra Carson and perhaps J.D. McKissic (not Paul Perkins). Also, Kenny Golladay, one of my favorite preseason bargains, is now the #11 WR in points per game.
Buccaneers -- Jameis Winston reminds me of 2018 teammate Ryan Fitzpatrick--at times so good, and at times so bad. Four more turnovers to go with two scores. He now has 14 TDs and 15 turnovers on the season. Oh, and it was Mike Evans' turn to go nuts. So hard to gauge whether he or Chris Godwin will be the #1.
Titans -- Had my pick of about a half-dozen TE flyers Wednesday morning and rolled the dice on Jonnu Smith, on the assumption Delanie Walker wouldn't make it back. Some of you remember how hard I pushed Jonnu last year when Walker got hurt. What he did yesterday shouldn't have surprised anyone.
Broncos -- For the 50th time (ok, not 50th), Royce Freeman's TD aside, until Denver finds a better QB, Courtland Sutton will be the only weekly startable option.
Colts -- Every time I think Marlon Mack will slow down, he keeps proving me wrong. He's the #19 RB in points per game, held back by minimal passing-game usage.
Bengals -- Signs of life from Joe Mixon.
Rams -- Darrell Henderson out-touched Todd Gurley, though Gurley got the score. If you're leaning on Gurley, it's officially a precarious situation. Oh, and yes, Cooper Kupp was incredible, and Brandin Cooks' miserable season got worse after exiting early.
Cardinals -- A mammothly disappointing outing for Chase Edmonds, who couldn't find any running room, and then got knocked out. With David Johnson expected out for another week, Edmonds should retain the near-term bellcow role if he can get healthy.
Saints -- Latavius Murray did it again, and Michael Thomas is super-human.
Jets -- Officially time to panic re: Le'Veon Bell? Love his second-half schedule. But man, what a grueling way to get there.
Jaguars -- Dede Westbrook exited early, opening the door for Chris Conley. If you're in a 20-team league and have Conley, sell high.
Browns -- The only surprise was how "well" Cleveland's D played, holding New England to 20 fairly hard-fought points (plus seven points Nick Chubb handed to them). Speaking of Chubb, he fumbled twice in his second-to-last game before Kareem Hunt returns. Realistically, Chubb has earned a bellcow role going forward. Equally realistically, Hunt will be asked to do more than Dontrell Hilliard has done.
Patriots -- Mohamed Sanu has to be mentioned here. I warned heavily about over-hyping this solid veteran, who will compete for looks with about 7-8 other guys. There's nothing about Sanu's game that makes him a more trusted receiver than Julian Edelman, more indispensable than Sony Michel or James White, more versatile than Rex Burkhead, or even more talented than former first-rounder Phillip Dorsett. There's still a belief that Sanu was only easing into things (he played on 54% of the snaps). But I continue to doubt he'll be a weekly fantasy starter.
Panthers -- Kyle Allen was 4-0 mostly because of Christian McCaffrey. In each of his last three games he'd averaged 213 passing yards and one touchdown on 32 throws (a paltry 6.7 yards per pass attempt). Yes, he played turnover-free football. But suggestions that he would supplant Cam Newton seems a bit outrageous. After yesterday's shellacking in San Francisco, and with a softening schedule on the horizon, Cam needs to be rostered in all deeper leagues.
49ers -- Matt Breida's injury was one factor, but let's be honest: I was completely wrong about Tevin Coleman, who entered yesterday with a pedestrian 3.8 YPC. He needed only 13 touches to rack up 37.8 fantasy points. Incredible.
Raiders -- On paper, Derek Carr shouldn't have the 10th highest passer rating. His opponents have included three top-10 pass defenses, plus Chicago and Minnesota. With Tyrell Williams back, Carr's second-half schedule will make him a fantastic weekly streamer.
Texans -- My Kenny Stills push fell flat, while my Duke Johnson push hit nicely. Fantasy-wise, TE Darren Fells has caught 22 of the last 24 balls thrown his way, racking up five scores in those six games. He's getting enough looks to be relevant most weeks even without the TDs. Oh, and DeAndre Carter started over Keke Coutee, which shows how far Coutee's fallen since briefly vying for the #2 role last season.
Packers -- Thought I sold high on Aaron Jones after his four-TD outburst three weeks ago. He's now the #3 scoring fantasy RB, sucking the air out of every other Green Bay player except Jamaal Williams (two scores). Remarkably, it was also the fourth time in five games that Jones has been targeted 7+ times.
Chiefs -- A costly LeSean McCoy fumble (aren't all fumbles costly?) opened the door for Damien Williams, who scored on K.C.'s next drive while McCoy sat on the bench. McCoy never returned, though it's safe to assume the otherwise reliable veteran will be back in the fold next week. And interestingly, Sammy Watkins earned eight targets in his first game back in a month; his upside makes him a worthwhile weekly streamer if you don't have a reliable WR3+, particularly when Patrick Mahomes returns.