A devastating injury. A thrilling comeback. A bunch of plodding RBs. Some things in the NFL remain the same--which is encouraging, since I never thought we'd see Tuesday Night Football.
As always, here's the most notable fantasy impact for each Sunday team:
Chiefs vs. Raiders -- A shocking loss for KC. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on pace for a healthy 300+ touches, but is still sitting on one touchdown. His lack of scoring has to swing in the other direction eventually. And what a win for the Raider franchise. Derek Carr is now on pace for a 4,614 / 35 / 3 season. And it's not farfetched to think he'll get close to it.
Jets vs. Cardinals -- A contest few wanted to watch. While Jamison Crowder once again was the only Jet worth his paycheck, Le'Veon Bell at least produced one of his most efficient games in a while. And Chase Edmonds again outplayed Kenyan Drake, while Christian Kirk rebounded as expected.
Steelers vs. Eagles -- I advised at least one of you to start Chase Claypool this week, but couldn't have imagined him surpassing 12-14 fantasy points. Instead he hit 42.6. JuJu Smith-Schuster seems a long way away from 2018.
And Zach Ertz now has 15 yards in two games since Dallas Goedert went down--in other words, the opposite of what one would expect, especially when his team's top two starting wideouts are out.
Washington vs. Rams -- Alex Smith's return was the miracle all football fans wanted to see. All good feelings aside, when he was signed, he was instantly the league's most overpaid quarterback, and it's unlikely he'll be more than a QB3 going forward, which--as I suggested yesterday--would be terrible news for Terry McLaurin. And while Darrell Henderson posted great stats, rookie Cam Akers clearly outplayed him. This is the time to sell high on Henderson, if that's possible.
Ravens vs. Bengals -- Yesterday I asked "Is Lamar Jackson elite this year?" The answer seems to be a more obvious "no." He made some really bad throws yesterday and isn't running nearly enough to compensate for pedestrian passing numbers. Clearly a buy-low opportunity, but how "low" is the question. I'll buy him at a mid-range QB1 price, and no higher. For Cincy, A.J. Green suffered another hamstring injury, which mercifully removes him from the picture for now. In other words, you can sleep easier dropping him.
Texans vs. Jaguars -- 0-4. Fired coach/GM. Beatable defense. This was a take-out-your-frustrations game, and Brandin Cooks was the beneficiary. While I've often had a soft spot for the underappreciated Cooks, this was one of those fluke performances, he remains a fringe fantasy starter. And D.J. Chark retreated like the tide. As we get deeper into the season, his up-and-down campaign looks more like reality than "something he'll overcome."
49ers vs. Dolphins -- What the heck happened here? Well, San Fran's defense was missing some key pieces. But still. Wow. Raheem Mostert reasserted himself as the unquestioned starter. And Preston Williams finally got going. A healthy Williams is the real deal and changes the entire complexion of this offense.
Browns vs. Colts -- It appears Baker Mayfield will be fine. Most notably, OBJ, Jarvis Landry, and Austin Hooper led the way with between nine and 10 targets--easily the most all year for Landry and Hooper. And T.Y. Hilton *finally* got going. Then again, so did Trey Burton, so we're still left with a nearly retired Philip Rivers stifling his teammates' fantasy ceilings.
Cowboys vs. Giants -- The biggest news of the day was the most painful, as Dak Prescott's blistering 2020 season ends. While Andy Dalton could still be a nice streamer if things break right, his arrival marks sharp downgrade for all receivers. Meanwhile, Devonta Freeman took another step forward as his team's bellcow.
Seahawks vs. Vikings -- I'm writing this on 4th-and-goal with 20 seconds left. And . . . wow. Whatever we think of Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer's decision not to kick that late field goal to lead by eight, Russell Wilson reminded everyone that he deserves to be the most feared QB in the NFL. He did more in one half than most quarterbacks do in two games. And for the Vikes, Dalvin Cook's injury again showed us how good Alexander Mattison is, and why he and Tony Pollard were my favorite RB handcuffs this summer.
Washington vs. Rams -- Alex Smith's return was the miracle all football fans wanted to see. All good feelings aside, when he was signed, he was instantly the league's most overpaid quarterback, and it's unlikely he'll be more than a QB3 going forward, which--as I suggested yesterday--would be terrible news for Terry McLaurin. And while Darrell Henderson posted great stats, rookie Cam Akers clearly outplayed him. This is the time to sell high on Henderson, if that's possible.
Ravens vs. Bengals -- Yesterday I asked "Is Lamar Jackson elite this year?" The answer seems to be a more obvious "no." He made some really bad throws yesterday and isn't running nearly enough to compensate for pedestrian passing numbers. Clearly a buy-low opportunity, but how "low" is the question. I'll buy him at a mid-range QB1 price, and no higher. For Cincy, A.J. Green suffered another hamstring injury, which mercifully removes him from the picture for now. In other words, you can sleep easier dropping him.
Texans vs. Jaguars -- 0-4. Fired coach/GM. Beatable defense. This was a take-out-your-frustrations game, and Brandin Cooks was the beneficiary. While I've often had a soft spot for the underappreciated Cooks, this was one of those fluke performances, he remains a fringe fantasy starter. And D.J. Chark retreated like the tide. As we get deeper into the season, his up-and-down campaign looks more like reality than "something he'll overcome."
49ers vs. Dolphins -- What the heck happened here? Well, San Fran's defense was missing some key pieces. But still. Wow. Raheem Mostert reasserted himself as the unquestioned starter. And Preston Williams finally got going. A healthy Williams is the real deal and changes the entire complexion of this offense.
Browns vs. Colts -- It appears Baker Mayfield will be fine. Most notably, OBJ, Jarvis Landry, and Austin Hooper led the way with between nine and 10 targets--easily the most all year for Landry and Hooper. And T.Y. Hilton *finally* got going. Then again, so did Trey Burton, so we're still left with a nearly retired Philip Rivers stifling his teammates' fantasy ceilings.
Cowboys vs. Giants -- The biggest news of the day was the most painful, as Dak Prescott's blistering 2020 season ends. While Andy Dalton could still be a nice streamer if things break right, his arrival marks sharp downgrade for all receivers. Meanwhile, Devonta Freeman took another step forward as his team's bellcow.
Seahawks vs. Vikings -- I'm writing this on 4th-and-goal with 20 seconds left. And . . . wow. Whatever we think of Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer's decision not to kick that late field goal to lead by eight, Russell Wilson reminded everyone that he deserves to be the most feared QB in the NFL. He did more in one half than most quarterbacks do in two games. And for the Vikes, Dalvin Cook's injury again showed us how good Alexander Mattison is, and why he and Tony Pollard were my favorite RB handcuffs this summer.