Not quite a Game for the Ages, but certainly a game for all ages. Last night featured two teams with limited fantasy appeal, and they mostly delivered as promised. Yet as always, there are some key takeaways as we look ahead to their fantasy prospects in Week 7.
First, Brian Robinson was the biggest story. Mostly held in check after earning his first NFL start only weeks after getting shot, he scuffled for a while before finding his groove in the fourth quarter. In fact, Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic ran better, and those two combined for seven targets (with Gibson converting three for 18 yards). But Robinson was the hero.
Keep in mind, the rookie caught 35 passes as a senior at Alabama. He has long-term three-down-back potential. So this is something to monitor going forward. Assuming Washington has more negative game scripts than positive ones, he might not hit double-digit fantasy points very often, unless he takes over a three-down role. If he were on my fantasy team, I'd try to sell high if an opponent viewed him as a top-20 RB, or close to it.
Elsewhere for Washington, Terry McLaurin missed out on a TD when a defender got his hands up with his back turned. Curtis Samuel had one go through his hands. Playing without Jahan Dotson and Logan Thomas, Carson Wentz did the best he could, which often wasn't nearly good enough. And in fairness, some near-misses cost him what easily could have been a solid 18+ point night. As always, he's better than his detractors and worse than his champions.
For Chicago, Justin Fields was a lot like Wentz for very different reasons. So many bad throws and squandered opportunities. And yet, at his best, he's electric. But more like a quick shock than a sustained hum. I want to see what he can do in Year 3 -- if he gets a Year 3 -- with a supporting cast that doesn't rely heavily on receivers who might not be top-4 receivers on any other team.
As for the backfield, David Montgomery came close to fantasy relevance. Too often, Fields didn't look his way in the passing game. He has 10 receptions so far, which is a little off his normal season pace. More importantly, Khalil Herbert made the run of the night, and although Herbert couldn't find daylight on his other six attempts, this is (almost) officially a split backfield, with Montgomery as the 1A. Montgomery had eight rushes for 27 yards midway through the 3rd quarter, and I thought, "Is this the game Herbert overtakes him?" Then the veteran rattled at least four nice runs. He's still the lead guy. For now.
For the closest-score-picking contest, we had a lot of entries. Some bold predictions. And of course, I would've said 12-7 was a bold prediction before witnessing what happened last night. "Nick N Darlene Morris" to deserve a shout-out for nearly winning it with a 14-10 Commanders prediction. The same goes for Joshua Pugh (13-10) and Ben Packard (10-9).
But in what has to be one of the most impressive predictions I've seen in months, if not decades, Jason Ortiz predicted 12-9. I mean really, who has the guts to predict 12-9? Apparently, Jason does, and those guts have paid off big-time. And by "big-time" I mean here's your congratulatory paragraph, Jason. Well-deserved. And the next time these two teams play, I'll be watching what you say and copying it.
First, Brian Robinson was the biggest story. Mostly held in check after earning his first NFL start only weeks after getting shot, he scuffled for a while before finding his groove in the fourth quarter. In fact, Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic ran better, and those two combined for seven targets (with Gibson converting three for 18 yards). But Robinson was the hero.
Keep in mind, the rookie caught 35 passes as a senior at Alabama. He has long-term three-down-back potential. So this is something to monitor going forward. Assuming Washington has more negative game scripts than positive ones, he might not hit double-digit fantasy points very often, unless he takes over a three-down role. If he were on my fantasy team, I'd try to sell high if an opponent viewed him as a top-20 RB, or close to it.
Elsewhere for Washington, Terry McLaurin missed out on a TD when a defender got his hands up with his back turned. Curtis Samuel had one go through his hands. Playing without Jahan Dotson and Logan Thomas, Carson Wentz did the best he could, which often wasn't nearly good enough. And in fairness, some near-misses cost him what easily could have been a solid 18+ point night. As always, he's better than his detractors and worse than his champions.
For Chicago, Justin Fields was a lot like Wentz for very different reasons. So many bad throws and squandered opportunities. And yet, at his best, he's electric. But more like a quick shock than a sustained hum. I want to see what he can do in Year 3 -- if he gets a Year 3 -- with a supporting cast that doesn't rely heavily on receivers who might not be top-4 receivers on any other team.
As for the backfield, David Montgomery came close to fantasy relevance. Too often, Fields didn't look his way in the passing game. He has 10 receptions so far, which is a little off his normal season pace. More importantly, Khalil Herbert made the run of the night, and although Herbert couldn't find daylight on his other six attempts, this is (almost) officially a split backfield, with Montgomery as the 1A. Montgomery had eight rushes for 27 yards midway through the 3rd quarter, and I thought, "Is this the game Herbert overtakes him?" Then the veteran rattled at least four nice runs. He's still the lead guy. For now.
For the closest-score-picking contest, we had a lot of entries. Some bold predictions. And of course, I would've said 12-7 was a bold prediction before witnessing what happened last night. "Nick N Darlene Morris" to deserve a shout-out for nearly winning it with a 14-10 Commanders prediction. The same goes for Joshua Pugh (13-10) and Ben Packard (10-9).
But in what has to be one of the most impressive predictions I've seen in months, if not decades, Jason Ortiz predicted 12-9. I mean really, who has the guts to predict 12-9? Apparently, Jason does, and those guts have paid off big-time. And by "big-time" I mean here's your congratulatory paragraph, Jason. Well-deserved. And the next time these two teams play, I'll be watching what you say and copying it.