Here are the most interesting (to me) fantasy storylines I'm eyeballing during Sunday's games. As many of you know, there have been a lot of moving parts this week. More than a lot, actually. I've written about 20 articles for Pro Football Network in the past three days, and seven needed to be revised on Friday due to the latest injury news.
This isn't normal. I mean, there are always injuries to contend with. But it's hard to find a team that in the middle of this week didn't have at least one key playmaker "questionable" for Week 7--and not just "questionable," but truly a question mark. Some of them have since been declared out. Others are poised to play. Still others remain game-time decisions.
With that in mind, let's dive in.
Bengals vs. Falcons -- Can Joe Mixon defy my low expectations and rebound after a relatively inefficient start to the season? And will there be any depth-chart movement between Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley?
Cowboys vs. Lions -- Will Dak Prescott return to greatness, or are (my) lofty expectations based on what we saw the first few weeks of 2020, when he was on pace for the greatest QB campaign in NFL history before getting knocked out for the year? And I'm interested in who steps up with D.J. Chark still out. Will Josh Reynolds be healthy enough? Does Chark's absence benefit T.J. Hockenson? It's important, because it's possible Chark could be out for a while.
Titans vs. Colts -- How much can we trust Robert Woods as the presumed weekly #1 WR (for now)? And was Parris Campbell's Week 6 breakout a fluke, or can he challenge Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce going forward?
Commanders vs. Packers -- Very interested in seeing how Washington's backfield shakes out, with the same assumption I've had since mid-August--that Brian Robinson should continue to be the 1A. And how committed is Green Bay to feeding Aaron Jones? In a must-win game, I believe the answer will be "hugely committed."
Panthers vs. Buccaneers -- D'Onta Foreman vs. Chuba Hubbard. Or won't it matter, given how bad the Panthers' offense is? And as always, I'm watching Cade Otton to see if he can be a weekly TE streamer, even when the aged Cameron Brate returns.
Jaguars vs. Giants -- Can we still trust Christian Kirk as a weekly fantasy starter, or are defenses catching on? And I'm interested in seeing if Wan'Dale Robinson can keep things going, or if he's yet another example of a one-week #1 Giants receiver who reverts to a situational contributors (Richie James, Darius Slayton, etc.). Of course, we know how good the rookie Robinson can be. He's no Richie James. Still, it's unclear whether this offense can support a weekly #1.
Ravens vs. Browns -- Kenyan Drake vs. Justice Hill vs. (possibly) Gus Edwards. A fascinating backfield battle with J.K. Dobbins on the shelf. As a reminder, I urged readers to fade Dobbins this summer, because he carried far more risks than rewards in a crowded backfield and coming off a serious injury. Drake or Hill are primed to be more efficient this season. And can we trust Donovan Peoples-Jones as a deeper-league streamer?
Broncos vs. Jets -- Aside from Russell Wilson's questionable status (huge issue), will Melvin Gordon returrn to a true starter role, or is he essentially unstartable going forward? For the Jets, I'm waiting for the passing game to get going. Probably not this week. But with Elijah Moore benched after demanding a trade, the thinning receiver corps could be helpful for fantasy managers.
Raiders vs. Texans -- As draft rankings subscribers know, Darren Waller was my preseason 111th-ranked player compared to an overall 44 ADP. Never trusted him to remain healthy or to contribute consistently in a jam-packed offense. But Foster Moreau? If he plays well tomorrow, he could push for weekly TE streaming attention whenever Waller can't suit up. And for Houston, is Nico Collins now a better bet than Brandin Cooks?
Chargers vs. Seahawks -- We still don't know whether Keenan Allen will suit up, and Josh Palmer's out. But I'm more curious about the backfield--namely, with Joshua Kelley out, will Sony Michel get some run, or could rookie Isaiah Spiller finally get his chance? And with Tyler Lockett questionable, can Marquise Goodwin or D'Wayne Eskridge step up as the unquestioned #3 WR?
49ers vs. Chiefs -- Christian McCaffrey is one of the biggest real-life and fantasy stories heading into Sunday. If he plays, how will he impact the values of his teammates? And if he doesn't, is it safe to say that an ascending Brandon Aiyuk will keep Deebo Samuel out of the top 10 this year? For Kansas City, the WR corps remains tough to figure out. They still don't have a top-30 wideout (although JuJu Smith-Schuster is close).
Dolphins vs. Steelers -- Tua Tagovailoa is back. Two big questions on my mind: (1) will Miami get Mike Gesicki more consistently involved, and (2) could Cedrick Wilson step up as soon as this weekend? WR coach Wes Welker hinted at it. The team's paying Wilson close to $7 million. In very deep leagues, I would keep Wilson on the radar. And with Pittsburgh reportedly shopping Chase Claypool, it's a fascinating time to (potentially) buy low on George Pickens or Diontae Johnson. Just as with the Jets, we as fantasy managers want clarity, and the fewer great options there are on a team, often the easier it is to predict player outcomes.
This isn't normal. I mean, there are always injuries to contend with. But it's hard to find a team that in the middle of this week didn't have at least one key playmaker "questionable" for Week 7--and not just "questionable," but truly a question mark. Some of them have since been declared out. Others are poised to play. Still others remain game-time decisions.
With that in mind, let's dive in.
Bengals vs. Falcons -- Can Joe Mixon defy my low expectations and rebound after a relatively inefficient start to the season? And will there be any depth-chart movement between Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley?
Cowboys vs. Lions -- Will Dak Prescott return to greatness, or are (my) lofty expectations based on what we saw the first few weeks of 2020, when he was on pace for the greatest QB campaign in NFL history before getting knocked out for the year? And I'm interested in who steps up with D.J. Chark still out. Will Josh Reynolds be healthy enough? Does Chark's absence benefit T.J. Hockenson? It's important, because it's possible Chark could be out for a while.
Titans vs. Colts -- How much can we trust Robert Woods as the presumed weekly #1 WR (for now)? And was Parris Campbell's Week 6 breakout a fluke, or can he challenge Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce going forward?
Commanders vs. Packers -- Very interested in seeing how Washington's backfield shakes out, with the same assumption I've had since mid-August--that Brian Robinson should continue to be the 1A. And how committed is Green Bay to feeding Aaron Jones? In a must-win game, I believe the answer will be "hugely committed."
Panthers vs. Buccaneers -- D'Onta Foreman vs. Chuba Hubbard. Or won't it matter, given how bad the Panthers' offense is? And as always, I'm watching Cade Otton to see if he can be a weekly TE streamer, even when the aged Cameron Brate returns.
Jaguars vs. Giants -- Can we still trust Christian Kirk as a weekly fantasy starter, or are defenses catching on? And I'm interested in seeing if Wan'Dale Robinson can keep things going, or if he's yet another example of a one-week #1 Giants receiver who reverts to a situational contributors (Richie James, Darius Slayton, etc.). Of course, we know how good the rookie Robinson can be. He's no Richie James. Still, it's unclear whether this offense can support a weekly #1.
Ravens vs. Browns -- Kenyan Drake vs. Justice Hill vs. (possibly) Gus Edwards. A fascinating backfield battle with J.K. Dobbins on the shelf. As a reminder, I urged readers to fade Dobbins this summer, because he carried far more risks than rewards in a crowded backfield and coming off a serious injury. Drake or Hill are primed to be more efficient this season. And can we trust Donovan Peoples-Jones as a deeper-league streamer?
Broncos vs. Jets -- Aside from Russell Wilson's questionable status (huge issue), will Melvin Gordon returrn to a true starter role, or is he essentially unstartable going forward? For the Jets, I'm waiting for the passing game to get going. Probably not this week. But with Elijah Moore benched after demanding a trade, the thinning receiver corps could be helpful for fantasy managers.
Raiders vs. Texans -- As draft rankings subscribers know, Darren Waller was my preseason 111th-ranked player compared to an overall 44 ADP. Never trusted him to remain healthy or to contribute consistently in a jam-packed offense. But Foster Moreau? If he plays well tomorrow, he could push for weekly TE streaming attention whenever Waller can't suit up. And for Houston, is Nico Collins now a better bet than Brandin Cooks?
Chargers vs. Seahawks -- We still don't know whether Keenan Allen will suit up, and Josh Palmer's out. But I'm more curious about the backfield--namely, with Joshua Kelley out, will Sony Michel get some run, or could rookie Isaiah Spiller finally get his chance? And with Tyler Lockett questionable, can Marquise Goodwin or D'Wayne Eskridge step up as the unquestioned #3 WR?
49ers vs. Chiefs -- Christian McCaffrey is one of the biggest real-life and fantasy stories heading into Sunday. If he plays, how will he impact the values of his teammates? And if he doesn't, is it safe to say that an ascending Brandon Aiyuk will keep Deebo Samuel out of the top 10 this year? For Kansas City, the WR corps remains tough to figure out. They still don't have a top-30 wideout (although JuJu Smith-Schuster is close).
Dolphins vs. Steelers -- Tua Tagovailoa is back. Two big questions on my mind: (1) will Miami get Mike Gesicki more consistently involved, and (2) could Cedrick Wilson step up as soon as this weekend? WR coach Wes Welker hinted at it. The team's paying Wilson close to $7 million. In very deep leagues, I would keep Wilson on the radar. And with Pittsburgh reportedly shopping Chase Claypool, it's a fascinating time to (potentially) buy low on George Pickens or Diontae Johnson. Just as with the Jets, we as fantasy managers want clarity, and the fewer great options there are on a team, often the easier it is to predict player outcomes.