Another busy Sunday. Here's my weekly rundown of the biggest fantasy implications for each team--what we can take away heading into Week 8 waivers. And for tonight's game, I'm predicting 29-10 Bears. Share your prediction below if interested.
Bengals vs. Falcons -- Tyler Boyd's previous career high was 138 receiving yards. He hit 155 yesterday. Don't overreact. The Falcons were giving up the second-most receiving yards this season. Boyd is a great sell-high receiver who I believ will have more single-digit fantasy days than double-digit the rest of the way. And Tyler Allgeier out-touched Caleb Huntley 16-6, but averaged a notably worse 3.1 YPC. As always, both are TD-dependent fliers.
Cowboys vs. Lions -- A muted performance for Dak Prescott in his return, especially given the competition. Tony Pollard out-played Zeke Elliott, which we've seen a lot the last two years. And Amon-Ra St. Brown suffered a concussion, which obviously could have significant impacts on Jared Goff and other receivers heading into a great Week 8 matchup against the Dolphins.
Titans vs. Colts -- Ryan Tannehill was in a walking boot ater the game. It'll be an intriguing situation for two-QB leaguers and very deep leaguers, as next week Tennessee travels to Houston. If Malik Willis is forced to start, he *might* be worth considering. And after waiting years, Parris Campbell finally is showing us what he can do. He's legit. It's always beeen about staying healthy
Commanders vs. Packers -- Brian Robinson out-touched Antonio Gibson nearly 22-13. As I shared with some of you yesterday morning, it's not that Gibson is droppable. He's just better suited in a complementary role, making him more of a top 35-45 RB than top 25. And Green Bay looks broken. From a fantasy perspective, Allen Lazard now has five straight good/great games, which officially makes him the unquestioned #1 WR in an otherwise undependable unit--unless his shoulder injury makes his Week 8 status questionable.
Panthers vs. Buccaneers -- This game didn't make sense. This season for the Bucs hasn't make sense. In hindsight, I suppose Tom Brady retiring, un-retiring, and then skipping town for a couple weeks in August should have prepared us for this, as well as a depleted offensive line that's forced him to adapt. In fairness, there were some bad drops. But I think most of the world thought a healthy Bucs team would be enough to defeat a flailing franchise like the Panthers. Most notably fantasy-wise, D'Onta Foreman out-touched Chuba Hubbard (with Hubbard leaving with an ankle injury), and Leonard Fournette only narrowly out-touched Rachaad White.
Jaguars vs. Giants -- I've been pushing for weeks the steady trend of Travis Etienne increasingly challenging for the #1 RB role. Yesterday put any remaining doubts to rest. And aside from Daniel Bellinger's early exit (eye injury), Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton dominated targets for the now 6-1 Giants. Both should be on streaming radars next week in Seattle.
Ravens vs. Browns -- Aside from Mark Andrews' wildly unexpected dud, the big fantasy news was Gus Edwards taking over the backfield in his long-awaited return. I didn't see it coming as of early Sunday morning. But clearly it became a hot-hand situation, with Kenyan Drake producing an anemic five yards on 11 carries, and Justice Hill losing a fumble. For Cleveland, David Njoku's ankle injury could upset the balance of this mostly four-headed offense.
Broncos vs. Jets -- Denver's backfield remains as cluttered and unstartable as ever, although Mike Boone was seen in a walking boot after the game. A two-man RBBC would be a bit more manageable, although the offense is still a wreck. And Breece Hall: knee injury. Possible ACL tear. Wow. If that's the case, Michael Carter could/should become a weekly starter, while the historically catch-friendly Ty Johnson could be a top-40 option. Oh, and Corey Davis got hurt, so that needs to be monitored.
Raiders vs. Texans -- I could write about Josh Jacobs, but we probably all have the same takeaway. Amazing, and nothing more interesting to say. What I found more interesting is that Hunter Renfrow was #2 in Vegas receiving yards. Finally healthy and back on track? Should be. And Brandin Cooks continued to struggle, while Nico Collins suffered a groin injury. If you have Cooks, the hope is that Houston will trade him to a team that needs a strong #2, like back to the Rams, or maybe to Seattle if D.K. Metcalf's injury is serious.
Chargers vs. Seahawks -- Speaking of Metcalf, he left in the first half with a knee injury, which could propel Marquise Goodwin to streaming value if Metcalf's forced to miss time. And Mike Williams hurt his ankle, which could be serious, although Sunday night reports suggest it's merely a sprained ankle. Obviously, this matters for all fantasy contributors in an offense that hasn't been healthy since early in Week 1.
49ers vs. Chiefs -- Christian McCaffrey made it through the game healthy, and he should take on more work next week. Keep an eye on what this team does in the trade market; they might not be finished. And Isiah Pacheco started, but as expected, is nothing more than a low-volume and TD-dependent top-60 RB. As always, he's a great story. And he does more to cap Clyde Edwards-Helaire's ceiling than to elevate his own ceiling.
Dolphins vs. Steelers -- Raheem Mostert finally had the game I didn't think he'd have. Notably, he converted five targets into a 4-30-1 receiving line. He'd had four catches in his previous four games combined. If this is his new norm for usage, he'll be a weekly fantasy starter in just about any league. And not to beat a dead horse, but it matters: Najee Harris again looked sub-par. A coupl nice runs, and a lot of 2-3 yard sputters. If you have him, trade for Jaylen Warren before it's (possibly) too late.
Bengals vs. Falcons -- Tyler Boyd's previous career high was 138 receiving yards. He hit 155 yesterday. Don't overreact. The Falcons were giving up the second-most receiving yards this season. Boyd is a great sell-high receiver who I believ will have more single-digit fantasy days than double-digit the rest of the way. And Tyler Allgeier out-touched Caleb Huntley 16-6, but averaged a notably worse 3.1 YPC. As always, both are TD-dependent fliers.
Cowboys vs. Lions -- A muted performance for Dak Prescott in his return, especially given the competition. Tony Pollard out-played Zeke Elliott, which we've seen a lot the last two years. And Amon-Ra St. Brown suffered a concussion, which obviously could have significant impacts on Jared Goff and other receivers heading into a great Week 8 matchup against the Dolphins.
Titans vs. Colts -- Ryan Tannehill was in a walking boot ater the game. It'll be an intriguing situation for two-QB leaguers and very deep leaguers, as next week Tennessee travels to Houston. If Malik Willis is forced to start, he *might* be worth considering. And after waiting years, Parris Campbell finally is showing us what he can do. He's legit. It's always beeen about staying healthy
Commanders vs. Packers -- Brian Robinson out-touched Antonio Gibson nearly 22-13. As I shared with some of you yesterday morning, it's not that Gibson is droppable. He's just better suited in a complementary role, making him more of a top 35-45 RB than top 25. And Green Bay looks broken. From a fantasy perspective, Allen Lazard now has five straight good/great games, which officially makes him the unquestioned #1 WR in an otherwise undependable unit--unless his shoulder injury makes his Week 8 status questionable.
Panthers vs. Buccaneers -- This game didn't make sense. This season for the Bucs hasn't make sense. In hindsight, I suppose Tom Brady retiring, un-retiring, and then skipping town for a couple weeks in August should have prepared us for this, as well as a depleted offensive line that's forced him to adapt. In fairness, there were some bad drops. But I think most of the world thought a healthy Bucs team would be enough to defeat a flailing franchise like the Panthers. Most notably fantasy-wise, D'Onta Foreman out-touched Chuba Hubbard (with Hubbard leaving with an ankle injury), and Leonard Fournette only narrowly out-touched Rachaad White.
Jaguars vs. Giants -- I've been pushing for weeks the steady trend of Travis Etienne increasingly challenging for the #1 RB role. Yesterday put any remaining doubts to rest. And aside from Daniel Bellinger's early exit (eye injury), Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton dominated targets for the now 6-1 Giants. Both should be on streaming radars next week in Seattle.
Ravens vs. Browns -- Aside from Mark Andrews' wildly unexpected dud, the big fantasy news was Gus Edwards taking over the backfield in his long-awaited return. I didn't see it coming as of early Sunday morning. But clearly it became a hot-hand situation, with Kenyan Drake producing an anemic five yards on 11 carries, and Justice Hill losing a fumble. For Cleveland, David Njoku's ankle injury could upset the balance of this mostly four-headed offense.
Broncos vs. Jets -- Denver's backfield remains as cluttered and unstartable as ever, although Mike Boone was seen in a walking boot after the game. A two-man RBBC would be a bit more manageable, although the offense is still a wreck. And Breece Hall: knee injury. Possible ACL tear. Wow. If that's the case, Michael Carter could/should become a weekly starter, while the historically catch-friendly Ty Johnson could be a top-40 option. Oh, and Corey Davis got hurt, so that needs to be monitored.
Raiders vs. Texans -- I could write about Josh Jacobs, but we probably all have the same takeaway. Amazing, and nothing more interesting to say. What I found more interesting is that Hunter Renfrow was #2 in Vegas receiving yards. Finally healthy and back on track? Should be. And Brandin Cooks continued to struggle, while Nico Collins suffered a groin injury. If you have Cooks, the hope is that Houston will trade him to a team that needs a strong #2, like back to the Rams, or maybe to Seattle if D.K. Metcalf's injury is serious.
Chargers vs. Seahawks -- Speaking of Metcalf, he left in the first half with a knee injury, which could propel Marquise Goodwin to streaming value if Metcalf's forced to miss time. And Mike Williams hurt his ankle, which could be serious, although Sunday night reports suggest it's merely a sprained ankle. Obviously, this matters for all fantasy contributors in an offense that hasn't been healthy since early in Week 1.
49ers vs. Chiefs -- Christian McCaffrey made it through the game healthy, and he should take on more work next week. Keep an eye on what this team does in the trade market; they might not be finished. And Isiah Pacheco started, but as expected, is nothing more than a low-volume and TD-dependent top-60 RB. As always, he's a great story. And he does more to cap Clyde Edwards-Helaire's ceiling than to elevate his own ceiling.
Dolphins vs. Steelers -- Raheem Mostert finally had the game I didn't think he'd have. Notably, he converted five targets into a 4-30-1 receiving line. He'd had four catches in his previous four games combined. If this is his new norm for usage, he'll be a weekly fantasy starter in just about any league. And not to beat a dead horse, but it matters: Najee Harris again looked sub-par. A coupl nice runs, and a lot of 2-3 yard sputters. If you have him, trade for Jaylen Warren before it's (possibly) too late.