As of late Friday night, three QBs are questionable, as well as a lot of other players. It's a lot to track. Let's try to break it down as simply and clearly as possible, walking through the most compelling fantasy storyline for each team heading into tomorrow's slugfests.
Buccaneers vs. Seahawks -- Is this the week Rachaad White moves into a true backfield timeshare? Leonard Fournette's averaging only 2.9 yards per carry since busting out Week 1. And I'm intrigued by the Noah Fant / Will Dissly TE corps. Probably not a big deal to most folks. But Fant has been on fantasy radars all year, and Dissly isn't a slouch. If one gets hurt or falls back, I imagine the other could be a top-14 TE the rest of the way in a plus offense.
Bills vs. Vikings -- Allen's status aside, when will Gabe Davis get going? One concern might be his abysmal 47.4% catch rate. I mean, that's awful. And it's continued modest target share reflects a lack of trust from Allen. And for Minnesota, will T.J. Hockenson break out again? Essentially, could he be a top-3 TE the rest of the season? Completely possible in my opinion. Minnesota traded for him so he'd catch passes and score, not so he'd block all game.
Bears vs. Lions -- David Montgomery vs. Khalil Herbert. Still worth monitoring. And will we see top-10-RB D'Andre Swift? Or is he destined to spend the rest of the season (when healthy) in a timeshare with the resurgent Jamaal Williams?
Titans vs. Broncos -- Treylon Burks should be back. But should fantasy managers care? And the Broncos' backfield remains morbidly fascinating. I'm not excited to see what Chase Edmonds might do to render all three main Denver RBs worthless.
Chiefs vs. Jaguars -- Is Jerick McKinnon the new lead RB in Kansas City? It might not matter if he can't play tomorrow (he's currently very questionable). So there's an opening for CEH to reclaim what he originally claimed in the season's opening weeks. And no, I'm still not a believer in Isiah Pacheco in fantasy. But I'm wrong a lot, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. And after a strong start to the season, Trevor Lawrence has been largely unplayable. He's facing a defense that's surrendered the most TD passes in the league. Can he get back on track?
Dolphins vs. Browns -- Jeff Wilson Jr. vs. Raheem Mostert. As you might remember, I bet on Wilson last week when Miami acquired him. We'll see if he's "the guy" or just "a guy" in this backfield. And for Cleveland, what can we make of Kareem Hunt? His range of outcomes seems vast.
Giants vs. Texans -- Can Saquon Barkley stay healthy? He's keeping this team's playoff hopes alive, and I'm also very concerned that he's on pace for 406 touches. Meanwhile, Dameon Pierce leads the NFL with 22 broken tackles, putting him on pace for 47. For context, the single-season high since 2020 is 34. Pierce is having one of the greatest understated seasons I've ever seen. Fantasy-wise, my thoughts are on whether any Houston receiver is worth rostering--yes, rostering.
Steelers vs. Saints -- I and many of you have been beating the drum on Jaylen Warren. Very interested in seeing if he can overtake Najee Harris, at least for this season. And for the Saints, I can't envision Andy Dalton keeping his job with another bad performance. Was shocked he wasn't pulled against Baltimore, a team giving up the second-most passing yards in the league.
Raiders vs. Colts -- Ugh. So much potential. Such huge misses. For the Raiders, Foster Moreau has a long runway to prove he deserves a 2023 starting job, and he has great chemistry with Derek Carr. Meanwhile, Jonathan Taylor will return. Should we be excited? Frankly, facing Vegas, I'd be pretty excited.
Packers vs. Cowboys -- Got my eye on Christian Watson. Second-round draft pick. Has dealt with injuries. With Romeo Doubs out, Watson could/should get a lot more opportunities. And with Zeke Elliott questionable, Tony Pollard could make-or-break tens of thousands of fantasy weeks. Even if Zeke returns, I'd be surprised if he out-touches Pollard.
Rams vs. Cardinals -- Is James Conner back to being the unquestioned lead RB? Sure looks like he deserves it. But his injury history might cause Arizona to think twice about overworking him. And will rookie Kyren Williams take center stage for L.A.? I dropped him this week for Elijah Mitchell. Aaron Weaver picked him up. Williams needs to be rostered in deep leagues, although I remain suspect about any Ram RB's chances this season.
49ers vs. Chargers -- Deebo Samuel's returning. Is he top 10 or top 20 or worse? And Austin Ekeler: if we remove his incredible performance against Cleveland, he's averaging only 3.1 yards per carry. His yards-before-contact are up compared to 2020 and 2021, but his broken-tackle rate has plummeted. Although his usage through the air is mostly unmatched, his rest-of-season prospects concern me, especially if the Chargers continue to flail.
Have a great Saturday.
Buccaneers vs. Seahawks -- Is this the week Rachaad White moves into a true backfield timeshare? Leonard Fournette's averaging only 2.9 yards per carry since busting out Week 1. And I'm intrigued by the Noah Fant / Will Dissly TE corps. Probably not a big deal to most folks. But Fant has been on fantasy radars all year, and Dissly isn't a slouch. If one gets hurt or falls back, I imagine the other could be a top-14 TE the rest of the way in a plus offense.
Bills vs. Vikings -- Allen's status aside, when will Gabe Davis get going? One concern might be his abysmal 47.4% catch rate. I mean, that's awful. And it's continued modest target share reflects a lack of trust from Allen. And for Minnesota, will T.J. Hockenson break out again? Essentially, could he be a top-3 TE the rest of the season? Completely possible in my opinion. Minnesota traded for him so he'd catch passes and score, not so he'd block all game.
Bears vs. Lions -- David Montgomery vs. Khalil Herbert. Still worth monitoring. And will we see top-10-RB D'Andre Swift? Or is he destined to spend the rest of the season (when healthy) in a timeshare with the resurgent Jamaal Williams?
Titans vs. Broncos -- Treylon Burks should be back. But should fantasy managers care? And the Broncos' backfield remains morbidly fascinating. I'm not excited to see what Chase Edmonds might do to render all three main Denver RBs worthless.
Chiefs vs. Jaguars -- Is Jerick McKinnon the new lead RB in Kansas City? It might not matter if he can't play tomorrow (he's currently very questionable). So there's an opening for CEH to reclaim what he originally claimed in the season's opening weeks. And no, I'm still not a believer in Isiah Pacheco in fantasy. But I'm wrong a lot, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. And after a strong start to the season, Trevor Lawrence has been largely unplayable. He's facing a defense that's surrendered the most TD passes in the league. Can he get back on track?
Dolphins vs. Browns -- Jeff Wilson Jr. vs. Raheem Mostert. As you might remember, I bet on Wilson last week when Miami acquired him. We'll see if he's "the guy" or just "a guy" in this backfield. And for Cleveland, what can we make of Kareem Hunt? His range of outcomes seems vast.
Giants vs. Texans -- Can Saquon Barkley stay healthy? He's keeping this team's playoff hopes alive, and I'm also very concerned that he's on pace for 406 touches. Meanwhile, Dameon Pierce leads the NFL with 22 broken tackles, putting him on pace for 47. For context, the single-season high since 2020 is 34. Pierce is having one of the greatest understated seasons I've ever seen. Fantasy-wise, my thoughts are on whether any Houston receiver is worth rostering--yes, rostering.
Steelers vs. Saints -- I and many of you have been beating the drum on Jaylen Warren. Very interested in seeing if he can overtake Najee Harris, at least for this season. And for the Saints, I can't envision Andy Dalton keeping his job with another bad performance. Was shocked he wasn't pulled against Baltimore, a team giving up the second-most passing yards in the league.
Raiders vs. Colts -- Ugh. So much potential. Such huge misses. For the Raiders, Foster Moreau has a long runway to prove he deserves a 2023 starting job, and he has great chemistry with Derek Carr. Meanwhile, Jonathan Taylor will return. Should we be excited? Frankly, facing Vegas, I'd be pretty excited.
Packers vs. Cowboys -- Got my eye on Christian Watson. Second-round draft pick. Has dealt with injuries. With Romeo Doubs out, Watson could/should get a lot more opportunities. And with Zeke Elliott questionable, Tony Pollard could make-or-break tens of thousands of fantasy weeks. Even if Zeke returns, I'd be surprised if he out-touches Pollard.
Rams vs. Cardinals -- Is James Conner back to being the unquestioned lead RB? Sure looks like he deserves it. But his injury history might cause Arizona to think twice about overworking him. And will rookie Kyren Williams take center stage for L.A.? I dropped him this week for Elijah Mitchell. Aaron Weaver picked him up. Williams needs to be rostered in deep leagues, although I remain suspect about any Ram RB's chances this season.
49ers vs. Chargers -- Deebo Samuel's returning. Is he top 10 or top 20 or worse? And Austin Ekeler: if we remove his incredible performance against Cleveland, he's averaging only 3.1 yards per carry. His yards-before-contact are up compared to 2020 and 2021, but his broken-tackle rate has plummeted. Although his usage through the air is mostly unmatched, his rest-of-season prospects concern me, especially if the Chargers continue to flail.
Have a great Saturday.