As always, here's my takeaway on the most significant fantasy storyling impacting each Sunday team. But first, I'm picking the Eagles to win tonight 38-9. Leave your prediction below. Good luck to all.
Buccaneers vs. Seahawks -- The first game of the day also had a pretty significant injury, as Leonard Fournette hurt his hip. It's unfortunate, because he ran as well as we've seen since Week 1. Rachaad White would be a borderline top-16 RB if he earns a start. And for Seattle, Marquise Goodwin keeps getting to the right place at the right time. What an ideal fit for the Seahawks. Despite the TD dependency, he's getting enough looks to be a weekly not-entirely-desperation streamer.
Bills vs. Vikings -- What a game. Wow. Gabe Davis came through. He had six drops coming into this one. Hopefully he's back on track. And on one drive, Kirk Cousins targeted T.J. Hockenson four straight times. Outside the elite TEs, there might not be a TE I'd rather have.
Bears vs. Lions -- Another "what a game / wow" game. Another RB, another hip injury. This time, Khalil Herbert. This would clearly make David Montgomery a must-start option if Herbert is sidelined. And D'Andre Swift's fantasy day was saved by a score. He average only 1.0 yards per carry. Jamaal Williams looks like the better back . . . for now.
Titans vs. Broncos -- In his return to the field, rookie Treylon Burks earned enough targets to warrant Marquise-Goodwin-like attention. In other words, I wouldn't go overboard. And in fact, I'd probably rather have Goodwin for more scoring potential. And for Denver's broken offense, Jerry Jeudy left with an ankle injury. The team believes they "dodged a bullet." Still, that might just mean it's not a season-ender. Kendall Hinton deserves attention over K.J. Hamler as an intriguing streamer.
Chiefs vs. Jaguars -- Clyde Edwards-Helaire can be dropped, I suppose. He's essentially operating as a handcuff. Isiah Pacheco ran better than I expected, but also fumbled. Jerick McKinnon remains the highest-upside RB in this corps. Oh, and JuJu Smith-Schuster left with a concussion, opening the door wider for Kadarius Toney. Admittedly, I whiffed on Toney when K.C. traded for him, and only this week recommended him as a boom-bust option. He's clearly more boom than bust in this offense. And for the Jags, would you believe Christian Kirk is now the overall WR7? I actually have three top-8 WRs on my team, though my atrocious backfield isn't helping. Still, enough about me. Kirk is a legimate must-start WR who many managers still don't trust--or at least, didn't trust heading into this week.
Dolphins vs. Browns -- Jeff Wilson vs. Raheem Mostert? More like *and*. This tandem looked unstoppable. Granted, there will be tougher matchups. But considering what they cost in drafts or on waivers, these two guys are paying big dividends. And Donovan Peoples-Jones is now a top-50 WR and rising, particularly with David Njoku sidelined.
Giants vs. Texans -- 35 more carries for Saquon Barkley. He's on pace for 374, as well as 429 total touches. This is major yellow flag, bordering on red. If you have him, I would urge you to sell him for top-5 value (you can probably get it). And Nico Collins caught only the second TD pass of his career. If you're in a deep league, trade him while you can. This is no longer just a Collins / Brandin Cooks wideout situation. It's too crowded to trust any of them.
Steelers vs. Saints -- I bet on Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, and they combined for 176 total yards on 32 touches. If that's sustainable, both will be streamable. Note that Harris went catch-less, ceding the passing-game work to Warren. Very interesting. And I remain painfully confused that the Saints keep starting Andy Dalton--unless they're pushing for a high draft pick. With the Rams, Niners, and Bucs coming up, it's tough to advise starting anyone in fantasy except Alvin Kamara.
Raiders vs. Colts -- Rock bottom for Vegas, losing to a first-time coach, literally. Most interestingly, Foster Moreau continued to shine, while Matt Ryan returned, giving the Colts' terrific receivers a fighting chance to help fantasy managers.
Packers vs. Cowboys -- Christian . . . Watson. If you read my DFS article for PFN, I advised starting him because he's far more talented than his numbers suggest. And actually, on Saturday on this page I wrote, "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." He's gone from irrelevant to must-start overnight. And Tony Pollard proved once again that Zeke Elliott can take his time coming back.
Rams vs. Cardinals -- Cooper Kupp might have a serious ankle injury. Best-case scenario, with L.A. on the verge of playing for pride, we might not get much more of Kupp later in the season. I hate to say it, because so many of you are leaning on him for all the right reasons. So we'll stay tuned, and if he's somehow okay, I'd strongly consider parting ways. The Rams won't want to keep trotting him out there during the fantasy playoffs if an injury might jeopardize his playability in 2023. And for Arizona, Zach Ertz probably will miss several games with a knee injury. A boost for DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore, and an opening for rookie Trey McBride to get on top-20 TE radars.
49ers vs. Chargers -- How did Elijah Mitchell outplay Christian McCaffrey? I'll call it a fluke. But Mitchell had a much bigger impact in his long-awaited return than I could have imagined. Buy low on CMC if possible. He's still the alpha. I expect Mitchell to be more TD-dependent. And I benched Justin Herbert this week for Kenny Pickett. It seemed a bit nuts, and it worked out, because the Chargers' offense is largely broken. That was evident enough against the lowly Falcons last week. Until Herbert gets one or both of his top WRs back, he's not in my top 14.
Buccaneers vs. Seahawks -- The first game of the day also had a pretty significant injury, as Leonard Fournette hurt his hip. It's unfortunate, because he ran as well as we've seen since Week 1. Rachaad White would be a borderline top-16 RB if he earns a start. And for Seattle, Marquise Goodwin keeps getting to the right place at the right time. What an ideal fit for the Seahawks. Despite the TD dependency, he's getting enough looks to be a weekly not-entirely-desperation streamer.
Bills vs. Vikings -- What a game. Wow. Gabe Davis came through. He had six drops coming into this one. Hopefully he's back on track. And on one drive, Kirk Cousins targeted T.J. Hockenson four straight times. Outside the elite TEs, there might not be a TE I'd rather have.
Bears vs. Lions -- Another "what a game / wow" game. Another RB, another hip injury. This time, Khalil Herbert. This would clearly make David Montgomery a must-start option if Herbert is sidelined. And D'Andre Swift's fantasy day was saved by a score. He average only 1.0 yards per carry. Jamaal Williams looks like the better back . . . for now.
Titans vs. Broncos -- In his return to the field, rookie Treylon Burks earned enough targets to warrant Marquise-Goodwin-like attention. In other words, I wouldn't go overboard. And in fact, I'd probably rather have Goodwin for more scoring potential. And for Denver's broken offense, Jerry Jeudy left with an ankle injury. The team believes they "dodged a bullet." Still, that might just mean it's not a season-ender. Kendall Hinton deserves attention over K.J. Hamler as an intriguing streamer.
Chiefs vs. Jaguars -- Clyde Edwards-Helaire can be dropped, I suppose. He's essentially operating as a handcuff. Isiah Pacheco ran better than I expected, but also fumbled. Jerick McKinnon remains the highest-upside RB in this corps. Oh, and JuJu Smith-Schuster left with a concussion, opening the door wider for Kadarius Toney. Admittedly, I whiffed on Toney when K.C. traded for him, and only this week recommended him as a boom-bust option. He's clearly more boom than bust in this offense. And for the Jags, would you believe Christian Kirk is now the overall WR7? I actually have three top-8 WRs on my team, though my atrocious backfield isn't helping. Still, enough about me. Kirk is a legimate must-start WR who many managers still don't trust--or at least, didn't trust heading into this week.
Dolphins vs. Browns -- Jeff Wilson vs. Raheem Mostert? More like *and*. This tandem looked unstoppable. Granted, there will be tougher matchups. But considering what they cost in drafts or on waivers, these two guys are paying big dividends. And Donovan Peoples-Jones is now a top-50 WR and rising, particularly with David Njoku sidelined.
Giants vs. Texans -- 35 more carries for Saquon Barkley. He's on pace for 374, as well as 429 total touches. This is major yellow flag, bordering on red. If you have him, I would urge you to sell him for top-5 value (you can probably get it). And Nico Collins caught only the second TD pass of his career. If you're in a deep league, trade him while you can. This is no longer just a Collins / Brandin Cooks wideout situation. It's too crowded to trust any of them.
Steelers vs. Saints -- I bet on Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, and they combined for 176 total yards on 32 touches. If that's sustainable, both will be streamable. Note that Harris went catch-less, ceding the passing-game work to Warren. Very interesting. And I remain painfully confused that the Saints keep starting Andy Dalton--unless they're pushing for a high draft pick. With the Rams, Niners, and Bucs coming up, it's tough to advise starting anyone in fantasy except Alvin Kamara.
Raiders vs. Colts -- Rock bottom for Vegas, losing to a first-time coach, literally. Most interestingly, Foster Moreau continued to shine, while Matt Ryan returned, giving the Colts' terrific receivers a fighting chance to help fantasy managers.
Packers vs. Cowboys -- Christian . . . Watson. If you read my DFS article for PFN, I advised starting him because he's far more talented than his numbers suggest. And actually, on Saturday on this page I wrote, "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." He's gone from irrelevant to must-start overnight. And Tony Pollard proved once again that Zeke Elliott can take his time coming back.
Rams vs. Cardinals -- Cooper Kupp might have a serious ankle injury. Best-case scenario, with L.A. on the verge of playing for pride, we might not get much more of Kupp later in the season. I hate to say it, because so many of you are leaning on him for all the right reasons. So we'll stay tuned, and if he's somehow okay, I'd strongly consider parting ways. The Rams won't want to keep trotting him out there during the fantasy playoffs if an injury might jeopardize his playability in 2023. And for Arizona, Zach Ertz probably will miss several games with a knee injury. A boost for DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore, and an opening for rookie Trey McBride to get on top-20 TE radars.
49ers vs. Chargers -- How did Elijah Mitchell outplay Christian McCaffrey? I'll call it a fluke. But Mitchell had a much bigger impact in his long-awaited return than I could have imagined. Buy low on CMC if possible. He's still the alpha. I expect Mitchell to be more TD-dependent. And I benched Justin Herbert this week for Kenny Pickett. It seemed a bit nuts, and it worked out, because the Chargers' offense is largely broken. That was evident enough against the lowly Falcons last week. Until Herbert gets one or both of his top WRs back, he's not in my top 14.