Some incredible games yesterday, and as we often see, a few potentially impactful injuries and possible depth chart shifts. As always, let's try to make sense of it, highlighting what I think was the most fantasy-relevant storyline for each Sunday team.
And quickly for tonight, I've got the Niners winning 27-20. If you have a prediction, leave it below as always.
Falcons vs. Bears -- Kyle Pitts left with a knee injury. If he misses time, Drake London might get the biggest bump, but that's all relative in this weak passing offense. And more notably (no offense to Pitts fans), Justin Fields hurt his left shoulder. At 3-8, the Bears surely won't try to rush him back. All you two-QB leaguers, Trevor Siemian would be a must-add, and actually David Montgomery would get a significant boost; I expect he'd be featured more in the passing game.
Bills vs. Browns -- James Cook has arrived. A huge game for the rookie, and likely a sign of things to come, as Devin Singletary is anything but a bell cow. And for Cleveland, Amari Cooper had his third game with at least 10 catches, 100+ yards, and at least one score. I never saw this coming, admittedly. He's currently the overall WR10. Incredible.
Colts vs. Eagles -- A lot that could be discussed. What I found most interesting is that Parris Campbell has now caught 72% of his targets, which is an exceptionally good mark. He's the real deal whose only kryptonite is injuries. And Boston Scott earned five touches compared to zero for Kenneth Gainwell. Very important for you deep leaguers who need a TD-dependent RB flier.
Patriots vs. Jets -- Damien Harris is back! And Rhamondre Stevenson has slowed considerably in the last four weeks. Stevenson topped out at 101 touches in his final abbreviated college season. He's not used to heavy workloads. I'm wondering if it's having an impact. And for New York, James Robinson has been a disaster. He remains unstartable in fantasy, and he's capping Michael Carter's ceiling.
Saints vs. Rams -- Juwan Johnson. Wow. Five TDs in his last five games. What can said? Ride the wave. And Matthew Stafford's concussion creates a dilemma for the 3-7 Rams. Next they'll be in Kansas City, where the Chiefs might be the #1 DST of the week. If Stafford sits, I can't envision starting any Ram in Week 12.
Giants vs. Lions -- Detroit figured out how to stop Saquon Barkley. As you might recall, I screamed through my computer a few days ago, urging folks to pick up Matt Breida, with Barkley on pace for roughly 500 touches if the Giants made a deep playoff run. While the greater injury concern is with Wan'Dale Robinson (big story, no doubt), Barkley's over-usage could send a shockwave to fantasy leagues if he's ever forced to sit. And D'Andre Swift continues to take a backseat to the unbelievably dominant Jamaal Williams. Didn't see that coming.
Ravens vs. Panthers -- Status quo. All the key guys appeared to stay healthy. Most notably, D.J. Moore continued his pattern of struggling with Baker Mayfield at QB. (That's more on Baker, in case that's not clear.) And in the seven games since the start of October, Lamar Jackson has only seven touchdowns. I acknowledged earlier this season that I was probably wrong to rank Jackson so poorly this preseason. But he's averaged only 15.6 fantasy points per game since Week 4. We could blame it on the loss of Rashod Bateman, or on Mark Andrews missing some time. If he can't turn it around next week in Jacksonville, he probably won't the week after against Denver.
Texans vs. Commanders -- Dameon Pierce had 17 total yards on 12 touches. Rex Burkhead didn't see the ball once. And Eno Benjamin was inactive. I'm wondering if Eno will be active this coming weekend, and if so, will that suggest he'll get at least a little run behind Pierce, with Houston having no incentive to run their star rookie into the ground. For Washington, no division since the 2002 realignment has sent four teams to the playoffs. Somehow, the Commanders--winners of five out of six--have a great shot. And Antonio Gibson is playing some great football as the lightning to Brian Robinon's thunder. Or something like that. The point is, Gibson's efficiency increased when Robinson returned to the field.
Broncos vs. Raiders -- Denver might be one of the league's most broken teams. There's not much to say, except that Kendall Hinton delivered as well as he could have in such a weak passing attack. And for Vegas, Derek Carr is playing for his contract. The Raiders have an easy out ($5 million in dead cap) if they bail on Carr after this season. The "franchie" QB has to excel down the stretch. Consider that if you're in a deep league or two-QB league.
Vikings vs. Cowboys -- What happened here? Most notably to me, Adam Thielen has only two scores, and he seems to have a soft ceiling of about 70 yards. That doesn't make for a reliable streamer. And Tony Pollard is freakin' insane. If you drafted him (or refused to trade him), congratulations.
Steelers vs. Bengals -- Najee Harris is back? Sure, and with Jaylen Warren exiting early, we might see a lot more of Najee in a tough matchup in Indy next weekend. That'll be the true test as to whether he's a must-start RB again. And a concussion knocked out Joe Mixon, elevating Samaje Perine to hero status. If Mixon sits in Week 12, Perine would face a tough Tennessee defense--though his excellent hands would make him a must-start option.
Chargers vs. Chiefs -- Finally, another classic game between these two teams. Mike Williams exited early, which is never good. Keenan Allen is back in the must-start conversation as long as he didn't have a setback. And Kadarius Toney and Clyde Edwards-Helaire also exited, while Jerick McKinnon fumbled. So naturally, my repeated warnings about Isiah Pacheco caught up with me. He looked terrific while scoring 10.7 fantasy points. But . . . no targets. So let's see if Pacheco is finally breaking through as a fantasy streamer, or if he thrived because of who he was facing.
And quickly for tonight, I've got the Niners winning 27-20. If you have a prediction, leave it below as always.
Falcons vs. Bears -- Kyle Pitts left with a knee injury. If he misses time, Drake London might get the biggest bump, but that's all relative in this weak passing offense. And more notably (no offense to Pitts fans), Justin Fields hurt his left shoulder. At 3-8, the Bears surely won't try to rush him back. All you two-QB leaguers, Trevor Siemian would be a must-add, and actually David Montgomery would get a significant boost; I expect he'd be featured more in the passing game.
Bills vs. Browns -- James Cook has arrived. A huge game for the rookie, and likely a sign of things to come, as Devin Singletary is anything but a bell cow. And for Cleveland, Amari Cooper had his third game with at least 10 catches, 100+ yards, and at least one score. I never saw this coming, admittedly. He's currently the overall WR10. Incredible.
Colts vs. Eagles -- A lot that could be discussed. What I found most interesting is that Parris Campbell has now caught 72% of his targets, which is an exceptionally good mark. He's the real deal whose only kryptonite is injuries. And Boston Scott earned five touches compared to zero for Kenneth Gainwell. Very important for you deep leaguers who need a TD-dependent RB flier.
Patriots vs. Jets -- Damien Harris is back! And Rhamondre Stevenson has slowed considerably in the last four weeks. Stevenson topped out at 101 touches in his final abbreviated college season. He's not used to heavy workloads. I'm wondering if it's having an impact. And for New York, James Robinson has been a disaster. He remains unstartable in fantasy, and he's capping Michael Carter's ceiling.
Saints vs. Rams -- Juwan Johnson. Wow. Five TDs in his last five games. What can said? Ride the wave. And Matthew Stafford's concussion creates a dilemma for the 3-7 Rams. Next they'll be in Kansas City, where the Chiefs might be the #1 DST of the week. If Stafford sits, I can't envision starting any Ram in Week 12.
Giants vs. Lions -- Detroit figured out how to stop Saquon Barkley. As you might recall, I screamed through my computer a few days ago, urging folks to pick up Matt Breida, with Barkley on pace for roughly 500 touches if the Giants made a deep playoff run. While the greater injury concern is with Wan'Dale Robinson (big story, no doubt), Barkley's over-usage could send a shockwave to fantasy leagues if he's ever forced to sit. And D'Andre Swift continues to take a backseat to the unbelievably dominant Jamaal Williams. Didn't see that coming.
Ravens vs. Panthers -- Status quo. All the key guys appeared to stay healthy. Most notably, D.J. Moore continued his pattern of struggling with Baker Mayfield at QB. (That's more on Baker, in case that's not clear.) And in the seven games since the start of October, Lamar Jackson has only seven touchdowns. I acknowledged earlier this season that I was probably wrong to rank Jackson so poorly this preseason. But he's averaged only 15.6 fantasy points per game since Week 4. We could blame it on the loss of Rashod Bateman, or on Mark Andrews missing some time. If he can't turn it around next week in Jacksonville, he probably won't the week after against Denver.
Texans vs. Commanders -- Dameon Pierce had 17 total yards on 12 touches. Rex Burkhead didn't see the ball once. And Eno Benjamin was inactive. I'm wondering if Eno will be active this coming weekend, and if so, will that suggest he'll get at least a little run behind Pierce, with Houston having no incentive to run their star rookie into the ground. For Washington, no division since the 2002 realignment has sent four teams to the playoffs. Somehow, the Commanders--winners of five out of six--have a great shot. And Antonio Gibson is playing some great football as the lightning to Brian Robinon's thunder. Or something like that. The point is, Gibson's efficiency increased when Robinson returned to the field.
Broncos vs. Raiders -- Denver might be one of the league's most broken teams. There's not much to say, except that Kendall Hinton delivered as well as he could have in such a weak passing attack. And for Vegas, Derek Carr is playing for his contract. The Raiders have an easy out ($5 million in dead cap) if they bail on Carr after this season. The "franchie" QB has to excel down the stretch. Consider that if you're in a deep league or two-QB league.
Vikings vs. Cowboys -- What happened here? Most notably to me, Adam Thielen has only two scores, and he seems to have a soft ceiling of about 70 yards. That doesn't make for a reliable streamer. And Tony Pollard is freakin' insane. If you drafted him (or refused to trade him), congratulations.
Steelers vs. Bengals -- Najee Harris is back? Sure, and with Jaylen Warren exiting early, we might see a lot more of Najee in a tough matchup in Indy next weekend. That'll be the true test as to whether he's a must-start RB again. And a concussion knocked out Joe Mixon, elevating Samaje Perine to hero status. If Mixon sits in Week 12, Perine would face a tough Tennessee defense--though his excellent hands would make him a must-start option.
Chargers vs. Chiefs -- Finally, another classic game between these two teams. Mike Williams exited early, which is never good. Keenan Allen is back in the must-start conversation as long as he didn't have a setback. And Kadarius Toney and Clyde Edwards-Helaire also exited, while Jerick McKinnon fumbled. So naturally, my repeated warnings about Isiah Pacheco caught up with me. He looked terrific while scoring 10.7 fantasy points. But . . . no targets. So let's see if Pacheco is finally breaking through as a fantasy streamer, or if he thrived because of who he was facing.