Wow, a lot to unpack. So let's get to it. But first . . . I'm picking the Saints to beat the Ravens tonight, 23-21. If you want to make a prediction, share below as always.
And . . . I'm now 2-for-2 on my DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week. This one finished in the top 25% in DraftKings and (with the tweaks I recommended to make it fit under the salary cap) top 12% in FanDuel. Will go for three-in-a-row next weekend.
Falcons vs. Chargers -- I was surprised to see Cordarelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier do as well as they did together. But Patterson caught only one pass--the same as Allgeier. And Allgeier ran far better. Too soon to know if Patterson will be more TD-dependent than earlier this season, but something to monitor. And rookie Isaiah Spiller earned seven carries. I could talk about Josh Palmer or DeAndre Carter or Austin Ekeler, etc. But if Spiller continues to get volume, he could be a very valuable handcuff.
Bears vs. Dolphins -- Fields broke the all-time record for QB rushing yards in a game. While the passing game continues to look mostly mundane, we can't argue with his fantasy numbers in recent weeks. With the Lions and Falcons on deck, he probably won't need the passing game to improve to still net 20+ points. And for Miami, Jeff Wilson outplayed Raheem Mostert. I shared last week that I thought he had a great chance at taking over the lead role at some point. Maybe it happened in his first game.
Bengals vs. Panthers -- All those time I poo-poo'd Joe Mixon. All of those times deserved (I think). And now one blow-up game later, he's the overall RB2. Of course, we want consistency with supposedly elite RBs. But if he's now officially back to his 2021 self, then I'll be happy to eat crow. And Baker Mayfield replaced the previously high-flying P.J. Walker, while D'Onta Foreman couldn't get anything going. But Terrace Marshall now has two great games in a row, and maybe it's time to consider him a real challenger to D.J. Moore's #1 WR status.
Lions vs. Packers -- James Mitchell scored in his first game without T.J. Hockenson. Keep tabs on him if you don't have a top-12 TE. And injured to Aaron Jones and Romeo Doubs could transform this offense and managers' fantasy outlooks. A.J. Dillon might finally get his chance this season, while Allen Lazard could elevate to weekly must-start territory. We'll probably know more today or tomorrow.
Patriots vs. Colts -- J.J. Taylor earned 11 touches as Rhamondre Stevenson's backup. Taylor is not the answer, and we didn't need to see his dismal performance to prove that. But it is interesting that Pierre Strong didn't get a touch. If Damien Harris remains sidelined, Stevenson's value will be even higher knowing the low-ceiling Taylor is his backup. And I cautioned some of you about Deon Jackson, believing he'd top out at about 12 points (or maybe 14; I don't remember). New England force Sam Ehlinger to throw, and it wasn't pretty. Ehlinger doesn't (yet?) have the ceiling to feed his receivers.
Jets vs. Bills -- Never saw this coming. Believed the Bills would overpower New York. Credit the Jets players and coaches for a seemingly flawless plan and execution. For the Jets, Garrett Wilson is officially a weekly streamer, or better. We can't say the same about any other Jet receiver. And for Buffalo, Nyheim Hines got only one target. Unless he's still acclimating to his new team, it's possible James Cook is still the #2 RB.
Commanders vs. Vikings -- The Brian Robinson / Antonio Gibson question still looms. I was on the Robinson bandwagon beginning in early August. Then last week I saw enough to push Gibson as a better bet, particularly in PPR. After this game, I think Gibson still has the edge. And Hockenson looks like a great fit in Minnesota. K.J. Osborn might be the biggest loser, as the team now has four terrific playmakers ahead of him.
Jaguars vs. Raiders -- Aside from the huge numbers from some big-time performers, are there any new fantasy takeaways? For Jacksonville, Evan Engram exited with a back injury, just as he was starting to look like a capable streamer. And Foster Moreau was #2 in receiving yards for Vegas, but he also lost a fumble. Since we don't know when Darren Waller will return, Moreau remains a fascinating top-16 TE on a team that needs to throw to keep pace.
Cardinals vs. Seahawks -- Didn't expect Seattle to sweep Arizona this year. Incredible. James Conner returned and out-touched Eno Benjamin 12-5. That seems like a realistic expectation going forward, barring an injury or dramatic shift in effectiveness. And Kennetth Walker turned a quiet day into a dominating outing with two fourth-quarter TDs, making it five straight games with at least one score. He's arguably a top-5 RB.
Buccaneers vs. Rams -- As exciting as their last game was in the playoffs, this one was the opposite. Similarly exciting ending. But these are two beaten-up, beaten-down teams. For Tampa Bay, the Twitterverse went nuts when Ke'Shawn Vaughn got a touch before Rachaad White did. White remains one of the best handcuffs to roster, if only because Leonard Fournette has become an extraordinary liability on the ground. Since a terrific Week 1, Fournette's averaging only 2.9 YPC. That's almost benchable. And speaking of benchable, Cam Akers made his quiet return. Somehow, Darrell Henderson has re-emerged as the #1. I've given up on predicting what this backfield will do, except to say it won't do much.
Chiefs vs. Titans -- Misjudged this one, thinking the Chiefs would bring the same dominance we saw in San Francisco two weeks ago. Patrick Mahomes threw 68 passes and led his backfield with six carries. Incredible. Most notably, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Isiah Pacheco continues to show that Jerick McKinnon deserves more work. And McKinnon delivered. For Tennessee, I'm still not exactly sure how the Titans nearly won, despite Malik Willis completing only five passes. Oh yeah: Derrick Henry. It's probably been half a century since we've witnessed such a one-dimensional professional team (1972 Phillies? Anyone?). I'm not sure I'd even roster Robert Woods anymore, not that you need to hear that from me.
And . . . I'm now 2-for-2 on my DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week. This one finished in the top 25% in DraftKings and (with the tweaks I recommended to make it fit under the salary cap) top 12% in FanDuel. Will go for three-in-a-row next weekend.
Falcons vs. Chargers -- I was surprised to see Cordarelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier do as well as they did together. But Patterson caught only one pass--the same as Allgeier. And Allgeier ran far better. Too soon to know if Patterson will be more TD-dependent than earlier this season, but something to monitor. And rookie Isaiah Spiller earned seven carries. I could talk about Josh Palmer or DeAndre Carter or Austin Ekeler, etc. But if Spiller continues to get volume, he could be a very valuable handcuff.
Bears vs. Dolphins -- Fields broke the all-time record for QB rushing yards in a game. While the passing game continues to look mostly mundane, we can't argue with his fantasy numbers in recent weeks. With the Lions and Falcons on deck, he probably won't need the passing game to improve to still net 20+ points. And for Miami, Jeff Wilson outplayed Raheem Mostert. I shared last week that I thought he had a great chance at taking over the lead role at some point. Maybe it happened in his first game.
Bengals vs. Panthers -- All those time I poo-poo'd Joe Mixon. All of those times deserved (I think). And now one blow-up game later, he's the overall RB2. Of course, we want consistency with supposedly elite RBs. But if he's now officially back to his 2021 self, then I'll be happy to eat crow. And Baker Mayfield replaced the previously high-flying P.J. Walker, while D'Onta Foreman couldn't get anything going. But Terrace Marshall now has two great games in a row, and maybe it's time to consider him a real challenger to D.J. Moore's #1 WR status.
Lions vs. Packers -- James Mitchell scored in his first game without T.J. Hockenson. Keep tabs on him if you don't have a top-12 TE. And injured to Aaron Jones and Romeo Doubs could transform this offense and managers' fantasy outlooks. A.J. Dillon might finally get his chance this season, while Allen Lazard could elevate to weekly must-start territory. We'll probably know more today or tomorrow.
Patriots vs. Colts -- J.J. Taylor earned 11 touches as Rhamondre Stevenson's backup. Taylor is not the answer, and we didn't need to see his dismal performance to prove that. But it is interesting that Pierre Strong didn't get a touch. If Damien Harris remains sidelined, Stevenson's value will be even higher knowing the low-ceiling Taylor is his backup. And I cautioned some of you about Deon Jackson, believing he'd top out at about 12 points (or maybe 14; I don't remember). New England force Sam Ehlinger to throw, and it wasn't pretty. Ehlinger doesn't (yet?) have the ceiling to feed his receivers.
Jets vs. Bills -- Never saw this coming. Believed the Bills would overpower New York. Credit the Jets players and coaches for a seemingly flawless plan and execution. For the Jets, Garrett Wilson is officially a weekly streamer, or better. We can't say the same about any other Jet receiver. And for Buffalo, Nyheim Hines got only one target. Unless he's still acclimating to his new team, it's possible James Cook is still the #2 RB.
Commanders vs. Vikings -- The Brian Robinson / Antonio Gibson question still looms. I was on the Robinson bandwagon beginning in early August. Then last week I saw enough to push Gibson as a better bet, particularly in PPR. After this game, I think Gibson still has the edge. And Hockenson looks like a great fit in Minnesota. K.J. Osborn might be the biggest loser, as the team now has four terrific playmakers ahead of him.
Jaguars vs. Raiders -- Aside from the huge numbers from some big-time performers, are there any new fantasy takeaways? For Jacksonville, Evan Engram exited with a back injury, just as he was starting to look like a capable streamer. And Foster Moreau was #2 in receiving yards for Vegas, but he also lost a fumble. Since we don't know when Darren Waller will return, Moreau remains a fascinating top-16 TE on a team that needs to throw to keep pace.
Cardinals vs. Seahawks -- Didn't expect Seattle to sweep Arizona this year. Incredible. James Conner returned and out-touched Eno Benjamin 12-5. That seems like a realistic expectation going forward, barring an injury or dramatic shift in effectiveness. And Kennetth Walker turned a quiet day into a dominating outing with two fourth-quarter TDs, making it five straight games with at least one score. He's arguably a top-5 RB.
Buccaneers vs. Rams -- As exciting as their last game was in the playoffs, this one was the opposite. Similarly exciting ending. But these are two beaten-up, beaten-down teams. For Tampa Bay, the Twitterverse went nuts when Ke'Shawn Vaughn got a touch before Rachaad White did. White remains one of the best handcuffs to roster, if only because Leonard Fournette has become an extraordinary liability on the ground. Since a terrific Week 1, Fournette's averaging only 2.9 YPC. That's almost benchable. And speaking of benchable, Cam Akers made his quiet return. Somehow, Darrell Henderson has re-emerged as the #1. I've given up on predicting what this backfield will do, except to say it won't do much.
Chiefs vs. Titans -- Misjudged this one, thinking the Chiefs would bring the same dominance we saw in San Francisco two weeks ago. Patrick Mahomes threw 68 passes and led his backfield with six carries. Incredible. Most notably, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Isiah Pacheco continues to show that Jerick McKinnon deserves more work. And McKinnon delivered. For Tennessee, I'm still not exactly sure how the Titans nearly won, despite Malik Willis completing only five passes. Oh yeah: Derrick Henry. It's probably been half a century since we've witnessed such a one-dimensional professional team (1972 Phillies? Anyone?). I'm not sure I'd even roster Robert Woods anymore, not that you need to hear that from me.