When Tua Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve a couple weeks, I discussed why Superflexers needing a QB should add Ryan Tannehill. Some of you pointed out that I overlooked the obvious: the recently signed Tyler Huntley was the QB to roster. Tannehill was and will remain irrelevant.
And that might be right. But last night was a blunt reminder of why Huntley started this season as a Baltimore third-stringer, and only after Cleveland released him August. Even with arguably the NFL's best after-the-catch WR tandem, the still-young journeyman could not generate much offense against one of the league's worst defenses -- a unit that even Malik Willis crushed.
The last time Tennessee won a road game by more than 10 points was Week 9 of the 2021 season. That the winless Titans beat the Dolphins by 19 . . . with a backup QB . . . with DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley combining for only 36 scoreless yards on three catches . . . it reinforces just how dire Miami's situation is.
If you're continuing to roster Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, you have to hope either Tua returns by midseason, and/or this franchise takes a page out of the 2023 Browns' playbook and signs a veteran play-caller who can give Miami a fighting chance at relevance. Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, Huntley . . . these are non-fixes. If the Dolphins want to compete -- and if (for our purposes) guys like Hill and Waddle and De'Von Achane might still be relevant during the fantasy playoffs -- they need to right this ship quickly.
More on the fantasy side: a positive game script enabled Tennessee to lean on the run, giving Tyjae Spears more carries (15) than he'd had in his first three contests. Still, he's struggled a lot on the ground, and Tony Pollard put a little more distance between them. As for Will Levis's injury, it might not matter. Whether it's him or Mason Rudolph, no more than one WR can be fed per week. And as we saw yesterday, sometimes it's zero. If you're starting any Titan except Pollard, you might be a lot better off scouring waivers.
For Miami, nice to see Jaylen Wright getting some run. We'll probably have no idea what he can do until he plays with, at minimum, a top-25 quarterback. As of now, he's far more valuable than Raheem Mostert or Jeff Wilson, and that'll be true even when one/both of those guys returns.
What Miami-Tennessee lacked in excitement, Detroit-Seattle more than compensated for it. After a slow start, the returning Kenneth Walker took over, and managers rostering him had to be thrilled that he dominated at the goal line. On Sunday I remarked that "If [Zach] Charbonnet gets maybe 7-9 touches tomorrow, good news for Walker." Charbonnet had seven. He was a change-of-pace back used largely on passing downs. Yes, he's useful in deep leagues and a must-roster in shallower leagues. But Walker was clearly "the guy."
A negative game script led to 56 pass attempts by Geno Smith. His previous career high was 47. He also enjoyed a career-best 395 passing yards. I would bet this is the last time D.K. Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett will each reach double-digit fantasy points in the same game.
For Detroit, the box score says it all. When this team cooks, everyone eats. Jared Goff pulled off the seemingly impossible, becoming (I believe) the first QB to complete 100% of his pass attempts on 18+ throws. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery both came through. Amon-Ra St. Brown hit 20+. Jameson Williams needed only two targets to secure 16 points. And even Sam LaPorta eased a bit out of his slump, picking up 53 yards on four receptions.
The recently arrived Tim Patrick -- whose resurfacing after multiple season-ending injuries merits a Lifetime movie starring Tim Patrick as himself -- gained 52 yards on two catches. That's a bit worrisome. Just a bit. Patrick at his best is better than any other tertiary Detroit receiver. If he gains a weekly foot-hold in this offense, Williams could become even more boom-bust, and not in a good way. Still too early to know, and also something to keep an eye on.
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