Nearly every preseason top-20 overall fantasy player has unperformed so far -- and many have underperformed dramatically, whether because of injuries or simply poor play. This kind of stuff happens every year, and this year it seems a little more intense. So let's try to make a little more sense of it, running down the most notable fantasy storyline for each Sunday team.
Bears -- Saturday's column: "Is Rome Odunze more valuable than Keenan Allen?" Sunday: The law of fantasy averages suggests most great players eventually hit their numbers. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions. But yesterday was Allen's turn. Even on a day when Caleb Williams threw four TD passes, Odunze and DJ Moore to a backseat to Allen and Cole Kmet.
Jaguars -- Saturday's column: "Travis Etienne vs. Tank Bigsby." Sunday: The Jags have hit rock bottom, and Etienne is the poster child for this team's struggles. If a hamstring injury keeps him out Week 7, Bigsby would get a chance to upend this depth chart more permanently.
Packers -- Saturday's column: "Once again, Dontayvion Wicks is an important fantasy question mark. Might be a top-30 WR if things break right, or might be mostly unstartable if things break sideways (or worse)." Sunday: Wicks' early exit couldn't have come at a worse time, as Romeo Doubs returned from the abyss. As long as he and Christian Watson (and of course Jayden Reed) are healthy/active, Wicks cannot be trusted as a streamer.
Cardinals -- A disastrous showing for Marvin Harrison Jr., who also suffered a concussion. I remain bullish about a guy who two years ago vs. Youngstown State ran faster on a TD reception than (reportedly) any NFL player has clocked. With his Week 7 availability in doubt, this is your buy-low moment.
Titans -- Saturday's column: "There's a squeaky-wheel element to Calvin Ridley this weekend." Sunday: Ridley didn't have a catch despite netting a team-high eight targets. Stuck with a bottom-tier QB, every Tennessee receiver will remain benchable in most leagues.
Colts -- Saturday's column: "Trey Sermon is in line for another start. Can he do enough to secure even a complementary role when Jonathan Taylor returns?" Sunday: Aside from an 11-yard run, Sermon collected 18 yards on his other 18 carries. Abysmal. Tyler Goodson looked terrific for the second straight week. If Taylor returns in Week 7, Sermon will be droppable in most leagues. Also, Michael Pittman reportedly is playing hurt, and he's not ruling out going on IR.
Patriots -- Drake Maye joins a long list of rookie QBs over the years whose NFL debuts leave us wondering, "Why did their head coach wait so long?" Clearly better than Jacoby Brissett, Maye didn't make noise until his sixth drive. But from that point forward, the offense looked solid. While it's way too soon to draw sweeping conclusions, at a minimum Demario Douglas has a real shot at relevance.
Texans -- Saturday's column: "Nico Collins' hamstring injury leaves a gaping hole in a passing attack that might or might not lean more heavily on Stefon Diggs. Can Tank Dell and/or Dalton Schultz get going?" Sunday: Dell led his team with nine targets, and Schultz was close behind with eight. The latter remains little more than a hopeful streamer. The former should be fine as long as Collins is out.
Saints -- Chris Olave's concussion and Rashid Shaheed's 1-11 receiving line on seven targets opened the door for fifth-round rookie Bub Means, who actually did his damage in the first half to help bring New Orleans back from a 17-0 hole. It's not unusual for rookie QBs to disproportionately feed rookie receivers. Spencer Rattler and Means appear to have chemistry. It's entirely possible that Means will lead this corps again in Week 7, with or without Olave.
Buccaneers -- Sean Tucker somehow overshadowed Bucky Irving, who wasn't too shabby in his first start. Anyone rostering Rachaad White now has to contend with (a) a continually ascending Irving, and (b) the possibility that Tucker will get some reps even when White returns.
Eagles -- Dallas Goedert joined the ranks of the injured (hamstring). Operating in a top-heavy offense, Grant Calcaterra will be a popular waiver add for TE-needy managers.
Browns -- I've been warning about Deshaun Watson for 15 months or more. Not much else needs to be said. Everyone is still benchable until/unless Jameis Winston gets a shot, which could happen when the potentially 2-7 Browns head into their Week 10 bye.
Ravens -- Zay Flowers and Lamar Jackson must've had a great conversation heading into Week 5, because in the last two games Flowers has earned 21 looks. Who knows whether it'll continue. But on one of the league's least-pass-friendly teams, Flowers' bolstered target share makes it more difficult to trust Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews, and Isaiah Likely (though in fairness, Andrews finally found the end zone).
Commanders -- Saturday's column: "Is Jeremy McNichols a more valuable hold than Austin Ekeler?" Sunday: McNichols touched the ball only twice yesterday, ceding 13 touches to Ekeler. McNichols has the better ceiling, but it won't matter if he's playing second-fiddle to Ekeler while Brian Robinson's out.
Broncos -- Saturday's column: "Is Javonte Williams now a reasonably good bet?" Sunday: Audric Estime's return clutters this backfield, which might be acceptable in a high-powered offense, but not in this one. Williams losing a fumble makes it even tougher to trust him.
Chargers -- Saturday's column: "Quentin Johnston vs. Ladd McConkey: who will score more points going forward?" Sunday: McConkey doubled Johnston's target total, in part because Johnston hurt his ankle. McConkey's growing presence can't be ignored, and it'll be notable whether Johnston's injury sidelines him.
Raiders -- Saturday's column: "As Davante Adams trade rumors heat up, we should wonder if Tre Tucker is ready to be a consistent streamer." Sunday: Tucker had zero catches on two looks, while 28-year-old Alex Bachman reeled in all three of his targets -- the first three of his career. It would be a minor miracle for Tucker to make headway in this offense until, at minimum, 2025.
Steelers -- Saturday's column: "Can Najee Harris play well enough to hold off Jaylen Warren when the latter returns?" Sunday: Harris ran brilliantly, and Warren didn't. This was a timeshare last season. Now it's Harris's jobs to lose.
Cowboys -- Dallas's worst loss in decades. Not much we can take away, other than Rico Dowdle's five catches, which is critically important for a fringe weekly starter that needs consistent air usage to move into the "pretty safe starter" camp.
Lions -- Saturday's column: "Is Jameson Williams as boom-bust as he appears to be?" Sunday: Yes, though he's endured only one bust performance this year. Not bad for a mostly overlooked preseason WR.
Panthers -- Saturday's column: "How long can Chuba Hubbard keep this up? Truly insane and seemingly entirely unsustainable in a pretty bad offense that frequently plays from behind." Sunday: Hubbard dominated again. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it's not dropping.
Falcons -- Saturday's column: "Will Bijan Robinson get going?" Sunday: Yes, and congrats to those who bought low.
Giants -- Saturday's column: "Is Tyrone Tracy the real deal, and does this mean Devin Singletary's days as a fantasy starter are virtually over?" Sunday: While Tracy mostly struggled on the ground, fantasy-wise he crushed it. Singletary wasn't exactly lighting it up before going down. Tracy is surely here to stay.
Bengals -- Saturday's column: "Still Chase Brown vs. Zack Moss, and you all know where I've stood on this since the outset (Brown's the better bet)." Sunday: Brown scored on 12 touches and Moss lost a fumble on seven touches. The writing has been on the wall the past three games.
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