Some dramatic injuries yesterday, including one to a starting QB who might be a backup when he eventually returns. As always, here's the Monday morning rundown of the most notable fantasy impact for each Sunday team.
Jaguars -- Tank Bigsby was a highly effective offensive centerpiece, making it that much tougher for head coach Doug Pederson to call Travis Etienne the starter.
Patriots -- Saturday's column: "The passing attack now has some relevance." Sunday: Despite losing DeMario Douglas and having no running game, Drake Maye looked terrific moving the ball downfield. The only problem fantasy-wise is whether New England can develop a consistent #1 WR.
Falcons -- Saturday's column: "After a slow start, [Bijan Robinson] has a very good shot at dominating the rest of the way." Sunday: More Bijan, as he pushes further into near-elite RB tier. And note that Kyle Pitts led Atlanta with nine targets.
Seahawks -- Saturday's column: "How long can Tyler Lockett remain a fantasy thorn in the side of DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba?" Sunday: We'll see how severe Metcalf's injury is. Obviously, a potentially huge development for this receiving corps, with JSN poised to become a weekly must-start if Metcalf misses time.
Bills -- Saturday's column: "All eyes should be on James Cook vs. Ray Davis. A timeshare was always a possibility. Sunday will show us if Davis's first NFL start was enough to garner meaningful reps." Sunday: While Amari Cooper's Buffalo debut bolstered a fascinating WR corps, Davis ran considerably better than Cook, despite earning half the touches. I still believe this will shift closer to 50-50 territory.
Titans -- Mason Rudolph gives this team a better chance at fielding at least one fantasy-relevant WR per game.
Browns -- Saturday's column: As always, Deshaun Watson should be benched, but management won't let it happen. Sunday: As of this writing, it's believed Watson tore his Achilles. He's probably Cleveland's second- or third-best quarterback. Jameis Winston will play for a 2025 starting job, and he still has enough good receivers to make it difficult for management to re-install Watson as the starter.
Bengals -- Saturday's column: "Tee Higgins is averaging 15.73 fantasy points per game -- a career-high. Is he a comfortable weekly fantasy starter? Or is this a bit of a mirage?" Sunday: An extraordinary run for Higgins, whose impressive target share suggests this run can continue.
Packers -- Saturday's column: "As always, the WR corps is a beautiful mess. Lots to love, and also plenty of questions regarding pecking order." Sunday: More questions than answers, as Jayden Reed and Christian Watson took a backseat.
Texans -- A forgettable game through the air, and a good time to buy low on Tank Dell.
Colts -- Saturday's column: "Could Josh Downs supplant Michael Pittman as Indy's #1 WR?" Sunday: Not yet, and with Anthony Richardson under center, it's quite possible that no Indy WR will be a sure-fire start even in deeper leagues.
Dolphins -- Saturday's column: "Is Jaylen Wright here to stay, fantasy-wise?" Sunday: He ran better than De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert and didn't have a turnover (unlike Mostert). Wright is a fantastic buy-low RB with Tua nearing a return.
Vikings -- Did not expect Aaron Jones to be that productive. As long as he's healthy (sometimes a big "if"), he'll be almost defense-proof.
Lions -- Saturday's column: "Sam LaPorta will come up big at some point. Squeaky wheel, right? But it's gotta be frustrating for managers who burned an early-round pick." Sunday: Still frustrating, and probably even worse knowing Detroit's been scoring in buckets.
Giants -- Saturday's column: "The return of Devin Singletary, and the strong possibility that Tyrone Tracy will outproduce him the rest of the way." Sunday: A disastrous home loss and a seemingly untenable fantasy situation for those who drafted Singletary. Tracy isn't going anywhere. Best to trade Singletary to whoever has Tracy and hope you get mid-range RB handcuff value.
Eagles -- Saturday's column: Troubling metrics for Saquon Barkley. Sunday: Ah, right. It was a revenge game. Saquon looked incredible running over his hapless former team. Next week he'll be in Cincy, where the Bengals are yielding 1.0 fewer yards per carry than the Giants were entering Sunday.
Rams -- Tutu Atwell continues to dominate targets. It'll be interesting to see if he or Jordan Whittington (or even longshot Tyler Johnson?) is fantasy-relevant when Cooper Kupp returns. Unlikely, but possible.
Raiders -- Alexander Mattison took an important step forward in a backfield that once appeared to be Zamir White's to lose.
Commanders -- Jayden Daniels' early exit didn't harm the passing game too much. That said, it was against a sub-par Carolina defense. If Daniels can't suit up next week vs. the Bears, Terry McLaurin might be no better than a fringe starter with the formerly overmatched Marcus Mariota under center.
Panthers -- Saturday's column: "Chuba Hubbard gets at least one more week to dominate." Sunday: He didn't exactly dominate, but he gave fantasy managers enough. Not since MLB pitcher Steve Carlton circa 1972 has a a player this good done this well on a team this bad (slight exaggeration for effect).
49ers -- Saturday's column: "The backfield shake-up continues. Can Isaac Guerendo deliver again?" Sunday: No, it's still Jordan Mason's backfield until CMC returns, at least for now. And of course, Brandon Aiyuk's potentially serious knee injury might be a game-changer for rookies Ricky Pearsall and/or Jacob Cowing.
Chiefs -- Saturday's column: "Was JuJu Smith-Schuster's Week 5 breakout a fluke, or is he now the clear #1?" Sunday: JuJu left early, elevating Xavier Worthy to an alpha role. I would bet my living room couch (it's a comfortable couch) that K.C. will acquire a top-50 NFL wideout before the trade deadline.
Steelers -- Saturday's column: "George Pickens is one of the most talented underutilized WRs in fantasy." Sunday: With Russell Wilson making his Pittsburgh Debut, Pickens had a team-high nine targets, converting them into a 5-111-1 line. No other Steeler had more than four targets. It was his first score of the year, and he's now on pace for just north of 1,150 receiving yards.
Jets -- Saturday's column: "Davante Adams playing alongside Garrett Wilson. It's hard to envision [Aaron Rodgers] feeding two WRs -- or at least feed them as they're accustomed to being fed. Someone is going to be disappointed, and that includes about 8%-10% of fantasy managers." Sunday: Rodgers has thrown six picks in his last three outings. For context, in four full 16-game seasons from 2018 thru 2021, he never threw more than five picks. A post-prime Rodgers is becoming more liability than asset, and Adams' arrival is looking like a fantasy net-negative.
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