A mostly injury-free day, but a lot of surprises. Here are the biggest fantasy outcomes of Sunday's games:
Panthers -- Saturday's column: "Xavier Legette has scored in four of his last six games. The rookie has been a deep-league stash all year. Now he's well-positioned to become Carolina's #1 WR the rest of the way." Sunday: Jalen Coker out-targeted Legette 8-4, while TE Ja'Tavion Sanders had the fourth "good" performance in his last five outings. It's all too cluttered for such a weak passing attack.
Giants -- Saturday's column: "Theo Johnson is shaping up to be, at minimum, a solid second-tier option on a team frequently playing from behind." Sunday: Johnson is still hanging in as a serviceable streamer, but with Daniel Jones throwing zero touchdown passes in four of hist last five games, Johnson's realistic ceiling remains quite low.
Bears -- Saturday's column: "DJ Moore's stock couldn't be much lower." Sunday: Apparently, it can go much lower. Caleb Williams hasn't scored in three straight while averaging only 156 passing yards. Throwing to four quite capable receivers, Williams isn't doing enough to suggest Moore is anything more than a nice-upside dart throw.
Patriots -- Saturday's column: "Will Hunter Henry slow down, and/or will DeMario Douglas ramp up?" Sunday: Henry took a backseat to Austin Hooper, though they both had four targets, and Douglas remained involved. Nothing exciting to see here.
Colts -- Saturday's column: "Can we still call Joe Flacco a receiver-elevating QB?" Sunday: Somewhere between "barely" and "sure." It's a wide chasm. Flacco looked outmatched for much of this one, but three of his WRs hit 13+ points. Managers rostering Josh Downs or any other Indy wideout need to hope Flacco remains under center.
Bills -- Keep an eye on Dalton Kincaid's knee injury, which could push Dawson Knox into streaming territory.
Chiefs -- A miraculous blocked field goal keeps them undefeated. It's worth noting that Kareem Hunt (a) is dominating in fantasy, and (b) has been a poor rusher. The latter shouldn't matter because of volume and touchdown opportunities. But when your starting RB -- a guy who no one else wanted to sign -- rushes 111 times for 380 yards (3.4 YPC) in his last five contests, we shouldn't ignore it. Although KC doesn't have any other realistic options, Isiah Pacheco's potential late-November return looms.
Broncos -- Saturday's column: "Is this the week Audric Estime pushes Javonte Williams for at least a share of #1 duties?" Sunday: Yes, and it wasn't even close. After being sporadically effective this year, and with worsening advanced metrics suggesting he's still nowhere close to the runner he was a few years ago, this might now be Estime's backfield.
Saints -- Saturday's column: "Beyond Alvin Kamara and presumably Taysom Hill, who will contribute to this offense with Chris Olave ailing?" Sunday: I had thought Juwan Johnson would get more involved. Instead, Marquez Valdes-Scantling crushed it on only three targets. Don't go rushing out to snag MVS unless you're mentally prepared to accept the busts with the booms.
Falcons -- Saturday's column: "Even with Drake London on the right side of questionable, should we view Darnell Mooney as a must-start?" Sunday: Yes.
Buccaneers -- Saturday's column: "This backfield battle remains fascinating if you're not rostering any of them, and frustrating if you are. Still waiting to see if it clears up, and each passing week that seems less likely." Sunday: With Bucky Irving and Rachaad White scoring, managers must be happy. It also marks White's fourth straight game with at least one TD.
49ers -- Saturday's column: "The return of Christian McCaffrey: How much volume will he receive?" Sunday: Plenty, but not too much. He's primed for a strong second-half push. And Ricky Pearsall netted his first touchdown and looks like a weekly deeper-league streamer.
Commanders -- More strong fantasy numbers for Austin Ekeler. It's not always pretty these days, and it's also encouraging to see him convert two goal-line scores in Brian Robinson's absence.
Steelers -- Saturday's column: "Last weekend, Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin combined for a 7-116-1 receiving line. The acquisition of Mike Williams might cancel everyone out and even cap George Pickens. Or . . . maybe Williams is more of a name these days than a weekly impact receiver." Sunday: They combined for eight targets, but Williams walked away with more points on merely one catch. Pickens remains the only Pittsburgh WR we can (mostly) trust.
Jaguars -- Saturday's column: "Should managers try to trade for Travis Etienne at, say, 50% of his preseason value? It really could go either way." Sunday: Tank Bigsby's injury opened the door for Etienne, who had a couple of nice runs and not much else. If Bigsby misses time, Etienne would be a stream-and-hope RB against Detroit.
Vikings -- Saturday's column: "The ramping up of T.J. Hockenson: Is he a safe start?" Sunday: Yes.
Chargers -- Gus Edwards' return capped J.K. Dobbins. It was a nice run for Dobbins. Now things could be messy.
Titans -- Tyjae Spears returned after nearly a month and looked good. While Tony Pollard's job is secure, managers should be wary of Spears' presence in a sub-par offense.
Cowboys -- Saturday's column: "Is Cooper Rush streamable in a seemingly plus offense that in actuality has been operating as a sub-par offense?" Sunday: Not at all, and now the ball might be handed to Trey Lance. The disastrous impact to this receiving corps is all too obvious.
Eagles -- Saturday's column: "In his last three games, Kenneth Gainwell has secured 25 touches. With Saquon Barkley on pace for 376 touches -- and potentially 400+ if Philly reached the playoffs -- we might expect Gainwell to remain at least semi-involved in the short term." Sunday: Gainwell had several touches while it was still a one-touchdown game. So despite the blowout, Gainwell's performance reconfirms his status as a slightly glorified handcuff.
Cardinals -- Saturday's column: "Trey Benson had nine touches last weekend. Perhaps more importantly, four of those came in the first half. Let's see if it's a sign of things to come." Sunday: No doubt, Conner keeps crushing it fantasy-wise and has generally run very well. But Benson looks too good to remain on the sidelines.
Jets -- Saturday's column: "Aaron Rodgers has produced 17+ fantasy points in three of his last four games, after doing that only once in his first five games. Is he now a locked-in streamer?" Sunday: Not at all. The Jets now have to go 7-0 to be somewhat assured of a playoff spot, and 6-1 to have an outside chance. It's a risky time to roster Rodgers in superflex, or any other core playmaker in any league.
Texans -- C.J. Stroud's struggles continue, and once again it's not entirely his fault with Stefon Diggs finished and Nico Collins still sidelined. However, with several tough defensive opponents remaining, it's fair to wonder if he'll be a must-start in any of the season's remaining weeks.
Lions -- Saturday's column: "Maybe Sam LaPorta will have a couple of great performances the rest of this year. But with Detroit cooking at 7-1, there's probably not much urgency to shake things up." Sunday: His second solid outing in his previous three games, though it came at the expense of talented teammates. He's still a start-and-hope TE.
---