In the first 10 weeks, an average of 3.4 players per week hit 30+ fantasy points. Six have accomplished so far in Week 11. Let's dive into what this scoring means -- and really, what *all* of this means -- by examining the biggest fantasy impact for each Sunday team.
Bears -- Saturday's column: "Caleb Williams is unofficially on notice, or something like that. It's a stressful weekend for those rostering D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, and (if you're in a deep league) Keenan Allen." Sunday: Getting a couple of offensive linemen back certainly helped. But their schedule won't get any easier. While Williams' rushing yards helped, he's now gone four games without a touchdown.
Packers -- Saturday's column: "Strangely, my eye is on Christian Watson, who had a season-high six targets two weeks ago and a new-season-high seven targets last week. Was it situational, or does the former second-round draft pick finally have a half-decent floor?" Sunday: A Marquez Valdes-Scantling-like 4-150 receiving line for Watson. The former early second-round draft pick is unofficially the co-#1 WR alongside Jayden Reed.
Lions -- Saturday's column: "I'm interested in what Jameson Williams does. Williams was terrific in four of his first five outings and is a week removed from the end of his suspension. Can he deliver?" Sunday: Detroit has now hung 40+ points on four of their last seven opponents. Williams has come up big in three of those contests.
Jaguars -- Saturday's column: "With Tank Bigsby out, will Travis Etienne re-claim backfield dominance? Probably not, but when healthy he's run well enough to be considered undervalued." Sunday: It's hard to make sense of this one, since Jacksonville was so outmatched, and the locker room vibe reportedly is . . . not good. But it was awful timing for a running back who had a chance to re-assert his #1 status with Bigsby sidelined.
Titans -- Saturday's column: "Calvin Ridley has been on a role since DeAndre Hopkins' departure. Can we now call him a no-brainer weekly starter?" Sunday: Safe to say, yes. Despite topping out at only 9.8 points, he co-led the team in targets and remains a must-start WR in deeper leagues.
Vikings -- Saturday's column: "Jordan Addison has earned double-digit fantasy points only once in his last five games." Sunday: Although inefficient, Addison came through while co-leading his team with a healthy eight targets.
Dolphins -- Saturday's column: "What do managers do with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle? Seems I'll be asking that until/unless Miami folds in the towel on another season." Sunday: Waddle seems like a lost cause. Tyreek seems like a weekly low-probability top-12 WR. At least Miami has some momentum ahead of the fantasy playoffs.
Raiders -- Saturday's column: "Curious whether this remains a two-man backfield (plus Ameer Abdullah), or if a hot hand will develop." Sunday: Alexander Mattison and Zamir White exited with injuries. Abdullah can do only so much. There is a very, very outside chance that Vegas could elevate Sincere McCormick from their practice squad. They've done it before this season. The 24-year-old couldn't be much worse than any of their three active-roster RBs.
Patriots -- Saturday's column: "These days, Rhamondre Stevenson is almost entirely TD-dependent, though that's been enough to make him the overall RB21." Sunday: He got 12.9 points without scoring, which admittedly was a surprise. Still, he's been atrocious on the ground for most of the season. The hope is that New England's somewhat improved offense will keep the lead RB relevant.
Rams -- Saturday's column: "Puka Nacua still hasn't scored. He had 15 red-zone targets last year. He currently has only two in four games." Sunday: By my count, Nacua had two red-zone looks yesterday, converting one into a score. A pretty good sign -- or at least, slightly encouraging.
Saints -- Saturday's column: "Taysom Hill continues to amaze at age 34. With Jamaal Williams out, Hill seems like a great bet to continue netting 7+ touches." Sunday: Um, that was an understatement. Hill leads all fantasy scorers this week. I'm betting he's the first "tight end" in NFL history to his 40+ points while throwing an interception. He's somehow better than ever.
Browns -- Saturday's column: "Nick Chubb's post-injury drop-off at age 28 reminds me of Jamaal Charles' post-injury drop-off at age 29. Both all-time greats in terms of consistent dominance/efficiency. Fair to wonder if the 2-7 Browns shut down Chubb sooner rather than later." Sunday: If it's not already obvious, Chubb is little more than a weekly dart throw.
Jets -- With a 3-8 record, New York is four games out of a wild card spot with six to play. Had Greg Zuerlein not missed a 50-yarder in the final minute versus Denver in Week 4, the Jets probably would've been only two games out of a wild card spot. If you're rostering Breece Hall, Davante Adams, and/or Garrett Wilson, there has to be some anxiety about whether they'll be active deep into December.
Colts -- Saturday's column: "The return of Anthony Richardson atop the depth chart, at least for now. His ceiling remains incredible. But his floor is atrocious, and gravity keeps pulling him toward the floor." Sunday: Impressive on multiple levels. Detroit next weekend will be a bigger test.
Steelers -- Saturday's column: "Last week, Jaylen Warren finally ran better than Najee Harris. But Warren also lost a fumble. Is Harris still the safe 1A?" Sunday: Yes, for now, though Warren has looked better on the ground in recent weeks, just as he did most of last season.
Ravens -- Saturday's column: "Is Diontae Johnson droppable, or is a bust-out imminent?" Sunday: Without a doubt. And if you're in a dynasty league that includes kickers, Justin Tucker's decline is worrisome.
Broncos -- Saturday's column: "Once again, Audric Estime vs. Javonte Williams." Sunday: It was Williams' turn. Let's see if it sticks.
Falcons -- Saturday's column: "Drake London has scored 10+ points in eight of his last nine contests, and it would seven out of nine if we removed his six touchdowns. In other words, his overall floor is quite high." Sunday: Darnell Mooney's injury opened the door a bit more for London, who led Atlanta in targets and receiving yards. Although managers needed more than just 9.1 points, he's a far cry from the days when unstartable quarerbacks couldn't get him the ball.
49ers -- Saturday's column: "How bullish should we be about Ricky Pearsall?" Sunday: He took a firm backseat to Jauan Jennings, and of course Deebo Samuel. One more outing should tell us whether he's too risky to roster.
Seahawks -- Saturday's column: "With DK Metcalf expected to return, will Jaxon-Smith Njigba revert to a deep-league streamer role?" Sunday: JSN led the way in all major receiving categories. He's a pretty good bet to lead this WR corps the rest of the way.
Bills -- Saturday's column: "Amari Cooper (if he's good to go) or Khalil Shakir?" Sunday: Shakir had 4x as many catches and targets. Since Cooper arrived, Shakir's hold on the #1 job ironically might be tightening.
Chiefs -- Saturday's column: "With Isiah Pacheco possibly only a week away from returning, tomorrow might be Kareem Hunt's last chance to establish a meaningful role for the home stretch." Sunday: One week after earning a 7-65 receiving line on 10 looks, Hunt came up empty through the air. This *might* end up being the final start of his career. Too soon? Well, he's turning 30 next August and no other team wanted him. The touchdowns are fantastic, and his YPC isn't.
Chargers -- Saturday's column: "J.K. Dobbins vs. Gus Edwards. Dobbins is younger and more dynamic. We'll see if that's how it plays out." Sunday: Dobbins came on strong when it mattered most. Edwards is still an unstartable handcuff.
Bengals -- Saturday's column: "Will the returning Tee Higgins pick up where he left off pre-injury?" Sunday" Yes. He now has 489 yards and four TDs in six games. That tracks as a 1,386-11 pace across 17 weeks.
---
(3) PayPal -- same e-mail as always: fantasyfootballforwinners@gmail.comallforwinners@gmail.com