A surprisingly low number of notable injuries yesterday. But of course if you were impacted by one or more, it probably felt like a lot. Here's the biggest fantasy storyline coming out of Sunday for all 26 teams that played:
Falcons -- Drake London left with a hip injury, but even so, he and Kyle Pitts combined for only three of Kirk Cousins' 24 targets. Darnell Mooney led the way and is now on pace for 1,111 yards. An incredible rebirth for a player I'd completely given up on the last two years.
Cowboys -- Saturday's column: "This is either a get-right contest or a cry for help. Dak Prescott has never had a worse season. Is he a buy-low QB?" Sunday: Dak exits with a hamstring injury, Dallas loses, and this is shaping up to be a rough November. Their next three games are against teams that are 6-2, 6-3, and 7-2. Cooper Rush would be at least serviceable in deep leagues if Dak misses time. But it'd be terrible news for anyone rostering any Dallas receiver.
Bills -- Ray Davis continues to loom. I get that some managers are convinced (for good reason) that James Cook is the firm #1. I see his status as far more tenuous. On a side note, if Tyler Bass had missed that game-winning field goal, would Miami have let Jason Sanders attempt a 67-yarder? Compared to a decade ago, 60 is the new 50. At some point we'll see back-to-back field goal tries.
Dolphins -- Ugh. Many of us have been waiting for Tua's return, which would jumpstart this offense and surely catapult Tyreek Hill to something close to eliteness, while Jaylen Waddle could return to weekly-starter status. Instead, we're left wondering if the 2-6 Fins are one November defeat away from a highly probably lost season.
Bengals -- It was all Chase Brown. Didn't make sense to me with Cincy up 21 in the third quarter, and the rising star still getting every touch on the ground. But there you have it. It'll be beyond interesting to see how this team uses him on Thursday after a mammoth workload.
Raiders -- Saturday's column: "Who will lead this backfield, and will it matter?" Sunday: Zamir White had the fewest touches and the most fantasy points. Alexander Mattison had the most touches and the fewest fantasy points. Ameer Abdullah was in the middle on both. A strange box score, and also sadly not surprising.
Browns -- Saturday's column: "Is Cedric Tillman now a weekly must-start WR?" Sunday: Surely.
Chargers -- Saturday's column: "Ladd McConkey is on pace for a 73-913-10 rookie campaign. Will a returning Quentin Johnston slow him down?" Sunday: Johnston made the biggest splash, with the difference coming on a 66-yard TD reception. McConkey is still winning on volume, though it seems clear there's no alpha (yet).
Titans -- Saturday's column: "Once again, how much can we trust Calvin Ridley, especially with DeAndre Hopkins long gone?" Sunday: It took some time, but Ridley finally broke through. He's been targeted 40 times in his last four outings. Managers need to hope Mason Rudolph remains under center for the rest of the year.
Patriots -- Saturday's column: "Hunter Henry has been more than serviceable since Drake Maye took over. A surprisingly key fantasy question is whether we can now view Henry as a weekly starter." Sunday: Henry did it again. In a thinned-out receiver corps, the capable journeyman is doing everything except scoring.
Giants -- If Devin Singletary wasn't droppable in most leagues 2-3 weeks ago, he is now.
Commanders -- Saturday's column: "Austin Ekeler is quietly posting numbers that should keep him relevant regardless of whether he finds the end zone." Sunday: He found the end zone and led his backfield with 14 touches. As long as Brian Robinson's out, Ekeler will remain Washington's safest weekly RB.
Panthers -- Saturday's column: "Will Xavier Legette out-perform Jalen Coker?" Sunday: Yes, which is good news for those who got in on the ground floor. Speaking of ground floor, Ja'Tavion Sanders is probably available in your league. He was a slight bargain on my draft board this summer, but not enough to make him draftable. Now he has three solid performances in the last four weeks. The rookie is talented, and in a depleted receiving corps, he's needed.
Saints -- A scary injury for Chris Olave, who reportedly is now all right and traveling back home with his team. New Orleans is now simply playing out the schedule. The team can play it especially safe with their star receiver, which would be rough for managers who invested big draft capital.
Ravens -- Saturday's column: "What impact will Diontae Johnson make, particularly on Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman?" Sunday: Aside from a Week 7 blip, Flowers has been on fire with four 100+ yard efforts in his last five games. It'll be tough to bet against him when Johnson gets up to speed. But that level of production doesn't seem close to sustainable.
Broncos -- Saturday's column: "Is Bo Nix a weekly fantasy starter, or will this trip to Baltimore bring him back to earth?" Sunday: Back to earth. More notably, Audric Estime did mop-up work and continues to look like a rising star.
Eagles -- Saturday's column: "Saquon Barkley's passing-game usage has steadily declined. He needs more to elevate his floor beyond TD-dependency." Sunday: His first TD catch since Week 1, and the most receiving yards all season.
Jaguars -- There is no one player to focus on here. If they fall to 2-7, Jacksonville almost undoubtedly will be looking to 2025. Travis Etienne, as always, is a huge player to watch. I think he'll stay with this team, but plenty of smart people think otherwise.
Cardinals -- Saturday's column: "Can we now trust Marvin Harrison Jr.?" Sunday: Apparently not. Oh, and Trey Benson seems ready to jump in if needed.
Bears -- Saturday's column: "Few QBs have been as hit-or-miss as Caleb Williams." Sunday: Continued unpredictability, which is obviously agonizing for managers rostering Chicago playmakers.
Packers -- Jayden Reed has hit double-digit points in every game where he's netted 6+ targets -- and in no games where he hasn't hit 6+.
Lions -- Saturday's column: "Will Sam LaPorta make up ground with Jameson Williams suspended for one more game?" Sunday: It's getting dire.
Seahawks -- Saturday's column: "Again, Jaxon Smith-Njiba. To what extent is he an ascending wideout?" Sunday: To the full extent.
Rams -- Saturday's column: "Matthew Stafford has been, on average, fantastic when Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are both active." Sunday: Nacua missed most of this contest, so it's hard to gauge what might have been another terrific outing. Still, Stafford secured about 18 fantasy points, which most managers can celebrate given how easy he's been to acquire.
Vikings -- Saturday's column: "Sam Darnold seems to be overvalued or undervalued depending on who you talk to." Sunday: The numbers remain solid, though he needed a season-high 34 throws to get it done. Most weeks he'll probably need only 27 to 29. After a blistering September, he's settled into streaming territory.
Colts -- Saturday's column: "Joe Flacco is now the semi-permanent starter. Many managers are holding their breath, hoping they can safely start Josh Downs and/or Michael Pittman." Sunday: Flacco's worst start in a long time, though through the air it wasn't much worse than what Anthony Richardson has done. Downs got his points. But with the Bills, Jets, and Lions on the horizon, we'll see if the ol' Flacco Magic is still in play.
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