Similar to last Sunday, several teams are facing must-win games today. In fact, some are in "must-*must*-win" mode, if that's even a thing. And we managers should care, because last season the Packers were the only 9-8 team to earn a Wild Card berth. Every other Wild Card team was 10-7 or better.
If this holds somewhat true this year -- if only teams with winning records have a realistic shot at the postseason -- then a bunch of squads are on the edge of needing to win out. For example, if the 3-5 Cowboys crap the bed against Philly, CeeDee Lamb becomes a slightly-higher-risk option for the fantasy playoffs, especially with the news that Dak Prescott won't be back this year. It doesn't help that their remaining schedule includes a road contest against Philly and two matchups against Washington. Cincy and Houston are also on the docket.
The 3-6 Jets are in an even worse situation. They're on the road against the streaking Cards (three straight wins) and still have to face the Bills on the road and two games versus the Dolphins. If they're 3-7 heading into Week 11, they'll be on the verge of a lost season.
And the 2-6 Fins of course are the other "good" summer team dealing with the prospect of playing meaningless games down the stretch. The Cowboys, Jets, and Dolphins had the 10th, 11th, and 12th best preseason Super Bowl odds, respectively. Managers invested heavily in Lamb, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, De'Von Achane, Tyreek Hill, and (to a slightly lesser extent) Jayden Waddle. It's realistic that at least some of these players will be worthless when playoff-bound managers need them most.
Also today, keep an eye on Saquon Barkley and Austin Ekeler. Both are also competing this Thursday. Last week, Washington's Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez combined for 19 touches. Neither was fantasy-relevant, as Ekeler converted 14 touches into 17.3 fantasy points. But with Brian Robinson's possible Week 11 return, this backfield could be a cluster in both games. For example, we might see Ekeler, McNichols, and Rodriguez once again splitting touches. Then if Robinson's back on Thursday, he might be eased in, raising questions about his fantasy viability, and by extension, that of Ekeler and even McNichols or Rodriguez. If Ekeler dominates touches today, it will open the door for more involvement from the other RBs in four days.
And Barkley is on pace for a career-high 376 regular-season touches. Maybe the Eagles throw caution to the wind and keep feeding him 22+ times. Or maybe with a faceoff against Washington on deck, they need to be more calculating: Give Barkley massive workloads in both games? Or try to give Kenneth Gainwell as much work as game script allows today, and then be ready to unleash Barkley on Thursday?
Good luck today.
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