Probably a hundred or more fascinating fantasy storylines emerged from yesterday's games. As always, let's walk through what I believe is each team's biggest, drawing largely from the pressure points outlined on Saturday:
Steelers -- Saturday: "DK Metcalf is barely out-targeting and out-producing Calvin Austin. Will Metcalf begin to separate himself as the clear-cut #1?" Sunday: 100% yes.
Vikings -- Saturday: "Carson Wentz played well enough in a soft matchup to warrant a close look in Superflex. Tomorrow will be a bigger test for whether he can still be a net positive for fantasy WRs and TEs." Sunday: He was overmatched for most of this contest and then finished incredibly strong. Both Justin Jefferson and the returning Jordan Addison were well fed. Wentz can still get it done.
Texans -- Saturday: "Nick Chubb vs. Woody Marks. While it's still Chubb's backfield, Marks closed the gap a bit last weekend. We'll soon know if that's the start of a trend." Sunday: Case closed? Maybe. I invested 11.5% of FAAB two weeks ago to snag Marks. At the time it felt steep, but also necessary.
Titans -- Saturday: "At what point is Calvin Ridley droppable, or will overcome his early-season struggles?" Sunday: How about now? Truly, this is why so many #1 overall QB draft picks flop as rookies. I've written about this many times, including detailing the past 15-20 #1's, and how nearly all of them were fantasy irrelevant. Most teams with #1's have sub-par (or even bottom-five) receiving corps. It's an awful situation for any rookie quarterback -- even the "good" ones.
Buccaneers -- Saturday: "If Chris Godwin (questionable) plays without limitations, he could immediately step into the #1 role . . . or he could take a permanent backseat to the ascending Emeka Egbuka." Sunday: The latter. With this performance, Egbuka might have supplanted the most entrenched WR duo of the past seven years as this franchise's new #1.
Eagles -- Saturday: "Some broken records need to be continually re-played. After nearly breaking the record for most RB touches in a season, Saquon Barkley is on pace for close to 400. His inefficiency should not be surprising." Sunday: 23 more touches, as he escaped with a very good (but not "Barkley"-good) performance. He's still on pace for 387 touches, and last year's volume is (I believe) showing its effects.
Giants -- Malik Nabers' injury might be this weekend's biggest story, overshadowing Jaxson Dart's memorable NFL debut that helped left the winless Giants over the undefeated Chargers. Dart's otherwise promising fantasy outlook takes a big hit, and Darius Slayton -- who has a history of stepping up when thrust into an every-down starting role -- should be rostered in most leagues. (And check out today's podcast for more on Slayton's mostly underappreciated fantasy prowess.)
Chargers -- Saturday: Oronde Gadsden II "is probably one double-digit performance away from being a must-roster TE." Sunday: Well, that didn't happen. There are too many mouths to feed to expect 5+ targets per game (pretty much the minimum I look for in a fantasy-relevant TE). Also worth noting that I released three podcast episodes this summer explaining why Ladd McConkey (WR11 ADP) was the most overvalued top-20 WR. Last year's stats are irrelevant when an offense transforms this dramatically during the offseason.
Patriots -- Saturday: "Six fumbles in his past 19 games, yet Rhamondre Stevenson (according to reports) remains in good graces with head coach Mike Vrabel. I still believe TreVeyon Henderson will lead this backfield during the fantasy playoffs." Sunday: Stevenson out-touched Henderson 10-9 in a blowout win. But Henderson was more efficient and productive with an all-important score. This backfield is still trending the rookie's way.
Panthers -- Saturday: "Rico Dowdle's rising usage shouldn't ignore the fact that he's run pretty poorly. Last week's blowout victory over Atlanta opened the door for double-digit touches. That doesn't mean he's the 1B in this sub-par offense. He's probably closer to handcuff territory unless he can turn things around." Sunday: The game script flipped yesterday, giving Dowdle another 10 touches. Yet he was clearly less effective than Chuba Hubbard, whose grip on the starting job remains secure -- even if his fantasy streamability isn't.
Lions -- Saturday: "Is Jameson Williams the squeaky wheel in this offense, primed for a breakout?" Sunday: Jared Goff tried to get him the ball, as Williams led Detroit with eight targets. But he caught only two for 40 yards.
Browns -- Saturday: "There is a reasonable probability that if Cleveland loses, Joe Flacco won't make another NFL start." Sunday: An objectively awful performance, marking his worst QB rating in eight years. The longer Cleveland waits to sit him, the less time they'll have to develop a quarterback before 2026.
Bills -- Saturday: "To what extent can we start Keon Coleman and/or Khalil Shakir with moderate confidence, and will that change after this game?" Sunday: Shakir threaded the needle with a 5-69-1 receiving line on only five targets. Coleman's four targets were the next-most among Buffalo WRs/TEs. Both remain streamers at best.
Saints -- Saturday: Alvin Kamara's floor "is lower than it's ever been." Sunday: The long-awaited arrival of Kendre Miller . . . arrived. Awful news for those rostering the solid-yet-post-prime Kamara, who is decreasingly likely to make a sizable impact down the stretch for a currently 0-4 team.
Falcons -- Saturday: "An impressive nine targets per game [for Drake London] cannot compensate for poor QB play." Sunday: A fantastic bounce-back effort for Michal Penix, and London made his 10 targets count. It's a big step in the right direction for both guys. Also, Darnell Mooney exited with a hamstring injury, though he'll have a couple weeks to recover thanks to a Week 5 bye.
Commanders -- Saturday: "The backfield remains a massive question mark. Chris Rodriguez doesn't look like he's the answer. But Jacory Croskey-Merritt isn't gaining ground. If we see more from 30-year-old Jeremy McNichols, it will signal that the coaching staff isn't (yet) satisfied with the other two." Sunday: McNichols was essentially a non-entity, as Rodriguez (seven carries) and JCM (seven carries and two catches on two targets) made a strong case for continuing to share RB duties. Bad news for fantasy managers.
49ers -- Saturday: "Brock Purdy is back. How much of an impact will he have in a still-injury-riddled offense that has only two reliable playmakers (unless the questionable Jauan Jennings returns)?" Sunday: A shaky outing, though Ricky Pearsall got hurt, and 17 of Purdy's 38 throws went to a combination of Jake Tonges, Kyle Juszcyk, Demarcus Robinson, Luke Farrell, Kendrick Bourne, and Skyy Moore. On paper (with his starters healthy), Purdy is a nice buy-low in deep leagues and superflex.
Jaguars -- Saturday: "Brian Thomas Jr.: another early-round draft pick who's hard to unload for reasonable value, and who's difficult to trust in starting lineups." Sunday: He led the team with 49 receiving yards and co-led with seven targets. Somehow that's "progress." But truly, this was a stabilizing performance. I'd probably buy low if I could get him for top 26-30 value (a reasonable ask given how low his ceiling has looked).
Rams -- Saturday: "Puka Nacua is the WR1, but he doesn't even have a touchdown catch (though he did run one in). He's on pace for a blistering 164-1,887 receiving line. He's one of only three preseason top-10 WRs currently posting top-10 numbers." Sunday: He's now on pace for a record-breaking (and seemingly impossible) 465.4 fantasy points. A reminder that two years ago his preseason ADP was WR101.
Colts -- Saturday: "Is the formerly serviceable Josh Downs still fantasy-relevant, or is Michael Pittman Jr. running away with the #1 job?" Sunday: Pittman out-targeted Downs 10-5 and also was on the receiving end of Daniel Jones's only TD pass. The Downs-Pittman connection seems pretty strong.
Raiders -- Saturday: "Tre Tucker is the ultimate fact-or-fiction fantasy producer. Realistically, either he's ready to take over, or he'll settle into a high-upside-streamer role." Sunday: Ashton Jeanty was the offense, leaving little room for Tre Tucker to break through, while Jakobi Meyers' fantasy slide continued. Every time it seems this team has a reliable starter, something else happens.
Bears -- Saturday: "As referenced last week, it appears Rome Odunze has leapfrogged DJ Moore, who looks increasingly TD-dependent." Sunday: It happened again, so the "appearance" of a depth-chart shift seems to be semi-permanent at the quarter-turn of the fantasy season.
Chiefs -- Saturday: "Can Xavier Worthy immediately assert himself as the near-term alpha?" Sunday: When you lead your team in targets and receiving yards, the answer generally is "yes."
Ravens -- Saturday: "Derrick Henry is both incredible and coming up on 32 years old. His receptions per game have dwindled each year since 2021. He's both dominant (5.9 yards per carry and a touchdown per game) and surprisingly limited with only 13.7 carries per game." Sunday: The trend continued, though a negative game script definitely hurt. I don't think managers should panic . . . unless Lamar Jackson's reported hamstring injury leads to a multi-week absence. But also keep in mind that Henry's mileage (#30 in all-time rushing-attempts) is a net negative.
Cowboys -- Saturday: "Can George Pickens be a dominant fantasy force with CeeDee Lamb sidelined?" Sunday: 100% yes. A brilliant performance for him and the suddenly revived Dak Prescott.
Packers -- Saturday: "Has rookie Matthew Golden turned a corner and positioned himself to be a consistent #1 target for Jordan Love?" Sunday: Even with Jayden Reed and Christian Watson shelved, Golden took a firm backseat to Romeo Doubs before making a late run at double-digits on the final game-tying drive. He remains a "start-and-hope" streamer.
---