Let's jump right in, highlighting each Sunday team's most notable fantasy storyline coming out of yesterday's games:
Browns -- Saturday: "The biggest question is whether Dillon Gabriel can effectively feed Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, David Njoku, and/or Harold Fannin. The over/under on 'how many' is probably 1.5 for now." Sunday: A strong debut for Gabriel, who managed to feed (fantasy-wise) both of his tight ends.
Vikings -- Saturday: "Was Zavier Scott's Week 4 breakout a game-script one-off, or a sign of things to come?" Sunday: After Jordan Mason's fumble, I wondered if Scott would get more run. But Mason righted the ship, and then Scott fumbled. No drama here.
Ravens -- Saturday: "For all the talk of Cooper Rush being a solid backup NFL quarterback (and he still might be), I would not start any Baltimore receiver with confidence against an above-average Houston pass D." Sunday: A complete disaster, and maybe worse than that. And Derrick Henry has scored less than 11 points in four straight.
Texans -- Saturday: "Is Woody Marks now officially the #1 RB, or does Nick Chubb still have slim stand-alone value?" Sunday: More than slim. Frustrating for managers waiting for the Marks era to begin.
Panthers -- Saturday: "It's Rico Dowdle's chance to shine . . . or remind everyone how good Chuba Hubbard is." Sunday: Wow. One of my biggest misses of the week. Thought he wouldn't hit double-digits. A huge hit to Hubbard's value.
Dolphins -- Saturday -- "Jaylen Waddle already has two double-digit fantasy-point outings this year. He had only three all of last season. With Tyreek Hill now out of the picture, we're about to find out whether Waddle can be consistently 'great.'" Sunday -- Only his second 100+ yard, 1+ TD performance since December 2023. But he's now (finally) on track to post his best numbers since 2022.
Eagles -- Saturday -- "A disgruntled A.J. Brown" looms over this offense. Sunday -- Four of the five main Philly playmakers essentially met fantasy expectations. Brown (5-43-0 receiving line) is the only one who didn't.
Broncos -- Saturday -- "Earlier this week, I 'sold high' on Woody Marks in a package deal that netted me RJ Harvey. But for now, JK Dobbins' 5.7 YPC stands in the way." Sunday -- Each passing week, Dobbins' bellcow role grows more secure.
Jets -- Saturday -- "I believe [Breece Hall's] matchup against Dallas could push him into the top 10. If it doesn't, then it will significantly change how I value him going forward." Sunday -- A brilliant performance, even if it didn't catapult him into the top 10. Interestingly, he's the only top-36 fantasy RB who hasn't yet scored.
Cowboys -- Saturday: "There's now a realistic scenario where TE1 Jake Ferguson remains #1 by season's end. He's doing it not with touchdowns (he has only one) but by leading all tight ends with 39 targets and an extraordinary 87.2% catch rate." Sunday: He's now on pace for the most TE fantasy points (293.1) since 2002's Travis Kelce and the fourth-most in seven seasons.
Saints -- Saturday: "Alvin Kamara versus the *potentially* ascending Kendre Miller." Sunday: Miller out-carried Kamara 10-8 and ran better, though Kamara did more through the air. We're on the verge of an RBBC.
Giants -- Saturday: "Can Darius Slayton achieve streamability?" Sunday -- Not at all, and a hamstring injury didn't help.
Colts -- Saturday: "[Daniel Jones] has a deceptively low-ish floor until/unless he runs more consistently and effectively." Sunday: One carry for two yards. The team is winning and Jonathan Taylor is healthy, so presumably nothing will change for now.
Raiders -- Saturday: "Jakobi Meyers versus Tre Tucker versus neither if Ashton Jeanty once again takes over." Sunday: A painfully negative game script capped everyone's ceiling, even with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer out. Next week's home matchup against Tennessee should be much different.
Seahawks -- Saturday: "Could Tory Horton leapfrog Cooper Kupp on the depth chart -- or at least from a fantasy perspective?" Sunday: Kupp's yards spiked (relatively speaking), but Horton got the score.
Buccaneers -- Saturday: "Rachaad White versus Sean Tucker in a (potentially) fascinating battle for the rest-of-season #2 role when Bucky Irving returns. White is the safer play. Tucker is the lottery ticket." Sunday: While both ran poorly, White was the unquestioned backfield leader and should be viewed as a must-start while Irving's out.
Cardinals -- Saturday: "Emari Demercado versus Michael Carter. Quite possibly massive fantasy implications in an offense that otherwise supports only two receivers." Sunday: Carter was pretty ineffective on 23 touches but netted a TD. Demercado had a 71-yard run that probably would have sealed the win, if not for his fumble. I'm not convinced that either will be top-30 RBs while Benson's out. Also, keep an eye on Kyler Murray's foot injury.
Titans -- Saturday: "[Various factors have] dramatically capped Tony Pollard's upside." Sunday: A strong outing for Pollard in light of Tyjae Spears' return.
Chargers -- Saturday: "In the next week or two, we'll know with much greater confidence whether [Ladd McConkey] is, in fact, the #3 WR." Sunday: He was third on the team with only 39 receiving yards, though his touchdown gave fantasy managers something to (kind of) cheer about. The bigger new is Omarion Hampton's injury and how it could put even more weight on this passing attack.
Commanders -- Saturday: "Jacory Croskey-Merritt versus Chris Rodriguez." Sunday: JCM's fumble doesn't detract from his dominant performance. There is no "versus" anymore.
Bengals -- Saturday: "Another chance for Jake Browning to give fantasy managers hope that Ja'Marr Chase (and to a lesser extent, Tee Higgins) can still help their team." Sunday: Down 28-3 in the fourth quarter, Browning and his receivers finally clicked. It's both encouraging and concerning, as it's hard to see how -- given their schedeule -- Cincinnati wins more than two games before the fantasy playoffs.
Lions -- Saturday: "I focused on Jameson Williams' fantasy struggles a week ago, and he then led Detroit in targets. But it didn't result in meaningful production. Tomorrow's soft matchup is a terrific opportunity to get him going." Sunday: A 1-9-0 receiving line on one target, and one carry for a yard. Every Lion who touched the ball either scored or hit 100+ yards . . . except Williams.
Bills -- Saturday: "Once again, Keon Coleman versus Khalil Shakir." Sunday: Both barely reached double-digits. Dalton Kincaid might outproduce both of them by season's end.
Patriots -- Saturday: "And . . . once again, Rhamondre Stevenson versus TreVeyon Henderson. I still believe Henderson will do more the rest of the year. We'll see." Sunday: More fumbling from Stevenson, and also more goal-line touchdowns. If Henderson were ready to take over, head coach Mike Vrabel would have had more than enough reasons to turn him loose. Today's podcast episode provides more context, including how Derrick Henry was deployed in Vrabel's first season as Tennessee's head coach.
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