Four teams' #1 WRs got hurt yesterday, and a fifth (de facto #1 Jauan Jennings) reportedly played with five broken ribs. These injuries and a few breakout performances have shifted a lot of fantasy values. As always, let's run through the biggest fantasy storyline for each Sunday team.
Jets -- Saturday: "The 'Breece Hall watch' is on, as the 0-5 Jets probably have a few weeks to decide whether to (a) trade Hall, (b) keep him with the intention of re-signing him, or (c) keep him with the intention of letting him walk after the season." Sunday: For only the second time in his career, Hall earned zero targets. He's frequently a TD-dependent RB in a sub-par offense. If you're rostering him, you're hoping he goes elsewhere. Oh, and Garrett Wilson yelled at his head coach and is getting ready to have an MRI on his knee. So there's that.
Broncos -- Saturday: "Courtland Sutton's only single-digit performance was in Week 2 -- the only game where Troy Franklin posted double-digits. Is this what we should expect going forward?" Sunday: Sauce Gardner's keeps a lot of #1's in check, so this might be a one-off. However, Evan Engram is starting to get going, adding a little more confusion to a middling passing attack.
Ravens -- Saturday: "The last time Derrick Henry averaged fewest fantasy points (11.9) was in 2017, when he was merely a 1B running back. With Cooper Rush struggling, tomorrow I'd be shocked if Baltimore didn't try to run the offense through Henry." Sunday: He netted 25 touches, but only 14 fantasy points. He's in the same camp as Breece Hall, but at least Henry should gett Lamar Jackson back after his bye week.
Rams -- Saturday: "My podcast episode from eight days ago raised the question: Can we now trust Matthew Stafford as a weekly fantasy starter? He's enjoying his second-best fantasy season since 2012." Sunday: Baltimore's D stepped up, and Puka Nacua exited early (before returning). That combination kept Stafford in single-digits. Nacua is currently questionable for Week 7, and we all know what impact his absence would have on this roster.
Jaguars -- Saturday: "Once again, all eyes are on Brian Thomas Jr., who dominated last year (in part) because he earned double-digit targets in his final six games. This year he's cleared seven targets only once." Sunday: An 8-90-1 receiving line on 10 targets. Patient managers finally got their payoff. Will it continue?
Seahawks -- Saturday: "In 12 games last season, Cooper Kupp had four red-zone touchdowns on six catches (10 targets). In five games this year, he has only two red-zone catches for zero TDs." Sunday: The good news is that he finally hit paydirt. The bad news is that Sam Darnold threw to him only three times. Kupp is merely a fringe streamer.
Panthers -- Saturday: "Will Rico Dowdle take care of business against a beatable Dallas D? If he does, it'll be hard to imagine Chuba Hubbard reclaiming the starting job." Sunday: Dowdle's final college season was in 2019. Entering the 2023 season, he had only seven NFL touches. Now he's collected nearly 500 offensive yards in an eight-day span. Today's FF4W podcast explains why managers need to cash out.
Cowboys -- Saturday: "Still amazed by Ryan Flournoy's breakout last weekend, and also still unsure whether he'll average more than seven fantasy points the rest of the year." Sunday: 6.3 fantasy points, and with CeeDee Lamb's return approaching, Flournoy is close to being droppable in most leagues.
Steelers -- Saturday: "How will Jaylen Warren's return impact Kenneth Gainwell, who absolutely crushed it in Pittsburgh's previous game?" Sunday: The team gave Warren 13 touches and Gainwell 12 ahead of Thursday's contest. It would shocking of Warren takes firm control of this backfield.
Browns -- Saturday: "On a podcast episode over the summer, I pushed Dillon Gabriel as a likely Superflex bargain despite his QB49 ADP, simply because there was no conceivable way that Cleveland would stick with Joe Flacco all year. Was Gabriel's impressive Week 5 debut an accurate indicator of his rest-of-season potential?" Sunday: Definitely a step back, as he did relatively little on 52 throws. Most notably, David Njoku left with a knee injury and Harold Fannin Jr. led all receivers with a 7-81-0 receiving line. Fannin Could be a must-start if Njoku misses time.
Saints -- Saturday: "Once again, Alvin Kamara vs. Kendre Miller, and with Kamara questionable and New Orleans' postseason "hopes" dim at best, the rest-of-season scales tilt toward Miller." Sunday: Kamara easily surpassed his season-high with 45 receiving yards -- which says everything about how low his ceiling has become. Both he and Miller struggled on the ground while mostly splitting carries. Maintaining the status quo favors Miller in the long term.
Patriots -- Saturday: "And once again, Rhamondre Stevenson vs. Treveyon Henderson." Sunday: No fumbles and no clear winner. It's worth highlighting that Stevenson had 11 targets in his first three games and only four in his last three while averaging only 1.6 yards per carry. Might be nothing, or might be signs of an upcoming depth-chart change.
Dolphins -- Saturday: "I'm still blown away by 33-year-old Darren Waller's resurgence." Sunday: A late touchdown saved his day. More importantly, however, is Tua Tagovailoa's post-game comments suggesting Miami's locker room is, to some degree, imploding. From where I'm sitting, there are no compelling reasons *not* to sell high on De'Von Achane and, to a lesser extent, Jaylen Waddle.
Chargers -- Saturday: "Kimani Vidal vs. Hassan Haskins. Or if Nyheim Hines is activated off the practice squad, it might not matter." Sunday: Hines had three kick returns, Haskins had seven quiet touches, and Vidal went bananas. Vidal might have just saved this franchise one or two draft picks that they might have traded away for a much-needed RB. It's now his backfield until Omarion Hampton (or perhaps Najee Harris) returns.
Colts -- Saturday: "Tyler Warren leads all tight ends with 307 receiving yards. But he's tied for 11th with only four red-zone targets and has zero catches on two targets inside the opposing 10. His jump from near-elite to elite probably hinges on whether he can become a more consistent scoring threat." Sunday: He caught two of three passes in the red zone and scored . . . on the opening drive. A fantastic sign going forward.
Cardinals -- Saturday: "Kyler Murray's questionable and the backfield is a mess, as Michael Carter (2.7 yards per carry) doesn't appear to be the answer despite his impressive Week 5 fantasy output." Sunday: He went toe-to-toe with Bam Knight after Emari Demercado got hurt in the second quarter. A confusing, mostly TD-dependent backfield on a confusing team, made even more confusing by Marvin Harrison Jr.'s concussion, which could suddenly make Michael Wilson and/or Zay Jones streamable.
Raiders -- Saturday: "If [Geno Smith is] benched for Kenny Pickett, it could crush the already precarious fantasy ceilings of Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker." Sunday: On the bright side, they won. On the dim side, Smith was barely adequate, and aside from Dallas in Week 11, his post-bye schedule looks really tough.
Titans -- Saturday: "I gave up on Calvin Ridley. Then he rebounded with a 5-131-0 receiving line. 93 of those yards came in Tennessee's miraculous fourth-quarter comeback. A fluke, or is he officially 'back'?" Sunday: Ridley's hamstring injury elevated Van Jefferson rather than Elic Ayomanor. And Tajae Spears outplayed Tony Pollard, who's now struggled in three of six outings.
Buccaneers -- Saturday: "Rachaad White has averaged less than 3.0 yards per carry in three straight contests. Last week's touchdowns helped a lot of fantasy managers. But can he continue to hold off Sean Tucker?" Sunday: He was only marginally better, and Sean Tucker gained ground. But the biggest story was Emeka Egbuka's hamstring injury. If he sits, Tampa Bay's WR corps would be a carousel of dart throws (yes, a mixed metaphor).
49ers -- Saturday: "Will we see more magic from Kendrick Bourne and Jake Tonges?" Sunday: Maybe Jauan Jennings shouldn't have suited up. Regardless, Bourne and Tonges once again led the way. Incredible. And fleeting if you agree that a healthy Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle will push those two to the background.
Packers -- Saturday: "A get-right matchup after failing to beat Cleveland (loss) and Dallas (tie). Matthew Golden seems poised for a breakout." Sunday: A respectable 3-86-0 line for Golden, accounting for nearly one-third of Jordan Love's passing yards. He's gradually assuming the 1A receiver role.
Bengals -- Saturday: "The Joe Flacco era begins in Cincinnati, in what might be this franchise's briefest QB era since AJ McCarron a decade ago." Sunday: Statistically, a solid debut. In actuality, mostly disastrous. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 40 yards in the first half and was sitting on 14-for-23 for 90 yards and a TD entering the fourth quarter. But I suppose managers shouldn't care as long as Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins maintain relevance.
Chiefs -- Saturday: "While this year's Chiefs have plenty of fantasy question marks, their backfield has become one of fantasy's biggest headaches." Sunday: Isiah Pacheco led the way with 6.1 fantasy points. He and Kareem Hunt and Brashard Smith will continue to cancel each other out barring a dramatic shift.
Lions -- Saturday: "Once again, will Jameson Williams get going? After leading the team with eight targets in Week 4, he had only one in Week 5." Sunday: Jared Goff targeted him twice on the first drive, paving the way for a productive evening in which he nearly tripled his average receptions-per-game. On balance, he'll remain fantasy-relevant. It simply might not mirror last year's regularity, when he had 8+ points 14 times.
---