Two big games tonight (at least for some of us). Congrats to those who've clinched a victory. Good luck to those who need it. As always, let's walk through each Sunday team's most notable fantasy storyline in the aftermath of yesterday's games.
Jaguars -- Saturday: "When we consider the #2 overall pick [Travis Hunter] is on pace for a 57-558-0 rookie campaign, it would appear his fantasy value has nowhere to go but up." Sunday: He looked fantastic and now has a legitimate shot at finishing this season as the Jags' #1 receiver.
Rams -- Saturday: "Matthew Stafford's resurgence is built on ('within?' 'atop?') the hands of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. If the former is inactive, it changes Rams' outlooks, beginning with the presumably-still-fantasy-relevant 37-year-old quarterback." Sunday: Well that aged poorly. A bizarrely incredible fantasy performance that culminated in five TD passes on a meek 5.5 yards per throw.
Jets -- Saturday: Ascending rookie Mason Taylor. Sunday: He was #2 on the team with five targets, but that won't cut it on a team without a top-30 NFL quarterback.
Panthers -- Saturday: Chuba Hubbard vs. the recently dominant Rico Dowdle. Sunday: As we await word on Bryce Young's injury, it's worth noting that while Dowdle comfortably outplayed Hubbard, it's still unclear if/when Hubbard will take enough of a backseat to make Dowdle a safe weekly fantasy start.
Vikings -- Saturday: "This might be Carson Wentz's final NFL start until a semi-desperate team comes calling in the offseason." Sunday: Maybe he'd be in the driver's seat if TJ Hockenson had held onto the ball on a would-be touchdown. But on the whole, it was a sub-par performance that -- if JJ McCarthy returns under center -- might end up being a net negative for Minnesota's receivers.
Eagles -- Saturday: "Most people are missing the most obvious shortcoming: after racking up 482 touches last season, Saquon Barkley is struggling to move the chains, piles, etc." Sunday: More of the same and relatively consistent with what more than 90% of 28+ year-olds have endured coming off 400+ touch campaigns.
Chiefs -- Saturday: "The return of Rashee Rice. It seems the only people this will benefit fantasy-wise are Rice and Patrick Mahomes." Sunday: More of the same for Mahomes, who did most of his damage in the first half. And I was actually shocked that Rice's targets (10) doubled the next-most-targeted teammate. He entered the game averaging 6.6 for his career. But yes, he and Mahomes are the glue for another Super Bowl push.
Raiders -- Saturday: "Tre Tucker has one monster performance (40.9 points) and is averaging only 9.1 on 4.8 targets in his other five contests." Sunday: 8.3 points on six targets, even with Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers sidelined. It's inconceivable that Geno Smith will still be starting by the fantasy playoffs. It's equally inconceivable that Vegas's receivers would do better with Kenny Pickett under center.
Titans -- Saturday: "With Tyjae Spears firmly back in the fold, some managers are bailing on Tony Pollard. Right now it makes sense, as an RBBC in a bottom-tier offense is a recipe for disaster, and Pollard is no longer a certifiable bell cow." Sunday: Pollard was out-touching Spears 8-7 until the game's final meaningless drive, when Cam Ward passed to Pollard four straight times before tacking on one more for Spears. In this franchise's 65-year history (originally the Houston Oilers), only the 1972 team averaged fewer points per game.
Patriots -- Saturday: "For the fourth or fifth time, it's Rhamondre Stevenson vs. TreVeyon Henderson. Managers have little choice but wait it out, or cut their investments. I'd prefer to wait it out. All 50-50 backfields have expiration dates." Sunday: The RBBC has expired. It's once again Stevenson's backfield, at least until/unless he fumbles a couple more times.
Browns -- Saturday: "The last Cleveland WR to collect double-digit fantasy points was Cedric Tillman in Week 2." Sunday: The previous time the Browns scored 30+ points was Week 13 last season, when Jameis Winston threw for 497 yards and Jerry Jeudy led the way with 38.5 fantasy points. Yesterday they scored 31 on Dillon Gabriel's 116 passing yards. Jeudy co-led all WRs with . . . 3.7 points.
Dolphins -- Saturday: "Should managers cut bait on every Miami player before their values tank?" Sunday: Yes, and today's FF4W podcast episode walks through what I believe will happen next.
Bears -- Saturday: "Is the revival of D'Andre Swift sustainable?" Sunday: Wow. He entered last weekend with seven 100+ yard rushing performances in 77 career games. Now he has two in a row. I had given up on him, assuming Kyle Monangai would eat into his usage. While the rookie looked terrific, Swift looked even better.
Saints -- Saturday: "With each passing game, Kendre Miller's value grows at Alvin Kamara's expense." Sunday: . . . Unless he gets hurt. Miller has struggled with injuries, and we'll find out soon if this one catapults Kamara back to must-start status.
Chargers -- Saturday: "Was Kimani Vidal's Week 6 breakout a fluke?" Sunday: A beat-up offensive line didn't help. Neither did a negative game script. Next week's Vikings run defense is similarly tough. And we have to remember that Vidal's breakout came against Miami, which makes most middling RBs look like Pro Bowlers. Oh, and Orondo Gadsden dominated even with every WR active. He's the real deal.
Colts -- Saturday: "Daniel Jones is averaging 24.9 fantasy points in the three games where he's had at least one rushing score. He's averaging only 14.3 in his other three games." Sunday: 22.2 points on only seven scoreless rushing yards. A good sign.
Broncos -- Saturday: "Moderately fascinated by 31-year-old Evan Engram's solidifying target share, and how it might impact Denver's wideouts -- in particular, whether Box Nix will be able to feed more than one WR per game." Sunday: What a game. And Engram's respectable 5-42-0 receiving line on eight targets didn't impede his WR teammates, as three hit double-digit points.
Giants -- Saturday: "Is Cam Skattebo as great as he appears to be? He's coming off a 338-touch campaign at Arizona State. Among the other 144 rookie RBs since 2021, only Ashton Jeanty and Woody Marks have entered the league immediately following a higher-touch collegiate season." Sunday: Still great, and it also helps that he's on pace for 73 targets.
Cardinals -- Saturday: "Can managers trust Bam Knight and/or Michael Carter as streamers?" Sunday: Although Knight easily outplayed Carter, this is still a touchdown-dependent backfield.
Packers -- Saturday: "As always, the rise of Matthew Golden, who perhaps is close to peaking in Year 1 in a normally spread-the-ball offense." Sunday: Romeo Doubs picked up six more catches on eight targets, making him 17-for-25 in his last three contests. Golden is now only 12-for-15 in that same span.
Cowboys -- Saturday: "Can George Pickens remain an easy must-start WR playing alongside a returning CeeDee Lamb?" Sunday: Although managers still need to start him, he was third on the team with six targets. It's hard to be a must-start WR at that attention level.
Commanders -- Saturday: "I believed Jacory Croskey-Merritt was overvalued in July. When Washington sent Brian Robinson Jr., I still believed JCM was overvalued. When Austin Ekeler was knocked out for the year, I *still* believed JCM was overvalued." Sunday: Jayden Daniels' injury is one of Week 7's biggest stories, and we'll know more soon. In the meantime, JCM took a clear step back against a bottom-tier run defense.
49ers -- Saturday: "Kendrick Bourne now has back-to-back 142-yard performances despite never exceeding 100 in 114 previous games. This the textbook definition of 'statistical outlier.' This week's opponent, the Falcons, are yielding a league-low 139.4 receiving yards per game. If Bourne goes off again, Earth will never be the same." Sunday: Jauan Jennings out-targeted Bourne 7-2, which -- once Ricky Pearsall returns -- should put an end to the Bourne hype. Also notably, Christian McCaffrey had his first 100+ yard rushing game since Week 16 of the 2023 season. Until the game's final minute, he accounted for more than half of the Niners' offensive plays. He's now on pace for 449 touches. San Francisco is playing for now, not 2026, which should make dynasty managers nervous.
Falcons -- Saturday: "Kyle Pitts is 'enjoying' his most targets (barely) per game since 2022 and a career-high 82.1% catch rate, which is more than 20 percentage points above his career average. Yet he's ranked 31st red-zone fantasy points on only three targets, compared to 28th last year on 12 targets and 49th the year before on five targets. In other words, he remains a weekly fantasy dart throw with few signs of a significant shift." Sunday: A co-team-leading 10 targets, though none in the red zone. Not the positive shift managers need, though they'll probably take the 13.2 points.
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