Here's my rundown of the biggest fantasy pressure point for each Sunday team. Note that at the bottom of every post is a brief description of the latest podcast episode. Today's is about Ashton Jeanty. To those who drafted him, I strongly encourage you to listen, because typically RBs in his shoes fall flat as rookies.
Browns -- Last Saturday I wrote, "There is a reasonable probability that if Cleveland loses, Joe Flacco won't make another NFL start." And so here we are, at the dawn of the Dillon Gabriel era. With Cedric Tillman on IR, the biggest question is whether 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.
Vikings -- Was Zavier Scott's Week 4 breakout a game-script one-off, or a sign of things to come?
Ravens -- 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.
Texans -- Is Woody Marks now officially the #1 RB, or does Nick Chubb still have slim stand-alone value?
Panthers -- It's Rico Dowdle's chance to shine . . . or remind everyone how good Chuba Hubbard is.
Dolphins -- 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."
Eagles -- This offense is built around five players, two of whom (Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert) have extensive injury histories. In other words, the fantasy fortunes of all five could change overnight, and a disgruntled A.J. Brown looms over all of it.
Broncos -- 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.
Jets -- Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson seem like safe starts these days. That's not the case for Breece Hall. Did a podcast on him a few days ago. I believe his 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.
Cowboys -- 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.
Saints -- Alvin Kamara versus the *potentially* ascending Kendre Miller.
Giants -- Can Darius Slayton achieve streamability?
Colts -- We need to put Daniel Jones's fantastic September in perspective. In his first two games, he had a 588-2-0 passing line and 28-3 rushing line (three rushing scores). In his next two, he had 490-2-2 and 26-0. While he deserves a lot of credit, 54 rushing yards on 18 carries is well below what we're accustomed to seeing from him. In other words, he has a deceptively low-ish floor until/unless he runs more consistently and effectively
Raiders -- Jakobi Meyers versus Tre Tucker versus neither if Ashton Jeanty once again takes over.
Seahawks -- Could Tory Horton leapfrog Cooper Kupp on the depth chart -- or at least from a fantasy perspective?
Buccaneers -- 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.
Cardinals -- Emari Demercado versus Michael Carter. Quite possibly massive fantasy implications in an offense that otherwise supports only two receivers.
Titans -- Tennessee is the league's lowest-scoring team while averaging 5.5 fewer points per game than last year. This and other factors (including targets and efficiency) have dramatically capped Tony Pollard's upside. Add in the seemingly imminent return of Tyjae Spears, and Pollard looks like a risky rest-of-season investment.
Chargers -- Is this the week Ladd McConkey busts out? You know my views on him. He's on pace for a 68-740-0 line, which isn't bad for a team's #3 WR. In the next week or two, we'll know with much greater confidence whether he is, in fact, the #3.
Commanders -- Jacory Croskey-Merritt versus Chris Rodriguez. "Coach-speak" suggests both will remain involved. The reality is that Washington might eventually go with the hot hand, catapulting one of their fantasy values.
Bengals -- 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.
Lions -- 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.
Bills -- Once again, Keon Coleman versus Khalil Shakir.
Patriots -- And . . . once again, Rhamondre Stevenson versus TreVeyon Henderson. I still believe Henderson will do more the rest of the season. We'll see.
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