Congrats to those who clinched playoff spots yesterday. If you need something to happen tonight, give a shout below so I can cheer you on. In the meantime, there are some major fantasy ripple effects stemming from Sunday's games. Here's a breakdown of biggest impact on each Sunday team:
Ravens -- Saturday: "Is Lamar Jackson benchable going forward?" Sunday: I started him out of desperation and would have been pleasantly surprised with 15+. Certainly a step in the right direction, though he still might be benchable in Week 16 versus the Patriots and Week 17 in Green Bay.
Steelers -- Saturday: "DK Metcalf has only one catch more than Kenneth Gainwell. Last year Metcalf had 50 more catches than Gainwell." Sunday: Aaron Rodgers finally gave Metcalf more than nine targets for the first time all year. Yesterday's 148 receiving yards were more than Metcalf's combined tally in his previous five games.
Jaguars -- Saturday: "Since October 12th, Brian Thomas Jr's targets have dropped from 10 to seven to five to three. Maybe even more damningly, Thomas has averaged 9.7 targets in the Jags' three losses when he's been active, but only 5.8 targets in Jacksonville's six wins when he's been active." Sunday: Six targets and a win. A couple of big catches salvaged what might have been an entirely forgettable effort. Probably not a comforting enough sign for managers hoping to start him next week.
Colts -- Daniel Jones's injury was one of Sunday's most impactful events. This season could go downhill fast if sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard can't play the best football of his life. It's a huge hit to the fantasy values of Indy's five core playmakers.
Buccaneers -- Saturday: "Talked about this on a recent podcast episode: while Bucky Irving returned to his bell cow role last weekend, he's still not running very efficiently and isn't a great bet to carry heavy loads the rest of the year." Sunday: The good news is that Irving racked up solid points. The bad news is that Rachaad White and Sean Tucker were also heavily involved in a tight contest. In other words, there is still the potential for a hot-hand situation if Irving continues to sputter at 3.5 yards per carry.
Saints -- Saturday: "Will Devin Neal continue to get enough run (including all-important targets) to remain on fantasy radars?" Sunday: Only one target, but 70 rushing yards and a score were all he needed to be successful. A shocking win and a great sign for those rostering the rookie.
Jets -- Saturday: "Adonai Mitchell vs John Metchie." Sunday: 58 yards on a combined 14 targets. This is the price we pay for betting on Jets receivers not named Garrett.
Dolphins -- De'Von Achane's rib injury could transform Jaylen Wright into a top-16 RB. Miami is still somehow in the playoff hunt, so surely Achane will play -- and presumably play a lot -- whenever he's ready to return.
Vikings -- Saturday: "The disaster (probably) will continue. Surely someone will be startable. But how many managers want to guess?" Sunday: J.J. McCarthy finally broke through against one of the league's worst pass defenses. Yet backup TE Josh Oliver was the only receiver with 11+ fantasy points. Justin Jefferson has only 15 yards in his last two games. In almost any other two-game stretch throughout his career, it would be at least 150.
Commanders -- Jayden Daniels and Zach Ertz both got hurt. As of late Sunday night, Ertz's looks like a season-ender. And with Washington going nowhere, Daniels' might be an unofficial season-ender if the franchise opts to protects its prized asset.
Browns -- Saturday: "Are Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman droppable in most leagues? Or is either one a squeaky enough wheel to get more looks?" Sunday: One big reception for Jeudy saved his day, as Shedeur Sanders produced Cleveland's best QB performance since Jameis Winston's more than a year ago. Of course, the opposing Titans are yielding the NFL's third-best QB rating, so we need to keep this in perspective for now. Things probably will go much differently next week in Chicago.
Titans -- Tony Pollard entered this one with only two touchdowns on the year and no more than 11 carries in his six previous games. He hadn't cleared 67 rushing yards since Week 3. Maybe this was an anomaly. Maybe a greater commitment to the run will elevate Pollard's value in the fantasy playoffs.
Bills -- If not for Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid could be an elite TE.
Bengals -- Saturday: "Week 1 was the last time Joe Burrow played a full game with both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Interestingly, last year Chase averaged 11% more fantasy points per game with Higgins on the field versus when Higgins was inactive." Sunday: Credit Buffalo's defense for keeping Chase in check. Meanwhile, Higgins is on a roll, reminding everyone why he was a near-elite WR last year when healthy.
Falcons -- Saturday: "Kyle Pitts is averaging 9.1 fantasy points when Drake London is active versus 11.5 points when he's not. Either way, he's not earning the scoring opportunities needed for streamable tight ends, as he's only 32nd in TE red-zone targets and only 42nd in TE red-zone catches." Sunday: A very respectable 15 fantasy points . . . and zero red-zone targets.
Seahawks -- Saturday: "Kenneth Walker is the overall RB22, while the somewhat lesser-used, TD-dependent Zach Charbonnet is the RB33. In fact, if their touchdown totals were flipped, Walker would be the RB17, while Charbonnet would be the RB38." Sunday: Charbonnet had the only goal-line carry. Walker now has only one TD in his last 10 outings.
Raiders -- Geno Smith's injury might push Kenny Pickett into the starting lineup, which could be good news for rookie Jack Bech, who Pickett targeted four times in the fourth quarter.
Broncos -- Saturday: "RJ Harvey has zero broken tackles on 74 rushing attempts and has exceeded 3.0 yards per carry only twice since Week 2. I might be forced to start him in my league, but I'm not at all confident that he can crack nine points without scoring." Sunday: A career-high six targets and six receptions propelled Harvey into must-start territory. His TD was a bonus. The stingier Packers are up next.
Cardinals -- Saturday: "Michael Wilson gets at least one more week to make things incredibly uncomfortable for those (like me) rostering Marvin Harrison Jr." Sunday: Nothing else can be said. Wilson and Jacoby Brissett are locked in, and Harrison managers have to wonder if MHJ is worth starting if he's back next week.
Rams -- Saturday: "Head coach Sean McVay reportedly wants to keep Kyren Williams 'fresh' for the playoffs. Last year he had 15+ carries in 14 of 16 contests. This year he's hit 15+ carries only once in his last nine games, resulting in a 22% drop in touches per game." Sunday: He had only 13 carries this time, plus two catches. Blake Corum's dominance didn't prevent Williams from delivering for managers.
Packers -- Saturday: "As always, who will be the #1 WR? On Thanksgiving it didn't matter. Most weeks, it definitely will." Sunday: Christian Watson co-led the team with only four looks and four catches. He and WR-turned-cornerback Bo Melton were the lone receiver fantasy bright spots. In other words, there's still room for others to step up.
Bears -- Saturday: "Rome Odunze caught 55.4% of his September/October targets. Since then he's reeled in only 38.2%. Now he's out for Week 14. A Luther Burden breakout could make it tough for even deep-league managers to start Odunze whenever he returns." Sunday: Burden operated as the #1 WR. He's clearly the best bet the lead all Chicago WRs in fantasy points the rest of the way.
Chiefs -- Another injury to an offensive lineman, and another underwhelming fantasy effort from Patrick Mahomes. It remains possible that Kansas City will be eliminated from postseason contention entering Week 17 -- not exactly what KC-rostering managers want to see.
Texans -- Nick Chubb exited early with a rib injury, turning Woody Marks into an uber bell cow. There's an opening for Marks to be a top-12 RB in the fantasy playoffs.
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