It's after midnight as I'm writing this, and there's a lot to cover, as always. Here's the biggest fantasy impact for each team that played yesterday:
Commanders -- Saturday's post: "This RB depth chart isn't as solid as it might seem." Sunday: Marcus Mariota's injury might have been a bigger story if Jayden Daniels weren't on track to return soon. Instead, fantasy managers witnessed Jacory Croskey-Merritt's struggles continue. He's now averaged 2.8 YPC. Austin Ekeler looked much better.
Colts -- Two weeks ago, I did a podcast episode on "the risk and impact of a Colts fantasy implosion." My thinking at the time was that Daniel Jones was not the same player since tearing his Achilles last year, and that a relatively tough schedule thru early November could doom their season. The good news is that they're now somehow 2-2. The bad news is that Jones has looked like a bottom-tier quarterback -- even when his receivers were healthy. The impact on Josh Downs and Tyler Warren isn't going away.
Bills -- Saturday: "After tomorrow, will we be saying that Keon Coleman is the #2 WR? Or will it still be Khalil Shakir?" Sunday: Another D.J. Moore injury opened the floodgates with Buffalo playing catch-up for much of the game. Coleman and Shakir both stepped up in his absence. The 29-year-old Moore is no longer guaranteed a prominent role whenever he returns.
Patriots -- Saturday: "Presumably Drake Maye is benchable, which remains one of the biggest non-injury fantasy shocks of the season." Sunday: Hat's off to FF4W community member Brian Cloutier for publicly predicting a massive turnaround. Maye was playing like he had nothing to lose. Too soon to say he's a safe start again, and also clearly way too soon to count him out.
Bears -- Saturday: "How much longer will Rome Odunze be the odd man out in this wideout corps? Or is 32-year-old Kalif Raymond headed toward a crash?" Sunday: Odunze led the way, and Raymond crashed. Selling high on aged receivers enjoying career years is usually a good move.
Jets -- Saturday: "After earning a three-year extension this offseason, Breece Hall isn't going anywhere. But Braelon Allen now has a shot at pushing for a consistent 1B role whenever Hall returns." Sunday: Career-high carries and rushing yards Allen under fairly tough conditions. Something to build on if Hall misses more time.
Bengals -- Saturday: "Chase Brown is averaging career lows in yards per carry (4.0) and yards per reception (3.2). In his first three seasons, he averaged 4.3 and 7.0, respectively." Sunday: Brown netted 10 yards on nine carries, but after Ja'Marr Chase exited, he went to town through the air, finishing with nearly 20 points. If Ja'Marr cannot recover from his concussion in time for next week, Brown could get a huge bump.
Jaguars -- Saturday: "Is Brian Thomas droppable in most leagues?" Sunday: A strange game for the Jags, with Thomas, Parker Washington, and Jakobi Meyers combining for only a 5-57-1 receiving line on nine targets. Thomas got the score, but that doesn't mean he's more valuable heading into next week.
Giants -- Malik Nabers finally came up big. This was Jameis Winston at his post-prime best. Now managers need to decide whether to sell high on Nabers or hope for continued weekly must-start production.
Cardinals -- Saturday: "Is Marvin Harrison Jr. droppable in most leagues?" Sunday: Yes, with the caveat that for a couple weeks I've believed Arizona will be shopping him before the trade deadline. If he's not traded, I don't see how he suddenly breaks out of this funk.
Eagles -- I was publicly big on Tank Bigsby this summer, operating behind an aging, heavily worked running back. If Saquon Barkley's hamstring injury sidelines him, Bigsby would at minimum be a solid bye-week streamer.
Rams -- Saturday: "Kyren Williams pushed further ahead of Blake Corum after last week's performances. But how long before Corum makes inroads again?" Sunday: Williams has now upped his point total in four consecutive games (beginning with Week 1's output, which was better than Week 18 last year.). Corum has gone from ascending deep-league streamer to run-of-the-mill handcuff, at least for now.
Buccaneers -- Saturday: "Will rookie UDFA QB Jalon Daniels be a net negative on Tampa Bay's receivers? Time is running out on a season that probably won't get worse . . . but could." Sunday: From a low-expectations perspective, Daniels was more than solid in his first NFL start. But with so many mouths to feed on offense, no one on this team is a safe fantasy starter.
Packers -- Saturday: "Will anyone seize this backfield? Probably not." Sunday: Against a better offense, Kaleb Johnson's fourth-quarter fumble near the Bucs' goal line could have resulted in a loss. This remains a "who can you trust?" backfield, with MarShawn Lloyd's faint fantasy relevance merged with an anemic 2.7 YPC.
Ravens -- Taking over for Lamar Jackson at halftime, Tyler Huntley threw for only 63 yards. Only 39 of those yards went to WRs and TEs. Managers with Zay Flowers or even Mark Andrews might have tough sit/start decisions if Jackson's ankle injury sidelines him.
Titans -- Saturday: "Wan'Dale Robinson converted 11 targets into 57 yards and a score against the Giants last weekend. Is he Tennessee's #1 wideout, or did playing against his former team impact his usage?" Sunday: It was Carnell Tate's turn. If he weren't the #4 overall pick in this year's draft, we might look to Robinson next week. But I think Tate will be the #1 most weeks going forward.
Texans -- Saturday: "Once again, is David Montgomery on his last leg?" Sunday: I devoted five podcast episodes in the summer's first three weeks to five guys I thought would be massive busts based on ADPs: Jadarian Price, Christian McCaffrey, Justin Jefferson, Terry McLaurin, and David Montgomery. In the case of Montgomery, the fantasy market trusted his overall numbers last year rather than the advanced metrics pointing to a massive crash.
Cowboys -- Saturday: "George Pickens still seems like a buy-low WR." Sunday: Completely wrong, apparently. I'm struggling to understand how two receivers who went toe-to-toe last season are now night-and-day. Houston's D has given up buckets of points to opposing #1 WRs, so there's that. But what Lamb is doing is insane even by elite WR standards. He's now on pace for a 157 / 2,117 / 17 receiving line, which would be better than Cooper Kupp's historic Triple Crown in 2021.
Vikings -- Saturday: "Will Kyler Murray continue to be a lag on Minnesota's offense, especially with his top receiver out?" Sunday: This preseason, my steady drumbeat about the Vikings was (a) Justin Jefferson is inexplicably overvalued, (b) TJ Hockenson is inexplicably undervalued, and (c) fantasy managers have to stop valuing Murray as if this were 2022. On that last point, Murray is a sub-par starting quarterback. That's why the Cardinals preferred to pay $35.5 million for him *not* to stay in Arizona.
Dolphins -- Saturday: "Jaylen Wright vs. Ollie Gordon vs. none-of-the-above." Sunday: I completely whiffed this one. Entering yesterday, the Vikings' D had given up only 200 rushing yards on 64 carries (3.1 YPC). Didn't matter to Gordon, who took firm control of Miami's backfield and gave managers a clearer Week 5 sit/start decision.
Raiders -- Tre Tucker has hit single-digits in both games since breaking out in Week 2. We've seen him flash occasionally each year since 2023. It hasn't stuck yet.
Chiefs -- What a brutal injury for Tyquan Thornton, who hit paydirt twice to end a one-year scoring drought. And the Chiefs' bye week comes at a perfect time after Rashee Rice exited with a hamstring injury, with mixed reports suggesting it might be minor, or it could keep him sidelined beyond the break.
49ers -- This team entered camp with a deep roster of mostly aged talent. Yesterday, the five guys who caught passes are all 30+ years old (their average age is 32). If you're banking on 16+ game seasons for all of them, consider the likelihood that most won't make it.
Broncos -- Saturday: "JK Dobbins vs. RJ Harvey." Sunday: Advantage Harvey based on targets. The rest comes down to who scores. Also, Pat Bryant was carted off; if his ankle injury is serious, it could thin this wideout corps, or it could get Marvin Mims or Troy Franklin more involved. The former would give managers a little sit/start clarity; the latter what maintain the painful status quo.
Seahawks -- Saturday: "Jadarian Price's absence and Zach Charbonnet's impending return puts Emanuel Wilson on the hot seat." Sunday: Wilson delivered where it mattered most, helping to lead Seattle to a bounce-back win. The former undrafted free agent is a better sell-high RB than a "must-start" RB.
Chargers -- Saturday: "Could Tre' Harris lead this team in WR fantasy points by season's end?" Sunday: A realistic possibility at the moment, especially with Ladd McConkey hobbled. But will it matter? In his last 10 games, Justin Herbert has 12 touchdowns, 12 turnovers, and 193.3 passing yards per contest. His next three matchups are against the Broncos, Chiefs, and Rams. They're 0-4. What is this team going to look like by midseason?
Panthers -- Saturday: "Is Darren Waller for real at age 34?" Sunday: Situationally effective, but with Tetairoa McMillan finally breaking free and Chuba Hubbard gashing Detroit's defense on the ground, Waller wasn't needed. This is probably the best offense he's played in since 2021, so that should keep his ceiling high enough for dart throwers.
Lions -- Since posting a zero in Week 1, Isaac TeSlaa's catches and yards have steadily increased in each game, topping out last night at a strong 4-95 on eight targets. Remember, he was a 2025 early third-round pick. He simply ended up on a rough spot fantasy-wise. Elite-level surrounding talent will keep his floor low. But when an ascending player gets more involved in a high-powered offense, stashing them begins to make sense.
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