On the injury front, yesterday was pretty quiet. But on the "shifting fantasy values" front, yesterday featured a lot of potential movement. Here's the biggest fantasy impact for each Sunday team:
Saints -- Saturday's post: "What kind of backfield will Travis Etienne eventually return to?" Sunday: Neither Alvin Kamara nor Kendre Miller reached 1.0 yards per carry, which might be the strangest dual stat line I've seen all year. But they combined for 10 catches on 12 targets. On balance, it's good news for managers with Etienne, as neither backup has looked good on the ground.
Steelers -- Rico Dowdle had a season-high 15 touches. While it didn't harm Jaylen Warren's output, it moves Dowdle a little closer to weekly streamability.
Falcons -- Saturday: "Jahan Dotson was a somewhat trendy pickup this week, coming off one of the best fantasy performances of his career. He's also averaging less than four targets per game. Will he get more looks?" Sunday: Even after his recent success, Dotson had only three looks. He's a Hail Mary fantasy option.
49ers -- Between Christian McCaffrey exiting with an injury (and then returning) and Kaelon Black filling in admirably, it seemed clear that Black (despite the fumble) looks ready to take over if needed.
Titans -- Saturday: "With Tony Pollard headed for free agency, the 1-5 Titans almost surely will cash out. It wouldn't be shocking if they got less work than usual, especially if Tennessee is talking with teams." Sunday: The opposite happened, so here's my theory: I believe Tennessee has been shopping Pollard. Teams aren't offering enough. So a 1-5 team with virtually nothing to play for gave their star running back the third-most touches of his career (28), in the hopes that it would elevate his value. And it almost assuredly did.
Browns -- Incredible performances for Quinshon Judkins and KC Concepcion. The former handled what had been a pretty decent Tennessee run defense. The latter had career highs across the board. Interestingly, Denzel Boston has caught only 20 of his 42 targets (48%). Concepcion is 30-for-45 (67%).
Vikings -- Saturday: "When was the last game Kyler Murray effectively fed two wide receivers? Week 18 in the 2024 season." Sunday: I recommended sharply fading only two top-20 WRs this summer: AJ Brown and Justin Jefferson. For Jefferson, the highs are higher than last season, but the lows are almost as low. Also -- and more urgently -- Aaron Jones's injury and Jordan Mason's strong return represent a potentially massive fantasy shift. And as an aside, how wild that this preseason, Minnesota had the NFC North's worst Super Bowl odds, and now they're the NFL's last remaining undefeated team.
Colts -- Seth McGowan looks ready to take over if Indy trades Jonathan Taylor. It's been a while since this team had a true handcuff for JT.
Jets -- Saturday: "A loss to Miami could turn them into sellers. Breece Hall and Braelon Allen realistically can't co-exist beyond the 2027 season (when Allen will be a free agent)." Sunday: I believe the Jets either will trade Allen these next two weeks, or this will turn into a split (or hot-hand) backfield with Hall returns. That would seem crazy given Hall's recent $45 million contract, which is why I think a trade is more likely. But they can't simply return Allen to the bench after what he's done.
Dolphins -- Saturday: "Miami has one win in their past nine games going back to last season. Ollie Gordon is the lone fantasy bright spot. His value can't get much higher." Sunday: Apparently, it can.
Panthers -- A brutal loss and an increasingly decimated offensive line. They can get over the former. But the latter could impact Carolina's skill players.
Buccaneers -- Saturday: "Baker Mayfield's return coincides with Emeka Egbuka's absence. Can rookie Ted Hurst take another step forward?" Sunday: Not at all, though Baker threw it only 11 times, so it doesn't tell us much. Still, Tez Johnson got more looks and converted one of them into a score -- though that doesn't mean managers should rush out and add Johnson. This passing attack probably can feed only one WR per week.
Ravens -- The offensive line isn't helping Derrick Henry. But since Week 2, the 33-year-old is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. He's on pace for 350+ touches. Let's see if he snaps back when Lamar Jackson returns.
Bengals -- Saturday: "Chase Brown vs. . . . Samaje Perine?" Sunday: Brown out-touched Perine 15-4, which is obviously good for managers rostering Brown. But he didn't do much with it, and Perine got to punch it in near the goal line. Brown's 11 TDs in 2024 and then again in 2025 helped propel him in fantasy. Now he hasn't scored since Week 1.
Texans -- Saturday: "Tank Dell is likely to return to the field after nearly two years of rehabbing. Between him and Marvin Harrison Jr., what can managers expect?" Sunday: Not much, as CJ Stroud targeted nine teammates. Nico Collins will snap back, of course. But it's no longer as clear that Harrison (or Dell) will become trusted streamers.
Giants -- Saturday: "Cam Skattebo vs. Tyrone Tracy vs. Devin Singletary vs. a trade acquisition these next couple weeks." Sunday: A huge rebound for Skattebo, though both he and Tracy got hurt. If either of them misses time, the odds that this team adds another running back increases.
Cardinals -- Saturday: "Bam Knight vs. Tyler Allgeier, with Knight having the inside track on a lead-back role." Sunday: For the second straight week, it wasn't even close. Knight looks like the better RB.
Broncos -- Saturday: "The last time we saw Jonah Coleman, he out-touched and out-snapped JK Dobbins with RJ Harvey sidelined. It's anyone's guess how this backfield will shake out." Sunday: Coleman picked up where he left off, out-touching Dobbins and Harvey. And Jaylen Waddle's injury will be worth monitoring -- not because he's a reliable fantasy streamer, but because his vacated targets could prop up Courtland Sutton or Marvin Mims.
Lions -- Saturday: "Among the top 35 preseason WRs, Jameson Williams was my biggest bargain. After a brutal start to the season, he has back-to-back 16+ point performances. Is it too soon to call him a weekly fantasy starter?" Sunday: Another huge performance. He's now the WR21 despite playing one less game than most starters. Isaac TeSlaa has gone from ascending talent to invisible almost overnight.
Packers -- Saturday: "Josh Jacobs. One of the biggest rest-of-season fantasy wild cards." Sunday: An impressive start, and with no one nipping at his heels on the depth chart, Jacobs will maintain his workhorse role as long as the league and the judicial system allow it.
Raiders -- Saturday: "Is Tre Tucker on the verge of becoming a consistent fantasy starter?" Sunday: After three years of occasionally posting big numbers, Tucker has three blow-up performances in his past six games.
Rams -- Saturday: "With Davante Adams out and Puka Nacua questionable, can Konata Mumpfield or anyone else step up?" Sunday: Nope. Aside from Nacua (10 targets), Mumpfield was the only WR to get looks (two). He seems almost entirely unrosterable, despite the opportunity.
Seahawks -- Saturday: "Emanuel Wilson gets at least one more chance to show he belong atop the depth chart, even when this backfield gets healthy." Sunday: He got it done again. Now the challenge: Wilson is used sparingly in the passing game but has been relevant largely because he's scored in three of four starts. Zach Charbonnet is expected to return next weekend. Although Wilson probably will start, the depth chart remains fluid.
Chiefs -- Saturday: "Rashee Rice is sidelined for the 25th time in Kansas City's past 41 games. Whatever happens, if they can't trust Rice to stay on the field, I think they'll add an impact receiver who shakes up a bunch of fantasy values." Sunday: Patrick Mahomes' top four wideouts are currently Xavier Worthy, Cyrus Allen, Justin Watson, and Andrew Armstrong. That unit was completely shut down. If Rice isn't expected back in Week 8, I'd be shocked if they didn't acquire a starter-caliber WR by the end of this month.
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