Below, check out my fantasy-centered recaps of key players from this week’s contests. For instance, did a player come back to earth after an aberrant breakout, or were they simply affected by something like game flow?
Chargers 17, Bears 16
Melvin Gordon had 10 touches for 33 yards and a touchdown, while Austin Ekeler had five touches for 22 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers ran just 49 plays and the Bears are still a good defense, so getting a touchdown from both is pretty good.
Keenan Allen ended up playing despite a hamstring injury during practice, and he caught 7-of-10 targets for 53 yards. He also dropped a for-sure touchdown and now hasn’t topped 61 yards or found the end zone in his last five games.
Mitch Trubisky completed 23-of-35 passes for 253 yards and an interception and also lost a fumble and continued to play poorly. The few great plays he has don’t even come close to making up for the boneheaded ones.
David Montgomery finally broke out, running the ball 27 times for 135 yards and catching 4-of-5 targets for 12 yards. He was the only bright spot for the Bears and a good sign for him moving forward. We can’t rely on him or sell him high probably, but as long as the Bears are committed to getting him the ball, he will have value in redraft.
Titans 27, Buccaneers 23
Ryan Tannehill completed 21-of-33 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. He got a little lucky with some short fields due to Jameis Winston turnovers, which helped Tannehill’s touchdown numbers, but he played well and continues to show that he gives the Titans the best chance to win, and with their weapons, Tannehill has a chance to continue to be a good streaming back in good matchups like this one.
A.J. Brown managed to catch a short touchdown, but Brown and Corey Davis ended up catching two passes each for under 20 yards after a strong game last week with Tannehill targeting them. Instead, Tannehill used his tight ends and slot receiver with Jonnu Smith leading the way, as he caught 6-of-7 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown in place of Delanie Walker, who was out. Walker will likely return, which will push Smith back into a reserve role, but the Titans might want to think of giving Smith more work moving forward.
Jameis Winston continued his turnover ways with two interceptions and two fumbles, but he also completed 21-of-43 passes for 301 yards for two touchdowns and ran the ball eight times for 53 yards. He continues to put enough stats up to keep him from being worthless in fantasy, and maybe someday, he’ll be able to keep from giving it to the other team.
Mike Evans caught 11-of-12 targets for 198 yards and two touchdowns. In two games, he’s totaled 19 receptions for 388 yards and five touchdowns. In his other five games, he has 19 receptions for 274 yards and one touchdown. Chris Godwin will likely go off next week against Seattle.
Jaguars 29, Jets 15
Gardner Minshew had back-to-back poor games, but he righted the ship this week, completing 22-of-34 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, adding 31 yards on five carries. He might not win the job, but if Nick Foles isn’t hot to start when he returns, Minshew will get the call again.
Leonard Fournette can’t buy a touchdown, but he sure is putting up yardage, as he’s eclipsed 1,000 total yards through eight games. This week, he ran the ball 19 times for 79 yards and caught all seven of his targets for 60 yards. He now has six games with four or more receptions, keeping him as a high-end PPR back despite the one touchdown on the season.
Sam Darnold started off extremely hot on his first drive, but then it went all downhill, as he was once again tossing passes to the enemy, as he threw three interceptions. If he has a clean pocket, he can put up good numbers, but the Jets’ offensive line is not good and isn’t going to get much better.
Tight end Ryan Griffin was the only bright spot for the Jets, as he caught all four of his targets for 66 yards and two touchdowns. His usage in the red zone does bode well for Chris Herndon if he can ever get back on the field.
Eagles 31, Bills 13
This game was played in some extreme wind, so there weren’t a bunch of passing yards, as both quarterbacks couldn’t top 172 passing yards. The game was won on the ground with the Eagles rushing 41 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns.
Jordan Howard led the way with 23 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Miles Sanders ran the ball just three times but for 74 yards and a touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 44 yards. That’s a huge game for Sanders on just six touches, but he did have to leave the game with a shoulder injury. If he can’t go, Boston Scott will likely be the No. 2.
Josh Allen completed 16-of-34 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns and lost a costly fumble. He also led the Bills in rushing with 45 yards on eight rushing attempts. The wind was not kind to Allen, as he is already an erratic passer, but he still manages to put up fantasy points.
Frank Gore ran the ball nine times for 34 yards, while Devin Singletary had three carries for 19 yards and caught 4-of-6 targets for 30 yards and a touchdown. Singletary is the better offensive player now, but Gore’s ability to pass block and hold onto the ball will likely keep him ahead of Singletary for now.
Rams 24, Bengals 10
Jared Goff completed 17-of-31 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns, with seven receptions 220 yards and one touchdown all going to Cooper Kupp. The Rams let up in the second half or the numbers could have been even better, but this was against the Bengals.
Brandin Cooks was forced from the game with a head injury, which is a major concern for Cooks, who has a long history of concussions. Josh Reynolds took over for Cooks and caught a 31-yard touchdown and three passes for 73 total yards. The Rams have a bye next week, but with Cooks’ concussion history, Reynolds is someone to grab off waivers.
Todd Gurley rushed for a touchdown, but was taken out of the game with a two-touchdown lead and Darrell Henderson took over, ending up with more touches than Gurley. Gurley did look like he was getting some treatment on his knee, but he was likely taken out to keep him healthy instead of because he wasn’t healthy.
Seahawks 27, Falcons 20
Russell Wilson completed 14-of-20 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns, both short tosses to D.K. Metcalf. Once again, Wilson was limited due to an early lead. We can wish and hope that Pete Carroll will use him like the stud player he is, but the Seahawks will need to trail for that to happen. Thankfully, Seattle’s defense has taken another step back this year.
Metcalf got the touchdowns, but only totaled 18 yards on three receptions, while Tyler Lockett caught all six of his targets for 100 yards but no touchdowns. Lockett is a stud, but his volume remains inconsistent at times.
The resurrected corpse of Matt Schaub completed 39-of-52 passes for 460 yards, one touchdown and one interception in comeback mode. Those are a whole bunch of yards for anyone, especially someone who hasn’t started a game since 2015. Matt Ryan will return after the bye, so the Schaub ship goes passing in the night.
Julio Jones caught 10-of-12 targets for 152 yards in a display of true skill and determination. He’s a bad ass.
Austin Hooper caught 6-of-7 targets for 65 yards and one touchdown as he continues his great season. The Falcons will continue to give up big points, and Hooper will continue to be a key part of the passing offense, which will get plenty of work in deficits.
Colts 15, Broncos 13
Jacoby Brissett completed 15-of-25 passes for 202 yards and rushed six times for 34 yards. The Broncos’ defense is for real, so there wasn’t much fantasy goodness to go around for the Colts today.
Marlon Mack ran 19 times for 76 yards and a touchdown and caught his one target for 14 more yards. He led the team in fantasy points and continues to see big workloads, especially in close games. Keep starting him.
Joe Flacco completed 20-of-32 passes for 174 yards. He remains bad at his job.
Courtland Sutton didn’t become a target hog with Emmanuel Sanders gone, but he did catch 3-of-6 targets for 72 yards, while Noah Fant led the team with eight targets, catching five for a whopping 26 yards. Sutton is a stud and will continue making plays downfield when they go his way.
Saints 31, Cardinals 9
Drew Brees completed 34-of-43 passes for 373 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in his first game back from his thumb surgery. He had an easy matchup to return to, but he also played well and now he gets the bye to get his hand even healthier before he takes on the Falcons at home.
Latavius Murry got the start again with Alvin Kamara out and once again put up huge numbers, as he rushed 21 times for 102 yards and a touchdown and caught 9-of-12 targets for 55 yards and another touchdown. There is a good chance we’ll see Murray get more work moving forward than he had been before Kamara’s injury.
Kyler Murray completed 19-of-33 passes for 220 yards and made some good throws, but he continues to have trouble with his weak offensive line.
Chase Edmonds got the start with David Johnson out, but Edmonds had no luck against the Saints’ stout defensive line and then was pushed from the game with a hamstring injury. The Cardinals have a quick turnaround to take on the 49ers on Thursday, so we might see Zach Zenner starting. Have mercy on the Cardinals’ souls.
Lions 31, Giants 26
Matthew Stafford completed 25-of-32 passes for 342 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as he continues to put up great fantasy numbers. The Lions’ lack of a working running back and a sub-par defense should keep Stafford throwing the ball.
After Marvin Jones went off last week, it was time for Kenny Golladay to get his. On the day, he caught 6-of-8 targets for 123 yards and two touchdowns to reassert himself as the No. 1 in Detroit.
The Lions had a four-headed running back committee, so this is a situation to stay away from until there are signs of one player taking over.
Daniel Jones completed 28-of-41 passes for 322 yards and four touchdowns. It was a great outcome for fantasy, but it didn’t exactly look like Jones had figured things out and now we need to start him every week. Game script got him throwing the ball a bunch.
Darius Slayton had two receptions for 50 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a great deep-ball receiver already and should continue to have this kind of upside, but if Sterling Shepard returns, Slayton will have trouble getting targets.
49ers 51, Panthers 13
Jimmy Garoppolo completed 18-of-22 passes for 175 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and played well, but wasn’t needed for much heavy lifting due to the 49ers’ defense and their run game.
The 49ers rushed 38 times for 232 yards and five touchdowns, with Tevin Coleman doing the most damage with 11 carries for 105 yards and three touchdowns and also catching both of his targets for 13 yards and another touchdown.
Matt Breida left this game in the second half with an injured ankle. With the huge lead, it’s hard to know just how hurt he is, but if he can’t go on Thursday night, Raheem Mostert gets a bump.
The Panthers had 230 total yards on the day, and Christian McCaffrey put up 155 of those and a touchdown. No other running back had totaled more than 100 yards against the 49ers and not one had scored a touchdown against them. McCaffrey is special.
No other Panthers player topped 46 yards or found the end zone, while Kyle Allen was sacked seven times and threw three interceptions. Cam Newton might be able to get his job back.
Patriots 27, Browns 13
Tom Brady completed 20-of-36 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots cruised over the Browns. This wasn’t a barn burner for Brady, but the weather was rotten and he got the ball to his best receiver when he needed to.
Julian Edelman has been the rock for this offense, and this week, he was on point again, catching 8-of-11 targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Sony Michel rushed 20 times for 74 yards and no touchdowns. If Michel doesn’t get a touchdown, he is fairly useless, but in the right game script, he can throw three on the board like last week.
Baker Mayfield completed 20-of-31 passes for 194 yards, one touchdown and one interception. It could have been worse.
Nick Chubb ran 20 times for 131 yard, but he also lost two critical fumbles, with one getting returned for a touchdown. He now has three fumbles over his last two games, but he’s been awesome as a runner. Hopefully, the fumbles are just a blip on the radar.
Texans 27, Raiders 24
Deshaun Watson completed 27-of-39 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, adding 46 yards on 10 rushing attempts. Watson wasn’t perfect in the first half, but he sure turned it on in the second half and did things a quarterback shouldn’t be able to do. He is the best fantasy quarterback in the league right now.
Deandre Hopkins caught 11-of-13 targets for 109 yards, but Darren Fells was the touchdown maker this week, as he caught all six of his targets for 58 yards and two touchdowns. With Will Fuller out and Keke Coutee getting benched, Fells should continue to see some extra work.
Derek Carr completed 18-of-30 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns, putting up a good fight, but he couldn’t match Watson in the end. Carr has shown that he can play well when he’s not getting much pressure.
Tyrell Williams now has a touchdown in every game he’s played. Against Houston, he caught 3-of-6 targets for 91 yards and his fifth touchdown of the season. At some point, the touchdowns are going to regress, but until they do, have fun!
Hunter Renfrow had a nice breakout game, as he caught all four of his targets for 88 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders will continue to feed Josh Jacobs and look to slow games down, so Renfrow will have trouble repeating these numbers, but it’s good to see his upside.
Packers 31, Chiefs 24
Aaron Rodgers worked his magic all game, completing 23-of-33 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns and adding 29 yards on six carries. One of those completions included a touchdown pass to Jamaal Williams that defied logic. Rodgers is still great.
Aaron Jones is a touchdown machine, scoring two more on Sunday to give him 11 pn the year and the lead over Christian McCaffrey. Jones finished with 13 carries for 67 yards and receptions on 7-of-8 targets for 159 yards and two touchdowns. To think that Mike McCarthy didn’t want to feature this guy in the offense.
Matt Moore played extremely well, as he completed 24-of-36 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. The moment wasn’t too big for him, and Andy Reid schemed him easy passes to play-makers like Mecole Hardman, who took a short pass 30 yards for a score and another short pass for 25 yards.
LeSean McCoy looked as if he has won the starting running back job outright, but then he lost a critical fumble and was replaced by Damien Williams, who did manage to score from three yards out. McCoy will probably get the lead role again, but he will be on an extremely short leash.
