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?
Cardinals 26, Bengals 23
Kyler Murray opened up his rushing ability a bit more this week, as he rushed 10 times for 93 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately for his fantasy backers, his zero passing touchdowns weren’t as helpful. The Cardinals’ passing game remains a work in progress, as they can’t get anything downfield. The good news is that Murray’s rushing ability can keep him firmly in the ranks of top-12 fantasy quarterbacks without throwing touchdowns.
David Johnson rushed 17 times for 91 yards and caught 3-of-5 targets for another 65 yards. His usage near the goal-line left something to be desired, but his 156 total yards is nothing to scoff at. I did expect more passing game usage with Damien Byrd and Christian Kirk out, but teams are going to close in on this passing game until Arizona beats some teams over the top.
Murray was only sacked once, which is by far the fewest he has taken in a game, but it came at the expense of stretching the field.
The Bengals’ offense had shown signs of life early in the season, but they’ve fallen into the ditch and are stuck with little signs of getting back on course. It wasn’t an awful showing statistically by the Bengals, but this Arizona defense can be beaten easily, and they continued to have trouble moving the ball.
Joe Mixon looked poised to run all over the Cardinals with 60 rushing yards on the first drive, but in the end, he managed 93 on 19 carries and caught his one target for 16 yards and ended with no touchdowns. A big game will come for Mixon at some point, but they sure aren’t going to be consistent.
Bills 14, Titans 7
Josh Allen completed 23-of-32 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, plus rushed 10 times for 27 yards. After a poor outing last week against the Patriots, this one a nice turnaround game, but not one you’ll want for fantasy. The Titans have a strong defense, so Allen wasn’t a start in most leagues, but after the bye next week, he faces Miami, Philadelphia and Washington all at home.
Duke Williams caught all four of his targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in his first game after being called up from the practice squad. He led the CFL in receiving last year and has some juice to add to your dynasty leagues and possibly in redraft if he can consistently stay second in targets like he did on Sunday.
Derrick Henry continued to be the main offense for the Titans, rushing 20 times for 78 yards and a touchdown, but that wasn’t enough. His 3.9 yards per carry and no receptions isn’t what you want, but the touchdown keeps his fantasy season rolling forward, and as long as the Titans’ defense can keep games relatively close, he’ll get his 20 carries.
Marcus Mariota continues his roller-coaster season, as he completed just 13-of-22 passes for 183 yards and ran five times for 13 yards. He has the receivers to help him put up numbers, but he’s not going to make much happen against good defenses all that often.
Raiders 24, Bears 21
The Bears’ defense is fallible. After looking dominant so far this season, Chicago gave up 25 first downs and 398 total yards, with Josh Jacobs doing the bulk of the damage as he rushed 26 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns, adding 20 yards on three receptions.
Derek Carr completed 25-of-32 passes for 229 yards, but he wasn’t asked to attack the Chicago defense deep, especially with Tyrell Williams out. Carr did his job well, but we knew he wasn’t going to put up good fantasy numbers in this matchup. He completed passes to nine players, and nobody caught more than four passes, and none went for over 23 yards. This would likely be the Raiders’ game plan in every game if they could work it that way.
Chase Daniel completed 22-of-30 passes for 231 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, finishing an uneven game overall. The Bears need a quarterback. Thankfully for Allen Robinson backers, Daniel targeted him eight times and Allen caught seven for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson is all the way back from injuries, and if he were on a team with a better quarterback, he’d likely be near the top of the fantasy rankings. But in London this week he was, and he should continue to see the bulk of targets on this team.
David Montgomery continues his lackluster rushing, as he carried the ball 11 times for 25 yards and a touchdown, adding one catch for 11 more yards. The touchdown was helpful of course, but in a game where the Bears trailed, Tarik Cohen out-snapped Montgomery and had just two fewer touches. Montgomery will get big workloads with leads, but he hasn’t proven that he can take advantage of them and if his team trails, he likely won’t see enough touches to compile many fantasy points.
Saints 31, Bucs 24
Teddy Bridgewater completed 26-of-34 passes for 314 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Wow. After watching him dink-and-dunk his way to “game manager” wins the last two weeks, he went and did the thing himself this week. Drew Brees is getting closer to returning, but we will likely see Bridgewater a couple more weeks. Bridgewater will go to Jacksonville, where he could have success if Jalen Ramsey remains out.
Michael Thomas caught 11-of-13 targets for 182 yards and two touchdowns, dominating the Tampa Bay secondary. At first, it looked like Thomas would see a decrease in production with Bridgewater under center, but nope. No Jalen Ramsey next week would be nice for Thomas’ upside though.
Jameis Winston, as he usually does, took a step back this week, but thanks to the incredible Chris Godwin, Winston was still able to keep from having a major meltdown as he completed 15-of-27 passes for 204 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He did get very lucky not to have three turnovers in this game as two interceptions were wiped out by penalties and a fumble was recovered by his teammate. The Bucs go to Carolina next week, where he won’t be a preferred start and then a bye and then onto Tennessee. This stretch will be one you’ll need another quarterback available.
Other than Chris Godwin, who caught 7-of-9 targets for 125 yards and two touchdowns, no Bucs player did much in fantasy. Peyton Barber got a goal-line touchdown, but he split work evenly with Ronald Jones, who put up 56 yards on 11 touches to Barber’s 31 yards on nine touches. The situation is still not good for fantasy.
Vikings 28, Giants 10
Kirk Cousins completed 22-of-27 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns for his best fantasy game of the year. The Giants’ pass defense remains awful, and Cousins and Adam Thielen took advantage as they hooked up on 7-of-8 targets for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Sometimes complaining about your quarterback does work.
Dalvin Cook continued his stellar play with 21 rushing attempts for 132 yards and 6-of-6 receptions for 86 yards. He gets a tough matchup with the Eagles next week, but he’s playing too well to knock him down much in that matchup.
Stefon Diggs 3-of-4 targets for 44 yards while Adam Thielen went off. I doubt this game lifts Diggs’ spirits much.
Daniel Jones completed 21-of-38 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception and continues to regress from his big debut in Tampa Bay. It didn’t help that he lost a main target when Wayne Gallman went down with a concussion, but Jones was inaccurate most of the game and now he gets a quick turnaround to take on the Patriots on Thursday night. Send thoughts and/or prayers.
Jones couldn’t help his receivers out, as he continuously missed them, but he did get his lone touchdown to Darius Slayton, who beat Xavier Rhodes for a 35-yard touchdown. Slayton is boom or bust as a deep threat, and wtih the way Jones is playing right now, Slayton is likely going to have plenty of busts.
Eagles 31, Jets 6
Carson Wentz completed 17-of-29 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown while the Eagles’ defense scored twice off turnovers and sacked Luke Falk 10 times. After throwing a touchdown to Zach Ertz, Wentz and the Eagles had a 21-0 lead going into halftime, and they cruised from there. The game script killed Wentz this week.
Jordan Howard continued to lead the running back committee, as he rushed 13 times for 62 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t see one target, while Miles Sanders caught 4-of-5 for 49 yards, but Sanders was poor as a rusher with nine carries for 15 yards. He’s still getting work, but he hasn’t done much to separate himself so far this season.
The Jets put up 128 total yards, and as I mentioned earlier, Falk was sacked 10 times while throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns. This game was a beatdown of monumental proportions, and the Jets are just trying to hold on for Sam Darnold to return.
Ravens 26, Steelers 23
Lamar Jackson had one of his worst games as he was sacked five times and threw three interceptions, but he managed to get the win, which is of no consequence to fantasy players. He had two picks in his first 10 starts, and he’s had five in his last two games. He should be able to get back on track, but it is a little worrisome.
Mark Ingram rushed 19 times for 44 yards and one touchdown, adding two catches for five yards. The Steelers’ defensive line is tough, so this isn’t as awful on a per-touch basis as it looks. Ingram remains a top fantasy player in this offense, especially when it is playing better on the whole.
Mason Rudolph took a massive hit to the head and was completely knocked cold in the third quarter. That hit brought in Devlin Hodges, who played well in relief, but neither of them is going to have much fantasy value as the Steelers will look to win through defense and on the ground.
JuJu Smith-Schuster caught 7-of-7 targets for 75 yards and a touchdown, but did lose a critical fumble in overtime. Mason Rudolph appeared to have finally been given the go-ahead to open up the passing game somewhat in this one, but his injury was severe and it might be a game or two until he returns.
Patriots 33, Redskins 7
Tom Brady completed 28-of-42 passes for 348 yards with three touchdowns and an interception as the Patriots coasted to another win against an awful football team.
Sony Michel showed up this week, as he ran 16 times for 91 yards and a touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 32 yards. This was a much-needed game for Michel and might be able to get him back on track.
Phillip Dorsett had a hamstring injury that forced him from the game. He will likely be out next week on Thursday night against the Giants. We’ll likely see multiple players take his place, but Jakobi Meyers has the best resume.
Colt McCoy completed 18-of-27 passes for 119 yards and an interception and suffered six sacks. Washington is a dumpster fire floating on a burning river.
Panthers 34, Jaguars 27
With Kyle Allen at the helm, Christian McCaffrey has become the entire offense for Carolina. McCaffrey rushed 19 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns plus caught 6-of-9 targets for 61 yards and another touchdown. He is our modern-day Marshall Faulk.
The Jaguars’ run defense gave up 285 yards and three touchdowns. You can’t get much worse than that.
With McCaffrey getting the bulk of the yardage and touchdowns, the other offensive players aren’t getting all that much for fantasy, but D.J. Moore did catch 6-of-8 targets for 91 yards. He has the talent.
Gardner Minshew completed 26-of-44 passes for 374 yards and two touchdowns and once again looked the part, even against a tough Panthers defense. He did lose three fumbles, but he shrugged them off and put up good numbers in a tough spot.
D.J. Chark continues his assault on the league, catching 8-of-11 targets for 164 yards and two touchdowns. As long as he and Minshew are upright, their connection looks like it will continue.
Leonard Fournette ran the ball 23 times for 108 yards and a touchdown, plus caught 4-of-7 targets for 29 yards. Minshew’s ability has opened things up for Fournette and he’s getting a ton of opportunities. His usage is just too good for him to be held down all game.
Texans 53, Falcons 32
Deshaun Watson completed 28-of-33 passes for 426 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions, putting up a perfect passer rating. Watson is great, but the Falcons are also awful, so this was a perfect storm of offense. Next week, Watson will head to Kansas City to take on Patrick Mahomes.
The Will Fuller explosion we’ve been waiting for happened and in a huge way, as he caught 14-of-16 targets for 217 yards and three touchdowns. The Falcons “limited” DeAndre Hopkins to seven receptions on eight targets for 88 yards and let Fuller go bat-crap crazy.
Carlos Hyde continues to see a big workload with leads, as he rushed 21 times for 60 yards and a touchdown. As long as this Houston offense is playing well enough to get a lead, Hyde will have value.
Matt Ryan has thrown for 300-plus yards in every game this year, as he completed 32-of-46 passes for 330 yards, three touchdowns and an interception and snuck in a touchdown at the goal line. It helped that his team trailed all game, but with Atlanta’s pass defense, that will likely be a common problem that will help Ryan put up good numbers.
Devonta Freeman can still put together good plays, but as a runner between the tackles, he looks done. That’s why we will continue to see Ito Smith and we should look to add Smith, as he is in a near-even split with Freeman and has shown that he is at least comparable as a player right now.
Broncos 20, Chargers 13
Philip Rivers completed 32-of-48 passes for 211 yards and two interception. Vic Fangio’s defense has been iffy at best this year, but this was a strong showing and could be something to watch out for moving forward.
Melvin Gordon was eased back in, as he rushed 12 times for 31 yards and caught 4-of-6 targets for seven yards, while Austin Ekeler was the main receiving back in come-from-behind mode.
Austin Ekeler caught 15-of-16 targets for 86 receiving yards and rushed three times for seven yards. Game script and Chris Harris smothering Keenan Allen pushed Ekeler to these crazy PPR numbers, but this wasn’t what the Chargers wanted, as the final score indicates. In games where they lead, Gordon should have a much better stat line, but there is no doubt that Ekeler remains a huge part of the passing game.
Joe Flacco completed 14-of-20 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception, as the defense and the rushing game did much of the work while Flacco’s 70-yard touchdown to Courtland Sutton was the highlight of the passing game.
Phillip Lindsay rushed 15 times for 114 yards and one touchdown, plus caught 4-of-4 targets for 33 yards. Royce Freeman rushed 13 times for 61 yards and caught two targets for six yards, but Lindsay continues to get the goal-line work and put up better stats on the whole. There’s no doubt this backfield remains a committee, but Lindsay continues to lead the way.
Packers 34, Cowboys 24
I think Aaron Jones might have done okay this week, as he rushed 19 times for 107 yards and four touchdowns and caught 7-of-8 targets for 75 yards receiving. Jamaal Williams is a solid football player in real life, but Jones has the juice to take over games and shouldn’t share as much work as he does with Williams, but when Williams returns, we can’t expect such a huge workload for Jones, but maybe a little more than before.
Aaron Rodgers completed 22-of-34 passes for 238 yards and had to do little as Aaron Jones did the heavy lifting. No receiver other than Jones topped 41 yards, and nobody besides Jones scored a touchdown. This was a game you just have to laugh at and go, okay.
Dak Prescott was the garbage-time king this week as he completed 27-of-44 passes for 463 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing four times for an additional 27 yards. But no matter how you look at it, these garbage-time stats count for your fantasy team, as Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup went off and Prescott currently sits as the third-highest scoring quarterback of the week.
This was a great opportunity for Ezekiel Elliott to go off, but his team got so far behind that he was pushed to the side. He rushed 12 times for 62 yards and a touchdown and caught 2-of-4 targets for 29 yards, but that’s a fraction of his upside in this matchup at home. He will have better opportunities going forward.
Colts 19, Chiefs 13
Jacoby Brissett played game manager on Sunday night, as he handed the ball off more than threw it as the Colts tried and succeeded at beating the best quarterback in the league with brute force. Brissett did get a rushing touchdown, but did throw a bad interception and had no passing touchdowns. He will continue to benefit from Frank Reich’s offense, but his fantasy upside is tied to games in which he trails.
Marlon Mack came into this game looking less than 100 percent, but he and the Indianapolis offensive line formed the motor behind this win, as Mack rushed 29 times for 132 yards and caught 3-of-3 targets for 16 yards. It was great to see him at full-go, but he will need leads to reach his potential in fantasy.
Patrick Mahomes was gimpy most of the game, although he still looked like his normal self when making outrageous throws. Not having Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and a healthy offensive line was a bigger problem than his bum ankle. Mahomes ended up completing 22-of-39 passes for 321 yards and one touchdown while taking four sacks. The Colts are a good and well-coached team that looks like they can hang with anyone.
Byron Pringle led the way for Kansas City, as he caught 6-of-9 targets for 103 yards and a touchdown. Sammy Watkins left this game very early and was ruled out with a hamstring injury, which helped Pringle see an increased role. Tyreek Hill should be back next week against the Texans, but Watkins could still be on the shelf.
