Bucs v Panthers:
Barber got the start and is the clear #1 with the most snaps and touches of the game. The Bucs defense is surprisingly good at stopping the run but needs work on the DBs. Winston is still playing sloppy and is indecisive. Evans was double teamed most of the game, allowing Godwin to rip apart the Def. Godwin only had 1 more target than Evans and I counted at least 3 red zone targets for Evans that could have been TDs. The Bucs should have a field day against the Giants next week.
Cam Newton is not himself. He did throw a couple of deep balls this week but they were inaccurate or overthrown. He seems to do best at throwing left and center but throws to the right looked pretty bad. Olson is the clear safety blanket and Moore and Samuel are seeing an equal amount of targets this week but Moore is the clear 1 with short to medium looks through the center and Samuel being the deep threat. The Bucs run D is good and stopped CMC from taking the top off. I don’t see things getting much better and wouldn’t be surprised if they lost to the Cardinals next week. Cam is a drop till further notice.
WW: Winston, Olson, drop Cam and RJ
Cardinals vs Ravens:
The Cardinals run D is pretty decent. Kyler is still young and being a bit hasty but they are keeping themselves in the game. Fitzgerald is the first read by Kirk is keeping up and currently they’re about 50/50 when it comes to targets. Their will be a revolving door for the 3rd option and this week it was Byrd. The rushing game has been mediocre at best because the O-Line needs work and DJ is the clear 1 but did go out of the game at a point to have his wrist looked at.
The Ravens came back down to earth this week as the Cardinals are much better than the Dolphins. Jackson is playing very well and has a great floor with the rushing this week. He’s also pretty accurate this year which is helping a lot. Andrews and Brown are the first and second looks and both are playing really well. Ingram is the clear 1 in the backfield and would really only be supplanted if an injury occurred. The Ravens D is average at best and should be a stream candidate instead of a weekly start.
WW: The useful players are probably on a roster by now. Justice Hill in deep leagues.
49ers vs Bengals:
The Bengals D is atrocious so most teams will look good against them. Garappalo looked good and Samuel seems to be seems to be emerging as the WR1 with Pettis disappearing. The run game is a full RBBC with Berieda at the lead. He got the most yards but was out touched by Mostert. Kittle was non-existent in this game and appears to be covered frequently after last years break out.
The Bengals are not good. The O-line is bad and although Mixon still looked the best he was rather ineffective this week. He is the clear 1 and would only give up work to Bernard if any injury occurred like in week 1. The offense is better and more pass happy thanks to the new coach and Boyd is the clear 1 till Green gets back. Ross is a solid 2 and will continue to see work till that return. Eifert is not being used much and got a lucky TD this week.
WW: Garoppolo, Samuel, Mostert, Ross
Chargers vs Lions:
The Lions D is surprisingly good and kept the Chargers in check for most of the game. Eckler is the clear 1 but will give work to Jackson. There was tons of sloppy work by the Chargers who lost several touchdowns due to penalties. Eckler will get most of the touches and saw 6 targets which continue to make him a high RB2 if not a RB1 most weeks. Allen is the clear WR1 working the sidelines and middle and Williams is the deep threat and will be a boom or bust. Rivers is a good QB stream but will not win you a week as is his usual norm. I didn’t see much TE work with Henry being out.
The Lions backfield is clearly a RBBS with K.Johnson getting the first touches and the passing work. Anderson is slow and ineffective and saw touches going to T. Johnson(R). The clear WR1 for them is Gollady who had a huge day. Jones is the 2 and will be used as a deep threat. The TE’s will probably bounce back and forth as they used a lot of two TE sets and this week James got the benefit over Hockenson. K Johnson out of the backfield is the clear pass catching RB. Stafford can be QB stream in the right match ups with week winning performances.
WW: Rivers, Stafford, Jackson, T Johnson (deep leagues only)
Colts vs Titans:
Both teams played conservatively considering it was a divisional game. Mack is the clear 1 in terms of touches as he had 20 plus a couple of receptions. There was more play by Wilkins this week than Hynes. Hilton is still the WR1 but Rodgers made an interesting appearance since Funchess is out injured. There were tons of 2 TE sets and we will probably see a back and forth between Ebron and Doyle this year. Ebron did get the goal line look which makes me place him above Doyle still.
The Titans are playing old school football and trying to ram it down opponents throats with Henry. Henry would’ve had a bad day if it wasn’t for the goal line TD. He did see a couple of targets which is interesting but he dropped them which is more indicative of that skill set. Mariota is playing dangerously and is asking to get hurt with his running. He also is widely inaccurate and makes bad decisions throwing into coverage. Walker is the lead target hog and AJ Brown is making himself a comfortable 2. The Titans D is good and can be played against inferior opponents but will be turnover dependent like we saw last week.
WW: AJ Brown, Walker, Chester Rodgers, drop Dion Lewis
Jags vs Texans:
In another divisional game both teams played conservatively. The Jags want to run the ball now that Foles is out for several weeks. Fournette was ineffective on the ground but did see 6 targets giving him some fantasy value in PPR leagues. The top target of the week was Chark and it appears the top 3 passing options are Chark, Westbrooke and Conley. Minshew is a rookie so his decision making is not particularly good but he can run which gives him a nice floor.
The Texans got lucky and almost lost another game late. Overall there isn’t much here in terms of fantasy as the Jags do have a good DEF and can slow even the best offenses. Watson got you something with the rushing TD but was held in check all game and was sacked and hurried frequently. Hopkins is the clear target leader and Fuller is #2. Surprisingly Hyde was very effective on the ground and I can see his workload staying at a similar level all year. Stills is being used more frequently as they work him into the playbook.
WW: Hyde, Chark, Conley, Stills
Seahawks vs Steelers:
The Steelers D is bad and can easily be exploited. Now that Lockett it is back he is the clear #1 target. Metcalf looked great and will continue to develop as the deep threat for Wilson as he had the TD this week. Dissley was able to exploit the Steelers through the center and had 2TDs. I doubt that is repeated again but he is a good TE option for steaming. Carson is still the lead back and will split touches with Penny who managed to get the TD this week. Carson got all the goal line work as well as the 4th down work so he is the lead back.
The Steelers are in trouble. The Def is poor and Big Ben is out for the season. Rudolph put together a strong showing and got them within 2 PTs for the win. JuJu is still the #1 target and had 2 missed TD opportunities due to bad throws. Vance will see an uptick in usage due to Rudolph being on the field as a Rookie and newly starting QBs have a tendency to look to the TE frequently. Connor is the lead back and saw several targets which gives him a boost over the other backs. But for the second week in a row he left for awhile with an injury. Samuels was also rather effective and should be on roster in deeper leagues as the handcuff upside.
WW: Metcalf, Dissley, Penny, Samuels, D Johnson.
Bills vs Giants:
The Bills played a solid game and had a much more effective first half than second. Gore was the lead back and was consistent yet middling. Singletary looked much more explosive and got a TD but did get hurt towards the end of the game. Gore and Allen also got rushing TDs showing the style of play the Bills want. Brown led the team in targets and was more of the deep threat for Allen. Beasly had a useful bunch on targets and would be good in PPR leagues. The defense is decent and can be a good steaming candidate in the right match ups.
The Giants just flat out suck. Barkley is doing what he can and shows he is match up proof but he had only a few good runs and dump offs but was bottled up the rest of the game. Manning is playing poorly and is looking short way too often. The Bills took Engram out of the game and was only relevant towards the end since Shepard was out with a concussion. I would imagine Daniel Jones makes a start soon and will hopefully bring some life to this otherwise bad offense.
WW: Gore, Beasley, Allen
Patriots vs Dolphins:
My lord are the Dolphins bad. Brady ripped them apart through the air and they stood no chance on the ground. AB made his debut this game and they went to him early and often with 8 targets and getting himself a TD. This seems to have capped Gordon’s upside but he still saw 5 targets. Edleman and White will still get plenty of work over the middle. Since the Pats led the entire game Michel saw tons of carries and was able to get an early TD. From the looks of it the Pats will run traditionally if they are up and the defense is bad and will use White more when they can. Burkhead seems to have secure himself a roll regardless.
I have nothing good to say about the Dolphins. Maybe Kenyan Drake would be good if he played for another team. Ballage can’t catch and neither can anyone else. Boooooo.
WW: Burkhead, Brady
Vikings vs Packers:
Dalvin Cook is playing absolutely amazing right now. Looks powerful and electric. He amassed over 150yds and 35ys receiving against a stout Packers Def. The offense clearly runs through him. The receiving game leave a lot to be desired as the Viking clearly want to run the ball. Cousins looks ineffective and is not capable of producing more than one fantasy relevant receiver. Theilen is the main target but didn’t get a touchdown this week rendering him useless. Diggs did get a touchdown but only had the 1 reception so you probably were hoping for more. The Vikings were also sloppy and had a couple of touchdowns called back due to penalties.
The Packers look solid all across the board. Jones looks like clear back to own and certainly looks better than Williams. Williams did score on a reception but I wouldn’t bank on that happening frequently. Outside of the rush game Rodgers seems to be content on being a game manager now and Adams is the only receiver worth owning as you’ll always guess wrong on MVS or Allison. The Packers Def is also surprisingly good and could be a good steaming option moving forward.
WW: MVS or Allison if it’s a deep league.
Cowboys vs Redskins:
The Cowboys are firing on all cylinders and Prescott looks particularly good. He’s thrown for 3 TDs in both games so far and this INT this week wasn’t his fault at all. And is putting down a nice rushing floor to boot. In the passing game Gallup seems to be the #1 target but is now out for 2-4 weeks. The rest of the targets seem to be going to Cobb, Cooper and Witten. In the rushing game Zeke is rounding into form and put up 100yds and TD. Pollard did get some work but I would imagine that this will be typical from here on out.
The Redskins actually look better than their record shows. They are getting stuff done on offense despite a lack of major talent. Keenum is a solid game manager and looks more like his Viking form than what he showed in Dever. McLaurin is emerging as the #1 target and looks great. After that Chris Thompson is the second look and will continue to see work since Guice is out for the year. Peterson was rather ineffective this week but did get the TD and a few catches to salvage his day. Gruden says he doesn’t want to use Peterson so I am concerned about his workload moving forward.
WW: McLaurin, Thompson, Quinn(PPR), Cobb, Devin Smith
Chiefs vs Raiders:
Not shockingly Mahomes is a great QB and ripped the Raiders apart. The Chiefs are spreading the ball around with Watkins and Kelce leading the way in targets. This week Robinson was the main benefactor as he had a weak CB on him and Mahomes was able to hit him deep for a couple of TDs. Although Watkins had an overall bad day in terms of points he’s the clear one and will have better weeks coming up. In the rushing game the workload appears to be split by Williams and McCoy who both walked away with injuries in this game. Both got 3-4 targets and Williams was able to do more in that aspect while McCoy way more efficient on the ground. If healthy I would see this type of workload continuing.
The Raiders looked decent overall but somehow the Chiefs Def showed up and Carr showed his usual turnover self. Waller and Williams continue to be the top targets for the offense and Renfrow made an appearance this game with 8 targets. He didn’t do much with them, showing what you can typically expect from him. Josh Jacobs looked good this game but seceded the passing work to Richard and Washington this game. I would expect Jacobs to continue to play this well and be fed frequently.
WW: Hardmen, Robinson, Thompson(if McCoy and Williams are both out).
Bears vs Broncos:
The Bears are completely hampered by Trubisky’s inability to QB and a lack of original play calling. With very few throwing plays called Robinson and Cohen once again stood out as the top targets but both were rather ineffective this week. Montgomery is taking over in the backfield and Cohen is coming in second with Davis being all but ineffective. I would stay away from all parts of this team for fantasy unless they are playing a terrible defense.
The Broncos got the short end of the stick and almost won the game. Flacco looked much better than Trubisky at was at least able to bring some players some fantasy relevance. Sanders looks like he never tore his Achilles and looks back and better than ever. He’s the top target by a wide margin with Sutton being the second WR option. The backfield is split pretty evenly between Freeman and Lindsey with Freeman looking much more effective this week. This looks like another situation of you’ll never guess the right player to go off that week and would stay away from this backfield except against bottom Def.
WW: Drop Cohen, Sutton and Hamilton. Hold on to Robinson, Montgomery, Lindsey and Freeman.
Saints vs Rams:
The Saints unfortunately lost Brees early to injury and the whole dynamic of the game changed. The running game was ineffective against the Rams Def and with Kamara still the lead back but only getting 45 YDS. Murray came in on spot plays but was far worse in efficiency. With Bridgewater at the helm the passing game took a serious dip in accuracy and depth of play. Thomas still had tons of targets and had a serviceable game. Interestingly Cook was looked at frequently but wasn’t able to pull in a lot. As a whole the Saints offense takes a dip for the next 6 weeks as Brees is out.
The Rams look solid again and were able to work past a stout Saints Def. Gurley and Brown once again split drives and this week Gurley got the TD. Gurley does look explosive but clearly they are trying to save him and will lower his overall workload. He did see 4 targets and caught 3 of them for 4 YDS. Gurley did see 64% of the snaps compared to Brown and Goff did poach a goal line TD from Brown. In the passing game Cupp was the favorite today and almost had the TD but Cooks was able to get deep early and had a goal line TD poached from Brown. Woods wasn’t really active and had a TD called back due to a penalty.
WW: Smith, Bridegewater in deep leagues.
Eagles vs Falcons:
The Eagles are going to be hampered by their offense line this year. Wentz barely has time to get set and throw and the RBs barely have room to operate. With Jeffrey and Jackson both out with injury Ertz and Agholor emerged as this weeks top targets. Ertz was hyper targeted with 16 and Wentz is clearly reverting to his old ways. In the rushing game Sanders is the one but due to poor offense line work he was severely limited in his 10 touches. He did however have 4 targets and turned 3 of them into 9 YDS. Sanders also seems to be constantly looking to make a big play over what could be a more efficient run. The Eagles D is bad in secondary and should never be started.
The Falcons are also going to be limited by their O-Line. Ryan was constantly under pressure by the Eagles front 7 and it kept Freeman and Smith from generating any meaningful YDS. Freeman is the one seeing 62% of snaps but the Falcons seems content on switching Freeman and Smith out at a moments notice. Freeman got 11 caries and 3 catches on 4 targets which netted him 42 YDS which probably made him somewhat useful. In the receiving game Jones and Ridley are dead even in targets and that will continue for the year as both are electric in their own way. Jones had 2 TDs this week and Ridley 1. I see this pattern continuing throughout the year against weaker DEFs.
WW: Agholor. Drop Howard and Sanu.
Browns vs Jets:
The Browns looked much better this week and Baker only had the INT which makes a huge difference. In the passing game it’s cleat OBJ is the main target and this week he had a huge showing out. 6 of 10 for 161 YDS and a TD. Baker likes to spread the ball around but Landry seems to be the #2 with Njoku/TE or Chubb. In the ground game it’s all Nick Chubb.He had 18 carries for 62 YDS and 4 of 4 another 36yds in the air. He capped that off with a rushing TD in what was a great performance for him. The main downside of the Browns is their O-Line is not as good as in years past.
The Jets are already in trouble as it is with a healthy roster and worse off now that Darnold had Mono. Siemen looked awful then got injured leaving things up to the 3rd string QB. Falk actually did decent considering the circumstances but relied on Bell the whole game. Bell had 21 carries for 68 YDS and 10 catches for 68 YDS which made him very valuable this week. The passing game will be lacking till Darnold gets back but Crowder and Anderson are the one and two respectively on this team.
WW: NONE