Matt Galka is a home league hero who has an unrivaled passion for all things fantasy sports. Matt was a (not great) walk-on football player at Syracuse before pursuing a television career. He has covered college and professional sports for television news outlets around the country. He recently added a permanent co-owner to all of his fantasy teams this past summer when he became a new Dad to a future fantasy sports champion!
Players who were great, and not, on Sunday
For some of us with struggling fantasy teams, every matchup is basically Halloween. You’re hoping your team can dress up as something it’s not and some fill-in players can play pretend as All-Pros.
But that’s what makes it all fun! The pretend and the hope and the “any given Sunday” aspect if enough goes right, your team can pull out the victory -- unless you’re playing against A.J. Brown, who doesn’t need to dress up as anything other than himself because he just might be Superman!
1. CeeDee Lamb - 12 rec. 158 yds. 2 TDs
2. Dak Prescott - 304 yds. 4 TDs
3. DeAndre Hopkins - 4 rec. 128 yds. 3 TDs
4. Will Levis - 238 yds. 4 TDs
5. Sam Howell - 397 yds. 4 TDs
6. Jahan Dotson - 108 yds. 1 TD
7. Jaylen Waddle - 121 yds. 1 TD
8. Gus Edwards - 80 yds. 3 TDs
9. Rashid Shaheed - 153 yds. 1 TD
10. Trey McBride - 95 yds. 1 TD
We knew the Dallas Cowboys had it in ‘em! We knew they could throw it downfield, didn’t we? Yes, of course we did. We just needed Mike McCarthy to believe it, too. Good things happen when Dak Prescott finds CeeDee Lamb early and often. It was Lamb’s second consecutive 100+ yard effort and far and away Dak’s best throwing game of the year. The Cowboys looked like they couldn’t hang with anyone after the embarrassment against the 49ers a few weeks ago. Now, it looks like they could torch a leaky Eagles secondary next week. And they’re going to need to because they’re not getting much from the ground game.
You know that Randy Moss image that floats around the internet every now and then? Moss is looking at the camera while the old Fox graphic showed his Thanksgiving stat line of 3 catches 163 yards 3 TDs. That was basically DeAndre Hopkins’ Sunday this week except he had one extra catch. Hopkins and the Tennessee offense actually looked explosive thanks to rookie QB Will Levis. One game does not make a career, but Levis made a case for getting plenty of more run. I’m sure the Titans aren’t asking Ryan Tannehill to hurry back from injury now.
Nobody gets sacked more than Sam Howell. The guy is picking himself up off the ground seemingly every play, and a Philadelphia Eagles front was going to be a daunting task. But Washington kept Howell relatively upright and he delivered a career day and almost a win. The effort might’ve revitalized Jahan Dotson’s season as he turned in his first 100 yard game of the year. The Commanders have gotten Dotson more involved the past two weeks and he could keep it rolling against the Patriots next week.
Speaking of New England, they just got burned by both Dolphins receivers. But while it’s pretty routine to see Tyreek Hill go off, it was nice to see Jaylen Waddle join him in the century club for yardage. Waddle had scored in 3 of the last 4 games and could be on the board again if the matchup next week with the Chiefs turns into a shootout.
The Gus bus was rolling for Baltimore against the Cardinals. Listen, we can be honest here. Watching Gus Edwards run isn’t the most beautiful thing in the world. But he’s averaging over four yards per carry and he’s the clear lead and bellcow for the Ravens. He’s a threat to score every time if Baltimore gets close to the end zone.
If the New Orleans Saints record a big play in a game, it’s probably because of Rashid Shaheed. It doesn’t matter if Derek Carr or Taysom Hill is throwing it, Shaheed is catching bombs. At the very least, he’s good for betting the over on his weekly longest reception prop. His big play ability gives him a huge upside when slotting him in at flex or your spot start receiver for your fantasy team.
Trey McBride finds himself a starter in Arizona with Zach Ertz on the IR and now he could be in the weekly TE1 conversation. McBride wound up with just south of 100 yards and a score while amassing 14 targets in the Cardinals offense. Things could get even better if Kyler Murray ends up taking the field soon.
Now, for the dreaded duds. For Halloween, the Green Bay Packers should dress as a team that has a competent offense. Andy Herman summed it up on X with this: the Packers haven’t scored a first half touchdown since week 2. It’s insulting to struggling teams to say the Packers are struggling. They are inept out there.
Jordan Love can’t seem to find it with Christian Watson. Did Aaron Jones do something to Matt LaFleur we don’t know about? Hope springs eternal with the Rams and their freshly burnt secondary on tap, but I also thought this Green Bay team could move the ball against the Broncos last week and they didn’t. So we’ll see.
Speaking of those Broncos, how about a round of applause. They shut down our other dud team: the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were 7 point favorites and lost outright on the road. They scored zero touchdowns against a team in Denver that had looked flat out hapless at times this season. Patrick Mahomes tossed two picks. The Chiefs will be fine but this loss still has to sting.
And finally, what’s gotten into San Francisco? That’s three losses in a row for a team that looked like world beaters with no weaknesses. What do those losses have in common? The opposing team’s WR1 put up more than 100 yards on the 49ers' secondary all three times. Quarterback Brock Purdy has been far from “brock” solid in each of those games tossing 5 picks over three weeks. An away date with a red hot Jaguars team doesn’t make things much easier.
Looking at the Studs and Duds from Week 7
Fall is hands-down the best season. I thought it was summer when I was a kid, but I was dumb then. I’m dumber now, but at least I know Fall is better than the sweat-filled sauna months of the middle of the year. Football, weather, hoodies, stews. This is a football column, but it should be noted that the NBA is about to tip off, meaning we’ll have a day of NFL, NBA, NHL, and a World Series game right around the corner. So, cherish this beautiful season while we have it because winter is coming. Or, if you’re like my survivor pool, it has already come and frozen me out of any possible winnings. Oh well, on to the column!
Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce. Lamar Jackson to Mark Andrews. Those are the QB-to-TE combinations we’ve become accustomed to over the years, and we bank on them in our season-long and DFS stacks. On National Tight End Day, the combinations delivered and then some.
I admit it, I do this every year. I think the Chiefs look “underwhelming” and “disappointing.” I wonder “who they have besides Kelce?” It never matters. Mahomes dazzled with a 400+ yard game and, like clockwork, the Chiefs reminded everyone why they are, in fact, so impressive.
In Baltimore, Jackson is on pace for a career year after contract drama this off-season. His Ravens just dismantled a good Lions team. An AFC Championship collision course between KC and Baltimore? Stay tuned!
From healthy scratch to Week 7 fantasy RB1, the D’Onta Foreman story. Foreman is the lead back in Chicago out of necessity with injuries depleting the backfield, but his performances should get him more work and less healthy scratches. The Bears will likely ride him as long as Justin Fields is sidelined.
Nobody told the Indianapolis Colts they weren’t supposed to be this good. First-round QB pick Anthony Richardson had accuracy questions coming into the season and then went down to injury. Their supremely talented running back Jonathan Taylor wanted a new contract, then a trade, then had beef with the organization.
Everything was set up to be a question mark, and yet here we are. Backup QB Gardner Minshew made the most of his throws and showed off his own dual-threat ability with two passing and two rushing touchdowns.
Taylor split carries with Zack Moss but looks to be regaining playing form and is on the verge of being the alpha in the backfield again. Rookie receiver Josh Downs has shown he can complement or even outpace Michael Pittman. And Indy scored 38 in a losing effort against one of the NFL’s best defenses. There are brighter days ahead for this exciting team.
Jahmyr Gibbs, welcome to the party! So what if you did most of your damage in garbage time? I, personally, don’t believe in garbage time if there are fantasy points to be earned and/or money to be made. Gibbs operated as Detroit’s feature back while the Lions were getting manhandled by Baltimore and gave a boost to fantasy owners. He also saw 10 targets, which is perhaps a sign of things to come even when David Montgomery returns.
Let’s round the 10 studs out with another tight end to put the bow on National Tight Ends day. Darren Waller had his best game of the season by far and maybe is wondering if Daniel Jones should take some more time off. The Giants offense has looked better with Tyrod Taylor under center while Jones recovers from a neck injury. That’s a low bar, but some Giants fantasy assets like Waller finally look like startable pieces.
While Bijan Robinson will be the written name here, the real dud is Falcons coach Arthur Smith. At some point between Saturday night and Sunday, Robinson apparently got a headache? And then Smith said he wasn’t feeling great when asked why he wasn’t on the field much? But then Robinson got one carry for 3 yards in the 4th quarter? None of it makes sense and I know fantasy mangers and bettors were enraged. Hey Artie, how about a heads-up next time?
Bills QB Josh Allen had a fine fantasy day, but the team’s reality is a lot less clear. A struggle against a bad Giants team last week followed by a loss to a bad Patriots team this week. Maybe Allen’s injury affected him? There were pedestrian numbers all around, but Gabe Davis’s one catch for six yards didn’t help anyone. The Bills have things to figure out.
Finally, I’ll include the Packers’ offense as a whole. Aaron Jones clearly isn’t right no matter how many times he’s declared “active.” It takes Green Bay and Jordan Love a whole first half of football to get going most games. They lost to the Broncos, who had been the league’s slump-buster. And they were coming off a bye. Not sure who you can trust in that offense right now.
Check out our Studs and Duds from NFL's Week 6
When my son was born this past summer, I could picture football season with him. There’s something special about seeing him in his football outfits and imagining the bond we might have over the game.
This past weekend, my biggest fantasy rival in my home leagues welcomed his family’s first child, also. This guy just can’t stop copying me. Wants to be as good at fantasy football as me. I have a kid, he has a kid. Can you believe this dude?
My rival also happens to be one of my best friends in the world and I know he’ll try to establish that same football bond with his daughter. Maybe one day my son and his daughter will be in their own leagues, making their own trades and agonizing over waiver wire decisions.
It’s yet another cool thing about this silly game we play. We all want to win, but we can’t forget about the fun we have with the people in our leagues. The most important thing in this, however, is that if my son and my buddy’s daughter are in a league together, the tradition of my family dominating his in fantasy sports will continue!
And with that, let’s recap Week 6!
I’ve said this in different ways before, but it bears repeating: I try to highlight different players every week here. There are plenty of obvious studs out there, but I only want to highlight them when they go nuclear. Do you need to hear Tyreek Hill is good every week?
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So are the Dolphins. So is Raheem Mostert, who put to bed any doubts about the running game with De’Von Achane on IR. You probably can’t get Mostert but think about getting Jeff Wilson Jr. if he’s around because it seems like it doesn’t matter who’s running the ball in Miami, they’ve got a chance to score.
Kyren Williams had four yards at halftime. He had 158 at the end of the game. Sean McVay decided he was going to try and run the Cardinals defense into the ground and Williams obliged. When it wasn’t Kyren, it was Cooper Kupp, who’s as close to automatic as it gets.
The downside, at least for this game, was there was virtually no Puka Nacua. If Rams go run heavy, it could be sad days ahead for the Puka backers. Hopefully Williams’ ankle injury isn’t a bad one.
Is Jared Goff an MVP candidate? He’s a top-10 fantasy QB so far while directing traffic for the Lions offense. He could set personal records for yards and touchdowns. It helps to have Amon-Ra St. Brown, who didn’t miss a beat after being out last week. David Montgomery left the game, which may have forced the Lions to rely more on their passing game, but it looks like Goff and co. can handle the load.
Many people, including me, wondered if Derrick Henry didn’t have it anymore. Well, what better place for a King to adjust his crown than in England? Henry looked fast and powerful on his bigger runs through the Baltimore defense and gave fantasy owners reason to relax.
Ok, that’s two 300-plus passing yard games in a row from Desmond Ridder in Atlanta. Drake London turned in his first 100-plus yard day of the season. That’s the good news. Ridder still threw three picks and London couldn’t find the end zone. It feels like the Atlanta offense will always make me think it could be better. But, hey, at least Kyle Pitts scored.
Without Miles Sanders, Chubba Hubbard was … serviceable! They gave it to him 19 times and he had just under 90 yards and a touchdown. You’ll take that every time. The not fun part: 1 target.
It’s clear that Michael Pittman is Gardner Minshew’s favorite target. He had 14 targets on his way to a 9-grab, 100-plus yard day. Minshew loves targeting this guy and he might be the QB for the rest of the year if Anthony Richardson gets season ending surgery. Hope you have Pittman in PPR formats!
This might be a cop-out, but I’ll just say the injury bug can GTFO of here and in a hurry! The blue medical tent was a who’s who of NFL talent -- Christian McCaffrey, Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence, Deebo Samuel … and those are just some of the names! Let’s hope they recover quickly.
Now for the players that stayed healthy. Losing CMC obviously hurt the 49ers, but Brock Purdy didn’t step up when needed. He also had nothing going with one of last weekend’s studs: George Kittle. You can’t tell me San Francisco fell apart by losing one guy.
Speaking of losing, the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the New York Jets! Hurts had three interceptions and an un-Hurts-like game, but you got a rushing and a passing touchdown. DeVonta Smith turned in another subpar game, but it wasn’t for lack of opportunity -- 11 targets should give Smith owners reassurance that better days are ahead.
I’ll also throw the Buccaneers QB/WR duo on here. Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans got nothing going against the Lions. The early bye might have helped the Bucs get a little more healthy, but it certainly did not look like they did a lot of game planning on the week off.
Check out the studs and duds from Week 5
My brother turned 40 this weekend, and I’m not too far off myself. Young people, take a moment. 40 is a big number. It was when my brother and I were kids. It is now. Every time I hear an announcer talk about how old a player is when they might have just turned 30, I cringe a little bit.
But I’ve been thinking about the good times that have filled those years. My brother and I weren’t the best of friends when we were little kids. We grew extremely close when I got to college, however, and our bond has only gotten stronger since.
One of the main reasons is fantasy football. We joined our first league together after I graduated, and we share four different ones now. I root for him, I try to beat him, and I even sometimes give him some waiver advice.
It sounds silly, but this is a silly game we play, and I love every second of it. I love that I’m able to text him at any time about a player going off for three touchdowns or putting up a goose egg. I can always count on him to shoot back with a meme telling me I’m an idiot.
He beat me in a league championship last year and even our parents were super invested in the outcome. It’s the little things that make this game so great. It’s brought so many people together and hopefully you have a similar experience of joy and togetherness.
But sorry for the sappy intro, ya jabronis, on to the week 5 recap!
*Honorable Mention* Sam LaPorta, Lions TE – 3 rec. 47 yds. 2 TDs
We don’t usually do the Thursday guys because some time has passed, but DJ Moore’s day was too good to ignore -- 230 yards and three touchdowns, and it probably should have haven four. Where did he step out of bounds? He paced the league through Sunday. He’s gone over 100 yards three out of five weeks and he’ll have plenty more opportunities to keep that going with a Bears defense that has given up the most passing yards through five weeks.
Is Ja’Marr Chase always freaking open? He sure seemed like it Sunday, with 192 yards and three touchdowns. This was either a “launchpad game” for the Cincinnati Bengals OR they lit up an Arizona Cardinals team that also got lit up by the lousy New York Giants. Cincy will get Seattle before a bye and might really be able to get the offense turned around. Stay tuned!
Three catches. Three scores. That’s how George Kittle’s night went. The connection he had with Brock Purdy at the end of last season made him a top-five tight end. It hasn’t been the norm this season, but it’s clear the chemistry is still very much there. Kittle’s first career three-touchdown game put him right back near the top of fantasy tight end point scorers.
Travis Etienne, Jr. tweeted that he played himself in fantasy this week. I’m glad he didn’t go easy. His first game going over 100 yards on the ground carried the Jaguars to a win. His 35-yard touchdown at the end of the game sealed the deal. He’s a top-five runner and the Jags would be smart to keep that train rolling.
What more can we say about De’Von Achane? He’s leading the NFL in rushing in basically three games on about half as many attempts as the guys behind him. To say he makes the most of his touches is an understatement. And even when the game might be in hand, the Dolphins are more than happy to keep running their offense.
Zack Moss doesn’t care that you have Jonathan Taylor on your fantasy team. He was the feature back in the Colts’ offense as they work Taylor back in. Listen, Taylor got paid and we know what he’s capable of. But if you believe in preseason games being needed to get up to game speed, then Taylor will need about a month to figure it out. Moss will continue to have value and at worst will be the best handcuff in fantasy leagues if Taylor goes down.
They said, there are no limitations on Breece Hall. Yes, the Broncos’ run defense is basically Swiss cheese, but that doesn’t matter. Hall will likely be the focal point of the Jets’ offense going forward because of Zach Wilson’s limitations at quarterback.
Dallas Goedert put his slow start all the way behind him against the Rams. He powered the Eagles’ offense on the first drive and didn’t look back. He runs routes on 80 percent of Eagles pass plays and hopefully Sunday was a sign that Jalen Hurts is noticing.
The kids say it’s cuffing season. I say it’s Kupping season. I’m so hip. Welcome back to the man, the myth, the weapon Cooper Kupp after a stint on the IR. He didn’t miss a beat while leading the Rams in targets, catches and yards. The big question: can the Rams support both Kupp and Puka Nacua? Puka had 71 yards and a touchdown, a BIG BOY touchdown at that, so I think Los Angeles (and fantasy owners) are happy to have them both running routes.
Raise your hand if you benched George Pickens this week. My hand is up, I hate that it’s up, and I wish I could put it down. The Ravens hadn’t allowed a 100-yard receiver all season. I was playing the odds, but it will be the last time I bench Pickens, who is clearly in synch with Kenny Pickett.
Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, our Honorable Mention, has three touchdowns this season. The Lions offense is a monster and I want every part of it. I’ll be bold: LaPorta will finish as a top-3 player at the position this season. Trade for him if you can!
Texans WR Nico Collins continued his good game-bad game trend for the Texans by posting only 38 yards. Rams RB Kyren Williams barely did anything against a tough Philly front. Basically every Giants player continued to play like they were on the Giants. And Derrick Henry looked like anything but a King against Indy.
But even though this is a duds section, I do want to talk injuries. Anthony Richardson plays in a way that is seemingly conducive to injuries. His throwing shoulder injury forced him out of the game and could force him to miss time. Cardinals RB James Conner looked good before going down with a knee injury. And the first overall pick in many a fantasy draft, WR Justin Jefferson, couldn’t finish the Vikings game because of a hammy issue. See if Jordan Addison is still somehow on your waiver wire or even consider K.J. Osborn if you’re in a bind.
A brutal day for some stars, yeesh.
It's time to elevate some players, cut bait on others
There was a time in my life as a kid when I wanted nothing to do with playing football. I didn’t want to play flag or tackle. Just didn’t want to do that. At some point I came to my senses and became obsessed, but during that time my dad had a saying: “give it two weeks.” He’d tell me to participate in football for two weeks and see if I still didn’t like it. And then when two weeks came and went and I still didn’t want to do it, my Dad would then say to me “give it another two weeks.”
That’s how you get a bratty kid to do things. In fantasy terms, we’re at the “another two weeks” point. A month into the season and it’s time to elevate the fantasy studs and maybe cut bait with (at least some) of the duds. And with that, let’s recap Week 4!
Honorable Mention -- Zach Wilson, 245 yds. 2 TDs. But this doesn’t absolve him from the careerlong streak of being mediocre.
It’s news to literally no one that CMC is a stud. Four touchdowns could have been five if Brock Purdy didn’t sneak in for one. Hand up: I was “cautious” when he got traded to the 49ers because of his injury history. Hand up: I’m dumb. He leads the league in rushing and could run away with it.
It’s good to see A.J. Brown build on the success of last week’s 131 scoreless yard performance with a monster day. The Eagles needed every bit of it in a shootout with the Commanders (good for you if you predicted that one) and it looks like any “give me the damn ball” problems there may have been in Philly have been worked out. Brown has 27 targets in the last two weeks compared to DeVonta Smith’s 14.
This was the Josh Allen you drafted. This was the guy you pictured when some league mates told you it was a reach to grab him in the 2nd round. His perfect passer rating and five touchdowns helped knock out the Dolphins. And he did it by going to his number 1 Stefon Diggs.
Stefon Diggs certainly hasn’t disappointed fantasy owners, but he hadn’t found the endzone in the previous two weeks. That changed Sunday with his three scores and the duo put to bed any doubts about Buffalo’s offense.
I think we can confidently say Kyren Williams is good. Granted, the Colts defense isn’t a brick wall, but he’s been showing versatility week after week. Against Indy it was on the ground, but he can get it done through the air, too. I’m high on Williams keeping it going with the return of Cooper Kupp on the horizon and the prospect of the offense being even better.
When in doubt, start offensive players against the Broncos. I guess that’s where we’re at now? Justin Fields’ 4-touchdown performance is either smoke and mirrors or the start of something beautiful. Cole Kmet had 2 touchdowns. The DJ Moore rollercoaster provided a thrill with 131 yards and a score. Khalil Herbert had more than 100 on the ground and a receiving touchdown.
Despite all of this, the Bears still lost. The Broncos did just enough by spreading it around. Unfortunately, Chicago doesn’t get to play Denver every week so let’s pump the brakes on a Midway revival.
The Ravens needed this Mark Andrews badly. His five targets led the depleted Baltimore receivers. His two touchdowns reminded us he’s still Lamar Jackson’s redzone go-to. Again, the Ravens need this and would be crazy to go away from it in the weeks ahead.
Is it fair to say the Las Vegas Raiders are a mess? I think it’s more than fair. Hell, that might even be an undersell. But it’s always darkest just before the dawn, as they say. Unfortunately for the Raiders, this is like that six-month period of time in Alaska where it’s 24-hour darkness.
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That doesn’t mean there can’t be bright spots, though! Welcome back to the fold, Josh Jacobs. Fantasy owners likely expected more through four weeks, but you could argue Week 4 of last season is when Jacobs got it rolling on his way to a rushing title. This year’s Week 4 was better than that one so let’s hope he can keep it going.
Michael Wilson is a household name. I am very confident there are multiple Michael Wilson’s in houses all around the world. I will forgive you, though, if you didn’t have *the* Michael Wilson rostered on your fantasy squad, but maybe you should. His two scores built on a good Week 3, but more importantly he has overtaken Rondale Moore in Arizona and is a threat to be a top-2 or -3 option weekly in the Cardinals offense. And let’s give it up for Josh Dobbs.
This weekly column isn’t always about the BIGGEST performances. Sometimes it’s about guys who you just flat out should consider rostering. That’s Jonnu Smith and his 95 yards as the Atlanta Falcons’ second (but really first) tight end.
Personally, I’m moving on from Kyle Pitts in non-dynasty formats. You can do it, too. Sure, he might have that *one* game where he makes you think about what could be, but you know it’s not reality. Smith has almost doubled up on Pitts in terms of fantasy points this season.
Chris Olave can be a guy you build a gameplan around, but one catch for four yards on six targets is not how you do it. If Derek Carr was deemed healthy enough to be the starting quarterback, then I’m not going to blame his health on this.
I’m more worried about Alvin Kamara’s 14 targets on his return. That’s less run for Olave and the rest of the receiving corps. The offense has also only scored 20 points or more once.
I’ll throw Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert in here. I guess it’s hard not to have sky-high hopes after a 70-point game, but the Dolphins were brought back down to Earth. Hill had only 58 scoreless yards, but he’ll be fine.
Mostert is a tougher call. I called him MustStart, but tack on a couple of fumbles and De’Von Achane’s ascension … what do I call him now? The Miami offense (and your fantasy team) can still support both backs, but Achane wasn’t a fluke and that can only mean Mostert’s ceiling is limited.
Lastly, let’s go back to “give it two weeks … give it another two weeks.” I thought of that phrase when looking at the Cincinnati Bengals this season. Just give it a couple weeks! They’ll be fine! They are not fine. The game against the Tennessee Titans was supposed to be the “get right” game. They were coming off a win against the Los Angeles Rams and finally got Ja’Marr Chase involved, but nothing kept rolling.
Joe Burrow has flat out stunk, and the offense has scored three total touchdowns. Tee Higgins is hurt now. It’s been two weeks and another two weeks. They’re KILLING your fantasy team if you have virtually any Bengal.
Well, I’m gonna give it another two weeks because I refuse to believe they forgot how to play football. At least until the next poor performance.
The players who starred and sputtered in Week 3
If you’re reading this, I can only assume you’re a Swiftie and you want to see how many Taylor Swift lyrical puns I can plug into my NFL recap article. Well, I’m telling you right now you need to calm down because It’s karma that I didn’t Google anything about Taylor Swift for this article.
All I did was look at my underperforming fantasy teams, shake it off, identified my anti-hero, and realized I now have bad blood with players like Joshua Kelley.
And now, something y’all know all too well, the weekly recap!
Is 10 touchdowns a lot? I think 10 touchdowns is a lot of touchdowns but let me confirm. They were 3 points shy of the all-time NFL record for points in a game and scored the most points in a game since 1966. I guess 10 touchdowns is pretty good.
We wrote about Raheem Mostert (MustStart) last week, and he didn’t disappoint -- 142 total yards and four touchdowns will make you look like a genius. But he was overshadowed by rookie running mate De’Von Achane, who racked up 203 on the ground and another 30 through the air on his way to his own four touchdowns.
The offense can handle both players and that’s obvious, so feel free to throw some trades out there. Oh, by the way, Tua Tagovailoa passed for 309 and four touchdowns with Tyreek Hill adding in 157 yards and a touchdown. They didn’t even have Jaylen Waddle! Invest in this offense and feel good about it going forward.
Keenan Allen made our recap last week and he kept rolling. Maybe he was mad we called him old? 18 grabs on 20 targets and he even chipped in a trick play passing touchdown to Mike Williams.
The offense was looking like it finally figured it out under new OC Kellen Moore, but now Williams looks like he’s lost for the season. Justin Herbert and Allen should continue to feast, but if you need another option in the offense, maybe look to add Quentin Johnston or Joshua Palmer.
Davante Adams is the NFL equipment to the Ol’ Reliable SpongeBob meme. Jimmy G went to him early and often Sunday night and it was the performance we’re used to from one of the NFL’s best. We should see it all season for a Vegas team that isn’t replicating Josh Jacobs’ success last year in the ground game and a leaky defense.
Here’s a non-fantasy tip if you’re a gambler: some books offer “player to catch a pass on this drive” props during primetime games. Some offered Adams at plus money. Some of them got lit up. Adams plays his old team Green Bay in week 5 on Monday Night Football. Keep an eye on it.
I wrote off Adam Thielen. He disappointed for the Viking last year and went to a rebuilding Carolina Panthers team. He basically pulled an Undertaker gif in real life this weekend with 11 grabs for 145 yards and a touchdown. Will it continue? I think it would be smart to keep the same formula when Bryce Young returns from injury, but in the meantime, his connection with Andy Dalton is clear.
Seattle turned to Kenneth Walker III when they needed him. He got the carries around the goal line and scored 2 touchdowns. It’s a good sign for those worried about Zach Charbonnet grabbing work from him especially where it counts. Charbonnet carried it nine times to K9’s 18, but it looks like Walker will be the guy the Seahawks (and fantasy owners) turn to when they need it most.
Nico Collins walked last week so Tank Dell could run. Or Collins ran last week so Dell could also run, but faster? I haven’t worked out the exact details yet but there’s something there, just like there’s something there for a surprising Texans passing attack. It’ll be tough to decide who will be the alpha between Collins and Dell each week, but both will have their chances. That also means C.J. Stroud might be worth a look in your DFS lineups or, at the very least, he’ll be an enticing option in some of your season long matchups.
Zack Moss? Zack Moss. That’s two weeks in a row where he’s looked good for the Colts -- 122 yards on the ground and a receiving touchdown has me intrigued. Mostly because it looks like he can chip in no matter who is at quarterback.
Lamar Jackson has been a stud, that’s not news. But the Ravens are so banged up they need him to be the MVP. It’s probably not the strategy they hoped for, but hero ball Lamar isn’t the worst strategy in the world. It might be tough to find passing touchdowns some weeks, but his legs will keep Baltimore, and fantasy owners, in the game weekly.
Sam LaPorta is putting together a historic season so far -- 18 catches through three games, the most ever for a rookie tight end. Detroit believes in him as their second option in the offense. LaPorta is a weekly plug and play TE1.
The Browns didn’t get many people excited through two weeks. A Week 1 slugfest in the rain followed by a devastating injury to Nick Chubb had me questioning what team would come out of Cleveland.
Deshaun Watson had to step up sans Chubb, and he did this week, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns while clicking with Amari Cooper (116 and 1 touchdown). It had me thinking about the Texans Deshaun from a few years ago.
The caution is Jerome Ford, who turned in only 18 yards on the ground and 33 through the air. The two touchdowns he had looked good, but I’m not sold on him being the replacement for Chubb.
It's dud time, and Broncos country, let’s ride! Losing by 50 to the Dolphins is bad, and I’m sorry if you had the Broncos defense for some reason. I will say Russell Wilson hasn’t looked bad the past two weeks with over 300 yards each game while his defense was getting torched. The rushing offense has also been a dud. Sean Payton’s Mile High Era isn’t going as planned so far.
The Jets running back situation is a nightmare. The Jets are pretty much a nightmare. The Aaron Rodgers injury situation is dragging the team down with an anchor by the name of Zach Wilson. I’m not confident in any Jet in my lineup.
Daniel Jones caps things off. A 5-point fantasy game, a 35-point fantasy game, a 5-point fantasy game. That’s the Daniel Jones experience, or more so the Giants experience. Yes, two of those games were against formidable defenses in Dallas and San Francisco, but even the rushing wasn’t there.
Which Jones are you going to get weekly? Who knows! Will it be fun? It won’t! The Seahawks are next so hope for the best.
The players who starred and flopped during Week 2
Week 2 was the time to see if our eyes were deceiving us. Were the Week 1 studs legit? Was it really time to panic about some of our underperforming high draft picks? Were the Giants really not going to score a single point this season? (OK, that was a stretch, but it looked a little hairy there through six quarters).
We got some of our answers in Week 2, so let’s recap!
So, you spent half of your FAAB dollars on a guy some of your league mates had never heard of. You were mocked and told that you could’ve gotten him for so much less (if only you knew the other bids). And, of course, you were asked what happens when Cooper Kupp comes back.
Well, Puka Nacua rewarded your good faith with 15 grabs on 20 targets and that’s something Kupp has never done. He seems fully capable of filling Kupp’s role while he’s out, and you know what’s better than one Kupp? Make it a double.
If by some chance Puka is available in your league, get him. One more thing: if you benched him because you were afraid the 49ers would shut him down, you may have cost yourself a W – couldn’t be me. No, never…
Meanwhile, Kyren Williams' abilities apparently made Cam Akers inactive. Well, maybe not Williams himself, but Akers tweeted out that he was “confused” about being a healthy scratch in Week 2. Williams didn’t disappoint and will be the guy going forward as the Rams seek a trade for their other running back.
DANNY DIMES! Hoo boy, finally. It looked bad for Big Blue through six quarters of the season. After being smacked around by Dallas in Week 1, they were being shut out at halftime to the lowly Cardinals. But Daniel Jones is the guy fantasy owners took for his rushing upside. He also got new weapon Darren Waller involved.
All these things are positive, but the Giants don’t play the Cardinals every week. It does look like their defense isn’t going to keep them in many games, so it’ll be up to Dimes to use his arms and legs going forward and, hopefully, that means more points ahead.
A couple of “old guys” are really representing out there through two weeks. Keenan Allen is doing Keenan Allen things with Justin Herbert. He caught both of Herbert‘s passing touchdowns while dominating the target share through two weeks.
In Tampa, Mike Evans scored again while on his way to 171 yards and another Buccaneers W. Evans is clicking with Baker Mayfield early on and putting to rest some post-Brady questions. Both veterans are top-5 fantasy receivers in the young season.
Is Raheem Mostert back to Raheem MustStart? While the Patriots did their best to limit the Dolphins’ passing attack, Mostert gashed them on the ground with 121 yards and two touchdowns, including a 41-yard, untouched run into the end zone. Some of his production will be based on Mike McDaniel’s schemes, but you could do a lot worse than starting a guy in the Dolphins offense.
Hunter Henry’s stat line isn’t eye popping, but it’s clear Mac Jones is looking his way. Henry’s not going to score every week, but in an offense that might not have many dynamic plays, he’ll be a threat in the red zone whenever New England gets close.
Welcome, Nico Collins. You might not see many “in real life” wins this season, but we don’t care! Your career day shows that Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud is gonna keep looking your way, and he’s going to need to. Dameon Pierce has left a lot to be desired in the ground game through two weeks, and the offense is going to be in comeback mode quite a bit this season. Keep it rolling, young man!
The law firm of Robinson and Robinson didn’t need to make much of a case in Week 2. Brian Robinson made sure everyone knew he was *the* guy in the Commanders backfield. His 18 carries lapped the field as Antonio Gibson only carried it twice. Gibson might grab a touchdown or two in the passing game, but I’m not worried.
Bijan Robinson impressed with his 172 total yards, but don’t gloss over the fact that they were scoreless and *probably* (no, no, DEFINITELY) shouldn’t have been. Falcons coach Arthur Smith doesn’t care about your fantasy team, we get it, but maybe he should care about using his best players on his own team. Robinson is the 2-minute back in Atlanta, but when the Falcons get close to the goal line, they barely have him on the field. He’s taken just two snaps inside the 5.
I wrote about the Bengals last week and taking a “wait and see” approach and, quite frankly, I’m not loving what I see. They made it a game against Baltimore and came up just short, that’s the good.
But if I’m a Ja’Marr Chase backer (and I am! I have him in plenty of leagues) then I’m not thrilled with my investment so far – 10 grabs and 70 yards won’t cut it, but I’m an optimist. I’m not selling and I’d look to buy low if any league mate is desperate.
The caution is Joe Burrow’s wonky calf muscle. Missed time for him won’t give me extra confidence in Chase, obviously, but he’s too talented to be this hapless … right?
Let’s throw Alexander Mattison, Josh Jacobs, and Jahmyr Gibbs on this pile, also. Mattison has just never quite seemed to be able to be the No. 1 stud RB he seems to be when he was playing second fiddle to Dalvin Cook.
Where is Josh Jacobs the rushing champion? He’s frustrated and so are we. HE HAD NEGATIVE TWO YARDS AGAINST THE BILLS. That’s not rust, that’s just broken.
As for Gibbs, I’ve been tempering my expectations because of what I saw happen to D’Andre Swift in Detroit (he’s pretty good, eh?). A David Montgomery injury might drastically change the situation for Gibbs, but we’ll have to see it. If I were Gibbs, I’d look into joining the auto worker strike down the road to demand more from the powers that be.
A breakdown of the fantasy hits and misses from Week 1
Week 1 of the NFL Season, we hardly knew ye. Just as we settled in to watch seven hours of commercial-free football followed by the Sunday night game, it was like we blinked, and you were already over.
You did leave us with some highs and lows before you left, and while some of our fantasy lineups may be in shambles, there’s a whole season left to turn things around. So without further ado, here is week 1’s no cap recap!
If you’re a Miami Dolphins backer, then you’re laughing all the way to the bank -- 536 total yards of offense. Miami kept Tua upright and he made the Chargers defense pay. Both Tagovailoa and Hill were stacked in the winning “Milly Maker” lineup from Sunday. With defense a non-factor, expect this stack to be a popular one. And for Jaylen Waddle fans, don’t worry! A quiet 78 yards was an efficient 78 yards as he averaged 19.5 yards per grab. Better days are ahead.
Ekeler’s running mate Josh Kelley almost put up 100 yards of his own and added a touchdown. But you could argue people expected more from Herbert after he only tossed for 1 touchdown (he ran for another) and none of his receivers went over 100 yards. Get to work, Kellen Moore.
In Pittsburgh, I’m not sure if Aiyuk was making Brock Purdy look like Montana and Young or Purdy was making Aiyuk look like Jerry Rice, but the duo was cooking. The 49ers did something you don’t see very often: they made Mike Tomlin’s group look unprepared.
Christian McCaffrey did CMC things on his way to 152 yards on the ground and a touchdown. George Kittle had a quiet game, but I’m not panicking on him yet. With health concerns coming in, I expect him to find that connection with Purdy again that made him a top-3 tight end in the final weeks of last season.
Death, taxes, and the Bears losing to the Packers. Those have been the guarantees since 2018 -- the last time Chicago got a win over the cheese. There was hope a Chicago streak could start with Aaron Rodgers out of the picture, but Jordan Love didn’t miss a beat.
What’s clear is Jones is the man in the Green Bay offense now more than ever. The Packers were in a lull before making the third quarter the Aaron Jones show. He scored twice in the quarter before an early exit with a hamstring issue. It will be something to monitor as his primary backup A.J. Dillon plodded his way to 19 yards on 13 carries.
Everyone in Atlanta was excited to see what first-round pick Bijan Robinson could do at running back. The kids like to say, “he ate,” but I’d call his performance more of a snack. The electricity was there and he got into the endzone for his first NFL score, but it was his backup who got a surprising amount of runs.
Allgeier may have been an afterthought for some, but he got more touches and yards than Robinson on the ground and secured two touchdowns of his own. Falcons coach Arthur Smith is famous for not thinking much of fantasy stats, but it certainly seems like both running backs will be start-able this season.
Los Angeles Rams runner Cam Akers was RB3 over the final six weeks of 2022. But that guy didn’t show up this weekend -- 29 yards on 22 carries. Instead, it was Kyren Williams carrying the Rams to an unexpected victory in Seattle. Will the real Cam Akers please stand up?
Dallas’ offense didn’t need to do that much during biblical rains in their game against the Giants, but their star running back still looked electric. Pollard averaged 5 yards per carry in the 40-0 beatdown of Big Blue. He added two catches for 12 yards, but that number should go up with better weather and an opponent that has more life than the Giants squad that got shut out.
As for the duds, there was probably no bigger disappointment than the entire Cincinnati Bengals roster. Whether you play season long or DFS, you probably targeted a Bengal especially after Joe Burrow got the big money deal. All he did was turn in the worst performance of his career after a preseason where he was rehabbing an injured calf and a rainstorm in Cleveland.
The Browns’ defense played well at every level, holding Burrow to 82 passing yards and no touchdowns while sacking him twice. Tee Higgins had zero catches on eight targets, and Ja’Marr Chase had only 39 yards.
I’m willing to bet this is an exception and not the norm, and I’m not ready to panic. Let’s see how they handle a Ravens team that just gave up 268 yards to the lowly Texans.
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