RAMS 26 SEAHAWKS 17
The Rams offense started slow, but it was quarterback Matthew Stafford who got it ‘cooking’ late in this one. Stafford played through an injured hand as he completed 25 of 37 for 365 yards, one touchdown, and one interception–Stafford remains on the backend QB1 radar. We predicted the Robert Woods breakout game was coming, and here it was. Woods hauled in 12 of 14 targets for 150 yards receiving and is back in the mid-WR2 conversation. Cooper Kupp had another solid performance catching seven of ten targets for 92 yards. An equal distribution of targets between Woods and Kupp moving forward should be more like it. Darrel Henderson Jr. had it working in this one–totaling 99 yards on 18 touches. In a highly prolific offense, Henderson remains in the high-end RB2 conversation. For Seattle, the story has to be about the injury to quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson sustained an injury to his finger that will keep him out of action for four to six weeks. Geno Smith will be under center for the Seahawks, causing a considerable downgrade for all Seahawks’ fantasy options. DK Metcalf will be a high-end WR2, and Tyler Lockett will be more of a mid-WR2, both of which are off the WR1 radar until Wilson returns. Alex Collins was solid in relief of Chris Carson. Collins totaled 72 yards on 17 touches. Keep an eye on the injury report to see which Seahawks’ running back to play in week six.
FALCONS 27 JETS 20
The Atlanta Falcons flew across the pond and found themselves a victory over the New York Jets. Matt Ryan had arguably his best game of the season as he completed 33 of 45 for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan is tough to trust in fantasy football but remains streamable in the right matchup. Kyle Pitts officially had his breakout performance with nine catches on ten targets for 119 yards and a touchdown. As other tight ends are struggling, Pitts seems to be finding his footing and is worth a top-five tight-end consideration. Hard to fathom, but Cordarelle Patterson continues to roll on. Patterson contributed with 114 total yards on 21 touches. Don’t forget, the Falcons were without Calvin Ridley in this one, but it doesn’t appear that Patterson’s role in the offense is diminishing anytime soon. It’s not sexy, but Mike Davis totaled 60 yards on 15 touches and found the endzone. Davis is a high-end flex option as long as he is getting this type of volume. I am legitimately concerned about Zach Wilson at this point. The Falcons was a plus matchup for the rookie signal-caller, and he did nothing with it. Wilson completed 19 of 32 for 192 yards and an interception. Corey Davis is not startable in fantasy at the moment. Davis caught four of seven targets for 45 yards. If Davis is not startable, then there certainly is not another Jet skill player worth your consideration. This offense is a dumpster fire–stay away.
PACKERS 25 BENGALS 22
In one of the strangest games you will ever see, the Packers defeated the Bengals in overtime 25-22. This game featured four missed field goals after the two-minute warning in the 4th quarter. That sounds made up–but it happened! Aaron Rodgers was masterful once again–completing 27 of 39 for 344 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Find someone who loves you as much as Aaron Rodgers loves Davante Adams. Adams caught 11 of 16 targets for 206 yards and a touchdown, remaining the WR1 in all of fantasy. You cannot start another pass-catcher for the Green Bay Packers. AJ Dillon continues to earn more touches in the Packers’ offense–totaling 79 yards and a touchdown on 12 touches. Aaron Jones totaled 109 yards on 18 touches. Jones remains a top-five running back, and AJ Dillon is making a case for RB2 consideration. Joe Burrow was solid in this one as he completed 26 of 38 for 281 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Ja’Marr Chase continues to star for the Bengals with six catches on ten targets for 159 yards and a touchdown. Chase is firmly on the WR1 radar through five games. Tee Higgins knocked some of the injury rust off with five catches on seven targets for 32 yards–expect better performances from Higgins moving forward. Interesting split for the Bengals backfield this week. Samaje Perine had 15 touches to Joe Mixon‘s 11. I would expect Mixon to take this backfield beginning next week.
VIKINGS 19 LIONS 17
Kirk Cousins played his best ball when it mattered the most, leading the Vikings to a last-second victory. Cousins completed 25 of 34 for 275 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Cousins may not be an every-week fantasy starter, but he remains a streaming option. Justin Jefferson continues a stellar sophomore season with seven catches on eight targets for 124 yards. Jefferson remains firmly a WR1 in fantasy. Adam Thielen was more of an afterthought in this one catching only two of three passes for 40 yards. You may want to knock Thielen down a peg and consider him more of a low-end WR2/high-end flex play moving forward. Alexander Mattison was great in this one, in relief of Dalvin Cook. Mattison ran the ball effectively–113 yards on 25 carries, and he caught all seven of his targets for an additional 40 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings have always been a one-back system, but you have to wonder if Mattison has carved out a role for himself, which would take some of the workload off Dalvin Cook. Keep an eye on this situation moving forward. The Lions didn’t muster much on offense. Jared Goff completed 21 of 35 for 203 yards and an interception in a bland performance. In the absence of solid performers at the wide receiver position, the Lions continue to work their running backs. D’Andre Swift ran the ball well–51 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, and he also caught all six of his targets for an additional 53 yards. Swift remains a high-end RB2 given his involvement as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Jamaal Williams led the team in carries with 13 for 57 yards, remaining a flex option. Quintez Cephus broke his collarbone in this game and could be out for the season. Amon-Ra St. Brown could be in a last-man-standing situation where he will receive a good amount of targets weekly. T.J. Hockenson has had three straight disappointing weeks. Hockenson caught two of three passes for 22 yards. Defenses are rolling their coverage to take Hockenson out of the game plan. It may be time to look for a different tight-end option.
STEELERS 27 BRONCOS 19
Ben Roethlisberger rose from the grave like ‘The Undertaker’ and led the Steelers to a much-needed victory. Big Ben completed 15 of 25 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. I don’t believe you can trust Big Ben weekly, but it’s nice to see that he can still get it done. JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered an injured shoulder that will knock him out for the remainder of the season. For fantasy football purposes, I would bump Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool up a notch, as they should see additional targets. Diontae Johnson caught both of his targets for 72 yards and a touchdown. Chase Claypool exploded on Sunday as he caught five of six targets for 130 yards and a touchdown. Najee Harris continues to perform as a top ten fantasy football running back. Harris had 25 total touches for 142 yards and a touchdown. Lock Harris into your starting lineups at this point. Teddy Bridgewater was back under center for the Denver Broncos, but a subpar performance from him in this one. Bridgewater completed 24 of 38 for 288 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick have risen to become the Broncos 1-2 punch at wide receiver. Sutton caught seven of eleven targets for 120 yards and a touchdown, remaining a low-end WR2. Tim Patrick caught seven of nine targets for 89 yards and should receive flex consideration weekly. We continue to await the transition to Javonte Williams as the bell cow running back for the Broncos, and we continue to be frustrated by the usage of Melvin Gordon III. Williams was the superior player in this one rushing for 61 yards on eight carries and catching all three of his targets for 25 yards. For fantasy purposes, you want to hold on to Javonte Williams and hope the Broncos come to their senses in the 2nd half of the season.
BUCCANEERS 45 DOLPHINS 17
The safest bet of the weekend was the Buccaneers’ offense rebounding from a subpar performance against New England on Sunday Night. Tom Brady lit up the Dolphins’ defense to the tune of 30 of 41 for 411 yards and five touchdowns. Tom Brady continues to produce outrageous fantasy numbers with no signs of slowing down. Antonio Brown reminded us all just how explosive he can be. Brown caught seven of eight targets for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Not to be outdone, Mike Evans caught six of eight targets for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Godwin led the team in targets with eleven–turning those into seven catches for 70 yards. Start all your Buccaneeers’ wide receivers with confidence. Leonard Fournette has emerged as the go-to back for the Buccaneers. Fournette rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries, catching four of five targets for 43 additional yards. Fournette is shaping up as a solid weekly flex play. Jacoby Brissett continues to flounder as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback. If you are a Dolphins fan, the good news is that Tua Tagovailoa is due back this weekend–so keep an eye on his progress. We have been snake bit by Jaylen Waddle two weeks in a row–just two catches on six targets for 31 yards in this one. I would not recommend trusting Waddle in fantasy until we see a solid performance on the field. Myles Gaskin was the revelation in this one. There has been much confusion in the Dolphins backfield leading to Malcolm Brown surging to prominence. The Dolphins were trailing big, keep that in mind, but this was by far the best game we have seen from Gaskin this season. Gaskin caught all ten of his targets for 74 yards and two touchdowns. I would imagine that the Dolphins would give Gaskin more work as the pass-catcher out of the backfield moving forward.
SAINTS 33 FRANCHISE TEAM 22
Jameis Winston had himself a Jameis Winston type of game against the Washington Franchise Team. Winston completed just 15 of 30 passes for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. If you can sell Winston, I would. You cannot expect a high touchdown rate with this type of volume. Alvin Kamara continues to do outrageous things on the football field. Kamara rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, adding five catches on eight targets for 51 yards and another touchdown. Kamara remains a locked and loaded top-five fantasy running back. Marquez Callaway stepped up for the receiving core with four receptions on eight targets for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Like his quarterback, if you can sell Marquez Callaway, I would. With Michael Thomas due back following the bye week, I believe Callaway takes a big step back in the offense. Taylor Heinicke has his worst performance of the season in this one, completing only 20 of 41 passes for 248 yards and two interceptions. The Franchise Team gets a much-maligned Chiefs defense this Sunday–expect a bounce-back performance from Heinicke and the passing game. Terry McLaurin turned eleven targets into just four catches for 46 yards. While this performance was disappointing, continue to play McLaurin as a solid WR2. Keep an eye on Ricky Seals-Jones. Seals-Jones caught five of eight passes for 41 yards. With Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown nursing hamstring injuries, Ricky Seal-Jones has an opportunity to emerge as the second target in the passing game. Antonio Gibson continues to dominate the backfield work with 22 touches for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Gibson is a locked-in high-end RB2.
EAGLES 21 PANTHERS 18
The Philadelphia Eagles snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in this one, upsetting the Panthers 21-18. It is not always pretty, and most of the time it is erratic, but Jalen Hurts gets it done for fantasy week in and week out. Hurts completed 22 of 37 for 198 yards and an interception–only saving his fantasy day with 30 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. DeVonta Smith is the alpha in the Eagles’ passing game–catching seven of eight targets for 77 yards. Start DeVonta Smith as a low-end WR2 weekly. The Eagles continue to frustrate fantasy managers with how evenly they deploy their tight ends. Zach Ertz was targeted six times but only caught one pass for seven yards. Dallas Goedert caught two of three passes for 28 yards. Ertz and Goedert are nothing more than a desperation play at the tight end position. Odd deployment from the Eagles backfield on Sunday. Miles Sanders dwarfed Kenneth Gainwell in touches–but did nothing with them. Sanders rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries and caught all five of his targets for six yards–that is not a misprint. Sanders and Gainwell are only flex options given the unpredictability of the Eagles’ offense. Sam Darnold was abysmal in this game, completing only 21 of 37 for 177 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. Darnold has been good so far in 2021–expect a bounce-back week. DJ Moore continues to dominate the action at the wide receiver position. Moore hauled in five of seven targets for 42 yards. Similar to his quarterback, expect a bounce-back week from Moore in week six. Robby Anderson tied for the team lead in targets but hauled in only two catches for 30 yards. Chuba Hubbard essentially took on the ‘Christian McCaffrey-role’ in this one with 29 touches for 134 yards. Speaking of McCaffrey, he appeared close to being active in this one. Monitor his status this week, but I would expect to see McCaffrey suit up next week.
TITANS 37 JAGUARS 19
Derrick Henry destroys the Jacksonville Jaguars defense every time he faces them, and Sunday was no different. Henry rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries. Derrick Henry continues to be the top running back in fantasy football. The Titans had a very conservative approach in this one, and it hurt Ryan Tannehill‘s fantasy production. Tannehill completed 14 of 22 for 197 yards and a touchdown. There will not be many matchups where the Titans can dominate upfront, so expect a bounce-back performance from Tannehill. A.J. Brown was back in this one. The encouraging sign was to see Brown lead the team in targets with six. Expect more explosive performances weekly moving forward. Trevor Lawrence is getting closer to QB1 fantasy performances. Lawrence completed 23 of 33 for 273 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. James Robinson continues to insert himself as the premier option in the Jaguars backfield. Robinson rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries–Robinson is right on that edge between low-end RB1/high-end RB2. The Jaguars receiving core is a bit of a mess. Dan Arnold was the lone bright spot as he took over the tight end position. Arnold caught six of eight passes for 64 yards and is in the mix for a low-end TE1.
PATRIOTS 25 TEXANS 22
The Patriots were lucky to escape Houston with a victory in this one. Mac Jones continues to be an efficient passer, but the Patriots’ game plan is so conservative that it limits the upside for the skilled players in this offense. Jones completed 22 of 30 for 231 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. We keep waiting for the Jakobi Meyers breakout, but it has not come as of yet–Meyers hauled in four of five passes for 56 yards in this one. Hunter Henry has been the main target in the passing game the last few weeks–catching six of eight targets for 75 yards and a touchdown in this one. Hunter Henry has emerged as a weekly top ten tight end option. Damien Harris is a limited upside fantasy play due to his lack of involvement in the passing game. Harris still qualifies as a low-end RB2 as he rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Harris also fumbled just inches away from a second score. Davis Mills had by far the best performance of his young career. Mills completed 21 of 29 for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Mills is not a recommended fantasy play, but the performance was encouraging for his future development. We expected the Patriots to gameplan and take away Brandin Cooks in this one–and they did. Cooks caught three of five targets for 23 yards. The Texans downfield passing game had it working all game to the likes of Chris Moore and Chris Conley. Both players are too irrelevant to own in fantasy, but keep an eye on the situation as it develops. Mark Ingram remains the running back in the Texans backfield, but even with 16 carries, 41 yards will not do.
BEARS 20 RAIDERS 9
The Chicago Bears are finding a way to win ugly, as they did on Sunday in a 20-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bears are not asking Justin Fields to do very much, which hurts his fantasy upside. Fields completed 12 of 20 for 111 yards and a touchdown. Outside of two-QB leagues, you cannot start Justin Fields until the volume takes an uptick. Darnell Mooney and Allen Robinson II are suffering due to the lack of passing volume. Mooney hauled in three of five targets for 35 yards, and Robinson caught four of five for 32 yards. Both players are only desperate flex plays at this point. The Bears ran the ball 37 times and split the workload right down the middle. Khalil Herbert rushed for 75 yards on 18 carries, and Damien Williams rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Williams is the preferred fantasy option as a low-end RB2, but Herbert is a sneaky flex play given his recent emergence. Following a tumultuous week that saw the eventual ousting of Jon Gruden, the Las Vegas Raiders appear to be a team searching for answers on and off the football field. Derek Carr completed 22 of 35 for 206 yards and an interception–Carr is no longer a streaming option at quarterback until we see signs of life here in the passing game. Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow received the most attention tying for the team lead in targets with eight. Waller has come to a screeching halt as of late, with only four catches for 45 yards. Renfrow continues to be a PPR specialist with six catches for 56 yards.
CHARGERS 47 BROWNS 42
The game of the day between the Chargers and Browns was everything we expected and then some! Justin Herbert continues his climb towards the NFL MVP with 26 of 43 for 398 yards and four touchdowns, adding 29 rushing yards and another score. Herbert has been sensational as of late and is leading many teams to fantasy victories. Mike Williams–the breakout is real! Williams hauled in eight of 16 targets for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Williams is poised to be a top-five fantasy receiver in 2021. Keenan Allen continues to perform well in the shadow of Williams. Allen caught six of nine targets for 75 yards. Allen remains in the low-end WR1 mix. Austin Ekeler continues to be a fantasy supernova. Ekeler rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries while catching all five of his targets for 53 more yards and another score. We said it in the off-season: Austin Ekeler is a top-five fantasy running back! Baker Mayfield bounced back from a poor performance a week ago with one of his better games of the season–completing 23 of 32 for 305 yards and two touchdowns. The Browns running game had it working all afternoon long. Nick Chubb rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. His backfield counterpart Kareem Hunt rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Hunt also caught five of six targets for an additional 28 yards. Chubb is a low-end RB1 due to his lack of involvement in the passing game, while Hunt benefits from being the pass-catcher out of the backfield, and remains a high-end RB2. Leave Odell Beckham Jr. on your bench until Mayfield and Beckham can work on their connection. ODB caught only two of three passes for 20 yards in this one.
COWBOYS 44 GIANTS 20
Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys rushing attack once again had it rolling in this one as they put away the Giants early 44-20. Prescott completed 22 of 32 for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. It was nice to see Prescott hook up with CeeDee Lamb in this one to the tune of four catches on six targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. Amari Cooper took more of a backseat in this one with three catches on six targets for 60 yards. I view both Cowboys receivers as high-end WR2 moving forward. Dalton Schultz continues to produce at a high level and is approaching top-five fantasy tight end status. Schultz caught six of eight passes for 79 yards in this one. The Cowboys continue to run the ball relentlessly. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries–keeping his top-five fantasy running back status. Tony Pollard continues to be an electrifying flex option as he rushed for 75 yards on 14 touches. This game was a story about injuries for the New York Giants. Daniel Jones left this game early with a concussion. Saquon Barkley rolled his ankle and was carted off. The good news is that it appears Barkley avoided anything serious and remains week to week. Kenny Golladay was banged up in this one. Keep in mind, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton were ruled out headed into this game. It remains anyone’s guess what the Giants’ offense will look like next week. Our best guess is that Mike Glennon will be under center, which would hinder the offense. Devontae Booker will handle the running back workload and should be near the top of your waiver wire priority list this week. The one bright spot, if you are a New York Giants fan, is the performance of 1st round pick Kadarius Toney. Toney has looked electric in recent games, and on Sunday, he had it all on display as he caught ten of thirteen targets for 189 yards and has earned a role in the Giants offense moving forward and is a worthy flex-start.
CARDINALS 17 49ERS 10
We expected more fireworks in this game between the Cardinals and 49ers. What we got was a hard-fought defensive battle where the Arizona Cardinals moved to 5-0 on the season. Kyler Murray completed 22 of 31 for 239 yards and one touchdown, admittedly, not playing his best game on Sunday. DeAndre Hopkins fantasy managers were thrilled to see ‘Nuk reemerge as the top pass-catcher for the Cardinals. Hopkins caught six of nine passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. Hopkins remains a high-end WR2. Rondale Moore led the team in rushing, so you know it was an odd day on the ground for Arizona. Moore had eight touches for 97 yards and still looks as explosive as ever. James Conner saved his fantasy day with a rushing touchdown, but besides that, looked rather pedestrian with ten carries for just 29 yards. Trey Lance had some ups and downs during his debut under center–he completed 15 of 29 passes for 192 yards and an interception. Lance was also the team-leading rusher with 89 yards on 16 carries. The talent is here, but he is just 21 years of age. Give him time. Deebo Samuel continues to be the one bright spot in the receiving department. Samuel caught three of nine targets for 58 yards, but he did get a 13-yard rushing score to boost his overall fantasy performance. Elijah Mitchell returned and dominated the touches immediately. The 49ers didn’t run the ball much in this one, but Mitchell outpaced fellow backfield mate Trey Sermon 9:1 in touches and is the running back to play in fantasy for San Francisco.
BILLS 38 CHIEFS 20
The Buffalo Bills thoroughly dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs in a statement game on Sunday Night Football. Josh Allen remains a top-five fantasy quarterback leading the Bills in passing and rushing in this one. Allen completed 15 of 26 for 315 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 59 yards, and a touchdown, on eleven carries. Dawson Knox continues to climb into the top ten fantasy tight end rankings with performances such as this one. Knox caught three of four targets for 117 yards and a touchdown. Emmanuel Sanders made the most of his five targets–turning them into three catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns. These performances may upset the Stefon Diggs fantasy managers out there, but don’t fret–better performances are on the way. Stefon Diggs caught two of five passes for 69 yards in this one. Patrick Mahomes was the entire Kansas City Chiefs offense in this one. Like Allen, Mahomes led the Chiefs in passing and rushing. Mahomes completed 33 of 54 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions while also rushing for 61 yards on eight carries. Mahomes remains in the mix as the top quarterback in fantasy football. Tyreek Hill was the most targeted option for the Chiefs, catching seven of thirteen targets for 63 yards. Travis Kelce turned his ten targets into six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. You are starting Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce every week. Mecole Hardman saw a huge uptick in usage as he caught nine of twelve passes for 76 yards–he must have felt the heat from the Josh Gordon signing. Clyde Edwards-Helaire left this game early due to a knee injury and will miss several weeks. The backfield will likely be a committee approach of Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon, with Williams receiving the lion’s share of the touches.
RAVENS 31 COLTS 25
What an unbelievable comeback this one was as the Ravens march all the way back to win 31-25 in overtime. Lamar Jackson, outside of some questionable ball security, was phenomenal in this one. Jackson completed 37 of 43 for 442 yards and four touchdowns while also leading the team in rushing with 62 yards on 14 carries. It’s performances like tonight that remind you how special Lamar Jackson is, and why he will always be in the running for the top quarterback in fantasy football. Jackson was reliant on his top two pass-catchers: Mark Andrews and Marquis ‘Hollywood’ Brown. Andrews turned in a monster performance hauling in 11 of 13 targets for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Brown was also sensational catching nine of ten targets for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Mark Andrews remains in the top five fantasy tight end range, meanwhile Brown is more of a boom or bust high-end flex option for your fantasy team. Carson Wentz looked his best on Monday Night completing 25 of 35 for 402 yards and two touchdowns. I’m not ready to start Wentz in fantasy just yet–this feels like an aberration. Jonathan Taylor was breathtaking in this one. Taylor rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, but also shinned as a pass-catcher, hauling in three of four targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. Taylor reminded us of his talent and remains a top ten fantasy running back. Michael Pittman Jr. continues to be the one Colts’ receiver you can play in fantasy. Pittman Jr. caught six of seven targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. Parris Campbell looked great–catching four of six passes for 56 yards. Tread lightly as Campbell has a lengthy injury track record.
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