The Sunday afternoon games are in the books, and I’ll be giving you instant fantasy feedback on them each week. The Colts dominate this week’s headlines because of their injury woes, but the biggest story has to be the Dolphins’ surprise win against the Jets. Elsewhere in the NFL, a couple of players aggravated existing injuries. We’ve also got some interesting target share trends to track. Ready? Let’s get started!
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The Miami Dolphins won a football game.
Story: The Dolphins finally chalked one up in the win column, and it’s all because of Ryan Fitzpatrick. The journeyman quarterback threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns against the Jets’ soft defense. Preston Williams caught five of his passes for 72 yards and two scores, while DeVante Parker turned his four catches into 57 yards and a touchdown. They didn’t even need Mark Walton in the win, as he ran for just 29 yards on 12 carries.
Fallout: While you’re probably safe to keep streaming against the Dolphins because of how bad the Jets are, they might not be the safe bet that they were with Josh Rosen under center. That said, maybe you should stream against the Jets instead. Adam Gase’s team looked terrible, and after this week, I’d be surprised if he isn’t a one-and-done coach. At wide receiver, Williams and Parker should remain in the WR3/4 conversation, while Jamison Crowder’s workload should vault him back into that discussion. Oh, and the fact that Walton couldn’t produce against the Jets’ putrid defense means that you shouldn’t start him unless you absolutely must.
The Chargers’ offense looked better without offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.
Story: Hunter Henry had seven catches for 84 yards on a team-high 10 targets. No one else had more than four — not Keenan Allen, not Austin Ekeler, and not Mike Williams. While Williams led the team in receiving, he only caught three passes in the process. Meanwhile, Melvin Gordon earned 80 yards on 20 carries, scoring twice. He added 29 yards on three receptions. Austin Ekeler ran for 70 yards on 12 carries, adding 23 yards on four catches. Philip Rivers did not throw any touchdowns, but he did pass for 294 yards.
Fallout: There are a couple of lessons to learn from this one. First, Henry is a locked-in TE1 for the rest of the season. He’s looked great since returning from injury, and I’d look for him to continue producing at the same level. Second, neither Williams nor Allen are anything more than WR2s. Experts keep ranking Allen as a WR1, but he is far too inconsistent to justify that moving forward. Finally, Gordon and Ekeler might be back in their 2018 form. While both of Gordon’s touchdowns were one-yard plunges, it speaks volumes that the Chargers remained confident in him despite his struggles at the goal line last week.
The Colts had to play without T.Y. Hilton (WR – IND).
Story: Hilton suffered an injury in practice and will be out for 3-4 weeks. Without him, Zach Pascal led the team in targets with six, and he turned them into five receptions for 76 yards and a score. Parris Campbell inherited the plays that require Hilton’s speedy skillset, and he turned his five targets and three rushing attempts into 80 all-purpose yards. Campbell’s five targets tied him with Chester Rogers, although he had some fumbling issues along with Campbell. Deon Cain failed to catch either of his two looks, while Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron only combined for six targets.
Fallout: Pascal looks like he’ll be a fantasy WR3 with WR2 upside for as long as Hilton remains sidelined. Parris Campbell should continue to see regular usage through the air and on the ground because of his speed. The Colts get the Dolphins next week, so if either of these guys aren’t owned in your leagues, I’d pick them up. Outside of those two, I don’t like any of the Colts’ other receivers as fantasy options because none of them get enough volume. Sure, Doyle and Ebron get enough to be touchdown-dependent streamers, but that’s it. One last thing — if you’re planning to start Pascal or Campbell until Hilton gets back, keep an eye on when the Colts activate Devin Funchess. He could return as soon as Week 11, which might mess with their target distribution.
Jacoby Brissett (QB – IND) injured his knee.
Story: The quarterback did not return to the game after he suffered an injury in the first half. Head coach Frank Reich believes that Brissett sprained his MCL, and he told the media that the quarterback will undergo tests to determine its severity. If it’s minor like Reich expects, Brissett should be back within the next three weeks. He could even play next week if it’s very minor.
Fallout: This is a story worth monitoring if you’re a Brissett owner, but Hoyer’s respectable performance should guarantee that the Colts’ receivers retain their value moving forward. Hoyer threw for 168 yards and three scores, and he set up the potential game-winning field goal. Importantly, the Colts didn’t transform into a run-heavy offense without Brissett, either, so I’d expect Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines to carry similar value moving forward. If you’re desperate at quarterback, the Colts’ matchup with the Dolphins next week might vault Brian Hoyer into QB2/Superflex territory.
Adam Thielen (WR – MIN) re-injured his hamstring.
Story: Thielen exited the Vikings’ game against the Chiefs early in the first half after aggravating the hamstring injury he had suffered in Week 7. Unfortunately, hamstrings are easy to re-injure, and Thielen might have come back too quickly. Without Thielen, the Vikings turned to Laquon Treadwell in the passing game. The first-round bust led the team in receiving with five targets, turning them into three receptions for 58 yards. Dalvin Cook earned the most looks with seven, while Irv Smith had the second-most with six. Kyle Rudolph got five targets, tying him with Treadwell, and he caught one of Kirk Cousins’ three touchdown passes. Olabisi Johnson and Ameer Abdullah caught the other two.
Fallout: Notice who I didn’t say? That’s right, Stefon Diggs caught just one of his four targets for four yards. It’s a good sign for Cousins owners that he can succeed without Diggs, but Diggs owners should be concerned that he can be so easily shut down. He could rebound if Thielen has to miss extended time, but you should try to sell Diggs before the fantasy playoffs if you can. Meanwhile, Thielen owners should plan for the worst. The Vikings don’t have a bye until Week 12, and there’s always a chance that he re-injures his hamstring again. Don’t start him again until he can play through a full game.
DeSean Jackson (WR – PHI) re-injured his abdomen.
Story: The speedy, defense-burning receiver burned his fantasy owners this week. The Eagles might have rushed Jackson back, as he lasted just five minutes before exiting the game against the Bears. Without Jackson in the offense, Zach Ertz and Jordan Howard had big days for the Eagles. Philadelphia ran the ball 35 times, which they could afford to do after they built a 19-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Fallout: The Eagles are on bye in Week 10, but keep tabs on how Jackson’s recovery progresses if you own any of the Eagles’ offensive starters. A healthy Jackson can be game-changing, and his return (if it happens) would be a blow to everyone except Carson Wentz.
Devin Singletary (RB – BUF) broke out for 140 all-purpose yards.
Story: Singletary rushed 20 times for 95 yards and a score, adding three receptions for 45 yards through the air. Frank Gore, meanwhile, managed just 15 yards on 11 carries. The Bills repeatedly gave him carries in one-to-go situations that he could not convert. The Redskins’ defensive play can’t excuse Gore’s performance. Before this week, they had given up 909 rushing yards, fifth-most in the league.
Fallout: The Bills’ committee looked one-sided on Sunday. Singletary has been explosive this season, but the Bills still haven’t trusted him with control of the backfield. It seems like they might have to soon. Even if they maintain their committee approach, Singletary’s share of the workload has increased enough to make him a low-end RB2. Although Gore should recover from his lousy week against Washington, his appeal was always his floor, and this week proved that he might no longer have much of one.
D.J. Chark (WR – JAC) and Chris Conley (WR – JAC) combined for just six receptions and 64 yards without Dede Westbrook (WR – JAC).
Story: Chark caught just four of his nine targets, while Conley caught two of his seven. Despite the buzz surrounding him after his excellent performance last week against the Jets, Conley dropped three crucial passes. Keelan Cole led the team in receiving with five receptions for 80 yards.
Fallout: It’s time to re-evaluate the Jaguars’ receivers as we head into their Week 10 bye. Gardner Minshew’s three sacks and two late-game interceptions make it likelier that we’ll see Nick Foles under center in Week 11. In Foles’ eight passing attempts before his injury in Week 1, he threw twice to Chark for two receptions and a touchdown. He also threw twice to Conley and Fournette. My take? Chark should rebound and remain the top dog in Jacksonville. Keep Conley and Westbrook on your rosters, but wait and see how they look with Foles in Week 11.
Chris Godwin (WR – TB) is playing like the Buccaneers’ WR2.
Story: After starting the season by outperforming Mike Evans, Godwin has fallen back to earth since Tampa Bay’s bye. He had just seven receptions for 61 yards while Mike Evans had 12 for 180 and a touchdown. Jameis Winston threw Godwin’s way only nine times while he threw to Evans 16 times. That’s consistent with what happened in Week 8. Godwin caught just four of his eight targets for 43 yards, and Evans impressed by catching 11 of his 12 looks for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
Fallout: While Godwin still carries some fantasy value as Winston’s second option, he’s not Mike Evans. Keep an eye on Godwin’s usage moving forward in case this is a trend because Evans has dominated the Bucs’ passing game since their Week 7 bye. The Bucs’ matchup against Arizona next week should help us figure out whether or not Godwin is fading down the stretch. If he is, sell him for another wide receiver while you can still get good value for him.
Brandon Allen (QB – DEN) wasn’t bad for the Broncos.
Story: Forced into action after the Broncos put Joe Flacco on IR, Allen looked competent in the Broncos’ Week 9 game against the Browns. He bested Cleveland by throwing 12 times for 193 yards, most of which came on a 75-yard run after catch by Noah Fant. The Browns aren’t a hard team to look competent against, but this was his first-ever NFL action.
Fallout: The Broncos are on a bye next week, and we’ll have to see whether it’s Drew Lock or Allen under center in Week 11. The Broncos take on the Vikings next, and they won’t be as easy as the Browns were. The good news from this week is that if Allen starts again, he won’t be the death sentence for Courtland Sutton that I thought he would be. Allen threw Sutton’s way eight times, and the receiver caught five of those passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. If you’re a Sutton owner, you have to hope that Lock can play as well as Allen did.
Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS) disappointed with Dwayne Haskins (QB – WAS) under center.
Story: McLaurin caught four passes for only 39 yards this week. Haskins passed for just 144 yards, and it looks like Bill Callahan plans to run the ball more while Haskins has to start. Washington threw the ball a mere 22 times even though they spent the entire game playing from behind.
Fallout: We knew Haskins wouldn’t be good for McLaurin, but we didn’t know how bad he would be. Sure, the Bills limited Haskins’ passing attempts by controlling the clock, but other teams will probably be able to do the same while he’s still the starter. Keep McLaurin on your bench until Case Keenum comes back.
A.J. Brown (TEN – WR) led the Titans in receiving.
Story: Ryan Tannehill threw to the second-round rookie seven times in the loss to the Panthers, and Brown caught four of those passes for 81 yards. Corey Davis caught four of his five targets for 48 yards, tying him with Jonnu Smith and Dion Lewis in total targets. Tannehill targeted slot specialist Adam Humphries just four times.
Fallout: Brown has been producing consistently with Tannehill under center, and he’s my favorite Titans receiver of the bunch. The fantasy industry was right to start re-evaluating the Titans’ offense after Marcus Mariota got benched, but I don’t see much fantasy value outside of Derrick Henry and Brown right now. Davis and Humphries aren’t producing consistently enough to justify starting them as anything aside from bye-week desperation plays.
The Eagles’ secondary allowed Mitch Trubisky (QB – CHI) to throw for only 125 yards.
Story: Their secondary had allowed opposing quarterbacks to score 18.5 points per game, 14th-most in the league. That doesn’t sound bad, but they had also surrendered the league-most 36.2 Half PPR points to wide receivers coming into this game. By shutting down Trubisky, they shut down both Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller. Robinson caught one of his five targets for six yards, while Miller failed to catch his single target.
Fallout: The Eagles’ improvements in the secondary are because of their improved health: this was their first week with Jalen Mills, Avonte Maddox, and Ronald Darby all back from injury. With all three of them in the lineup, I don’t think that we can chalk the Eagles up as an easy matchup anymore. I’m not saying that you should bench your wideouts against Philadelphia, I’m just saying that they might not be a team to target every week.
Touchdown Celebration of the Week
The #Seahawks WRs just danced to DMX’s Party Up aka “Y’all gonna make me lose my mind” and…
WE 👏 ARE 👏HERE 👏FOR 👏 IT 👏#TBvsSEA x #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/eWnKy34Bwa
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) November 3, 2019
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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.
