Fantasy Football Player Notes

Taylor is a machine. We all saw on Sunday Night Football that running backs can still carry an NFL offence. In what was a tough overtime loss, Taylor kept the Colts alive with hard-nosed running and a knack for the end zone. Even against a Chiefs team that prides itself on limiting explosive plays, Taylor managed to scamper for a 24-yard-score. In the end, he finished with 24 carries for 92 yards and two scores. That's back-to-back games of 90-plus yards and two scores on the ground. Unfortunately, that streak may end this week as they take on a tough Texans defense. Despite playing two elite offenses in the Bills and Bengals, the Texans have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to the position this season. It's a small sample size, and Taylor is a different beast, but you can be sure DeMeco Ryans will be emphasizing stopping the run. Taylor remains a top-tier RB1, but it would be wise to temper expectations this week.

Josh Downs is the WR36 in fantasy points per game while finishing as the WR20 in weekly scoring last week. Downs has a 21% target share with 1.91 YPRR, two red zone targets, one deep target, and a 29.5% first-read share. Downs has been a full-time player (85.1% route share) despite running 78.9% of his routes from the slot. Downs has a tougher matchup on the inside this week, but he's still a volume-based flex play this week. Houston has allowed the seventh-fewest yards per target and fantasy points per opportunity to slot receivers.

Two touchdowns in two weeks have saved Warren's fantasy season so far. Combining for only 34 yards this season, his endzone usage has kept him in TE1 territory. That said, averaging 17 yards per game is not what fantasy managers had hoped for. At the expense of Alec Pierce, now missing at least four weeks, Warren should see an increased target share. This passing attack will now run through Warren and Josh Downs, boosting them both for fantasy. However, this week, they face a tough Texans defense that will pressure Daniel Jones all game. It's a tough matchup, but with the increased target volume, it's hard to justify benching Warren.

Keenan Allen might have finally hit the Father Time wall in 2026. Allen has a 17.7% target share with 0.84 YPRR, one red zone target, a 22.7% first-read share, and zero deep targets. Allen is the WR76 in fantasy points per game. Allen has a solid matchup this week, but it's tough to trust him as anything more than a deep league flex play. Houston has allowed the third-most yards per target and the most fantasy points per opportunity to perimeter wide receivers.