Fantasy Reactions
“The Thursday night game could not have started week 5 any slower than it did.” That was my opening sentence in last week’s recap. Honestly, I may as well say the same thing but change it to say week 6. That Thursday night game was brutal to watch. Lots of weird action in week 6. Overall, this NFL season is different. I saw a tweet saying scoring is down 22% compared to last season. These defenses must be figuring out the air raid offenses. I dunno. Let’s jump into the action!
Commanders vs Bears
Realistically, there’s not a lot to talk about with this game. On one hand, you had injured Carson Wentz; on the other hand, you had a coach who didn’t know how to utilize his developing quarterback. Instead, he has Fields sit in the pocket with bad o-line play and never be able to get a pass off. I’m sorry, but #FreeFields. This man needs a creative play caller. The Commanders won this 12-7. The highlight of the game was Brian Robinson getting his first NFL touchdown on 17 carries for 60 yards. The kid does look like he’s talented, but he’s not going to burst into stardom next week. Not one receiver was fantasy-relevant this week for Washington. McLaurin had the most points with 7. The Bears did have some fantasy-relevant players. Darnell Mooney had his first double-digit score of the season. Dante Pettis was the highest scorer, with 18.4 points. As I said, not much to recap here. Just a real vanilla game.
Buy or Sell: Darnell Mooney – If you have him in dynasty and can get something like a future 2nd-round pick, I think I’d consider that at this point. Why go through the pain of the Bears offense? Sell him if you can after that game.
Browns vs Patriots
We didn’t quite see the Browns offense that we saw the past few weeks. The highest fantasy scorer was Amari Cooper (14.4 pts). We did see Donovan Peoples-Jones score double digits again. DPJ has been seeing some solid work the past three weeks. In reality, if he was fortunate enough to catch a TD, he would have wound up with 18+ and we’d be having a completely different conversation. Go figure Bill Belichick takes out the Achilles of the Browns, Nick Chubb. Chubb barely reach 50 rush yards and did not find the end zone. 8 points from Nick Chubb is not ideal, but at least we are now aware of his floor. For the Patriots, it was the Rhamondre show. Rhamondre put up 76 rush yards and 2 TD’s. Huge fantasy day for the kid, scoring 25 fantasy points. Bailey Zappe had a solid day, 300 passing yards and 2 scores. Good for 18 fantasy points. Rookie second-round pick Tyquan Thornton had a huge day! He scored 2 touchdowns. Not much production otherwise, but it’s heck of a day when you score 21 fantasy points. Honestly, the ball was being spread around by Zappe. Parker had 4 for 64 yards. Hunter Henry had 4 for 60 yards and a score. Jonnu Smith 2 for 61, Jakobi Meyers 4 for 60. Is Zappe the real deal?
Buy or Sell: Rhamondre Stevenson – I’m buying this. He had every opportunity possible pretty much due to Damien Harris being out, but if he ever is the RB1 in this backfield, I want him on my fantasy teams. Wait for Damien Harris to come back, and then go buy Rhamondre for cheaper than right now. Especially, in dynasty.
Falcons vs 49ers
The Atlanta Falcons are super strange this year. By no means are they “good,” but, they are absolutely competing. Heck, they’re 6-0 against the spread. I’m not sure what value that brings to the table other than degenerates like myself using that to help make bets! Despite losing, Brandon Aiyuk had a huge day. 28 fantasy points from his 8 catch, 83 yards and 2 TD’s day. I wish it was Deebo getting that work. To be honest, he is. Deebo had 7 catches for 79 yards. He didn’t score, but he will in due time. Good to see Kittle back in the action. He had 16 points from his 8 receptions and 83 yards. Similar to the Patriots, Jimmy G was spreading the ball around. Marcus Mariota had a solid day. 28 fantasy points from the veteran. 11 of those came from his 50 rushing yards and rushing touchdown. The rest came from the 129 yards and 2 passing touchdowns. Outside of Mariota, however, it was quite ugly from a fantasy perspective. Pitts did manage to score a touchdown, but he only had 3 catches for 19 yards. I suggested to sit the Falcons RB’s for week 6 and I hope you did. They didn’t do anything. Strange game, Falcons managed to get the win.
Buy or Sell: Brandon Aiyuk – This was far and away his best game. If you can turn him into someone like Michael Pittman or Mike Williams, send it! But, this is clearly his ceiling, and the likelihood of him scoring 28 again is slim. Not impossible, but slim.
Dolphins vs Vikings
Miami is on a tough streak right now. 3 straight losses and 3 games without their starter, Tua Tagovailoa. He’ll be back next week, so fingers crossed my Dolphins can get back on track! Skylar Thompson was the starter going into the game. Of course, he got hurt. So it was back to Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater did have a pretty good game. He threw for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tyreek had 177 of those yards. Waddle gathered 129 of them. They’re both top 5 in receiving yards this season and Tua was only part of it for 3 games. Insane. Gesicki was the high scorer, however. He caught 6 balls for 69 yards and 2 TDs. Gesicki is so underappreciated in that offense. Kirk Cousins had a weird day. Only 175 passing yards & 2 TDs. Justin Jefferson had most of the yards, 107 but no score. Thielen caught 4 for 36, but he was the one receiver who found the end zone. Technically, Irv Smith Jr. also caught one, but he’s a tight end 😉 Dalvin Cook put together a solid day thanks to his huge touchdown run. He ran for 77 yards and the TD I mentioned. In the end, the Vikings won the game, but I’m not hanging my head as a Dolphins fan. This team can compete!
Buy or Sell: Mike Gesicki – Sell. If you can trade him for a playable asset after this game, do it. His usage is hit or miss and if someone wants to chase points, let them.
Packers vs Jets
It’s hard to believe the Jets are now 4-2. But here we are. They’re in 2nd place in the AFC East. That pains me. Their draft picks are blossoming. Breece Hall is running like a madman. 116 rush yards for the rookie as well as a touchdown. Another 20-point fantasy week for the young buck. Garrett Wilson had an off day. He was targeted 5 times but only connected on one pass for 8 yards. Tough. Zach Wilson only threw the ball 18 times for 110 yards and the Jets scored 27 points. This only means one thing…the Jets defense has an identity. Heck, even the punt return team scored on a blocked punt. Are things changing for the better in New York??? Jets 4-2 and Giants 5-1. The opposite could be said for Green Bay. Things are a little shaky up there. Rodgers managed to throw for 256 yards, but only a single touchdown. You might be thinking, “Oh, okay, so the run game was working.” Not in the slightest. Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon had a combined 60 yards and no touchdowns. Robert Tonyan was able to put together a great day. He scored 19 points on 10 receptions for 90 yards. No score, but a touchdown would have been a monster week! Lazard was also in the teens, he scored 17.5, which is a good day from a WR you drafted in the late rounds. Overall, a “meh” game if you were watching. Except for Jets fans. They had fun!
Buy or Sell: Robert Tonyan – I’m buying this. He’s fresh off the ACL injury so it makes sense that it would take a couple of weeks to get back into form. Tonyan is a trusted asset of Rodgers, and that carries a lot of weight on this offense. Go trade for Tonyan, or sell him high if you have other playable TEs!
Jaguars vs Colts
The highs and the lows of the Matt Ryan experiment are exhausting. The man can go from scoring 6 points to 27 in one week. We also got to see Deon Jackson show in the run game. With no Jonathan Taylor or Nyheim Hines, the undrafted RB scored 28 fantasy points off of his 4s rush yards and 79 receiving yards with a touchdown to go along with all those yards! Heck of a day. I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t a huge part of their win. They also were tossing the rock left and right. Michael Pittman Jr. had 13 catches for 134 yards. Parris Campbell got involved, and he finished with 7 catches for 57 yards and a score. Alec Pierce hauled in a deep ball for a score, winding up with 3 for 49 and that touchdown I mentioned. The Colts’ playmakers showed up. The Jaguars might have bamboozled a lot of us. They’re now 2-4, with an offense that is looking bland again. Trevor Lawrence only threw for 165 yards and a solo touchdown. However, he did get 2 rushing touchdowns. So there’s that. Etienne had 86 yards on the ground and 22 in the air, putting him just shy of a 100-yard day. No one really stood out in the passing game besides Christian Kirk finding the end zone again.
Buy or Sell: Parris Campbell: I have zero clue why Parris Campbell was suddenly successful in the Colts offense. But, that makes me feel like it can continue. For the right price, I’m buying.
Bengals vs Saints
It seems the Joe Burrow we all know and love (well most of us) is back. He tossed the rock for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hell of a day. Joe Mixon had an average day. 45 rushing yards and 23 receiving with a TD catch. That saved his day, honestly. Just shy of 17 fantasy points. Ja’Marr Chase had a solid day at the office. 7 catches for 132 yards and 2 TDs (32.2 points). Tee Higgins saw 10 targets, catching 6 of them for 47 yards. Hayden Hurst had a quiet week, not much production from him. The Saints didn’t get much production either. Except, that’s because almost all of their starting receivers were out. Michael Thomas, Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry didn’t play. When Tre’Quan Smith is the leading receiver for the Saints, you know something is up. Plus, Jameis Winston was out. So Andy Dalton had to play against his former team. We all know he crumbles under pressure. 162 passing yards and one score. I think he got hurt. But I’m not certain. Kamara did manage to reach 99 rush yards, but he didn’t have that touchdown to take his day over the top. The Bengals move to 3-3 and the Saints fall to 2-4.
Buy or Sell: Ja’Marr Chase – I’m definitely buying that his usage is back. He is averaging 10.5 targets a game. His highest was 16. The points will follow.
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Ravens vs Giants
I mean, we have to ask it at this point…they beat a good team! Are the Giants legit??? I think Saquon was a huge part of this win. Without him, they don’t win this game. His 83 yards and the touchdown secured it. Hell, he should have had 2! But he did the strategic thing and knelt at the 1-yard line to secure the W. That would have been 24 fantasy points instead of 18! Damn shame. Oh well. At the end of the day, it’s a fake game based on a real game. So I get it. A name to keep your eye on going forward, is Daniel Bellinger. Two straight weeks of 10+ points! Could be a sneaky waiver add. The Ravens take the L. Their offensive plan was rather shocking (sarcasm). Get Andrews the ball or Lamar run it. Other than Kenyan Drake’s long touchdown run, Lamar would have led in rush yards. Kenyan Drake is an automatic pick-up if you’re thin at running back in fantasy. Safe to say, the Ravens want Rashod Bateman back and healthy. He is clearly an important piece to the puzzle. Giants improve to 5-1!
Buy or Sell: Kenyan Drake – He’s a buy for me and here’s why. I saw a tweet (take it with a grain of salt) saying Dobbins was held out a lot of the second half because his knee was locking up. That’s what I saw. So do some further research if you have Dobbins. But, coming off a knee injury and feeling that pain isn’t a good sign typically. Pick up Kenyan Drake is my point. It won’t hurt you to potentially get the Ravens’ RB1.
Steelers vs Buccaneers
You thought the NFL season was normal? Absolutely not. We just watched Tom Brady – let me reiterate, TOM BRADY – lose to a defense that was without their entire defensive back group. All backups. What year is it? Was Tom Brady dead? Hungover from Robert Kraft’s wedding two days later? Unheard of. Tom Brady threw for 243 yards and only 1 touchdown. One. So weird. Leonard Fournette did his thing. He had just over 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Giving him 22 points. Gotta love this Lenny. Chris Godwin may not have scored, but he managed to get 15.5 fantasy points from his 6 catches 95 yards. His 12 targets gave him the chance at a huge week but just couldn’t take it to the next level. We’ll get there, ladies and gentlemen. The Steelers pulled off the W. Can’t believe it. Well, yes I can. Because it happened. It’s probably because Chase Claypool remembered he is good at football. His 7 catches, 96 yards, and touchdown led the Steelers in fantasy points. Heck, even Najee found the end zone. Maybe the Steelers found the recipe to success right now? Well, at least with Pickett. Pickett got a concussion so hopefully, he’s healthy by Sunday night for the primetime game against Tua and the Dolphins. Diontae Johnson has really gone MIA. He’s getting the ball, but there are very few high-quality targets. Not in the end zone, not deep balls. Just short and boring stuff. It’s not great for fantasy. I hope the Steelers can get things going. I’m more invested in that offense than I thought.
Buy or Sell: Chase Claypool – I kind of buy this. I think he will be in Pickett’s favorites to target. I wouldn’t go spend a haul for him after this week, but wait a week and see if it gets cheaper. But long term he is going to be solid.
Panthers vs Rams
This was a slow watch. The Panthers were starting P.J. Walker at QB and finished the game with Jacob Eason at QB. Not ideal. McCaffrey was the only Panther with a solid fantasy day. He had almost 23 and the next closest player was 4. I’m not going to continue recapping that! Matthew Stafford really didn’t get going until the second half. It was 10-3 Panthers going into halftime. The second half brought Stafford’s second touchdown and a touchdown from Darrell Henderson. A day where Allen Robinson leads the Rams in fantasy points is a strange one. Cooper Kupp came back down to earth, he only had 16 points. Not a typical week for Kupp. Henderson wound up with 13.2 points. Which I was thankful for because I snagged him in my work league on a much-needed week! Raise your hand if you had Ben Skowronek in your lineup! What’s that? No one? I figured. Honestly, I bet someone out there had enough injuries and bye-week players that they were forced to play him. If you’re reading this and you played Ben Skowronek in fantasy this week,
DM me on Twitter! @ItsJustFantasy_.
Buy or Sell: Allen Robinson – Sell. Sell, sell, sell, sell, sell. Just get red of him if you can. He is probably going to ghost you plenty more times this year.
Cardinals vs Seahawks
If you thought the previous recap was short, think again. This game was garbage. The Cardinals scored 9 points. Murray only scored 14.88 fantasy points from an average day. 222 passing yards and a touchdown. The defense was the only touchdown for the Cardinals. Geno Smith and the Seahawks also had a mellow day. Geno threw for 197 yards and no touchdowns. Kenneth Walker was the difference-maker for the Seahawks. The rookie recorded his first start and topped that off with nearly 100 rushing yards and a score. 19 fantasy points! You know when Noah Fant leads the Seahawks pass catchers in fantasy points, it was a weird day. Metcalf and Lockett were not involved much. Alas, the Seahawks win yet another game!
Bills vs Chiefs
The divisional round rematch! We saw these two face off in the playoffs last year, and we saw the outcome. Now, it was time for the Bills’ revenge, and they got it! This game started off as a good one, with lots of good defense, not a bunch of scoring. As the second quarter progressed, we saw more points on the board. Both quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards. Allen had 329 and Mahomes had 338. Allen had 3 TDs and no interceptions, Mahomes ended up with 2 TDs but also 2 INTs. This is what sealed the win for the Bills when Mahomes threw a wacky interception to end the game. We saw Stefon Diggs go nuclear once again. He scored 30 points on 10 catches for 148 yards and a score. Huge day. Gabe Davis also had a strong day. 3 catches for 74 yards and a score. Heck, even Knox was finally implemented in the game plan! He caught a TD this week. The Chiefs came up short but they had guys who produced. JuJu Smith-Schuster caught 5 passes for 113 and a score. It’s about time he was utilized. Kelce had his usual production, just not 4 touchdowns this time around/ 8 catches for 108 yards from him. Yet again, no rush attack from the Chiefs. It feels like thats their Achilles heal, a strong run presence can help a lot. Not sure why they don’t hammer it more. Oh well. Bills get the win, and also their revenge from the playoffs last year.
Buy or Sell: JuJu Smith-Schuster – Look, I buy it. But only if it’s on clearance or something. You’ll never be able to predict when he has a big week. 22 points out of nowhere and probably sitting on your bench in fantasy.
Cowboys vs Eagles
I’m glad this isn’t a one-sided affair nowadays. This matchup is finally between 2 solid teams. I wish Dak was part of it, but the Cowboys have been fine without him. Cooper Rush was filling in quite swimmingly. Eagles walked away with the win but Cowboys fans should keep their head high after being 4-2 despite Dak missing the first portion of the season. The biggest factor in this game was Rush’s 3 INTs. Kept the Cowboys off the field. Zeke put together a nice game. 81 yards rushing and a score. Heck, even Miles Sanders had 71 yards rushing and a score. Lots of groundwork for these teams because the passing wasn’t getting it done. Rush only had 181 yards with 1 score and Hurts had 155 yards with 2 scores. When Jake Ferguson is the second-highest fantasy scorer, there’s not much to talk about… AJ Brown was able to put together a solid score. His 5 catches for 67 yards and a score were good for 17.7 fantasy points. I’m not kidding you, that .7 got me a win in a dynasty league of mine! DeVonta Smith also was able to score 15 points. He is a solid WR2 going forward. Sanders had 14 and Goedert took the night off essentially. Eagles get the win and now its up to the Giants to decide who will win this division.
Buy or Sell: Zeke – His 16 points are nice, and I feel like buying low on Zeke before Dak gets back is a good idea. See what his price is!
Broncos vs Chargers
Wow, look at that. Another week of the Denver Broncos in primetime. I’m sick of watching them. It’s bad football. The Chargers didn’t play great football, but overall this game was just gruesome for fantasy purposes. Russell Wilson had a bad game, the Broncos RBs had a bad game, and the Broncos WRs had bad games. Across the board, for the Broncos it stunk. The highlight for the Broncos was Greg Dulcich’s rookie debut & his deep touchdown! He should be a waiver wire target for you (if you’re desperate at TE). For the Chargers, it was basically Ekeler and Joshua Palmer who had good fantasy scores. Ekeler was saved by the touchdown, but regardless, it counts. Dustin Hopkins may have had the best day for the Chargers…oof. Hopefully, the Chargers can return to form and we get some Keenan Allen top-10 finishes here soon!
Buy or Sell: Greg Dulcich – Buy. If you can get him on your team, I would try. He’s a great football player in an amazing position for playing time right now.
