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Monday Night Football Recap
This game turned from snoozefest into thriller in the final two minutes. Justin Fields did a tremendous job, using his legs to extend plays and getting the ball to his major playmakers. Fields’ final stat line of 17-291-1 doesn’t tell the full story. He hit a streaking Allen Robinson late in the fourth quarter to set up a Darnell Mooney touchdown with two minutes remaining in the fourth. Fields making big plays should be a heartening sign for Bears fans as he’s clearly maturing in front of our eyes. I’m hopeful that we continue to see Fields develop as I believe he’s one of the more talented quarterbacks in this rookie class. Interestingly, Cole Kmet has emerged as one of Fields’ preferred targets. He posted a 6-87-0 receiving line and led the team in targets (eight). If Kmet is available on waivers, I’d suggest you go snag him.
The biggest takeaway here is that the Steelers really should’ve prepared for life after Ben Roethlisberger three seasons ago. Big Ben’s noodle arm has cratered any fantasy upside either Diontae Johnson or Chase Claypool possess. It should be noted the emergence of Pat Freiermuth means that there is less volume to go around, which downgrades both wide receivers to WR3/FLEX status. Additionally, the Steelers have committed to the run harder to hide the lack of arm strength from Big Ben. Najee Harris continues to carry the mail, but his targets have dried up of late. It was interesting to note that Claypool and Johnson each carried the ball twice last night. This suggests that the Steelers are trying to get creative with ensuring their best offensive weapons are touching the football.
James Conner Is Still That Dude
Despite lacking their starting quarterback and star wide receiver, the Arizona Cardinals handily dispatched the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Cardinals had little trouble taking a mostly (fully?) healthy Niners team to the woodshed, mostly on the back of a James Conner performance for the ages. Chase Edmonds was sidelined after one carry, and Conner took the opportunity to reintroduce himself to the world. He rushed for two touchdowns in the first quarter and saw healthy usage in the receiving game. If Conner’s final rushing stat line of 21-96-2 didn’t single-handedly win you the week, then surely his receiving numbers helped push you over the top. Conner caught all five of his targets for 77 yards and a score, trailing only Christian Kirk (6-91-0) in total receiving yards.
I strongly doubt Conner is on your waiver wire, but I’d recommend you consider prioritizing Eno Benjamin on waivers. Edmonds suffered a high ankle sprain and is a candidate for the short-term injured reserve list. In a change of pace role, Benjamin did a good job turning his nine carries into 39 yards and a score. Benjamin may not have much standalone value but becomes the de-facto workhorse in the event Conner misses time.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Niners fall to 3-5 on the season and boast a pitiful 0-4 record at home. It’s hard to really portion out the blame to any one player. I guess I’ll blame the defense who got destroyed by Colt McCoy, but even then, the team didn’t look well prepared for this game. I know several offensive players were nursing some injuries but played through them. The biggest bright spot was that TE George Kittle appears to be fully healthy after returning from his lengthy IR stint. He posted a 6-101-1 receiving line and should be a high-end TE1 for the rest of the season. It was nice to see WR Brandon Aiyuk develop some chemistry with Jimmy Garoppolo. With four teams on bye next week and a tasty matchup against the Rams, Aiyuk should be considered a high-upside WR3.
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Are The Titans The Best Team In Football?
Last week I was wondering what a post-Big Dog Titans would look like and it appears they might be the best team in the NFL. Just imagine how much better they’d have looked with Derrick Henry rushing the football. The Titans deployed a committee of D’Onta Foreman, Adrian Peterson, and Jeremy McNichols. None of the three running backs did much to separate themselves on Sunday night. I’d play McNichols in PPR-formats only and can’t justify plugging in either Foreman or Peterson into my lineup.
I should note that the Titans didn’t need to get much going on offense, as the defense took care of business early. Matthew Stafford threw two early interceptions, and one was returned for a touchdown. (The other interception set up the Titans’ first touchdown, a two-yard toss to TE Geoff Swaim.) Ryan Tannehill looked pedestrian on Sunday night, but I should note that his receivers did him no favors. A.J. Brown had a terrible case of the drops on Sunday night, turning 11 targets into five catches and a meager 42 yards. Julio Jones made a couple of high leverage plays but wound up with a 4-35-0 receiving line. Given that Tannehill only threw 27 passes, a down game should’ve been expected. Tannehill is a high-floor QB play next week against the Saints.
The Rams should get back to their winning ways next week against the Niners. It’s hard to see the Niners break their losing streak at home against a team that looks like a strong candidate to win the NFC.
Dak Prescott Shakes Off The Rust
After this performance, I’m worried the Cowboys might’ve rushed Dak Prescott back too early. Prescott looked quite poor against the Broncos, completing only 19 of his 39 pass attempts for 232 yards and two scores. Both touchdowns for Prescott came towards the end of the fourth quarter with less than five minutes left to play. I know the matchup against the Broncos is difficult, but Prescott looked quite poor. He missed CeeDee Lamb on what should’ve been a 55-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Prescott failed to sync with either Lamb or Amari Cooper, but I expect that he will rebound next week against the Falcons.
Quick Hits – Injuries
There were several injuries that fantasy gamers need to monitor over the course of the week.
The Cowboys expect that Michael Gallup will be back Week 10 against the Falcons. He will slot in as a WR4 until we see him receive a chunk of volume.
The Dolphins should get Tua Tagovailoa back this week. Tagovailoa was a surprise inactive on Sunday with an injured finger, but he was available as an emergency backup. Hopefully, Tagovailoa is good to go for Thursday Night Football against the Ravens.
The Seahawks might get both Russell Wilson and Chris Carson back this week. Head coach Pete Carroll noted that Carson will be on the field this Wednesday, so stay glued for any updates regarding his status.
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury noted that DeAndre Hopkins is day-to-day with a hamstring injury. Hopkins could potentially suit up against the Panthers this week. Note that Kyler Murray’s ankle injury appears to be a lot worse than we were originally led to believe. As of right now, he’s a game-time decision for Sunday.
