Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
Justin Fields  123-178 4
 Josh Allen 205-86 2
 Tua Tagovailoa 302-5 3
 Geno Smith 275-38 2
 Patrick Mahomes 446-63 2
Running Backs Rush
Receive		 TD
Joe Mixon 22-153
4-58		 4
Kenneth Walker 26-109
3-20		 2
Travis Etienne 28-109
2-17		 2
Austin Ekeler 14-47
7-24		 2
Derrick Henry 17-115 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Davante Adams 10-146 2
Tyreek Hill 7-143 1
Cooper Kupp 8-126 1
Justin Jefferson 7-115 1
Christian Kirk 8-76 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Dallas Goedert 8-100 1
Cole Kmet 5-41 2
Cade Otton 5-68 1
T.J. Hockerson 9-70 0
Travis Kelce 10-106 0
Placekickers XP FG
Nick Folk 2 4
Ryan Succop 1 3
Riley Patterson 3 2
Greg Zuerlein 2 2
Jason Myers 2 2
Defense Sack – TO TD
Patriots 9-1 1
Lions 1-3 0
Cardinals 2-1 1
Jets 5-2 0
Dolphins 2-0 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB P.J. Walker (CAR) -Benched
RB Aaron Jones (GB) – Ankle
WR Romeo Doubs (GB) – Ankle
WR Christian Watson (GB) – Concussion
TE Evan Engram (JAC) – Back

Chasing Ambulances

There were six teams on their bye, but like last week, the list is delightfully small. They say that by midseason, you’ve either been injured already or learned to play through it.

RB Aaron Jones (GB) – Left the loss to the Lions with an ankle injury and wore a boot after the game. Jones jogged back to the locker room and said that he was “a little sore” and did not think it was serious. X-rays were negative, so the hope is that he’ll be able to play this week against the Cowboys.

WR Romeo Doubs (GB) – Injured his ankle and was ruled out of the loss to the Lions. He wore a walking boot and used crutches after the game. There is concern that it may be serious enough that he misses more playing time. Monday tests will confirm the diagnosis. The Packers can ill-afford to lose any of their receivers.

TE Evan Engram (JAC) – Injured his back during the win over the Raiders and did not return to the game. He’ll be evaluated on Monday. Dan Arnold would move up to the starting spot if Engram misses any time.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

WR Josh Palmer (LAC) – The Chargers were without Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, so Palmer (8-106) took the primary role  and delivered against the Falcons. His ten targets led the Chargers.

WR Cole Kmet (CHI) – While he was a disappointment through Week 7, the talented tight end scored on his two catches for 11 yards in Week 8. Against the Dolphins, Kmet had a career-best game with five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns. He was second only to Darnell Mooney in targets.

WR Chase Claypool (CHI) – His first game with the Bears only resulted in two catches for 13 yards, but he was thrown six passes in his debut. The Bears are intent on getting him involved.

QB Baker Mayfield (CAR) – P.J. Walker got the hook at halftime when he only totaled nine yards and two interceptions as a passer. Mayfield entered the game and threw for 155 yards and two scores but the Bengals already led 35-0 and may have let up in the second half. Mayfield threw scores to Terrace Marshall (3-52) and Tommy Tremble (2-11, TD), but D.J. Moore only managed two catches for 24 yards. But he kept his helmet on after both receptions. No word yet on of the change was game-situation or something more.

WR Garrett Wilson (NYJ) – The rookie’s production took a nosedive with Zach Wilson under center, but he caught six passes for 115 yards in Week 8 versus the Pats. On Sunday, he led the Jets with eight catches for 92 yards. He’s not only connecting now with Wilson, but no other Jet gained more than 16 receiving yards in the win over the Bills. Wilson is dominating the receivers.

RB Jeff Wilson (MIA) – He already knew the offense, so Wilson’s first game after being traded saw him lead the backfield with nine runs for 51 yards and he added three catches for 12 yards and a touchdown. The move is already proving a fortunate career move. Raheem Mostert ran for 26 yards and a score on his nine rushes but had no receptions. The Dolphins now have the same committee the 49ers used two years ago.

TE T.J. Hockenson (MIN) – In his first game as a Viking, Hockenson caught all nine targets for 70 yards in the win over the Commanders.  That was the second-highest catch total of his career. He was second only to Justin Jefferson in catches and yards. His nine catches led the team. Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook had marginal games as receivers, so Hockenson’s workload will be interesting for the next few weeks.

TE Noah Fant (SEA) – He was part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Broncos, and Fant played a minor role for the first half of the season. Against the Cardinals, he led the team with five receptions for 96 yards that included a 51-yard reception.

WR Ronald Moore (ARI) – The second-year wideout looks to be making a move towards breaking out with 92 yards and a score in Week 8, and then a team-high eight receptions for 69 yards in the loss to the Seahawks.  Moore’s ten targets paced the team and were double the five DeAndre Hopkins received.

Rams backfield – Cam Akers returned to the field and that meant that the Rams would rely on a three-man committee to produce their mediocre output. Darrell Henderson (12-56) was the only effective runner while Akers (5-3) and Malcolm Brown (2-9) added nothing.

TE Cade Otton (TB) – The promising rookie already had a couple of games with four catches or more. In the win over the Rams, he led the Buccaneers with five catches for 68 yards and caught the game-winning touchdown with only nine seconds left to play.

RB Raheem Blackshear (CAR) – The Panthers were badly beaten by the Bengals and D’Onta Foreman was limited to only 21 total yards.  Blackshear is the kick returner, but they let him play in the second half. He ended up second on the team with four catches for 40 yards and he ran in a fourth-quarter touchdown on his five carries for 13 yards. It was almost entirely during trash time, but these Panthers appear likely to be trailing badly in future games as well. He’s not worth grabbing, but worth tracking in case Foreman is injured. Blackshear was the No. 10 fantasy back for Week 10.

WR Kadarius Toney (KC) – The ex-Giant caught the first pass that Patrick Mahomes threw in the Sunday night game. But he only fielded one more pass and ended with 12 yards. He never saw any more action after the first quarter. It was a small step but at least Toney was able to play and looked healthy.

QB Justin Fields (CHI) – The passing yardage may remain pedestrian and limited, but Fields ended Week 9 as the highest-scoring fantasy quarterback. He passed for 123 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 178 yards and a touchdown on 15 rushes in the loss to the Seahawks. It was a career mark in rushing yards and the third time in the last four weeks that he gained at least 80 yards as a runner.  It was just as encouraging about his development that he threw scores to Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet. And this week, the Bears host the Lions.

Huddle player of the week

Joe Mixon – He’s disappointed fantasy drafters who hoped to latch on to the scoring machine of 2021. And now they have, it just all came in one game instead of being spread out. Mixon was simply unstoppable with 22 runs for 153 yards and four touchdowns, plus four receptions for 58 yards and a fifth score in the win over the Panthers. That’s 51.1 fantasy points and a career game for Mixon.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Geno Smith 303 2 QB Matthew Stafford 163 1
RB Jeff Wilson 72 1 RB D’Onta Foreman 21 0
RB Raheem Blackshear 53 1 RB Aaron Jones 45 0
WR Chris Moore 45 1 WR DeVonta Smith 22 0
WR Terrace Marshall 53 1 WR Michael Pittman 22 0
WR Rondale Moore 69 0 WR Mike Evans 40 0
TE Noah Fant 96 0 TE Tyler Higbee 0 0
PK Nick Folk   2 XP  4 FG PK Mike Badgley   1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 125 Huddle Fantasy Points = 29

Now get back to work…