Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

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

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Josh Allen 320-17 5
 Justin Fields 335-25 4
 Anthony Richardson 200-56 3
 Lamar Jackson 186-27 4
 Justin Herbert 167-27 3
Running Backs Yards TD
Christian McCaffrey 20-106
7-71
4
David Montgomery 32-121
2-20
3
Josh Jacobs 17-58
8-81
1
Kyren Williams 25-103
3-24
2
Devon Achane  8-101
3-19
2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
A.J. Brown 9-175 2
Stefon Diggs 6-120 3
Nico Collins 7-168 2
Puka Nacua 9-163 1
D.J. Moore 8-131 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Cole Kmet 7-85 2
Mark Andrews 5-80 2
Jonnu Smith 6-95 0
Jake Ferguson 7-77 0
Andrew Ogletree 3-48 1
Placekickers XP FG
Jake Elliott 2 4
Brett Maher 2 3
Tyler Bass 6 2
Brandon McManus 2 3
Brandon Aubrey 3 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Dallas 2-3 2
Jacksonville 4-3 1
Baltimore 3-3 0
Minnesota 5-1 1
Tampa Bay 3-3 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Kenny Pickett – Knee
RB Javonte Williams – Hip
WR Mike Evans – Hamstring
WR Tee Higgins – Rib fracture
WR Khalil Shakir – Head
WR Davante Adams – Shoulder
CB Tre’Davious White – Achilles
TE Donald Parham – Wrist
TE Juwan Johnson – Calf
TE Pat Freiermuth – Hamstring

Chasing Ambulances

Sometimes the next man up is just the right guy.

QB Kenny Pickett – The Steelers hope that he only has a minor MCL sprain but later testing will determine his injury and prognosis. He’d be replaced by Mitchell Trubisky when they host the Ravens next week if needed.

RB Javonte Williams – Injured his hip, but the initial expectation is that he had a hip flexor and that he may not miss any time. Samaje Perine and the rookie Jaleel McLaughlin will share the backfield if Williams misses any time.

WR Mike Evans – Left the win over the Saints with a hamstring injury. HC Todd Bowles said after the game that Evans tweaked it, and he wasn’t sure how serious it might be. Chris Godwin finished with a big game, but the only other notable wideout was second-year Deven Thompkins, who scored his first NFL touchdown on his four catches for 45 yards. The Buccaneers go on their bye, so Evans has two weeks to heal.

WR Tee Higgins – Believed to have suffered a fractured rib that would likely keep him out for multiple weeks. The Bengals are already struggling and this will not help. Tyler Boyd would see more usage, and Ja’Marr Chase would see more coverage. But the passing game from Joe Burrows is struggling anyway.

WR Davante Adams – Had his shoulder crunched when he was tackled in the first half, but did return and finished without any sign of pain. But Adams said after the game that his shoulder was sore. His practices this week should indicate if it is an ongoing issue. He also became the 53rd player to reach 10,000 yards in a career, one of only three current players.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Justin Fields – Go figure. The Bears maligned quarterback spent the first three weeks throwing just one touchdown per week and marginal yardage. Against the Broncos, who once had a great defense, he blew up for 335 yards and four touchdowns while rushing a season-low four times for 25 yards. Granted, the Bears lost, but Fields was the No. 2 fantasy quarterback for the week and he’s found the waiver wire in some smaller leagues.

RB Jaleel McLaughlin – The Broncos lost Javonte Williams to a hip injury and his status will be determined on Monday. The undrafted McLaughlin not only made the team this summer, but he ran for 72 yards on seven carries in the win over the Bears. That included runs of 18, 14, 9, and 31 yards. Samaje Perine only gained 12 yards on his six rushes. But before you spend big in free agency, realize that he is only 5-7 and 183 pounds. HC Sean Payton said they would expand his role while looking for a spark. But Perine will remain involved in all cases and McLaughlin was facing the No. 31 defense against running backs. Then again, McLaughlin has two rushing scores on the year – the only ones by any Bronco.

WR Michael Wilson – The Cardinals’ third-round rookie scored his first touchdowns on his seven catches for 76 yards in the loss to the 49ers. Rondale Moore failed to catch either of his targets in that game, and only Marquise Brown (10) had more targets as a wideout. Wilson posted two catches for 86 yards in Dallas during Week 3. He’s at least worth tracking, if not throwing onto a deep roster in a big league.

TE Jonnu Smith – The Falcons treatment of Kyle Pitts took another odd turn when Smith, aka the other tight end, led the team with six catches for 95 yards on the London loss to the Jaguars. No other receiver gained more than 32 yards, and Pitts was left with two receptions for only 21 yards. That doesn’t make Smith a reliable free agent to grab, but it does make Pitts very hard to consider for any further fantasy starts.

TE Jake Ferguson – The Cowboys tight end was productive in Week 4 with seven catches for 77 yards to lead the Cowboys. That’s his season-high but came in a matchup with the Patriots who handled the Dallas wideouts well enough to force passes to the tight ends.

RB Devon Achane – Both he and Raheem Mostert blew up with a game for the ages last week. Versus the Bills, Mostert crashed to earth with only nine yards on seven carries while Achane ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on eight rushes.  Both backs caught three passes. Achane has quickly became a major factor in the backfield and now is dominating the box score over Mostert.

RB Alexander Mattison and Cam Akers – The Vikings acquired Akers last week and he saw his first action as a Viking. He gained 40 yards on five rushes with two catches for 11 yards. HC Kevin O’Connell said he would go with the hot hand, and Mattison shined for the second week in a row, rushing for 95 yards on 17 carries. The Vikings also finally won a game while passing for only 139 yards. The backfield cannot support two viable fantasy starters, so Mattison has to hold Akers off, or it just becomes a risky and inconsistent situation.

RB Khalil Herbert – The Bears backfield is already leaving D’Onta Foreman inactive for games. The rookie Roschon Johnson appeared to be making inroads to taking a clear primary role, but not so fast. Herbert just gained 103 yards on 18 carries and caught four passes for 19 yards and one touchdown. Johnson only gained a total of 14 yards on his six touches. This could all change next week, but Herbert did himself a lot of good in showing up big in Week 4.

RB Kareem Hunt – His first game back with the Browns happened in a week with Deshaun Watson out and Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the starter – a profound difference since the Browns only scored three points. Hunt rushed for only 12 yards on five carries and had no targets. His return is less than triumphant but could pick up once Watson is back.

QB C.J. Stroud and company – The Texans passing production is bringing up memories of Deshaun Watson. The rookie threw for his third straight game with two scores and 280+ yards. In each game, a wideout recorded at least 145 yards. Nico Collins (7-168, 2 TD) just had his second monster performance in the big win over the Steelers.

RB Alvin Kamara – Derek Carr played with a bad shoulder, and it showed with only 127 passing yards in the loss to the Buccaneers. But Kamara’s debut had him lead the backfield with 11 carries for 51 yards and catch 13 passes for 33 yards. He caught more passes than the other receivers combined.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers star is the No. 1 fantasy running back and starting to pull away with 120 PPR points for a near 30-point lead over all other backs. Facing the visiting Cardinals, McCaffrey ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries and still added seven catches for 71 yards and a fourth touchdown. The first back selected in most fantasy leagues, he’s paying off every week.

Salute!

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

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Baker Mayfield 246-31 3 QB Joe Burrow 165-1 0
RB Khalil Herbert 18-103
4-19
1 RB Aaron Jones 5-18
1-(-4)
0
RB Jaleel McLaughlin 7-72
3-32
1 RB Javonte Williams 2-0
3-9
0
WR Nico Collins 7-168 2 WR Jordan Addison 0 0
WR Michael Wilson 7-76 2 WR Chris Olave 1-4 0
WR Curtis Samuels 7-51 1 WR Deebo Samuel 3-6 rush 0
TE Jonnu Smith 6-95 0 TE George Kittle 1-9 0
PK Brett Maher   2 XP  3  FG PK Younghoe Koo   1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 184 Huddle Fantasy Points = 21

Now get back to work…