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
 Dak Prescott 404-17 5
 Justin Herbert 323-15 4
 Sam Howell 312-17 3
Joshua Dobbs 268-44 2
 Geno Smith 369-8 2
Running Backs Yards TD
Brian Robinson 8-38
6-119
1
Jahmyr Gibbs 14-77
3-35
2
Devin Singletary 30-150
1-11
1
Austin Ekeler 19-67
4-48
1
Christian McCaffrey  16-95
6-47
0
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Keenan Allen 11-175 2
CeeDee Lamb 11-151
1-14
2
Brandin Cooks 9-173 1
Amon-Ra St. Brown 8-156 1
Mike Evans 6-143 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
T.J. Hockenson 11-134 1
Trey McBride 8-131 0
George Kittle 3-116 1
Jake Ferguson 4-26 1
Dalton Schultz 4-71 0
Placekickers XP FG
Jason Meyers 2 5
Dustin Hopkins 1 4
Matt Prater 1 4
Riley Patterson 5 2
Chris Boswell 2 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
49ers 5-4 0
Colts 5-2 0
Ravens 4-2 1
Buccaneers 4-1 0
Browns 3-2 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Derek Carr – Shoulder / Head
QB Taylor Heinicke – Hamstring
QB Baker Mayfield – Thumb
QB Deshaun Watson – Ankle
TE Gerald Everett – Back
RB Alexander Mattison – Concussion
WR Michael Thomas – Knee
WR Jamal Agnew – Shoulder

Chasing Ambulances

QB Derek Carr – Injured his shoulder and potentially was concussed. Jameis Winston came in and threw two second-half touchdowns and two interceptions. The Saints are on their bye in Week 11, so Carr has two weeks to heal up.

QB Taylor Heinicke – Hurt his hamstring and did not return to the game. Desmond Ridder replaced him in time to ensure the eventual loss to the Cardinals. Like Derek Carr, the Falcons have their bye this week and Heinicke will have two weeks to heal. But HC Arthur Smith also has two weeks to decide what he wants to do.

QB Baker Mayfield – Hit his hand on the facemask of a defender and injured his thumb in the middle of the fourth quarter. He still finished the game and later said it was okay. The Buccaneers  play in San Francisco this week, so he’ll need to be healthy to keep the Bucs in that matchup.

QB Deshaun Watson – Injured his ankle in the second quarter during a rough tackle (one of many), but still played the balance of the game. It became notable when he left the locker room with a walking boot but said that he’d be fine. It is something to track this week and the Browns face a critical matchup when they host the Steelers.

RB Alexander Mattison – The Vikings starting running back left in the third quarter of the win over the Saints with a concussion. Ty Chandler replaced him and rushed for 45 yards on 15 carries with one touchdown. Mattison will enter the protocol this week and his availability to play in Denver on Sunday depends on how he progresses.

WR Michael Thomas – Left the loss to the Vikings early in the first quarter after taking a hard hit and hurting his knee. He was officially ruled out in the second half. He already had a legal situation with an arrest last week. The Saints enter their bye, so he has time to heal up and deal with any repercussions from his arrest.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

RB Ty Chandler (MIN) – The Vikings already lost Cam Akers, and then Alexander Mattison suffered a concussion in the win over the Saints. Ty Chandler ran for 45 yards and a score but never had a target.  The Vikings play in Denver this week and will go against one of the worst defenses versus running backs. He’s a need pick for the Mattison owner but a luxury for any other fantasy team unless Mattison misses games.

QB Bailey Zappe (NE) – Bill Belichick benched Mac Jones in the loss to the Colts, and Zappe only completed 3-of-7 for 25 yards during the matchup in Germany. But the Pats slipped to 2-8 and the time to get desperate has already passed. The Patriots, shockingly, are reaching the point where changes need to be made, if only to look like they haven’t given up. That could involve Zappe or any of the Pats’ other players. This is all new territory for the Patriots and a situation that Belichick hasn’t dealt with in decades.

QB Joshua Dobbs (MIN) – Playing in his first start with the  Vikings, the ex-Cardinal threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, plus rushed for 44 yards on eight runs. He’s slipped in quickly and already engineered a win. Dobbs not only has his next opponents of the Broncos, Bears, and Raiders, he may be getting Justin Jefferson on the field this weekend.

RB Devin Singletary (HOU) – Dameon Pierce was inactive this week so the Texans  had to rely on Singletary. The ex-Bill responded well to his first start in Houston when he ran for 150 yards on 30 carries and caught an 11-yard pass.  Pierce is out with an ankle injury and never practiced last week. The Texans’ next three opponents are all at home – Cardinals, Jaguars, and Broncos. The Jags are above-average against running backs but the Cardinals and Broncos are two of the worst.

RB Rico Dowdle (DAL) – The Cowboys dominated the Giants on Sunday, but Tony Pollard only gained 55 yards on 14 rushes (3.7 YPC). The Cowboys stuck with Pollard in the first quarter when they reached the Giants’ goal line but turned the ball over on downs, unable to score.  Dowdle was given 12 rushes and gained 79 yards (6.6 YPC) and punched in a one-yard score in the fourth quarter. Dowdle saw more use in this blowout, but he had been limited to just five carries in all previous games. This week, the Cowboys play in Carolina against the No. 30 defense versus running backs.  Pollard was unsuccessful at home against the No. 26 defense, so maybe Dowdle is slowly buying more playing time.

WR Noah Brown (HOU) – He replaced the injured Nico Collins in Week 9 and gained a career-best 153 yards and a score on six catches in the Texans win over the Panthers. With Collins out again, Brown turned in seven receptions for 172 yards. The ex-Cowboys is buying himself more playing time. Nico Collins missed the last two practices last week with a calf injury.  He’ll start against the Cardinals this week if Collins remains out.

WR Brandin Cooks (DAL) – Entering into Week 10, Cooks had not gained more than 49 yards in any game for the Cowboys but had scored in Weeks 6 and 8. Facing the Giants, Cooks abused them for 173 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. His three scores over the last four games are more impressive than the high-yardage blip from last Sunday.

QB Kyler Murray (ARZ) – The Cardinals quarterback debuted against the Falcons on Sunday. While he only threw for 249 yards and an interception, he scored on his six runs for 33 yards and led six drives that ended in scores, including the drive in the final 2:33 in the game when he brought the Cards down to the ATL 16-yard line where they kicked the walk-off winning field goal.

TE Trey McBride (ARZ) – Expectations for the second-year tight end were higher this year and he already had a 95-yard performance in Week 8. His first game with Kyler Murray this season resulted in a career-best 131 yards on eight receptions in the win over the Falcons. They play in Houston this week against the No. 31 defense against tight ends.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Dak Prescott  –  After starting the year with marginal passing stats, Prescott perked up against the Rams and Eagles. He just upped those games with 404 yards and four passing scores versus the visiting Giants and even ran in a touchdown. The Cowboys had the game already well in hand before the second quarter but continued the bombing while scoring the entire game through the final two minutes. Fantasy football loves a big score and the NFL’s absence of a mercy rule.

Salute!

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

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Joshua Dobbs 268-44 2 QB Trevor Lawrence 185-7 0
RB Brian Robinson 8-38
6-119
1 RB Derrick Henry 11-24
1-(-4)
0
RB Devin Singletary 30-150
1-11
2 RB Tony Pollard 15-55 0
WR Brandin Cooks 9-173 1 WR DeAndre Hopkins 3-27 0
WR Noah Brown 7-172 0 WR Terry McLaurin 4-33 0
WR Jayden Reed 5-84 1 WR Drake London 3-36 0
TE Trey McBride 8-131 0 TE Mark Andrews 2-44 0
PK Jason Meyers   2 XP   5 FG PK Brandon McManus   1 FG
Huddle Fantasy Points = 197 Huddle Fantasy Points = 45

Now get back to work…