| SUNDAY SALUTES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | Yards | TD |
| Josh Allen | 256-56 | 4 |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | 424-7 | 4 |
| Lamar Jackson | 222-86 | 4 |
| Dak Prescott | 444-18 | 3 |
| Sam Darnold | 293-(-3) | 4 |
| Running Backs | Yards | TD |
| Mark Ingram | 85 | 2 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | 73 | 2 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 191 | 0 |
| Todd Gurley | 133 | 1 |
| Marlon Mack | 109 | 1 |
| Wide Receivers | Yards | TD |
| John Brown | 137 | 2 |
| D.J. Chark | 104 | 2 |
| Calvin Ridley | 143 | 1 |
| Stefon Diggs | 121 | 1 |
| Randall Cobb | 115 | 1 |
| Tight Ends | Yards | TD |
| Ryan Griffin | 109 | 1 |
| Mark Andrews | 75 | 1 |
| Ross Dwelley | 14 | 2 |
| Kyle Rudolph | 67 | 1 |
| Dallas Goedert | 36 | 1 |
| Placekickers | XP | FG |
| Steven Hauschka | 4 | 3 |
| Brandon McManus | 2 | 3 |
| Justin Tucker | 5 | 2 |
| Will Lutz | 4 | 2 |
| Younghoe Koo | 2 | 3 |
| Defense | Sck-TO | TD |
| Falcons | 5-4 | 1 |
| Browns | 4-4 | 0 |
| Ravens | 7-2 | 0 |
| Saints | 2-4 | 1 |
| 49ers | 4-2 | 1 |
Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts
RB Marlon Mack – Hand
WR Auden Tate – Neck
QB Jameis Winston – Ankle
WR Phillip Dorsett – Head
RB James Conner – Shoulder
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster – Concussion
WR Diontae Johnson – Concussion
QB Mitchell Trubisky – Hip/futility
Chasing Ambulances
A light week is always great to see. But it also means fewer new options for free agents. Winston is expected to be fine, so there was just one injury that will force a depth chart change.
RB Marlon Mack – Is reported to have fractured his hand which means multiple weeks. Jordan Wilkins is out with an ankle injury and never practiced last week. That forced the Colts to rely on fourth-year scrub depth player Jonathan Williams who is already on his third team and only totaled 32 career carries before this week. He ran for 116 yards on just 13 carries thanks in part to a 48-yard gain. Nyheim Hines remains the third-down back. Williams will fill in until either Mack or Wilkins returns.
RB James Conner – While he was off the injury report, Conner re-injured his shoulder last Thursday and hurt is fantasy owners while preventing Jaylen Samuel owners from knowing that they should start their guy. This is a situation worth tracking since the Steelers play @CIN, CLE, and @ARI next. The Bengals next week is particularly appealing. Trey Edmunds stepped in and ran for 11 yards and caught three passes for 27 yards in relief last week. That was a blowout loss – there should be more work for the backfield this week.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster – Both he and Diontae Johnson left wrestle mania the game with concussions and Johnson seemed to be somewhat severe. If either receiver (or both) is still out, James Washington becomes the No. 1 wideout but that doesn’t mean much will happen. It certainly did not last week.
Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables
QB Deshaun Watson – Only passed for 169 yards and no scores at the Ravens. Fortunately, DeAndre Hopkins (7-80) still had a decent game, unlike all other receivers. Watson is a top fantasy quarterback but has to face IND, NE and DEN next though all are at home.
RB Gus Edwards – He ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on eight carries but he only had two rushes by halftime and Mark Ingram already had eight. Edwards broke off a 63-yard scoring run at the end of the fourth quarter but there’s no change in the backfield. Ingram remains the primary and thanks to Lamar Jackson, that still doesn’t mean that much work.
RB Brian Hill – Not only was he limited to only 30 yards on 15 carries, but it was against the No. 27 defense versus running backs. Kenjon Barner (2-15) and the rookie Qadree Ollison (4-11, TD) both looked better. The next two games face the Buccaneers and Saints which both sport Top-5 defenses versus running backs so there is no right answer here,
RB Ezekiel Elliott – Only ran for 45 yards on 16 carries but did score once and added two catches for 28 yards and a second score. He ran for 152 yards against the Lions last year. Considering the “Got Paid” eras for David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell and Todd Gurley, and now Elliott struggles, have to wonder if that feeds into the next wave of running backs looking to cash in on that second contract.
RB Bo Scarbrough – Was originally drafted by the Cowboys last year and then cut, the ex-Alabama back was called up from the practice squad for his first NFL action. He ran for 55 yards and one score on 14 carries (better than, ahem, Ezekiel in the same game). Ty Johnson has proven to be a non-factor and J.D. McKissic is just a third-down back. Scarbrough will face the Redskins next week and that holds at least a low-level opportunity for a fantasy start.
QB Nick Foles – His return as a starter didn’t cause a win, but at least he threw for 296 yards and two scores. DJ Chark ended with eight catches for 104 yards and both touchdowns, so the switch may actually help Chark. Just not, apparently, anyone else.
WR DeVante Parker – Caught a team-high seven passes for 135 yards in the loss to the Bills. With Preston Williams on injured reserve, Parker is about all the Fins have as wideouts. Allen Hurns turned in four catches for 53 yards replacing Williams and they just signed him to a two-year extension. But Parker holds the only fantasy value on this entire team.
WR Courtland Sutton – The Broncos season is already over and Brandon Allen took the start in Week 9 after Joe Flacco left. That hasn’t proven to be a benefit for anyone – except for Sutton. In Week 9, he caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown at the Colts, and then this week he led the team with five receptions for 113 yards in Minnesota. The schedule is not that kind but he comes off one of his worst matchups looking great.
TE Cameron Brate – The Buccaneers played the Saints who were without CB Marshon Lattimore but still managed to handle Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. As perhaps the final middle finger to fantasy owners, O.J. Howard bobbled an easy catch and ended up benched because it was picked off his back for an interception. That left Brate to reel in a career-high ten passes for 73 yards. Why didn’t they trade Howard?
TE Ryan Griffin – The Jets put Chris Herndon on injured reserve so Griffin is still best of the bunch. And that was pretty good against the Redskins. Griffin ended as the top receiver with 109 yards on five catches. Oddly, his last three home games total 27 yards on five receptions. His last three road games add up to 215 yards on 15 catches. He’ll play at the Bengals in Week 13.
RB Derrius Guice – Adrian Peterson remains the primary back, but that only meant nine runs for 25 yards versus the Jets. Guice gained 24 yards on seven rushes and he added one catch for a 45-yard touchdown. The 1-9 Redskins are already trying new things like seventh-round rookie wideout Kelvin Harmon (5-53) and Guice showing up in the box score should get him more work. Not so great for Adrian Peterson.
RB David Johnson – Say goodnight, DJ. He was healthy(ish). He was active. And he never had a touch. Kenyan Drake took them all – 16 carries for 67 yards and six catches for 13 yards at the 49ers. Barring some encouraging words from HC Kliff Kingsbury, that first-round pick has to take the bench and watch.
WR Deebo Samuel – Granted, both games were at home but the rookie turned in eight catches for 112 yards in Week 10 versus the Seahawks and then eight receptions for 134 yards on Sunday against the Cardinals. He’s offering far more consistency and production than any other wideout.
RB Joe Mixon – Too little, too late, but at least Mixon showed up in Week 10 with 151 total yards against the Ravens. On Sunday, he ran for 86 yards on 15 carries (5.7 YPC) and scored in Oakland.
QB Tom Brady – He only threw for 216 yards and no scores at the Eagles and he ended with a QB rating of just 67.3. He had nearly no deep ball and really hasn’t this season. I realize that he is only 42, but he looked slow and old.
Huddle player of the week
John Brown – This was a low-scoring week for fantasy players other than quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Jimmy Garoppolo, Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott. Brown was the top wideout and higher scoring than any running back when he caught nine passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He suffers from playing in an offense that is all about the run, but he doesn’t suffer every week.
Salute!
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
| Comedy | Yards | TDs | Tragedy | Yards | TDs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Sam Darnold | 291 | 4 | QB | Tom Brady | 216 | 0 |
| RB | Gus Edwards | 112 | 1 | RB | James Conner | 16 | 0 |
| RB | Jonathan Williams | 147 | 0 | RB | Leonard Fournette | 57 | 0 |
| WR | Jakeem Grant | 32 | 2 | WR | Tyler Boyd | 10 | 0 |
| WR | Marcus Johnson | 38 | 1 | WR | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 21 | 0 |
| WR | Pharoah Cooper | 35 | 1 | WR | Kenny Golladay | 34 | 0 |
| TE | Ross Dwelley | 14 | 2 | TE | Eric Ebron | 27 | 0 |
| PK | Steven Hauschka | 4 XP 3 FG | PK | Chris Boswell | 1 XP | ||
| Huddle Fantasy Points = 129 | Huddle Fantasy Points = 23 | ||||||
Now get back to work…