This was the had-to-have-it game of the week. If you didn’t have Kirk Cousins or Darnell Mooney in your lineup, there’s a good chance you may have lost. Cousins shredded Tampa’s defense to the tune of 509 yards and four touchdowns. Mooney was fantastic, going for 9 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Not to be overshadowed was Drake London, who had 12 receptions on 13 targets for 154 yards and a touchdown. Even Kyle Pitts had an outstanding game with 15.8 fantasy points. The only person who put up a dud was Bijan Robinson who only had 61 yards rushing and three receptions for 16 yards. If you took Robinson with one of the top three picks, I certainly can’t blame you, but it hasn’t paid off yet. For Tampa Bay, they got a little unlucky with some penalties that weren’t called at the end of the game and were led by Mike Evans, who had 62 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Tampa ran the ball effectively, which helped Baker Mayfield, who had 180 yards and three touchdowns, but when they needed a big play, they just weren’t able to get it at the end of the game.
At one point during this game, you would have thought that the Vikings were going to win in a rout, but with the NFL, things don’t always work out as they seem. The Jets had a chance to win this game, but Aaron Rodgers threw his third interception. It was good to see that Rodgers connected with Garrett Wilson, who had a whopping 22 targets. This is the game that Garrett Wilson’s fantasy managers have been waiting for since he’s shown no synchronicity with Rodgers to this point. Wilson finished the game with 13 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. The biggest problem was the Jets rushing game. Breece Hall had 9 carries for 23 yards, and Braelon Allen had five carries for 13 yards. If you watch the game closely, you can see that Hall is standing a little bit in front of Rodgers when they hike the ball, so there’s no way that he can get ahead of steam and run downhill. This is preventing him from making big plays. For Minnesota, Sam Darnold threw for 179 yards, but he didn’t have a touchdown. Justin Jefferson had 6 receptions for 92 yards. Aaron Jones left the game with a hip injury, but with the Vikings off on BYE next week, Jones should have time to heal and be ready to go in Week 7. T.J. Hockenson could be back then, too.
Please don’t look at this game and say that Caleb Williams is a great quarterback because I don’t think he is. Williams had 304 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 34 rushing yards, but the Carolina defense is a sieve, and they absolutely do NOT know how to tackle. DJ Moore had a great game in a revenge narrative spot with five receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Roschon Johnson had two rushing touchdowns, and it was also good to see D’Andre Swift with 73 rushing yards and a touchdown to go along with two receptions for 47 yards. For Carolina, Andy Dalton couldn’t get anything going even though the Panthers got out to an early lead. Chuba Hubbard ran for 97 yards and a touchdown, but he only had four receptions for -2 yards. The Bears played excellent defense and held Dionte Johnson to three receptions for 23 yards; when that happens, Carolina has no chance to win.
This was the most exciting game of the day, with the Ravens winning by a field goal in overtime. That said, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor really screwed up by settling for the field goal in overtime as opposed to going for a touchdown and being aggressive. Whenever you play it safe in the NFL, it always comes back to bite you. There was a fumble on the snap and McPherson had no chance to make the field goal in overtime. The good news is that Joe Burrow threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns, and Ja’marr Chase had 10 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins also had a great game with 9 receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Of note was that Zach Moss was injured, so expect to see Chase Brown get most of the touches next week. For the Ravens, this was a Lamar Jackson week, as he had 348 passing yards and four touchdowns to go along with 55 rushing yards. Zay Flowers had 7 receptions for 111 yards, and Rashod Bateman had four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. I called Bateman as one of my anytime touchdowns so I was glad to see that paid off. Derrick Henry was a minor disappointment, only going for 92 rushing yards and a touchdown, but this was a game where Baltimore was trailing, and that’s not good for his game flow.
Although Miami got the victory, the Patriots were the better team. If it wasn’t for a few miscues, they would have won the game at home. De’Von Achane left the game with a concussion, and Jaylen Wright came off the bench to rush for 86 yards and looked terrific. Raheem Mostert was back from injury, and he had 19 carries for 80 yards, so Miami’s run game looked exceptional. Tyreek Hill had 6 receptions for 69 yards, but so long as Huntley is throwing the football, no Dolphin receiver is going to be worth using. For the Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson had 89 yards rushing and a touchdown to go along with four receptions. Antonio Gibson started the game but was an afterthought. The biggest problem is that Jacoby Brissett it’s just not very accurate and he’s not helping Hunter Henry and Ja’Lynn Polk at all. I am ready for the Drake Maye experience to begin in New England.
I know that Kevin Stefanski is sticking with Deshaun Watson as his quarterback, but I really wish he wouldn’t. Watson was wretched, throwing for 125 yards and a touchdown. He’s missing his receivers all over the place, and he has zero confidence. I know the offensive line is dealing with injuries, and I know that Nick Chubb is probably a couple of weeks from returning, but this Browns team is 1-4, and it doesn’t look like it’s getting better anytime soon. Washington played outstanding football, with Jayden Daniels throwing for 238 yards and a touchdown and running for another 82 yards. Brian Robinson only had 18 yards rushing, but he did have two touchdowns and was very difficult to take down by the goal line.
It was a shame that either team lost this game because this was the second most entertaining game on the slate. Joe Flacco led a comeback that fell short, but he still threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Alec Pierce made some amazing catches and had three receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown. Pierce deserves more targets, but he only had three. Josh Downs had 12 targets and nine receptions for 69 yards, and he looked very good. Michael Pittman couldn’t really get open and only had five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. For Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence finally had a good game, throwing for 371 yards and two touchdowns, including one to Brian Thomas, who had 122 yards receiving. The player of the game, though, for Jacksonville, was Tank Bigsby, who had 13 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns, including a 65-yarder. Bigsby looks much faster than Travis Etienne, and moving forward, I think he’s the RB I’d rather have on this team.
Josh Allen had 9 completions in this game, giving Buffalo zero chance to win. I know the Bills want to be a run-first offense, and they ran the ball 28 times, but if Josh Allen is not completing double-digit passes, this team is never going to win the division. They were completely lost without Shakir, and James Cook was their entire offense. The Bills are 3-2 but they’ve got to figure out how to change their offensive sets quickly because this could end in potential disaster. For the Texans, CJ Stroud finished with 331 yards and a touchdown. Stefon Diggs had 82 receiving yards in a revenge game. The big problem for the Texans was that Nico Collins left the game after catching a long touchdown with a hamstring issue. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s able to play in Week 6. If not, Tank Dell will absolutely get more opportunities, as will Xavier Hutchinson, who came in for three targets after Collins left. Also expected back for Houston is Joe Mixon, who is desperately needed.
I really like what I’m seeing out of Denver right now, as the Broncos are on a three-game winning streak. Bo Nix threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns and should have had another touchdown to Troy Franklin, who dropped an open pass in the end zone. Moreover, the Broncos play very aggressive defense, and their defense can be started every week. The Raiders are a bit of a mess. Gardner Minshew was benched in the second half after only throwing for 137 yards and two interceptions. It’ll be interesting to see if Antonio Pierce makes a change and goes with Aidan O’Connell as his quarterback next week. Brock Bowers had eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown, and Jacobi Meyers had six receptions for 72 yards. I think the Raiders are in big trouble because they are likely going to trade Davante Adams shortly, and without him, I am not sure where the points will come from.
This was one of the most surprising results of the entire slate. The Giants played outstanding football both on offense and defense. They ran the ball 34 times for 175 yards, including Tyrone Tracy, who had 18 carries for 129 yards. I think he has absolutely made a case for more touches, even when Devin Singletary returns. Darius Slayton played the Malik Nabers role and had eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown and looked phenomenal. All the credit must go to Daniel Jones as well who had 257 passing yards and two passing touchdowns to go along with 38 rushing yards. The Giants defense had 7 sacks, putting Geno Smith under siege all game long. The shocking result was that Seattle could not muster any offense. Smith not only threw for 284 yards and a touchdown, but he also ran for 72 yards, which is shocking considering Kenneth Walker only had five carries for 19 yards. DK Metcalf had four receptions for 55 yards, and Seattle was never in this game. What’s concerning for Seahawks fans is they play San Francisco on a short week next Thursday in a must-win game for both teams.
Speaking of shocking results, I was absolutely shocked to see the Cardinals pull off the upset and beat San Francisco at home. Kyler Murray ran for 83 yards and a touchdown, and he also threw for 195 yards and a touchdown. Michael Wilson was the leading receiver with 78 yards, but it was the Cardinals defense that held Jordan Mason to only 89 yards and forced Brock Purdy into two interceptions. The 49ers were a mess as soon as K Jake Moody got injured, forcing them to go for it on 4th downs when they normally could have kicked field goals. I was completely shocked that Deebo Samuel only had one reception for 11 yards when he was playing against a zone defense that he always feasts on. Brandon Aiyuk had eight receptions for 147 yards to lead the 49ers, and George Kittle had eight receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown, but it just wasn’t enough.
The Rams had a chance to win at the end, even though they played horribly. Matthew Stafford may have thrown for 260 yards and a touchdown, but he was not in sync with his receivers at all. Jordan Whittington had 7 receptions for 89 yards, and Colby Parkinson had 7 receptions for 52 yards, but it was Kyren Williams who once again felt like the Rams’ entire offense. It was good to see Blake Corum get some opportunities, as he had five carries. He is the backup in case of an injury to Williams. For the Packers, Jordan Love only had 224 yards passing to go along with two touchdowns, and he was pretty underwhelming for most of the game. Tucker Kraft was phenomenal, with four receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and Jayden Reed had four receptions for 78 yards. Josh Jacobs got the anytime touchdown that I said he would, getting 73 yards as well. Right now, the NFC North has three teams that should all make the playoffs if things keep progressing as they are.
This was a coming out party for the Cowboys young offensive players, Rico Dowdle and Jalen Tolbert. Dowdle showed against Pittsburgh that he is clearly the number one option in the backfield moving forward and that he deserves 18 to 20 touches a game. Tolbert was a player who I thought could easily usurp Cooks as the WR2, and he showed it, catching the game-winning touchdown. Surprisingly, the Cowboys defense played very well, especially since they were missing Lawrence and Parsons. The Steelers were not able to take advantage of Dallas’ injuries, as the running game was completely lackluster. It feels like they missed Jaylen Warren terribly, as Najee Harris just can’t seem to break off big runs. Justin Fields showed some moments, but the question moving forward with the Steelers is: Would their offense be more consistent with Russell Wilson? I think it would.
