Bye-mageddon Part II wasn’t much fun for fantasy managers, especially those who leaned on some big-name runners. Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, Nick Chubb, D’Andre Swift and Saquon Barkley were all outscored by Marlon Mack, Raheem Blackshear and Justin Jackson. That’s just gross. What’s more, the top scorer at the position (see below) was rostered in just 62% and started in 44% of Yahoo leagues.
On the bright side, we did see 10 quarterbacks score 19 or more points, including the NFL’s newest sweetheart, Brock Purdy, who had 21.7 and scored more points than all but five quarterbacks going into Sunday night. We saw some massive wide receiver performances, including three players with 28-plus points, but the top-10 at the position included the likes of Chris Moore, Zay Jones and Marquise Goodwin. At tight end, well, you know. It continues to be a total dumpster fire.
With that being said, let’s start our fantasy football whip around Sunday’s action in Tennessee, where one tight end had a massive game (and it wasn’t Travis Kelce).
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Trevor Lawrence, Evan Engram come up huge in fantasy. The Jaguars were a virtual cornucopia of fantasy points in the passing game, as Lawrence carved up the Titans for 368 yards, four touchdowns (three pass, one rush) and 33.4 fantasy points in a 36-22 win. That led all quarterbacks in points heading into the Sunday nighter. Engram was a big winner as a result, hauling in 11 receptions for 162 yards with two scores and posting a career-best 39.2 fantasy points. That was huge for those who started him at what is a thin position. Zay Jones (8 catches, 77 yards) also had a nice stat line, though Travis Etienne and Christian Kirk disappointed.
Saquon Barkley (neck) active but has just 28 rush yards. One of the biggest questions of the weekend was Barkley’s status for a big game against the Eagles. He was active in the contest, but the Giants runner did little in a 48-22 blowout loss. He did lead the backfield with 11 touches, but he had a mere 68 yards and no scores. His 6.8 fantasy points was his second-worst total of the season, and it came at a bad time for fantasy managers. The G-Men face the Commanders next.
Justin Jefferson goes for 11 catches, 223 yards in Detroit. Jefferson was a star when fantasy fans needed him most, posting 33.3 points in a loss to the Lions. He has now scored 29-plus points in two of his last three games and has scored over 30 five times. His quarterback, Kirk Cousins, also shined with 425 yards, two scores and 25 points, and both Adam Thielen (19.5 points) and T.J. Hockenson (11.7) had nice lines as well. The same can’t be said of Dalvin Cook, who scored a touchdown but still finished with a mere 8.6 fantasy points. He’s now been held to 9.6 or fewer points in three of his last four games. The Vikings face the Colts next on the slate.
Mark Andrews’s elite fantasy player card might be revoked. Andrews was the top tight end in fantasy football last season, but he’s been anything but a high-end play in 2022. That was evident against Pittsburgh, as he scored a mere 3.7 points. Tyler Huntley did get hurt in this game, which factored into Andrews’s stat line, but let’s be honest … he’s not been right for the last six games. In that time, he has averaged a gross 7.2 fantasy points. With Lamar Jackson (knee) expected to miss another week and Huntley (concussion) a major question for Week 15, his chances of turning it around against the Browns aren’t great. He’s no longer a “must-start."
Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb disappoint vs. Houston. SI Sportsbook had a line of 17.5 with the Cowboys as a big favorite in what was supposed to be a blowout. Not only did that not happen, but Dallas nearly lost the game. While both Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott produced strong totals, Prescott and Lamb were quiet. Prescott was intercepted twice and scored just 13.7 points, while Lamb had a mere 8.3. That was Prescott’s worst total since Week 7, and Lamb hasn’t had such a stinker since the regular-season opener. The Cowboys defense, which was considered the No. 1 start at the position, had zero sacks and forced just two giveaways.
J.K. Dobbins returns, rushes for 120 yards, touchdown. Dobbins made a huge impact in his first game back from injured reserve, rushing 15 times for 120 yards with one touchdown in a 16-14 win over Pittsburgh. Dobbins, who averaged a stout eight yards per rush and had a 44-yard run, scored 18 fantasy points. He did split the workload with Gus Edwards (13 touches), but it was good to see Dobbins on the field and looking 100%. He has a great matchup in Cleveland up next.
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Nick Chubb’s fantasy struggles continue in Cincinnati. Chubb’s disappointing 80 rushing yards and eight fantasy points last week in a plus matchup in Houston was tough to handle. Well, this week’s 8.4-point stink bomb might have cost you a chance at a postseason berth. The fantasy star has now been held to fewer than 10 fantasy points in three of his last four games, and he’s been held to fewer than three yards per rush in two of those games. If you were able to survive Chubb’s bad line, he'll have a tough matchup ahead against the Ravens.
Tom Brady, Buccaneers, lay a fantasy egg in San Francisco. Brady entered the week averaging fewer than 16 points per game, and he was worse than that against the Niners. He threw for 253 passing yards, was picked off twice and scored 10.1 points in a blowout. The best fantasy performance from a Buccaneer in this contest was Leonard Fournette, who scored just 10.6 points. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, both fantasy starters, were held to just 18.8 points combined. It’s strange to say this about a Brady-led team, but this offense is and has been broken. A matchup against the Bengals next week isn’t favorable, either.
Home sweet home! Jared Goff rocks it in Detroit again. Pick your ‘80s hair band song (Home Sweet Home or Detroit Rock City) … Goff was awesome in a 34-23 win over the Vikings. He threw for 330 yards with three touchdowns and produced 26.1 points in the contest, and he’s now averaging over 21 points in home games. That’s the good news. The bad news? He’s averaging 8.5 points on the road, and his next two games are at New York (Jets) and at Carolina. I’d sit him until fantasy title week, when Goff and the Lions will host Justin Fields and the Bears.
Notes
- Deebo Samuel suffered an ankle injury against the Buccaneers that required him to be carted off the field. He had four catches, 64 total yards and one touchdown before he went down with the injury, scoring 14.4 fantasy points. The ailment didn’t look good, so fantasy fans need to keep tabs on his status for next week’s game in Seattle. The game is on Thursday night, so my guess is that we won’t see Samuel in the first round of the fantasy football playoffs.
- Just when we think we have the Lions backfield figured out, well, we don't. After leading the team in snaps, touches, red-zone looks and fantasy points a week ago, D’Andre Swift saw just 15.8% of the touches against the Vikings. Jamaal Williams started and led the team with 28.1% of the touches, but it was Justin Jackson who led the trio in fantasy points. No one but the Detroit coaching staff has any idea about the backfield usage on a week-to-week basis, so don’t expect Williams or Swift to be more than flex options during the fantasy postseason. The Lions face a tough Jets defense up next.
- Miles Sanders has been tough to trust this season, but when he’s good he can be very good. That was the case against the Giants, as the Penn State product rushed for 144 yards with two touchdowns and scored 28.5 points in the blowout win. Sanders has now scored 28-plus points in two of his last three games, and he’ll be a popular RB2 next week against the Bears.
- Tee Higgins aggravated his hamstring injury in pregame warmups, according to coach Zac Taylor, and he played just one snap as a result. That might have been a deathblow to fantasy managers, as Higgins was active in 93% of Yahoo leagues. This is the second time we’ve seen this scenario, as he also played just 10 snaps before aggravating the ailment back in Week 5 against Baltimore. The Bengals also lost Tyler Boyd (finger) in the game. With both of them out, Ja’Marr Chase went for 119 yards and a touchdown vs. Cleveland.
- Raise your hand if you started Jerick McKinnon this week! The veteran went off in Denver, catching seven passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns. His 32.4 fantasy points not only led all running backs heading into Sunday night, but it was also a career high for McKinnon. The Chiefs will continue to use both McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco in the backfield, but the former is worth a look off the waiver wire where needed. The Chiefs face Houston up next.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!
