• CeeDee Lamb erupted for career-highs in targets (21) and catches (17) during the second biggest WR fantasy performance (41.3 PPR points) of the season. There were reports out of Dallas suggesting George Pickens was overtaking Lamb as Dallas’ WR1 during camp, but nothing could be further from the truth to open 2026. Pickens was an afterthought with just three targets Sunday, and Lamb’s fantasy day could’ve been even bigger had Javonte Williams not run in three touchdowns during the second half.
• Joey Porter Jr. has gone 600+ career snaps in man coverage without allowing a touchdown.
• Nico Collins looked fully healthy during his return, and C.J. Stroud was fantasy’s QB3 in a prime home matchup.
• David Montgomery outside of Detroit hasn’t gone so well.
• The 0-4 Texans have just one home game over the next six weeks.
• Daniel Jones looks awful – don’t let the 30-13 final score disguise how disappointing Indy’s passing offense was this week. The losses of Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and Keenan Allen haven’t helped, but the feared Jones regression is hitting hard.
• Marcus Mariota exited early with a knee injury, and seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis had an aDOT (12.8 yards) in the 96th percentile.
• Antonio Williams had an electric 87-yard TD catch nullified by an illegal shift penalty.
• Drake Maye finished as fantasy’s QB1 just when many managers benched him, but it was nice to see a bounce back performance. He led New England in rushing.
• Efton Chism’s one-handed catch was the play of the week.
• Keon Coleman pulled down a nice catch and finished as fantasy’s WR9. He’s shown signs of a possible breakout this season, while D.J. Moore continues to battle his shoulder injury.
• The Bills had won an NFL-high 22 straight games when leading at halftime before Sunday’s loss.
• Tyson Bagent had multiple interceptions negated by penalties, and it’s safe to question whether he was an upgrade over Case Keenum. New York pulled down its first INT since 2024 (636 pass attempts).
• Kyle Monangai had a monster game while leading the league with 30 carries. D’Andre Swift didn’t see a touch after losing a fumble in the third quarter, but Monangai suffered a thumb injury late, potentially ruining his coming out party.
• Braelon Allen played well and saw more opportunities (16) than Geno Smith had pass attempts (15), but game-script simply ruined New York’s fantasy day. The Bears ran nearly three times as many plays (89 to 32) while the Jets finished with just 17:15 time of possession – the lowest in the NFL this season.
• Bhayshul Tuten didn’t have a huge game and lost a score to Chris Rodriguez, but he had both a 44-yard TD run and a goal-line TD called back by penalties. He finished with a season-high 17 carries.
• Brian Thomas Jr. caught a seven-yard touchdown after entering without a snap in the red zone this season.
• Ja’Marr Chase left in the second quarter with a concussion, leading to 16 targets for Tee Higgins.
• Chase Brown was also a beneficiary of Chase’s exit, as 95% of his fantasy production came via receiving this week.
• Jeremiyah Love looked like a monster at times, but he wasn’t used much in the second possibly because of an injury.
• Kyren Williams was fantasy’s RB1 this week while seeing 29 opportunities compared to seven for Blake Corum. Williams had a terrific game-winning TD run late and saw a career-high 13 targets despite Puka Nacua’s return.
• Nacua was great, but he might be playing through a “pre hernia.”
• Saquon Barkley left early with an injured hamstring, and Tank Bigsby exited late with his own lower-body injury. Will Shipley may become a popular waiver wire add this week.
• The Eagles recorded their first takeaway of the season but blew a late lead and dropped to 18-30 without Lane Johnson.
• To call Philadelphia’s passing offense broken would be an understatement.
• Nice to see Tucker Kraft have a pulse, but the Packers couldn’t produce a 200-yard passer, a 50-yard rusher or a 50-yard receiver in a matchup against an undrafted QB making his first start.
• Bucky Irving dominated RB touches but lost goal-line scores to Sean Tucker and Kenneth Gainwell. It’s been almost two years since his last goal-line carry.
• Emeka Egbuka finished sixth in receiving yards for the Buccaneers this week. Yikes. Ted Hurst might already be a better dynasty asset.
• Zay Flowers had a monster first half (6-119-1) but recorded negative yards during his two catches afterward thanks to Lamar Jackson leaving with an ankle injury. Flowers would have top three WR upside this season if health cooperated, but that includes Jackson.
• Carnell Tate lost a fumble but broke out with a big game (12-9-145). Tate looked the part Sunday, but Cam Ward will remain a hindrance.
• Brock Purdy took a step back but still finished as fantasy’s QB6 this week. It helped both Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss left injured.
• George Kittle appears fully recovered from his Achilles surgery.
• R.J. Harvey had just 25 rushing yards and didn’t score Sunday, but he was fantasy’s RB8 in PPR leagues thanks to securing all 10 targets.
• T.J. Hockenson was fantasy’s TE1 this week despite giving himself up near the goal line at the end of the game to run out the clock. Hock benefitted from Justin Jefferson’s absence, and it’s clear a shaky Kyler Murray will rely on him.
• The undefeated Vikings entered with the second worst yardage differential ever for a 3-0 team and failed to reach the end zone against the winless Dolphins.
• Jaylen Wright started, but Ollie Gordon was easily Miami’s most impressive back. Gordon was the first RB to run for 100 yards against the Vikings in 10 games, and it took only nine carries. The Dolphins’ offense will continue to be a problem, but Gordon is the clear preferred fantasy back in Miami.
• Chris Bell had a 68-yard touchdown catch called back after it was ruled his toe touched the sideline. He remains the Dolphins’ best bet long term at WR.
• Tyquan Thornton finished as fantasy’s WR4 this week despite being tackled inside the five-yard line two different times; he was going to see a big boost in fantasy value with Rashee Rice likely sidelined, and I was (briefly) victory lapping my insane 41% ownership in Best Ball. However, Thornton suffered a gruesome foot/ankle injury late in the game, sadly ending his season.
• Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce get upgrades, but the injuries to KC’s wideouts further cement Kenneth Walker as the Chiefs’ offensive centerpiece.
• Brock Bowers impressed while playing through an illness, but Ashton Jeanty is clearly still hampered by his ankle injury.
• The Raiders/Chiefs was the only matchup between undefeated teams this week.
• Emmanuel Wilson was given 25 opportunities with Jadarian Price on IR and was fantasy’s RB5.
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba finally had a quieter game, but it required Sam Darnold to attempt just 22 passes.
• Omarion Hampton scored but saw fewer carries than Keaton Mitchell.
• Was Mike McDaniel just a Tyreek Hill merchant?
What’s DDD watching/listening to
I don’t recommend new music much these days, but The War on Drugs is legit and have released a new single … I was late to it, but “Adults” is an underrated comedy worth checking out … Count me fully in after episode one of “War” ... I couldn’t be more pumped for “You Can See Everything.” Nathan Fielder is a genius.