Well that was one hell of a ride. My Bills had Houston right where we wanted them. And Nathan Peterman just… just… just did Nathan Peterman things and threw a pick-6. I really shouldn’t have been surprised when it happened. He has to have done that at least 2847 times by now in his 396 day career. Before I go on a long tirade about how bad Josh Allen looked before he got hurt, let’s just take care of this game in its’ entirety.
Bills @ Titans
Yeah. So. Let’s start off with the positives from a fantasy perspective: Josh Allen did not throw an interception in this one. LeSean McCoy had 73 yards on 16 carries as well as 3 catches for 21 yards. Zay Jones had 3 catches for 35 yards and a TD for the aforementioned Peterman, but the important takeaway for me is that Jones had 8 targets in this game. I think Jones has sneaky value in deeper leagues for sure. I also think it is worth pointing out that the Bills D/ST in this game was a top-5 play this week. They dominated the OL of Houston and next week they get the Colts who are not really known for stellar OL play.
Houston was mainly a 1-man shop here as DeAndre Hopkins had the lowest yard and target total in 15 games (63 yards) but did bring in a score in the process. Deshaun Watson looked like a bodybag out there for most of the game as the Bills defensive line absolutely wrecked havoc in this game. Watson came into this one having thrown 375+ yards in 3 straight games. He ended with just 177 yards 1 TD and 2 INT as well as a lost fumble. If Peterman doesn’t do his trademark thing in this one, I think Houston absolutely loses this game.
Ravens @Â Titans
This might be the easiest write-up ever.
Baltimore was essentially just coasting from start to finish in this game. Alex Collins had 2 rushing TD’s and 54 yards rushing. Joe Flacco wasn’t elite, but he did have 238 passing yards and a TD to go along with his INT. Michael Crabtree and Willie Snead were both excellent in this one. Crabtree had 93 yards and a TD while Snead saw 10 targets and converted them into 7 catches for 60 yards.
The Titans just stink. There’s nothing even worth bringing up to be honest. They gave up more sacks of Marcus Mariota than the number of passes Mariota completed. Just dreadful all around. Mike Vrabel got passive on his decisions to punt on certain 4th downs which led to them getting shut out. Good lord even the Bills found a way to put up at least 3 against the Ravens.
Panthers @ Washington
The running game for Carolina was a non-factor here except for Cam Newton (no surprise there) but Christian McCaffrey did have 7 receptions for 46 yards to help out those of us who own him in PPR leagues. It was still a Devin Funchess game as he had 74 receiving yards and a TD to overshadow the return of Greg Olsen, who himself had 7 targets and racked up 48 receiving yards. Otherwise, there wasn’t much to speak of in this one.
Alex Smith threw the ball 36 times and somehow only had 163 passing yards. It is actually an incredible feat. Adrian Peterson was highly efficient on the ground with 17 carries for 97 yards. 33% of the passing targets in this game went to the TE position, with Vernon Davis scoring a wide open TD and Jordan Reed corralling 5 catches for 36 yards. There was no WR of note who did anything spectacular or noteworthy in this one. The entire plan in this game was for Washington to get a good lead and hold on for dear life. They did just that in this one as they scored 17/23 of their points in the first half.
New Jersey Jets vs Indianapolis Colts
Sam Darnold looked good in this one as he had a lot of open receivers to choose from. Darnold threw for 280 with 2 TD’s and a pick. Isaiah Crowell was playing injured and was outsnapped by Bilal Powell by a whopping 3 plays. Neither RB was particularly effective in this one as the Jets mostly moved the ball through the air. Jermaine Kearse had 10 targets on Sunday for 94 yards and 9 receptions. Quincy Enunwa left the game early with an ankle injury. Keep a lookout for the Ambulance Chasers this week for an update on his status heading into Week 7. Rookie TE Chris Herndon caught his first TD on a longer throw and ended the day with 56 yards on only 2 catches. Terrelle Pryor had 57 yards and a TD in this one, but I’m fading him ROS as he was heavily outsnapped by Kearse, Robby Anderson, and in the past by Enunwa.
The Colts were a hot mess for the first half in this one. Andrew Luck was both masterful and dreadful at times. 4 TD’s and 3 INT’s for Capt. Luck and 301 passing yards as it was mostly playing catchup for Indy. Marlon Mack had 12 carries for 89 yards, making Nyheim Hines be a wasted roster spot at this point. Hines just doesn’t see the same target share in the passing game or running game when Mack is healthy and on the field. Eric Ebron was again productive for you as he had 71 yards receiving and a TD. Chester Rogers had 10 targets and still got over 50 yards and a TD to make all of you who streamed him happy.
LA Rams @ Denver Broncos
Todd Gurley III is good at the position of Running Back in the National Football League. He had over 200 yards on the ground and did not have a run over 29 yards through the entire game. Just a slow and brutal beatdown of the Broncos rush defense. Jared Goff was only 50% completion rate and threw for barely 201 yards with no TD’s and an INT. The lone bright spot in the passing game was Robert Woods, who 7 catches on 10 targets for 109 yards and also added a rush of 12 yards. Woods should be owned and started in all formats ROS. Cooper Kupp came back from a brutal ankle injury to tough it out for the rest of the game after being carted off the field in the first half.
The big takeaway from the Denver offense is that Emmanuel Sanders is the most explosive playmaker on this team and Case Keenum finally figured that out. Sanders had 10 targets for 115 yards and a TD (should have been 2 but they marked his one catch down at the 1-yard line). Demaryius Thomas had a TD himself and 54 receiving yards. The running game in Denver was non-existent. Courtland Sutton continues to get a lot of red zone and deep targets for this offense and should be a quality streaming option ROS. Neither RB in this game did anything and I really don’t understand why Denver refuses to use Royce Freeman in the passing game.
Jacksonville @ Dallas
PLEASE STOP PUTTING THE JAGS ON NATIONAL TV WHEN THEY ARE ON THE ROAD.
Good god the Jags stink on the road.
Blake Bortles couldn’t move the offense anywhere. Dede Westbrook caught the lone touchdown after Dallas decided to have a linebacker cover him across the field (it was not the wisest of decisions). The main takeaway is that solely relying on your defense is not a recipe for long-term success.
Dallas was just a 3-man wrecking crew in this one. Dak Prescott had actual fantasy production because he ran for 81 yards and a TD to go along with a measly 183 passing yards and 2 TD’s to Cole Beasley. To put it in perspective, Beasley had 11 targets in the game and only one other Cowboy receiver had more than 2 targets (Allen Hurns had 5, but no receptions). Ezekiel Elliott had another 100 yard game on the ground and a rushing TD. Again, these were the only 3 players to do anything noteworthy in a game that was truly deplorable to watch. Stop putting Bortles on my TV.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading everyone!
