Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 26 of 35 passes for 404 yards with 4 TDs and 1 INT in Week 10 vs. the Giants. He also added 17 rushing yards and a TD on the ground in the contest. This man has been on an absolute tear of late. Over his past four games, Prescott is now averaging 338.5 passing yards and 3 TDs per game. Sunday’s performance is also notable as it marks the first time that the veteran signal-caller has thrown for over 400 yards in a game since 2021 Week 6. There’s good reason for fantasy managers to expect continued success from him moving forward as the Cowboys’ remaining schedule ranks fourth-easiest for QBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Colts Edge Kwity Paye left Sunday's win over the Patriots with a hamstring injury. He's fortunate to get a Week 11 bye. We'll see about his status heading into Week 12.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley recorded 13 carries for 66 rushing yards with 1 catch for -5 yards in Week 10 vs. the Cowboys. Fantasy managers expected tough sledding against a fierce Cowboys defense, and there’s no sugarcoating a 7.1 PPR point performance. The moribund offense will hurt Barkley the rest of the way, and the Giants’ remaining schedule ranks as the toughest for RBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. You might get flex-level value from Barkley on volume, but keep your expectations low.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) told NBC's Melissa Stark that his goal is to be back by mid-December. "I know it sounds insane, but if you do a good surgery, have a good patient, it makes this possible," Rodgers said. The Jets play the Texans on December 10 and the Dolphins on December 17. A goal, of course, doesn't necessarily mean that Rodgers will definitely be back this season. Whether the Jets are still alive for a playoff spot will also likely impact whether he returns. Rodgers couldn't be trusted as more than a QB2 that late in the season if he does make it back, so he's only worth stashing in 2-QB and superflex leagues.
Vikings RB Ty Chandler logged 15 carries for 45 rushing yards and a TD in Week 10 vs. the Saints. It was reasonable to assume the second-year back would elevate into some sort of committee role with fellow RB Cam Akers out for the rest of 2023 with a torn Achilles. But with lead runner Alexander Mattison leaving in the third quarter of the contest with a concussion, it’s possible that fantasy managers could be looking at an incredible waiver wire target in Chandler. He played well on Sunday, is currently the healthiest RB in Minnesota, and the Vikings are set to take on a Broncos defense in Week 11 that ranks 31st in run defense DVOA this season. Be sure to look for his name when making claims in the coming days.
Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs completed 23 of 34 attempts for 268 yards with 1 TD in Week 10 vs. the Saints. The journeyman also added 44 rushing yards and a ground score on Sunday, marking the sixth time in 2023 that Dobbs has rushed for 40+ yards in a game. Also notable is the fact that Dobbs has now scored a rushing TD in four consecutive games dating back to his time as the Cardinals’ starter. With a pair of upcoming games against poor defenses (Broncos, Bears) that rank within the top seven easiest QB matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed, season-long managers looking for a streaming option ought to consider looking in Dobbs’ direction.
Chargers WR Quentin Johnston scored his first career TD in the Week 10 win over the Lions, breaking wide open on a well-designed play-action fake from one yard out. That was the only real highlight of his outing, though. Johnston finished with four catches for 34 yards in a game when QB Justin Herbert chucked for 323 yards. Johnston's four targets tied for fourth on the team and were just 10% of the total. He also drew a 15-yard pass interference penalty but dropped what could have been an 86-yard TD on the play. Johnston continues to run a lot of low-percentage routes and simply isn't creating much separation. He's at least a full-time player right now with WR Josh Palmer out. That keeps Johnston in play as a WR4. But he does not look like a player on the cusp of a breakout.
Saints WR Chris Olave caught 6 of 9 targets for 94 receiving yards and a TD in Week 10 vs. the Vikings. Perhaps the most interesting note from this performance is that the second-year wideout had a considerably better connection with QB Jameis Winston on Sunday. Olave had only a single 15-yard catch prior to QB Derek Carr (concussion, shoulder) exiting the contest in the third quarter. With Winston in tow, he accumulated a receiving line of 7-79-1. It’s too soon to say if there will be any significance to this fact, given that the Saints are heading into their bye week. However, if Carr is unable to recover from injury by Week 12 vs. the Falcons, it might spell good news for Olave. It’ll be important to follow Carr’s progress over the next couple of weeks.
Lions QB Jared Goff won a 41-38 duel over QB Justin Herbert and the Chargers in Week 10. Detroit's running game was dominant in this one, with RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery racking up 193 yards and three TDs. But Goff was excellent when called upon, completing 23 of 33 passes (69.7%) for 333 yards (10.1 YPA), two TDs, and 0 INTs. His first TD came on a screen to WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. But the second was a perfectly thrown pass down the seam to TE Brock Wright from 25 yards out. The Lions remain a run-centric offense, but OC Ben Johnson has the entire unit cooking, giving Goff plenty of weekly upside. He has the 10th easiest QB schedule from Weeks 11 to 17. And only one of those seven games has potential for bad weather (Week 14 in Chicago). Goff has a chance to score as a top-12 fantasy QB the rest of the way.
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf exited Week 10 with 7 catches, 98 yards, and a 25.5% target share. The 16.8 PPR points are his second most on what's been a frustrating season overall. Sunday, though, he was able to take advantage of perhaps the league’s worst secondary. (Rookie CB Emmanuel Forbes was even ejected in the first half.) Metcalf also benefited from 47 Geno Smith pass attempts. Look for more WR2 fantasy lines in the future, as Metcalf has the benefit of an excellent WR schedule.
Lions RB David Montgomery had an awesome 75-yard TD run in the 41-38 Week 10 win over the Chargers. He made multiple defenders miss at the first and second levels -- and then flashed impressive speed to outrun the rest of the Chargers defense to the end zone. Unfortunately, that's the only positive we can take from Montgomery's Week 10. He totaled just 41 scoreless yards on his other 11 carries. Montgomery trailed RB Jahmyr Gibbs in carries (14 to 12) and targets (5 to 0). Gibbs even out-carried Montgomery four to two inside the Los Angeles 10-yard line. That's particularly worrisome considering 40% of Montgomery's PPR production this season has come via TDs. And five of his seven TDs have come from inside the 10. If Montgomery is going to split carries with Gibbs -- and cede most of the passing-game work -- he'll struggle to produce as more than a low-end RB2 the rest of the way. We'll see if this backfield usage continues in Week 11 against the Bears. That plus matchup should at least keep Montgomery in starting fantasy lineups.
Week 10 provided fantasy managers with a pair of quality performances from Steelers RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. The duo split playing time in the contest (33 snaps apiece), saw a near-identical share of touches (Harris 20, Warren 19) on Sunday, and each scored a rushing TD. Harris’ 96 total yards in Week 10 notch the second-highest sum he’s recorded all season, and Warren’s 101 rushing yards marks his career-high. As exciting as these achievements are, fantasy managers should be wary of the tandem in Week 11 vs. a Browns defense that ranks as the fourth-toughest matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Packers WR Christian Watson flopped again in Week 10, hauling in just 2 of his 7 targets for 23 receiving yards vs. the Steelers. It’s fair to question at this point whether or not fantasy managers should continue to consider putting Watson into lineups. He’s now averaged a poor 2.3 receptions and 40 receiving yards per game in 2023, and the rapport between him and QB Jordan Love hasn’t come through. In fact, 5 of the 10 INTs that Love has thrown this season have come when targeting Watson, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. How much blame to assign the WR vs. the QB barely matters. Expect to find Watson well outside the top 36 in our weekly WR rankings until something changes. It's even OK to consider dropping him in shallower leagues.
Packers RB Aaron Jones received 13 carries for 35 rushing yards with 4 catches for 19 receiving yards in Week 10 vs. the Steelers. This isn’t the type of performance you’d like to see from him in a plus matchup, though the story isn’t as bad as it seems on the surface. Jones’ 55.8% snap rate on Sunday is about on par with his season-high 56.9% mark set last week, and he still accounted for 61.2% of the Packers' RB touch opportunities in the contest. Fantasy managers would be wise to stick with Jones in Week 11 vs. the Chargers (11th-best RB matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed).
Packers QB Jordan Love completed 21 of 40 passes for a season-high 289 yards with 2 TD and 2 INTs in Week 10 vs. the Steelers. Though he played well enough for fantasy managers to be somewhat happy, Love now ranks tied for first in the NFL with 10 INTs through nine games played. That doesn't hurt his fantasy scoring in most formats as much as it does his real-life team. But it does highlight the erratic play that makes Love difficult to trust in fantasy lineups. Week 11 could be a nice spot for Love against a Chargers defense that ranks as the easiest QB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. But it's not enough to make him a recommended starter in typically sized leagues.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson took a season-high 22 carries for 95 yards (4.3 per rush) and a TD in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals. That beat his previous high by 3 carries and marked eight more rushing attempts than he had received in a game since Week 2. Robinson's TD came from 5 yards out, just his third carry from inside the 10-yard line all season -- and his first since Week 6. Tyler Allgeier carried just nine times in a game that found Atlanta leading throughout the first half and the lead going back and forth after the break. Robinson added just one 11-yard catch among 2 targets, but only two teammates drew more targets as Atlanta attempted only 21 passes (vs. 41 rushes). If this signals a change in work split, then Robinson could be a fantasy difference maker the rest of the way. Atlanta now gets a Week 11 bye but faces four strongly positive matchups among the final six games after the bye.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs racked up 112 total yards and 2 TDs in the 41-38 Week 10 win over the Chargers. He looked as explosive as ever, ripping off five gains of 10+ yards. And Gibbs' usage was even more exciting than the fantasy production. The rookie out-carried RB David Montgomery 14-12 and out-targeted him 5-0. Gibbs even out-carried Montgomery 4-2 inside the Chargers' 10-yard line, punching in a pair of 1-yard TDs. One game does not make a trend, but we're expecting this type of backfield split to continue going forward. Gibbs has simply been awesome the past few games -- and the Lions did spend the 12th overall pick of this year's draft on him. If Gibbs can continue to get somewhere around 50% of the total carries and goal-line carries, while also dominating passing-down work, he'll have a good chance to score as a fantasy RB1 the rest of the way.
Cardinals RB James Conner claimed 16 of 19 RB carries Sunday in his return from the knee injury that landed him on IR for four games. Conner took those for 73 yards (4.6 per rush) but watched QBs Kyler Murray and Clayton Tune claim the team's two rushing scores. No Cardinals RB drew a target, but Conner's 13 pass routes led the position and marked a 36% route rate. That last number marks potential trouble once RB Emari Demercado returns to health. But Conner can help fantasy lineups even just as lead rusher and part-time backfield receiver going forward. Arizona gets a solid RB-scoring matchup with Houston in Week 11.
Cardinals TE Trey McBride led the team in targets (9), receptions (8), and receiving yards (131) in Sunday's win over the Falcons, the first game this season with QB Kyler Murray. McBride drew a target on 28.1% of Murray's attempts, claimed 42.1% of the team's receptions, and accounted for 52.6% of the team's receiving yards. It marked his third straight game of heavy usage following the injury that landed TE Zach Ertz on IR. McBride has drawn target shares of 25% or better in each of those games, with three different starters at QB. We'd be surprised if the second-year TE falls out of fantasy relevance even after Ertz is eligible to return. McBride looks like a weekly fantasy starter going forward. WR Rondale Moore checked in second on the team in targets (8), receptions (5), and receiving yards (43). WR Marquise Brown managed just 1 reception for 28 yards on 4 targets. Expect the pass offense -- beyond McBride -- to improve as Murray gets further into his return.
Titans QB Will Levis threw for just 199 yards on 19-of-39 passing in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. That included 0 TDs, 1 INT and 4 sacks. WR Kyle Philips was the only Titan to exceed 42 receiving yards, catching three passes for 61 yards among 5 targets. WR DeAndre Hopkins led the team with 8 targets but tallied just 3 receptions for 27 yards. This was the same Tampa Bay defense -- actually, without top CB Carlton Davis (toe injury) -- that allowed Texans QB C.J. Stroud 470 yards and 5 TDs the week before. It was the kind of performance that should tell you how risky Levis will be going forward. No remaining matchup on Tennessee's schedule has been as positive for QB scoring as the Bucs have.
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