Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys
Detroit’s offense looked unstoppable against an injured and overmatched Dallas defense, while Dak Prescott had one of the worst games of his career. Prescott entered 5-0 with his highest career Passer Rating versus the Lions, but he finished as this week’s lowest fantasy-scoring QB and with a completion percentage over expectation (-11.9) in the 10th percentile.
Prescott dealt with a ton of pressure, but he was fortunate an opening-drive interception was called back and that his fourth-quarter pick wasn’t returned for a score. Prescott has historically performed far better at home, but he got just 5.4 YPA against a pass-funnel Detroit defense and is now 0-3 in Dallas this season. Prescott was the QB5 in expert consensus ranks this week, but he watched Cooper Rush play the final 13 minutes.
The Cowboys’ rushing attack was predictably shut down, with Ezekiel Elliott seeing three more carries than Rico Dowdle. Jalen Tolbert dropped a pass deep downfield in the sun in the third quarter, while Jake Ferguson disappointed fantasy managers. CeeDee Lamb made a nice one-handed grab, but Prescott’s struggles continued to hurt him. At least Lamb saw a season-high 14 targets.
Jared Goff continues to be incredibly efficient, and he’s now getting 14.1 YPA over his last two games. David Montgomery had two rushing scores, but Detroit spread its limited targets. Trickery helped Sam LaPorta score his first touchdown of the season during his lone target of the day. Jameson Williams has seen his first-read target rate drop since the first two games, but he made the most of his four looks Sunday. The only blemish was a serious injury to Aidan Hutchinson, but Detroit was highly impressive in the blowout.
• The Lions have scored 40 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1962.
• Brandon Aubrey has made a 50+ yard field goal an NFL-record eight straight games.
Washington Commanders @ Baltimore Ravens
• Lamar Jackson threw for 300 yards for the second straight week and improved to 22-1 versus the NFC in his career. He got 12.4 YPA and finished with a CPOE (+15.8) in the 96th percentile, helping the Ravens top 1,000 total yards over the last two games.
• Derrick Henry is the first player since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 to rush for 100 yards in each of the first six games of the season. Henry is averaging a career-high 5.9 YPC and is on pace to score 26 touchdowns this season.
• Zay Flowers had a franchise-record nine receptions (and 132 yards) before halftime but was held catchless afterward.
• Jayden Daniels played well in a battle between the NFL’s two highest-scoring teams, but he got no help from Washington’s rushing attack with Brian Robinson Jr. out in a tough matchup. Daniels and Jackson might be battling it out for MVP over the rest of the season.
• Terry McLaurin saw just seven targets during Daniels’ career-high 35 pass attempts, but he scored twice anyway. His second TD came on fourth-and-goal.
• The Commanders are 10-for-10 during fourth downs this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
• Baker Mayfield has totaled 10 touchdowns over the last three games, and he got 9.0 YPA on Sunday for the third time this season. He leads the NFL with 15 passing touchdowns — three more than any other QB heading into Sunday Night Football. It appears he’s not missing Dave Canales.
• Bucky Irving delivered a top-10 RB performance, but it somehow felt disappointing while Sean Tucker shockingly finished as this week’s top fantasy player while rostered in just 1% of Yahoo leagues. The backs split work evenly with Rachaad White out, and Tucker benefitted from seeing the right target and being given the final clock-killing drive against an exhausted New Orleans defense. Tucker impressed during his opportunities and will be a popular waiver wire add this week, but he’ll struggle for touches once White returns.
• Mike Evans was once again quiet in a matchup against Marshon Lattimore, while Chris Godwin exploded for two touchdowns and finished as this week’s top fantasy wideout.
• The Buccaneers recorded a franchise record 594 total yards.
• Spencer Rattler was immediately down 17-0, Chris Olave and multiple offensive linemen, but he led New Orleans to 27 second-quarter points. The Saints were outscored 27-0 during a rough second half, but “The Snake” had his moments during his NFL debut.
• Olave suffered a concussion and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown during the same play midway through the first quarter.
• Rashid Shaheed returned a punt for a touchdown, but he was ineffective on seven targets despite the early loss of Olave. The QB switch didn’t help Shaheed.
Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
• Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier both finished as top-eight fantasy backs, taking full advantage of a prime matchup. Robinson had two TD runs in the first half, although it’s annoying seeing a teammate get more carries and rushing yards. It marked just the second week Robinson has finished as a top-five RB during his career.
• Drake London has 35 targets over the last three weeks and has scored in four of his last five games. He’s finally being used as fantasy managers hoped (and with a competent QB), and the result is a borderline top-five fantasy wideout.
• Darnell Mooney dropped a possible touchdown in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
• This was Atlanta’s first matchup all season that wasn’t a one-score game.
• Diontae Johnson has scored and seen at least 10 targets in three of his last four games. He had a tough matchup against the Bears last week, but Johnson is a top-10 WR with Andy Dalton. He gets an inviting matchup with Washington’s secondary next week.
Arizona Cardinals @ Green Bay Packers
• Jordan Love played well and threw four touchdowns, but no Green Bay pass catcher saw more than six targets. The Packers’ wide target tree limits the fantasy value of all their receivers.
• Dontayvion Wicks left injured, while Christian Watson caught a long TD during his return.
• Josh Jacobs saw 21 opportunities but failed to produce in a prime matchup. Emanuel Wilson appears to have more juice.
• Kyler Murray struggled passing yet again, and this time his rushing didn’t save his fantasy day. He lost his WR1 early, but this was another highly disappointing performance. Murray hasn’t thrown for 215 yards or more than one touchdown during all five games not facing the Rams this season. Murray’s average depth of target (6.0 yards) Sunday was in the 13th percentile. Not good.
• James Conner didn’t start the second half while dealing with an injury and then lost a fumble during his final touch of the game. Trey Benson also contributed to a lost fumble late (it officially was attributed to Murray), but the rookie needs to be added in all fantasy leagues with Conner banged up. Benson is available in more than 80% of Yahoo leagues.
• Marvin Harrison Jr. was held catchless before leaving with a concussion in the second quarter. Trey McBride would continue to benefit should the rookie miss time.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Chicago Bears (London)
• Caleb Williams finished as this week’s QB1 with a CPOE (+16.1) in the 96th percentile. It only took 29 pass attempts (the Bears only ran three plays in the first quarter), and he added a career-high 56 rushing yards. Williams has unquestionably benefitted from an easier part of his schedule, but the rookie is clearly starting to figure things out.
• D’Andre Swift has been a top-six fantasy RB for three straight weeks after ghosting fantasy managers over the first three games. He dominated work Sunday, including punching in the team’s lone goal-line rushing score. Swift looks far better than he did last season in Philadelphia and like a top-12 RB moving forward.
• DJ Moore’s day would’ve been a lot better had Williams not missed him wide-open for a long score (Jacksonville recorded its first interception of the season instead). Moore was also tackled at the one-inch line in the fourth quarter, falling just short of helping Williams record his fifth TD pass.
• Cole Kmet finished as the TE1 this week and also took over as long snapper after an injury.
• Evan Engram led the Jaguars in targets, catches and receiving yards during his return, while Brian Thomas Jr. had a quiet day despite Chicago’s injuries in its secondary. Lawrence missed Thomas Jr. wide-open for a 45-yard TD in the third quarter, and BTJ dropped an easy potential TD in the end zone in the fourth.
• Gabe Davis dropped two potential touchdowns but caught two TDs (once during the same drive) during an eventful game.
• Tank Bigsby was a fantasy bust, while Travis Etienne Jr. finished with negative yardage. Game script certainly didn’t help, but Bigsby was given just four carries after the opening drive despite Etienne leaving with a hamstring injury.
Cleveland Browns @ Philadelphia Eagles
• A.J. Brown caught a touchdown and later sealed the game with a catch downfield during his return.
• DeVonta Smith also scored during his return, as Philadelphia’s passing offense woke up coming out of the bye healthy. Smith would get a fantasy boost should Dallas Goedert’s hamstring injury force him to miss time.
• Saquon Barkley was a fantasy bust while managing just 2.6 YPC. Game script wasn’t as favorable as expected thanks in part to a Myles Garrett blocked field goal that swung the game 10 points, but Barkley was stuck in mud all day. Remarkably, the Eagles (and Browns!) didn’t run a single play in the red zone until Jalen Hurts kneeled over the final three snaps. Barkley has five TDs on the year, but he hasn’t scored in three of five games.
• The Eagles entered as the only team with zero first-quarter points and were shut out again Sunday.
• Deshaun Watson has made Cleveland almost untouchable in fantasy, including Amari Cooper. Watson’s aDOT (5.7 yards) was in the 10th percentile, and he’s yet to throw for 200 yards in a single game this season. He took five sacks against a Philadelphia defense that came in with six total on the year. Someone needs to explain sunk cost to Cleveland’s ownership.
• The Browns are the first team in 10 years to score fewer than 20 points in each of their first six games of the season.
• Jerome Ford left injured, and Nick Chubb is expected to return in Week 7.
Houston Texans @ New England Patriots
• Joe Mixon erupted for 132 YFS and finished as fantasy’s RB2 during his return to action. He looked healthy enough, and it’s worth noting Dameon Pierce also excelled (9.5 YPC) during his return and is clearly Houston’s No. 2 back.
• Tank Dell managed just 57 yards on nine targets. But he scored, and it was encouraging that he led the team in targets. He’ll be worth starting in fantasy leagues over the next few weeks with Nico Collins out.
• Drake Maye threw three touchdowns, led his team in rushing and committed three turnovers during an entertaining NFL debut. Maye dealt with a horrible offensive line and zero help from his running backs yet outscored Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels and C.J. Stroud in fantasy points Sunday, finishing as a top-10 QB. Maye’s first career TD pass was also the dime of the day and the longest completion by a Patriots quarterback over the last three seasons. Maye is fun and already a Superflex option.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos
• Justin Herbert had a season-high in passing yards (184) at halftime, although he didn’t do much afterward despite Patrick Surtain II leaving with a concussion.
• J.K. Dobbins finished as a top-12 RB this week in a tough matchup. We still haven’t seen the same explosion since the first two games, but Dobbins ripped off a 20-yard run Sunday and saw a season-high 27 opportunities. He’s locked in as LAC’s lead back.
• Ladd McConkey easily led the Chargers in targets and fell just short of scoring in the first quarter. He missed some time while dealing with an injury, and Denver has been incredibly stingy against the slot. The rookie is going to have some big fantasy games moving forward and is a player to target in trades right now.
• Kimani Vidal’s first NFL touch went for a 38-yard TD catch. He has real fantasy upside now healthy and with Gus Edwards on IR. The Chargers have the league’s highest run rate, and Vidal is available in nearly 90% of Yahoo leagues.
• Bo Nix had 22 passing yards at halftime — Denver had the same number of penalty yards. But he threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns and led the Broncos in rushing by nearly 40 yards. Nix finished as a top-10 QB this week against a Chargers defense that entered allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.
• Javonte Williams lost a fumble, committed a drop and had as many carries as Nix.
• Courtland Sutton had one of the best catches of the year.
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
• Joe Flacco got just 5.0 YPA but threw two touchdowns during the Colts’ win. The Titans entered allowing an NFL-low 141.8 passing yards per game, and Flacco got little help from his lead back (1.6 YPC). Anthony Richardson should be ready to return next week and is fully expected to start, but Shane Steichen has an alternative behind him.
• Josh Downs continued to dominate targets from Flacco, while Michael Pittman Jr. somehow went from IR candidate to catching the game-winning touchdown Sunday:
• Will Levis required a pain-killing shot in his shoulder before the game, and he managed an anemic 3.5 YPA. Downgrade Tennessee wide receivers with Levis playing through a sprained AC joint — it clearly affected his throws Sunday.
• Calvin Ridley didn’t catch any of his eight targets in a highly favorable matchup.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Las Vegas Raiders
• Justin Fields threw for just 145 yards and zero passing scores but finished as the QB6 anyway thanks to huge rushing production. He has five touchdown runs over the last three games, and Pittsburgh’s easy win should help hold off Russell Wilson.
• Najee Harris hadn’t run for more than 70 yards in a game this year, but he reached 100 yards and scored for the first time Sunday. Meanwhile, Jaylen Warren got just seven yards on six carries during his return.
• Dylan Laube’s first career touch was a lost fumble. Meanwhile, Ameer Abdullah was a foot away from scoring during a nice run but then lost a fumble at the goal line on the next play.
• Brock Bowers saw 10 targets and remains locked in as a top-three fantasy tight end moving forward, even with Las Vegas’ QB issue.
Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Giants
• Joe Burrow had his quietest passing game since Week 1, but a 47-yard touchdown run saved his fantasy day. Burrow’s previous longest career run was 23 yards.
• Chase Brown was quiet throughout most of the game and nearly lost a fumble when the Bengals were trying to run out the clock late, but he ran for a 30-yard touchdown on the next play. Meanwhile, Zack Moss lost a fumble, got just 2.2 YPC and should continue to be ranked lower than Brown moving forward.
• The Bengals have already lost twice as many fumbles (four) as they did all last season.
• Daniel Jones had been a top-12 QB in three of the past four games entering Sunday night, but he struggled badly against Cincinnati. He got just 5.0 YPA and failed to produce a TD. Jones did lead New York in rushing, and hopefully, Malik Nabers returns soon.
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. dominated the Giants’ backfield work, seeing 23 opportunities. Tracy’s first NFL touchdown was also the Giants’ first (and only) one at home this season. Tracy is a borderline top-15 RB with Devin Singletary sidelined.
