San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers
Josh Jacobs ran for three touchdowns and became the first 100-yard rusher against the 49ers in an NFL-record 56 games. Jacobs was credited with a season-high 14 missed tackles through three quarters, and his fantasy day would’ve been even bigger if not for resting the final 11 minutes of the blowout. Jacobs benefitted from game script and Brandon Allen starting for a depleted 49ers’ team missing Brock Purdy, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Charvarius Ward and others. Regardless, Jacobs was a beast while becoming the first GB RB since 1999 to run for 100+ yards and score three touchdowns in Lambeau Field.
Jacobs easily finished as fantasy’s RB2 this week.
Jordan Love threw a second TD in garbage time late, but volume remained low for consecutive weeks. Love has averaged just 20.0 passes over the last two games, hurting the fantasy values of all Green Bay pass-catchers. The Packers had by far the league’s lowest neutral pass rate over the previous month before Sunday’s run-heavy game, so volume could remain an issue on a team with numerous targets.
Christian McCaffrey managed just 31 rushing yards and lost a fumble, as San Francisco couldn’t run outside while missing its star left tackle. CMC is getting just 3.5 YPC over three games since returning, as we’ve yet to see last year’s version. Allen, who was playing with a splint on a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, was a huge downgrade. It’s odd Joshua Dobbs didn’t start over a compromised Allen, but neither option is appealing.
The 49ers entered with a disappointing record but were second in the league in yards per play (6.4) and yards per game (398.9), but they need a healthy Purdy to return to help fantasy managers down the stretch.
• The 49ers were underdogs for the first time in 37 games, and their 10 missed tackles in the first quarter were the most in the NFL this season.
• Christian Watson dropped a sure 49-yard touchdown late in the first half.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Carolina Panthers
• The Chiefs had a quiet second half, but Patrick Mahomes led yet another late game-winning drive and posted his highest weekly fantasy finish (QB2) since October 2023 (entering SNF). Mahomes threw three touchdowns for the third time over his last four games, and he ripped off an impressive 33-yard run while finishing with a season-high 60 rushing yards. Mahomes is cooking despite maintaining a low aDOT (14th percentile Sunday).
• Noah Gray caught two touchdowns (before halftime) for the second straight week and finished as fantasy’s TE1 before the primetime games. He’s totaled nine targets over that span and should remain on waiver wires. Meanwhile, Travis Kelce passed Antonio Gates for third all-time in tight end receiving yards.
• Kareem Hunt failed fantasy managers for the second straight week, only this time in a highly favorable matchup. Hunt hasn’t lost a fumble since his very first NFL carry back in 2017, but he’s about to lose most of his fantasy value with Isiah Pacheco’s imminent return.
• Xavier Worthy dropped a pass thrown behind him that could’ve gone for a score in the second quarter, as the rookie and Mahomes remain out of sync.
• Kansas City has already clinched its 10th straight season with double-digit wins and became the first team in NFL history to win eight of its first 11 games by seven points or fewer.
• Bryce Young got 9.8 YPA in the first half and led an impressive TD drive to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Young is showing real signs of improvement, and he gets a favorable matchup at home against the Bucs next week.
• Ja’Tavion Sanders made a terrific catch before leaving with a scary-looking neck injury. The rookie has stood out on tape this season and should be a fantasy target in 2025.
• Jonathon Brooks’ long-anticipated NFL debut resulted in two carries for seven yards, as his frustrating rookie season continued Sunday.
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
• Aaron Jones lost a fumble on the two-yard line during Minnesota’s opening drive, allowing the Bears to score before their opponent for the first time this season. Cam Akers was in during Minnesota’s next goal-line opportunity (a Sam Darnold TD pass), but Jones later punched in a short score in the fourth quarter. Jones saw 26-of-30 RB opportunities and finished with a season-high 106 rushing yards, as he took full advantage of Chicago’s run-funnel defense.
• Jordan Addison set career highs in catches (eight) and receiving yards (162) while leading all Vikings’ WRs in targets (nine). Addison pulled down multiple impressive catches Sunday, including a 69-yard play that was the longest Chicago has allowed all season.
• While Addison finished as this week’s WR1 ahead of primetime, Justin Jefferson was held to a 5-2-27-0 line that included a catch in overtime. Jefferson had a touchdown called back late in the fourth quarter during his worst game of the season.
• Caleb Williams entered with the longest streak in NFL history without throwing a touchdown or interception before tossing two scores Sunday. Volume helped while facing a pass-funnel Vikings’ defense, but Williams also led Chicago in rushing and limited the sacks. He’s looking better and has clearly benefitted from the Bears’ OC switch.
• DJ Moore had his best game since Week 5 despite three of his teammates seeing double-digit targets. Moore has been peppered with designed screens since Thomas Brown replaced Shane Waldron, which is a big boost to his fantasy value.
• Keenan Allen hadn’t topped 50 yards all season, but he had 70 at halftime (not including a terrific 25-yard catch that was overturned). Both Allen and Moore finished as top 10 fantasy WRs this week.
• D’Andre Swift had a tough matchup, but he also continues to lose goal-line work to Roschon Johnson.
• The Bears executed the NFL’s first successful onside kick this season.
Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans
• Tony Pollard ran for the most yards (119) by any back against Houston this season and scored his first TD since Week 6. Pollard saw 29-of-31 RB opportunities with Tyjae Spears inactive.
• Will Levis went 11-of-12 for 177 yards (16.1 YPA) while taking seven sacks in the first half. He was hurried on roughly half his dropbacks and impressed Sunday despite throwing his third pick-six of the season.
• Chig Okonkwo recorded a career-long 70-yard touchdown catch, while Calvin Ridley remained stuck on 93 receiving yards over the game’s final 20+ minutes.
• C.J. Stroud got no help from his running game (or offensive line), but he struggled Sunday (-4.7% CPOE) despite having Nico Collins fully back. Stroud threw his first career interceptions inside his division, although his fantasy production (QB9) was his best since Week 4.
• Nico Collins scored a sick 33-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter that was negated by an illegal shift penalty.
• Ka’imi Fairbairn has already set the NFL record for most 50-yard field goals (12) this season, but he also missed a crucial 28-yarder with less than two minutes left Sunday (right after the negated Collins TD).
Detroit Lions @ Indianapolis Colts
• David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both scored during the same game for the ninth time, which is the third most ever. They are the first pair of running back teammates in NFL history with at least 10 rushing TDs apiece in consecutive seasons. Montgomery left with a shoulder injury, and Gibbs would become fantasy’s No. 1 back should he miss time.
• Anthony Richardson struggled with accuracy again (39.3 completion percentage) while posting an average depth of target (14.1 yards) in the 98th percentile. Richardson missed an open Alec Pierce on a potential 88-yard TD on the game’s second drive, while Josh Downs had two long gains in the second half nullified by penalties. Adonai Mitchell also had a would-be long catch in the fourth quarter but couldn’t keep both of his feet in bounds, and Alec Ogletree suffered a brutal drop in the end zone.
The Lions’ defense entered allowing the second fewest EPA/play, and they’ve ceded just one QB touchdown over their last four games now, as Richardson also continues to suffer from the league’s toughest QB schedule. AR had three designed runs for 35 yards during the Colts’ opening drive, and he’d finish with a team-high 61 rushing yards. The accuracy issues are ugly, but that type of rushing production still gives Richardson a bunch of fantasy upside in more favorable matchups.
New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins
• Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdowns during his best fantasy performance of the season. He has a 7:0 TD:INT ratio over the last two weeks, when the surging Dolphins offense has scored 34 points in back-to-back games. Tagovailoa gave way to Skylar Thompson at one point during the blowout but returned after a New England defensive touchdown. Tagovailoa improved to 7-0 in his career against the Patriots.
• Jaylen Waddle woke up and had six catches for 118 yards by halftime. He caught a touchdown in the second half in by far his best game of 2024. Waddle had nearly as many receiving yards Sunday (144) as he had over his previous five games combined (146).
• Rhamondre Stevenson had a meager 13 rushing yards, as he had multiple long gains called back by penalties. But he added a truck stick and a two-point catch on a trick play.
• Drake Maye’s first 10 touchdown passes have all gone to different receivers, tying an NFL record.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New York Giants
• Bucky Irving and Rachaad White split carries evenly (12), but Irving saw six targets despite Mike Evans’ return. Irving turned 18 touches into this week’s RB3 fantasy finish despite being tackled at the one-yard line during two separate drives. Sean Tucker scored a goal-line TD after the first time Irving was stopped just short of the end zone, but Tucker fumbled during his second chance. Irving ran in a six-yard TD after Tucker’s fumble (during a later drive), although he’d later lose a GL TD to White. Irving fumbled himself in the fourth quarter, but he also had a terrific run and finished with a career-high 64 receiving yards.
• Baker Mayfield didn’t throw a TD after entering with the most passing scores (52) in the league since the start of last season. But he threw for nearly 300 yards and had a nice touchdown run that ended with a Tommy DeVito celebration.
• DeVito failed to push the ball downfield at all, and it’s concerning Malik Nabers didn’t produce more in this matchup. At least DeVito owns the fourth-longest streak without an interception in Giants’ franchise history.
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. lost another fumble during the opening drive in the second half, and the rookie back would later lose a goal-line touchdown to Devin Singletary likely as a result of his ongoing ball security issues.
• The Giants fell to 0-6 at home this season, and Brian Daboll has reportedly lost the locker room. The Buccaneers had as many touchdowns (three) as New York had first downs in the first half.
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Commanders
• Jayden Daniels had just 3.78 fantasy points at halftime, but a wild fourth quarter that featured 41 points helped him comfortably finish as this week’s QB1 ahead of primetime. Daniels ran for the most yards (74) since his rib injury, and he scored his first rushing TD since September. He appeared healthier coming off the extra rest, but Daniels struggled against a shaky Dallas defense throughout most of Sunday’s game. An 86-yard scoring strike to Terry McLaurin with less than 30 seconds left dramatically altered Daniels’ final box score. Fantasy managers will take it either way, but there should be concern over Kliff Kingsbury offenses that have struggled in the past after being figured out.
• Brian Robinson Jr. injured his ankle early in the game. He briefly returned before ultimately leaving for good. It was especially disappointing given the favorable matchup against a Cowboys defense that had allowed 402 yards per game (and 32.4 ppg) over their last five contests, although Sunday’s game script certainly didn’t go as expected.
• Brandon Aubrey missed two field goals, and Dallas had a punt blocked all in the first half. Meanwhile, Austin Seibert missed a field goal and both of his extra point attempts, with the last EP trying to send the game into overtime. That led to a Cowboys’ kick return touchdown on the ensuing onside attempt, which then led to Austin Ekeler suffering a scary head injury during Washington’s kick return. The broadcast announcers called it the worst special teams game in NFL history even before the late missed extra point, although to be fair, KaVontae Turpin also had a nice TD return.
Denver Broncos @ Las Vegas Raiders
• Courtland Sutton pulled down two scores and finished as this week’s WR2 ahead of primetime. He caught both of his scores in the second half and took advantage of the Raiders missing two starting corners.
• No Broncos’ RB can be trusted in fantasy even with Bo Nix’s emergence. Javonte Williams somehow finished with -2 rushing yards Sunday on eight carries (with a long run of seven).
• Brock Bowers was held in check, but Jakobi Meyers put up a big line (15-10-121) in a tough matchup. Meyers’ usage has been elite since Davante Adams was traded, and soon his schedule finally eases up. Unfortunately, Desmond Ridder may be Las Vegas’ new quarterback with Gardner Minshew suffering a season-ending injury Sunday. Ridder lost a fumble on his first play after replacing Minshew, and he finished with a CPOE (-17.1%) in the fourth percentile despite an aDOT (5.4 yards) in the eighth percentile. It’s not good news for Bowers, either.
• Ameer Abdullah caught a TD on six targets, but Sincere McCormick led Las Vegas in rush yards (33). The Raiders are averaging the fewest rushing yards per game since 2019.
• The Raiders had a successful fake punt, but they haven’t won a game since September.
Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba led Seattle in targets (seven), catches (six), receiving yards (77) and touchdowns (one). JSN’s score came from three yards out, as he continues to emerge as the Seahawks’ new No. 1 wide receiver.
• Kenneth Walker III was active as a receiver again, but he was held under 70 rushing yards for the sixth time over his last seven games. Walker has averaged just 2.97 YPC and scored one touchdown over his last four games after racking up seven TDs over his first five contests.
• Kyler Murray, James Conner and Marvin Harrison Jr. were all fantasy busts, as Arizona scored just six points in a fast-paced matchup with one of this week’s highest projected totals. Murray had been playing well, but the Cardinals offense came out of their bye completely flat. The only touchdown Murray produced was when he threw an ugly pick-six during a fourth-down play.
• Michael Wilson caught a touchdown in the second quarter that was called back by a penalty, while Harrison Jr. couldn’t get a second foot down in the end zone on the next play. Wilson also had a nice Willie Mays-style catch during a rare Murray attempt downfield.
• Murray threw mostly underneath Sunday, which resulted in career highs in targets (15), catches (12) and receiving yards (133) for Trey McBride. The tight end is now up to an NFL-high 80 targets without a receiving touchdown this season.
• The Cardinals failed to score a touchdown during a goal-to-go situation for the first time this season in the fourth quarter.
