| SUNDAY SALUTES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | Pass-Rush | TD |
| Justin Fields | 282-57 | 4 |
| Josh Allen | 359-14 | 3 |
| Jalen Hurts | 303-72 | 2 |
| Jared Goff | 236-2 | 4 |
| Sam Howell | 388-19 | 2 |
| Running Backs | Yards | TD |
| Travis Etienne | 26-136 4-48 |
2 |
| Zack Moss | 23-165 2-30 |
2 |
| Breece Hall | 22-177 3-17 |
1 |
| Devon Achane | 11-151 1-14 |
1 |
| David Montgomery | 19-109 2-20 |
1 |
| Wide Receivers | Yards | TD |
| Ja’Marr Chase | 15-192 | 3 |
| D.J. Moore | 8-230 | 3 |
| Tyreek Hill | 8-181 | 1 |
| Adam Thielen | 11-107 | 1 |
| George Pickens | 6-130 1-16 |
1 |
| Tight Ends | Yards | TD |
| Dallas Goedert | 8-117 | 1 |
| Travis Kelce | 10-67 | 1 |
| Logan Thomas | 9-77 | 1 |
| Sam LaPorta | 3-47 | 2 |
| George Kittle | 3-67 | 3 |
| Placekickers | XP | FG |
| Greg Zuerlein | 2 | 5 |
| Cairo Santos | 4 | 4 |
| Ka’imi Fairbairn | 1 | 4 |
| Jake Elliott | 2 | 3 |
| Matt Gay | 2 | 3 |
| Defense | Sack – TO | TD |
| Saints | 2-3 | 1 |
| Jets | 4-3 | 1 |
| Steelers | 4-3 | 0 |
| Bengals | 3-3 | 1 |
| Giants | 1-3 | 1 |
Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts
HC Bill Belichick – mumble mumble
QB Anthony Richardson – Shoulder
QB Mac Jones – Benched
QB Daniel Jones – Neck
RB Khalil Herbert – Ankle
RB Roschon Johnson – Concussion
RB James Conner – Knee
WR Justin Jefferson – Hamstring
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster – Concussion
WR Wan’Dale Robinson – Concussion
WR Demario Douglas – Concussion
WR Tank Dell – Concussion
TE Mo Alie-Cox – Concussion
Chasing Ambulances
A light week is always great to see. But it also
RB Khalil Herbert / Roschon Johnson – A high-ankle sprain will keep the Bears’ starting running back on the sideline for at least a few weeks and Johnson could miss time with a concussion. That will give D’Onta Foreman a chance to be active and would be the starter against the Vikings if Johnson cannot clear the concussion protocols.
QB Anthony Richardson – He just got over a concussion, and now was knocked out of the game with what was later described as an AC joint sprain in his shoulder. The frequency of his injuries are concerning, but at least the Colts have a capable backup in Gardner Minshew.
QB Daniel Jones – Left the game with a neck injury and will receive an MRI on Monday. Tyrod Taylor replaced him and offered the same mediocre passing. The Giants’ receivers are very risky fantasy options and even more so if Jones is out.
RB James Conner – Twisted his knee after six rushing attempts and did not return. HC Jonathan Gannon said Conner would be examined better on Monday for a prognosis but wouldn’t elaborate more than to say that Conner was “feeling okay.” The rookie Emari DeMarcado took over after Conner left.
WR Justin Jefferson – The Vikings star wideout suffered a non-contact hamstring injury. HC Kevin O’Connell said that it was too early to put a timeline on when Jefferson would return. That doesn’t sound promising but more will be known later in the week. Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn will have to step if Jefferson misses any time.
Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables
RB D’Onta Foreman (CHI) – The Bears have lost Khalil Herbert for multiple weeks with an ankle injury, Roschon Johnson has a concussion, and Travis Homer suffered a hamstring injury last week. Foreman has been inactive in recent weeks, but he looks like the last man standing until Johnson or Herbert are cleared. The next two games are home stands against the Vikings and Raiders which should be potentially rewarding.
TE Dalton Schultz (HOU) – While he started slowly in the Texans offense, the ex-Cowboy tight end scored in Week 4 with three catches for 42 yards versus the Steelers. He repeated the score on Sunday, while logging a team-high seven catches for 65 yards in the London game. C.J. Stroud started the season connecting with his wideouts, but he’s finally starting to rely on the tight end that he had chemistry with in the summer.
RB Emari DeMarcado (ARI) – He stepped in after James Conner was injured and ran for 45 yards and a touchdown on ten carries in the loss to the Bengals. He also caught a 12-yard pass. At the least he’s a needed handcuff for the Conner owner. Keaontay Ingram was the backup but is out with a neck injury. The Cardinals play at the Rams and at the Seahawks next, which is far from ideal. But DeMarcado could end up as their only choice for starter.
QB Desmond Ridder (ATL) – After his starting job was being questioned, Ridder threw for 329 yards and a score in the London meeting with the Texans. Notable was his top two receivers of Kyle Pitts (7-87) and Drake London (6-78) which should have been true every week but never was. It may not mean that Pitts and London are bounced back into being a strong fantasy start, but it means don’t drop them as have happened in some fantasy leagues.
Carolina backfield – They did face a Top-5 defense against running backs in the Lions, but it was troubling to see them split the work up with Chuba Hubbard (9-35) edging out Miles Sanders (7-32). But Hubbard only totaled three carries prior to the fourth quarter when they gave up.
WR Jameson Williams (DET) – His debut was two receptions for two yards. So maybe not an immediate savior. Amon-Ra St. Brown was a scratch for the game and Jared Goff just focused on Josh Reynolds (4-78, TD) and Sam LaPorta (3-47, 2 TD).
RB Jonathan Taylor (IND) – He’s happy from signing a three-year, $42 million contract. His 2023 debut was only six runs for 18 yards while Zack Moss is making $1.2 million and is a free agent in the spring. And Moss just ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. The last time Taylor gained that many yards was in 2021. How do you tactfully bench Moss? That was his second 100-yard game in three weeks.
RB De’Von Achane (MIA) – The Dolphins rookie back just gained 151 yards on 11 carries with one score versus the Giants. He was inactive in Week 1, and little used in Week 2. And he is now the No. 3 fantasy running back mostly thanks to two games. No. 2 is still Raheem Mostert by only four fantasy points. The Dolphins backfield is No. 1 in fantasy points for running backs and it is not even close.
RB Alvin Kamara (NO) – He caught 13 passes last week in his debut and in New England ran for 80 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown, and three catches for 17 yards. Kamara’s come through both weeks of play and faces the Texans and Jaguars next. He’s been the only consistent part of the New Orleans offense.
Patriots’ offense – They’ve been spectacularly bad the last two weeks and they are making the benching of Mac Jones a formal part of the weekly game plan. Next is a road trip to Las Vegas and then hosting the Bills. The Pats seem very likely to make some changes, but what remains to be seen as Bill Belichick was hard to understand in the post-game presser. Bailey Zappe has been no better. The unspoken question is this – what if it is just the coaching?
What’s going to happen? – Now we know. Cooper Kupp returned to his old workhorse volume of catches with eight receptions for 118 yards in the loss to the Eagles. But rookie superstar Puka Nacua did not take a backseat with seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Literally, every other receiver disappeared, but the offense is accommodating both wideouts, even if to the detriment to all others.
RB Breece Hall (NYJ) – They said that he would no longer be limited and the second-year back ran for 177 yards and a score on 22 carries, including a 72-yard touchdown romp through the defense.
RB Jaleel McLaughlin (DEN) – Javonte Williams was a scratch this week and the backfield was shared by the rookie McLaughlin (9-68 rush, 3-21, TD receive) and Samaje Perine (6-22 rush, 4-73 receive). The Broncos were playing the Jets, so the passing offense was shortened. But the undrafted rookie offered more any other back has shown for Denver, so we’ll see if it turns into a three-headed monster once Williams returns.
Vikings backfield – Alexander Mattison rushed for over 90 yards for two weeks in a row, but the Vikes still acquired Cam Akers for little more than a bag of Doritos. And they used him. His debut in Week 4 had him with just five rushes for 40 yards while Mattison handled 17 runs for 95 yards at the Panthers. On Sunday, Mattison was throttled back to only eight carries for 26 yards while Akers still had his five runs and gained 15 yards. Both backs caught two passes. Playing in Chicago this week doesn’t look nearly as promising for the Mattison owners.
QB Dak Prescott (DAL) – The Cowboys dumped OC Kellen Moore as the scapegoat for Prescott’s interception problem last year. HC Mike McCarthy calls the plays and the Cowboys faced all 1-3 teams to start the year. At San Francisco, Prescott threw for 153 yards, one score and three interceptions. After four weeks, the Chargers were ranked No. 3 in quarterback fantasy points. The Cowboys are No. 27. So maybe it wasn’t Moore? This does not bode well for the rest of the season.
Huddle player of the week
Ja’Marr Chase – The Bengals’ star wideout had not scored this year, and managed just one 100-yard effort on the year. Against the Cardinals, Chase had a career-best game, catching a team-record 15 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. That’ll help his average. And that will definitely win a fantasy game.
Salute!
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
| Comedy | Yards | TDs | Tragedy | Yards | TDs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Desmond Ridder | 329-10 | 2 | QB | Anthony Richardson | 98-5 | 0 |
| RB | Zack Moss | 23-165 2-30 |
2 | RB | Rhamondre Stevenson | 8-24 | 0 |
| RB | Kendre Miller | 12-37 4-53 |
0 | RB | Miles Sanders | 7-32 | 0 |
| WR | D.J. Moore | 8-230 | 3 | WR | DeVonta Smith | 1-6 | 0 |
| WR | George Pickens | 6-146 | 1 | WR | Justin Jefferson | 3-38 | 0 |
| WR | Curtis Samuel | 6-65 | 1 | WR | Garrett Wilson | 3-54 | 0 |
| TE | Dalton Schultz | 7-65 | 1 | TE | Hunter Henry | 0-0 | 0 |
| PK | Greg Zuerlein | 2 XP 5 FG | PK | Tyler Bass | 2 XP | ||
| Huddle Fantasy Points = 234 | Huddle Fantasy Points = 26 | ||||||
Now get back to work…
