If you like favorites, big scores, and brand name fantasy production, then week 10 wasn’t your jam. The underdogs were 10-3 this week and the underdogs were 8-4-1. A number of fantasy angles fell far short of expectations.
But at least we have Christian McCaffrey back in our fantasy lives. And that’s a good thing.
McCaffrey was the consensus 1.01 pick all summer, but was mysteriously cut just before the 49ers’ Week 1 game, essentially giving him an extended break while he rehabbed his Achilles injury. The 49ers finally activated McCaffrey for Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay, and while CMC didn’t have a signature game, he wasn’t held back. That’s the big news here.
McCaffrey handled 19 touches (13 rushes, six catches) and totaled 107 yards, a solid showing as the Niners earned a 23-20 victory. McCaffrey didn’t score a touchdown, but we’ll focus on the big picture: While he got that healthy workload, his friends in the backfield were all but ignored. Jordan Mason had one carry, Isaac Guerendo had one carry and neither was targeted in the passing game. The McCaffrey Show is back on the air. Set your DVRs and delete all those “CSI” episodes.
A lesser-known returnee from San Francisco also strutted his stuff. Jauan Jennings was the busiest receiver on the Niners side, scoring 11 targets and returning a 7-93-0 line. He looks imaginatively as a WR 2/3 in the future, clearly in sync with quarterback Brock Purdy.
The Niners didn’t abandon George Kittle (3-57-1, four targets) or Deebo Samuel (5-62-0, six targets), although Kittle applied some touchdown deodorant and Samuel added 14 rushing yards. They’re clearly locked into fantasy starters. Ricky Pearsall isn’t as immediately interesting as Jennings, but he scored a touchdown and finished with a 4-73-1 line on six targets. Purdy was narrow with his distribution, targeting only five players. We like that.
Ah yes, Purdy, perhaps the most underrated quarterback in football. He rang up 353 passing yards and two touchdowns, and had no turnovers. He also added 17 rushing yards. With two games left in Week 10, Purdy is the QB5 of the week.
With San Francisco healing and the bye week in the rearview mirror, this should be a fun offense going forward. Next week the Niners host Seattle, likely a pinball game.
Other fantasy booms and busts
The bears have reached a new low
While cases are on the rise in San Francisco, Chicago may have bottomed out. The Bears were defeated 19-3 by the Patriots in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Chicago’s offense failed to score a touchdown for the second straight week and Caleb Williams was sacked nine times. Williams didn’t do much while still standing, throwing for just 400 feet and 4.0 per attempt.
Every pass catcher in the Chicago bunch was clearly a brick. Keenan Allen went 5-44-0 on six targets, while both DJ Moore and Rome Odunze failed to reach 25 yards. Cole Kmet had a 2-13-0 washout. It makes you wonder if this is the week Chicago considers replacing embattled offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Head coach Matt Eberflus is also on the hot seat.
And it’s not like the Patriots defense is a juggernaut. New England entered the week ranked 30th in defensive DVOA, with just two positive expected performances in nine games. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where the credit and blame lies in these kinds of achievements. In this case, I’ll start by blaming the bears.
New England rookie Drake Maye did well in game manager mode (184 yards, one sack, one interception, 7.4 YPA). His lone touchdown went to fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk, a two-yarder. Most of Maye’s completions went to non-starter fantasy assets like Austin Hooper (3-64-0) and Kayshon Boutte (4-47-0). DeMario Douglas came back with 4-50-0 on five goals.
Chicago hosts Green Bay next week in a season-defining game. The Patriots host the Rams.
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The QB question continues for Colts
I was as open to the Joe Flacco experience as anyone, but it’s probably time for the Colts to bring back Anthony Richardson for his on-field guidance. Flacco did not play well in the 30-20 loss to Buffalo, turning the ball over four times and taking four sacks. The final box score looks misleadingly adequate — Flacco threw for 272 yards and two scores — because the Colts had a touchdown in garbage time in the final minute. There’s no guarantee that Richardson will play better if they ultimately choose to make a change, but the Colts are now 4-6 and they can’t pretend that Flacco is driving them to the playoffs. It is reasonable to switch to the long-term goal.
Buffalo passing game doesn’t pay the bills
The Bills had one of their touchdowns on defense and Josh Allen and James Cook scored, so fantasy managers looking for a passing sleeper with Amari Cooper out were slightly disappointed. Allen threw no touchdowns and Khalil Shakir had a regular 6-58-0 line on nine looks. Mack Hollins gained 86 yards, for those of you in 20-team leagues. Dalton Kincaid had 24 early yards and then left with a knee injury.
Where have the TDs gone?
The Lions and Texans played a crazy and score-friendly game on Sunday night, but there wasn’t much scoring during the day. On Sunday Night Football, only 41 touchdowns were scored that day.
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21 pass
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19 rush
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1 defense/special teams
Of course in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. Hopefully you did just enough to beat your opponents this week.
Speed ​​lap
•Surprisingly good health at the running back position has made backfield waivers (and sleepers) more challenging than usual. That’s why we have to take Audric Estimé’s game seriously. Estimé had 14 carries in the game that should have been a win in Kansas City, and while 53 yards isn’t asking for a parade, keep in mind that Jaleel McLaughlin only had two carries and Javonte Williams only had one carry . Denver’s defense can hold the Broncos in most games, and Sean Payton appears ready to send in Estimé as his featured back.
• The Saints seemed to benefit from the coaching change, which felt basic. It is difficult to say how durable it is. Alvin Kamara had a good match that should have been a great match; he dropped a long walk-in touchdown on the final drive. Marquez Valdez-Scantling was the shocker star of the week (3-109-2), but he did it on just three targets and his entire career was bust-bust-bust-bust-bust-boom. I understand that on a thin distance wire you can’t ignore someone who just produced, but there’s nothing in MVS’s resume that would allow you to confidently move him forward.
• Baker Mayfield crashed, but it’s not entirely his fault; you need some wide receivers. He’ll be fine, especially if Mike Evans returns. The Buccaneers have two games left in Carolina.
• Another low-key win for the Chargers, which is probably how Jim Harbaugh likes it. No stars, just talent. Unplayable tight end Will Dissly had six targets; no wide receiver had more than two. JK Dobbins floundered on 15 carries, losing another 10 to the returning Gus Edwards (meanwhile, Hassan Haskins scored a goal-line score). The Chargers’ defense can be the star against weaker opponents, which is how Justin Herbert racked up 18 pass attempts. The Chargers play blue-collar ball in one of America’s glitziest cities.
• It’s sad to see the Cowboys hit rock bottom like this. Cooper Rush and Trey Lance aren’t good enough to support a legitimate passing game. Rico Dowdle did what he could. Jerry Jones had a bizarre press conference, getting defensive about the ongoing solar problem in Jerry World. It was the most defense the Cowboys offered all day.
• Aaron Rodgers turns 41 on December 2. He certainly looks that old. We had hoped the second half against Houston would be a turning point for the Jets, but the passing game looked like eleven strangers against an Arizona defense that is average at best. If you haven’t fixed the problem this late in the season, it’s probably beyond repair.
• Kirk Cousins ​​has three great games on his 2024 resume, two of which came against Tampa Bay (QB1, QB3, QB8). Here’s the rest of his runout: QB28, QB23, QB26, QB23, QB22, QB19, QB16. When Cousins ​​doesn’t play against the Bucs, his average finish is QB20. The upcoming schedule is also nasty: Broncos, bye, Chargers, Vikings.
