New Orleans Saints 47 Buffalo Bills 10
The Saints 1-2 punch of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara ran over the Bill defense on Sunday. Ingram rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries (6.2 YPC). Kamara gained 106 yards and scored on 12 carries (8.8 YPC). Kamara also added five receptions for 32 yards.
Extra Points: The Saints didn’t need much from Drew Brees (184 yards) but when Brees did go to the air, he looked for Michael Thomas. Thomas caught 9 of 10 targets for 117 yards. Thomas and Kamara were the only Saints to catch more than one pass… LeSean McCoy got off to a good start but the Bills had to ditch the run after falling behind early. McCoy finished with 49 yards on only eight carries (6.1 YPC)…Kelvin Benjamin made his debut with the Bills. The good news is he led Buffalo is receiving. The bad news is being the Bills leading receiver means three receptions for 42 yards.
Green Bay Packers 23 Chicago Bears 16
Brett Hundley is still a long way away from Aaron Rodgers but he played his best game since taking over as the Packers starter on Sunday. Hundley completed 18 of 25 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown.
Extra Points: Devante Adams has emerged as Hundley’s favorite receiver. Adams caught 5 of 8 targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. Adams has a team-leading 14 receptions since Hundley took over…Jordy Nelson isn’t Hundley’s favorite receiver. Nelson continued to struggle without Rodgers, finishing with three receptions for 20 yards. Nelson has gone from Top 5 fantasy receiver to bench fodder with one injury…Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery came into the game splitting backfield touches for the Packers. However, both backs left the game with injuries. Jamaal Williams took over and ran for uninspiring 67 yards on 20 carries (3.3 YPC)…Jordan Howard had a good matchup on paper but was held to just 54 yards on 15 carries (3.6 YPC)…Recently acquired Dontrelle Inman made an instant impact for the Bears. Inman caught 6 of 8 targets for 88 yards.
Detroit Lions 31 Cleveland Browns 17
Matthew Stafford stayed hot against the struggling Browns pass defense. Stafford completed 17 of 26 passes for 249 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He has 610 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in his last two games.
Extra Points: Marvin Jones came into the game as one of the NFL hottest receivers over the last three weeks. However, Jones was held to just one catch for 21 yards. It was Golden Tate who did the damage on Sunday. Tate caught six balls for 97 yards and a touchdown…Ameer Abdullah only got 11 carries but he made the most of them rushing for 52 yards and a score…Isaiah Crowell had one of his best games of the season. Crowell rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries (5.6 YPC).
Tennessee Titans 24 Cincinnati Bengals 20
DeMarco Murray has frustrated owners this season but he delivered in a big way on Sunday. Murray gained 72 total yards on 18 touches and scored three touchdowns. It was Murray’s best fantasy performance of the year.
Extra Points: Marcus Mariota threw for 264 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also added 51 yards rushing to give his fantasy day a boost…Corey Davis was targeted a team-high 10 times. He caught four passes for 48 yards. Davis could have had a touchdown too but he fumbled the ball out of the end zone…A.J. Green paid back his owners after getting kicked out of last week’s game for fighting. Green caught five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown…Joe Mixon scored for the second straight week. Mixon finished with 37 yards on nine carries (4.1 YPC).
Pittsburgh Steelers 20 Indianapolis Colts 17
For the second game in a row, JuJu Smith-Schuster tied Antonio Brown for targets and out-produced him. Smith -Schuster caught 5-of-7 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Brown hauled in 3 of 7 targets for 47 yards.
Extra Points: Le’Veon Bell continues to dominate touches in the Steelers offense. Bell gained 112 total yards on 31 touches…T.Y. Hilton was coming off his best game of the year but the Steelers held him to just two catches for 23 yards…Only one Colt caught more than two passes on Sunday. It was Chester Rogers. Rogers finished with six receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15 New York Jets 10
The Jets and Buccaneers didn’t exactly put on an offensive explosion. The two teams combined for four field goals and two touchdowns in an ugly game. Josh McCown’s five-game streak of scoring at least two touchdowns came to an end. McCown threw for 262 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Extra Points: Robby Anderson continues to be a factor in the Jets passing game. Anderson caught four passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. He’s scored a touchdown in four consecutive games…Matt Forte missed the game with a knee injury. Bilal Powell (10/30) and Elijah McGuire (8/22) split carries but neither back could get anything going…The Buccaneers were without quarterback Jameis Winston and leading receiver Mike Evans Sunday. DeSean Jackson and Chris Godwin tied for the team-lead with 10 targets. Jackson caught six passes for 82 yards, while Godwin finished with five receptions for 68 yards.
Minnesota Vikings 38 Washington Redskins 30
Teddy Bridgewater was active for the first time in over a year. Case Keenum responded with one of his best games of the season. Keenum threw for 304 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. If Keenum keeps playing like that, Bridgewater will remain on the bench.
Extra Points: Adam Thielen dominated the Redskins secondary. He caught 8 of 12 targets for 166 yards and a touchdown. Thielen has quietly caught at least five passes in every game this season…It was a Latavius Murray week in Minnesota’s backfield. Murray ran for 68 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries 94.0 YPC). Jerick McKinnon was held to 32 yards on 10 carries (3.2 YPC)…Kirk Cousins had a strong game, despite facing a tough Vikings defense. Cousins threw for 327 yards, one touchdown and an interception…Vernon Davis produced once again with Jordon Reed injured. Davis caught seven balls for 76 yards. He has 13 receptions for 148 yards in his last two games with Reed out.
Jacksonville Jaguars 20 Los Angeles Chargers 17 OT
Melvin Gordon is now in a timeshare. Gordon rushed for 27 yards on 16 carries (1.7 YPC). He added five receptions for 15 yards. Backup Austin Ekeler ran 10 times for 42 yards (4.2 YPC). He also caught five balls for 77 yards and a touchdown. It will be interesting to see how the Chargers use their two running backs going forward but Ekeler should certainly be added in most leagues at this point.
Extra Points: Keenan Allen was held to four receptions and 48 yards by a tough Jaguars pass defense. Allen hasn’t scored or reached 70 yards in his last five games…One week after getting suspended, Leonard Fournette gained just 33 yards on 17 carries (1.9 YPC). It’s Fournette’s lowest yardage total since Week 2…Marqise Lee caught six passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted a team-high 11 times. Lee has been targeted 39 times in his last four games. Hunter Henry caught one pass for seven yards. He has three catches for 18 yards in his last two games.
Los Angeles Rams 33 Houston Texans 7
Jared Goff kept rolling versus the struggling Texans pass defense. Goff threw for 355 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Over his last two games, Goff has 666 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions.
Extra Points: Robert Woods has clearly emerged as Goff’s favorite receiver. Woods caught 8 of 10 targets for 171 yards and two touchdowns…Sammy Watkins caught one pass last week. It went for a touchdown. He caught two passes this week. One went for a touchdown. That’s the best Watkins owners can hope for these days…Tom Savage has completely sunk the Texans offense. The only player still producing weekly for owners is DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins caught 7 of 13 targets for 111 yards.
Atlanta Falcons 27 Dallas Cowboys 7
Matt Ryan outplayed Dak Prescott in what turned out to be a lower scoring game than many expected. Ryan threw for 212 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Prescott was held to 176 yards passing and no touchdowns. He was also sacked eight times. Prescott added 42 yards rushing and a touchdown but it was a poor performance in a game the Cowboys were playing without running back Ezekiel Elliott and left tackle Tyron Smith.
Extra Points: Alfred Morris got the most carries (11) in the first game without Elliott but the Cowboys never really got their running game going. Morris finished with 53 yards. He’ll likely be the primary ball carrier again next week…Dez Bryant continues to be a big disappointment. Even without Elliott, Bryant caught just three passes for thirty-nine yards…Devonta Freeman left in the first quarter with a concussion. Tevin Coleman stepped in, gaining 83 yards and scoring a touchdown on 20 carries…Julio Jones had a better game than Bryant but that’s not saying much. Jones caught six balls for 57 yards.
San Francisco 49ers 31 New York Giants 21
How far has the Giants defense fallen? It made C.J. Beathard look good on Sunday. Beathard threw for a career-high 288 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for a score in leading the 49ers to their first victory of the season.
Extra Points: Carlos Hyde gained 98 yards on 17 carries (5.8 YPC). Hyde would have topped 100 yards but Matt Breida stole away nine carries. Breida finished with 55 yards and a touchdown…It’s obvious that fantasy owners need to start any tight end versus the Giants defense. Backup Garrett Celek caught four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. The Giants have now allowed at least one touchdown to a tight end in 10 straight games…Eli Manning had a better fantasy game than he did a real-life game. Manning threw for a respectable 273 yards and two touchdowns…Sterling Shepard was the Giants biggest fantasy star on Sunday. He caught 11 of 13 targets for 142 yards. Shepard should continue to dominate targets in the Giants offense moving forward.
New England Patriots 41 Denver Broncos 16
Tom Brady has struggled at times in Denver throughout his career. Sunday night wasn’t one of those times. Brady completed 25 of 34 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns in the Patriots route of the Broncos.
Extra Points: All three of the Patriots running backs scored. Rex Burkhead gained 63 total yards and caught a touchdown. James White caught a touchdown. Dion Lewis ran the ball 14 times for 55 yards and a touchdown. He also scored on a kickoff return…Rob Gronkowski (4 catches) and Brandin Cooks (6 catches) each finished with 74 yards receiving…The one positive note for the Broncos was Emmanuel Sanders looks fully recovered from an ankle injury. Sanders caught 6 of 11 targets for 137 yards.
