We are beyond the midway point of the season and officially into crunch time.  If you are struggling, you might feel like giving up or going all in now.  If you are out in front, you might be tempted to start focusing on the playoffs.  But we need to continue to take things week by week - watch what’s happening now, be cognizant of trends.  That’s the best way to prepare for the future in a game that is constantly changing. Here is what I’m looking for.   

*All times below are Eastern Standard Time*

 

Ravens @ Dolphins - Thursday 8:20 PM (Recap)

Ravens - There is only one name that should jump out after the game last night - Rashod Bateman.  Talk about looking the part of a first round pick.  Oddly though, he only played 40 of 73 snaps - behind Marquise Brown (55) and Devin Duvernay (44).  We want more.

Dolphins -  This week coming up I want to see how healthy Tua is and if he’s going to be able to play at a high level.  Long term, I want to know what this team is like with Will Fuller and DeVante Parker back.  Could get crowded.

 

Saints @ Titans - Sunday 1:00 PM

Saints - Adam Trautman has quietly gone from a guy who plays a partial snap share, primarily in-line, to playing a full snap share with a ton of snaps at the slot. Averaged about 7 WR snaps the first few games, then for three games he had 17, 19, and 18 and this week he played 29.  If Trevor likes him, we like him.

Titans -  This running back situation is everything right now.  Adrian Peterson is the early down guy but it seems Jeremy McNichols has carved out a pass role.  Then there’s D’Onta Foreman mixing in.  Will anyone be viable?

 

Browns @ Patriots - Sunday 1:00 PM

Browns - A lot of people are thinking about D’Ernest Johnson and the running situation but my focus is on Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz. They both played a similar number of snaps last week and one has an opportunity to sign with OBJ gone.  I lean towards DPJ.

Patriots - As of the writing of this, Damien Harris is still in concussion protocol while Rhamondre Stevenson has cleared it and returned to practice.  Would be exciting to see a full workload for the rookie if possible. 

 

Lions @ Steelers - Sunday 1:00 PM

Lions - The Lions are essentially doing pseud-tryouts at WR as of late - they even added Josh Reynolds. They tried Kalif Raymond and Khadarel Hodge on the outside then in the most recent game went with Khalif Raymond and Trinity Benson.  This is how Preston Williams ended up emerging while the Dolphins were doing the same thing in 2019 so keep an eye out.

Steelers - Injury is one of the biggest catalysts for change/breakouts in fantasy.  The Steelers have now had two major ones - first Juju and now Chase Claypool.  Pat Freiermuth has picked up some of that work but it will be interesting to see if James Washington or Ray-Ray McCloud can become relevant. 

 

Jaguars @ Colts - Sunday 1:00 PM

Jaguars -  There is room for at MOST two relevant fantasy pass catchers on this team.  Marvin Jones seems pretty clearly out in front. The battle is between Laviska Shenault, Dan Arnold, and Jamaal Williams.  The guy with TE eligibility would be the most valuable. 

Colts - Zach Pascal has run the 15th most routes of any player this season. In PPR he’s WR47.  TY Hilton is a guy we should be stashing. 

 

Falcons @ Cowboys - Sunday 1:00 PM

Falcons - This team has not looked the same without Calvin Ridley - the coverage he usually garners has trickled down to guys like Kyle Pitts.  We know who is getting the snaps - it’s Pitts, Russell Gage, and Tajae Sharpe.  The question is whether the last two can be anything.

Cowboys - All eyes on the return of Michael Gallup.  He garnered seven targets in only 60% of the snaps the one week he played.  Let’s see if he disrupts things for the incumbents like Dalton Schultz.

 

Bills @ Jets - Sunday 1:00 PM

Bills - This will be a big test for Dawson Knox.  How effective will he be coming off a surgically repaired hand? Do they give him a meaningful snap share?  They might not need to vs. the Jets.

Jets - Elijah Moore had a bit of a breakout last week but Jamison Crowder still led the team in snaps.  Corey Davis has led the team in snaps all year and he returns.  With Denzel Mims and Keelan Cole as well, things could get crowded. 


Buccaneers @ Football Team - Sunday 1:00 PM

Buccaneers - The Bucs have been missing Gronk and Antonio Brown and now it seems they may be without Chris Godwin.  This would give us a chance to get a rare look at Tyler Johnson and what he can do.  Could be a sneaky DFS play.

Football Team - Logan Thomas is back at practice but he admitted his hamstring was still a little sore.  After what happened with Curtis Samuel and his setback, we would be surprised to see them push it with Thomas.  We want to see if he eventually gets that full role back or if Ricky Seals-Jones has done enough to hang around. 

 

Panthers @ Cardinals - Sunday 4:05 PM

Panthers - Everyone is thinking about CMC but my thoughts are with the rookie Terrace Marshall Jr.  Prior to the injury he was playing a monster snap share but, after returning last week, he played half as much as the other guys.  With all the QB changes going on, any one of these guys could become the favored target.  Will be interesting to see.

Cardinals - This team is RIDDLED with injuries right now.  Here are some notable injuries from practice Thursday: Kyler Murray - DNP, DeAndre Hoplins - DNP, Chase Edmonds - DNP, Rondale Moore - DNP, AJ Green - limited.  With these guys all banged up to a certain degree, it creates interesting spots for Christian Kirk and James Conner.

 

Vikings @ Chargers - Sunday 4:05 PM

Vikings- This Dalvin Cook situation is starting to get a bit concerning.  Will be interesting to see if it has any on field effect.  If you are the Vikings there is a line between keeping Alexander Mattison fresh and also making sure he’s ready to play. 

Chargers - Where did the early season breakout Mike Williams go?  Justin Herbert has been getting the ball out of his hands faster in recent weeks which lends towards Keenan Allen.  If Mike Will doesn’t have a big game soon, he’ll be impossible to trust down the stretch.  

 

Seahawks @ Packers - Sunday 4:25 PM

Seahawks - Russell Wilson returning is interesting but more interesting is how this running back situation shakes out.  Chris Carson is a game time call and neck injuries are tricky.  It could be a massive timeshare which is the worst thing for fantasy football. 

Packers - Lost in all of this vaccine/COVID stuff is whether Aaron Rodgers will play and if he’s even ready to play.  COVID affects everyone differently and some guys, like Von Miller, claimed it was a difficult recovery.  Interested to see if Dr. Joe Rogan’s methods helped at all here.

 

Eagles @ Broncos - Sunday 4:25 PM

Eagles - Jalen Hurts threw the ball to the running backs exactly zero times last week.  I know mobile QBs don’t target RBs as much but that is a little much.  If that doesn’t change, the upside for all these guys is capped.

Broncos - The internet seems to desperately want more work for Javonte Williams.  But the Broncos seem content splitting the work up.  We are running out of time for the rookie to “take over” this backfield - if that’s ever going to happen. 

 

Chiefs @ Raiders - Sunday 8:20 PM

Chiefs - Usually we look for something specific but this week we are just watching closely to see if we can figure out exactly why the league’s best quarterback has been one of the league’s worst.  Last week he did have a much quicker release than usual.

Raiders - We saw what the Raiders plan to do without Ruggs.  Bryan Edwards and Zay Jones on the outside, Hunter Renfrow in the slow.  Are either of Jones or Edwards going to step up and do something or is it just going to be Waller and Renfrow?

 

Rams @ 49ers - Monday 8:15 PM

Rams - Doesn’t get more obvious that this one - all eyes will be on Odell Beckham Jr.  Even if he doesn’t play, expect an absurd amount of commentary and camera time.

49ers - Brandon Aiyuk seems to have worked his way out of the doghouse and back into a full time role.  Can that be trusted moving forward?  And was it worth the offensive struggles for Shanahan to limit him early in the season?