Everyone thinks the end goal is to win your league.  But it’s not.  That’s only your yearly goal.  Your end goal should be to become a better fantasy gamer to give yourself a better shot at winning your league year after year.  And that starts with paying attention to the right details.  Here’s what I’m looking for this week.

*All times below are Eastern Standard Time*

Patriots @ Falcons - Thursday 8:20 PM (Recap)

Patriots - I think everyone wants the same question answered here.  Can one of Damien Harris or Rhamondre Stevenson run away with this gig? Or is it a split?

Falcons -  What in the heck just happened at running back for this team? With Cordarelle Patterson out, it seemed like they moved Mike Davis into the Cordarelle Patterson role and Qadree Ollison into the Mike Davis role? Regardless, people who drafted Mike Davis this year are hurting.

Packers @ Vikings - Sunday 1:00 PM

Packers - We are going to get a rare glimpse of AJ Dillon in a feature role here.  Does Patrick Taylor Jr. mix in and mess it up or do we get the real deal?

Vikings -  Tyler Conklin has blocked on more pass plays than any other tight end in the entire league but last week he only blocked on two (on the season, he’s blocked on 18% of the pass snaps).  If this trend holds he could be a back end TE1.  If he goes back to blocking the way he was (7, 8, 7, 8, and 9 pass block snaps in the previous five games) then he is a dangerous option.

Saints @ Eagles - Sunday 1:00 PM

Saints - This is a make or break week for Adam Trautman.  His usage and targets have improved since the Bye and the Eagles are one of the worst teams in the league vs. the tight end position.  It’s now or never.

Eagles - The Eagles have used their three fill-in running backs pretty much evenly with each getting 20-24 snaps last week. Nick Sirianni said “Miles Sanders is our starter if healthy.”  Does he take the full job back though or just join the split?

Ravens @ Bears - Sunday 1:00 PM

Ravens - Another backfield in flux.  They had been using Devonta Freeman and Le’Veon Bell but Bell has been released and Latavius Murray is back.  I’m interested to see how this one shakes out.

Bears - Cole Kmet’s usage has been improving week after week, culminating in six receptions on eight targets for 87 yards. Is he in TE1 territory now? Does Jimmy Graham continue to steal red zone work?

49ers @ Jaguars - Sunday 1:00 PM

49ers -  Elijah Mitchell just had his finger surgically repaired.  Now Jeff Wilson enters the mix.  Trent Williams is having arguably the best season an offensive tackle has had so, whoever can capture this backfield is in a prime spot.

Jaguars - Urban Meyer clearly had a special role planned out for the gadget/slot guy.  It was likely supposed to be Travis Etienne before he got hurt. Then it was Laviska Shenault but he moved outside when DJ Chark got hurt.  Jamal Agnew seems to be the guy now which puts him in an interesting spot.

Lions @ Browns - Sunday 1:00 PM

Lions - This team really only has two guys you can start in fantasy: D’Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson.  But after Hock’s performance last week, it could only be one.  His schedule is brutal down the stretch facing four teams in a row that are all top five vs. the tight end position.  This week is important in terms of figuring out if we can trust him or not.

Browns - If Nick Chubb can get the full role this week, he could be an absolute monster.  But D’Ernest Johnson has run the ball well and may have carved himself out a role.  With Kareem Hunt out, is Johnson still viable?

Football Team @ Panthers - Sunday 1:00 PM

Football Team - This offense uses a tight end essentially as a wide receiver.  With Logan Thomas out, they used Ricky Seals-Jones that way.  When RSJ got hurt, they used rookie John Bates that way.  With both Logan Thomas and RSJ out, Bates is in a unique position.  You should at least have a DFS lineup with him in there.

Panthers - All eyes are on Cam Newton but the interesting one for me is Robby Anderson.  The play callers have been looking to him all year but the ball has not been delivered.  Cam delivered a touchdown to him in his first game back.

Colts @ Bils - Sunday 1:00 PM

Colts - Zach Pascal has been borderline useless despite being top 15 in routes run.  Is T.Y. Hilton ever going to take on a bigger role and show us something?

Bills - Dawson Knox in his return actually played more snaps than Stefon Diggs but be blocked on eight pass plays – that’s double his season high.  Is this related to the hand injury or just a one-off game script thing?

Texans @ Titans - Sunday 1:00 PM

Texans - All I want to know is if any viable fantasy asset can emerge from this mess besides Brandin Cooks. The best options at each position are looking like Nico Collins, David Johnson, and Jordan Akins.

Titans - D’Onta Foreman has been the more impressive looking runner but Adrian Peterson has gotten essentially every goal line snap.  If Foreman can capture the full role, he could be a huge asset.

Dolphins @ Jets - Sunday 1:00 PM

Dolphins - DeVante Parker and Will Fuller are out for the foreseeable future.  Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki have stepped up but Albert Wilson has also recently taken on a bigger role.  Can he help us in deep leagues?

Jets - Brand new quarterback likely means an entirely new target distribution.  Who does Joe Flacco like?

Bengals @ Raiders - Sunday 4:25 PM

Bengals - Everyone throws on the Raiders. If Tyler Boyd doesn’t do something meaningful this week, he can be dropped if he hasn’t already.

Raiders - Kenyan Drake’s role has been perplexing.  He seems to be involved then you look at the snap counts and realize he only played 17 snaps.  They paid a lot of money for a guy that does not seem to be involved much. 

Cowboys @ Chiefs - Sunday 4:25 PM

Cowboys - Michael Gallup returned and Dalton Schultz went on the backburner.  The Chiefs are letting TE’s score on them.  We are going to get an answer this week on whether Schultz will be viable moving forward or not.

Chiefs - The over/under for this game is 56.0 points and the Chiefs are favored.  If a second wide receiver is ever going to emerge and be anything of value down the stretch, now is the time.

Cardinals @ Seahawks - Sunday 4:25 PM

Cardinals - With DeAndre Hopkins out, we get a rare opportunity to see who the Cardinals will lean into. The top candidates are Christian Kirk and AJ Green.  Rondale Moore is a lot of fun but he’s simply not playing enough.

Seahawks - Chris Carson is done after season ending neck surgery.  Alex Collins got the run work, but Travis Homer got the pass down work. We don’t like splits typically for fantasy but at least that would be well defined.

Steelers @ Chargers - Sunday 8:20 PM

Steelers - Pat Freiermuth has taken the tight end world by storm and he gets one of the best tight end matchups out there.  This is his chance to cement himself as a TE1.

Chargers - What in the heck happened to Mike Williams? We have now entered the realm where he is not only a tough start, but he might actually be droppable.  The Chargers are favorites with an over/under of 47.5 so this is probably the last straw for him.

Giants @ Buccaneers - Monday 8:15 PM

Giants - It honestly feels like we don’t even know what this team is because of all the injuries.  Coming out of the bye they should have a lot of bodies back. I just want to know who is going to be “the guy” in this passing game.

Buccaneers - Rob Gronkowski is still top five in end zone targets which is miraculous considering he pretty much hasn’t played since week three.  Do we get the full Gronk experience this week or is the back issue going to turn him into a platoon guy?