Tennessee Titans
Elic Ayomanor 94%; Chimere Dike 89%; Gunnar Helm 52%
I know you have been dying to read a Tennessee Titans update from me, so finally, it’s here! But seriously, it does look like Tennessee has resolved itself to finding out what it has in its three rookie WRs. Yes, Calvin Ridley missed the game with an injury, but other veterans (e.g., Van Jefferson) did not stand in the way of big playing time for the rookie WRs. The pathway is basically clear for all of them, especially after Tyler Lockett‘s release.
Ayomanor has been playing more, but it was Dike who impressed in this game. Dike achieved 40 more receiving yards than Ayomanor, as both had eight targets. It was Helm who saw the TD on a 1-yard play, so he may be developing a gadget role. Helm is definitely behind Ayomanor and Dike.
Look, none of these guys are exciting this year, but in a dynasty league, it looks like you get to see if they have any juice immediately, which is great.
Conclusion: Chimere Dike looks like a decent play on a low-ceiling offense. Gunnar Helm and Elic Ayomanor will see a lot of playing time as the Titans flounder for the rest of 2025.
Indianapolis Colts
Alec Pierce 81%
To start, let’s give it up to this Indianapolis Colts offense that is playing incredibly after everyone left them for dead. The offensive line is outstanding, the play-calling is inspired, and Daniel Jones has thrived. Jonathan Taylor is a league winner, and Michael Pittman is a strong WR2.
Meanwhile, Josh Downs and Alec Pierce are interesting options, but both come with risk. Pittman has developed into the target monster on the offense, and Tyler Warren is also doing a great job. Meanwhile, Alec Pierce has developed into a full-time WR. He’s on the field a lot and, in this offense, is interesting.
The Colts’ offensive structure reminds me a lot of Detroit without quite as much talent. Pittman has developed into a solid Amon-Ra St. Brown role, and Warren is playing a lot like Sam Laporta. Meanwhile, Pierce is field-stretching like the Lions use Jameson Williams, and they have some interesting similarities.
The problem for Pierce is that most NFL defenses are obsessed with avoiding big plays. Despite being the far less productive WR, teams frequently bracket-cover Jameson Williams to prevent the game-breaking TDs. Death by a 1000 paper cuts is the preferred option. They haven’t quite gotten there with Pierce, but it does happen. Still, the Colts seem intent to force feed a least a few to Pierce. Pierce made a huge contested catch on a deep ball; he runs a fair share of 9-routes as well as long-developing routes like deep comebacks. With an offensive line playing this well, you can try these.
He saw five targets, which included a few deep shots with evidence of a fuller route tree. He’s probably the 4th or 5th option in this offense, but I don’t think he will have a ton of duds with the possibility of a huge game.
Conclusion: Alec Pierce is a full-time receiver with huge games possible.
Denver Broncos
RJ Harvey 27%; J.K. Dobbins 52%
RJ Harvey is still way behind J.K. Dobbins despite this amazing game (three total TDs). Despite Harvey exploding for fantasy points, Dobbins had a great game himself and did everything that was asked. Denver clearly likes what they are getting out of Dobbins, and I don’t see Harvey’s three TD game changing that.
The fact of the matter is that Dobbins saw 17 touches to Harvey’s eight, and four of those eight touches came in garbage time. Some of those numbers are a product of his own success. Two of his first three touches went for TDs. You sort of limit your total touches when you score from 40 yards out on your first chance to touch the ball.
Dobbins is the preferred option in this offense, no matter how much we kick and scream. Concurrently, Harvey can’t be dropped because Dobbins has an injury history, and games like this one show his potential (with the requisite “Dallas’s defense is bad” caveats). But I just do not see a path for Harvey developing anytime soon outside of an immediate injury to Dobbins. The Broncos are willing to ride Dobbins; Dobbins is effective (if not explosive), and that is good enough for the Broncos coaches.
Harvey might explode here or there, but good luck guessing when. It’s been twice this year; did you have him in your lineup either week? Doubtful.
Conclusion: RJ Harvey should remain on your bench despite a three-TD game. His playing time and touches do not justify a fantasy start yet.
Dallas Cowboys
Javonte Williams 72%; Jaydon Blue 19%
In a similar situation, Javonte Williams has an equally strong veteran grip on the Cowboys’ backfield. Jaydon Blue is RJ Harvey without the explosive plays and even less playing time. He’s nothing but a backup at this stage and probably not worth rostering.
Conclusion: Jaydon Blue is a drop candidate.
Houston Texans
Jayden Higgins 82%; Xavier Hutchinson 71%
Without Nico Collins, the Houston offense surprisingly looked competent. It was the combined efforts of Jayden Higgins and Xavier Hutchinson who replaced Nico Collins. Each WR caught a TD, and Hutchinson was more efficient on slightly fewer targets (6/5/59/1 for Hutchinson; 8/4/34/1 for Higgins). The performances were decent, and the Texans’ offense wasn’t horrible (for once). Amazingly, C.J. Stroud wasn’t sacked at all and only turned the ball over once.
I am not sure I am buying any of this. The Texans’ offense has looked lost for the entire season. Honestly, I would bet more on San Fran’s injury woes finally catching up to them than I would that the Texans figured it out in 6 days.
Conclusion: Let someone else buy the Texan players. I am not buying this sudden, unexplained offensive resurgence.
New England Patriots
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
TreVeyon Henderson 21%; Rhamondre Stevenson 70%
Henderson finally popped in his limited playing time. He saw 10 carries in his 15 snaps, and he turned those ten carries into 75 yards. Exciting!
Of course, Henderson fumbled on his last touch of the game and spent the last few minutes of the fourth quarter in the doghouse.
I find Henderson’s performance extremely encouraging, particularly while Rhamondre only generated 34 rushing yards on 14 carries. The fumble probably negates all the positives, given how we have watched this situation all year. Still, it’s somewhat encouraging. I still need to see more from Henderson before I come anywhere close to trusting him. He looked great, including a nice 27-yard rush, but he still only played 15 total snaps. And he suffers the curse of being the team’s primary kick returner, which is usually indicative of low offensive usage. I think we are weeks from a Henderson takeover.
Conclusion: Henderson’s decent week probably doesn’t mean a ton moving forward.
Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley 59%; Will Shipley 14; Tank Bigsby 27%
Saquon tweaked his groin and sat out the rest of the game. It does not sound serious, as there are reports that he could have returned to the game had it been competitive. Especially with the Eagles’ bye week in Week 9, there is no reason to spend big on the other Eagle RBs.
Still, we did learn that Tank Bigsby is the Eagles’ backup now that he is integrated into the offense. Unsurprisingly, against the Giants and behind this offensive line, Bigsby looked great (nine rushes for 104 yards). He essentially matched or exceeded Barkley’s rushing efficiency. That is meaningful information, and Bigsby is worth rostering with this type of potential. Barkley has been used a ton in the last two years, and an injury risk is possible. It would not be shocking if he missed some time with his usage numbers. He’s been pretty darn durable, but the risk is always there.
Conclusion: If you have space, Tank Bigsby is worth rostering as a Saquon replacement.
Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson 56%; Romeo Doubs 80%; Matthew Golden 66%
Watson returned from the PUP and saw WR3 snaps right away. He saw some of his typical downfield targets and didn’t show many signs of rust. The bigger question is whether he will jump Matthew Golden for playing time once ramped up. I would guess that he would. Golden has shown some flashes of talent, but he has not been a revelation for the Packers’ offense. Watson seems like a more impactful player.
Conclusion: Christian Watson looks like a good bet for increased usage—could be bought on the cheap.
from Fantasy Footballers Podcast https://ift.tt/VSAtLfg
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