Matt BowenOct 23, 2025, 06:44 AM ETCloseMatt Bowen is a fantasy football and NFL writer for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2015, writes regularly for ESPN+ and spent multiple years on “NFL Matchup.” After graduating from the University of Iowa, Matt played safety in the NFL for St. Louis, Green Bay, Washington and Buffalo over seven seasons.Follow on X
play0:51Why Daniel Dopp is all-in on Colts’ fantasy productionDaniel Dopp details why he is all-in on the Colts’ fantasy production from Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones, Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyler Warren.
Should fantasy managers pick up Jaxson Dart? (0:41)Matt Bowen doesn’t understand why Jaxson Dart is as available as he is in fantasy leagues.. (0:41)
Why Daniel Dopp is all-in on Colts’ fantasy productionDaniel Dopp details why he is all-in on the Colts’ fantasy production from Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones, Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyler Warren.
Daniel Dopp details why he is all-in on the Colts’ fantasy production from Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones, Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyler Warren.
Joe Flacco’s impact on Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
Throughout this fantasy football season, we’ve touched on many areas in this weekly space, including potential trades to consider, players to cut, scheme trends, under-the-radar targets for deeper leagues and more. We mix it up here. Now that we’re at the halfway point of the season, let’s focus on the positives, the situations where the arrow is pointing up.
We’ll start with a rushing attack that flipped the switch coming out of the bye week. We have a big-name quarterback who is playing his best football of the season, seeing it fast and delivering the ball on time, in an offense that has adjusted to fit its personnel. And there’s a familiar name in a position to win the fantasy scoring title.
The result? D’Andre Swift has produced back-to-back games with at least 20 fantasy points and 100 yards rushing, behind an offensive line that is creating movement up front. And Swift looks different, too. He’s much more decisive as a runner. Hit that downhill track and go. Plus, managers still get some PPR upside with Swift, as he is averaging 2.7 receptions per game.
With the uptick in the team’s rushing volume, which also opened the door for No. 2 RB Kyle Monangai to get touches (17.4 points in Week 7 vs. New Orleans Saints), we have seen a recent dip in numbers for wide receiver Rome Odunze, who had only 5.0 targets per game over the past two, compared to 8.8 targets in his first four. Odunze has also failed to produce more than six points in back-to-back weeks, so this is trend to keep an eye on along with the play of quarterback Caleb Williams.
For Swift managers, however, this recent run of production, plus the upcoming schedule (@BAL, @CIN, NYG), puts him in the fringe RB1 range.
Remember, in Weeks 1 through 6, McCaffrey averaged just 3.1 YPC, with a total of six rushes of 10 or more yards. That’s it … limited daylight and runways to get north/south with the ball.
Kittle, along with that offensive line, changed the narrative versus Atlanta, while McCaffrey (129 yards rushing, two touchdowns) looked explosive in a system that creates numbers and blocking angles to the play side.
With the bump in rushing production, plus the elite dual-threat element he brings to fantasy lineups (7.6 receptions per game), McCaffrey has even more upside heading into the second half of the season. That’s saying something since his 187.1 total fantasy points already leads the league.
Why Daniel Dopp is all-in on Colts’ fantasy production
The Indianapolis Colts lead the NFL in scoring at 32.1 PPG. So, how are they doing it? Let’s start with the scheme and the quarterback, as coach Shane Steichen’s system has elevated the level of play for Daniel Jones (20.0 PPG, QB7). Jones is a natural distributor in this offense, throwing with timing and location to all levels of the field, and he’s heating up with multiple touchdown passes in three straight games.
Earlier in the season, I would have pushed back on the Colts hype. But seven weeks in? This is one of the best offenses in the league. And if I needed to make a trade to upgrade my roster, this would be one of the first places to look. The Colts have a lot of guys playing really good football. And that should continue in Week 8 versus the Tennessee Titans.
In his two starts since being traded to Cincinnati, Flacco has thrown 92 passes. That’s a big number. Sure, game flow played a role in matchups with Green Bay and Pittsburgh, but can we really count on the Bengals defense to dictate tempo moving forward? Probably not. And while Flacco is always capable of having a multi-interception game, which includes very questionable decision-making, he is getting the ball to his top two receivers at an extremely high rate.
We all know that Chase went off in last Thursday’s game against the Steelers: 23 targets, 16 receptions, 161 yards receiving and a score (38.1 points). He lit up that Pittsburgh secondary … and Flacco just kept throwing him the ball. That felt like watching a 7-on-7 session. And if we include Chase’s late-game production versus the Packers in Week 6, he has averaged 31.6 PPG with Flacco at QB.
The volume is lower with Higgins, but he’s been in the mix here, too. Higgins has caught 11 of 18 targets (including three red zone targets) for 158 yards and a score. But with at least eight targets in each game, his value is also up given the Bengals’ offensive approach with Flacco.
The way I see it, Chase is back to being an elite, top-three fantasy option, while Higgins can be viewed as a top-20 receiver based on the weekly matchup. And the Bengals will continue to throw the ball.
Should fantasy managers pick up Jaxson Dart? (0:41)Matt Bowen doesn’t understand why Jaxson Dart is as available as he is in fantasy leagues.. (0:41)
CloseMatt Bowen is a fantasy football and NFL writer for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2015, writes regularly for ESPN+ and spent multiple years on “NFL Matchup.” After graduating from the University of Iowa, Matt played safety in the NFL for St. Louis, Green Bay, Washington and Buffalo over seven seasons.Follow on X
Matt Bowen doesn’t understand why Jaxson Dart is as available as he is in fantasy leagues.. (0:41)
play1:08Daniel Dopp: ‘Patrick Mahomes is just that good’ in fantasyDaniel Dopp explains why Patrick Mahomes is a Week 7 fantasy football winner.
Daniel Dopp: ‘Patrick Mahomes is just that good’ in fantasyDaniel Dopp explains why Patrick Mahomes is a Week 7 fantasy football winner.