play1:30Why Caleb Williams hasn’t proven himself to be an every-week fantasy QBTristan H. Cockcroft weighs in on Caleb Williams’ Week 9 performance and says he hasn’t proven himself as a consistent starting fantasy quarterback.
play1:05Why Eric Karabell advises fantasy managers to keep Tee Higgins in lineupsEric Karabell explains why Tee Higgins is a top-20 fantasy wide receiver after his nice game vs. the Bears.
play0:52Liz Loza: Colston Loveland will be tough to ignore for fantasy in Week 10Liz Loza reacts to Colston Loveland’s big fantasy performance in the Bears’ win over the Bengals.
play0:43Is Rico Dowdle a fantasy RB1 or RB2 going into Week 10?Matt Bowen labels Rico Dowdle an RB2 going forward based off his Week 9 performance.
Jacoby Brissett and Marvin Harrison Jr. shine, Dak Prescott struggles and Arizona RBs confound on “Monday Night Football”
Cardinals take down Cowboys on MNF (0:57)Jacoby Brissett accounts for three touchdowns as Arizona cruises to victory in Dallas. (0:57)
Why Caleb Williams hasn’t proven himself to be an every-week fantasy QBTristan H. Cockcroft weighs in on Caleb Williams’ Week 9 performance and says he hasn’t proven himself as a consistent starting fantasy quarterback.
Tristan H. Cockcroft weighs in on Caleb Williams’ Week 9 performance and says he hasn’t proven himself as a consistent starting fantasy quarterback.
Why Eric Karabell advises fantasy managers to keep Tee Higgins in lineupsEric Karabell explains why Tee Higgins is a top-20 fantasy wide receiver after his nice game vs. the Bears.
Eric Karabell explains why Tee Higgins is a top-20 fantasy wide receiver after his nice game vs. the Bears.
Liz Loza: Colston Loveland will be tough to ignore for fantasy in Week 10Liz Loza reacts to Colston Loveland’s big fantasy performance in the Bears’ win over the Bengals.
Is Rico Dowdle a fantasy RB1 or RB2 going into Week 10?Matt Bowen labels Rico Dowdle an RB2 going forward based off his Week 9 performance.
Early Sunday fallout: Dowdle takes control of Panthers’ backfield, Loveland saves Bears
Everything that happens in the NFL has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy football perspective. From position battles to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy football.
Our Fantasy Football Buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers and our NFL Nation reporters, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around the league.
Key links: Fantasy depth charts | Weekly rankings Scoring leaders | Projections | Strength of schedule
Marvin Harrison Jr. led the Cardinals with 10 targets and posted a season-high 22.6 fantasy points in one of the best performances of his young career against a Cowboys defense that has been shredded by opposing wide receivers all season. This is an encouraging sign for his rest-of-season outlook, as Arizona has the 13th-easiest remaining schedule for fantasy receivers.
Emari Demercado led the Cardinals’ backfield with 15 touches and 8.8 fantasy points, compared to Bam Knight’s 11 touches and 6.7 points. Demercado found success on the ground, finishing with 79 rushing yards, his second-best total of the season. Trey Benson is eligible to return in Week 10, and none of the Cardinals’ running backs have performed well enough in his absence to threaten his workload. Once Benson returns, Demercado, Knight and Michael Carter can all be dropped.
Ryan Flournoy further solidified his role as the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Although he had just two targets and most of his 9.2 fantasy points came on his TD catch, Flournoy played more snaps and ran more routes than KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Tolbert combined.
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders (left elbow): Late in Sunday night’s game against the Seahawks, Daniels appeared to get his left arm caught behind him as he was being tackled and the forces going through his elbow from the ground and his and the defender’s weight resulted in a dislocation. His left elbow was placed in an immobilizer brace and Daniels was escorted off the field with the medical staff. Early reports indicated no fracture and as of now, Daniels is out indefinitely.
Tucker Kraft, TE, Packers (right knee): The Packers’ initial fears of a torn ACL for their star tight end were confirmed on Monday after Kraft underwent an MRI. An unfortunate roll up on Kraft’s right knee while he was blocking for Josh Jacobs appears to have been the culprit and the season comes to an early conclusion. Once Kraft undergoes surgery to reconstruct the ACL, he is looking at an average recovery window of nine to 12 months.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans (concussion): As he slid to the ground while appearing to give himself up on a scramble in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Stroud was hit by a defender and his head slammed backwards to the turf. Stroud was removed from the game for a concussion evaluation and did not return. He was feeling better Monday according to coach Demeco Ryans but he remains in the concussion protocol and his status for Week 10 is uncertain.
Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Vikings (right shoulder): Jones exited Sunday’s game in the third quarter and did not return. He was ruled out with a right shoulder injury, reported to be an AC sprain by the NFL Network. Coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters Monday that Jones was sore but that further testing resulted in “positive news early on” and the hopes are he will be able to practice at some point this week.
Matthew Golden, WR, Packers (shoulder): Golden exited the game in the third quarter with what was reported to be a shoulder injury. Coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Monday that Golden’s injury was not a long-term issue and that the receiver would be day-to-day. The Week 10 game for the Panthers is Monday night, giving Golden an extra day to get healthy…but unfortunately it also means the team’s first official injury report isn’t due until Thursday.
Why Caleb Williams hasn’t proven himself to be an every-week fantasy QB
Sharing selected notes from Sunday’s games on which players were used and in what situations. I use these notes to inform my rankings and other fantasy football decision-making.
Samaje Perine exited early with an ankle injury against the Bears and didn’t return. Before that, he was set for an expanded role after finishing with 10 touches and 17 fantasy points last week. His absence forced Chase Brown into an every-down role, and he finished with 19 touches and 19.2 fantasy points, eerily similar to his usage late last season. If Perine misses time, Brown could be a top-10 fantasy RB moving forward. Rookie Tahj Brooks played only three snaps and remains a depth option.
RJ Harvey led the Broncos in receptions (5) and receiving yards (57), but Troy Franklin paced the team in targets (10). Harvey played 31% of the offensive snaps compared to J.K. Dobbins, who played 46% and led the team with 61 rushing yards on 15 attempts. Harvey’s workload has been limited, but he’s made the most of it, scoring 16 or more fantasy points in back-to-back games thanks to his touchdowns.
Ashton Jeanty set a new career high in offensive snaps coming out of the Raiders’ bye week, finishing with 18 touches and 19.9 fantasy points.
Tony Pollard played more snaps than Tyjae Spears, which typically happens when the Titans are in a neutral game script. Pollard finished with 11 touches and 7.8 fantasy points, while Spears had 10 touches and 9.2 points. Spears has recorded three or more receptions in four straight games, but it’s hard to trust either back in lineups given how poor the Titans’ offense has been this season.
Woody Marks led the Texans backfield in snaps played, routes run, and targets (3), but Nick Chubb led the way with 11 rushing attempts and 3.4 fantasy points compared to Marks’ 10 carries and 2.7 points. It’s a frustrating situation for fantasy managers, as Houston continues to use both backs in a committee.
Tight end Taysom Hill led the Saints in rushing with four carries for 30 yards, while Alvin Kamara struggled with a season-low seven touches and 0.7 fantasy points. Rookie Devin Neal continues to cut into Kamara’s workload following Kendre Miller’s placement on injured reserve. Despite the decline, Kamara should remain rostered, as the Saints have one of the easiest remaining schedules for fantasy running backs.
The Seahawks’ backfield continues to operate as a committee between Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Walker played 56.8% of the offensive snaps, while Charbonnet logged 35%. Walker finished with 13 touches for 8.1 fantasy points, and Charbonnet had nine touches for 5.6.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt led the Commanders’ backfield in snaps played, routes run, and touches (13) but finished with just 5.1 fantasy points while Chris Rodriguez Jr. had 12 touches for 12.5 points, thanks to a rushing touchdown. That said, the bulk of Rodriguez’s touches came late in the game after Washington pulled its starters due to the deficit.
Kareem Hunt operated as the Chiefs’ lead back against the Bills with Isiah Pacheco ruled out, playing over 70% of the offensive snaps and finishing with 12 touches for 12.5 fantasy points, highlighted by a rushing touchdown. Brashard Smith played just 20% of the snaps and logged three carries.
Why Eric Karabell advises fantasy managers to keep Tee Higgins in lineups
The Jaguars’ receiver room was decimated by injuries, positioning Parker Washington to lead the group in snaps played, routes run, targets (9) and fantasy points (17). With Travis Hunter on injured reserve and both Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown leaving late with injuries, Washington stepped up. Even if the starters return, he’s set for an expanded role after operating as Jacksonville’s primary slot receiver in an Jaguars offense that relied heavily on three-receiver sets against the Raiders.
Romeo Doubs led all Packers skill players in snaps played, routes run, targets (10) and receiving yards (91). He finished with 16.1 fantasy points, his second-highest total of the season. With Tucker Kraft out for the year, Jordan Love could lean on him even more moving forward.