Mostly NFL Notes: Talking Dez Bryant, DeAngelo Williams and a look around the league
The Cowboys/Eagles game ended up being entertaining Sunday night, especially the second half and overtime, when the two teams combined to score 46 points. Cole Beasley came out of nowhere and scored twice, but the biggest fantasy takeaway was Dez Bryant’s return to prominence, as he looked much better than last week (not having to face Richard Sherman also helped). Bryant had 104 yards, breaking multiple tackles and showing good speed on a 51-yard catch and then somehow coming down with this jump ball in the back of the end zone. He’s still not completely in game shape but drew two crucial pass interference calls despite playing noticeably winded. Tony Romo is hoping to return in Week 11, so Bryant is going be a major difference maker during the fantasy home stretch.
Darren McFadden was the only running back to get carries for Dallas, while DeMarco Murray once again led Philadelphia’s committee, totaling 161 yards and a score against his former team. Ryan Mathews continued to run well (his 6.1 YPC leads the NFL among qualified backs), but he remains the Eagles clear RB2, and he nearly lost another fumble in overtime…Jordan Matthews has scored two touchdowns this season, both of them coming against the Cowboys, including this game winner Sunday night.
Just when Eddie Lacy owners thought it couldn’t get any worse, he totals 10 yards on five touches and loses a fumble. Meanwhile, James Starks totaled 122 yards and a score on 16 touches. Lacy has reached 50 rushing yards once over the past seven games and has fumbled in each of his past three contests…He only secured a third of his targets, but it was nice to see Randall Cobb score for the first time since September…The Packers entered having allowed seven total touchdowns over seven games to opposing quarterbacks this season. Cam Newton combined for four Sunday…I’d rather Davante Adams than James Jones moving forward…After starting 3-8-1 last year, the Panthers have won 12 straight regular season games.
It took 13 targets for Jarvis Landry to get 69 yards, which isn’t very efficient…Playing at less than 100 percent, Sammy Watkins secured all eight of his targets for 168 yards, including this impressive touchdown. I’d love to see what Watkins could do if he ever stayed healthy…Charles Clay has 101 receiving yards combined over his last four games…LeSean McCoy looked great before leaving with yet another injury, but it was Karlos Williams who truly shined in Buffalo’s backfield. The rookie has scored in all five games in which he’s played and would be a top-five fantasy RB if McCoy were sidelined.
DeAngelo Williams totaled 225 yards with two scores, while Antonio Brown recorded 17 catches for 284 receiving yards (adding another 22 on the ground), as the Steelers/Raiders contest was quite fantasy friendly. All Pittsburgh players take a hit with Ben Roethlisberger missing time again, but Williams is locked in as an obvious RB1 in Week 10 at home against a Browns defense that’s allowed the most fantasy points to opposing backs…This Martavis Bryant play was sick…Derek Carr has an 11:1 TD:INT ratio while taking just one sack over the past three games. To call him a future star would be selling him short, because Carr already looks like one.
Blake Bortles has been a much better fantasy QB than a real life one this year but Sunday he threw for 388 yards and got 9.5 YPA (albeit with three turnovers) on the road against the Jets. New York has yielded the fourth-fewest YPA (6.5) in the NFL this season but has been shredded of late, allowing a total of 1,069 passing yards and an 8:2 TD:INT ratio over the last three games…Allen Hurns has scored in six straight games, while Allen Robinson managed 121 receiving yards against Darrelle Revis…Chris Ivory punched in two touchdowns, but he otherwise gained 26 yards on 23 carries. Over the last three contests, he’s averaged 2.4, 1.1 and 1.1 YPC, respectively.
Headlines of the Week: Man Dies After Tapeworm Inside Him Gets Cancer…Condom Shares Fall After China Abandons One-Child Policy…No Evidence Farting Livestock Caused Emergency Landing, Airline Says…Grandmother Tries To Spite Heirs By Shredding $1.1 Million Fortune…Possibly Telepathic 5 Year Old Being Studied By Scientists.
Delanie Walker had a crazy day, with two of his catches coming off deflections, including this 61-yard touchdown…Justin Hunter got the start (and scored), but it was great to see Dorial Green-Beckham lead the Titans with 10 targets. The rookie should be a useful fantasy option down the stretch…How can C.J. Spiller be so irrelevant?…Quite a return by Marcus Mariota. The rookie has thrown more touchdowns than Matt Ryan this season while playing three fewer games.
How about the Patriots attempting (and securing) an onside kick after going up 7-0 early in the first quarter in a game in which they were 14-point favorites?…Rough day for Dion Lewis, who dropped a sure 30+ yard touchdown before exiting with a potentially serious knee injury…Kirk Cousins has thrown exactly one TD (and also taken exactly one sack) in seven of eight games this year, so he’s nothing if not consistent…Julian Edelman has more touchdowns (seven) over the past seven games than he’s ever recorded during an entire season throughout his career.
Ironically, the QB slide is often the most dangerous play in football, with Teddy Bridgewater being the latest victim…The Vikings did a good job containing Todd Gurley, although the rookie still managed a highlight on a one-yard run…Stefon Diggs owners need not worry, as not only was his crazy pace unsustainable, but the Rams have shut down receivers all year…Nick Foles has somehow thrown for fewer than 200 yards in seven straight games.
Jameis Winston certainly didn’t play great (although this TD run was nice), but his teammates did him no favors, as Doug Martin, Charles Sims and Mike Evans all lost fumbles, with the latter two also committing egregious drops that left a ton of yards on the field. Evans actually had an almost unfathomable six drops but a whopping 19 targets saved his fantasy day…Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a dream matchup against a Giants defense that’s allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, yet he was inactive after practicing in full Friday. He was just like T.Y. Hilton, only the opposite…The Buccaneers are now 1-11 at home under Lovie Smith…The Giants lead the NFL with 13 interceptions despite recording an NFL-low nine sacks.
Police Blotter: Georgia Drivers Claim They Were Too Drunk To Consent To DUI Tests…Iowa Man Eats Toilet Paper Trying To Avoid Drunk Driving Arrest…Former Top Chinese Anti-Corruption Official Sentenced To 12 Years For Corruption…This Is How Not To Smuggle A McMuffin Into Prison…Trained Mouse Caught Smuggling Drugs Through Brazilian Prison.
Devonta Freeman entered as the NFL’s leading rusher but was held to 12 yards on 12 carries against a shaky 49ers defense. He added 67 receiving yards and a score, as Freeman’s versatility gives him such a nice floor, but this Atlanta team is really struggling. After starting the season 5-0, the Falcons are 1-3 over their past four games, a span in which their opponents have an aggregate 9-21 record (when not facing Atlanta). The Falcons’ decision to kick a field goal at the one-yard line down four points with three minutes left (and just two timeouts, one of which they later failed to use before the two-minute warning) was one of the worst you’ll ever see…The 49ers had some brutal drops Sunday, including one by Jerome Simpson in which he turned a would-be big gainer into an interception, but this Torrey Smith one-handed grab was nice.
Song of the Week: Bloc Party – The Love Within
Longread of the Week: The Saga Of A YouTube Bodybuilding Broscience Celebrity
Andrew Luck entered “leading” the league in interceptions this season despite missing two games, so naturally, he commits no turnovers and takes just one sack against the NFL’s best defense. Donte Moncrief, Andre Johnson and Dwayne Allen combined for three catches and 30 yards on 10 targets. Meanwhile, Griff Whalen hauled in five receptions for 73 yards on six targets…Not only did T.Y. Hilton surprisingly suit up, he seemingly played a full complement of snaps and looked as fast as ever. He should be good to go after Indy’s upcoming bye…Apparently the trade for Vernon Davis really motivated Owen Daniels…The Aqib Talib personal foul at the end of the game was beyond indefensible…So much for the resurgent Broncos rushing attack, as C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman combined for 35 yards on 14 carries against a Colts defense that’s struggled against the run this season.
Follow Dalton Del Don on Twitter.
