Chiefs WR Rashee Rice delivered 5 receptions for 60 yards and a TD among 6 targets in Sunday's win over the Chargers. He ranked second on the team in targets in a game that saw QB Patrick Mahomes attempt 42 throws. It was Rice's third straight game with at least 4 receptions, as well as Mahomes' third straight game with at least 40 attempts. Rice's 75% catch rate doesn't seem likely to hold up the rest of the way, but his growing role with (arguably?) the league's best QB sets Rice up to continue his strong efficiency. Rice should at least be in your WR4-level consideration going forward and could easily climb into weekly WR3 territory -- especially if Kansas City's passing volume stays up. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling also scored against the Chargers and ranked second on the team with 84 receiving yards. But he also managed just 3 receptions -- which happens to be his high for the season. MVS remains only a prayer-level fantasy play if you're hard up.
Travis Kelce delivered a second straight big game with his 12-179-1 receiving line in Sunday's win over the Chargers. It tied his career high in receptions, set back in 2018 against the Raiders. The yardage marked Kelce's second-largest total ever, trailing only a 2021 meeting with the Chargers. He has now caught 21 of 22 targets in two games since spraining an ankle against the Vikings. Kelce has clearly been able to shake that off and go about dominating Kansas City targets. He more than doubled Sunday's No. 2 Chiefs target (Rashee Rice, 6) and claimed 42.2% of Patrick Mahomes' passing yards.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne hauled 6 of 7 targets for a team-leading 63 receiving yards with a TD in Sunday’s upset win vs. the Bills. Rookie wideout Demario Douglas also contributed solid numbers, roping in 4 of his 6 targets for 54 receiving yards in the contest. Despite seeing the Patriots’ offense turn their fortunes around in Week 7, Bourne is the only pass-catcher worthy of lineup consideration next week vs. the Dolphins. This is still an untrustworthy aerial attack for fantasy purposes.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson totaled 9 carries for 34 rushing yards in Week 7’s surprise win vs. the Bills. Though his numbers on the ground weren’t impressive, Stevenson did manage to haul all 6 targets for 51 receiving yards as a pass-catcher in the contest. Those contributions were enough for Stevenson to post a respectable 14.5 PPR points on Sunday. His teammate Ezekiel Elliott logged 11 carries for 31 rushing yards and a score in the upset victory. We’re not about to get too excited about this New England offense after how poorly they’ve played over the course of October, but their resurgent effort today makes Stevenson more appealing for next week’s AFC East showdown vs. the Dolphins.
In a shocking turn of events, Patriots QB Mac Jones played competent football on Sunday vs. the Bills. The third-year starter completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards with 2 TDs in the upset Week 7 victory. While this performance doesn’t erase the abysmal three-game skid Jones has been on of late, he deserves a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate in this divisional contest. We won’t be super excited to roll him out in Week 8 vs. the Dolphins, but this showing at least puts him within the lower-end of the QB2 conversation in superflex leagues.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes racked up 424 yards and 4 TDs on 32-of-42 passing in Sunday's win over the Chargers. It was Mahomes' largest yardage total since Week 9 of last season and 118 more yards than his previous high for this season. It was also Mahomes' third straight game with 40+ pass attempts, despite Kansas City leading for the entire second half. Mahomes did most of his damage before the break, throwing for 321 yards and 3 TDs in the first half. Mahomes benefited from facing a Chargers D that has been the season's best scoring matchup for QBs. But he also gets three more strongly positive scoring matchups in his next three games.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews found the end zone twice on Sunday vs. the Lions, with catches on 4 of 6 targets for 63 yards. WR Zay Flowers was also productive in the contest, hauling 4 of 6 targets catches for 75 receiving yards. This was a rather impressive performance from the Ravens’ offense considering how tough the Lions’ defense has been to open 2023. We like their odds of continuing their dominance next week vs. the lowly Cardinals.
Ravens RB Gus Edwards received a team-leading 14 carries for 64 rushing yards and a TD in Week 7 vs. the Lions. He also caught a long 80-yard pass on his lone target in the contest. RB Justice Hill wasn’t as involved on Sunday, seeing just 5 total touches and 48 total yards. Next week’s matchup vs. the Cardinals should be a better spot for both RBs to produce.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson posted MVP-like numbers in Week 7’s win vs. the Lions, completing 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards with 3 TDs. He also added 36 rushing yards and a TD on the ground in the contest. Jackson’s 33.9 fantasy points on Sunday are his highest total in a game since Week 3 of 2022 vs. the Patriots (39.4). This game was also the first time Jackson has thrown for 3 or more TDs since that aforementioned showdown vs. the Patriots one year ago. We like his chances of having another stellar outing in Week 8 vs. the Cardinals.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown hauled 13 catches for 102 receiving yards in Week 7’s loss vs. the Ravens. The third-year wideout’s 19 targets on Sunday set a new career-high mark after setting his previous best of 15 just one week ago against the Buccaneers. TE Sam LaPorta was also effective again, logging 6 catches on 7 targets for 52 yards in the contest. As unfortunate as it was for Detroit to post just 6 points in this game, at least their pass-catchers were useful for fantasy purposes. We’ll be excited to start these guys again in next week’s game vs. the Raiders.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs scored his first NFL TD on Sunday vs. the Ravens. The rookie recorded 11 carries for 68 yards with the score as a runner and added 9 catches for 58 yards in the receiving game in Week 7. With his teammates David Montgomery (ribs) and Craig Reynolds (hamstring) banged up, Gibbs received a season-high 21 touch opportunities and converted these efforts into 27.6 PPR points. Though the Lions failed to secure a victory, fantasy managers who remained patient with the first-year back were rewarded handsomely. We’ll see if Gibbs can capitalize on his newfound success in Week 8 vs. the Raiders. The health of Montgomery will likely play a big factor in how we view Gibbs next week, so be sure to keep up with Detroit’s practice reports in the coming days.
Dolphins RB Jeff Wilson (ribs, finger) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Eagles. We’re not expecting him to play a big role in his 2023 debut, especially considering how well RB Raheem Mostert has played. Wilson is a nice stash in season-long leagues, though, and a potential flier in one-game DFS contests.
Lions QB Jared Goff completed 33 of 53 passes for 284 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT in Week 7’s loss vs. the Ravens. The Lions’ offense struggled in this road matchup and only achieved two drives of 25 or more yards in the first half. In the pair of red zone opportunities Goff and company had in the second half, the end results were both turnovers on downs. As disappointing as this performance was, we like Goff’s chances to rebound in Week 8 vs. the Raiders.
Packers WR Christian Watson hurt his right knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He made it off the field under his own power but collapsed on the sidelines in obvious pain. We'll update his status when we know more.
Packers TE Luke Musgrave hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos and is questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update.
Update: Musgrave had a walking boot on that left foot after the game. We'll watch for more on a specific diagnosis and return timeline Monday.
Chargers TE Gerald Everett suffered a quad injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs. Everett has remained on the sidelines trying to stay loose but is officially questionable to return.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson said after the win over the Bucs that he played sparingly because of a consistent headache, per Terrin Waack of the team's official website. "It (started) last night. I was feeling weird," Robinson said. "I woke up, just completely out of it. I tried to take medicine so I could be good for the game. But my head was hurting. Bad. I don't know what was going on. I tried to go in pregame, but then coach (Arthur) Smith said, 'We'll be all right. Let's get you right.'" We'll keep an eye on Robinson's status this coming week, but he should be back in his usual role for next Sunday's game vs. the Titans.
Bears WR DJ Moore snagged 8 of 9 targets for 54 yards in Week 7. Call it a fine outcome in Tyson Bagent’s first NFL start. Moore nearly added a TD, but he couldn’t secure a one-handed catch in tight coverage. Justin Fields (thumb) should return within the next few weeks, but in the meantime, Moore will remain a WR2/3. Next up is a road date with the Chargers.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts was quiet for the majority of Sunday's game vs. the Bucs, catching just two balls in the first 59 minutes. But he broke loose for a 39-yard catch and run with under a minute to go to set up K Younghoe Koo's game-winning FG. Pitts was the victim of a run-heavy attack from the Falcons. QB Desmond Ridder threw it just 25 times, with four of those (16%) going to Pitts. That's the risk with any part of this Falcons passing game. The good news is that Week 8 brings a Titans defense that's much tougher against the run than the pass. That should push Atlanta to throw it more than usual. Pitts remains a lower-end TE1 going forward.
Bears RB D’Onta Foreman went off for 33 PPR points in Sunday’s win over Vegas. That’ll happen when you rack up three TDs – each from the five-yard line or closer. Darrynton Evans mixed in for 14 carries -- two fewer than Foreman – but only one surfaced at the goal line. We’ll see if Roschon Johnson (concussion) returns for Week 8 at the Chargers. Even if he does, Foreman’s played well enough to retain a backfield role in the short term.
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