Every week I will do a quick drive thru of the all the games and cover the relevant fantasy points.  I will look at things that might be fluky or here to stay and try and point everyone in the right direction for the future.  We never want to overreact to a small-sample size, but sometimes getting in too early is still better than missing the boat entirely.

Browns 24 – Steelers 19

We had our first snow game and it was awesome to watch.  The weather was up and down all day and it looked brutal on the screen, but it didn’t tamper down the scoring as Jameis Winston let it fly and scored the game-winning TD on the ground.  Winston didn’t throw a TD, but he survived vs. an elite defense in a snowstorm, but that won’t help your fantasy team.  The schedule doesn’t get any easier over the next stretch, so buckle in.  Cedric Tlilman suffered a concussion and hopefully the extra rest will allow him to play this week.  Jerry Jeudy looks like a WR1 for the first time in his career and he could swing leagues.  Nick Chubb finally got loose with two TDs, but those were weather dependent as he still only averaged 3.0 YPC.  David Njoku was held in check, but is more of a blip.  Russell Wilson had the better fantasy game, but just barely and Calvin Austin is slowly making waves as the WR2 in PIT.  George Pickens was held in check but had two near misses for massive plays, one a throw from Justin Fields.  Jaylen Warren is officially a beast and at this point is better than Najee Harris.  He beat him 4.1 to 2.6 on YPC and had one more reception than him.  Both are must-starts, but the schedule gets brutal after CIN.

Pickup of the game: Jaylen Warren – Priority High

Buccs 30 – Giants 7

Baker Mayfield put this game out of reach early and the Giants simply rolled over and accepted their fate.  The Giants look broken and didn’t get any positive juju from letting Daniel Jones go and instead are having drama with their only franchise player Malik Nabers.  It’s bad and Tyrone Tracy isn’t going to get enough workload when they are down this big, this early.  Bucky Irving is blowing up as many RB2 do around this time of year.  He looks like a full-blown star and tied Rachaad White for 12 carries.  Sean Tucker was barely involved and he can be left on the wire.  Mike Evans returned though and while he’s still ramping up, he looked pretty good with five grabs for 68 yards.  He’s about to go insane over the next couple of weeks.  Cade Otton went back to a pumpkin the only players worst rostering are Baker, the two RBs and Evans.

Pickup of the game – None

Chiefs 30 – Panthers 27

The Panthers are frisky and while the Chiefs weren’t exactly motivated, this was a fun game unless you bet KC ML.  Isaiah Pacheco was supposed to play, but he got an extra week of prep and there’s going to be a timeshare in KC with how effective Kareem Hunt has been.  Pacheco is clearly the better back, but Hunt has earned the trust of Mahomes and Andy Reid.  Mahomes is finally back as a QB1 and was elite vs. a terrible defense.  I wouldn’t bank on a repeat performance, but he’s heating up.  The KC weapons were solid as Travis Kelce had a bounce-back, Xavier Worthy made some plays and DeAndre Hopkins scored.  Noah Gray was the big winner with two TDs and that’s the problem with KC, anyone can go off at any moment.  The Jonathan Brooks debut was supposed to have more pop, but he only had two carries as Chuba Hubbard continued his run.  Hubbard scored late to boost his fantasy day, but he could be trending down if Brooks ever gets loose.  Bryce Young looks competent which is a long way from where he was in Week 1 and Adam Thielen looked solid coming off the IR.  David Moore led the team in receptions and scored, but there’s no indication this is the start of a run.  This Panther team is a stayaway though as they aren’t good and no one can really be trusted.

Pickup of the game – WR David Moore – Priority Low

Cowboys 34 – Commanders 26

This was the WTF game of the season as each team seemed to have the game in hand only to have it slip through their fingers.  The Commanders were sleepwalking until Jayden Daniels hit Terry McLaurin with an 86-yard strike to seemingly tie the game up.  A mixed extra point ruined the comeback and DAL returned the onside kick for another score.  Daniels is still kicking butt as a fantasy QB, but the shine is off and he’s just another mobile QB who can make terrible mistakes.  He got back to running the ball which is great, but the WAS playoff odds took a big hit.  Brian Robinson Jr. got hurt and that’s been a theme all season.  Austin Ekeler didn’t do much in relief and got concussed, so Jeremy McNichols could be in line for more work if Robinson has to miss time with his ankle issue.  The Commanders are spiraling and we will see if JD can throw this team on his back down the stretch.  The Cowboys won when they should have lost which sums of their season perfectly.  Cooper Rush looked competent and he could sail this team into smooth water if the defense could regain some competency.  CeeDee Lamb got plenty of work and tripled anyone else in targets and that’s ideal for fantasy GMs.  His longest grab was only 13 yards, so the deep balls might be dead, but a high floor is nice too.  Luke Schoonmaker was great stepping in for Jake Ferguson and he could be on the radar if Ferguson misses more time, but he’s a fringe play at best.  Rico Dowdle finally had a big game, but I don’t trust him.

Pickup of the Game – RB Jeremy McNichols – Priority Low

Dolphins 34 – Patriots 15 

The Dolphins have finally showed up this season and they are peaking to save their season.  Tua Tagovailoa shredded the Pats and this game was over from the jump.  The running game was held in check as De’Von Achane only averaged 3.2 YPC on 10 carries and Jaylen Wright, who may have stolen Raheem Mostert’s job wasn’t any better.  The other Jaylen, Jaylen Waddle was great as he finally broke out and could be emerging as the new WR1 on MIA.  Jonnu Smith has gotten a defined role and he’s a top-five TE ROS.  Tyreek Hill is no longer worth betting on and he’s either injured or pre-washed.  He’s a 50 yard player now and might not break 100 yards this season.  The Pats mailed in this game and even Drake Maye couldn’t get it going.  The games script meant Rhamondre Stevenson was phased out and it was a game of catchup vs. a very tough MIA pass defense.  Austin Hooper looked solid and they have two legit TEs, which isn’t great for fantasy.  DeMario Douglas led NE in rec yards and he’s going to break out sooner, rather than later.  The Pats are a tough watch right now and this was just a bad week for them.  MIA on the other hand is heating up and could be ready to roll.

Pickup of the game – RB Jaylen Wright – Priority Low

Titans 32 –  Texans 27

This was another crazy game and the good news is that Nico Collins is officially back.  He had another TD called back because of a penalty and that’s over 100 yards rec and two TDs negated the last two weeks.  CJ Stroud looked better, but still had two INTs and the bubble has burst on his current talent.  Joe Mixon did nothing and the Titans are a sneaky defense right now.  Tank Dell looked better as a WR2 and the Texans are close to figuring it out, but right now they have all the pieces and not a complete puzzle.  There is still time for them to figure it out.  The Titans aren’t playing for anything, but managed to hang around, but Will Levis taking eight sacks is the best way to destroy hope.  He’s not the QB1 of the future and while he has revitalized Calvin Ridley’s career, it’s hard to put too much stock in his performance.  Tony Pollard looked like he was healthy again and he’s got serious upside rest of the season.

Pickup of the game –Tyler Boyd – Priority Low

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