| | Monday, October 26, 2020 | Barring injury, there shouldn't be much change to the Fantasy landscape with tonight's Bears-Rams game. These two teams are pretty much set in how they distribute targets and carries, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon. And, given that the defense might be the strongest unit for each, this may not be a big Fantasy game anyway. | That's just fine by me, because there was plenty to sort through from Sunday. Injuries to Odell Beckham - out for the year, sadly - Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake, Andy Dalton, Phillip Lindsay, Jeff Wilson, and Deebo Samuel could play a big part in how the Tuesday waiver wire runs go, let alone future Fantasy matchups. Plus, we had a bunch of big performances that need figuring out - sorting through the noise to find what really matters is what Mondays are all about over here. | | | | | We'll have Jamey Eisenberg's full waiver-wire priorities list for you Tuesday, but here's an early look at my top options for the week: | - Brandon Aiyuk (44%) - Aiyuk has star potential, and he might already be the 49ers best wide receiver. He can do the Deebo Samuel short-game stuff, but he's also emerges as a productive deep threat in recent weeks, including in his huge six-catch, 115-yard performance against the Patriots. With Samuel likely out at least one week, if not more, with a hamstring injury, Aiyuk could be a real difference maker.
- Sterling Shepard (27%) - Shepard probably doesn't have huge upside, but he is the Giants most complete receiver. He was productive in his first game back from a tough toe injury Thursday, catching six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, and can be a No. 3 Fantasy WR moving forward.
- Carlos Hyde (19%) - If Chris Carson's foot sprain keeps him out in Week 8, Hyde figures to be the lead back in Seattle, and he'll likely see 15-plus touches and a few targets, making him a worthwhile starting option.
- Lamical Perine (31%) - Perine is the Jets lead back now, it seems. That's two games in a row where he led the backfield in snaps, and he scored his first touchdown and drew the only two targets a running back saw against the Bills in Week 7. Hopefully this is just the start of an increased role for the rookie, with Frank Gore taking a back seat.
- Teddy Bridgewater (62%) - Bridgewater has multiple touchdowns in four of five games, and now he gets to face the Falcons, one of the worst defenses in the league - he had 313 yards and two touchdowns the last time he saw them.
| | | | I break down every game on the schedule every week, focusing on the biggest winners and losers and something you might have missed if you weren't watching the game. Here are my biggest winners and losers from Sunday's games: | | - Diontae Johnson — Johnson had another injury scare in this one, but was finally able to make it through a game and cemented his place as the No. 1 target in this offense. He was targeted 15 times to lead the team, scoring two touchdowns on nine catches for 80 yards. That's his third game with double-digit targets in his third game where he played the majority of the snaps. Johnson actually hasn't been great overall — averaging 5.5 yards per target — but he clearly has Ben Roethlisberger's trust and will remain worth starting as long as that's the case.
- Antonio Gibson — It didn't matter that J.D. McKissic cut into Gibson's passing game work this week, because Gibson got 20 carries, and he looked great. Gibson rushed for 128 yards and an early touchdown, a glimpse of what life could look like if Washington were playing with a lead more often. Fortunately, the upcoming schedule — vs. NYG, @DET, vs. CIN, @DAL over the next four games — could allow a few more opportunities when they come back from the Week 8 bye.
- Justin Herbert — Herbert did absolutely everything in this one, passing for 347 yards (8.1 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while adding a career-high 66 rushing yards and a score. And he did it by targeting 10 different receivers, including multiple targets for seven of them. Obviously, Keenan Allen is the No. 1 guy, and their rapport continues to be great news for Allen's Fantasy value, as he had double-digit targets in every game Herbert has started except for his injury-shorted Week 5. In those four games, he has 38 catches for 415 yards and a touchdown, and sure looks like a No. 1 Fantasy receiver with Herbert.
| | - Mike Evans — He has been playing through hamstring and ankle injuries, but keeps playing basically full-time snaps, this week leading the Bucs receivers with 62 snaps. That makes his two-catch, 37-yard game even harder to swallow. That's two games in a row with just two targets for Evans and four times in seven games with two or fewer receptions. I'm skeptical Antonio Brown is going to step onto the field after his long lay off and make a big impact, but another mouth to feed in the offense makes it really hard to see how Evans turns this thing around. You can't drop him, but you can't justify starting Evans until he shows some proof that he's worth it.
- Jarvis Landry — Baker Mayfield has his best game of the season, Beckham leaves after one target, and Landry finishes fourth on the team with 48 yards on five catches with no touchdowns. He's battling through a rib injury and coming off offseason hip surgery, and just clearly isn't healthy. I wouldn't drop him, but hopefully the Week 9 bye allows him to get right and close the season strong.
- Devin Singletary — Singletary had a huge opportunity this season when Zack Moss went down in Week 2 with an injury, but he totally failed to take advantage of it. After rushing for 29 yards on eight carries (compared to 47 on seven for Moss) and adding two catches for 18 yards on five targets, Singletary is averaging 3.0 yards per run and 8.8 PPR points over the past four games. Singletary played a season-low 54.5% of the team's snaps Sunday, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Moss started to eat into his touches even more. With the Bills' offense stalling out after its fast start, it's hard to get excited about a back in a timeshare who isn't a priority near the goal line.
| | | | Every week, Heath holds some of the biggest narratives in the NFL up to the microscope to see if you should buy into them. Here are the biggest storylines for Week 7 and whether you should believe in them and adjust your strategies accordingly: | - Believe it or not: You need to trade Todd Gurley in the next two weeks.
- Believe it or not: Joe Burrow is a starting Fantasy quarterback rest of season.
- Believe it or not: It's time to be worried about Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper.
- Believe it or not: Leonard Fournette is a problem for Ronald Jones again.
- Believe it or not: Josh Allen's early-season breakout was a fake-out.
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