Fantasy News

A.J. Brown scores twice against the Falcons.

Brown caught three passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the Titans’ Week 5 victory. The first score was a 55-yarder one an in-breaking route, where Brown caught it and turned the opposite direction and turned on the jets to zoom away from Atlanta’s defense for the first touchdown of his career. The second was on an 11-yard fade route where he made a nice over-the-shoulder catch by the sideline. Both scores came in the first quarter, and the Titans mostly relied on the running game throughout the rest of the game. The rookie receiver has shown major flashes through four NFL games, and it looks like he had no business going in the second round of this year’s draft. His upside might be relatively capped as a rookie in a run-first offense this season, but dynasty owners that have Brown should be thrilled with what he’s shown early in his career.

9/30/19 - 08:11 AM ET

Frank Gore tops 100 yards in Week 4.

Gore ran extremely well all day against a top-notch Patriots defense, carrying 17 times for 109 yards. But the big highlight from the game was Gore topping the 15,000 rushing yards for his career, joining Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and Barry Sanders as the fourth player in NFL history to hit the mark. As usual, the ageless Gore ran with power, moving forward and picking up positive yardage on his carries; but he also broke a couple of nice runs in the game. Rookie running back Devin Singletary appears close to a return from his hamstring injury, but Gore is playing too well not to be the top runner for Buffalo. On pace for 244 carries for 1,092 yards and eight touchdowns, Gore should be in the mix as a solid FLEX option for Week 5 against the Titans and beyond.

9/30/19 - 08:05 AM ET

Darrel Williams scores twice in Week 4.

Williams carried eight times for 13 yards and two touchdowns and added three receptions for 43 yards along with a lost fumble in the Chiefs’ win over the Lions. As his numbers indicate, both scores were of the short variety, but LeSean McCoy also had a touchdown at the goal line. Williams did a nice job as a receiver again, as he appeared to be used a similar way to Damien Williams, who missed his second consecutive game with a knee injury. If Damien Williams remains out, Darrel Williams is at least on the FLEX radar as a preferred option at the goal line that’s handled touch totals of 14 and 11 in the last two games while playing in an elite offense.

9/30/19 - 07:59 AM ET

Wayne Gallman handles 24 touches in first start of 2019.

Filling in for superstar running back Saquon Barkley, Gallman had a very good first start for the Giants this season, carrying 18 times for 63 yards and a touchdown along with six receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. Gallman did lose a fumble in the game, but overall it was a promising effort in a Giants victory, and it looks like the third-year running back will be workhorse during Barkley’s absence. While this game came against a struggling Redskins team, we’ve liked the Clemson product’s ability and thought he easily could have been a higher draft selection than the fourth round of the 2017 draft. If Gallman is somehow still available in your league, he’s a highly recommended pickup.

9/30/19 - 07:54 AM ET

Kerryon Johnson gets 26 carries against the Chiefs.

The Lions were in a tough battle with Kansas City (a 34-30 loss), and Johnson was a huge part of the gameplan on offense, getting 26 carries for 125 yards along with two receptions for 32 yards and a lost fumble. It could have been an even stronger performance for Johnson if not for a lost fumble at the goal line when Detroit was trying to punch it in. Despite the fumble, this was a promising outing for the second-year running back, as he ran effectively all game and alleviated concerns about Detroit’s running game after it struggled through three weeks (despite this coming against a subpar Kansas City run defense). The Lions are treating Johnson as a workhorse after the release of C.J. Anderson, as he has touch totals of 21 and 28 in the last two games. The second-year running back has the potential to contribute more as a receiver, but fantasy owners must be happy with this workload. Johnson gets a bye this week then will resume being an excellent fantasy option in Week 6 against the Packers.

9/30/19 - 07:46 AM ET

DeAndre Hopkins gets held in check in Week 4.

Hopkins caught five passes for 41 yards and also threw and interception on a trick play in Houston’s 16-10 home loss to Carolina. The star receiver had to contend with Panthers cornerback James Bradberry, but the Texans offense couldn’t get much going against the Panthers defense. Hopkins should be set for a huge game soon, but he’s been held to 148 combined receiving yards in the past three games, and for whatever reason he has not put up the same numbers with Keke Coutee in the lineup dating back to last season (also keep in mind that Will Fuller is healthy and Kenny Stills was added in a trade to compete for targets). Getting Hopkins going against the Falcons next week might be a point of emphasis, but the All-Pro simply hasn’t been the same through four games this season, as he’s on pace for just 1,036 yards.

9/30/19 - 07:42 AM ET

Nick Chubb goes off in Browns’ win over the Ravens.

Chubb had 20 carries for 165 yards and three touchdowns along with three receptions for 18 yards in Cleveland’s win to bring the team’s record to 2-2 with an early lead for first place in the AFC North. The second-year running back churned out positive yardage all game against Baltimore, but the highlight was an 88-yard touchdown run where he turned on the jets to give the Browns a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter. Ravens defensive lineman Brandon Williams being out certainly delivered a blow to the team’s run defense, but it’s still a very positive sign that Chubb was able to do this type of damage to one of the league’s better defenses. Overall, Chubb has had steady performances this season, but he also has shown this type of weekly upside dating back to last year. He’s looking like at least a borderline elite RB1 in 2019.

9/30/19 - 07:35 AM ET