NFL Player News

The Falcons snuck out of Philadelphia with their first win of the season on the back of some two-minute drill heroics from Cousins. The offense largely failed to get any momentum going against an aggressive Eagles defense, scoring just two field goals in the first half before finding the end zone for the first time at the end of the third quarter. In a shocking turn of events, Saquon Barkley failed to corral a ball that hit him in the hands on third down in the fourth quarter, a routine play that would have allowed the Eagles to ice the game. After the subsequent field goal, Cousins got the ball back with under two minutes to play and no time outs, leading a touchdown drive to take the lead with 34 seconds remaining. Very much a vintage “you like that” moment from the veteran signal caller. As for his mechanics in his second game back from a torn Achilles, Cousins played mostly from under center after spending almost the entire first game in shotgun or pistol, good news for Falcons fans for how the offense can run moving forward. Up next for the 1-1 Falcons are the Chiefs at home in Week 3.

McCarthy told reporters after the game that he should have allowed Lance to run the offense near the end of the blowout loss. “I could’ve gotten him a series. That’s one thing that I would second-guess myself on,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t want to get into putting him in for a play or two, because he’s more than a gadget player in my opinion. We had him prepared to take a series, and frankly there at the end I should’ve gave him that series, and I regret not doing that.” With the Dallas offense going nowhere under backup QB Cooper Rush, Lance could see opportunities down the stretch. The dual-threat Lance should be rostered in superflex formats just in case.

Tolbert was a virtual afterthought on a night quarterback Cooper Rush targeted a ridiculous 12 pass-catchers, partly induced by the departure of tight end Jake Ferguson after just one catch. All fantasy value left with Tolbert quickly evaporated when Dak Prescott went down for the season.

Schoonmaker filled in admirably for Jake Ferguson after the starter left following his only catch of the game with a concussion, only to be ruled out immediately after leaving the field. The Cowboys are on a short week following a Monday Night Football game, making it more difficult for Ferguson to clear protocol, particularly considering he was ruled out so quickly on Monday. That could leave Schoonmaker in a good spot to see heavy volume once again when the Cowboys face the Commanders in Week 12.

Turpin took a quick slant 64 yards to the house on the first play of the second quarter to bring the Cowboys within striking distance of the Texans before the break, catching two more short area passes before his fantasy line came to a conclusion. Turpin isn’t likely to remain in the game plan moving forward but fantasy managers that took shots in best ball were rewarded for their last-round gamble.

Head coach Mike McCarthy did everything he could to get Lamb involved early and often but an early injury to tight end Jake Ferguson meant the Texans could continuously roll additional coverage to Lamb. Furthermore, quarterback Cooper Rush made several off-target throws directed at Lamb, which Lamb released on the sideline with a passionate display of frustration. It’s hard not to point to the offseason contract sagas between Lamb and Prescott as at least contributing factors to a lost season. Lamb could see a quarterback change in Week 12 if the team wants an extended look at Trey Lance ahead of their game against the Commanders.

Dowdle played the bulk of the first half snaps for an underperforming backfield but committed three costly drops before the break that saw both Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn find their way into snaps during the final two quarters. All fantasy value left in this backfield likely went with the wind with the injury to quarterback Dak Prescott.

The yardage totals appear nice on the surface until you realize 64 of those yards came on a KaVontae Turpin slant that he housed by out-running a two-high alignment. Even so, the counting stats were a vast improvement from his performance a week ago. Rush targeted 12 different pass-catchers, with the team down yet another pass-catcher following the departure of tight end Jake Ferguson with a concussion after his only reception. The Cowboys clearly have some soul-searching to do with the season now lost, with the ever-present potential to start quarterback Trey Lance the rest of the season to see what they have in the enigmatic youngster. The Cowboys play on a short week against the Commanders in Week 12.

Coming off a game in which he went for 74 yards and caught his first touchdown, fantasy exuberance swiftly came crashing back to earth with the return of Nico Collins. Metchie shouldn’t see many weeks of fantasy viability for as long as the top two receivers remain healthy in Houston.

Schultz largely played as the outlet with the return of Nico Collins, matching both Collins and Tank Dell in targets but lagging behind the top duo in yards per reception. Schultz could return sporadic fantasy utility down the stretch but remains an inconsistent option now that Collins is back from an extended absence.

Dell matched Nico Collins in targets, receptions, and yardage, but it was clear on the field who the alpha pass-catcher is in this offense now that Collins is healthy again. Collins had a 77-yard touchdown called back for an ineligible man downfield on the first play from scrimmage and also had another catch overturned after a successful challenge, with Dell seeing most of his usage as the second read in the offense. Dell will always see a few designed touches to leverage his upside with the ball in his hands, but the volume behind those schemed looks is largely lacking with Collins back in the fold. Dell could struggle to return consistent WR3 numbers the rest of the way.