Figured I should keep contributing something now that season long rankings are pretty irrelevant after trade deadlines. So thought I'd give some rapid fire thoughts a shot.
Dallas/Detroit=Thought Dallas did a good job run blocking and maybe abandoned the run a little too quickly. CeeDee Lamb was looking like he was gonna have a 40-point fantasy week before getting hurt, which was a long time coming. Detroit was the first team I saw treat Pickens as the #1 since Lamb was back, and Lamb was reminding people why that isn't a good idea. Flournoy did great filling in, I have no idea why he's not always the #3, too much screwing around with Turpin. Dak was just ok, but in his defense, he had very little time to throw. The Lions were unsurprisingly killing replacement LT Nate Thomas. I'd expect the Vikings to attack the same way if Guyton isn't back next week.
For the Lions, I think Gibbs has been the best RB in the NFL for over a year, I'd argue he was better than Barkley in 2024, he just had less volume. OL played great, Amon-Ra looked healthy. They needed that win, because I think they match up terribly with the Rams.
Miami/NY Jets=Stinks that Achane got banged up, though at least he scored before he did, but it was nice to see Jaylen Wright get some work. I thought he looked good and seems to have passed Ollie Gordon for the #2 role. Waddle probably has a bigger game if Miami needed him to, he was open all the time. Dulcich played over Waller, also wonder if that was a big lead thing, but he's looked good for them. Want to shout out Aaron Brewer who I think is vastly underrated and is a top-5 Center in the NFL. He's small, and has a clear weakness against giant DTs, but no OL gets to the 2nd level better than he does, and so many long runs are because he got to the LBs.
For the Jets, I thought they did a good job pass blocking, that's about the positive for the 2025 Jets offense, they seem to have 2 good long-term OTs. The interior got their butts whipped, and Brady Cook looked a lot like an UDFA. Jags D is gonna be arguably #1 in fantasy if Cook is starting next week.
Cincinnati/Buffalo=One of the biggest surprises to me was the Bengals OL dominated the LoS in this game. Holes were there for the run game, and Burrow had lots of time. Burrow looks completely healthy and had 2 fluke INTs that unfortunately cost them the game, but he was elite otherwise. Tee Higgins had a hell of an effort in this one, making some circus catches. Hopefully he's just in the protocol as a precaution, because the Bengals have a schedule full of shootouts for the fantasy playoffs.
For the Bills, their OL also dominated the LoS, and Josh Allen understood the assignment against the Bengals historically bad TE defense (that is a Likely GL fumble from looking even worse) Allen again dominated with his legs, and in my opinion is the clear best player in the NFL, even if he shouldn't be the MVP.
Pittsburgh/Baltimore=Maybe Broderick Jones was the problem all along. OL played probably their best game of the season, big holes and quality protection. That was Rodgers best game since he was a Packer, and DK was doinf DK things, instead of being miscast as a possession WR. Question is if this was a one-off or the start of something? I'd bet on one-off personally.
For the Ravens, not much to say here. I thought Lamar played well enough to win, but other than Zay Flowers, he wasn't getting any help from his teammates. That's not a one-off, and if the Ravens miss the playoffs, may be the biggest reason why.
Indianapolis/Jacksonville=Loss of Daniel Jones is massive. Colts are 8-5, and with their schedule, might finish 8-9. The OL played really well against the Jags, but it just didn't matter without a QB. I'm a little worried about Jonathan Taylor doing a reverse of last season, where he was a playoff monster after a disappointing regular season.
For the Jags, 1st off, where the hell did that Tim Patrick game come from? Kinda forgot he was even on the roster still. Just needed no Hunter/Washington I guess. While he only had a couple catches, I thought Brian Thomas looked healthy, maybe he'll be a sneaky fantasy playoff factor? Jags OL dominated, which is not a sentence that has been said much in Trevor Lawrence's career. Speaking of Lawrence, I thought he played his best game in years on Sunday. These last 2 weeks are what Lawrence should be in my opinion. A low attempt guy, who takes deep shots, and adds mobility. As long as he avoids turnovers, Jags are a threat.
Tampa Bay/New Orleans=One of the comps I liked for Shough as a prospect was Ryan Tannehill, and that was a very Tannehill game. Efficient, makes plays with his legs, finds open guys on 3rd down. Starting to wonder if he's the 2026 starter as other than that rough Falcons game, he's been good since he took over, and has beaten both Tampa and Carolina. Want to point out, Kelvin Banks has looked like a hit as well.
For the Bucs, this was probably Mayfield's worst game in Tampa. It didn't help that guys like Egbuka and Tez were dropping balls, but he just played awful. Bucs were very run heavy in his one, and honestly, probably should have been even heavier. YPC doesn't show it, but Bucky has looked just fine to me. Assuming Wirfs is back, I'd expect at least a top-10 fantasy RB in the fantasy playoffs, with top-5 upside, if Baker turns it around, Mike Evans can only help.
Seattle/Atlanta=Nice bounce back for Darnold, and good to see Shaheed involved (I think he's a key for their playoff run) and JSN did JSN things. Really weird to me that he hasn't earned frequent double teams in the redzone. Darnold pretty much throws it to him if he's 1-1 every time. I'd be trying to make Seattle beat me with someone else. I thought the OL opened holes pretty well, the YPC I think is hurt by so much of the 4th quarter being garbage time.
For the Falcons, the OL played really well I thought, but without London, there just isn't enough weapons for the offense to do much against a really good defense. I mean, the #2 WR is David Sills, who is a practice squad type.
Washington/Minnesota=I argued before the game that the difference between Daniels/Mariota was smaller than the difference between McCarthy/Brosmer, well McCarthy held up his end of that comparison (and it was really just me saying how awful Brosmer was) I thought this a Brian Flores masterclass, just being 2 steps ahead of Kingsbury at all times. I thought the Commanders OL played well, but the skill guys were outclassed, and both Daniels and Mariota weren't seeing the field well. Ertz injury really sucks, have to wonder if that might be a career for him with an ACL tear at 35.
For the Vikings, I've always thought highly of Josh Oliver, and think he should really be a full-time starter. He's an elite blocker with good hands, and decent enough speed. I think he's a better TE than Hockenson (who could be a trade candidate this offseason) at this point. OL was finally healthy with the original 5 starters, and it showed, they played great. McCarthy clearly has a better rapport with Addison than Jefferson, and that's a particularly bad problem that Jefferson had 2-11 with good QB play.
Tennessee/Cleveland=Titans OL opened huge holes, and Pollard ran through them, while constantly making guys miss. Browns D laid a huge egg in this one. 1 sack was pathetic. Browns D is so hit/miss, sometimes they look elite, but this is like the 3rd massive egg they've laid this season. I put that on Jim Schwartz, who I think is kind of a bad DC, who just happens to have great talent (including the DPOY) to work with. Credit to Cam Ward for avoiding mistakes with so little to work with weapons wise.
For the Browns, I thought Shedeur played well. Probably the best QB performance for the Browns since Winston in 2024. Harold Fannin is a star. My pre-draft comp for him was Jordan Reed, and that's what he's looked a lot like to me. Hopefully he stays healthier. Was this a one-off for Sanders? Time will tell, but he showed that he doesn't need to be hidden like Gabriel did.
Dallas/Detroit=Thought Dallas did a good job run blocking and maybe abandoned the run a little too quickly. CeeDee Lamb was looking like he was gonna have a 40-point fantasy week before getting hurt, which was a long time coming. Detroit was the first team I saw treat Pickens as the #1 since Lamb was back, and Lamb was reminding people why that isn't a good idea. Flournoy did great filling in, I have no idea why he's not always the #3, too much screwing around with Turpin. Dak was just ok, but in his defense, he had very little time to throw. The Lions were unsurprisingly killing replacement LT Nate Thomas. I'd expect the Vikings to attack the same way if Guyton isn't back next week.
For the Lions, I think Gibbs has been the best RB in the NFL for over a year, I'd argue he was better than Barkley in 2024, he just had less volume. OL played great, Amon-Ra looked healthy. They needed that win, because I think they match up terribly with the Rams.
Miami/NY Jets=Stinks that Achane got banged up, though at least he scored before he did, but it was nice to see Jaylen Wright get some work. I thought he looked good and seems to have passed Ollie Gordon for the #2 role. Waddle probably has a bigger game if Miami needed him to, he was open all the time. Dulcich played over Waller, also wonder if that was a big lead thing, but he's looked good for them. Want to shout out Aaron Brewer who I think is vastly underrated and is a top-5 Center in the NFL. He's small, and has a clear weakness against giant DTs, but no OL gets to the 2nd level better than he does, and so many long runs are because he got to the LBs.
For the Jets, I thought they did a good job pass blocking, that's about the positive for the 2025 Jets offense, they seem to have 2 good long-term OTs. The interior got their butts whipped, and Brady Cook looked a lot like an UDFA. Jags D is gonna be arguably #1 in fantasy if Cook is starting next week.
Cincinnati/Buffalo=One of the biggest surprises to me was the Bengals OL dominated the LoS in this game. Holes were there for the run game, and Burrow had lots of time. Burrow looks completely healthy and had 2 fluke INTs that unfortunately cost them the game, but he was elite otherwise. Tee Higgins had a hell of an effort in this one, making some circus catches. Hopefully he's just in the protocol as a precaution, because the Bengals have a schedule full of shootouts for the fantasy playoffs.
For the Bills, their OL also dominated the LoS, and Josh Allen understood the assignment against the Bengals historically bad TE defense (that is a Likely GL fumble from looking even worse) Allen again dominated with his legs, and in my opinion is the clear best player in the NFL, even if he shouldn't be the MVP.
Pittsburgh/Baltimore=Maybe Broderick Jones was the problem all along. OL played probably their best game of the season, big holes and quality protection. That was Rodgers best game since he was a Packer, and DK was doinf DK things, instead of being miscast as a possession WR. Question is if this was a one-off or the start of something? I'd bet on one-off personally.
For the Ravens, not much to say here. I thought Lamar played well enough to win, but other than Zay Flowers, he wasn't getting any help from his teammates. That's not a one-off, and if the Ravens miss the playoffs, may be the biggest reason why.
Indianapolis/Jacksonville=Loss of Daniel Jones is massive. Colts are 8-5, and with their schedule, might finish 8-9. The OL played really well against the Jags, but it just didn't matter without a QB. I'm a little worried about Jonathan Taylor doing a reverse of last season, where he was a playoff monster after a disappointing regular season.
For the Jags, 1st off, where the hell did that Tim Patrick game come from? Kinda forgot he was even on the roster still. Just needed no Hunter/Washington I guess. While he only had a couple catches, I thought Brian Thomas looked healthy, maybe he'll be a sneaky fantasy playoff factor? Jags OL dominated, which is not a sentence that has been said much in Trevor Lawrence's career. Speaking of Lawrence, I thought he played his best game in years on Sunday. These last 2 weeks are what Lawrence should be in my opinion. A low attempt guy, who takes deep shots, and adds mobility. As long as he avoids turnovers, Jags are a threat.
Tampa Bay/New Orleans=One of the comps I liked for Shough as a prospect was Ryan Tannehill, and that was a very Tannehill game. Efficient, makes plays with his legs, finds open guys on 3rd down. Starting to wonder if he's the 2026 starter as other than that rough Falcons game, he's been good since he took over, and has beaten both Tampa and Carolina. Want to point out, Kelvin Banks has looked like a hit as well.
For the Bucs, this was probably Mayfield's worst game in Tampa. It didn't help that guys like Egbuka and Tez were dropping balls, but he just played awful. Bucs were very run heavy in his one, and honestly, probably should have been even heavier. YPC doesn't show it, but Bucky has looked just fine to me. Assuming Wirfs is back, I'd expect at least a top-10 fantasy RB in the fantasy playoffs, with top-5 upside, if Baker turns it around, Mike Evans can only help.
Seattle/Atlanta=Nice bounce back for Darnold, and good to see Shaheed involved (I think he's a key for their playoff run) and JSN did JSN things. Really weird to me that he hasn't earned frequent double teams in the redzone. Darnold pretty much throws it to him if he's 1-1 every time. I'd be trying to make Seattle beat me with someone else. I thought the OL opened holes pretty well, the YPC I think is hurt by so much of the 4th quarter being garbage time.
For the Falcons, the OL played really well I thought, but without London, there just isn't enough weapons for the offense to do much against a really good defense. I mean, the #2 WR is David Sills, who is a practice squad type.
Washington/Minnesota=I argued before the game that the difference between Daniels/Mariota was smaller than the difference between McCarthy/Brosmer, well McCarthy held up his end of that comparison (and it was really just me saying how awful Brosmer was) I thought this a Brian Flores masterclass, just being 2 steps ahead of Kingsbury at all times. I thought the Commanders OL played well, but the skill guys were outclassed, and both Daniels and Mariota weren't seeing the field well. Ertz injury really sucks, have to wonder if that might be a career for him with an ACL tear at 35.
For the Vikings, I've always thought highly of Josh Oliver, and think he should really be a full-time starter. He's an elite blocker with good hands, and decent enough speed. I think he's a better TE than Hockenson (who could be a trade candidate this offseason) at this point. OL was finally healthy with the original 5 starters, and it showed, they played great. McCarthy clearly has a better rapport with Addison than Jefferson, and that's a particularly bad problem that Jefferson had 2-11 with good QB play.
Tennessee/Cleveland=Titans OL opened huge holes, and Pollard ran through them, while constantly making guys miss. Browns D laid a huge egg in this one. 1 sack was pathetic. Browns D is so hit/miss, sometimes they look elite, but this is like the 3rd massive egg they've laid this season. I put that on Jim Schwartz, who I think is kind of a bad DC, who just happens to have great talent (including the DPOY) to work with. Credit to Cam Ward for avoiding mistakes with so little to work with weapons wise.
For the Browns, I thought Shedeur played well. Probably the best QB performance for the Browns since Winston in 2024. Harold Fannin is a star. My pre-draft comp for him was Jordan Reed, and that's what he's looked a lot like to me. Hopefully he stays healthier. Was this a one-off for Sanders? Time will tell, but he showed that he doesn't need to be hidden like Gabriel did.
