The months we spent yearning for the NFL season to begin felt like an eternity. Half of the campaign is now in the rearview, gone faster than the snap of a finger. We are left breathless by the pleasant surprises and exasperating letdowns. Some of our beloved gladiators have been lost to injuries, opening the door for new heroes to emerge in their wake. We have laughed, cried, and screamed for nine weeks. That was the prelude.
Leaves are falling like our fantasy championship prospects. The managers who built the best fire in preparation for the coming winter frost are anxious to light the match when the fantasy playoffs commence in a few short weeks. The victors will be shedding their clothes in celebration of survival and warmth, while the rest are left shivering in defeat. Brace yourself, for the polar winds will bring new challenges to the fantasy football landscape. Start stacking wood now with these top storylines of Week 10.
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Please Be Joshing
The crisis of QB1 Josh Allen missing the rest of the season with his elbow injury appears to have been averted. He did unleash a 70-yard dime to Gabe Davis (which was dropped) right after the injury occurred. Whether or not the malady greatly affects Allen’s performance going forward remains to be seen. Buffalo has a stern test this week with the one-loss Minnesota Vikings. The monstrous signal caller previously dealt with a similar injury in 2018. Don’t go rushing to acquire backup Case Keenum quite yet. Josh Allen is the type to gut it out through the pain for the best fans in the NFL to finally enjoy a Super Bowl victory.
Fields is a Dream
Who could have possibly foretold Justin Fields, one of the most heralded QB prospects since high school and through his days at Ohio State, would hit his stride in the NFL and light up the scoreboard? The answer is me, along with many others who saw the elite dynamic traits and patiently waited until the water began to boil over. This is not to say that Fields is a finished product as a professional QB quite yet. He can, and will, continue to get better. Any semblance of a professional-caliber receiving corps and offensive line would definitely help, but Fields simply tied on his cape and showed us how much the game has slowed down to him since the Bears’ loss to the Commanders in that woeful Thursday night game in October. Chicago faces the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Yes, the same Lions that held the Packers to nine points last week. Before then, they had not held a single opponent under 26 points. The wheels are up on Justin Fields for the rest of the season, burning rubber from waiver wire addition to league-winning QB.
Fast Times in SoFlo
The Miami Dolphins are a whale of a team (wink). New head coach Mike McDaniel has his offense running the football version of the ’98 Chicago Bulls’ Triangle Offense, with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen replaced by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The combination of speed and scheme, along with the timing and accuracy of Tua Tagovailoa (Ron Harper in the Bulls analogy), has taken the league by storm. Hill is blistering the keisters of the opposition even more than he did in Kansas City, on pace for an NFL record 2,085 receiving yards. Waddle is no slouch either. He is on pace for over 1,500 receiving yards and already has six touchdowns in nine games. Miami has yet to lose a game with a healthy Tua and McDaniel has fully embraced the analytics that losing coaches don’t have the capacity to understand and master. Their next test is at home versus the Browns. I hope the Dawg Pound brought their running shoes and short sleeves.
Smooth Sailing in the Bay
The most intriguing game on the Week 10 slate could very well be the Sunday night soiree at Levi’s Stadium between the 49ers and the visiting Chargers. As a NorCal resident (and closet Chargers supporter) I might pony up for a ticket to see this one in person. Justin Herbert is due to get his WR1 Keenan Allen back from the hamstring injury that has stolen all but two games from his season. The 49ers secondary hasn’t been all that great this season when tasked with going against elite QBs (see game vs Chiefs). Herbert and Ekeler, along with Allen, should put a ton of stress on Demeco Ryans’ squad and light up the scoreboard.
Another really interesting focal point will be the omnipotent Niners’ rushing attack with Christian McCaffrey going against an atrocious Chargers run defense. LA is dead-last in the NFL, allowing more than five yards per rushing attempt this season. It really seems like a smash spot for CMC, as if every game wasn’t. Let’s not get carried away predicting a record-breaking fantasy day for Kyle Shanahan’s new weapon just yet. CMC will likely fall short of Joe Mixon‘s Week 9 tirade…but not by much.
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