Every Monday of the NFL regular season we look at breakout performances from the weekend and analyze their potential for sustained success. We will rank these performances from 1-5 based on whether we believe they are momentary or long-term options for your fantasy teams.
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Fantasy Football Heat Index
Quarterback
Stats: 10-of-21, 86 passing yards, zero passing touchdowns, zero interceptions
Position Rank (pre-MNF): QB24 (5.34 points)
Analysis: This column typically focuses on the breakout performances of the week, but you can’t ignore the week’s biggest disappointments. After his shockingly bad outing in Week 7, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud tops that list this week.
How bad was Stroud against Green Bay on Sunday? He finished with a career-low 86 passing yards and is the current QB24 on the week. He scored the second-fewest fantasy points of his young NFL career and failed to complete a single pass to wide receiver Tank Dell.
Despite this week’s dud, don’t overreact to one bad performance. Bad outings happen and Green Bay’s defense is legit. Look for Houston’s passing game to bounce back next week against a vulnerable Colts defense before showdowns against the Jets, Lions and Cowboys.
Heat Index: 3
Running Back
Stats: Six rush attempts, 23 rushing yards, three receptions, nine receiving yards
Position Rank (pre-MNF): RB36 (4.7 points)
Analysis: It doesn’t look good in the box score or our fantasy lineups, but Week 7 was another step forward for Tyrone Tracy Jr. On the surface, that’s a pretty wild statement about someone with 4.7 fantasy points on the week, but hear me out for a minute.
Tracy might have stolen the No. 1 RB job in New York. The rookie sensation only had one more carry than veteran Devin Singletary, but his advantage in snaps (39-12) and routes (27-6) is a change from early-season usage.
The disparity in snaps may be attributed to individual game script and Singletary recovering from injury, but the veteran is presumably healthy after being removed from the injury report late last week. At the very least, Tracy has turned this backfield into a two-headed committee and should be rostered in all formats. (He’s still available on the waiver wire in 43% of Yahoo leagues.)
Heat Index: 3
Wide Receiver
Stats: Four receptions, 66 receiving yards, one touchdown
Position Rank (pre-MNF): WR11 (14.6 points)
Analysis: Wide receiver Amari Cooper wasted little time before introducing himself to the Bills Mafia. Despite playing limited snaps in his first game in Buffalo, Cooper scored 14.6 fantasy points and is the current WR11 on the week.
Considering how limited he was after a mid-week trade from Cleveland, fantasy managers can’t be upset at that start. They can’t be upset about much of anything, to be honest. Cooper went from wasting away in Cleveland to working alongside one of the best quarterbacks in football.
Looking ahead, Cooper will only become more involved in Buffalo’s offense. Not only does he offer borderline WR1 upside all season, but he could be the key to unlocking this stalled offense. Those rostering Cooper and quarterback Josh Allen should celebrate this pairing.
Heat Index: 5
Tight End
Stats: Seven receptions, 96 receiving yards, one touchdown
Position Rank (pre-MNF): TE1 (19.1 points)
Analysis: There weren’t many bright spots in Miami’s ugly loss to Indianapolis on Sunday, but Jonnu Smith’s breakout performance would qualify as one. The tight end racked up a season-high in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (96), while also finding the end zone for the first time all season.
Smith scored 19.1 fantasy points on Sunday and is the current TE1 on the week. That nearly matches his fantasy production in the previous five games combined. While that’s tremendous for my best ball portfolio, that’s not very sustainable over time.
Not only is Sunday’s performance the very definition of an anomaly, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s impending return also has to be factored in. While Smith has been a favorite of backup Tyler Huntley — 15 targets over the past two weeks — Tagovailoa is likelier to revitalize wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Heat Index: 2
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