Intro
I love writing these storyline pieces. I will go through the games and discuss one dynasty-relevant storyline per team that I’m excited to see. Usually, I’ll split the games into two sets, covering the early games in one story and the later games in another. Also, I’ll do a special spotlight on the Thursday night game from time to time, as that’s a midweek contest. I like to go into more detail for that game, just for a change of pace.
This piece will give you something specific to look for in each contest, which I hope helps you enjoy the games even more. We all play fantasy football to enhance our enjoyment of football, and I’m trying to add to that sense of happiness here. Fun is the most essential part of this hobby for all of us, including me.
I’ve listed the home team first for each game to keep things organized. I won’t waste any more time, so let’s jump straight in!
Raiders vs. Broncos
Raiders
I’m starting to have significant concerns with Josh Jacobs. At the beginning of the season, the Raiders used Jacobs on two-minute drills and mostly as a workhorse back. However, recently, they’ve spelled him with Devontae Booker on some early downs and Jalen Richard on passing downs. Jacobs did have 31 carries in Week 8, so he can get a huge workload, but I want to see that workload consistently.
Broncos
For the Broncos, I’m watching Jerry Jeudy. I’m sure we’ve all seen his fantastic touchdown catch from last week by now in his breakout performance. But we need to see consistent excellence from Jeudy for him to regain the rookie WR2 spot behind CeeDee Lamb. Jeudy is currently my rookie WR3, but he’s significantly behind Justin Jefferson for the second spot. I did prefer Jeudy in the pre-draft process, so if he continues to make highlight plays, he’ll move way up in my rankings.
Dolphins vs. Chargers
Dolphins
I’m sure many people want to know who will get the Dolphins’ running back touches, but I genuinely don’t believe any of those players are relevant in dynasty leagues long-term. The Dolphins’ 2021 starter at running back is either Myles Gaskin, or he’s not on the current roster. However, I’m most interested in DeVante Parker in this game, as he had his massive breakout last season once Preston Williams tore his ACL. Now, Williams is out again, so I want to see whether Parker can recapture that magic with Tua Tagovailoa as his quarterback.
Chargers
Like the Dolphins, I think fantasy players want to know who gets the running back touches this week. However, Austin Ekeler is the only Chargers’ running back worth starting long-term, and I believe we’ve seen that the rest of the backs don’t carry fantasy value. I’m not interested in the running backs, but I do want to watch Hunter Henry.
Henry has a consistent role in the passing game, but he’s barely produced and has one touchdown all season. The Chargers gave Henry the franchise tag, and they’re not going to re-sign him at his current pace. Therefore, if he’s auditioning for new teams, I want to see if he’s still got the talent and isn’t seeing the targets, or if his play has declined this season. I like Henry’s talent, so I hope it’s just his role in the offense.
Cardinals vs. Bills
Cardinals
Every week, I wonder if the Cardinals will finally get Andy Isabella involved in the offense. Isabella finally saw 50% of snaps in Week 7 against the Seahawks, but he fell back down to 25% in Week 9 versus the Dolphins. I don’t understand why Kliff Kingsbury spent a second-round pick on Isabella not to use him, but that’s what’s happened. I have to believe Isabella offers, or at least could offer, more to the passing game than Larry Fitzgerald or Dan Arnold right now. If Isabella truly isn’t worth playing over those two players, he’s trending toward becoming a massive dynasty bust.
Bills
For me, I want to see more from rookie Gabriel Davis. Davis has had a consistent role throughout the 2020 season, as the Bills have played the most 4WR sets of any team. I believe that Davis is the long-term WR2 on the Bills behind Stefon Diggs, so he could carry significant fantasy value. At some point, I think the Bills will start to bench John Brown for Davis in the starting lineup, and I’m watching closely to see if that happens. Either way, Davis is an excellent dynasty stash.
Rams vs. Seahawks
Rams
I would love to see the Rams involve Van Jefferson more in the offense. They selected Jefferson in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft, but he’s barely seen the field. Jefferson saw 45 and 38% of the snaps in Weeks 1 and 2, although he’s done absolutely nothing since then, peaking at 26%. I don’t understand why the Rams continue to trot out Josh Reynolds as their WR3 since he’s ineffective. Hopefully, they correct this mistake coming out of their bye week.
Seahawks
The Seahawks won’t have either Chris Carson or Carlos Hyde again for this game, so their running back rotation will consist of DeeJay Dallas, Travis Homer, and the newly signed Alex Collins. In Week 8, the Seahawks deployed Dallas as a workhorse back, but Homer wasn’t yet healthy. They created a committee among Dallas, Homer, and Collins in Week 9, and I believe Homer will continue to see more work. Let’s remember that Homer played ahead of Dallas at the University of Miami, so it’s not surprising that the same thing could happen here.
Saints vs. 49ers
Saints
I want to see Michael Thomas finally get his act together and have a monster game this week. He’s played two games in 2020, both against the Buccaneers, performing relatively poorly in both contests. However, I think we all know that when Thomas is on his game, he’s one of the best and most valuable receivers in the NFL. The 49ers won’t have Richard Sherman or K’Waun Williams for this game, so Thomas should have every opportunity to succeed.
49ers
The 49ers are a complete and utter mess right now. They won’t have their starting quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, top two receiving options in George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, and three of their running backs: Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, and Jeff Wilson Jr. Without all of those players, I hope Brandon Aiyuk can step up into a featured role. He’s had 91 and 115 receiving yards the last two weeks, and he should excel once again. If Aiyuk performs, I might need to move him ahead of Samuel in my dynasty rankings.
Steelers vs. Bengals
Steelers
The Steelers mysteriously moved away from James Conner in Week 9, giving him only nine carries and 46% of the offensive snaps. Considering that Conner had 15 or more carries in each of the previous six games, I hope this decision represents an aberration. Conner is not under contract past this season, so the Steelers can move away from him and toward Benny Snell or Anthony McFarland at any time. I want to see if Conner returns to his workhorse role this week because if he doesn’t, I’ll need to reevaluate his dynasty outlook.
Bengals
I’m sure we could discuss Joe Mixon’s absence for a long time, but since he won’t play in this game, let’s look elsewhere. I’m curious about Drew Sample’s role in this offense. Since C.J. Uzomah suffered a season-ending injury, Sample has played 75% or more of the offensive snaps in every game and 85% in all but one game. However, in those six games, Sample has totaled only 11 receptions on 16 targets for 122 yards. Maybe, the Bengals only wanted to use Uzomah as a receiving tight end, and they have no plans to deploy Sample that way.
Patriots vs. Ravens
Patriots
The Patriots are an offensive mess, with injuries and poor play across the roster. But, Jakobi Meyers broke out in the last few weeks as a sort of “last man standing” in the passing game. However, the Ravens are a horrible matchup, which could limit Meyers. If Meyers beats the odds and has yet another big game, I’ll have to consider the possibility that he’s passed N’Keal Harry, Damiere Byrd, and Julian Edelman long-term.
Ravens
Even though the Ravens are currently 6-2, their entire offense has been a massive disappointment. While Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, and Marquise Brown have had their issues, I’ve been most annoyed by their running game. For some silly reason, the Ravens continue to give carries to Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards ahead of talented rookie J.K. Dobbins. Even with Ingram out the last two weeks, they still don’t want to use Dobbins as a workhorse. Now, Ingram will return to the lineup, and the Ravens could recreate their messy three-way backfield committee. I’m hoping they decide to do the right thing and get Dobbins more touches, but I’m pessimistic about it.
Bears vs. Vikings
Bears
The Bears’ offense is a complete dumpster fire. Without David Montgomery, who will miss the game with a concussion, they have absolutely no usable running backs. I would say that they could bench Nick Foles for Mitchell Trubisky, but Trubisky recently somehow managed to injure his shoulder on the one play he saw during that game. Honestly, my main hope is that Allen Robinson leaves this nightmare of a team once his contract expires and finds greener pastures. It kills me to watch one of the NFL’s most talented receivers waste away on this team.
Vikings
I planned to write about Irv Smith Jr., but he’s going to miss this game with a groin injury. Therefore, I’ll pivot to discussing Kirk Cousins. The Vikings have saddled themselves with multiple years of a lousy quarterback contract, and Cousins holds the offense back in many ways. I know that the Vikings cannot realistically move on from Cousins until after 2021, but I need to see some life signs. A nice game from Cousins against a tough Bears’ defense would give me some added confidence moving forward. However, I expect Cousins to play poorly, reaffirming my thoughts about him.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
Previous Storyline Articles: Week 6 Early Games, Week 6 Late Games, Week 7 Thursday Night, Week 7 Early Games, Week 7 Late Games, Week 8 Thursday Night, Week 8 Early Games, Week 8 Late Games, Week 9 Thursday Night, Week 9 Early Games, Week 9 Late Games, Week 10 Thursday Night
