https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/football/news/sunday-aftermath-rico-dowdle-time-emeka-egbuka-and-puka-nacuas-injuries-and-more
Nobody thought it was Rico Dowdle time in free agency. The league’s No. 12 rusher and No. 23 overall fantasy back had to settle for backup work in one of the league’s worst offenses. The Panthers gave him $2.75 million guaranteed. For comparison’s sake, the Chiefs gave Elijah Mitchell $1.35 million guaranteed. Mitchell has been a healthy scratch for all six games.
But Rico Dowdle knew it was Rico Dowdle time. Biding his moments behind struggling starter Chuba Hubbard, Dowdle got his chance when Hubbard missed Week 5 with a calf injury. Dowdle told his teammates he would go for 180 against the Dolphins. He was wrong — it was 234.
Then it was time to face the Cowboys team who let him go for a hodge podge of Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders and various rookies. Rico told them to buckle up. They didn’t listen. 239 yards from scrimmage later, Dowdle now sits as the No. 13 overall PPR back. He is third in rushing (472). Again, he has started two games.
How did the league get this so wrong? That’s a question for another day. The more pressing issue is how work will divide up after Hubbard returns. When the Panthers kept Hubbard off injured reserve, that meant they expected him to miss fewer than four games. Sunday against the Jets will be No. 3. Yet to get in even a single limited practice, Hubbard begins Week 7 on the wrong side of question.
If Hubbard can’t go, Dowdle will be a road favorite against a run defense coughing up 130 yards per game. Whenever Hubbard finally does come back, it will be as the league’s 13th highest paid running back. Not the sort of player who will just be banished to the bench. But 1B status? That’s entirely possible, if not probable, after Dowdle saved his team’s offense and season over the past two weeks. You won’t be dropping Rico. You will likely be treating him as a low-end RB2 as Hubbard battles for FLEX status in what should become an increasingly run-based attack.
Five Week 6 Storylines
Emeka Egbuka becomes latest injured Buc. The apparent “hope” is that Egbuka’s hamstring injury isn’t as serious as the one that has already sidelined Mike Evans for three straight contests, but he appears destined to miss time all the same. That leaves all three of Egbuka, Evans and Chris Godwin highly questionable for a likely Week 7 shootout with the Lions in Detroit. Maybe the only good news is the fact that Bucs/Lions is next Monday night night, giving Tampa’s receiver triumvirate an extra day to get healthy. (Godwin is apparently already out.) That does little for Egbuka managers, however, as he seems all but guaranteed to miss at least one game, and the shaky statuses of his veteran teammates make it impossible to know which potential Bucs replacement to target on waivers. Your best bet, unsurprisingly, is to probably steer clear of Sterling Shepard, “Kameron Johnson,” et. al and simply look elsewhere. Perhaps Kendrick Bourne is calling your name.
Puka Nacua suffers ankle injury vs. Ravens. Egbuka somehow wasn’t even the biggest receiver name to go down on Sunday. That would be Nacua, who didn’t go down to the same extent — he actually returned to play a smattering of second half snaps — but seems just as likely to miss Week 7. It is particularly probable in Nacua’s case since the Rams are headed overseas to London then returning to a bye week. It would make all the sense in the world to keep Nacua off his feet for two weeks then have him try to return against the Saints in Week 9. Then again, even that is working against fantasy managers, since if Nacua isn’t yet 100 percent, there won’t be a ton of pressure to rush him out there vs. New Orleans. With Nacua sidelined and deep threat Tutu Atwell (hamstring) day to day, Jordan Whittington is a sensible Rams target on the wire.
Joe Flacco understands wide receiver assignment. Flacco attempted 45 passes in Green Bay. 12 of them were directed Ja’Marr Chase’s way. Eight found Tee Higgins. Together, the 20 targets resulted in 15 catches for 156 yards. True to reputation, Flacco was willing to fit the ball into tight windows, especially for Chase. Higgins was also given the chance to make several leaping grabs. In other words, Flacco is at least giving the Bengals’ elite playmakers chances to make plays. That was a bare minimum requirement Jake Browning could not meet. It’s difficult to say the Bengals are truly “better” with Flacco under center, but he is keeping the franchise wideouts happier while creating “any given Sunday” potential that just wasn’t there with Browning. We’ll take it in fantasy, where Chase is shored up as a top-five option and Higgins can now more comfortably be ranked in the top 24.
Garrett Wilson injured in latest London fiasco. First, it was his sense of honor and dignity. Like most other observers, Wilson was dumbfounded at the Jets’ “clock management” heading into halftime. He seemed to be telling coach Aaron Glenn, “remember, this is the big leagues.” Then it was his hip. Then it somehow became his knee. Now it’s an MRI. On a week where the Jets somehow don’t have a bye despite, you know, literally playing in Europe. These things happen, but mostly only to the Jets. Sitting at 0-6, Gang Green has zero incentive to rush Wilson back for Sunday’s game against the Panthers even if he pushes to play, which he likely will. That leaves … no one in particular behind Wilson on the depth chart. You will never see a shallower skill corps. If you’re losing Wilson, look elsewhere for the replacement.
Calvin Ridley suffers another hamstring injury. Pushing for the all-time career lead in fantasy rug pulls, Ridley predictably followed up his “rare bright spot” Week 5 with further pain, both literal and metaphorical. Now all but certain to miss time as he fights for looks in the league’s worst offense, Ridley is looking like roster deadweight you will be tempted to cut loose if he’s given a multi-week timeline. With waiver wire receiver options scarcer than ever, that would probably be a mistake, but you will be forgiven if you decide to take “the risk.” Van Jefferson, for whatever reason, was the No. 1 wideout in Ridley’s Week 6 absence, but rookie Elic Ayomanor would be a more sensible flier.
Don’t forget, for the latest on everything NFL, check out Rotoworld’s Player News, or follow @Rotoworld_FB or @RotoPat on Twitter/Bluesky.
Five More Week 6 Storylines
Kimani Vidal takes over Chargers backfield one year later than expected. Over the summer I joked “Kimani Vidal’s plans are measured in centuries.” I should have known I wasn’t kidding. Although it seemed impossible in late July we would be talking about Vidal in October — or ever again — the Chargers aren’t even the only team to lose each of their top two backs through the season’s first six weeks. It happens with alarming regularity, and there is always an unexpected beneficiary. In Los Angeles it’s Vidal, whose more all-around skill-set makes him a better fill-in starter than Hassan Haskins even though Haskins made the team out of training camp while Vidal was stashed on the practice squad. The Bolts wanted Haskins around for the occasional short-yardage cameo or special teams rep. They did not want him handling 21 touches. That’s what Vidal did against the Dolphins, and he turned them into 138 yards. Although that was an admittedly cakewalk matchup, you could have said the same for Vidal of the Dolphins’ defense. Vidal passed the test, and he’s now a clear-cut RB2 heading into Week 7 against the Colts.
Brian Thomas Jr. finally posts usable statline. It was mostly good news for BTJ against the Seahawks — mostly. His eight receptions and 90 yards were both new season highs. His receiving score was his first. If you’re quibbling, you could say it’s actually quite bad that it’s Week 7 and BTJ has still yet to even have a 100-yard game. You could also point out his 21-yard score came on a fake bubble screen, an “empty the playbook” trick play. That’s how desperate the Jags had gotten to get Thomas into the end zone. He also committed a third-down drop. But back to reality, this was the most necessary of first steps toward getting Thomas’ season on track. The Jags’ schedule remains inexplicably difficult over the next month, meaning a return to WR1 relevance probably still isn’t in the cards. But maybe, just maybe, BTJ is going to stop being a sink hole in your WR2 spot.
Bam Knight surprisingly leads Arizona’s latest committee. Well, it thankfully wasn’t a surprise surprise since ESPN’s Adam Schefter actually reported the possibility on Sunday morning. “Lead” is also strong since Michael Carter remained heavily involved. The two backs essentially split snaps and touches down the middle. But Knight did manage one more overall handle, taking the lead on early downs. For his part, Carter replaced Emari Demercado on third downs/in the passing game. Demercado may have gotten an apology for how his Week 5 fiasco was handled by coach Jonathan Gannon, but he still couldn’t avoid a benching. Fantasy managers have something of a headache, as neither Knight nor Carter have shown enough to earn RB2 treatment. They are modest FLEX plays for Week 7 against the Packers, with Knight’s apparent touchdown potential giving him the rankings edge.
Jacoby Brissett more productive than Kyler Murray as Marvin Harrison Jr. gets hurt. Elsewhere in the Cardinals’ offense, Brissett managed 100 more yards (320) than Murray’s season high, and did so with MHJ missing the entire second half with a concussion. It’s a stretch to say Brissett was “better” than Murray, but he was not visibly worse. That’s a problem for a quarterback in Kyler who has indeed been visibly unimpressive this season. Now hurt again as his play potentially regresses from its recent plateau, Murray might finally be playing his way out of franchise quarterback status in the desert. As for Week 7, neither profiles as an inspiring QB2 play against the Packers, especially if MHJ is sidelined. Improbably, Zay Jones seems worth a waiver wire look for WR4 desperados.
Harold Fannin reaches 10 targets as David Njoku leaves injured. Missing time in the second and third quarters, Njoku finally departed for good in the fourth. That is where Fannin commanded half of his season-high 10 looks, meaning he is probably still sensitive to Njoku’s presence or lack thereof. With the veteran a potential trade target ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline, it stands to reason Njoku might get a game or two to heal up. That would put Fannin firmly back in the TE1 mix, as his easy button short-area targets are about all Dillon Gabriel is capable of completing at the moment.
Questions
1. Doesn’t 72.7 percent of the league’s entire schedule being played in London feel a bit high?
2. How many failed Mark Andrews tush pushes would you need to see, John Harbaugh, before maybe retiring that one from the playbook?
3. Doing this with Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne … do you finally feel alive, Kyle Shanahan?
Early Waivers Look (Players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Jaxson Dart (@DEN), Michael Penix Jr. (@SF), Mac Jones (vs. ATL), Sam Darnold (vs. HOU), Carson Wentz (vs. PHI)
RB: Kimani Vidal, Bam Knight, Tyjae Spears Kenneth Gainwell, Tyler Allgeier, Kendre Miller
WR: Tre Tucker, Josh Downs, Kendrick Bourne, Darnell Mooney, Malik Washington, Jalen Coker, Kayshon Boutte, Jordan Whittington
TE: Harold Fannin, Mason Taylor, Theo Johnson, AJ Barner, Taysom Hill, Jake Tonges, Oronde Gadsden
DEF: Patriots (@TEN), Browns (vs. MIA), Seahawks (vs. HOU), Dolphins (@CLE), Panthers (@NYJ)
Stats of the Week
113. That’s how many passing yards Drake Maye lost to bogus OPI calls. The refs also took a touchdown off the board. Thankfully, this being our young Josh Allen, Maye still finished as the QB3 overall.
Cowboys stat of the week, from Todd Archer: “From ESPN Research: Since starts were first tracked in 1950, Dak Prescott is the first QB to have 11 or more Pass TD/Rush TD, zero turnovers and a non-winning record over a three-start span.”
Three. That was Matthew Golden’s number of 20-plus yard receptions against the Bengals. The Packers won’t do it because they are the Packers, but it is beyond time to make Golden a full-time player.
The Titans’ futility, via Rich Hribar: “The Titans have scored one touchdown on 37 first half possessions so far this season.”
Kenneth Walker played a season-low 34.5 percent of the Seahawks’ snaps. He, apparently, just isn’t good at the things the Seahawks’ coaching staff values most.
Awards Section
Week 6 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Patrick Mahomes, RB Rico Dowdle, RB Cam Skattebo, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR George Pickens, WR Kayshon Boutte, TE Dallas Goedert
Week 6 All Bank Examiner Squad: QB Justin Fields, RB Saquon Barkley, RB Kenneth Walker III, WR Courtland Sutton, WR Michael Pittman Jr., WR Calvin Ridley, TE Mason Taylor
Tweet of the Week, from Rohan Nadkarni: “The Dolphins only have one play on third and long: A dangerous throw over the middle into double or triple coverage.”
The I Would Consider Not Doing That Award: Tua Tagovailoa getting picked off on a … hook and ladder?
The I Would Consider Not Doing That Award II: Tua Tagovailoa admitting no one is showing up for his players-only meetings.
Follow Up Message of the Week, from Rico Dowdle: “Rico Dowdle on follow up message to the Cowboys to buckle up? ‘’They wasn’t buckled up,’’ he said. #Panthers”
https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/football/news/sunday-aftermath-rico-dowdle-time-emeka-egbuka-and-puka-nacuas-injuries-and-more
