The Panthers announced Monday morning that QB Baker Mayfield will start Sunday's game at Baltimore. That's because P.J. Walker suffered a high-ankle sprain in Thursday's win over the Falcons, interim HC Steve Wilks revealed. Mayfield most recently tallied 155 yards and 2 TDs in 2nd-half mop-up duty of the lopsided Week 9 loss at Cincinnati. Before that, of course, he played terrible through the 1st 5 games. The team also reportedly has "some interest in seeing Sam Darnold in action at some point," a ringing endorsement by way of ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Here's hoping you don't need to use a Carolina QB in your fantasy football lineup anytime soon.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Rams WR Cooper Kupp "may miss time" but that his ankle injury is "not catastrophic." Rapoport adds that Kupp is believed to have avoided a fracture but could miss "the next couple of weeks." We should get a more precise diagnosis and timeline after Kupp undergoes additional testing on that ankle on Monday.
Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk drew a team-high 7 targets in Sunday night's win over the Chargers, also leading the team in receptions (6) and receiving yards (84). WR Deebo Samuel trailed by just 1 target but caught only 2 passes for 24 yards. Samuel hasn't beaten Aiyuk in targets since Week 5. TE George Kittle managed just 1 reception for 21 yards among 2 targets. WR Jahan Jennings caught all 4 of his looks for 40 yards. The 49ers head to Mexico City next Monday night to face the Cardinals.
RB Elijah Mitchell led the 49ers in carries Sunday night in his 1st action since a Week 1 knee injury. He carried 18 times for 89 yards, beating Christian McCaffrey by 4 attempts and 51 yards. McCaffrey claimed the lone TD between them and caught 4 of 6 targets to add 39 yards. Mitchell drew 2 targets and caught 1 for a loss of a yard. We'll see about this backfield plan going forward. But the even split in Mitchell's return sets McCaffrey up as a "sell-high" candidate in redraft leagues.
Chargers QB Justin Herbergt managed just 196 passing yards, 1 TD and 1 INT in Sunday night's loss to the 49ers. It marked the 1st time this season that he fell short of 200 yards but his 4th straight game short of 6 yards per pass attempt. NBC's Cris Collinsworth said after the game that the Chargers hope to get Keenan Allen and/or Mike Williams back for Week 11. That would obviously help the QB.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler tallied 18 opportunities in Sunday night's loss to the 49ers. He gained 24 yards on 6 carries and caught 7 of 12 targets for 39 more yards. It was his 2nd lowest yardage total of the year, trailing only the Week 3 loss to Jacksonville. The NBC crew said after the game that the team hopes to get Keenan Allen and/or Mike Williams back ahead of a Week 11 home date with the Chiefs. That would certainly be good for the offense on whole.
Packers rookie WR Christian Watson enjoyed a huge Sunday, scoring 3 times in the OT win over Dallas. Watson also led the team in targets (8), receptions (4) and receiving yards (107). The rookie ran just 3 fewer routes than team-leader WR Allen Lazard; 7 more than anyone else on the team. That sets Watson up for a nice role going forward. We'll see if the target share (40% against the Cowboys) stays up.
Packers RB Aaron Jones amassed 24 carries for 138 yards and a TD in Sunday's OT win over the Cowboys, rebounding strongly after leaving Week 9 early with an ankle injury. He added 2 catches for 18 yards on 2 targets. AJ Dillon gained an efficient 65 yards on 13 carries (5.0 per rush) but didn't get a target and played just more than half as many snaps as Jones (24 vs. 45). Next comes a Thursday night date with Tennessee, which entered Week 10 as the league's top run defense by Football Outsiders DVOA.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott tossed 3 TD passes in Sunday's OT loss at Green Bay but proved inefficient overall. He threw for 265 yards but averaged just 5.76 per attempt across 46 throws. Prescott also threw a pair of INTs, each kicking off a scoring drive for the Packers. The QB gets a softer matchup at Minnesota in Week 11.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb racked up 11 catches for 150 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's OT loss at Green Bay. He drew a season-high 15 targets and exceeded 100 yards for the 1st time this season. TE Dalton Schultz ranked 2nd in targets (8), receptions (6) and yards (54) and snagged QB Dak Prescott's other TD. WR Michael Gallup caught 4 of 7 targets for 35 yards. RB Tony Pollard was the only other Cowboys to catch more than 1 ball.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard racked up 28 opportunities in Sunday's OT loss at Green Bay, with Ezekiel Elliott inactive. He took 22 carries for 115 yards and a TD and caught 3 of 6 targets for 13 yards. Elliott was talked about like a game-time decision ahead of Sunday's deactivation, which would seem to make him likely to return for a Week 11 trip to Minnesota. But we'll see about Elliott's status throughout this week. Pollard should be in Week 11 starter consideration for fantasy football teams either way.
Officials ejected 49ers LB Dre Greenlaw late in the 2nd quarter of Sunday night's game against the Chargers after a hit to the head of Chargers QB Justin Herbert. We wouldn't bet on any league suspension accompanying this, so Greenlaw should be set to return next Monday night at Arizona.
Raiders TE Foster Moreau logged just 4 targets in Sunday's loss to the Colts, drawing only 10.5% of QB Derek Carr's pass attempts. That belied the strength of his role, however. Moreau ran a route on 92.5% of Carr's 40 dropbacks. That trailed only WR Mack Hollins (by 3 routes) and WR Davante Adams (by 2). If Moreau continues to play that much while Darren Waller's on IR, we'd bet on his target shares picking up. Next comes a Denver defense that plays the pass tough but that also just allowed 5 catches to Titans TE Austin Hooper.
Raiders WR Davante Adams amassed a 9-126-1 receiving line on 14 targets in Sunday's loss to the Colts. He accounted for 36.8% of the team's pass attempts, 37.5% of receptions, 50.8% of receiving yards and 50% of TD catches. It was Adams' 2nd straight game with 120+ yards and 4th such game this season. Next comes a rematch with Denver's tough pass defense, but Adams hit them up for a 9-101 receiving line on 13 targets in the 1st meeting.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs put forth a solid fantasy outing in Sunday's loss to the Colts, thanks primarily to his 1st TD in 3 weeks. Jacobs rushed 21 times for 78 yards, including the 1-yard score in the 3rd quarter. He added 6 receptions for 28 yards (among 8 targets) to make it a strong PPR performance. Zamir White drew the only other RB carries, losing a yard on 2 attempts. Amber Abdullah claimed 4 targets, catching all 4 for 33 yards. Next comes a tough Denver defense in Week 11. Jacobs had little trouble in the 1st meeting, though, rushing for 28-144-2 and adding 5 catches for 31 yards.
The targets returned Sunday for Colts WR Parris Campbell, with QB Matt Ryan taking back over for Sam Ehlinger. Campbell matched WR Michael Pittman for the team leads in targets (9) and receptions (7) in the win over the Raiders. He turned those into 76 yards and the team's lone TD catch (from 35 yards out). Pittman gained just 53 yards on his 7 catches (7.6 per reception). TE Kyren Granson checked in 3rd with 4 catches for 57 yards. Campbell now has 9+ targets and 7+ receptions in each of the past 3 Ryan games.
The Colts started QB Matt Ryan in the 1st game under interim HC Jeff Saturday, and he proved solid in the victory over the Raiders. Ryan completed 21 of his 28 passes for 222 yards (7.9 per attempt), 1 TD and no INTs. His lone TD pass went to WR Parris Campbell on a 35-yard pass and run. Ryan added an uncharacteristic 38 yards and a TD on the ground. The start came as a surprise because Saturday said at his introductory press conference that he planned to keep Sam Ehlinger in the lineup. The move back to Ryan should be good for Colts receivers, though Week 11 brings a tough matchup with the Eagles.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor ran healthy in Sunday's win over the Raiders, racking up 147 yards and a TD on 22 carries. That score came from 66 yards and featured Taylor outrunning DBs to close it out. He added 2 catches for 16 yards in a game that found Jordan Wilkins and Zack Moss minimally involved behind him.
The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue hears that Rams WR Cooper Kupp "appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario" with his ankle injury. He's scheduled for additional testing on Monday to get a better look at the damage. Kupp owners should still be preparing for him to miss time, but it at least sounds like he has a chance to play again this season.
Titans RB Derrick Henry managed just 53 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's win over the Broncos. He added 2 catches for 14 yards among 3 targets. It marked his fewest yards per carry since Week 2 and just the 3rd game all year in which Henry logged fewer than 20 attempts. Next comes a Thursday night visit to Green Bay.
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