Everything you need to know from Sunday’s action

There are so many twists and turns to an NFL Sunday that it’s hard for fantasy football managers to keep up with everything. This column is designed to help, providing you with all of the storylines you need to know from Sunday’s action in order to kick-start your research for all of the Week 7 games that lie ahead.

• Dak Prescott‘s 1-yard TD pass to CeeDee Lamb was the 2,500th touchdown in Cowboys history. No NFL team has scored more touchdowns. In the Cowboys’ overtime win, Lamb caught 9-of-11 targets for 149 yards and two scores. The Cowboys have favorable matchups after their Week 7 bye, facing the Vikings, Broncos, Falcons and Chiefs. Get your popcorn ready!

• Dalton Schultz has a defined role. It’s been an exceptional season for Schultz, who has thus far out-targeted Blake Jarwin 37-14. In Week 6, Schultz caught 5 of 6 targets for 79 yards. He has averaged 7.25 targets, 5.75 receptions and 74.0 receiving yards over the last four games. Schultz is a big target for Prescott because he consistently creates separation. That makes him a TE1. However, Michael Gallup‘s potential return after the bye could affect his target share.

• Damien Harris had his first 100-yard game since Week 1. On Sunday against the Cowboys, the Patriots’ offense was led by Harris and rookie Rhamondre Stevenson. Harris ran 18 times for 101 yards and a touchdown. Oh, and he had a 7-yard catch, too. With games against the Jets, Chargers, Panthers, Browns and Falcons coming up, Harris has a positive game script and exploitable opponents. Going forward, he’s a solid RB2.

• Courtland Sutton was very busy against the Raiders, getting 14 targets — good for a 29.8% target share. He caught eight passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Sutton is seriously underrated. During the last three games, he’s racked up 27.5% of the Broncos’ overall targets, 52.4% of deep targets and 35.3% of red zone targets. When Jerry Jeudy comes back from injured reserve, though, this dynamic could change.

• Noah Fant has been busy of late, too, seeing 15 targets over the past two games. With Albert Okwuegbunam on IR due to a hamstring injury, Fant has thrived. On Sunday, he caught 9 of 11 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown. Fant is on the TE1 radar with upcoming games against the Browns, Washington and Eagles.

• Javonte Williams continues to be in a near 50-50 timeshare with Melvin Gordon III, seeing 14 touches on Sunday, just one more than Gordon. Williams rushed for 53 yards on 11 carries against the Raiders. He also caught three of his targets for 15 yards. Despite the workload split, the rookie is still someone to trade for in your fantasy leagues.

• Henry Ruggs III is blossoming into a fantasy star. Ruggs has 50-plus receiving yards in five consecutive games. Against the Broncos, he caught three of his four targets for 97 yards and a touchdown. Ruggs should continue to be inserted into starting lineups as a WR3. Moving forward, the Raiders have one of the best WR schedules. They play the Eagles before their bye, then the Giants, Chiefs, Bengals, Cowboys and Washington.

• Donovan Peoples-Jones made a highly improbable catch that accounted for most of his yards against the Cardinals. Next Gen Stats says that the 57-yard TD pass from Baker Mayfield covered 66.4 yards, making it the longest completed pass since 2016. The completion probability was 15.4%. Peoples-Jones caught four out of five targets for 101 yards and two touchdowns. He is likely to be a top waiver-wire target this week. However, can you really trust a Browns receiver in fantasy, considering how heavily they rely on running the ball?

• A 20% target share this season from DeAndre Hopkins is a bit of a concern. Hopkins averaged 9.9 targets per game (29%) last season. Against the Browns, he had only four targets, even though he caught three of them for 55 yards and two touchdowns. The good news is that Hopkins is making the most of his looks. He now has six receiving touchdowns this season, matching his total from 2020. Next up is “revenge week” against the Texans.

• If Dalvin Cook is active, don’t hesitate to start him. Fantasy managers are ecstatic over Cook’s performance against Carolina. He finished with 31 touches, 143 yards and a touchdown. It was Cook’s second 100-yard game of the season. When the Vikings return from their bye, they will have a tough schedule, but Cook is matchup proof.

• Meanwhile, the resurgence of Adam Thielen was epic. Thielen caught 11 of 13 targets for 126 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers, including one of the toughest catches all season. He had his first 100-yard game of the season and his first game with 10 catches since Week 6 of 2018. Move him now while his value is high.

• Ricky Seals-Jones has now had 14 targets in his two starts this season, after a 4-of-6 effort for 58 yards and a score against the Chiefs. In Week 7, he’s on the streaming radar once again, this time against the Packers.

• J.D. McKissic is a PPR dynamo. Antonio Gibson‘s shin injury is still bothering him, opening the door for McKissic. On Sunday, he ran eight times for 45 yards and caught eight passes for 65 yards. It seems like Gibson’s injury won’t go away as the season progresses. That’s why, moving forward, McKissic is a solid RB3/flex option.

• Tyreek Hill gave fantasy managers heart palpitations after aggravating his quad injury. However, he still managed to catch 8 of 11 targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. So far this season, he’s the only player in the AFC with 500-plus receiving yards and four touchdowns. Hill’s status will be closely monitored this week before appealing matchups against the Titans, Giants and Packers.

Rapid-fire report

• Against the Dolphins, both Laviska Shenault Jr. and Marvin Jones Jr. had 10 targets. However, Shenault caught only six balls for 54 yards, while Jones caught seven for 100 yards and a touchdown. It will be interesting to see what changes the Jaguars make offensively during their bye week.

• Aaron Jones (17) and AJ Dillon (11) continue to split touches in the Packers’ backfield. Jones finished with 110 total yards and a touchdown, while Dillon rushed for 59 yards.

• Robert Tonyan‘s absurd 18.6% TD rate last season was unsustainable. He’s now had only five targets over the last two games in the Packers’ low-volume passing offense.

• Justin Fields completed only 16 of 27 passes for 174 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while running for 43 yards. For fantasy purposes, he’s unstartable against the Buccaneers in Week 7.

• Cole Kmet had a season-high 49 yards for the Bears. However, with Fields averaging only 140.5 passing yards? Look elsewhere at tight end for now.

• Darrell Henderson Jr. ran for 78 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts against the Giants. He also caught a pair of passes for 29 yards and another touchdown. Henderson should be able to do the same against the Lions.

• Cooper Kupp caught 9 of 12 targets for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He’s now had multiple receiving touchdowns three times this season. That’s already the most by any Rams player for a full season since Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce (3) in 2000.

• Against the Rams, Sterling Shepard caught 10 of 14 targets for 76 yards. Before he hurt his ankle, Kadarius Toney caught all three of his targets for 36 yards. It sure looks like both receivers can coexist moving forward, assuming they can both get and stay healthy.

• Devontae Booker handled 76% of the RB opportunities (rushing attempts plus targets) for the Giants. He’s on the RB2 radar against the Panthers if Saquon Barkley is again inactive.

• Brandin Cooks caught nine of his 13 targets against the Colts for 89 yards. While he’s a volume WR2, his Texans teammate Nico Collins (4 catches, 6 targets, 44 yards) is someone you’ll want to keep an eye on in deeper formats.

• T.Y. Hilton caught all four of his targets for 80 yards. He’s dealing with a quad injury that the Colts didn’t seem overly concerned about. Hilton should continue to be involved offensively, when healthy. He’s now only 560 receiving yards away from becoming just the third Colts receiver — behind Marvin Harrison (14,580) and Reggie Wayne (14,345) — to surpass 10,000 career receiving yards. Hilton is on the WR3 radar.

Source: www.espn.com