Nov 13, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) gives a young fan the game ball after a win against the Green Bay Packers at Nissan Stadium. The Titans won 47-25. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
The five biggest fantasy football takeaways from Week 10 of the 2016 NFL season.
When Week 10 started off on Thursday night with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, a part of me believed it was a prelude for what kind of games we were going to see on Sunday.
Boy, was I wrong.
There was entertainment value in just about every single game (minus the Rams at Jets). There were also plenty of fantasy football implications and takeaways in those games as well. What exactly did you miss and need to know moving forward?
Here are the five biggest fantasy football takeaways from Week 10.
Nov 7, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back C.J. Prosise (22) is pursued by Buffalo Bills safety Corey Graham (20) during a NFL football game at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks defeated the Bills 31-25. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
5. Get Familiar with C.J. Prosise
The Seattle Seahawks coaching staff said they wanted to get rookie running back C.J. Prosise more involved, but it’s hard to take NFL coaches at their word. Far too often they say something and then do the opposite. This time, they were telling the truth. On Sunday Night Football, Prosise finished with 24 touches and 153 yards. You can’t get much more involved than that.
Owners may be a tad worried about Prosise moving forward because Thomas Rawls should be returning as soon as next week. The fact is, they shouldn’t be. Prosise brings something to the table Rawls and Christian Michael don’t have. That “something” is his tremendous receiving ability.
Of his 24 touches yesterday, seven of them were receptions. In case you didn’t know, Prosise at one point was a wide receiver in college at Notre Dame. His versatility will keep him on the field and fantasy relevant. Offenses are constantly trying to find mismatches to exploit.
Think about what the Atlanta Falcons did to the Denver Broncos back in Week 5. They used their running backs against the Broncos linebackers and beat them one-on-one. Yesterday, the Dolphins backup running back Damien Williams was split out wide against a linebacker and beat him for a 18-yard touchdown reception.
Prosise lined up in the slot against a Patriot linebacker and caught a 38-yard reception in the fourth quarter. He’s walking mismatch and the Seahawks coaching staff will get the most out of the rookie.
Nov 13, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson (15) stretches to make the catch during the second quarter of a football game against the Houston Texans at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
4. Allen Robinson’s Resurgence
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Anytime there’s a change with an offensive coordinator, you have to scrap what you’ve seen and start over fresh with a new outlook. Since the Jaguars fired Greg Olson and quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett took over as the offensive coordinator, he has done two things. One, he’s establish more of a running game with Chris Ivory and T.J Yeldon. Two, he’s made a point to get wide receiver Allen Robinson to get more involved.
In Hackett’s first game as OC in Week 9, Robinson finished with 12 targets, seven receptions, 76 yards and one touchdown. In Week 10, he finished with 13 targets, nine receptions, 107 yards and one touchdown. At a full 16-game season under Hackett, Robinson would be on pace for 200 targets, 128 receptions, 1,464 yards and 16 touchdowns.
At that pace, he would finish with more targets, receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns than his breakout season last year. Yes, two games is a small sample size, but it’s also clear Hackett knows he has to get his best playmaker the ball more. If you acquired Robinson for pennies on the dollar, you got yourself a steal. If you traded Robinson away out of frustration, you should be regretting that.
Nov 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Ryan Mathews (24) celebrates after his 5-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Falcons, 24-15. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
3. Who is “The Guy” in Philly?
If there wasn’t so much confusion and frustration, fantasy football wouldn’t be so much fun. This week, it’s the Eagles backfield that is bringing more questions than answers.
A couple weeks ago, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson refused to name running back Darren Sproles the starting running back. Instead, he kept insisting Ryan Mathews was the team’s starting running back. The label “starter” was obviously a term used loosely because in Weeks 8 and 9, as Sproles out-touched Mathews 36-11.
Going into Week 10, Pederson finally admitted Sproles was the team’s starting running back. That’s not a surprise because Sproles was out-snapping and out-touching Mathews leading up to that point. Finally, the Eagles backfield situation was cleared up.
That was until yesterday.
Yesterday, the Eagles “backup” running back Ryan Mathews out-carried Sproles 19-2 and out-touched him 21-10. In Sproles’ first game as the “starter,” he tied a season-low in carries. In Mathews’ first game as the “backup” and he gets the most carries he’s had since Week 1.
So now what? Will Mathews continue to see 15-20 carries like he did on Sunday or will he only see single-digit carries like he has on five different occasions this season? This situation is certainly fluid and one to keep an eye on.
Nov 13, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws a touchdown pass during the first half against the Green Bay Packers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
2. Is Mariota Fantasy Elite?
If Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota isn’t fantasy elite at this point, then I’m not sure what “elite” means.
Over the Titans last six games, Mariota has averaged 288 total yards and over three total touchdowns per game. In that span ,he hasn’t had a game without multiple touchdown passes and has 25+ fantasy points in four out of those six games.
As we have seen, elite or great players in real life and in fantasy football can be fleeting. Running back Peyton Hillis was on top of the NFL world back in 2010 and didn’t do anything for the rest of his career. Earlier this season, Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones looked like a legitimate WR1 for the first month of the season, but now looks like a WR3/4.
People might be skeptical of Mariota, but the fact is, he was the second-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft for a reason. Last year there was glimpses of Mariota’s potential but he wasn’t able to do it consistently. However, now he is. In the Titans’ next two games, they play the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears so Mariota has a great opportunity to keep this hot-streak going. If you own him, he needs to be starting.
Nov 13, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) drops back to make a pass during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
1. Russell Wilson Returns to Fantasy Glory
And just like that, Russell Wilson has returned to QB1 status.
Yes, I’m the same guy who said a couple weeks ago owners could/should drop Wilson. It wasn’t because he suddenly wasn’t a good or capable quarterback. It was because he was dealing with numerous injuries and it was hindering his ability. With the Seahawks bye week already come and gone, it was hard to believe Wilson was going to get back to 100 percent. Heck, it was also conceivable he was going to aggravate a previous injury or pick up a new one.
In his first seven games of the season, he only reached 20+ fantasy points once. Now, in back-to-back weeks, he has put up 25+ fantasy points. On Sunday night, he went into Foxboro on a short week and set a season-high with 348 passing yards and tied a season-high in touchdown passes with three.
He finally looks like the elite fantasy quarterback we’ve become so accustomed to seeing over the last couple seasons.
In the upcoming weeks, he faces some very vulnerable secondaries in the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams. Combine that schedule with the Seahawks new-found weapon in running back C.J. Prosise, Thomas Rawls returning from injury and this offense has the potential to roll.
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