We are now over a month into this NFL season! We must focus on the top takeaways now that we have film and statistics to study. No longer can we rest on our offseason takes of who will succeed and who will fail. We now have a reasonably large sample size of NFL football. The fantasy season will move quickly, and in a dynasty, it is essential to acquire players before they break out or unload players before they falter. We can lead our team to a fantasy football title by focusing on weekly top takeaways!
Justin Fields Improving
Fields has been improving as a passer, and the Bears’ offense has been opening up a bit. It is now back-to-back weeks that Fields has attempted 20 or more passes. This may not seem like a big deal, but when you consider he has a game on the season with only 11 attempts, 20 seems like a big deal. This is excellent news for all Bears’ pass catchers as they are finally becoming fantasy viable. The production is not there yet, but the opportunity for production is there.
In a crucial NFC North matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Fields almost did everything needed to secure the victory. If it wasn’t for a Smith-Marsette fumble toward the end of the game, we could be talking about a Bears victory right now. Fields did have two fumbles, but he is showing massive improvement.
Randall Cobb Gate Keeper
Packers’ rookie wide receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson have been struggling to start the year. This should be no surprise. Watson played at a small school at the FCS level, and Doubs was a late-round pick who also played at a smaller school. Not every rookie is going to take off like Jefferson or Chase. However, just because the rookies are struggling does not mean the Packers’ offense can remain dormant. That is where Cobb steps in.
The Packers played an early Sunday morning game against the New York Giants overseas in London. Cobb commanded 13 targets in this game as the rookies struggled to get anything going. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t changed much and still relies on the guys he trusts. If you are a contender hurting for wide receiver depth as we enter the bye weeks, Cobb could be a nice cheap pickup.
Justin Jefferson Resurgence
After a down Week Three, Jefferson has reminded us that he is the dynasty WR1 with back-to-back weeks with 13 targets and over 140 yards in each game. Everyone in the fantasy community was calling for Jefferson to take over the Cooper Kupp role in the O’Connell offense, and it looks like that take is true. Jefferson is an untradeable asset and is easily the top pick in any non-Superflex dynasty startup.
As expected, the rest of the pass-catchers behind Jefferson are suffering. Jefferson is a target hog and does not leave much room for anyone else to produce in this offense. If Jefferson missed time, I would struggle to see Adam Theilen taking over that type of target share and being close to productive.
Lions’ Offense Kept In Check
Coming into Week Five, the Detroit Lions were the highest-scoring offense in football. Before Swift’s injury, he and Jamaal Williams were top-six running backs. Also, Amon-Ra St. Brown was a top-five fantasy wide receiver before his injury. Everything was clicking for the Dan Campbell-led Lions, well, everything except the defense. That was until they ran into Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
This past Sunday, the league-leading offense put up exactly zero points. Goff didn’t look the way he has all season. He completed only 19 for 35 passing and had a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and an interception. Belichick always had Goff’s number back to his Super Bowl days with the Rams. Brighter days are ahead for the Lions’ offense, and this might be a nice opportunity to buy low in dynasty.
Information is the most powerful tool any dynasty fantasy football manager possesses. If you can stay on top of the correct information more than your league-mates, you will come out on top. Some key fantasy football players call the NFC North home. Be sure to check back with us, as we will be breaking down takeaways from every division this week. And be sure to come back next week, as we will be doing the same for all 18 weeks of the 2022 NFL season!
The NFL season is here! Want exclusive access to my rankings and those of over twenty fellow analysts? Subscribe to the #NerdHerd, where you get exclusive content, dynasty/rookie rankings, and DynastyGM! If you want 15% off ANY SUBSCRIPTION, USE PROMO CODE “LUNA” or CLICK HERE.
I hope you enjoyed this piece in our Winning With Vegas series. For more content like this, follow me on Twitter @DanT_NFL. DMs are always open for any questions, comments, or craft beer recommendations!