10/5 MON (7:55amET)
Today:
-- Executive Report Week 5: part 1 of 2
-- Week 4 Game Reports begin (TNF Week 4 leads us of)
-- Sports Card giveaway 3-player FF contest picks final results below.
-- Two Scouts Talking YouTube Video (breaks for the weekend + Monday, back at it on Tu-W-Thu-Fri this week). Shooting 3-4 videos today for release throughout this week.
This past week/s:
Tre Harris: https://youtu.be/t5sBsrte-oI
Kenyon Sadiq: https://youtu.be/flBWVXhOcFs
Ollie v. Braelon: https://youtu.be/9tsBBLYSIB8
Jonah Coleman: https://youtu.be/1PgxRk1Sqdc
Oronde Gadsden: https://youtu.be/zpqx5v_M-dQ
Kalif Raymond: https://youtu.be/fQsruq7zvaI
Devaughn Vele: https://youtu.be/1aHFMgfQI14
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NEW DISCORD NOTIFICATION SYSTEM/INVITE: FFM Discord Notification System
*This is not a chat room. It is a one-way channel for FFM notifications about newly posted items and critical breaking news.
== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==
First reactions to Sunday...
1) It’s getting to be an overstated thing, but it is THE reality of FF 2026: This injury thing is out of control.
Last week’s (Week 3) injury list was an all-star affair, a ‘who’s who’ of talent. This week’s (Week 4) report is an All-Star team and a Hall of Fame nominees list. The offensive names are shocking enough, but that’s diverting attention away from the defensive injuries and the O-line injuries. It’s an epidemic, and probably the biggest issue of all so far is the number of top/starting CBs going down... which is going to invite teams to start throwing more. The teams that can and will throw are going to be the beneficiaries.
There are too many injuries to even start talking about yet, because it will take me two days to process them, contemplate them, and make projection adjustments from them. Today, I will be doing mostly injury research and backup/adjustment research. I have never had to do that so much in my entire FF professional career as I have this week and last week.
2) Reaction to mass injuries...
What do you do when so many key players keep getting hurt? Seriously, it’s like we have to project the entire season from scratch every single week. There are precious few cohesive situations in the NFL to kind of set your watch by, so to speak—and the ones you can are because they are so bad they just keep being bad. Everything is a five-alarm fire every week.
Fantasy managers who are 4-0 or 3-1 after this week are enjoying things so far. They’ve benefited from a lack of injuries or more injuries hitting their opponents, whether in-game or ahead of the game.
Fantasy managers at 2-2, depending upon how you got there, are nervous but not doomed.
Fantasy managers at 1-3 or 0-4 after this week—especially if they’ve lost two or three in a row—start wanting to give up. They’ve lost so many key players. They acquire a fix, and then the fix gets hurt. Who wants this torture every week? It’s no fun on Sundays especially.
This season, unlike any other I’ve seen at the start, is total chaos. But within the chaos and the mass injuries is one of the best opportunities to play the game ever. Even the worst teams can scuffle, endure, swap, patch, trade, do all the things, get a cheap win due to an opponent's injury here and there, and climb back into the race. You just have to get to the playoffs. That’s your only mission. And that’s very doable this season no matter how far down you are due to injuries, schedules, bad sit-starts, or whatever else.
Fantasy football players, by and large, in my 15+ years of experience, are doomsday-ists and quitters at heart. That’s the urge. They want to blow up Dynasty teams for a rebuild and daydream about getting Jeremiah Smith. In redraft leagues, you start to see league-mates checking out... not worrying about their lineups or waiver wires. One by one, they all start to fold... they want to fold early to punish the season or punish themselves. The same people who would crush their children if they wanted to quit something because it had a "too hard" start will rage against their fantasy team and check out early. We want to punish and see the negative in things. It’s our human 2020s nature.
Here’s what I think: This FF season is not going to go to the best drafter, trader, sit-starter, or current roster. It’s going to be won by something that has nothing to do with football evaluation talent... This season, to the most extreme degree I’ve ever seen, is going to go to the players who have the greatest endurance and resilience.
Fantasy is a giant poker tournament. Sometimes you get dealt bad hands right off the bat, while others get great hands. You don’t just quit the tournament after a few hands. If you start falling behind, you adopt a different strategy to preserve your stack, wait for opportunity, slowly work your way back, and outlast all the other people at the table who start dropping like flies.
Who can maintain their "grit" and persistence in the face of constant bad news and weird twists and turns?
We can.
We’ve been doing it for years now as FF gets more bizarre with each passing year.
Fantasy advertisements have always had "dominate your opponents" as their motto or ad copy cajoling you to buy their product. They all use the same word because they are super creative and earnest...
I say to you, whatever way you play the game and wherever you like to get your information: It’s not "dominate your opponents"... it’s OUTLAST your opponents.
Endure.
Grit.
Adapt or Die.
Welcome to FF 2026... this is our strategy now: https://youtu.be/wM-lOVgoUqI?si=jVItZwhcN9jvZIUy
Get mad on Sunday/Monday. Back to work Tuesday through Saturday.
-- HEADLINE: Chiefs interested in adding wide receiver Tyreek Hill to roster (Sources).
The Chiefs were cruising along the first 3 weeks with their skill players then all hell broke loose in Week 4...just like with our Fantasy teams. Are they quitting? Nope. They’re playing the cards they’re dealt. They have an ace in the hole.
== INJURY CENTER/WARD ==
-- Wow, Puka injury theory: https://x.com/drjessemorse/status/2102755536894611672?s=43
-- Jeremiyah Love is playing hurt: https://x.com/AdamKoffler/status/2106848564680728972?s=20
-- @DrJesseMorse: Injuries from Week 4...
Marcus Mariota - R knee MCL sprain
Lamar Jackson - L high-ankle sprain
Dak Prescott - R hand laceration
Saquon Barkley - R hamstring strain
Jeremiyah Love - R leg injury?
Rhamondre Stevenson - R knee injury
Kyle Monangai - thumb injury
Chris Brooks - ankle injury
Ja’Marr Chase - concussion
Tee Higgins - L groin/adductor strain
Rashee Rice - L hamstring strain
Ladd McConkey - Foot reinjury?
DJ Moore - L Shoulder reinjury
Mack Hollins - L calf strain
Tyquan Thornton - L ankle dislocation
Pat Bryant - R ankle fracture
Jaylin Lane - L ankle fracture/dislocation
Jalen Nailor - concussion
The post and discussion from Dr. Morse: https://x.com/DrJesseMorse/status/2106947023471509814?s=20
== Interesting STAT Center ==
-- Most rush attempts this season without a 15+ yard gain (two RBs coming back from rough injuries, and coming back quickly/too quickly?):
1. Cam Skattebo (68)
2. Quinshon Judkins (59)
-- NFL Target share leaders this season through the 1 pm ET slate (per game):
Brock Bowers 45%
JSN 38%
DeVonta Smith 33%
Amon-Ra. St. Brown 32%
CeeDee Lamb 32%
Isaiah Likely 32%
-- Chargers RB snap share Week 4:
Keaton Mitchell 38%
Kimani Vidal 37%
Omarion Hampton 32%
-- QB fantasy finishes vs. the Lions this season ...
Tyler Shough: 4th
Josh Allen: 1st
Geno Smith: 3rd
Bryce Young: 6th
Next up: Jacoby Brissett
-- Bryce Young this season:
1,268 pass yards (1st)
9 pass TD (T-3rd)
63 pass 1st downs (1st)
55 comp of 10+ yds (1st)
13 comp of 25+ yds (1st)
Per @NextGenStats:
411 pass yds under pressure (1st)
4 pass TD under pressure (T-1st)
321 deep pass yds (1st)
7 pass TD outside numbers (T-1st)
534 pass yds outside numbers (2nd)
928 pass yds vs zone coverage (2nd)
340 pass yds vs man coverage (4th)
-- The Bears had 34 first downs Sunday. The Jets had 32 plays.
This is only the second game in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) in which a team had more first downs than its opponent had plays, per ESPN Research.
RC vs. Ross Coffee bets (through Wk3):
More targets this season...
23 = Raymond (RC)
11 = D. Swift (Ross)
== QUOTES & QUOTABLES ==
-- I think Sean Payton is contemplating taking the offense back over: https://x.com/NFLonFOX/status/2106901274251919547?s=20
--On the other hand... Jim Harbaugh won’t change: https://x.com/NFLonFOX/status/2106908321836077241?s=20
-- @krisrhim1 Q to Jim Harbaugh: "Omarion had a season high of carries in week two, game ended with a fumble by him. His carries have gone down since each week. Is that related to that fumble or is it something else?"
"No, it's three different backs that are playing really well and rotating carries. Pleased with the way our running backs are playing."
"Was there a reason why the rotation began in week three?"
"We think it's best for our team. That's what we think is best for our team. Yeah. And yeah, all three running backs are playing good wanting to utilize their skillsets."
"I guess why I'm asking is -- if it was best for the team, I'm just wondering why it wasn't best for the team in week one or week two, but in week three."
"I feel like I've answered your question."
-- (NBC) Jeremiyah Love said he told Cardinals coaches that Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight were in better shape to play than he was in Week 4 against the Giants.
Love engaged in a long, candid conversation with Cardinals beat reporters after the game today, saying his snaps are being managed because he currently is “not able to go out there and do spectacular plays every single time.” Love said this is probably going to be the “longest year” of his life, and his preseason ankle injury is not the only thing he is dealing with. Love said his body is sometimes just “tired,” and that he would “probably just hinder the team” if he took on more work in his current state. He rhetorically asked, “why not put somebody else out there that’s playing better?” For those wondering, the Cardinals don’t go on bye until Week 14. They face the fantasy-friendly Lions defense in Week 5, which could help Love get his confidence back with an efficient performance.
Your moment of Zen for this day...
-- We had a few FFM teams, mostly Dynasty, that experienced this: https://x.com/FantasyPros/status/2106957411424858375?s=20
-- The undefeateds: https://x.com/onyxodds/status/2106902862181683440?s=43
-- Vikings O: https://x.com/sharpfootball/status/2106869480299085864?s=43
*SPORTS CARD Giveaway:
The Five cards to give away:
2005 Bowman Aaron Rodgers rookie card grade 9 - $40-75
2017 Panini TJ Watt rookie card grade 10 - $90-125
1989 Topps Deion Sanders rookie card grade 10 - $70-100
2001 Bowman LaDainian Tomlinson rookie card grade 9 - $30-50+
1984 Topps Eric Dickerson rookie card grade 9 autograph grade 10 - $300-500+
The order of finish (using FantasyPros scoring/PPR)/thus the sports card giveaway draft order...
If you see an error or issue, let me know, but our current calculations are:
#1: Ser.... @gmail = Random from all sources of subscribers = Gibbs, Henry, JT (56.3 pts)
#2: Mit... @go...com = Random from ‘Betting’ subscribers/Private Club = Gibbs, JSN, CMC (46.3)
#3: Oli... @yahoo = Random from the 2026 new subscriber list, any category/item. = JSN, Gibbs, Henry (46.2)
#4: Bma..... @gmail (from the video show end group from a couple weeks ago) = Gibbs, JSN, ARSB (45.8)
#5: Ch.... @msn = Random from the OG group of longest-term FFM subscribers = JaMarr, Gibbs, JSN (36.0)
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