One thing I don't like is when fantasy pundits say: "That helps no one," referring to scrubby players who score TDs. Of course, it helps someone - the guy who was going against the player who should have scored instead. Normally I only root for the guys I have on more than one team and then the guys I have on important teams and pretty much against everyone else, i.e., for the guys who help no one. But a side effect of heavy scrub scoring is often ugly, sloppy games. When the best players in the league are lighting it up, the games usually have a more exciting feel - and that's even the case when those players - Antonio Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Andrew Luck - aren't on any of my teams (I do have one share of Ben Roethlisberger.) So maybe the fantasy-cheerleader pundits are right to an extent.
• I asked last week where the Steelers find all their receivers, and that question was answered during the game - apparently Mike Tomlin was a good college receiver at William and Mary, so he knows the position especially well. You can add Martavis Bryant to the list of wideouts the Steelers drafted and/or developed on his watch (Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Marcus Wheaton). Bryant breaks the small/quick mold with his size and speed, and Ben Roethlisberger is willing to target him down the field.
• Speaking of which, Roethlisberger came back into the game with 2:00 left with 522 passing yards. The single-game record is held by Norm Van Brocklin at 554, but the Steelers didn't try to get him the extra 33 to break it. I'm pretty sure if it were Peyton Manning or Drew Brees, not only would he be throwing, but they'd have a special ceremony for him with 30 seconds left to celebrate it.
• Andrew Luck also had a huge game, and he has his own version of Brown (T.Y. Hilton) and Bryant (Donte Moncrief). Luck has been a monster all year, but he still has a tiny bit of Blake Bortles in him, with occasional poor decisions and ugly picks.
• I'm so glad I drafted Trent Richardson in a few places this year because it caused me to get Ahmad Bradshaw.
• If you want to be something really scary for Halloween, get a Rob Gronkowski mask. On his third score, he manhandled a hapless DB with a straight-arm, like a rook knocking off an undefended pawn. What a monster.
• Tom Brady looks like the peak version again, and unlike a lot of teams, the Patriots rarely go into a shell when they have a lead. Brady is now the No. 5 QB after the big three and Luck.
• Jonas Gray ran with power and burst, albeit against the Bears, but I'm buying him as the Stevan Ridley replacement. Before Ridley had the fumbling problems, it was a valuable role.
• Matt Forte is game-flow proof. Probably the No. 1 back - ahead of even DeMarco Murray and maybe Arian Foster - in PPR.
• The Philly-Arizona game wasn't especially well played, but what a great finish between the go-ahead drive (Chip Kelly should have gone for the TD on fourth down), the perfectly thrown bomb to and great catch by John Brown and the final drive by the Eagles that ended in a would-be TD catch that was six inches out of bounds.
• Jeremy Maclin is the Eagles' Hilton/Brown - the small guy who is everywhere and catches most of what's thrown his way.
• Michael Floyd failed to catch a pass, but that might have had something to do with him pulling up lame on a sideline target in the first half. If healthy, he's too talented not to produce, so buy low if you can.
• Cordarrelle Patterson had 12 targets finally. He caught only six for 86 yards though.
• As Mark Stopa pointed out on Twitter, today had to be a record for rookie receiver production: Sammy Watkins (157), John Brown (119), Moncrief (113), Brandin Cooks (94), Kelvin Benjamin (94), Bryant (83), Allen Robinson (82), Mike Evans (78), Davante Adams (75), Taylor Gabriel (60), Allan Hurns (49), Jordan Matthews (47), and Michael Campanaro (40) all went for 40 or more yards.
• What a dud the Bills backfield replacements turned out to be. Of course, it was against a tough run defense, but it's hard to get excited about anyone on that offense except Watkins.
• Steve Smith did (barely) extend his arms to push off on what would have been a game-winning touchdown catch against the Bengals, but the refs have to let that go. Both players had hands on each other, and Smith was more steadying himself than shoving the DB. The NFL needs to be honest and admit the new rules were a mistake. We needed neither more offensive PI, nor defensive PI. Go back to last year's standards.
• I didn't set my alarm for Atlanta-Detroit, though I caught the fourth quarter. I'm on the West Coast, so it wasn't worth it given the teams that were playing, but I'd be on board for an extra early game every few weeks.
• As much as I complain about random junk determining games and derailing my picks, I didn't mind the Dolphins two picks sixes in a game the Jaguars largely dominated for the entire first half. The Dolphins were my best bet ATS, my Survivor pick and I had picked up their defense in a key league. While I usually prefer to enjoy the bitter taste of bad luck like an aged scotch, occasionally it's worth cutting with remembrances of when things went your way
• Mark Ingram looked like Terrell Davis Sunday night, and like Davis used to do, he finished his night by breaking a long score against a beaten-down defense. Ingram must have been playing hurt his first couple years, because he's not only a between-the-tackles runner, but has the speed to get outside.
• Receiver production is volatile by nature, but it would be nice to see Jordy Nelson get more than five targets and 25 yards in a game where Aaron Rodgers threw for 418.