On Sunday, in his first game with the Cardinals, running back Adrian Peterson thrashed the Buccaneers defense for 134 yards and two touchdowns. But is the veteran now back for good? Let's discuss Peterson's value moving forward, hit on the fantasy fall-out in Green Bay with the injury to Aaron Rodgers, take a look at Nelson Agholor's run on production and much more.
Here are my Week 6 fantasy takeaways:
Adrian Peterson isn't done yet
When Peterson was traded to Arizona last week, I didn't see the veteran having an immediate impact after his limited production in New Orleans. But that's exactly what Peterson did versus the Tampa Bay defense on Sunday, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries (5.2 yards per carry).
With consistent touches, and a major jump in volume, Peterson showed his entire skill set in that matchup. The power? Yes, it's still there. So is the vision to jump through running lanes, the footwork to make defenders miss in the open field, and that sudden burst when he finds daylight. Peterson tore up the Buccaneers on downhill runs and finished the job at the goal line.
Plus, his ability to run the ball led to Carson Palmer's touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. They came out in tight formation (run alert), and utilized play-action. The safety took the bait and left an open window for Palmer to hit Fitzgerald for six points. If the Cardinals can continue to run the ball effectively with Peterson, Palmer will get to see more eight-man fronts with one-on-one matchups on the outside.
Looking ahead, I don't think this is just a one-game thing with Peterson. We all saw it. The talent is still there, and so is the Cardinals' commitment to run the ball. This is a back who thrives with a heavy workload and he should be a solid RB2 in Week 7 versus the Rams.
The fantasy fallout from the Aaron Rodgers injury
The fantasy stock of Green Bay's offensive skill players takes a major hit with the collarbone injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. There's just no other way to say it. Yes, with Brett Hundley stepping in (18-of-33, 157 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions versus the Vikings), the Packers will still showcase their West Coast concepts and movement passes. Run your offense. I get that.
However, Rodgers' ability to deliver the ball into tight windows, make off-schedule plays and extend the pocket was key to the value of Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams and Randall Cobb. Think of all the red-zone plays where Rodgers would buy time for routes to convert, or the pinpoint ball placement on back-shoulder throws. It's amazing stuff. While Hundley has the mobility to step up and get to the edge of the pocket, he's not close to the magician that Rodgers is when it comes to creating opportunities for his wide receivers at all three levels of the field.
There is a possibility that tight end Martellus Bennett sees a slight bump in targets thanks to middle-of-the-field throws. The Packers could also lean more on the run game with Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery. However, fantasy managers have to prepare for this Green Bay offense to take a serious step back as they transition to life without Rodgers, who had already thrown 13 touchdowns on the year.
Nelson Agholor's value climbing
Did you see the speed from Agholor on Thursday night? I'm talking about that immediate burst to get vertically up the field after hauling in that slant route to get six points versus the Panthers. Sure, it was a poor matchup decision by Carolina to have a linebacker walk out into coverage over Agholor in the slot -- one quick shake at the line and Agholor was gone. All day.
However, the Eagles' slot receiver now has four touchdowns on the season and has caught 11 of 16 targets in the past three weeks for 206 yards. The key here is the production after the catch. On those 11 grabs, Agholor averaged a whopping 9.0 yards after the catch. The former first-round pick is playing extremely fast in a Philadelphia offense that will lean on the quick game and RPOs (run-pass options) with quarterback Carson Wentz. Get the ball out and let Agholor use that separation speed to slice through defenders.
For managers looking for that rising WR3/flex, Agholor is a guy you can drop into the lineup. He's currently rostered in only 36.3 percent of ESPN leagues. His targets are becoming more consistent and the ability is showing on tape.
Jerick McKinnon is the running back to start in Minnesota
Rostered in 75.5 percent of ESPN leagues, McKinnon is a must-add for any manager looking for a back with RB2 production. Over the past two weeks, McKinnon has racked up 245 total yards (on 43 touches) with three touchdowns. It's McKinnon's versatility as a pass catcher that makes him the smart play over Latavius Murray in the Vikings backfield.
Based on what I'm watching, the game speed (or burst) is what separates McKinnon from Murray. He just plays faster with the lateral quicks to shake defenders in the open field. That shows up in both the screen game and on downhill runs. Go back to McKinnon's touchdown run versus the Packers on Sunday. He hit that hole quick. Watch McKinnon after the catch. He can cut down angles.
With 11 receptions (on 12 targets) in a pair of wins over Chicago and Green Bay, McKinnon has shown that he can handle a heavier workload and produce in multiple ways. Get him in your lineup moving forward.
Mark Ingram now in the RB1 mix?
With Peterson now having moved to Arizona, Ingram saw a jump in volume versus the Lions. The Saints running back carried the ball 25 times for 114 yards (including a 51-yard run) and also added another 36 yards on five receptions. Ingram ran hard too, gaining 90 yards after first contact, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and scored both of his touchdowns on goal-line carries. That's a major positive in a New Orleans offense that is going to move the rock and score points.
We know about the skill set of Alvin Kamara and I wrote about the Saints rookie earlier this season. There's dynamic talent there with legit value in PPR formats. Kamara got 10 carries (75 yards) and also caught four passes on Sunday. He's still going to see touches as a versatile threat in Sean Payton's system.
However, with Peterson out of the mix, Ingram is going to jump into the discussion as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2. I'm going to rank him as an RB1 in Week 7 versus the Packers defense.
Cameron Brate has TE1 value in Week 7
Over the past three games, Brate has seen 23 targets. That's a big number. Tampa Bay's tight end has caught 15 of those targets for 224 yards, with three touchdowns. I think Brate runs the red-zone shake/seam route as well as any tight end in the league. Plus, he shows good body control to adjust to the ball, and his frame is a factor when he gains leverage inside.
Yes, we have to monitor the shoulder injury to Jameis Winston this week, but Brate did catch his touchdown against the Cardinals from backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. It was a good throw -- back-shoulder placement with the linebacker running the seam. While Brate has a tougher matchup in Week 7 versus the Bills defense, I'm still going to rank him as low-end TE1. There's just too much volume here to ignore.
Beware Darius Slay in future matchups
We need to give some credit here to ESPN's Mike Clay, who warned fantasy managers of the expectations for Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas in Week 6 in a matchup with the Detroit cornerback. On Sunday, Thomas was held to just 11 yards receiving on three receptions (six targets) in the New Orleans win over Detroit.
That sub-par stat line really speaks to the coverage skill set of Slay. I truly think Slay is one of the NFL's most underrated cornerbacks. He has a smooth pedal, the transition speed to close on the break, and the ball skills to finish. He's going to challenge routes. Slay took one pass away from Thomas on an interception and should be on the radar of every fantasy manager this season when they set their lineups.
Where did the production go with Sammy Watkins?
Remember that Thursday night game back in Week 3 when Watson went off versus the 49ers? Watkins made plays at all three levels of the field and finished with six receptions (on seven targets) for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He has strong run-after-the-catch ability, can chase down the deep ball, and has the physicality to finish. He looked to be a good fit for Sean McVay's system in Los Angeles, but since then? Man, there's not much to talk about.
In the past three weeks, Watkins has a total of two grabs (on 10 targets) for 28 yards. That's it. No touchdowns. No big plays. The Rams did have some nasty matchups in their past two games against the secondaries of Seattle and Jacksonville, and Watkins had an opportunity on a deep throw that missed on Sunday. Still, the lack of production here, along with the low volume of targets, is going to push Watkins down in my rankings this week versus Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals.
Adam Gase, Dolphins show some creativity with Jarvis Landry
Landry didn't put up massive numbers on Sunday in Miami's upset win over Atlanta (eight receptions, 62 yards, one touchdown), but the wide receiver did see a ton of targets (14). Gase also dug deep into his playbook to set up Landry for an easy score in the red zone. Really, this is what I've been waiting for all season with Gase and quarterback Jay Cutler.
Outside of the quick game and the screens off the RPOs, Gase has the creativity as a play-caller to facilitate production in his system. I loved the window dressing the Dolphins used with Landry coming in motion to the backfield and then wheeling back to the flat versus man-coverage for the score. It forces the defense to adjust and is a quick read for Cutler, too, off play-action.
Check it out, as I broke down the play here on Madden. It was smart, fun football from a Dolphins offense that had a rough start to the season.