Nobody has a more stacked lineup of fantasy analysts and NFL team reporters than ESPN. It's the rare "backfield by committee" that is actually a good thing for fantasy football managers.
Every Tuesday, Mike Triplett will ask our NFL Nation reporters a series of burning questions about the weekend's biggest stories in order to help inform you for your waiver-wire pickups and roster decisions.
Among the biggest topics this week are two waiver wire pickups from the Giants and two surprising breakout tight ends who just keep producing.
It's time to begin our weekly trip around the league, so fasten your seat belts and get ready to tour the NFL Nation!
New York Giants
Can fantasy managers trust Kadarius Toney's breakout enough to go all-in on him with their waiver wire budget this week?
Toney's ability to move and make plays is special. That much was obvious Sunday against Dallas. But is it really wise to blow your waiver wire savings on a player who is now nursing an ankle injury that must be monitored and could be playing against the Rams' defense (and CB Jalen Ramsey) with Mike Glennon as his quarterback?
If Toney were the Giants' clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, it would be worth the investment. However, at this point, don't go overboard based on just one week. You've already missed the best spot to play Toney this season, especially with Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton likely to return this week and Kenny Golladay not far behind them. It's doubtful there will be another game this season where Toney gets double-digit targets.
What kind of workload do you expect from Devontae Booker while Saquon Barkley is sidelined?
Solid. With Barkley out, Booker is now the clear-cut No. 1 back. After all, the Giants' fullback was the No. 2 running back Sunday when Barkley went down! So, it's mostly going to be "The Booker Show" for the next week or two. He's a good short-term fill-in, especially with the bye weeks now underway. Booker should get a good 80% of the Giants' RB touches and snaps in Barkley's absence. That volume alone makes him a quality RB2. -- Jordan Raanan
Buffalo Bills
Dawson Knox ranks third among tight ends in ESPN fantasy scoring this season. Can he be trusted as an every-week starter in fantasy leagues going forward?
At this point, yes. Will this be true as the season continues? That's still to be determined, but Knox does have a touchdown in each of the last four games. Josh Allen is looking for him downfield on a consistent basis, and his playing time has been high throughout the season. There are numerous players on this Bills offense that can put up points and Buffalo has scored at least 30 in each of the last four games. With the trust that Allen is showing in Knox right now, he's a starter. That said, with the way this offense mixes things up, it's something to keep an eye on as the season progresses. -- Alaina Getzenberg
Dallas Cowboys
Dalton Schultz ranks fourth among tight ends in ESPN fantasy scoring this season. Can he be trusted as an every-week starter going forward?
Trust, but be careful. The Cowboys have a "democratic" offense. They won't rely on just one player. They won't rely on just the pass. They won't rely on just the run. They'll go with whoever or whatever is hot. Schultz is off to a hot start, but this is still an offense that can hit the big play with CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper, and they will get Michael Gallup back soon, too. It is also an offense that's showing it can run on anybody with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Dak Prescott trusts Schultz, but this might be as good as it gets. -- Todd Archer
Detroit Lions
Meanwhile, T.J. Hockenson has been trending in the opposite direction. Why has he been so quiet over the past three weeks?
After the first two weeks, it seemed as if Hockenson was the clear-cut focal point of the Lions' offense. He came out hot, becoming the first Lions tight end to record eight receptions in consecutive contests. However, since then, he hasn't caught more than four receptions in any game.
Hockenson was also limited in practice last week, even missing a day while dealing with a knee injury, so his timing was a bit off against the Vikings. More importantly, though, teams are game-planning against him specifically, and Hockenson is focused on "staying engaged." His goal is to be a three-down tight end, and he isn't discouraged.
"The bottom line is we've got to get him going," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "That's the bottom line because he can help us win. So, that's going to be a focal point for us." -- Eric Woodyard
Kansas City Chiefs
How do you expect the Chiefs to split RB touches while Clyde Edwards-Helaire misses time?
Well, a lot of them will go to Darrel Williams, who picked up a lot of the work last season when Edwards-Helaire was out of the lineup. The Chiefs also have Jerick McKinnon, but they prefer to use him more in the passing game, so I'm expecting the bulk of the carries to go to Williams. -- Adam Teicher
Miami Dolphins
Last week you were right to preach some patience with Myles Gaskin. Will he remain this involved going forward?
Dolphins co-offensive coordinator George Godsey said the team realizes that Gaskin is a guy they need to get the ball to more often -- but do not confuse Sunday's workload for the "new normal." Miami played that one without WR DeVante Parker and with a quarterback (Jacoby Brissett) who tends to check down, rather than push the ball downfield, although he was far more aggressive than usual against the Buccaneers. In other words, don't expect 10 targets per game for him moving forward, but do expect him to be the Dolphins' primary back. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
New Orleans Saints
Is Marquez Callaway worth adding again, or is this a "fool me twice, shame on me" scenario?
Callaway finally delivered on his potential as New Orleans' temporary No. 1 receiver in Week 5 (4 catches, 85 yards, 2 TD including a Hail Mary grab). Unfortunately it will be even harder to expect any kind of consistent production from him going forward. The Saints have a bye in Week 6, after which WRs Michael Thomas and Tre'Quan Smith are both expected back from injuries as early as Week 7. Callaway and big-play threat Deonte Harris will still have roles, but they will be boom-or-bust options for fantasy. -- Mike Triplett
Pittsburgh Steelers
Can Chase Claypool remain a consistent fantasy asset, even though Pittsburgh's downfield passing game has been a big concern?
If the offensive line continues to hold up, then yes. The Steelers gave Ben Roethlisberger more time to throw against the Broncos -- a whole tenth of a second -- and with that, the offense had time to develop and wide receivers were able to run their routes and make plays. With JuJu Smith-Schuster out for four months, Claypool's role in the offense only increases, and he showed on Sunday that he's capable of handling a bigger role. -- Brooke Pryor
Seattle Seahawks
Should DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett both remain in starting fantasy lineups while Russell Wilson is sidelined?
Their production is probably going to take a big hit. Geno Smith might be one of the NFL's better backup quarterbacks, but the Seahawks will logically want to take some of the pressure off of him by leaning on their running game. Plus, so much of their passing offense comes from deep shots down the field, largely because Wilson throws as good of a deep ball as anyone. You simply can't expect as many big plays from Smith. -- Brady Henderson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Are we seeing the emergence of "Playoff Lenny" in October, or do you expect the RB touches to go back to being unpredictable at some point?
Bruce Arians is going with the hot hand right now in Leonard Fournette, who has a penchant for showing up in big games. Arians has been very complimentary toward his extra work in the passing game, and he called his play "outstanding." Tom Brady said, "There's a reason he's called Playoff Lenny." In other words, this is a guy whom Brady trusts. I expect this will continue. -- Jenna Laine