Tell your friends (just not your leaguemates until next week)

by Carly Manger

Published On: October 20th, 2025

Back, back, back again for another week of Unpacking the NFL. If you are new here, welcome! Every Monday, I will be posting a stat/takeaway dump, unpacking different players and fantasy-related situations around the league.

Week 7 was a weird one. We had insane comebacks, statement wins, and performance flashes that could shift the fantasy landscape. Thursday Night Football exceeded expectations, the London game was somewhat watchable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a coach or two is fired before the end of the day today.

The biggest story in my mind is how well the rookies have been performing this season. Let’s take a second to break it down.

Through seven weeks, four different rookies already have five plus TDs: Cam Skattebo (six), Emeka Egbuka, (five), Quinshon Judkins (five) and Ashton Jeanty (five). Since 2015, only six total rookies achieved that metric within the first seven weeks of the season: Brian Thomas, Jordan Addison, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Ja’Marr Chase, James Robinson and Terry McLaurin.

It appears Ian Rapoport had the same line of thinking as I did, because just after I finished writing this he posted the following tweet:

That being said, let’s dive in and unpack the stats you need now from Week 7 of the NFL.

Stats provided by Fantasy Points. All scoring is half point per reception (Half-PPR) format with four-point passing TD.

Unpacking the NFL Week 7: The Stats You Need Now

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

The IcyHot Bowl

I didn’t know what to expect going into Thursday Night Football, wow what a game. We had two 40+ year old QBs slinging it and it may have been the best game of the week—the geriatric QBs combined for 591 passing yards and seven TDs. Mike Tomlin was right to be upset about the trade, because it seems Joe Flacco has resurected the Bengals offense in a big way.

Before we dive into the Bengals big performances, here is Joe Flacco scrambling for a first down for your entertainment:

Joe Flacco zone read carry for a 1st down lol

[image or embed]

— Scott Spratt (@scottspratt.bsky.social) October 16, 2025 at 10:10 PM

Chasing Greatness

If there is one thing any backup QB should do, it’s target your best player again, and again, and again. Flacco did precisely that on Thursday night, targeting Ja’Marr Chase a career high 23 times. Chase broke both his records for career highs in targets and receptions (16). This amounted to an insane 48.9% team target share. Chase ran a route on 98% of the team’s dropbacks and saw 52.9% of the team’s first read targets.

Tee Higgins can also be trusted again. He saw his second highest target share on the season at 19.1%, catching six of his 10 targets for 96 yards and a TD.

Higgins and Chase combined for 33 of the 45 total team targets.

The Other Chase

Not only has the Bengals’ passing game been revived, the running game seems to be back too as Chase Brown put up his season high in rushing yards before halftime. He ended the day with 108 yards on 11 carries (9.8 yards per carry!). His receiving work was less than ideal, catching two of his four targets for negative eight yards…oof.

While he is still splitting work with Samaje Perine, who had seven carries for 31 yards, he played 45 snaps to Perine’s 27 snaps. I think Chase’s role is secure, but Perine has huge handcuff value if he were to get hurt.

Tight End Frenzy

If Arthur Smith could run an offense that only featured tight ends, I think he would. He more or less achieved that on Thursday night. All four Steelers TDs were scored by tight ends. Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward combined for 18 of the 33 team targets.

Muth had the best game among the tight ends, catching five of his six targets for 111 yards and two TDs.

None of these tight ends can really be started or trusted on a weekly basis.

Highly Efficient

The London game was somewhat watchable thanks to Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams. Stafford completed 21 of his 33 pass attempts for 182 yards and five TDs. Read that again.

182 yards and five TDs.

Does anything about that seem weird to you? It should. That means Stafford threw a TD every 36.4 passing yards. For context, the historic average over the past 20 or so years is 165 passing yards per TD.

No Puka, No Problem

With Puka Nacua sidelined with an ankle injury, the Rams didn’t miss a beat. Puka’s normal targets were definitely spread out in a way that not all fantasy managers expected. Rather than going to one person, seven different Rams’ pass catchers had three or more targets. Davante Adams was an obvious beneficiary of this, seeing a 24.2% team target share and catching five of his eight targets for 35 yards and three TDs.

The less expected beneficiaries were the tight ends for the Rams. Like the Steelers, the Rams tight ends were way more involved than usual in Week 7.

Colby Parkinson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 47 yards

Terrance Ferguson: 3 targets, 1 reception, 31 yards

Tyler Higbee: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards

Davis Allen: 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards

Sure, none of these lines seem great, but they accounted for 55.5% of the team’s total receiving yards while only accounting for 39.4% of the teams targets.

Tutu Atwell was injured in the first quarter and did not return.

Washington Hunting Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars should honestly be left in London after that performance. Trevor Lawrence only completed 48% of his passes, ew. Sure, there were dropped passes, but no one who watched this offense is solely attributing it to the pass catchers.

But I digress. Within the mess that was the Jags offense, Travis Hunter had by far his best game of the season. He saw a season and team-high 29.2% target share, his highest mark since Week 1 (25.8%). He caught eight of his 14 targets for 101 yards and his first career TD.

Parker Washington was also way more involved than fantasy managers hoped. He ran a route on 77.2% of the Jag’s drobacks, a metric he has only reached one other time this season (Week 4). Parker also saw 38.3% of the team’s total air yards in Week 7.

Also worth noting, Brian Thomas exited late in the fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder injury.

Swift Change

Coming out of their Week 5 bye, the Bears offense looks different. I am not sure exactly what has changed, but their rushing offense has been explsoive. Over the past two weeks, D’Andre Swift has gone 33-232-1 on the ground, with an additional 3-81-1 through the air. He went from averaging 3.3 yards per carry before the bye, to 7.0 yards per carry after it.

While we are here, we should also talk about rookie Kyle Monangai. In Week 7, he saw double digit carries for the first time this season (13). He only played four fewer snaps than Swift (31 to 35), and ran three fewer routes than Swift (eight to 11). Monangai also scored his first career TD this week!

Fallen Empire

Where the Bears rushing attack has succeeded, Rome Odunze has struggled. Before their Week 5 bye, he was averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game. Since their bye, he is averaging 4.2 fantasy points per game. Oof.

There havent been any major shifts in his target share or route participation. The production just hasn’t been there. Having TDs called back on penalties doesn’t help either. It is likely we see a bounce back as Odunze gets the Ravens, Bengals and Giants over the next three weeks.

Olave When You Call Me Big Poppa

In Week 7, Chris Olave saw his lowest team target share of the season at 21.9%, yet he had his best game both of the season and of his career fantasy wise. This was the first time Olave has broken 20 fantasy points on a week (24.3 fantasy points in Week 7). Week 7 was also the first time in his career he scored multiple TDs in a game.

Hat Trick Kid

After a down week in Week 6, Quinshon Judkins bounced back in Week 7 as predicted. You can always count on the Miami Dolphins as a get right game for your running backs.

In Week 7, Judkins saw his first career multi-TD game. He now has five TDs through six weeks. While his performance looks great on paper, and for fantasy it definitely was, his box score was saved by his huge 46 yard break away TD run. Without that, he would have had 38 yards on 24 carries for a measly 1.6 yards per carry. Not great Bob.

Tua-Late

Per Ian Rapoport, there won’t be any changes within the Miami Dolphins organization, for now. However, I am not sure how much longer things can stay the same. Week 7 was brutal. Sure, the weather in Cleveland sucked. But that is no excuse for having your franchise quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, complete 12 of 23 pass attempts for 100 yards and three INTs. Tua was benched at the end of the fourth quarter for Quinn Ewers.

The only, and I mean only, bright spot of Miami’s offense in Week 7 was De’Von Achane. He ran at 6.3 yards per carry (13-82), and caught three of his five targets for 16 yards.

No Dolphins player had more than 45 yards receiving. Malik Washington was their top target (25.8% team target share) but only managed 30 yards on his five receptions.

Bench everyone except Achane until morale improves.

New Regime

In their first week since firing Brian Callahan, the Titans offense showed some flashes. It wasn’t great, but Cam Ward had his best game of the season. Yes, I realize that sounds wild because he made more than a few boneheaded plays, but he did have his highest completion percentage of the season at 73.5%.

In terms of the receiving options with Calvin Ridley sidelined, Tony Pollard was actually the top target in Week 7. He saw a season high 17.6% team target share. He has not been above 11.5% prior to this week.

Rookie Chimere Dike was the most successful receiving option, catching all four of his targets for 70 yards and a TD. My Elic Ayomanor breakout hopes will have to wait another week.

Brady Reincarnated

Patriots fans rejoice. You have found your new Tom Brady. In Week 7, Drake Maye became the first QB in Patriots franchise history (yes, including Brady), to complete over 90% of his passes in a regular season game with 20+ pass attempts. Not only is Maye getting it done through the air, but he is on a 17 game pace for 107 rush attempts, 486 rushing yards and 4.9 rushing TDs.

The Wait Continues

TreVeyon Henderson truthers look away. Henderson had just two carries for five yards and didn’t see a single target in Week 7. Mike Vrabel seems intent on having this been Rhamondre Stevenson‘s backfield. Stevenson had 18 carries for 88 yards and a TD. Even once the game got out of hand, it was Terrell Jennings who saw opportunities (5-18), not Henderson.

Like He Never Left

Fresh off of his suspension, Rashee Rice did not waste a single second. Rice came in and immediately saw a team high 25.7% target share and 32.1% of the team’s first read targets. No other Chief saw above a 14.3% target share in Week 7 (more on this below). He caught seven of his 10 targets for 42 yards and two TDs. He immediately reclaimed his role as the WR1 in this offense. The craziest part is, I think that he is still ramping up. He only ran a route on 42.5% of the team’s dropbacks.

Looney Toons

In Week 7, Isiah Pacheco scored his first rushing TD of the season. *Hold for applause.*

Ok, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about Brashard Smith. In Week 7, Smith saw his highest team snap percentage of the season 36.4%, had 34.1% of the teams rushing attempts, and ran a route on 22.5% of the team’s dropbacks. Remember how I said no Chief other than Rice saw above a 14.3% team target share in Week 7? That player was Brashard Smith. Smith went 14-39 on the ground and caught all five of his targets for 42 yards.

Sure, the game got out of hand quickly, and that may be why he was so involved. But Brashard Smith is worth a roster spot and I hope we get to see more out of the exciting rookie soon.

It’s All Bad

I don’t even know where to begin…

The Raiders ran 30 total plays on Sunday. They are now the 2nd team since 1950 to run 30 or fewer offensive plays in a game.* Gross. At one point, Geno Smith went nearly two full quarters without a completion.

I honestly don’t think there is much else to say here. I tried to find something positive, I just can’t—sorry Raiders fans.

*Note: The only other team to do this was the Cleveland Browns who ran 28 plays on September 12, 1999.

Air Raid

In Week 7, DeVonta Smith saw a team and season-high 47.8% target share. He caught nine of his 11 targets for 183 yards (!!) and a TD.

Smith wasn’t the only Eagle with a big receiving day. A.J. Brown also caught four of his six targets for 121 yards and two TDs.

This offense is currently opperating through its receivers. Saquon Barkley has not seen the same efficiency he did last year. He has yet to eclipse 100 rushing yards in a game in 2025. Last year, he achieved that mark 11 of 17 weeks.

Jalen Hurts to Devonta Smith for a 79-yard touchdown.

[image or embed]

— JM =^) (@jm539581.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 1:54 PM

Frustrating Split

Chuba Hubbard returned from injury in Week 7 and immediately him and Rico Dowdle became annoying for fantasy football. They had almost a perfect running back split:

Chuba Hubbard: 38 snaps, 14 carries, 31 yards, 13 routes, 2 receptions, 24 yards

Rico Dowdle: 32 snaps, 17 carries, 79 yards, 6 routes, 1 reception, 17 yards

According to HC Dave Canales, the Panthers plan to stick with the same two-back approach moving forward. Do with this information what you will.

Back From The Dead

Things I did not have on my 2025 NFL Bingo Card: Xavier Legette seeing a 34.4% team target share.

Week 7 was the first week this season Tetairoa McMillan wasn’t the team’s top receiving option (he only saw a 15.6% team target share). Legette truly came out of nowhere and caught nine of his 11 targets for 92 yards and a TD. That is a career high in both targets and receptions for him. Five of those 11 targets were thrown by Andy Dalton.

Do I expect this to continue? I honestly have no clue. One week is not a trend. It is worth noting that before he injured his hamstring ahead of Week 3 in practice, he had seen seven and eight targets in the first two weeks respectively. Granted, in that time he was 4-8. Yikes.

Also, Bryce Young was injured in this game and is likely out for Week 8.

Fields Of Nightmares

Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse for the New York Jets offense, they still manage to surprise me. Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. At least they finished with positive passing yards this week.

Justin Fields was benched at half time for Tyrod Taylor who wasn’t much better.

This entire offense should be avoided if it can be. Sadly, I think that includes Breece Hall who had 38 yards on 11 carries and caught two of his eight targets for 14 yards.

Never Trust Sean Payton

“Never Trust Sean Payton” means something different this week than it has in the past, at least for me. This week it means I can never trust that his offense is out of a game (*cries as a Giants fan*).

That being said, the ping-ponging of Troy Franklin and Courtland Sutton‘s target shares finally stopped. In Week 7, they saw the exact same number of targets (10). Sutton was far more productive with his targets, catching six for 87 yards, while Franklin only caught three for 19 yards and a TD.

Sutton ran a route on 81.1% of the Broncos’ dropbacks, while Franklin ran a route on only 62.3% of dropbacks.

Big Blue Collapse

The Giants had a weird day in more ways that one. That box score will haunt me for a few weeks.

I digress. Only four different Giants players caught passes on Sunday. Two tight ends, Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, a running back, Cam Skattebo, and one wide receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson.

Talk about a condensed offense. To add to the weirdness, three out of four of those players scored a TD, and Bellinger’s TD was his first TD since the 2022 playoffs.

Historic Trajectory

Jonathan Taylor continues to show out week after week. In Week 7 he had his third hat trick of the season. He currently has 11 TDs on the season, no other player has more than eight (Josh Jacobs).*

*Pre-Monday Night Football

In 2006, Ladanian Tomlinson had 5 games of 3+ rush TDs through 16 games

Jonathan Taylor has 3 games of 3 rush TDs through 7 games

— Carly Manger (@cincodemanger.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 7:24 PM

Jonathan Taylor is having such an insane season I had to include this one as well:

Speaking Of Rookies

If you don’t know his name by now, you should. Oronde Gadsden, drafted 165th overall by the Chargers in 2025.

In Week 7, he exploded. Gadsden caught seven of his nine targets for 164 yards and a TD. Sixty-two of those yards came after contact. Yet he only saw 14.5% of the teams targets.

Not What You Want To See

Neither of the Chargers running backs led the team in rushing in Week 7. Oof. Justin Herbert actually led the team in rushing with six carries for 31 yards.

Hassan Haskins came into the game with a chest injury and only had one carry for three yards and two receptions for two yards.

Kimani Vidal was equally as bad. He had nine carries for 30 yards and caught four of five targets for 15 yards.

Javonte’s Inferno

Javonte Williams has been incredible this season. He has two games over 100 rushing yards and four games with 100+ yards from scrimmage. Williams has seven total TDs through seven games. He is also currently, second in total rushing yards with 592 and fourth in rush yards/game with 84.6 yards/game.*

*Pre-Monday Night Football

The McBride Found His Groom

Trey McBride has been on a heater with Jacoby Brissett behind center for the Cardinals. Through 21 games with Kyler Murray as his quarterback, McBride has three TDs. In only two games with Brissett, he also has three TDs. He ranks 1st in targets among tight ends (66), 2nd in receptions among tight ends (47), and 2nd in yards among tights ends (421).*

*Pre-Monday Night Football.

He Is Still The GOAT

In George Kittle‘s first game back from his hamstring injury, he didn’t catch a single pass. However, his impact on this team goes far beyond his receiving prowess. With Kittle back in the lineup, Christian McCaffrey had by far his best game of the season. He had 24 carries for 129 yards and two TDs and caught seven of his eight targets for 72 yards for a combined 201 yards from scrimmage.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Tune in next week for another Unpacking the NFL!

Carly Manger isn’t just an analyst with Optimus Fantasy; she’s THE reason we’re able to bring you all of our great content, thanks to her role as Senior Editor. For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

Back, back, back again for another week of Unpacking the NFL. If you are new here, welcome! Every Monday, I will be posting a stat/takeaway dump, unpacking different players and fantasy-related situations around the league.

Week 7 was a weird one. We had insane comebacks, statement wins, and performance flashes that could shift the fantasy landscape. Thursday Night Football exceeded expectations, the London game was somewhat watchable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a coach or two is fired before the end of the day today.

The biggest story in my mind is how well the rookies have been performing this season. Let’s take a second to break it down.

Through seven weeks, four different rookies already have five plus TDs: Cam Skattebo (six), Emeka Egbuka, (five), Quinshon Judkins (five) and Ashton Jeanty (five). Since 2015, only six total rookies achieved that metric within the first seven weeks of the season: Brian Thomas, Jordan Addison, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Ja’Marr Chase, James Robinson and Terry McLaurin.

It appears Ian Rapoport had the same line of thinking as I did, because just after I finished writing this he posted the following tweet:

That being said, let’s dive in and unpack the stats you need now from Week 7 of the NFL.

Stats provided by Fantasy Points. All scoring is half point per reception (Half-PPR) format with four-point passing TD.

Unpacking the NFL Week 7: The Stats You Need Now

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

The IcyHot Bowl

I didn’t know what to expect going into Thursday Night Football, wow what a game. We had two 40+ year old QBs slinging it and it may have been the best game of the week—the geriatric QBs combined for 591 passing yards and seven TDs. Mike Tomlin was right to be upset about the trade, because it seems Joe Flacco has resurected the Bengals offense in a big way.

Before we dive into the Bengals big performances, here is Joe Flacco scrambling for a first down for your entertainment:

Joe Flacco zone read carry for a 1st down lol

[image or embed]

— Scott Spratt (@scottspratt.bsky.social) October 16, 2025 at 10:10 PM

Chasing Greatness

If there is one thing any backup QB should do, it’s target your best player again, and again, and again. Flacco did precisely that on Thursday night, targeting Ja’Marr Chase a career high 23 times. Chase broke both his records for career highs in targets and receptions (16). This amounted to an insane 48.9% team target share. Chase ran a route on 98% of the team’s dropbacks and saw 52.9% of the team’s first read targets.

Tee Higgins can also be trusted again. He saw his second highest target share on the season at 19.1%, catching six of his 10 targets for 96 yards and a TD.

Higgins and Chase combined for 33 of the 45 total team targets.

The Other Chase

Not only has the Bengals’ passing game been revived, the running game seems to be back too as Chase Brown put up his season high in rushing yards before halftime. He ended the day with 108 yards on 11 carries (9.8 yards per carry!). His receiving work was less than ideal, catching two of his four targets for negative eight yards…oof.

While he is still splitting work with Samaje Perine, who had seven carries for 31 yards, he played 45 snaps to Perine’s 27 snaps. I think Chase’s role is secure, but Perine has huge handcuff value if he were to get hurt.

Tight End Frenzy

If Arthur Smith could run an offense that only featured tight ends, I think he would. He more or less achieved that on Thursday night. All four Steelers TDs were scored by tight ends. Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward combined for 18 of the 33 team targets.

Muth had the best game among the tight ends, catching five of his six targets for 111 yards and two TDs.

None of these tight ends can really be started or trusted on a weekly basis.

Highly Efficient

The London game was somewhat watchable thanks to Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams. Stafford completed 21 of his 33 pass attempts for 182 yards and five TDs. Read that again.

182 yards and five TDs.

Does anything about that seem weird to you? It should. That means Stafford threw a TD every 36.4 passing yards. For context, the historic average over the past 20 or so years is 165 passing yards per TD.

No Puka, No Problem

With Puka Nacua sidelined with an ankle injury, the Rams didn’t miss a beat. Puka’s normal targets were definitely spread out in a way that not all fantasy managers expected. Rather than going to one person, seven different Rams’ pass catchers had three or more targets. Davante Adams was an obvious beneficiary of this, seeing a 24.2% team target share and catching five of his eight targets for 35 yards and three TDs.

The less expected beneficiaries were the tight ends for the Rams. Like the Steelers, the Rams tight ends were way more involved than usual in Week 7.

Colby Parkinson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 47 yards

Terrance Ferguson: 3 targets, 1 reception, 31 yards

Tyler Higbee: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards

Davis Allen: 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards

Sure, none of these lines seem great, but they accounted for 55.5% of the team’s total receiving yards while only accounting for 39.4% of the teams targets.

Tutu Atwell was injured in the first quarter and did not return.

Washington Hunting Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars should honestly be left in London after that performance. Trevor Lawrence only completed 48% of his passes, ew. Sure, there were dropped passes, but no one who watched this offense is solely attributing it to the pass catchers.

But I digress. Within the mess that was the Jags offense, Travis Hunter had by far his best game of the season. He saw a season and team-high 29.2% target share, his highest mark since Week 1 (25.8%). He caught eight of his 14 targets for 101 yards and his first career TD.

Parker Washington was also way more involved than fantasy managers hoped. He ran a route on 77.2% of the Jag’s drobacks, a metric he has only reached one other time this season (Week 4). Parker also saw 38.3% of the team’s total air yards in Week 7.

Also worth noting, Brian Thomas exited late in the fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder injury.

Swift Change

Coming out of their Week 5 bye, the Bears offense looks different. I am not sure exactly what has changed, but their rushing offense has been explsoive. Over the past two weeks, D’Andre Swift has gone 33-232-1 on the ground, with an additional 3-81-1 through the air. He went from averaging 3.3 yards per carry before the bye, to 7.0 yards per carry after it.

While we are here, we should also talk about rookie Kyle Monangai. In Week 7, he saw double digit carries for the first time this season (13). He only played four fewer snaps than Swift (31 to 35), and ran three fewer routes than Swift (eight to 11). Monangai also scored his first career TD this week!

Fallen Empire

Where the Bears rushing attack has succeeded, Rome Odunze has struggled. Before their Week 5 bye, he was averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game. Since their bye, he is averaging 4.2 fantasy points per game. Oof.

There havent been any major shifts in his target share or route participation. The production just hasn’t been there. Having TDs called back on penalties doesn’t help either. It is likely we see a bounce back as Odunze gets the Ravens, Bengals and Giants over the next three weeks.

Olave When You Call Me Big Poppa

In Week 7, Chris Olave saw his lowest team target share of the season at 21.9%, yet he had his best game both of the season and of his career fantasy wise. This was the first time Olave has broken 20 fantasy points on a week (24.3 fantasy points in Week 7). Week 7 was also the first time in his career he scored multiple TDs in a game.

Hat Trick Kid

After a down week in Week 6, Quinshon Judkins bounced back in Week 7 as predicted. You can always count on the Miami Dolphins as a get right game for your running backs.

In Week 7, Judkins saw his first career multi-TD game. He now has five TDs through six weeks. While his performance looks great on paper, and for fantasy it definitely was, his box score was saved by his huge 46 yard break away TD run. Without that, he would have had 38 yards on 24 carries for a measly 1.6 yards per carry. Not great Bob.

Tua-Late

Per Ian Rapoport, there won’t be any changes within the Miami Dolphins organization, for now. However, I am not sure how much longer things can stay the same. Week 7 was brutal. Sure, the weather in Cleveland sucked. But that is no excuse for having your franchise quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, complete 12 of 23 pass attempts for 100 yards and three INTs. Tua was benched at the end of the fourth quarter for Quinn Ewers.

The only, and I mean only, bright spot of Miami’s offense in Week 7 was De’Von Achane. He ran at 6.3 yards per carry (13-82), and caught three of his five targets for 16 yards.

No Dolphins player had more than 45 yards receiving. Malik Washington was their top target (25.8% team target share) but only managed 30 yards on his five receptions.

Bench everyone except Achane until morale improves.

New Regime

In their first week since firing Brian Callahan, the Titans offense showed some flashes. It wasn’t great, but Cam Ward had his best game of the season. Yes, I realize that sounds wild because he made more than a few boneheaded plays, but he did have his highest completion percentage of the season at 73.5%.

In terms of the receiving options with Calvin Ridley sidelined, Tony Pollard was actually the top target in Week 7. He saw a season high 17.6% team target share. He has not been above 11.5% prior to this week.

Rookie Chimere Dike was the most successful receiving option, catching all four of his targets for 70 yards and a TD. My Elic Ayomanor breakout hopes will have to wait another week.

Brady Reincarnated

Patriots fans rejoice. You have found your new Tom Brady. In Week 7, Drake Maye became the first QB in Patriots franchise history (yes, including Brady), to complete over 90% of his passes in a regular season game with 20+ pass attempts. Not only is Maye getting it done through the air, but he is on a 17 game pace for 107 rush attempts, 486 rushing yards and 4.9 rushing TDs.

The Wait Continues

TreVeyon Henderson truthers look away. Henderson had just two carries for five yards and didn’t see a single target in Week 7. Mike Vrabel seems intent on having this been Rhamondre Stevenson‘s backfield. Stevenson had 18 carries for 88 yards and a TD. Even once the game got out of hand, it was Terrell Jennings who saw opportunities (5-18), not Henderson.

Like He Never Left

Fresh off of his suspension, Rashee Rice did not waste a single second. Rice came in and immediately saw a team high 25.7% target share and 32.1% of the team’s first read targets. No other Chief saw above a 14.3% target share in Week 7 (more on this below). He caught seven of his 10 targets for 42 yards and two TDs. He immediately reclaimed his role as the WR1 in this offense. The craziest part is, I think that he is still ramping up. He only ran a route on 42.5% of the team’s dropbacks.

Looney Toons

In Week 7, Isiah Pacheco scored his first rushing TD of the season. *Hold for applause.*

Ok, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about Brashard Smith. In Week 7, Smith saw his highest team snap percentage of the season 36.4%, had 34.1% of the teams rushing attempts, and ran a route on 22.5% of the team’s dropbacks. Remember how I said no Chief other than Rice saw above a 14.3% team target share in Week 7? That player was Brashard Smith. Smith went 14-39 on the ground and caught all five of his targets for 42 yards.

Sure, the game got out of hand quickly, and that may be why he was so involved. But Brashard Smith is worth a roster spot and I hope we get to see more out of the exciting rookie soon.

It’s All Bad

I don’t even know where to begin…

The Raiders ran 30 total plays on Sunday. They are now the 2nd team since 1950 to run 30 or fewer offensive plays in a game.* Gross. At one point, Geno Smith went nearly two full quarters without a completion.

I honestly don’t think there is much else to say here. I tried to find something positive, I just can’t—sorry Raiders fans.

*Note: The only other team to do this was the Cleveland Browns who ran 28 plays on September 12, 1999.

Air Raid

In Week 7, DeVonta Smith saw a team and season-high 47.8% target share. He caught nine of his 11 targets for 183 yards (!!) and a TD.

Smith wasn’t the only Eagle with a big receiving day. A.J. Brown also caught four of his six targets for 121 yards and two TDs.

This offense is currently opperating through its receivers. Saquon Barkley has not seen the same efficiency he did last year. He has yet to eclipse 100 rushing yards in a game in 2025. Last year, he achieved that mark 11 of 17 weeks.

Jalen Hurts to Devonta Smith for a 79-yard touchdown.

[image or embed]

— JM =^) (@jm539581.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 1:54 PM

Frustrating Split

Chuba Hubbard returned from injury in Week 7 and immediately him and Rico Dowdle became annoying for fantasy football. They had almost a perfect running back split:

Chuba Hubbard: 38 snaps, 14 carries, 31 yards, 13 routes, 2 receptions, 24 yards

Rico Dowdle: 32 snaps, 17 carries, 79 yards, 6 routes, 1 reception, 17 yards

According to HC Dave Canales, the Panthers plan to stick with the same two-back approach moving forward. Do with this information what you will.

Back From The Dead

Things I did not have on my 2025 NFL Bingo Card: Xavier Legette seeing a 34.4% team target share.

Week 7 was the first week this season Tetairoa McMillan wasn’t the team’s top receiving option (he only saw a 15.6% team target share). Legette truly came out of nowhere and caught nine of his 11 targets for 92 yards and a TD. That is a career high in both targets and receptions for him. Five of those 11 targets were thrown by Andy Dalton.

Do I expect this to continue? I honestly have no clue. One week is not a trend. It is worth noting that before he injured his hamstring ahead of Week 3 in practice, he had seen seven and eight targets in the first two weeks respectively. Granted, in that time he was 4-8. Yikes.

Also, Bryce Young was injured in this game and is likely out for Week 8.

Fields Of Nightmares

Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse for the New York Jets offense, they still manage to surprise me. Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. At least they finished with positive passing yards this week.

Justin Fields was benched at half time for Tyrod Taylor who wasn’t much better.

This entire offense should be avoided if it can be. Sadly, I think that includes Breece Hall who had 38 yards on 11 carries and caught two of his eight targets for 14 yards.

Never Trust Sean Payton

“Never Trust Sean Payton” means something different this week than it has in the past, at least for me. This week it means I can never trust that his offense is out of a game (*cries as a Giants fan*).

That being said, the ping-ponging of Troy Franklin and Courtland Sutton‘s target shares finally stopped. In Week 7, they saw the exact same number of targets (10). Sutton was far more productive with his targets, catching six for 87 yards, while Franklin only caught three for 19 yards and a TD.

Sutton ran a route on 81.1% of the Broncos’ dropbacks, while Franklin ran a route on only 62.3% of dropbacks.

Big Blue Collapse

The Giants had a weird day in more ways that one. That box score will haunt me for a few weeks.

I digress. Only four different Giants players caught passes on Sunday. Two tight ends, Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, a running back, Cam Skattebo, and one wide receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson.

Talk about a condensed offense. To add to the weirdness, three out of four of those players scored a TD, and Bellinger’s TD was his first TD since the 2022 playoffs.

Historic Trajectory

Jonathan Taylor continues to show out week after week. In Week 7 he had his third hat trick of the season. He currently has 11 TDs on the season, no other player has more than eight (Josh Jacobs).*

*Pre-Monday Night Football

In 2006, Ladanian Tomlinson had 5 games of 3+ rush TDs through 16 games

Jonathan Taylor has 3 games of 3 rush TDs through 7 games

— Carly Manger (@cincodemanger.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 7:24 PM

Jonathan Taylor is having such an insane season I had to include this one as well:

Speaking Of Rookies

If you don’t know his name by now, you should. Oronde Gadsden, drafted 165th overall by the Chargers in 2025.

In Week 7, he exploded. Gadsden caught seven of his nine targets for 164 yards and a TD. Sixty-two of those yards came after contact. Yet he only saw 14.5% of the teams targets.

Not What You Want To See

Neither of the Chargers running backs led the team in rushing in Week 7. Oof. Justin Herbert actually led the team in rushing with six carries for 31 yards.

Hassan Haskins came into the game with a chest injury and only had one carry for three yards and two receptions for two yards.

Kimani Vidal was equally as bad. He had nine carries for 30 yards and caught four of five targets for 15 yards.

Javonte’s Inferno

Javonte Williams has been incredible this season. He has two games over 100 rushing yards and four games with 100+ yards from scrimmage. Williams has seven total TDs through seven games. He is also currently, second in total rushing yards with 592 and fourth in rush yards/game with 84.6 yards/game.*

*Pre-Monday Night Football

The McBride Found His Groom

Trey McBride has been on a heater with Jacoby Brissett behind center for the Cardinals. Through 21 games with Kyler Murray as his quarterback, McBride has three TDs. In only two games with Brissett, he also has three TDs. He ranks 1st in targets among tight ends (66), 2nd in receptions among tight ends (47), and 2nd in yards among tights ends (421).*

*Pre-Monday Night Football.

He Is Still The GOAT

In George Kittle‘s first game back from his hamstring injury, he didn’t catch a single pass. However, his impact on this team goes far beyond his receiving prowess. With Kittle back in the lineup, Christian McCaffrey had by far his best game of the season. He had 24 carries for 129 yards and two TDs and caught seven of his eight targets for 72 yards for a combined 201 yards from scrimmage.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Tune in next week for another Unpacking the NFL!

Carly Manger isn’t just an analyst with Optimus Fantasy; she’s THE reason we’re able to bring you all of our great content, thanks to her role as Senior Editor. For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

Back, back, back again for another week of Unpacking the NFL. If you are new here, welcome! Every Monday, I will be posting a stat/takeaway dump, unpacking different players and fantasy-related situations around the league.

Week 7 was a weird one. We had insane comebacks, statement wins, and performance flashes that could shift the fantasy landscape. Thursday Night Football exceeded expectations, the London game was somewhat watchable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a coach or two is fired before the end of the day today.

The biggest story in my mind is how well the rookies have been performing this season. Let’s take a second to break it down.

Through seven weeks, four different rookies already have five plus TDs: Cam Skattebo (six), Emeka Egbuka, (five), Quinshon Judkins (five) and Ashton Jeanty (five). Since 2015, only six total rookies achieved that metric within the first seven weeks of the season: Brian Thomas, Jordan Addison, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Ja’Marr Chase, James Robinson and Terry McLaurin.

It appears Ian Rapoport had the same line of thinking as I did, because just after I finished writing this he posted the following tweet:

That being said, let’s dive in and unpack the stats you need now from Week 7 of the NFL.

Stats provided by Fantasy Points. All scoring is half point per reception (Half-PPR) format with four-point passing TD.

Unpacking the NFL Week 7: The Stats You Need Now

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

The IcyHot Bowl

I didn’t know what to expect going into Thursday Night Football, wow what a game. We had two 40+ year old QBs slinging it and it may have been the best game of the week—the geriatric QBs combined for 591 passing yards and seven TDs. Mike Tomlin was right to be upset about the trade, because it seems Joe Flacco has resurected the Bengals offense in a big way.

Before we dive into the Bengals big performances, here is Joe Flacco scrambling for a first down for your entertainment:

Joe Flacco zone read carry for a 1st down lol

[image or embed]

— Scott Spratt (@scottspratt.bsky.social) October 16, 2025 at 10:10 PM

Chasing Greatness

If there is one thing any backup QB should do, it’s target your best player again, and again, and again. Flacco did precisely that on Thursday night, targeting Ja’Marr Chase a career high 23 times. Chase broke both his records for career highs in targets and receptions (16). This amounted to an insane 48.9% team target share. Chase ran a route on 98% of the team’s dropbacks and saw 52.9% of the team’s first read targets.

Tee Higgins can also be trusted again. He saw his second highest target share on the season at 19.1%, catching six of his 10 targets for 96 yards and a TD.

Higgins and Chase combined for 33 of the 45 total team targets.

The Other Chase

Not only has the Bengals’ passing game been revived, the running game seems to be back too as Chase Brown put up his season high in rushing yards before halftime. He ended the day with 108 yards on 11 carries (9.8 yards per carry!). His receiving work was less than ideal, catching two of his four targets for negative eight yards…oof.

While he is still splitting work with Samaje Perine, who had seven carries for 31 yards, he played 45 snaps to Perine’s 27 snaps. I think Chase’s role is secure, but Perine has huge handcuff value if he were to get hurt.

Tight End Frenzy

If Arthur Smith could run an offense that only featured tight ends, I think he would. He more or less achieved that on Thursday night. All four Steelers TDs were scored by tight ends. Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward combined for 18 of the 33 team targets.

Muth had the best game among the tight ends, catching five of his six targets for 111 yards and two TDs.

None of these tight ends can really be started or trusted on a weekly basis.

Highly Efficient

The London game was somewhat watchable thanks to Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams. Stafford completed 21 of his 33 pass attempts for 182 yards and five TDs. Read that again.

182 yards and five TDs.

Does anything about that seem weird to you? It should. That means Stafford threw a TD every 36.4 passing yards. For context, the historic average over the past 20 or so years is 165 passing yards per TD.

No Puka, No Problem

With Puka Nacua sidelined with an ankle injury, the Rams didn’t miss a beat. Puka’s normal targets were definitely spread out in a way that not all fantasy managers expected. Rather than going to one person, seven different Rams’ pass catchers had three or more targets. Davante Adams was an obvious beneficiary of this, seeing a 24.2% team target share and catching five of his eight targets for 35 yards and three TDs.

The less expected beneficiaries were the tight ends for the Rams. Like the Steelers, the Rams tight ends were way more involved than usual in Week 7.

Colby Parkinson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 47 yards

Terrance Ferguson: 3 targets, 1 reception, 31 yards

Tyler Higbee: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards

Davis Allen: 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards

Sure, none of these lines seem great, but they accounted for 55.5% of the team’s total receiving yards while only accounting for 39.4% of the teams targets.

Tutu Atwell was injured in the first quarter and did not return.

Washington Hunting Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars should honestly be left in London after that performance. Trevor Lawrence only completed 48% of his passes, ew. Sure, there were dropped passes, but no one who watched this offense is solely attributing it to the pass catchers.

But I digress. Within the mess that was the Jags offense, Travis Hunter had by far his best game of the season. He saw a season and team-high 29.2% target share, his highest mark since Week 1 (25.8%). He caught eight of his 14 targets for 101 yards and his first career TD.

Parker Washington was also way more involved than fantasy managers hoped. He ran a route on 77.2% of the Jag’s drobacks, a metric he has only reached one other time this season (Week 4). Parker also saw 38.3% of the team’s total air yards in Week 7.

Also worth noting, Brian Thomas exited late in the fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder injury.

Swift Change

Coming out of their Week 5 bye, the Bears offense looks different. I am not sure exactly what has changed, but their rushing offense has been explsoive. Over the past two weeks, D’Andre Swift has gone 33-232-1 on the ground, with an additional 3-81-1 through the air. He went from averaging 3.3 yards per carry before the bye, to 7.0 yards per carry after it.

While we are here, we should also talk about rookie Kyle Monangai. In Week 7, he saw double digit carries for the first time this season (13). He only played four fewer snaps than Swift (31 to 35), and ran three fewer routes than Swift (eight to 11). Monangai also scored his first career TD this week!

Fallen Empire

Where the Bears rushing attack has succeeded, Rome Odunze has struggled. Before their Week 5 bye, he was averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game. Since their bye, he is averaging 4.2 fantasy points per game. Oof.

There havent been any major shifts in his target share or route participation. The production just hasn’t been there. Having TDs called back on penalties doesn’t help either. It is likely we see a bounce back as Odunze gets the Ravens, Bengals and Giants over the next three weeks.

Olave When You Call Me Big Poppa

In Week 7, Chris Olave saw his lowest team target share of the season at 21.9%, yet he had his best game both of the season and of his career fantasy wise. This was the first time Olave has broken 20 fantasy points on a week (24.3 fantasy points in Week 7). Week 7 was also the first time in his career he scored multiple TDs in a game.

Hat Trick Kid

After a down week in Week 6, Quinshon Judkins bounced back in Week 7 as predicted. You can always count on the Miami Dolphins as a get right game for your running backs.

In Week 7, Judkins saw his first career multi-TD game. He now has five TDs through six weeks. While his performance looks great on paper, and for fantasy it definitely was, his box score was saved by his huge 46 yard break away TD run. Without that, he would have had 38 yards on 24 carries for a measly 1.6 yards per carry. Not great Bob.

Tua-Late

Per Ian Rapoport, there won’t be any changes within the Miami Dolphins organization, for now. However, I am not sure how much longer things can stay the same. Week 7 was brutal. Sure, the weather in Cleveland sucked. But that is no excuse for having your franchise quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, complete 12 of 23 pass attempts for 100 yards and three INTs. Tua was benched at the end of the fourth quarter for Quinn Ewers.

The only, and I mean only, bright spot of Miami’s offense in Week 7 was De’Von Achane. He ran at 6.3 yards per carry (13-82), and caught three of his five targets for 16 yards.

No Dolphins player had more than 45 yards receiving. Malik Washington was their top target (25.8% team target share) but only managed 30 yards on his five receptions.

Bench everyone except Achane until morale improves.

New Regime

In their first week since firing Brian Callahan, the Titans offense showed some flashes. It wasn’t great, but Cam Ward had his best game of the season. Yes, I realize that sounds wild because he made more than a few boneheaded plays, but he did have his highest completion percentage of the season at 73.5%.

In terms of the receiving options with Calvin Ridley sidelined, Tony Pollard was actually the top target in Week 7. He saw a season high 17.6% team target share. He has not been above 11.5% prior to this week.

Rookie Chimere Dike was the most successful receiving option, catching all four of his targets for 70 yards and a TD. My Elic Ayomanor breakout hopes will have to wait another week.

Brady Reincarnated

Patriots fans rejoice. You have found your new Tom Brady. In Week 7, Drake Maye became the first QB in Patriots franchise history (yes, including Brady), to complete over 90% of his passes in a regular season game with 20+ pass attempts. Not only is Maye getting it done through the air, but he is on a 17 game pace for 107 rush attempts, 486 rushing yards and 4.9 rushing TDs.

The Wait Continues

TreVeyon Henderson truthers look away. Henderson had just two carries for five yards and didn’t see a single target in Week 7. Mike Vrabel seems intent on having this been Rhamondre Stevenson‘s backfield. Stevenson had 18 carries for 88 yards and a TD. Even once the game got out of hand, it was Terrell Jennings who saw opportunities (5-18), not Henderson.

Like He Never Left

Fresh off of his suspension, Rashee Rice did not waste a single second. Rice came in and immediately saw a team high 25.7% target share and 32.1% of the team’s first read targets. No other Chief saw above a 14.3% target share in Week 7 (more on this below). He caught seven of his 10 targets for 42 yards and two TDs. He immediately reclaimed his role as the WR1 in this offense. The craziest part is, I think that he is still ramping up. He only ran a route on 42.5% of the team’s dropbacks.

Looney Toons

In Week 7, Isiah Pacheco scored his first rushing TD of the season. *Hold for applause.*

Ok, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about Brashard Smith. In Week 7, Smith saw his highest team snap percentage of the season 36.4%, had 34.1% of the teams rushing attempts, and ran a route on 22.5% of the team’s dropbacks. Remember how I said no Chief other than Rice saw above a 14.3% team target share in Week 7? That player was Brashard Smith. Smith went 14-39 on the ground and caught all five of his targets for 42 yards.

Sure, the game got out of hand quickly, and that may be why he was so involved. But Brashard Smith is worth a roster spot and I hope we get to see more out of the exciting rookie soon.

It’s All Bad

I don’t even know where to begin…

The Raiders ran 30 total plays on Sunday. They are now the 2nd team since 1950 to run 30 or fewer offensive plays in a game.* Gross. At one point, Geno Smith went nearly two full quarters without a completion.

I honestly don’t think there is much else to say here. I tried to find something positive, I just can’t—sorry Raiders fans.

*Note: The only other team to do this was the Cleveland Browns who ran 28 plays on September 12, 1999.

Air Raid

In Week 7, DeVonta Smith saw a team and season-high 47.8% target share. He caught nine of his 11 targets for 183 yards (!!) and a TD.

Smith wasn’t the only Eagle with a big receiving day. A.J. Brown also caught four of his six targets for 121 yards and two TDs.

This offense is currently opperating through its receivers. Saquon Barkley has not seen the same efficiency he did last year. He has yet to eclipse 100 rushing yards in a game in 2025. Last year, he achieved that mark 11 of 17 weeks.

Jalen Hurts to Devonta Smith for a 79-yard touchdown.

[image or embed]

— JM =^) (@jm539581.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 1:54 PM

Frustrating Split

Chuba Hubbard returned from injury in Week 7 and immediately him and Rico Dowdle became annoying for fantasy football. They had almost a perfect running back split:

Chuba Hubbard: 38 snaps, 14 carries, 31 yards, 13 routes, 2 receptions, 24 yards

Rico Dowdle: 32 snaps, 17 carries, 79 yards, 6 routes, 1 reception, 17 yards

According to HC Dave Canales, the Panthers plan to stick with the same two-back approach moving forward. Do with this information what you will.

Back From The Dead

Things I did not have on my 2025 NFL Bingo Card: Xavier Legette seeing a 34.4% team target share.

Week 7 was the first week this season Tetairoa McMillan wasn’t the team’s top receiving option (he only saw a 15.6% team target share). Legette truly came out of nowhere and caught nine of his 11 targets for 92 yards and a TD. That is a career high in both targets and receptions for him. Five of those 11 targets were thrown by Andy Dalton.

Do I expect this to continue? I honestly have no clue. One week is not a trend. It is worth noting that before he injured his hamstring ahead of Week 3 in practice, he had seen seven and eight targets in the first two weeks respectively. Granted, in that time he was 4-8. Yikes.

Also, Bryce Young was injured in this game and is likely out for Week 8.

Fields Of Nightmares

Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse for the New York Jets offense, they still manage to surprise me. Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. At least they finished with positive passing yards this week.

Justin Fields was benched at half time for Tyrod Taylor who wasn’t much better.

This entire offense should be avoided if it can be. Sadly, I think that includes Breece Hall who had 38 yards on 11 carries and caught two of his eight targets for 14 yards.

Never Trust Sean Payton

“Never Trust Sean Payton” means something different this week than it has in the past, at least for me. This week it means I can never trust that his offense is out of a game (*cries as a Giants fan*).

That being said, the ping-ponging of Troy Franklin and Courtland Sutton‘s target shares finally stopped. In Week 7, they saw the exact same number of targets (10). Sutton was far more productive with his targets, catching six for 87 yards, while Franklin only caught three for 19 yards and a TD.

Sutton ran a route on 81.1% of the Broncos’ dropbacks, while Franklin ran a route on only 62.3% of dropbacks.

Big Blue Collapse

The Giants had a weird day in more ways that one. That box score will haunt me for a few weeks.

I digress. Only four different Giants players caught passes on Sunday. Two tight ends, Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, a running back, Cam Skattebo, and one wide receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson.

Talk about a condensed offense. To add to the weirdness, three out of four of those players scored a TD, and Bellinger’s TD was his first TD since the 2022 playoffs.

Historic Trajectory

Jonathan Taylor continues to show out week after week. In Week 7 he had his third hat trick of the season. He currently has 11 TDs on the season, no other player has more than eight (Josh Jacobs).*

*Pre-Monday Night Football

In 2006, Ladanian Tomlinson had 5 games of 3+ rush TDs through 16 games

Jonathan Taylor has 3 games of 3 rush TDs through 7 games

— Carly Manger (@cincodemanger.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 7:24 PM

Jonathan Taylor is having such an insane season I had to include this one as well:

Speaking Of Rookies

If you don’t know his name by now, you should. Oronde Gadsden, drafted 165th overall by the Chargers in 2025.

In Week 7, he exploded. Gadsden caught seven of his nine targets for 164 yards and a TD. Sixty-two of those yards came after contact. Yet he only saw 14.5% of the teams targets.

Not What You Want To See

Neither of the Chargers running backs led the team in rushing in Week 7. Oof. Justin Herbert actually led the team in rushing with six carries for 31 yards.

Hassan Haskins came into the game with a chest injury and only had one carry for three yards and two receptions for two yards.

Kimani Vidal was equally as bad. He had nine carries for 30 yards and caught four of five targets for 15 yards.

Javonte’s Inferno

Javonte Williams has been incredible this season. He has two games over 100 rushing yards and four games with 100+ yards from scrimmage. Williams has seven total TDs through seven games. He is also currently, second in total rushing yards with 592 and fourth in rush yards/game with 84.6 yards/game.*

*Pre-Monday Night Football

The McBride Found His Groom

Trey McBride has been on a heater with Jacoby Brissett behind center for the Cardinals. Through 21 games with Kyler Murray as his quarterback, McBride has three TDs. In only two games with Brissett, he also has three TDs. He ranks 1st in targets among tight ends (66), 2nd in receptions among tight ends (47), and 2nd in yards among tights ends (421).*

*Pre-Monday Night Football.

He Is Still The GOAT

In George Kittle‘s first game back from his hamstring injury, he didn’t catch a single pass. However, his impact on this team goes far beyond his receiving prowess. With Kittle back in the lineup, Christian McCaffrey had by far his best game of the season. He had 24 carries for 129 yards and two TDs and caught seven of his eight targets for 72 yards for a combined 201 yards from scrimmage.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Tune in next week for another Unpacking the NFL!

Carly Manger isn’t just an analyst with Optimus Fantasy; she’s THE reason we’re able to bring you all of our great content, thanks to her role as Senior Editor. For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

By Published On: October 20th, 2025

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