Welcome to the weekly Fantasy Notebook, the must-stop spot for keeping your finger on the pulse of Fantasy Nation. NFL news and developments drive fantasy values. The Notebook is here to keep you in the loop on all of it throughout the season.
Fantasy MVPs Coming Into View
While we tend to focus on volatility as fantasy investors, there are some sure things. Speed and dynamic play-making ability are great, but greater with volume.
Let's look at five of this season's top fantasy producers and see how their workloads have shaped their seasons, and how we should view their rest-of-season outlooks . . .
Things Change, McCaffrey's Role Doesn't
As dynamic as Christian McCaffrey has been throughout his career, his role in San Francisco's offense is what makes him so valuable for fantasy investors.
The latest example? His latest game.
The veteran running back rushed 24 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7 against the Falcons, adding seven receptions for a game-high 72 yards on eight targets.
With no Brock Purdy, no Ricky Pearsall, still no Brandon Aiyuk, and tight end George Kittle ineffective in his first game back from injury (zero catches on two targets), McCaffrey's 201 yards from scrimmage were obviously the key to a 49ers win.
McCaffrey had 100-plus rushing yards and 70-plus receiving yards in a game for the seventh time in his career. It's the most all-time, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk and Priest Holmes.
The 201 scrimmage yards marked CMC's first 200-plus-yard game in six years.
According to OptaStats, McCaffrey had more rushing yards than all others on both teams combined, led all players on both teams in receiving yards, and scored more points than the entire opposing team. No other NFL player in the Super Bowl era has done all of that in the same game.
In a ballyhooed matchup featuring McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson, both had their moments, but CMC was the do-it-all back who shined brightest on Sunday night.
On Wednesday, McCaffrey was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts . . .
The Secret Sauce
Okay, it's not that secret. And it starts with a bulletproof workload.
McCaffrey had 272 carries in 16 games in 2023, tied for second-most in the NFL. His 17 carries per game ranked fourth in the league. Add in 67 catches, and he got 339 turns to rack up fantasy points that season. He made the most of his opportunities.
McCaffrey averaged 24.7 fantasy points per game, well ahead of the pack.
He scored at least 25 points five times, more than 30 points three times, and more than 40 points twice.
Similar usage after he was dealt to San Francisco in 2022 allowed him to average 21.7 points per game as a Niner, including five games with at least 25 points.
Volume is the key.
Fantasy investors know it, and his teammates know it, too.
"That should be our plan every time," left tackle Trent Williams said of feeding McCaffrey. "He's one of the better players on our team, so putting the ball in his hands as much as possible works out good for us."
Granted, McCaffrey, coming off a lost 2024 season that was limited to just four games due to injury, must remain in the locked and upright position to cash in on it.
But so far, so good . . .
Current Status & Outlook
McCaffrey is currently the RB1 overall with 187.1 fantasy points -- the most total points of anybody in fantasy.
His 26.7 points per game are also the most of any player in the league.
It's no coincidence his 132 carries also lead the league. In addition, his 53 catches, 65 targets, 24 percent target share, and 516 receiving yards are all highs for his position. That yardage is 25.9 percent of his team's total receiving yards -- the highest percentage of any running back.
He is on pace to gain 2,382 combined yards with 17 touchdowns and 129 catches -- albeit on what seems like an unsustainable pace in touches (449). Whatever the case, McCaffrey's role and the volume that comes with it will remain high even as the missing pieces of this offense come back online.
Looking ahead, Sharp Football, in an October 10 update, has the 49ers facing the easiest schedule in the NFL. But the Niners' bye doesn't come until Week 14; that could be an issue for your fantasy playoffs . . .
Workload And Speed Are Taylor-Made For Success
Indianapolis leaned heavily on Jonathan Taylor with high-volume games down the stretch last season, watching him average 150 rushing yards on 27.6 carries per contest in the last three outings.
In Week 18, they gave Taylor 34 carries and watched him rumble for 177 yards and a touchdown.
As NFL.com suggested, sheer volume alone can produce these numbers. But Taylor's ability to consistently reach the second level adds explosive upside.
"He's the best back in the league right now," coach Shane Steichen said this week. "There's no doubt."
Taylor has continued to prove that this season, and his production has been a huge part of the Colts' success.
Taylor rushed 16 times for 94 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 38 yards in a 38-24 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7.
He finished off drives of 75, 14, and 73 yards, getting to the end zone as a runner for the eighth, ninth, and 10th times this season.
He scored on runs of 23, 8, and 19 yards.
His fast start is also historic.
According to ESPN Research, Taylor is the fourth player in NFL history with three games with three rushing touchdowns within his team's first seven games, joining Jim Brown (1958), Priest Holmes (2004), and Derrick Henry (2021).
Taylor also has more three-plus rushing touchdown games this season than the rest of the NFL combined (the other two were both by rookies, Quinshon Judkins, also in Week 7 in Cleveland, and Cam Skattebo, Week 6).
That's a league-high 10 rushing TDs over his last five games.
The last player with 10-plus over a five-game span was Taylor himself in 2021.
Taylor also leads the NFL in rushing yards (697).
"He's running hard," Steichen said. "He's running physical. He's got great vision. Yeah, he's balling out."
But it's not all power . . .
He's Also Fast
How fast? How about faster than any other ball carrier in the NFL?
Per Next Gen Stats, Taylor's 22.38 mph on a 43-yard reception in Week 3 is the fastest any player has been clocked with the ball in their hands this year.
And getting the ball in Taylor's hands in space -- where he can use that speed to his (and our) advantage -- has been a clear goal.
Taylor's 25 pass targets this year are tied for sixth-most in the league among running backs . . .
Current Status & Outlook
Taylor is currently the RB2 overall with 177.2 points, the second-most in all of fantasy. He's averaging 25.3 points per game, which is also second-most in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the Colts have eclipsed 30 points in five of their seven games and lead the NFL in points per game (33.1) and yards per play (6.4). According to ESPN Research, their 232 points this season are their most through seven games since 1964 -- two decades before they relocated from Baltimore to Indianapolis.
The secret to the Colts' offensive success lies in a combination of an elite offensive line, efficient and mistake-free play by quarterback Daniel Jones, and a dominant run game led by Taylor.
Per Sharp Football, the Colts have the 12th-most difficult schedule in the league. They also have a Week 11 bye.
But this week, Taylor gets one of the most favorable rushing matchups in the league in the Titans, who have given up the third-most fantasy points in the league to opposing running backs . . .
Bijan's Lurking
As the Falcons' official website put it, "Bijan Robinson is good at football."
Atlanta heavily relied on Robinson in 2024 -- and he delivered.
His 365 touches ranked second in the league behind Barkley. But Robinson's usage increased over time. According to ESPN.com's Mike Clay, Robinson averaged 17.0 touches, 87.2 yards, and 13.5 fantasy points from Weeks 1 through 5. He was RB24 in points per game over that span. From Week 6 on, Robinson averaged 23.3 touches, 120.9 yards, and 22.7 fantasy points -- the highest per-game average of any running back.
It's mostly gone well this season, although the workloads have varied a bit more than McCaffrey's and Taylor's.
Two weeks ago, Robinson finished with 170 rushing yards on 19 carries, tying his single-game high, in a win over the Commanders. He also played a key role in the passing game, adding six catches for 68 yards.
He logged the most scrimmage yards (238) by a Falcons running back in a single game in franchise history. Heading into that Week 6 game, Robinson led the league in yards from scrimmage per game (146). And through five games, he had tallied 450 rushing and 300 receiving yards -- a feat only matched by Thurman Thomas in 1991.
Robinson then rushed 14 times for 40 yards and caught six of his eight targets for 52 yards and a touchdown in a loss to San Francisco Sunday night.
While McCaffrey leads the way in total receptions and receiving yards, Bijan has done his damage with over half the receptions (24), showcasing elite efficiency and explosiveness.
He's a true dual-threat talent and continues to justify every bit of his fantasy draft capital, but there's room for more . . .
Will He Get It?
The Falcons announced on Tuesday that they released wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III, and there are those who believe this move can also create an opportunity to get their best player the ball more.
"I think this is definitely an opportunity where you can put [Robinson] in receiving situations, maybe a little bit more, and again this can be an opportunity to get him the ball more." 92.9 The Game's Dylan Mathews said. Other observers contend that Robinson has already been handling McCloud's routes with the veteran receiver out the last two games.
One issue, however, is the presence of Tyler Allgeier.
While the Falcons lead the NFL in rushing attempts per game (31.8), and Robinson is having a career season, Allgeier is still a factor.
But his role is predictable.
In the Falcons' three wins, Allgeier has rushed 42 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns. In their losses, Allgeier has totaled just 44 rushing yards on 15 attempts.
When Atlanta gets behind, Robinson becomes the focal point . . .
Current Status & Outlook
Robinson is currently the RB3 in all of fantasy football with 145.4 total points -- although he's had one fewer game thanks to Atlanta's Week 5 bye.
He's averaging 24.2 points per game.
According to Sharp Football, the Falcons have the fourth-easiest schedule in the league this year.
This week, they face a Dolphins defense that has allowed over 150 rushing yards in four games, with running backs gaining 5.3 yards per rush and 8.8 yards per catch.
Robinson is in position to gain some ground this week in a game that should offer difference-making upside to his investors . . .
Catch A Rising Star
Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba had eight catches for a game-high 123 yards and a touchdown versus the Houston Texans in Week 7.
He was targeted 14 times and continues to flourish in his third season as a pro.
Seattle's running game continues to be a question mark, with neither Ken Walker III (17 carries for 66 yards against the Texans) nor Zach Charbonnet (12 carries for 49 yards, two touchdowns) able to find a rhythm this year.
While Sam Darnold has generally been good, he's still good for a few turnovers, offering up two on Monday. Beyond that, no other Seahawks receiver or tight end even had 50 receiving yards, but Smith-Njigba was built to pick up the slack.
As the offense continues to puzzle observers, Smith-Njigba does not. He's a third-year standout who leads the league with 819 receiving yards on 50 catches with four TDs.
Through seven games, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has five 100-yard receiving yards, which is just one shy of the franchise season record, held by Hall of Famer Steve Largent (1979) . . .
Lofty Comparison
Last season with the Vikings, Darnold threw to another superstar wide receiver, Justin Jefferson. Now, with the emergence of Smith-Njigba, naturally, comparisons will be drawn between the two.
In his press conference following Monday night's win, Darnold discussed the similarities and differences between Jefferson and Smith-Njigba.
"They're both really, really good players. Great players, if you will. I think they are really different," Darnold said. "At the end of the day, they both know how to get open.
"I think that's the only thing that matters."
As The Heavy's Chad Gelfand suggests, Smith-Njigba's work ethic and preparation have put him in a position for a record-breaking season. He's not just on pace to shatter Seahawks receiving records, but NFL records as well.
DK Metcalf set the Seahawks receiving record with 1,303 receiving yards in 2020, but at 819 receiving yards through seven games, Smith-Njigba has his eyes set on Calvin Johnson.
NFL reporter Jordan Schultz notes that Smith-Njigba is on pace to break the NFL's single-season receiving record.
Always. Open. @Schultz_Report | @jaxon_smith1 pic.twitter.com/JO7gFApQan
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 22, 2025
Megatron's record has held up since 2012 . . .
Current Status & Outlook
JSN enters the Seahawks' bye week as fantasy's WR1 overall with 157 total points. He's averaging a position-high 22.4 points per game.
The role is locked in. Smith-Njigba's 34.7 percent target share leads all NFL receivers.
In addition, as Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke notes, the Seahawks have used the same wide receiver rotation all season. Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp continue to play at least 80 percent of offensive snaps in both two- and three-wide-receiver sets, while Tory Horton continues to join them for at least 80 percent of snaps in three-receiver sets.
Bottom line, nothing is going to change for a healthy Smith-Njigba.
The Seahawks have the 13th-easiest schedule in 2025 and have games against the Commanders in Washington, the Cardinals at home, the Rams in Los Angeles, and the Titans in Tennessee.
Back in the 1.01 Chase
The Cincinnati Bengals can enjoy a mini bye after a massive Thursday Night Football win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As SBNation's Patrick Carey suggested, the Bengals understood the importance of this game and found a way to pull out a shootout, 33-31, thanks to a game-winning kick from Evan McPherson.
But the biggest storyline of this game was the connection between Joe Flacco and Ja'Marr Chase, which single-handedly revived the entire offense and finally got the train rolling for the first time since Week 2.
Chase recorded 16 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers.
He also had a historic target share, with 23 targets -- tying for the third-most in a single game.
This ranks behind Brandon Marshall's 28 targets in 2009 and Chris Chambers' 26 in 2005, and is tied with Garrett Wilson in 2024, Antonio Brown in 2015, Jason Witten in 2012, and Roddy White in 2010, all of whom also had 23 targets.
That was good for a 51.1 percent target share against the Steelers -- the highest of Chase's career, surpassing his previous high of 46.9 percent (Week 14, 2022 vs. Cleveland).
On Wednesday, Chase was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week . . .
New QB, New Hope?
When I addressed Flacco's addition in the Fantasy Notebook two weeks ago, I noted the numbers suggested the incoming veteran wasn't that much more productive than the man he was replacing, Jake Browning.
My Footballguys colleague, Matt Waldman, however, argued this shouldn't be a one-to-one comparison, because Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, and even the outliers like Andrei Iosivas and Noah Fant, offer more firepower than Flacco had in Cleveland with Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, and Harold Fannin Jr. as his primary weapons.
I acknowledged the idea that Flacco might offer more upside with a better supporting cast makes sense, although the same could be said for Browning.
I now embrace that notion.
As Waldman wrote this week in his Top 10: Week 8, "Say what you will about Flacco, but he's an aggressive thrower, a veteran with enough experience with different offenses, and skilled enough pre-snap to adjust to defensive looks and get the Bengals out of bad plays and into better ones."
We saw all of that in Pittsburgh last Thursday night, and Chase was a prime beneficiary . . .
Current Status & Outlook
Chase is the WR2 overall with 151.5 points, good for a 21.6-point per game average.
Waldman notes that even if you only project him for 16 games, he's on track for 130 receptions, 1,437 yards, and 11 touchdowns. If you take a more conservative estimate and take 10-15 receptions, 100-200 yards, and 2-3 scores off those totals, you're still looking at a good fantasy WR1.
While the Bengals have the 17-easiest full-season schedule, per Sharp Football, it eases up noticeably going forward, with the Jets, Bears, Steelers again, two games against the Ravens, and one against the Dolphins over the back-half of the year; the Bengals are off Week 10 . . .
Honorable Mentions
I know, I know . . . Your guy got left off my list.
Your guy might be Puka Nacua, who missed the Rams' Week 7 win over the Jaguars with an ankle injury. The 2023 fifth-round pick entered the team's Week 6 game leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards. He was also the WR1 in all of fantasy through the first five games, averaging a whopping 26.8 points per game.
Nacua will jump back the MVP conversation after the team's Week 8 bye . . .
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 17 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he had three receptions for 82 yards on three targets.
Gibbs now has eight career games with two or more rushing touchdowns, tying Billy Sims for the second most in franchise history. He is also the first Lions player since RB Kevin Smith (2011) to tally more than 200 scrimmage yards in a single game, and he is the seventh player in franchise history to do so.
But wait, there's more . . . Gibbs is the first NFL player with at least 135 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving along with two scores on the ground since Chris Johnson pulled off the feat with Tennessee in 2009.
"He's a very talented running back, and when you miss a gap, he can turn it into a big play," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said.
Gibbs is currently RB4 overall with 140 total points, an average of 20 per game.
The Lions are off Week 8. Gibbs' investors will eagerly await his return against the Vikings in Week 9 . . .
How about the QB1 overall?
Patrick Mahomes II completed 26-of-35 passes for 286 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The week before, he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another TD, and orchestrated five scoring drives in seven non-kneel possessions against the Lions.
That rushing TD against Detroit was Mahomes' fourth touchdown run this year, matching his career-high (2022) in just the sixth game of the year.
According to ESPN.com's Nate Taylor, however, Sunday's domination of the Raiders should be a warning sign to the league.
With No. 1 receiver Rashee Rice back on the field, Mahomes had plenty of answers regardless of what the Raiders tried. He completed a pass to nine teammates before the end of the third quarter. Entering Sunday, the Chiefs averaged 31.6 points in their past three games.
As noted above, Mahomes is QB1 with 173 total points. His 24.7 points per game also lead that position . . .
This and That: Rolling Into Week 8 Edition
Time to get in front of some situations of interest heading into Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season on your radar . . .