Fantasy fallout: The latest on Christian McCaffrey, DeAndre Hopkins and more

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Our NFL Nation reporters reply phantasy shot questions each Tuesday during the NFL season. Here's what they had to accidental pursuing Week 7.

DeAndre Hopkins saw astir fractional the targets successful his play debut ... that astir apt isn't sustainable, truthful what usage complaint bash you deliberation is tenable to expect moving forward?

Being targeted connected 48% of the Cardinals' throws connected Thursday nighttime isn't sustainable for a mates of superior reasons: Defenses won't fto it hap and Arizona volition person Robbie Anderson acceptable for a afloat slate this weekend. But it's not retired of the realm of anticipation to deliberation Hopkins tin person a usage complaint astir 30-40%, that is until defenses commencement utilizing much coverages to instrumentality him away. Arizona saw what benignant of interaction helium tin person connected this roster, and the Cardinals won't shy distant from utilizing that until they can't anymore. -- Josh Weinfuss

The Falcons trailed for 100% of their violative snaps and inactive threw conscionable 13 passes (29 runs). Any words of optimism you tin springiness those rostering Drake London and/or Kyle Pitts, oregon should we halt holding retired anticipation for this season?

Words of optimism, you say? Coach Arthur Smith is going to proceed to bash what helium believes is indispensable to triumph games, and truthful far, the Falcons stay successful the NFC South conversation. Atlanta is taking heavy shots -- and successful Pitts' case, helium was targeted 7 times Sunday (two were not counted owed to penalty), truthful the Falcons are inactive looking for guys, but it feels similar it could beryllium an either/or concern depending connected the week for Pitts and London. Until Cordarrelle Patterson returns, it mightiness beryllium commencement astatine your ain risk, due to the fact that Patterson has the accidental to unlock the full offense. -- Michael Rothstein

Gus Edwards looked the portion successful his play debut: Do you deliberation helium runs distant with the pb relation successful this backfield with JK Dobbins connected injured reserve?

Edwards is the unquestioned go-to backmost for the Ravens, and his workload volition lone summation arsenic the play progresses. Based connected however helium ran implicit Browns linebackers, Edwards should get astir 15 carries per crippled and person a bulk of the reddish portion touches for Ravens moving backs. It's not a fixed that Dobbins volition regain his afloat scope of question aft this week's arthroscopic surgery. So, Edwards is simply a harmless stake to stay the apical backmost for the remainder of the season. The lone uncertainty successful the backfield is the No. 2 back. Justice Hill appears to beryllium the front-runner, but Kenyan Drake is the lone Baltimore moving backmost to ace 100 yards rushing successful a crippled this season. -- Jamison Hensley

From Week 8 on, the starring phantasy scorer connected this roster volition beryllium ...

Quarterback PJ Walker. He hasn't officially been named the starter against Atlanta, but interim manager Steve Wilks likes going with the blistery hand. He besides said aft Sunday's triumph it would beryllium pugnacious to regenerate Walker aft his two-touchdown show against Tampa Bay adjacent if Baker Mayfield (ankle) and Sam Darnold (ankle) are healthy. That Atlanta's walk defence ranks adjacent the bottommost of the NFL should connection plentifulness of opportunities. -- David Newton

Noah Brown led the Cowboys successful targets successful Dak Prescott's return. He's disposable successful 94% of leagues ... deliberation helium tin spot accordant measurement moving forward?

It would beryllium a risky bet. He has ne'er had this overmuch enactment connected discourtesy successful his career, truthful determination has to beryllium interest astir him holding up for a afloat play arsenic a full-time player. However, determination should beryllium much enactment for Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz and CeeDee Lamb arsenic Prescott gets much comfy successful his instrumentality from thumb surgery. With 25 catches for 239 yards, Brown already has passed his play highs successful some categories and should walk his totals successful his 4 seasons soon, but tin helium support that level of workload, positive proceed connected peculiar teams? For a down-the-line play it mightiness beryllium worthy it, but it's not thing to number connected weekly. -- Todd Archer

Parris Campbell saw beardown measurement for a 2nd consecutive week. Michael Pittman is the WR1 successful this offense, but would you fertile Campbell up of Alec Pierce the remainder of the way?

It's a pugnacious call. Campbell has been playing importantly much snaps than Pierce (though Pierce's drawback counts are increasing). On the different hand, Pierce is much apt to beryllium targeted connected heavy shots and, accordingly, could person much big-play potential. But fixed Monday's determination to determination to backmost Sam Ehlinger, a quick-throw discourtesy seems much likely. If that holds true, my educated conjecture is that Campbell volition beryllium much progressive going forward. -- Stephen Holder

Consecutive productive weeks for Tre'Quan Smith. He's escaped successful astir leagues ... should we see him a tenable dart propulsion to instrumentality successful immoderate crippled wherever Michael Thomas is inactive?

Between the Saints' up-in-the-air backmost concern and the ample fig of targets that spell to Chris Olave, I wouldn't see Tre'Quan Smith a reliable enactment astatine this point. One sanction to see for those looking for choky ends, however, is Juwan Johnson, who has go a large portion of the discourtesy this year, particularly with Adam Trautman presently hurt. -- Katherine Terrell

What did you larn astir this discourtesy successful the archetypal crippled of the Christian McCaffrey era?

That it inactive has a batch to hole if it wants to maximize McCaffrey's galore skills. Look, McCaffrey's relation is going to grow good beyond the 21 snaps helium played Sunday, perchance arsenic soon arsenic adjacent week. But the Niners inactive marque excessively galore silly mistakes -- pre-snap penalties, atrocious turnovers -- for this radical to occurrence connected each cylinders. The endowment is there, but until the Niners halt making the errors that they've made successful each of their 4 losses, it's asking excessively overmuch to deliberation McCaffrey is going to beryllium a panacea for this unit. -- Nick Wagoner

Should Tom Brady managers beryllium encouraged by the sheer measurement of caller passes oregon disquieted that this squad can't people touchdowns?

No. The Bucs can't score, period. Their accumulation has gone from averaging 31.43 points a crippled past twelvemonth to 16.71. Brady's lone reliable people close present has been Mike Evans, he's completing lone 66% of his passes to Chris Godwin (down from 77.2% past year), and Julio Jones and Russell Gage person had aggregate injuries. -- Jenna Laine

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