Happy Monday everyone! I hope you guys are having a fantastic day and that your fantasy team is still in good shape. We saw teams like the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles have their bye week, meaning guys like Jalen Hurts or Cooper Kupp were left on your bench.

Maybe you found a replacement on your waivers like Daniel Jones or Tyler Boyd to help you win your matchup. Regardless, it was another fun-filled Sunday filled with guys who shocked fantasy owners with their performances. Of course, there were those who didn’t fulfill their projections or got hurt (get better, Breece Hall and Amon-Ra St. Brown).

Let’s start with the guys who made fantasy owners (and fans) smile a bit more than usual on Sunday.

Studs Of The Week, Starting With A Quarterback From Duke

The haters are surprisingly quiet when it comes to this man. I mean, do you blame them? Leading his team to a 6-1 record after Sunday is Daniel Jones, the quarterback for the New York Football Giants.

Entering his matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was projected to score 15.1 fantasy points. Not too bad, but also not appealing to fantasy owners. Well, he surpassed that projection with ease, thanks to his turnover-free day against Jacksonville’s defense.

From a passing standpoint, he was very efficient. 19/30 for 202 yards and a touchdown was good in itself. What stands out the most was his performance with his legs. 11 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown. Sign me up for that every week. He had 28.78 fantasy PPR points.

To put it in perspective, his fantasy performance outscored guys like Patrick Mahomes (26.92), Justin Herbert (18.12), and Kyler Murray (17.16). Even with his rushing numbers alone, he ran for more yards than guys such as Nick Chubb, Najee Harris, and Lamar Jackson. Call him Vanilla Vick, why don’t ya?

It’s crazy to see a Giants quarterback on this list of studs. But, throughout this season, Daniel Jones has made the right decisions and improved his play every week. With only two interceptions on the year, he has worked hard on when to throw it away or take a sack when needed.

Coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have both done wonders for him. We’ll dive more into Jones and the Giants in a later article.

Onto The Other Studs

Other fantasy stars from Sunday include Joe Burrow, who scored an outstanding 39.24 fantasy points to lead all guys from Sunday. Throwing for an outrageous 481 yards and three touchdowns against the Falcons deserves some recognition. Is it safe to see he and the offense are back on track?

Austin Ekeler (36.7) continues to show his fantasy value, despite only having 31 yards on the ground. 12 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown were quite the treat to watch.

Finally, we have to pat Josh Jacobs (36.5) on the back after an outstanding game against the Texans. With the Raiders surrounding their game plan around the running back, it has paid dividends for him. 20 carries for 143 yards and three scores is something fantasy owners loved to see from the former Alabama product. He could sneak into must-start territory if he keeps this up.

The Fantasy Disappointments From Sunday

The hype around Lamar Jackson from a fantasy standpoint has died down. Projected to score 25.4 fantasy points, Lamar finished with four straight games with under 17 fantasy points.

Let’s keep this in mind: Lamar started this season with 20.22, 42.62, and 39.42 fantasy points. He hasn’t been even close to that since week four, yet he’s still the second-highest-scoring quarterback in fantasy. The definition of skewed applies here.

Even though he faced a weak Cleveland Browns defense on Sunday, the quarterback failed to throw for more than 200 yards or even a touchdown. The only bright spot (if there is any) was his running for 59 yards. No, he did not rush for a touchdown either.

Jackson’s performance took a toll on guys like Mark Andrews, who didn’t record a reception and finished with under one fantasy point. Yes, he only had 0.4 points. Not TE1 production, that is for sure.

Things should turn around for the Ravens quarterback eventually. The only question is when this will happen. I’m not saying to not start him. But, he has not played to his fantasy potential and it shows.

Tom Brady (11.7) also finished below his projection, and you have to wonder if the quarterback should’ve stayed retired. Against a Carolina team that is clearly rebuilding, he did not throw any touchdowns.

His teammate Leonard Fournette wasn’t that much better, finishing well below his projection of 17.1 with just 4.6 points. Tough times in Tampa Bay, indeed.

Thank you for reading! If you want more player spotlight articles or fantasy football Studs and Duds, make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week and follow me on Twitter! Check out my last article here. Thank you for your continuing support, and be on the lookout for more quality content! Also, check out my podcast here!