Thursday, October 9, 2025

Quick Movie Reviews: One Battle After Another, The Smashing Machine, Bone Lake, Play Dirty

One Battle After Another: I punted on writing a full One Battle After Another review last week and honestly, I'm glad that I did. It would've been difficult to articulate the biggest issues I had with the film without delving heavily into spoilers in a lengthier review and I had no interest in tapdancing around them with a few vague paragraphs that didn't really say much of anything useful. I'll just leave at this: One Battle After Another is a good movie that has some electrifying sequences, strong performances (Key supporting players Benicio del Toro and Regina Hall steal the show with their often hilarious degree of calmness under pressure and quiet pain respectively) and wisely portrays white nationalists as the bumbling, insecure babies that they are, but the scattershot first act and not at allbuying the actions of Chase Infinti's character in the film's final scene caused it to fall short of greatness in my eyes. Feel free to taunt me in March when it wins Best Picture and at least a half dozen more awards at the Oscars.     

Grade: B

The Smashing Machine: Using the 2002 HBO documentary of the same name as inspiration, Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine wants to make the viewer feel like they are in the room with MMA legend Mark Kerr as he becomes a multi-time champion, battles an opioid addiction and eventually, makes his return to fighting after getting sober over a 4-year period from 1997-2000. Safdie achieves this by deploying mostly handheld camerawork, a sound mix that feels more like live theater than a movie and trusting his cast led by Dwayne Johnson as Kerr and Emily Blunt as Kerr's longtime partner Dawn Staples to step into the dark, painful places these people were at during these times. This visceral intimacy Safdie provides is a great idea that works very well at times thanks to how well Johnson and Blunt embody their character's individual struggles that were made worse by the toxicity of their codependent yet often loveless relationship. Ironically, the documentary-esque approach that powers the best parts of the movie also ends up being its Achillies heel as it's so deliberately fragmented in its presentation that these characters and Kerr's journey is never developed enough for it to pack the significant emotional punch that Safdie is aiming for. Despite its mixed bag execution, Safdie deserves credit for trusting Johnson to take on his first dramatic role in over a decade at a time in his career when nobody else would've given him such an opportunity and having the courage to take a big swing that is unlike anything else in his filmography for his first solo directorial effort.        

Grade: B-

Bone Lake: While Bone Lake definitely could've dove further into the dumpster, it's still a surprisingly stylish exercise in sex, violence and deceit that smartly ratchets up the trash level until it reaches a bloody fever pitch in its banger of a final act. More purehearted vintage camp genre features like this on the big screen please.        

Grade: B

Play Dirty: Shane Black's comeback vehicle feels even less like one of his movies than The Predator did. There's quite a few choppily edited, CGI-fueled action sequences, the dialogue is very light on sharp zingersm and the tone is much more in line with modern Hollywood action comedies than the noir-inspired dark comedic buddy movies he's best known for directing. Remarkably, Play Dirty is able to harness a goofy energy through its preposterous, somewhat convoluted heist-meets-revenge narrative and committed performances from Mark Wahlberg as the stoic, principled killer thief Parker, LaKeith Stanfield as Parker's theater-obsessed partner-in-crime Grofield and Rosa Salazar as a morally ambiguous thief that Parker and Grofield reluctantly team with for a life-changing score in New York City that keeps things relatively engaging no matter how messy or silly it gets.       

Grade: B-

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

2025 NFL Power Rankings: Week 6

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(3) Detroit Lions (4-1) Week 5 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs 

2.(1) Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) Week 5 opponent: New York Giants

3.(2) Buffalo Bills (4-1) Week 5 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

4.(7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) Week 5 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

5.(5) Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) Week 5 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

6.(10) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) Week 5 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

7.(11) Indianapolis Colts (4-1) Week 5 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

8.(13) San Francisco 49ers (4-1) Week 5 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9.(4) Los Angeles Rams (3-2) Week 5 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

10.(9) Seattle Seahawks (3-2) Week 5 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

11.(15) Denver Broncos (3-2) Week 5 opponent: New York Jets 

12.(12) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Cleveland Browns

13.(16) Washington Commanders (3-2) Week 5 opponent: Chicago Bears

14.(8) Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) Week 5 opponent: Detroit Lions

15.(17) Minnesota Vikings (3-2) Week 5 opponent: Bye 

16.(21) New England Patriots (3-2) Week 5 opponent: New Orleans Saints

17.(6) Los Angeles Chargers (3-2) Week 5 opponent: Miami Dolphins

18.(23) Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1) Week 5 opponent: Carolina Panthers

19.(19) Atlanta Falcons (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Buffalo Bills

20.(20) Chicago Bears (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Washington Commanders

21.(22) Houston Texans (2-3) Week 5 opponent: Bye

22.(18) Arizona Cardinals (2-3) Week 5 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

23.(27) Carolina Panthers (2-3) Week 5 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

24.(24) Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) Week 5 opponent: Green Bay Packers

25.(14) Baltimore Ravens (1-4) Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

27.(31) New Orleans Saints (1-4) Week 5 opponent: New England Patriots

27.(26) Miami Dolphins (1-4) Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

28.(29) Cleveland Browns (1-4) Week 5 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

29.(25) New York Giants (1-4) Week 5 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

30.(32) Tennessee Titans (1-4) Week 5 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

31.(28) Las Vegas Raiders (1-4) Week 5 opponent: Tennessee Titans

32.(30) New York Jets (0-5) Week 5 opponent: Denver Broncos

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Week 5 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2025 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Dak Prescott (Cowboys)

Prescott didn't have to work too hard to dismantle the Jets horrendous defense on Sunday afternoon, throwing for 237 YDS and 4 TD's and rushing for 28 YDS on 7 carries. The Cowboys QB has returned to the elite QB1 form he showed in 2023 and could be in line to feast for a 4th straight game against the Panthers in Week 6. 

Honorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers), Justin Fields (Jets)

Biggest Loser: Drake Maye (Patriots)

There's no better example of the disconnect between the real game and fantasy football than Maye ending up in this slot after leading the Patriots to an upset win over the Bills that is being hailed as his brightest moment in the pros to date thanks to being held to 285 scoreless YDS (273 passing, 12 rushing). A return to the endzone (and fantasy relevance) feels very likely when the Pats take on the frisky but not overly talented Saints in Week 6. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Justin Herbert (Chargers), Kyler Murray (Cardinals), Daniel Jones (Colts)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Rico Dowdle (Panthers)

Stepping in for the injured Chuba Hubbard, Dowdle absolutely obliterated the Dolphins porous run defense for a whopping 206 YDS and a TD on 23 carries. He added another 28 YDS on 3 receptions to pad what will surely go down as one of the most ludicrous statlines of the 2025 season. What his role will be once Hubbard returns remains unclear right now, but one thing is for sure: the people who picked up Dowdle in an act of sheer desperation late last week entered a state of unexpected euphoria on Sunday and this humble act of public service is something that nobody will ever be able to take away from him.      

Honorable Mentions: Jonathan Taylor (Colts), Kyren Williams (Rams), Javonte Williams (Cowboys)

Biggest Loser: James Cook (Bills)

One of the biggest reasons the Patriots were able to come out of Orchard Park with the win on Sunday was their success in neutralizing Cook. The Bills versatile backfield weapon was blanked in the passing game and picked up just 49 YDS on 15 carries on a night where a splash play or two from him could've flipped the outcome of this divisional rockfight. Cook has a date with the Falcons in Week 6.     

Dishonorable Mentions: TrVeyon Henderson (Patriots), Woody Marks (Texans), R.J. Harvey (Broncos)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Emeka Egbuka (Buccaneers)

Egbuka cleared his previous career high once again with a dominant performance (7/163/1, 1 2 PT-CNV) that helped the Bucs eke out a win in an electrifying shootout with the Seahawks. The concerns about his target share being cut once Mike Evans returns from his hamstring injury are decreasing with each passing day as the rookie continues to deliver week after week. Egbuka will be a WR1/2 play for this week's contest with the 49ers. 

Honorable Mentions: Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals), Jaxson Smith-Njiba (Seahawks), Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins)

Biggest Loser: Jameson Williams (Lions)

Williams simply never got involved in the Lions win over the Bengals, catching his lone target for 9 YDS and gaining 1 YD on 1 carry. No need to panic just yet as the splash play specialist is suspectable to duds like this from time to time. Williams should be a solid WR3 option for their big time Week 6 SNF showdown with the Chiefs.   

Dishonorable Mentions: Jerry Jeudy (Browns), Quentin Johnston (Chargers), Jakobi Meyers (Raiders)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)

Ferguson was very active in the Cowboys breeze of a win over the Jets, catching 7 passes for 49 YDS and a pair of TD's. The veteran tight end should remain a focal point of their passing attack as long as CeeDee Lamb remains on the shelf with a high ankle sprain.  

Honorable Mentions: Sam LaPorta (Lions), Darren Waller (Dolphins), Sam LaPorta (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Zach Ertz (Commanders)

The return of Jayden Daniels and continued absence of Terry McLaurin didn't help Ertz at all as he failed to catch his lone target and ended up with the dreaded goose egg against the Chargers. Ertz faces the Bears poor, injury-depleted defense in Week 6.   

Dishonorable Mentions: Juwan Johnson (Saints), Mark Andrews (Ravens), Trey McBride (Cardinals)

Defense/Special Teams:

Biggest Winner: Colts

The Raiders floundering offense and special teams had another rough showing this week, surrendering 4 sacks, 2 INT and a blocked punt to the Colts in a deflating 40-6 loss in Indy. The Colts D/ST has been one of the biggest pleasant surprises of the opening stretch in 2025 and deserve to be rostered in all leagues right now.   

Honorable Mentions: Texans, Lions, Cardinals

Biggest Loser: Vikings

While it wasn't an awful showing by any stretch, you'd just expect a Brian Flores defense to cause more problems for a rookie QB (Dillon Gabriel) making his first career start than sacking him twice and forcing 0 turnovers in a 21-17 win. The Vikings could be a shaky start when they return to action in Week 7 versus the Eagles. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Eagles, Ravens, Seahawks

Monday, October 6, 2025

Channing Tatum Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Channing Tatum-whose latest project "Roofman" releases in theaters Thursday night. 

Channing Tatum's Filmography Ranked:

34.Jupiter Ascending (F)

33.Haywire (D)

32.Havoc (D+)

31.The Dilemma (D+)

30.Hail, Caesar! (D+) 

29.Dog (C-)

28.The Eagle (C)

27.The Book of Life (B-)

26.Fly Me to the Moon (B-)

25.Public Enemies (B-)

24.G.I. Joe: Retaliation (B-)

23.G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (B-)

22.Deadpool & Wolverine (B-)

21.Step Up (B-)

20.The Lost City (B)

19.Stop-Loss (B)

18.White House Down (B)

17.The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (B)

16.Side Effects (B)

15.Foxcatcher (B)

14.Magic Mike's Last Dance (B)

13.Free Guy (B)

12.Logan Lucky (B)

11.Magic Mike (B)

10.Coach Carter (B+)

9.Kingsman: The Golden Circle (B+)

8.Bullet Train (B+)

7.Blink Twice (B+)

6.Magic Mike XXL (B+)

5.The Lego Movie (B+)

4.The Hateful Eight (A)

3.21 Jump Street (A)

2.This is the End (A)

1.22 Jump Street (A)

Top Dog: 22 Jump Street (2014)

Going back to the meta satire well proved to be particularly fruitful for Phil Lord and Chris Miller with 22 Jump Street. The sequel-which takes aim at the very concept of movie sequels-manages to be even funnier than the original thanks to another large collection of incredible, inspired gags and an even stronger showing from the elite buddy comedy duo of Jonah Hill and Tatum.  

Bottom Feeder: Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Jupiter Ascending is an example of The Wachowski's signature bold experimentation backfiring spectacularly. The narrative is sprawling to the point where it quickly becomes completely incoherent, the tone is insufferably cheesy even by science fiction standards and while no member of the cast covers themselves in glory, Eddie Redmayne is the negative standout as he delivers what sincerely may be the most laughable cartoonish overacting I've ever seen in my life as the film's villain Balem Abrasax.     

Most Underrated: Magic Mike XXL (2015)

What's so cool about the Magic Mike trilogy is that each film has its own unique tone and story to tell that reflected where Tatum's titular stripper/furniture builder/choreographer was at that point in his life. While I think all of them are worthwhile movies, the middle installment Magic Mike XXL is the top highlight. Tatum and his collaborators Reid Carolin and Gregory Jacobs are somehow able to turn a movie about a group of aging male strippers embarking on a road trip from Tampa Bay to Myrtle Beach to end their careers with a performance at a high-profile stripping convention into a fun, life-affirming hangout movie that celebrates the power of friendship, artistic expression and making women feel seen and respected.    

Most Overrated: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Despite Hugh Jackman's spirited return as Wolverine and some very funny moments including an incredible on-brand opening sequence that pokes fun of Jackman returning to his career-defining role after his planned swan song in Logan, Deadpool & Wolverine is an utterly sauceless affair that doesn't ever shake the feeling of being an exercise in safe, point-and-clap nostalgia porn designed to win back the MCU fans who had begun to turn on Kevin Feige's comic book movie empire after the majority of the projects they released from 2021-23 were met with polarized-to-negative reactions. I'll take messy shit that has personality and a real vision behind them like Eternals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder over Shawn Levy's bland, pandering semi-competency any day of the week.    

Way Too Early Oscars Predictions: 2025 Edition

Ushering in the month of October means it's time to start chucking shit against the wall and hoping it sticks in terms of forecasting the upcoming Oscar races. At the moment, it feels like a two-horse race for Best Picture between Paul Thomas Anderson's cinephile favorite One Battle After Another and Chloe Zhao's fall festival circuit MVP Hamnet while the acting/directing races appear to be endearingly wide open with the exception of Best Actress where Hamnet star Jessie Buckley is already effectively a lock to take home her first Oscar.   

As always, it needs to be pointed out that there are several potential contending titles that have yet to be publicly screened including Marty Supreme, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Is This Thing On?, Song Sung Blue and Ella McCay and the reactions to these titles once they screen could have a significant impact on how these races will shake out in the coming months. Without further ado, here are my far too early predictions for this year's Oscars minus Best Original Song and the Short Film categories. 

*Indicates the predicted winner 

Best Picture:

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Bugonia

Hamnet

It Was Just an Accident

Jay Kelly

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another* 

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another*

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident

Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Chloe Zhao, Hamnet

Best Actor:

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another*

Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine

Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Jesse Plemons, Bugonia

Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Best Actress:

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet*

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked: For Good

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Best Supporting Actor:

Paul Mescal, Hamnet

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly

Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value*

Jeremy Strong, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Best Supporting Actress:

Emily Blunt, The Smashing Machine

Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good*

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value 

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay:

It Was Just an Accident

Jay Kelly

Marty Supreme

Sentimental Value

Sinners*

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Bugonia

Hamnet*

No Other Choice

One Battle After Another

Wake Up Dead Man

Best Casting:

Hamnet

One Battle After Another*

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Animated Feature:

Arco

KPop: Demon Hunters*

Little Amelie or the Character of Rain

Scarlet  

Zootopia 2 

Best Documentary Feature:

The Alabama Solution

Cover-Up

The Perfect Neighbor*

Predators

The Tale of Silyan 

Best International Feature:

It Was Just an Accident

No Other Choice

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value*

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Best Cinematography:

Frankenstein 

Hamnet

One Battle After Another

Sinners*

Train Dreams

Best Film Editing:

F1

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another*

Sinners

Best Costume Design:

Frankenstein*

Hamnet

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Bugonia

Frankenstein*

The Smashing Machine

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Production Design:

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Frankenstein*

Hamnet

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Score:

Frankenstein

Hamnet

One Battle After Another

Sinners*

Wicked: For Good

Best Sound:

Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1*

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Visual Effects:

Avatar: Fire and Ash*

F1

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Superman

Wicked: For Good

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

2025 NFL Power Rankings: Week 5

()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) Week 5 opponent: Denver Broncos

2.(2) Buffalo Bills (4-0) Week 5 opponent: New England Patriots

3.(3) Detroit Lions (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

4.(7) Los Angeles Rams (3-1) Week 5 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

5.(5) Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) Week 5 opponent: Bye

6.(4) Los Angeles Chargers (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Washington Commanders

7.(6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Seattle Seahawks 

8.(9) Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

9.(13) Seattle Seahawks (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

10.(19) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

11.(10) Indianapolis Colts (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

12.(15) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Bye

13.(11) San Francisco 49ers (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

14.(8) Baltimore Ravens (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Houston Texans

15.(16) Denver Broncos (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

16.(12) Washington Commanders (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

17.(14) Minnesota Vikings (2-2) Week 5 opponent; Cleveland Browns

18.(17) Arizona Cardinals (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Tennessee Titans 

19.(20) Atlanta Falcons (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Bye

20.(21) Chicago Bears (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Bye

21.(23) New England Patriots (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Buffalo Bills

22.(24) Houston Texans (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

23.(25) Dallas Cowboys (1-2-1) Week 5 opponent: New York Jets

24.(18) Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Detroit Lions

25.(27) New York Giants (1-3) Week 5 opponent: New Orleans Saints

26.(29) Miami Dolphins (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Carolina Panthers

27.(22) Carolina Panthers (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Miami Dolphins

28.(28) Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

29.(26) Cleveland Browns (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

30.(30) New York Jets (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

31.(32) New Orleans Saints (0-4) Week 5 opponent: New York Giants

32.(31) Tennessee Titans (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Week 4 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2025 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Dak Prescott (Cowboys)

No CeeDee Lamb, no problem for Prescott (for this week at least). The Cowboys signalcaller diced up the Packers for 319 YDS and 3 TD's and even dialed back the clock by scoring a 4th TD on a 2-YD QB draw in a thrilling SNF shootout that ended in a tie. Prescott has been pretty great to start the year and will most likely keep rolling in Week 5 when the 'Boys travel to East Rutherford to take on the wayward Jets.  

Honorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Justin Fields (Jets), Bo Nix (Broncos)

Biggest Loser: Justin Herbert (Chargers)

The Madison Beer bump may be over folks. Largely fueled by an offensive line that could not contain the Giants pass rush, Herbert was pretty ineffective during Sunday's loss in the Meadowlands-throwing for 203 YDS/1 TD/2 INT's, rushing for 24 YDS and adding a 2-PT CNV with his legs late in the 4th quarter. Herbert and his now Joe Alt-less line will look for redemption in Week 5 against a Commanders defense that has gotten torched by the pass throughout the first month of the season. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jared Goff (Lions), Caleb Williams (Bears), Daniel Jones (Colts)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Ashton Jeanty (Raiders)

A banged-up Bears defense that has been absolutely horrendous against the run to start the season presented Jeanty with the breakout game opportunity his fantasy managers had been waiting for. The rookie delivered in this dream spot and then some, turning 21 carries into a 138 YDS and a TD and catching a pair of passes for 17 YDS that just so happened to earn him an additional two trips to the endzone. His lone blemish came on a fumble on the Raiders first drive of the game, but nobody is going to complain about him losing 2 points after he stuffed the stat sheet in the way that he did. Jeanty will look to carry the momentum from his 1st strong game as a pro into another plus matchup against the Colts in Week 5.   

Honorable Mentions: Josh Jacobs (Packers), Bijan Robinson (Falcons), Omarion Hampton (Chargers)

Biggest Loser: David Montgomery (Lions)

The stout Browns run D completely bottled-up Montgomery to the point where the Lions barely gave him the ball even after they broke the game open in the second half, which left him with one of the worst statlines you'll see from a back this season (9 CAR, 12 YDS). Montgomery should be more involved and productive versus the Bengals mess of a defense this Sunday afternoon. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Derrick Henry (Ravens), Trey Benson (Cardinals), Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Commanders) 

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Puka Nacua (Rams)

The NFL's most unheralded star WR put together a masterpiece on Sunday against the Colts, shredding their hapless secondary for 170 YDS and a TD on 13 receptions. Unleashing a route-runner this sharp in a Sean McVay offense is just mean and as long as Nacua remains healthy, he'll be an elite weekly WR1 play.  

Honorable Mentions: George Pickens (Cowboys), Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions), DK Metcalf (Steelers)

Biggest Loser: Ladd McConkey (Chargers)

Naturally, Herbert's rough afternoon against the Giants further ratcheted up the frustration surrounding the shocking disappearing act that McConkey has been pulling to start his sophomore season as he only managed to catch 1 of his 6 targets for 11 YDS. How McConkey has gone from the Chargers most reliable pass-catcher to a clear third wheel behind Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen in 9 months' time is beyond anyone who isn't employed by the team's comprehension and it's fair to say that he's the single biggest disappointment in fantasy so far this given his top 25 ADP in all formats. The aforementioned horse shit Commanders pass D presents McConkey with a great opportunity to finally break out of his early season slump.    

Dishonorable Mentions: A.J. Brown (Eagles), Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals), DeVonta Smith (Eagles)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Dallas Goedert (Eagles)

There was only one pass-catcher on the Eagles who made it out of Sunday's ugly win against the Bucs in which Jalen Hurts failed to complete a pass in the second half with a good statline and that individual was Goedert. The Eagles starting tight end only caught 4 balls for 37 YDS, but he was able to spice up those pedestrian reception and yardage totals by finding the endzone twice. As volatile as the Eagles passing attack is, Goedert's status as a top redzone target will keep him fantasy relevant whenever he suits up to play.     

Honorable Mentions: Tyler Warren (Colts), Kyle Pitts (Falcons), Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)

Biggest Loser: David Njoku (Browns)

Njoku's cold start to 2025 hit a new low as he caught 2-of-3 targets for 11 YDS on a day where Joe Flacco got the shit kicked out of him by the Lions nearly every time he dropped back to pass. The veteran tight end will be a shaky starting option when the Browns travel over to London to take on the Vikings and Brian Flores' unpredictable defense this Sunday.

Dishonorable Mentions: Juwan Johnson (Saints), Sam LaPorta (Lions), Zach Ertz (Commanders)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Lions

As I just mentioned above, the Lions defense ran over Joe Flacco and co. this past Sunday-logging 3 sacks, 2 INT and a FUM REC in a 34-10 victory. A Kalif Raymond punt return TD early in the 4th quarter when the game was already well in hand served as a nice little bonus for every Lions D/ST owner that was already elated by their performance. A date with the bumbling Jake Browning-led Bengals is up next for the Lions. 

Honorable Mentions: Eagles, Texans, Steelers

Biggest Loser: Packers

What the hell happened to the supposedly vaunted Packers defense in Week 4? Save for Micah Parsons' game-saving sack of Dak Prescott in OT, Jeff Hafley's group looked completely helpless as the Cowboys moved the ball down the field with ease and hung 38 points on them (the other two points in this 40-40 tie came on the Cowboys return of a blocked extra point in the 2nd quarter). They're a good bet to get back into the good graces of fantasy players when they return to action against the Bengals in Week 6.  

Dishonorable Mentions: Ravens, Vikings, Bills