Love throws for 5K yards? Mendoza shines in Vegas? Don't be surprised!

Each week in the NFL is its own story -- full of surprises, both positive and negative -- and fantasy football managers must decide what to believe and what not to believe moving forward. Perhaps we can help. If any of these thoughts come true ... don't be surprised! NOTE: All mention of fantasy points is for PPR formats, unless otherwise mentioned. Don't be surprised if ... Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love becomes the 10th to pass for 5,000 yards in a season MVP candidate Love continues to shine, throwing for 372 yards in Sunday's high-scoring road victory over the New England Patriots. With eight games left in the regular season, Love boasts a league-leading 2,618 passing yards, pacing toward 4,945 yards. Nine quarterbacks in NFL history have thrown for 5,000 yards, doing so 15 times. Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes (twice) and -- of course -- Jameis Winston are the only active QBs to have done so. The Packers cannot run the football effectively, forcing Love to throw more than the team's original plan. Love threw for 4,159 yards in his first season as starter back in 2023 but had 11 interceptions, and the team went 9-8. They wanted Love to take fewer chances, release the ball quicker and play more efficiently. Last season, the Packers went 9-5-1 in Love's 15 starts, as he threw for only 3,381 yards with a mere six interceptions. The Packers were fifth in the league in rushing in 2024 and 15th in 2025. That plan worked, and it figured to be the plan again. Let's just say things haven't worked out in the running game -- thanks to offensive line and running back issues -- and there is little indication that will change in the coming weeks and months. The Packers are last in the NFL with 68.2 rushing yards per game. (For perspective, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers average 163.9.) The Packers average a brutal 3.0 yards per carry because healthy, proven options are limited. Love must throw often for the team to succeed and he has a pair of top-10 WRs in Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. The Packers are 6-3, in last place in a tough division, but their path to January is Love piling on numbers. Sticking with the powerful NFC North, it sure would be anything but bold to predict Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson will return to WR1 status now that the franchise reunited with a competent QB in Kirk Cousins. Watching Carson Wentz against the Buffalo Bills on Monday was painful, regardless of rooting interest and Jefferson looked miserable. Now he won't be! What if this division now boasts more than half of the top 10 WRs in fantasy this season? Assume the two Packers, plus Jefferson, Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown and ... has anyone noticed Chicago Bears WR Luther Burden III is currently No. 10? Inconsistent but tantalizing Lion Jameson Williams is 19th in WR scoring, but capable of delivering 20-point outings at any time. How about six of the top 10 WRs in one division? Perhaps! Don't be surprised if ... Las Vegas Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza performs like a deep-league QB1 option I suppose one could reasonably debate whether the Raiders did the right thing in moving Cousins to the Vikings because it means the team must turn to Mendoza, the top pick in the NFL draft, potentially before he is ready. Then again, how do you find out if a QB is ready? Watch Mendoza step right in and perform much the way Cousins was doing, rocking the play-action pass and leaning heavily on TE Brock Bowers and RB Ashton Jeanty (as a receiver). Perhaps the Raiders will barely adjust a gameplan that is working. The Raiders are eighth in points this season. They don't think Mendoza will fail. Why should we? Fantasy managers should be aggressive in adding Mendoza, though not necessarily activating him this week against a Seattle Seahawks defense that stymied Kansas City Chiefs QB Mahomes in Week 7. Then again, the Seahawks permitted 30 points in three games this season, to QBs Caleb Williams, Brock Purdy and ... Marcus Mariota! The Seahawks haven't seen Mendoza before. Again, I am not saying he scores 20 fantasy points or the Raiders score 20 points, but let's not be so dismissive. Perhaps the Raiders will even win the game at home. After Seattle, the Raiders face the Denver Broncos, who rank 19th in permitting QB fantasy points this season. They're not No. 2, like the Seahawks. The Broncos get thrown on and they are permitting 355 yards per game, fourth in the NFL. It's a common mistake in evaluating fantasy options for managers to simply assume because everyone told them the Broncos were formidable. The Raiders also face the Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans before the end of the season. Only the Packers rank worse in rushing yards per game. The Raiders must throw the football, and Mendoza is certainly capable of making the same throws that Cousins was thriving at. Also, who are the QBs outside the top 10 in season scoring that may be starters for deep-league fantasy managers? Bryce Young, Tyler Shough, Stafford, Bo Nix? Why can't Mendoza be comparable for fantasy scoring? OK, don't expect Cousins-type numbers for the rookie, but I don't think we will be ranking Mendoza so cautiously after this week. Another Raiders thought: Jeanty may not be the RB1 option so many fantasy managers expected, but he isn't a fantasy bust. He is 14th in running back scoring because he leads the position in receptions and he boasts more receiving yards than rushing ones. That is not entirely his fault as the Raiders struggle to run block. Jeanty is an electric option as a receiver, averaging 8.8 yards per catch, which is excellent for a running back. No top 30 RB had more receiving yards than they did rushing yards last season, though Kenny Gainwell came relatively close as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Jeanty may do so. Don't be surprised if ... San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey fails to rush for 1,000 yards This isn't the first time we have discussed McCaffrey and his lack of volume this year, but really, this is all working out quite well for fantasy managers. Only three running backs boast more fantasy points than McCaffrey, even though he's tied for 22nd in rushing attempts (with Rhamondre Stevenson and Omarion Hampton). Oh, so you think McCaffrey must have a million receptions, right? Nope, his 36 catches are tied with Kyren Williams for third among RBs, but this is hardly a pace for 102 receptions, like last season. It is a pace for 76 catches. Credit the 49ers for keeping the mercurial McCaffrey productive and healthy. Many were skeptical. He totaled a ridiculous 413 touches last season. Everyone expected some regression, but now he is pacing toward a manageable 292 touches. That is a huge dropoff and, while acknowledging McCaffrey has gone from averaging 24.5 fantasy points per game to 20.8 points is a big deal, we certainly cannot complain! McCaffrey has 10 touchdowns. He hasn't missed a game. He remains a fantasy star despite pacing for just 971 rushing yards. Still, backup 49er Kaelon Black remains available in 65% of ESPN standard leagues. I think he should be more popular for the final months, not only if one rosters McCaffrey, but just in general. If McCaffrey were to get hurt (and nobody is rooting for this), this would be a potential RB1 option. Of course, we may say this about myriad RBs available in at least 50% of ESPN standard leagues, right? Or would we? Kansas City Chiefs rookie Emmett Johnson looks like a future star and the Chiefs are trying harder to get the football to this fellow in open space, where he is dynamic. Nobody wants Kenneth Walker III to get injured either, but Johnson could be a legit RB1 if he gets a chance. The Chiefs and 49ers are built and managed well. Their backup RBs could be special. Would Seth McGowan rock if the Indianapolis Colts had traded the great Jonathan Taylor? Perhaps, but it is not the same as Black and Johnson. Khalil Herbert in Atlanta? C'mon. Justice Hill with the Ravens? Detroit's Sione Vaki? No, Black and Johnson stand out to me.