Fantasy Football Week 10 booms and busts: Bills-Vikings makes claim for Game of the Year

Sometimes, fantasy players have it easy. We just want the points, the yards, the numbers. We don’t necessarily have to live and die with the actual outcomes of NFL games, if your Sunday experience is primarily defined by your fake teams.

I feel for any Bills or Vikings fans who went through the emotional turmoil of Sunday’s game at Buffalo. Oh, the Viking backers will surely savor the 33-30 overtime victory, and the game qualifies as an instant classic, albeit there were plenty of mistakes mixed in with the greatness. But given the ebb and flow of the game’s final hour, I wonder if the action was more torture or enjoyment.

Most of the stars answered the fantasy bell. Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs had a game of "Anything you can do, I can do better" — Diggs rang up a tasty 12-128-0 line, only to be outdone by Jefferson's 10-193-1 detonation. Jefferson's punctuation mark was his legendary fourth-and-18 reception to keep the Vikings alive, one of the best catches you'll ever see:

The No. 1 receiver post has been an open ticket most of the year. Cooper Kupp wore that jersey for a while, but he's been limited by poor quarterback play. Ja'Marr Chase got hurt just when he was spreading his wings. Tyreek Hill has been a monster most of the year, though he didn't have his biggest game Sunday. Jefferson probably deserves the top spot for the moment, but this debate may never get settled. It's a fun, loaded position.

If you needed backfield production in Buffalo, that box was checked, too. Most of Dalvin Cook's day was defined by an 81-yard touchdown run, but we'll take 22.10 fantasy points on any given Sunday. Touchdown deodorant carried Devin Singletary (13-47-2), leading to 15.2 points, his second-best outcome of the year.

Of course, quarterbacks largely decide who wins games, and Josh Allen and Kirk Cousins had their say, especially in the final minute of the fourth quarter.

The Vikings appeared dead when Cousins was stopped on a fourth-and-goal sneak attempt with 50 seconds left, turning the ball over at the Buffalo 1-yard line. But Allen couldn’t handle the ensuing snap, and the Vikings miraculously recovered the ball in the end zone, giving them a three-point lead.

Allen shook off the mistake and quickly moved the Bills into field-goal range, zipping four completions to Dawson Knox, Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie.

Tyler Bass clicked on the chip shot, bring on the overtime — and more fantasy stats.

Minnesota posted a steady 12-play field-goal drive on the first possession of overtime, giving Allen his chance to match. But Allen ran out of answers in the red zone — after two lengthy runs and a couple of completions to Diggs, he threw a game-ending interception at the goal, into the hands of Patrick Peterson.

Buffalo’s no longer in first place in the AFC East, but the offense looks as fun as ever. Allen dealt with an elbow injury all week, but it didn’t seem to bother him on game day. Diggs continues to play like a first-round lock, Davis (6-93-1) bounced back after two messy games and Singletary has utility, especially during bye week season.

The Vikings go as Jefferson goes. Cousins somehow has just two 20-point games this year despite his strong supporting cast; he threw for 357 yards but just one touchdown against two picks at Buffalo. T.J. Hockenson snagged another seven catches, but they went for just 45 yards. At least he's more involved than he was in Detroit.

Cook would land in the first round if we redrafted tomorrow; he's scored touchdowns in five of seven games, and the Vikings treat him as a true bell cow. But is Adam Thielen finally slowing down at age 32? He's sitting on just two touchdowns for the year, and he hasn't topped 72 yards in any game. You rarely noticed him Sunday, a 5-49-0 showing on seven targets.

Buffalo and Minnesota aren’t perfect teams; far from it. But if Sunday stands as a Super Bowl preview, I’m certainly not going to complain.

Editor's Note: More quick-hitting booms and busts coming soon ...