Davante Adams

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams made life miserable for the Houston Texans and highlighted the best fantasy football performances of Week 7 in the NFL.

The All-Pro duo connected 13 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns, propelling the Green Bay Packers to a 35-20 win in Houston. The victory moved the Packers to 5-1 and kept the pressure on NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who are 5-1 and play Monday night.

Elsewhere on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers toppled the Tennessee Titans in a battle of unbeatens. And in the nightcap, the Seattle Seahawks lost their undefeated record on a total collapse and overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Below are the results and top fantasy players from Week 7. This piece will be updated throughout Sunday's action.

           

NFL Week 7 Results

Philadelphia Eagles 22, New York Giants 21

Green Bay Packers 35, Houston Texans 20

New Orleans Saints 27, Carolina Panthers 24

Washington Football Team 25, Dallas Cowboys 3

Buffalo Bills 18, New York Jets 10

Detroit Lions 23, Atlanta Falcons 22

Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Tennessee Titans 24

Cleveland Browns 37, Cincinnati Bengals 34

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 45, Las Vegas Raiders 20

Kansas City Chiefs 43, Denver Broncos 16

San Francisco 49ers 33, New England Patriots 6

Los Angeles Chargers 39, Jacksonville Jaguars 29

Arizona Cardinals 37, Seattle Seahawks 34 (OT)

Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams (Monday)

          

Top Fantasy Performances

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

Following an ugly loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, the Packers bounced back in a big way.

Rodgers torched the Houston secondary for 283 yards and four touchdowns, completing 23 of 34 passes. Adams, meanwhile, set a single-game career-high mark with his 196 yards.

45 yards from @AaronRodgers12 to @tae15adams!

TOUCHDOWN! #GBvsHOU | #GoPackGo

📺 FOX
📱 https://t.co/2UxGSiVlvn https://t.co/I27Q421zNl

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 25, 2020

Rodgers' effort resulted in a superb 27.32 fantasy points, while Adams racked up 44.6 in a point-per-reception scoring format. Through the early afternoon window Sunday, Adams was the highest-scoring player of Week 7.

Adams, who missed two games because of a hamstring injury, already has a pair of 40-point PPR outputs in four appearances this season. His upside is nearly unmatched around the NFL.

            

Quarterbacks Thrive in AFC North Track Meet

Baker Mayfield looked miserable early, missing on his first five attempts that included an interception as well. From there, the third-year quarterback only had one incompletion in 23 attempts.

Good thing, too, because Joe Burrow had a terrific game.

Mayfield finished 22-of-28 for 297 yards and five touchdowns, including a 24-yard strike to Donovan Peoples-Jones in the closing seconds of the game. This score propelled the Cleveland Browns to a 37-34 win over Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Throw.
The Catch.@bakermayfield to @dpeoplesjones FOR THE WIN.

📺: #CLEvsCIN on CBS pic.twitter.com/cIlcHw99yr

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 25, 2020

Though it wasn't enough for the Bengals, Burrow tossed a pair of go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The rookie's final line read 35-of-47 for 406 yards and three touchdowns, and he also rushed for 34 yards and a score.

Burrow had more fantasy points with 33.64, but Mayfield (29.78) left Cincinnati with a victory. The Browns are now 5-2.

          

Wide Receivers Explode for Steelers, Titans

In a showdown of 5-0 teams, Diontae Johnson helped Pittsburgh build an early lead that Tennessee ultimately could not overcome.

Johnson found the end zone on the opening drive of the contest and then added a second touchdown right before halftime. That helped put the Steelers up 24-7 at halftime, and another field goal early in the third quarter put them in a comfortable spot.

Spin away from the defender and GO.

Diontae Johnson is in the end zone again! @Juiceup__3

📺: #PITvsTEN on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/MIIkbfUwYk pic.twitter.com/eEHffdpvwf

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2020

But the Titans nearly recovered.

After a quiet first half, A.J. Brown started to excel. His 73-yard touchdown catch sparked a comeback for Tennessee, which trimmed the gap to 27-24 late in regulation. However, Stephen Gostkowski missed a 45-yard kick that would've forced overtime.

Johnson tallied a career-best 29 PPR points in the win, and Brown (27.3) topped 20 points for the third straight week.

          

Lockett's Incredible Game in Seattle Loss

Somehow, this wasn't enough.

Tyler Lockett put together the single-best fantasy performance of the season so far. He leaped Packers running back Aaron Jones—who had 45.6 points in Week 2—with 53 points.

Lockett reeled in 15 passes for 200 yards and three scores, setting or matching personal bests in each category. His third touchdown gave Seattle a 34-24 lead in the fourth quarter, but a late collapse pushed the game into overtime. Arizona pulled out a wacky victory on Zane Gonzalez's field goal.

Without question, Lockett would've preferred the win. But it was a sensational night from the Seattle star.

         

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams will return to the field Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Friday Adams "will be ready to go," via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.

The 27-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 this season, causing him to miss the next two games. 

He expected to play in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons but was ruled inactive, showing his disappointment in a tweet he later deleted.

"Sorry fans and friends I wont be on the field tonight," he wrote in a since-deleted tweet (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). "I've done everything I need to do and proved Im ready but I guess I don't know my body as well as others. Good luck out there my boys."

The wideout had previously stated he wanted to be 100 percent before returning to the field.

"I will be making sure I feel normal—like before it happened—before I step out there," Adams said, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "So we're doing our thing to make sure that that's the case."

The injury has limited the Fresno State product to 17 catches for 192 receiving yards in two games in 2020, with most of that production coming in Week 1.

It comes after another injury-filled campaign in 2019, although he still managed 997 receiving yards and five touchdowns to earn his third straight Pro Bowl appearance.

His return adds one of the top receivers in the NFL to an offense that already ranked No. 1 in the NFL in points scored during the 4-0 start.

Green Bay Packers star Davante Adams said frustration over his injured hamstring led him to post a since-deleted tweet attacking his team for holding him out on October 5.

The wideout wrote it was the Packers' decision to hold him out against the Atlanta Falcons, not his.

"It's not too much to read into it to say I was frustrated," Adams told reporters Wednesday. "Obviously, I'm a competitor. I think everybody knows that. Everybody knows what I'm about and how I play football. I don't necessarily, obviously, understand what the club's interest [is] and everything that goes with it."

Adams is likely to suit up for Green Bay in Week 6.

In two games this season, Adams has caught 17 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. The Packers remain undefeated at 4-0 to begin the year, but there's no question Adams makes the offense significantly better.

Given Adams' attitude, he'd want to be out there even if his addition were marginal.

"Being a competitor, like I said, and me being who I am and how I'm wired, even if I'm not 100 percent, which I said obviously at that point I felt great to play," Adams said. "But even if I'm not 100 percent, I mean, I've played few football games feeling 100 percent. So at the end of the day, a lot of that factored into the decision."

Adams noted he was not asked to take down the tweet and instead did it because he wanted to avoid any distractions for his teammates when they took the field against Atlanta.

"That was the best thing to do," Adams said. "A little frustrated when it happened, obviously, but then decided to take it down just so there were no distractions on game day, and my teammates could go out there and take care of business without hearing about too much extra stuff."

The wideout's coaches certainly have his back there.

As the Packers prepare to face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, head coach Matt LaFleur was upbeat in talking about Adams' chances of dressing.

"We'll just see how his body responds," LaFleur said. "I know 'Te has done everything in his power, just like he did two weeks ago before we played Atlanta. He's always doing whatever he can to get out on the field to play with his teammates because he knows he's an important part of what we're trying to get done here. He's a great player, and I love the way he approaches everything."

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams said he will miss Monday's game against the Atlanta Falcons due to a hamstring injury.  

"Sorry fans and friends I wont be on the field tonight. I’ve done everything I need to do and proved Im ready but I guess I don’t know my body as well as others. Good luck out there my boys," Adams tweeted. However, USA Today Sports noted that "he deleted the tweet about 35 minutes later."

This will be Adams' second straight missed game with the injury. He had been listed as questionable. 

Injuries were a major storyline for the 27-year-old Adams in 2019. He missed four games in October with turf toe, though the Packers more than treaded water without their dynamic wideout, going 4-0 in that time behind the strong play of Aaron Rodgers and a run game headlined by Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. 

Still, getting back his No. 1 wideout was excellent news for Rodgers, and Adams stayed healthy the rest of the way in 2019, catching 83 passes for 997 yards and five touchdowns. 

Unfortunately for the Packers, it appears as though Adams could potentially miss more time. He's emerged as one of the NFL's best receivers in recent seasons and was spectacular in 2018, registering 111 receptions for 1,386 yards and 13 scores. 

The Packers also placed wideout Allen Lazard on injured reserve this week. 

Still, expect Green Bay's offense to keep on chugging without Adams. Jones is an excellent receiver out of the backfield, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a solid option out wide. Rodgers may lean more heavily on tight end Robert Tonyan as well, especially in the red zone.

Atlanta Falcons receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley will be available for Monday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the wideouts are good to go.

Jones missed last week's game against the Chicago Bears while nursing a lingering hamstring injury. Ridley was listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

The Falcons entered Week 4 among the most desperate teams in the sport, sitting at 0-3 after back-to-back embarrassing comeback losses. Having Jones and Ridley in the lineup should give them enough offensive firepower to compete with a Packers team that may be without Davante Adams for the second straight week.

Jones has recorded 11 receptions for 181 yards through his first two games played in 2020. Ridley has overtaken Jones as Matt Ryan's top target, but both remain clear WR1s in fantasy formats because of the Falcons' high-octane offense. Ridley has racked up 21 grabs for 349 yards and four touchdowns, going over the 100-yard mark the last three weeks.

Russell Gage may see a downtick in work with Jones back in the lineup.

The 2020 edition of fantasy football has been a bit of a roller coaster ride to this point. Key NFL injuries have had a massive impact on the landscape, as have the struggles of formerly reliable fantasy stars like Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson and Odell Beckham Jr.

Finding the best options has been a weekly challenge, and the battle continues in Week 4 with quality flex players like Michael Thomas, Mike Williams, DeSean Jackson and Jared Cook ruled out.

Here, you'll find a look at the best available players at each flex position—running back, wide receiver and tight end—based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

        

Top 15 Running Backs

1. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

2. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

3. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

4. Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals

5. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

6. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

7. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

10. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

11. James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

12. Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills

13. David Johnson, Houston Texans

14. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

15. Mike Davis, Carolina Panthers

  

With Thomas out for the New Orleans Saints, Alvin Kamara should be the clear-cut centerpiece of the offense and one of the top running backs in PPR this week. The Detroit Lions rank 30th against the run, and while they rank a respectable 17th against the pass, they rank 21st in yards allowed per passing attempt.

According to Pro Football Reference, Kamara had 14 targets and 13 receptions in Week 3. He could have a similar target share against Detroit.

Aaron Jones and Dalvin Cook remain quality high-volume options for Week 4, as does Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. The caveat with Elliott, though, is that he's facing a Cleveland Browns defense that has been pretty good against the run to this point.

The Browns rank fifth in rushing yards allowed and sixth in yards per attempt allowed. Elliott should still be a quality start, but he's perhaps a tier below Kamara, Jones and Cook this week.

Houston Texans back David Johnson is a solid high-upside play for Week 4. The Minnesota Vikings rank just 26th against the run and 30th against the pass. As a dual-threat back, Johnson should flourish.

        

Top 25 Wide Receivers

1. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

2. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

3. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

4. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

5. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears

6. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

7. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

9. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

10. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

11. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers

12. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

13. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

14. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

15. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals

16. Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team

17. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns

18. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots

19. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions

20. Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers

21. DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins

22. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

23. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

24. Will Fuller V, Houston Texans

25. Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys

  

One of the first things you might notice here is that Green Bay Packers wideout Davante Adams and Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones are not listed. Jones remains limited in practice, while Adams has publicly stated that he isn't going to rush himself back onto the playing field.

"I will be making sure I feel normal—like before it happened—before I step out there. So we're doing our thing to make sure that that's the case," Adams said, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Adams should be a top-10 fantasy WR if he plays, and Jones should be top-15 if he goes. The problem is that with the Packers and Falcons playing on Monday night, managers may have to decide whether they're willing to gamble at the position before they know whether either is playing.

It's worth checking the waiver wire for players like Russell Gage and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as Monday night insurance. Picking one up will allow managers to at least have an alternative if they insist on waiting things out with Adams or Jones.

          

Top 10 Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

3. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

4. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

5. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

6. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

7. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

8. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys

9. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

10. T.J.Hockenson, Detroit Lions

    

The big news at tight end is the fact that San Francisco 49ers top target George Kittle is expected to return. While Kittle doesn't have the most favorable matchup against a Philadelphia Eagles defense ranked seventh against the pass, it's worth noting that Philadelphia has surrendered six passing touchdowns through three games and has no interceptions.

Kittle is a high-volume target with a tremendous amount of scoring potential.

Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz is a sneaky strong play against the Browns this week. While Cleveland has been stout against the run, it ranks just 29th against the pass and has allowed eight touchdowns with just two interceptions on the season.

In fact, most Cowboys pass-catchers should be viable starting options in Week 4.

To start or to sit. This is a question that fantasy managers face on a weekly basis, and this year's rash of high-profile injuries has not made decisions any easier.

Players like Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Michael Thomas and Julio Jones are must-starts when healthy. Of course, these players aren't healthy, leading managers to start more second-tier players than is ideal.

It's this second tier where there are legitimate decisions to be made. You're not taking Patrick Mahomes or Josh Jacobs out of the lineup unless he is on bye, but deciding whether to start Matthew Stafford or Nyheim Hines in a given week is trickier.

We'll try to provide some aid here, as we examine some second-tier options for Week 4—players outside of the top 10 at quarterback and top 50 for flex positions, according to FantasyPros—and sort through which to start and which to sit.

    

Start 'Em

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Miami Dolphins

Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

Jerick McKinnon, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Latavius Murray, RB, New Orleans Saints

Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers

Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos

Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami Dolphins

   

Start 'Em: Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Miami Dolphins

While the Miami Dolphins didn't notch their first win until Week 3, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been a solid streaming option over the past two weeks. He had 328 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 and 160 passing yards, 38 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in Week 3 against the New York Jets.

It should be back to some prolific passing numbers for Fitzpatrick here in Week 4. The Dolphins host the Seattle Seahawks, who have had the worst pass defense in the NFL over the first three weeks.

Seattle has allowed 430 passing yards per game so far, with Cam Newton as the only quarterback to not reach 450 passing yards against the Seahawks defense (and he passed for 397).

Don't be surprised if Fitzpatrick approaches the 400-yard mark as the Dolphins and Seahawks engage in a Sunday afternoon shootout.

   

Start 'Em: Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers

Will Davante Adams play for the Green Bay Packers on Monday night? This is one of the biggest unknowns of the week, though ESPN's Rob Demovsky reported he didn't practice on Wednesday and there probably won't be any clarity until Thursday's practice at the earliest.

Fellow wideout Allen Lazard becomes a legitimate must-start if Adams doesn't go. He had six catches for 146 yards and a touchdown while filling in as the No. 1 target against the New Orleans Saints.

Even if Adams does play, though, Lazard is worth starting against a bad Atlanta Falcons pass defense.

While Atlanta hasn't been quite as bad against the pass as Seattle has, it has allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL through three games. Opposing teams have averaged just over 350 passing yards per game against the Falcons. Even as Green Bay's No. 2 receiver, Lazard could have a huge outing.

    

Sit 'Em

Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans

Myles Gaskin, RB, Miami Dolphins

Joshua Kelley, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Adrian Peterson, RB, Detroit Lions

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, New Orleans Saints

N'Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots

Golden Tate, WR, New York Giants

Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants

Austin Hooper, TE, Cleveland Browns

   

Sit 'Em: Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

The San Francisco 49ers are banged up and haven't had the same shutdown defense they possessed in 2019. However, they still rank second in passing yards allowed and present a tough challenge for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

Last week, Wentz played an underwhelming Cincinnati Bengals defense but came away with just 225 passing yards, a touchdown and two interceptions—though he did rush for a score. It marked the third consecutive week in which Wentz has played poorly, which could be a sign of deeper issues.

"It does seem, just from watching him play, that he's lost some confidence," former Eagles president Joe Banner said, per Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Injuries to 49ers defenders like Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman will give Wentz a fighting chance, but this isn't the week to expect a rebound.

   

Sit 'Em: Austin Hooper, TE, Cleveland Browns

Tight end Austin Hooper was a Pro Bowler and a quality fantasy option over the past two seasons, but that was when playing with the Atlanta Falcons. Hooper joined the Cleveland Browns in free agency and has been an afterthought in the offense since.

With the Browns relying heavily on running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt—as well they should—Hooper has been more valuable as a blocker than a pass-catcher. According to Pro Football Reference, Hooper has been targeted just 10 times through three weeks and has a mere seven receptions for 62 yards.

There is the potential for Hooper to have a breakout game against the Dallas Cowboys and their 28th-ranked pass defense. However, playing him is just too risky given his established role in Cleveland's offense.

Even when the Browns were in full-on pass mode against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, Hooper had just two targets.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers never actually went anywhere, but he's clearly back after his status as the game's most gifted passer came into question over the last three seasons. 

During Sunday's 37-30 victory over the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Rodgers pulled out all of his old tricks, easily outdueled Drew Brees and helped Green Bay stake its claim as the NFC's best through three weeks of play. 

To be completely fair, Rodgers previously butted up against an impossible standard he set with four seasons of 38 or more touchdowns and two MVPs between 2011 and '16. During that stretch, the eight-time Pro Bowl signal-caller set career highs in completion percentage (68.3), passing yards (4,643) and touchdown passes (45). His resume—which includes a championship and Super Bowl MVP—all but guaranteed a future residency in Canton, Ohio. 

But the quarterback's situation became stagnant in Green Bay, with a marriage to head coach Mike McCarthy ending in divorce and plenty of bad blood between the two. 

The transition from McCarthy to current head coach Matt LaFleur wasn't seamless despite last season's overall team success. Rodgers clearly needed some time to transition from one system to the next. 

As such, others around the league became the standard-bearers for the position when the Packers quarterback previously held the torch. The Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson became the quarterbacks everyone else wanted to emulate. 

The 36-year-old Rodgers was far from done, even though the Packers decided to draft a quarterback prospect, Jordan Love, with this year's first-round draft pick. 

Now in LaFleur's second season, Rodgers is once again back to doing the things that always made him dominant. Their success together is due, in part, to the 16-year-veteran doing a little self-scouting, as Rodgers told reporters last week:  

"In this situation, I've just been choosing to work on myself. I feel really good about where I'm at. Matt and I, we've had a friendship since the beginning. It's even grown during this offseason. There's a lot of trust there. We're in the second year of a system and guys are playing a little faster and we're finding ways to be more efficient. That maybe doesn't sell a lot of papers or get a lot of hits on a website but to me, that's closer to the truth than this idea of some monster chip."

Continuity from season to season can't be overlooked. Even someone as good as Rodgers still needs time to adjust to new circumstances. And now he seems to be in a zen-like state.

He's no longer driven by the massive boulder that used to exist on his shoulder after tumbling to the 24th overall pick in the '05 draft. Love's selection this year didn't rile him up too much, either. 

"If anything, it's almost the opposite, I'm completely at peace with where I'm at with my career," Rodgers said an interview on The Rich Eisen Show (h/t Zach Kruse of USA Today's Packers Wire). "And that's what's freed me up to get to this comfort level is the peace that sometimes surpasses your own understanding."

What always separated Rodgers from everyone else was his natural arm talent. No one before Mahomes truly rivaled the Green Bay gunslinger for supremacy in this particular area. Sometimes, the old hand has to show exactly how he earned such a reputation, and he did with one of the best throws we'll see this season when he rolled to his left and uncorked a stunningly beautiful 48-yard pass to Allen Lazard with but a flick of the wrist. 

THIS THROW.

Rodgers puts it right on Allen Lazard for the 48-yard catch! #GoPackGo

📺: #GBvsNO on NBC
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/VANJXsXuUh pic.twitter.com/WhhJL0VZqF

— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2020

The ball placement and touch seen above, especially considering he didn't even fully set his feet, are special. The two connected on a 72-yard pass later in the contest, which showed how Rodgers can still drive the ball down the field with relative ease. 

But it's not all big plays. Rodgers completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 283 yards and three scores against a talented Saints defense.

Life is easier on Rodgers because LaFleur, who doubles as the offensive play-caller, constructed a quarterback friendly scheme heavily reliant on the play-action passing attack. 

Aaron Rodgers and the #Packers offense featured a play action-heavy attack, using play action on 52% of dropbacks, his highest PA rate in a game over the last five seasons (previous high: 42%).

Rodgers on Play Action
➤ 13/17, 160 yards, 3 TD (+8.3% CPOE)#GBvsNO | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/3TrVy1Vezu

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 28, 2020

Rodgers' play once again places the Packers in the Super Bowl conversation as the NFC's best team. He didn't just take what was available to him. He extended plays, showed good pocket presence and secured a victory for his team by drawing a Saints defender offside on a crucial 3rd-and-3 play with 3:49 left to play and Green Bay winning by a field goal.

Rodgers' incomparable hard count drew the defender offside, and then the quarterback took a patented shot toward the end zone where Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins committed pass interference, thus giving the Packers an automatic first down at the 1-yard line—which resulted in a game-sealing touchdown toss to tight end Robert Tonyan four plays later. 

Amazingly, the Packers' offensive performance came even though leading target Davante Adams didn't play due to a tweaked hamstring. Green Bay will only get better with Adams in the lineup. And he's merely the starting point. 

Green Bay's offensive line is still coming together. The unit has already cycled through three different iterations to start the season. Elgton Jenkins moved from left guard to right tackle in Week 1. Veteran Rick Wagner had to start in Week 2 due to an injury Lane Taylor suffered. Billy Turner returned to the lineup against the Saints and he finally took over at right tackle with Lucas Patrick at right guard. As this group gets healthy, it should solidify itself as one of the league's best. 

Defensively, the Packers are playing without their rock in the middle. Kenny Clark missed his second straight game after injuring a groin muscle in the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. As The Athletic's Matt Schneidman noted, Clark practiced this week but wasn't quite ready to go. The Pro Bowl interior defender should be ready for next Monday's meeting with the Atlanta Falcons. 

The Saints (1-2) entered this season as one of the NFC favorites to make the Super Bowl. With the victory, the Packers have put themselves in a tier above New Orleans.  

Right now, Green Bay is the clear favorite to win the NFC North despite the Chicago Bears getting off a 3-0 start. How Chicago performs in the coming weeks will be entirely dependent on what the coaching staff decides to do behind center after benching Mitchell Trubisky for Nick Foles. Either way, the Bears operate at a disadvantage at the game's most important position when compared to their oldest rival. 

The Seattle Seahawks (3-0) are the only other NFC team in the Packers' class with Russell Wilson leading the way as the early MVP favorite. Even so, the Seahawks secondary has been torched so far. Seattle has allowed 1,303 passing yards through the first three weeks of play, which is a new record for futility, according to NFL on CBS. 

Rodgers and the Packers looked like a prime regression candidate after last season's 13-3 campaign that featured a number of close victories. Instead, Rodgers and Co. have built on the foundation laid a year ago, which makes the quarterback as dangerous as he's been in quite some time. 

   

The Green Bay Packers are likely to take the field without their top receiver in Week 3. 

Davante Adams is "probably doubtful" to suit up against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Friday:

Matt LaFleur said Davante Adams is "probably doubtful" for Sunday night against the Saints but "we'll give him the rest of the week to see where he's at."

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 25, 2020

Green Bay (2-0) has relied heavily on Adams so far this season. The seven-year veteran has been targeted 20 times for 17 catches, 192 yards and two touchdowns. 

Adams exited a Week 2 victory against the Detroit Lions early with a hamstring injury, and while LaFleur has yet to completely rule the receiver out, it's unlikely he'll play against the Saints (1-1).

That puts the Packers in a bit of a bind. 

Only one other Green Bay receiver has racked up more than 150 total receiving yards through two games with Marquez Valdes-Scantling tallying 160 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions. He's likely to see an even bigger share of targets against New Orleans.

So too will Allen Lazard, who has been targeted by quarterback Aaron Rodgers just nine times in two weeks but has caught seven passes for 108 yards and a score. 

Running back Aaron Jones is also likely to see increased targets out of the backfield as well. 

While the Packers boast the No. 1 overall offense in the league so far with 505 yards per game, they'll be tested by a stout New Orleans defense that ranks eighth overall and looking to bounce back after giving up 34 points in a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday. 

The Saints will have a shorter window to prepare for Green Bay and may be without a star receiver of their own with Michael Thomas questionable. 

Look for Malik Taylor to get a few opportunities on Sunday with Adams sidelined. If he can help pick up some slack, the rookie wideout may be able to carve out a role for himself in Rodgers' offense.