Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
1. Michael Vick has no competition for his job. Plain and simple. Nick Foles was horrendous. And if you thought Foles was hard to watch, rookie quarterback Matt Barkley made you turn off the TV after Foles left the game. Barkley threw three interceptions on just 20 attempts. For all the talk about Vick having competition for his job, it came to a quick halt this week. Vick will be back under-center for the Eagles in Week 8.
2. Miles Austin is irrelevant. Since Austin's last catch, Terrance Williams has 18 catches for 319 yards and three touchdowns. To add-on to Williams, Cole Beasley has become a security blanket for Romo, an provided six catches for 53 yards in this game. Beasley has more fantasy value than Austin at this point.
3. Brandon Carr is a matchup to avoid at all costs. Carr has allowed a catch rate of nearly 50 percent to opposing wide receivers, and is allowing an average of only 44 yards to his matchups this season. DeSean Jackson caught only three passes for 21 yards in Week 7 against Carr. Carr is performing like a top 5 NFL corner, and it's time to take notice in your fantasy lineups.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
1. Harry Douglas will continue to be a plug-and-play receiver as long as Roddy White is out, and possibly even when White returns. He hauled in seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Buccaneers' flimsy secondary.
2. Doug Martin will underwent x-rays on his shoulders and they returned negative. The Bucs play on Thursday, so it will be something to keep your eye out for. If he's inactive, we'll see Mike James (14 carries, 45 yards) take over the lead back role.
3. The Falcons need Steven Jackson, and they need him bad. Jacquizz Rodgers (8 carries, 16 yards) and Jason Snelling (7 carries, 14 yards) have been worse than just mediocre. I expect both to stay active in the pass game when Jackson returns, but they shouldn't be carrying the shoulders of a running game. Jackson should be back sooner rather than later.
3. The Falcons need Steven Jackson, and they need him bad. Jacquizz Rodgers (8 carries, 16 yards) and Jason Snelling (7 carries, 14 yards) have been worse than just mediocre. I expect both to stay active in the pass game when Jackson returns, but they shouldn't be carrying the shoulders of a running game. Jackson should be back sooner rather than later.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Detroit Lions
1. There aren't many situations more frustrating than that of Giovani Bernard. Bernard has averaged a higher yards per carry then BenJarvus Green-Ellis in every week but one. Nevertheless, Green-Ellis has carried the ball more often than Bernard in all but one game. It simply doesn't make sense. I'd be stashing Bernard and hold out hope that the Bengals coaching staff realizes that they're holding back the league's best rookie running back.
2. Joique Bell isn't more than a bye-week flex. He hasn't touched the ball 10 times since Week 4, where the Lions scored 40 points against the Bears. Even in PPR, he only has four catches in his last two weeks. Reggie Bush can be classified as a work-horse with over 20 touches in four-of-five games in which he's played the entire game.
2. And here we go to the Bills running back situation. I hate to say it, but C.J. Spiller is no longer a consideration to be a week-to-week fantasy starter. Yes, you have to keep him stashed on your bench, but he's not the same Spiller that we saw in 2012. Not even close. We've seen flashes of 2012 Spiller, but on a week-to-week basis, Spiller is not reliable. It's worth noting that Fred Jackson will continue to be a weekly starter because of his goal-line work. He has four rushing touchdowns over his last four games in four tough matchups.
2. Chris Ivory (34 carries, 104 yards) is finally receiving the carries that we all expected. He asked for the ball more this week, and he got it. Bilal Powell rushed only three times to Ivory's 34 on Sunday. If Ivory is a free agent in your league, then you're picking him up. Powell is safe to drop if it is confirmed that he was not injured and it was just Ivory taking the carries. I'm expecting Ivory to continue to be the work-horse as long as he is healthy.
3. Aaron Dobson is worth owning over Kenbrell Thompkins. Dobson has been targeted 17 times and has caught 9 over the last two weeks, while Thompkins has been targeted 11 times with just five catches. Neither has a great fantasy outlook, but if I'm owning one, it's Dobson.
2. No Roy Helu Jr. isn't taking Alfred Morris' job, but he will limit it. But we also already knew that. Helu racked up three touchdowns as he received all of the work at the goal line and 11 carries in all. Helu finished with a 3.7 yards per carry average, while Morris notched a 5.0 yards per carry average on 19 carries. I'm not concerned about Morris, and you shouldn't be either. He's a borderline RB1, which is what you drafted him to be.
3. Robert Griffin III isn't the same guy when the Redskins let him run. He's a lot better. He rushed 11 times for 84 yards in this game, on top of his 298 yards passing. It's clear that Griffin is finally back to full health after his January ACL tear. I'd expect to see a lot more of these game where Griffin is let loose, and everyone will benefit from it.
4. Jordan Reed is a legit TE1. He racked up 134 yards and touchdown on nine targets and nine receptions against the Bears, who have played well against tight ends in recent weeks. The Redskins are using him as their top priority in the pass-game. A legit tight end is something that Griffin hasn't had thus far in his career, and we can expect this new weapon to continue to be an intricate part of the offense.
2. Joique Bell isn't more than a bye-week flex. He hasn't touched the ball 10 times since Week 4, where the Lions scored 40 points against the Bears. Even in PPR, he only has four catches in his last two weeks. Reggie Bush can be classified as a work-horse with over 20 touches in four-of-five games in which he's played the entire game.
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins
1. Let's kick this off with the Dolphins running backs. Let's put it this way: my hand is all the way out of the cookie jar with this situation. I simply do not understand why the Dolphins refuse to use Lamar Miller, even when he is successful. This team just doesn't run the ball very much, and Tannehill doesn't give them much of a chance when he throws two interceptions early one. Even in Week 5 when Miller received the majority of snaps, was featured as the lead-back, and made no mistakes, it was back to Daniel Thomas after their Week 6 bye. You're never going to see either of these guys emerge: Thomas won't emerge because of serious talent limitations, and Miller won't because of poor coaching. It'd be best if you removed your hand from the cookie jar, too.2. And here we go to the Bills running back situation. I hate to say it, but C.J. Spiller is no longer a consideration to be a week-to-week fantasy starter. Yes, you have to keep him stashed on your bench, but he's not the same Spiller that we saw in 2012. Not even close. We've seen flashes of 2012 Spiller, but on a week-to-week basis, Spiller is not reliable. It's worth noting that Fred Jackson will continue to be a weekly starter because of his goal-line work. He has four rushing touchdowns over his last four games in four tough matchups.
New England Patriots @ New York Jets
1. Rob Gronkowski (17 targets, 8 receptions, 114 yards) is back. Okay, let's move on.2. Chris Ivory (34 carries, 104 yards) is finally receiving the carries that we all expected. He asked for the ball more this week, and he got it. Bilal Powell rushed only three times to Ivory's 34 on Sunday. If Ivory is a free agent in your league, then you're picking him up. Powell is safe to drop if it is confirmed that he was not injured and it was just Ivory taking the carries. I'm expecting Ivory to continue to be the work-horse as long as he is healthy.
3. Aaron Dobson is worth owning over Kenbrell Thompkins. Dobson has been targeted 17 times and has caught 9 over the last two weeks, while Thompkins has been targeted 11 times with just five catches. Neither has a great fantasy outlook, but if I'm owning one, it's Dobson.
Chicago Bears @ Washington Redskins
1. The Redskins defense makes any quarterback look good. Josh McCown went 14-for-20 for 204 yards and a touchdown in place of injured Jay Cutler. Cutler will undergo an MRI on his injured groin on Monday, but a source told me initial diagnosis revealed that he is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. It'll be interesting if McCown can hold the fort against the upcoming schedule that consists of the Packers, Lions, and the Super Bowl Champion Ravens.2. No Roy Helu Jr. isn't taking Alfred Morris' job, but he will limit it. But we also already knew that. Helu racked up three touchdowns as he received all of the work at the goal line and 11 carries in all. Helu finished with a 3.7 yards per carry average, while Morris notched a 5.0 yards per carry average on 19 carries. I'm not concerned about Morris, and you shouldn't be either. He's a borderline RB1, which is what you drafted him to be.
3. Robert Griffin III isn't the same guy when the Redskins let him run. He's a lot better. He rushed 11 times for 84 yards in this game, on top of his 298 yards passing. It's clear that Griffin is finally back to full health after his January ACL tear. I'd expect to see a lot more of these game where Griffin is let loose, and everyone will benefit from it.
4. Jordan Reed is a legit TE1. He racked up 134 yards and touchdown on nine targets and nine receptions against the Bears, who have played well against tight ends in recent weeks. The Redskins are using him as their top priority in the pass-game. A legit tight end is something that Griffin hasn't had thus far in his career, and we can expect this new weapon to continue to be an intricate part of the offense.
St. Louis Rams @ Carolina Panthers
1. Not much to say in this game. We learned, for another week, that Zac Stacy is the lead running back for the Rams. Stacy has racked up 35 carries to Daryl Richardson's 6 over the last two weeks.2. Steve Smith picked up his second touchdown in the same amount of games. Take that as you will, but he's nothing more than a week-to-week flex option. Mike Tolbert also picked up his third touchdown in two weeks. Week-to-week, Tolbert is more valuable than DeAngelo Williams because he will continue to get the carries around the goal line.
3. Sam Bradford will undergo an MRI on his injured knee on Monday, but he is thought to have a torn ACL. We'll get an official diagnosis on Monday.
San Diego Chargers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
1. Chad Henne passed for over 300 yards for the second consecutive week. But Justin Blackmon wasn't the center of the offense as he had been in his firs two games back from suspension. Blackmon was targeted nine times, while Cecil Shorts III saw a team-leading 13 targets against the flimsy Chargers defense. Henne gets the 49ers next week, which is another great matchup. Blackmon and Shorts will be must starts for Week 8.2. Ryan Mathews is back! He's a feature back! Just like we all expected! Exclamation point! Mathews has over 20 carries and 100 carries in back-to-back games. This week, Mathews also got into the end-zone. I sense a three-peat coming against the Washington Redskins next week. Mathews is looking good, and he's finally looking healthy.
3. Keenan Allen came back to earth in this game with six targets. The Chargers just didn't throw much in the second half due to a 14-3 lead at half. They really slowed the game down with short passes and put the ball on the ground a lot. I'd expect Allen to bounce back, and you can still trust him, because he didn't kill you with a goose-egg this week.
