Jeremy Hill finally had the huge game we were waiting for
It was another wacky week of football in the NFL, with plenty of unexpectedly awesome performances.
Melvin Gordon just keeps scoring touchdowns and Jay Ajayi was so good he forced Arian Foster to retire (kind of). Sunday night’s game between Seattle and Arizona was one gigantic dud and might have sparked a referendum on kicking.
Without further ado, here are the studs and duds for Week 7:
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All scoring numbers come from standard league formats
Studs
Melvin Gordon – 29 points
Seriously, all Gordon does is score after not scoring once during his entire rookie season. Gordon now has 10 total touchdowns after rushing for two scores and catching another touchdown during San Diego’s upset victory over Atlanta. In a fantasy world of uncertainty and mediocrity, Gordon’s scoring ability might be an enormous difference maker.
Andrew Luck – 27 points
Luck tore up the Tennessee Titans for 353 yards and three touchdowns in a much-needed victory. It’s amazing what Luck can do with actual time in the pocket.
Jay Ajayi – 27 points
Once again, Ajayi was brilliant. He ran for 214 yards and one touchdown against a stingy Bills defense and now has the starting job all to himself after Foster suddenly retired Monday night. Life couldn’t get any better for Ajayi owners.
Matt Forte – 25 points
The Jets realized the offense didn’t have to revolve around their mediocre quarterbacks and Forte found a way to 100 rushing yards against the league’s No. 1 rush defense. Forte also ran for a touchdown and caught four passes for 54 yards and one score in a game that reminded you he was still a top talent at running back.
Davante Adams – 25 points
The leading receiver in Green Bay and in fantasy league-wide was Adams, who hauled in 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns against the Chicago Bears Thursday night. Adams might be a guy who is starting to find a niche and now has scored a touchdown in four of Green Bay’s six games.
Eagles D/ST – 25 points
The Eagles might have swayed fantasy contests this week as they devoured their former quarterback, Sam Bradford, in his not-so memorable homecoming. The Eagles forced four turnovers and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
LeGarrette Blount – 24 points
It was a modest afternoon at Heinz Field for Tom Brady and the Patriots passing game, but Blount carried the load admirably. Blount ran the ball 24 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He’s arguably been one of the most surprising fantasy darlings of the season.
Jeremy Hill – 24 points
Hill runs with a similar style to Blount. But on Sunday, it was Hill who was the far more efficient fantasy star. He rushed for 168 yards and one touchdown on only nine carries against the lowly Browns.
Giants D/ST – 20 points
Nobody should get a cookie for making Case Keenum look bad because it’s not that hard. But the Giants rewarded anyone who started them with four interceptions including arguably the play of the week from Landon Collins on a magnificent pick-six.
Duds
Lamar Miller – 6 points
Miller followed up his stud performance last week with an enormously disappointing output against a Broncos defense that hasn’t played well against the run. Miller rushed for 61 yards on 11 carries and couldn’t crack the end zone after scoring twice last week. The Brock Osweiler effect hurts everyone involved, sadly.
Joe Flacco – 5 points
You might be asking, “Since when is Flacco a fantasy relevant player?” The answer is he typically isn’t, but against a porous Jets secondary he might have been a spot starter for some owners in a pinch. Sadly for them, Flacco didn’t deliver. He threw for only 248 yards and two interceptions as Baltimore’s offense didn’t crack the end zone once against Gang Green.
Christine Michael – 5 points
Like I said earlier, the entire Seahawks-Cardinals game was one collective dud, but Michael was one of the more disappointing fantasy performers. Michael rushed for only 52 yards on 16 carries in the thrilling tie.
Odell Beckham – 4 points
It’s tough to figure out what to make of Beckham anymore. This week, he caught only five passes for 49 yards after busting out for 222 yards and two touchdowns a week ago. Beckham’s hip injury may have had something to do with his underwhelming performance.
Brandon Marshall – 3 points
Marshall has been an immense disappointment as the Jets’ season goes down the drain. He caught only three passes for 70 yards against the Ravens and now will have Ryan Fitzpatrick back under center. Fitzpatrick has a tendency to lock onto Marshall, which could be good for him going forward. But this week, Marshall was a no-show.
Alshon Jeffery – 3 points
Jeffery still does not have a touchdown this season and caught only three of his 11 targets for 33 yards Thursday night. The only good news for Jeffery at this point is that Jay Cutler is expected to return to the lineup this week.
DeAndre Hopkins – 3 points
The Osweiler effect, everybody. A receiver who broke out under Brian Hoyer has now gone five games without a 100-yard receiving performance. Hopkins owners might have plenty of reason to panic.
Amari Cooper – 2 points
Cooper ended his streak of consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards with an underwhelming four catch, 29-yard performance against a mediocre Jaguars defense. Michael Crabtree stole the show once again with a touchdown.
LeSean McCoy – 1 point
Shady owners should be worried. McCoy carried the ball eight times for 11 yards before exiting Sunday’s loss because of his hamstring issue. McCoy was on pace for a tremendous season, but could be hampered by this injury.
Terrelle Pryor – 1 point
Pryor is another player owners might have concern over. He was extremely ineffective and was clearly bothered by his hamstring injury. Pryor caught only two passes for 18 yards.
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Who were your studs and duds from the fifth week of the season? Reach out on to Matt on Twitter @RealMattBarbato.
