The week started with a butt-whoopin’ in the desert that cost one coach his job. The fans in London were treated to a nail-biter to open action Sunday. A hail mary left one team just a yard short of having a chance to knot their game up. And the three games in the late afternoon time slot provided a couple of barn burners.
Byes: Packers, Raiders, Steelers, and Seahawks
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Broncos 45 at Cardinals 10
The Broncos went into Arizona and slaughtered the Cardinals. The running game got back on track with Phillip Lindsay rumbling for 90 yards and a score on 14 carries while securing his lone target for a six-yard grab. Royce Freeman rushed for just 37 yards on 13 carries, but he made one of those carries count by finding pay dirt. Denver’s No.1 receiver, Emmanuel Sanders, delivered a 6-102-1 line while also tossing a 28-yard touchdown. The defense stole the show, though, recording six sacks, five turnovers, and scoring two touchdowns on pick-sixes.
There aren’t many positives to talk about with Arizona’s offense, and that’s been the case all year. With that being the case, the Cardinals finally pulled the plug on laughably inept offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. They’ve since promoted quarterback coach Byron Leftwich to the offensive coordinator position. Leftwich’s first order of business will be keeping rookie quarterback Josh Rosen alive. However, he’ll also be tasked with getting David Johnson going. It won’t take much for Leftwich to use Johnson more creatively. As you can see from this tweet from Warren Sharp, McCoy is inexplicably in love with having his backs run directly behind the center. Johnson’s avoided being a total bust this year thanks to scoring five touchdowns, but perhaps now he can get back to being the dynamic, do-it-all back we saw before McCoy sabotaged his production. Can Leftwich fix all of Arizona’s offensive problems? That’s highly unlikely. However, he could infuse some life into the offense and revive the value of Larry Fitzgerald while helping rookie Christian Kirk build on his promising play.
Titans 19 at Chargers 20 (London)
Mike Vrabel opted to have his team go for two instead of attempting to tie it up with an extra-point attempt, and as the final score above indicates, his dice roll didn’t work out in his team’s favor. The offense is still a mess. Corey Davis inefficiently parlayed seven targets into three receptions for 10 yards. Good job. Good effort. Tajae Sharpe surprisingly went off for a 7-101-0 line, but I’d advise against cutting any useful players for him. If your roster features a dead-weight player (perhaps you’re working with a free roster spot in the wake of Devonta Freeman going on IR, for instance), then Sharpe is an okay addition to see if he’s able to build on a career day. Derrick Henry scored a rushing touchdown, but he also averaged a paltry 2.8 yards per carry on a dozen rushes. Dion Lewis rushed for 91 yards on 13 carries (7.0 yards per carry) while hauling in all six of his targets for 64 yards. Lewis is the best fantasy option on the team, but he’s far from a reliable weekly performer due to Tennessee’s overall offensive ineptitude.
The Chargers were without the services of banged up Melvin Gordon. Austin Ekeler led the backfield with 12 carries for 42 yards while hauling in five receptions for 26 yards. Ekeler’s provided some useful fantasy lines to date as a change-of-pace option, but his showing in the absence of Gordon dampers the enthusiasm of him being a potential bell-cow when Gordon isn’t able to play. Keenan Allen turned in another unexciting line with five receptions for 72 yards. Philip Rivers was super efficient. He attempted only 26 passes, but he eclipsed 300 yards passing (306) while tossing a couple of touchdowns. Tyrell Williams had his second huge effort in a row with a 4-118-1 line, and second-year pro, Mike Williams, got back in the end zone for the fourth time this year and the first time since Week 3.
Bills 5 at Colts 37
This might come as a surprise, but Buffalo’s offense didn’t erupt under the leadership of recent free-agent signee Derek Anderson. LeSean McCoy exited early with a concussion. Chris Ivory ran hard en route to 81 yards on 16 carries in relief, and he even caught three passes for 25 yards. He, too, got banged up a bit. Ivory left the game, but he did return. Buffalo’s offense is a tire fire, but their opponent next week is the Patriots, and New England’s defense is terrible. Ivory’s worth an add as a potential flex option in Week 8. It’s also possible Kelvin Benjamin plays his way into modest fantasy relevance after hauling in four of five targets for 71 yards. It’s worth noting the one target he didn’t haul in was intercepted, and he didn’t exactly go all out to finish his route and prevent the pick.
Andrew Luck’s arm received some much needed rest after airing it out roughly one billion times in the last three weeks. He attempted 23 passes and passed for just 156 yards, but he made up for the low yardage output with four touchdown passes. Two of his touchdown passes went to T.Y. Hilton (4-25-2). The star for the Colts in Week 7, though, was Marlon Mack. The second-year back rumbled for 126 yards and a score on 19 totes, and he also added a 2-33-1 line through the air. After totaling 93 yards from scrimmage on just 13 touches in the week prior, he’s quickly thrust himself into RB2 territory.
Browns 23 at Buccaneers 26
The Browns went to overtime for the fourth time this season. In a post-Carlos Hyde backfield, Nick Chubb led the backfield with 18 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown. The rookie failed to corral either of his targets. Change-of-pace back Duke Johnson caught all four of his targets for a measly 23 yards, and he lost four yards on his only rush. Baker Mayfield didn’t light it up against the leaky defense of the Bucs, but he still had a useful fantasy line by passing for 215 yards and two scores and adding 43 yards on the ground. David Njoku made it four straight with 50-plus yards (all Mayfield starts) by catching four of six targets for 52 yards and a touchdown. He’s a slam dunk weekly TE1. Jarvis Landry was a target monster with 15, and he caught 10 of them for 97 yards and a score. It was a very Miami-year type of line for Landry.
Jameis Winston threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. He’s a turnover machine, but he often makes up for it in the fake football with volume. He passed for 365 yards without a touchdown, but he rushed for 55 yards and a score. Tampa Bay’s rushing attack reverted back to the mess it was prior to facing the soft run defense of the Falcons in Week 6. Of note, rookie running back Ronald Jones scored his first touchdown of his career. He managed only 28 yards from scrimmage, but Peyton Barber is doing everything in his power to cough up the starting running back job to the rookie. Mike Evans hauled in seven of his 11 targets for 107 yards. O.J. Howard reeled in five of nine targets for 67 yards. The second-year tight end has eclipsed 60 yards receiving in back-to-back games, and he’s gone over 50 yards receiving in five of six games. Like fellow second-year tight Njoku, he’s a TE1. DeSean Jackson salvaged a ho-hum day of 33 yards from scrimmage with a touchdown run.
Lions 32 at Dolphins 21
Rookie Kerryon Johnson had a blowup game with 158 yards on 19 carries and two grabs for 21 yards. It’s his second game of triple-digit yards rushing. LeGarrette Blount pilfered another short score (two-yard touchdown run) and carried the ball 10 times for 50 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. With the Lions racing out to a lead, Matthew Stafford attempted only 22 passes. The presence of an effective running game this year has greatly damaged Stafford’s fantasy value. Kenny Golladay, Golden Tate, and Marvin Jones Jr. are all superb talents, but their volatility is enhanced with Detroit attempting to run a more balanced offense this year. Having said that, they’re all in the WR2/WR3 mix every week, but they’re far from risk free.
Miami’s offense is a fantasy nightmare. They don’t have any volume hogs. The backfield work is split. The receiving work is spread around. Furthermore, they have had some total clunkers when no one is effective. Kenyan Drake touched the ball only 10 times, but he made the most of his workload with 74 yards rushing, one touchdown run, four receptions, and 15 yards receiving. His floor is extremely low, but yesterday’s effort was his third straight north of 75 yards from scrimmage and his second in the last three in which he’s reached the end zone. He’s a fringe RB2/flex. Frank Gore was unable to take advantage of the cushy matchup and rushed for only 29 yards on 10 carries while catching one ball for four yards.
Panthers 21 at Eagles 17
The Panthers had a bagel in the scoring column until 10:41 remained in the fourth quarter. They trailed the Eagles by 17 points entering the fourth quarter, and Curtis Samuel started the scoring with a 14-yard touchdown rush. Cam Newton got off to a slow start, but he finished with a flurry and amassed 269 yards passing, two touchdowns, a two-point conversion, and seven carries for 49 yards. Greg Olsen scored the game-winning touchdown, but his line of 2-5-1 left a lot to be desired. No. 1 receiver Devin Funchess had a strong 6-62-1 line. Christian McCaffrey‘s stats looked more like his 2017 work than the those we’ve seen much of this season to this point, and he carried the ball only seven times for 29 yards, but he wrangled all six of his targets for 51 yards.
The Eagles won big against the Giants on Thursday Night Football in Week 6, and they appeared poised to stay on track as the defending Super Bowl champs. Instead, they’ve hit another bump in the road. Carson Wentz did his part by passing for 310 yards and a couple scores, but the rushing attack was dreadful. The backfield is an avoidable RBBC. Zach Ertz has been a weekly stud, and he caught nine of 11 targets for 138 yards. Alshon Jeffery continued his touchdown binge with a 7-88-1 line. Nelson Agholor had a dud with six grabs on seven targets for 20 yards.
Patriots 38 at Bears 31
The Patriots remain reliant on their offense to win ballgames, and the offense delivered the goods in Chicago yesterday. Tom Brady passed for 277 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception even without superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski. Josh Gordon led the way with a 4-100-0 line on seven targets, and Chris Hogan efficiently secured six of seven targets for 63 yards. Julian Edelman scored a touchdown to salvage his underwhelming 36 yards on five receptions. It wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies in the win for New England. Rookie running back Sony Michel suffered a potentially serious knee injury. He was helped off the field and will undergo an MRI. James White rushed 11 times for 40 yards and caught eight of 10 targets for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Kenjon Barner also carried the ball 10 times for 36 yards. If Michel’s injury is serious, the Patriots will be in need of a complement to their pass-catching whiz in the backfield. My money would be on them bringing back former Patriot and current free agent Mike Gillislee.
Mitchell Trubisky had another outstanding fantasy showing passing for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. He also rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Howard scored a touchdown, but that’s about the only good news for the traditional two-down banger. He rushed for 39 yards on 12 carries and caught his only target for nine yards. Second-year playmaker Tarik Cohen rushed six times for 14 yards and caught eight of 12 targets for 69 yards (nice) and a touchdown. Allen Robinson was active despite a groin injury that made him a game-time decision, but he was quiet with one reception for four yards. Taylor Gabriel also cooled off with three receptions for 26 yards and one carry for zero yards. Prized free-agent addition Trey Burton had his biggest game with his new club torching the Patriots for 9-126-1.
Texans 20 at Jaguars 7
Since losing three straight to start the year, the Texans have won four in a row. The offense didn’t put up a pretty game, but Deshaun Watson was sacked just one time. It was basically the Lamar Miller show for the offense. The former Dolphin rushed 22 times for 100 yards and a score, and he lost one yard on a reception. DeAndre Hopkins didn’t post a big line, but he did well enough in a tough matchup by posting a 3-50-1 line. Will Fuller bounced back from decoy status and caught six of eight targets for 68 yards.
It finally happened. The Blake Bortles rollercoaster broke down. Bortles lost two fumbles and was benched in the third quarter. Cody Kessler relieved him and completed 21 of 30 passes for 156 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Kessler should be scooped up in formats that start two quarterbacks in case he sticks as the starter. In what’s probably T.J. Yeldon‘s last game with an upper-teens workload, he carried the ball 12 times for 28 yards and caught five of seven targets for 40 yards and a score. Donte Moncrief led the way with seven receptions, 76 yards receiving, and 10 targets. The receiving situation has been murky all year, and it remains to be seen who will or could emerge as Kessler’s go-to guy or guys if he sticks at quarterback.
Vikings 37 at Jets 17
Make it seven straight games for Adam Thielen besting 100 yards receiving. He finished with 9-110-1 on 10 targets. Stefon Diggs led the team in targets with 14, but he turned that juicy target total into eight grabs for 33 yards. He also lost seven yards on two carries. Kirk Cousins completed 25 of 40 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns in the windy conditions. Latavius Murray was the feature back with Dalvin Cook out, and he rushed 15 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns. He even caught a couple of passes for 14 yards.
Sam Darnold took some lumps and completed only 17 of 42 passes for 206 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He did, however, also rush for a score. Speaking of rushing, the running game was dealt a significant blow with Bilal Powell exiting with a neck injury. Big-play dependent Robby Anderson inefficiently reeled in three of 10 targets for 44 yards. Semi-buzzy matchup-based play Jermaine Kearse posted a bagel on two targets after catching nine of 10 targets for 94 yards the week before.
Saints 24 at Ravens 23
Drew Brees had beaten 31 of 32 NFL teams in his career before Week 7. He’s now beaten all 32 NFL teams. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints played just one game with Mark Ingram before their Week 6 bye, and all eyes were on the backfield workload distribution coming out of the bye after Alvin Kamara touched the ball only nine times against Washington. Kamara carried the ball 17 times for 64 yards and a score, and he caught both of his targets for 11 yards. Ingram, too, caught both of his targets for 10 yards, and he carried the ball 12 times for 32 yards. At least in this game, the Saints were committed to getting both backs a significant number of touches. Michael Thomas caught seven of nine targets for 69 yards and a score. Rookie Tre’Quan Smith was tied for second in targets with six, and he was second with 44 yards receiving on three receptions. Smith should be rostered universally. Cameron Meredith was a total non-factor without so much as a target.
The Ravens lost by just one. Remarkably, Justin Tucker was unable to knot the game up with a miss point-after attempt. It was the first missed PAT of his career. Joe Flacco was solid if unspectacular completing 23 of 39 passes for 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Alex Collins turned in a disappointing line of 38 yards on 11 carries and caught three of four targets for 10 yards. The offensive star for the Ravens was John Brown. Smokey went nuts and caught all seven of his targets for 134 yards and a touchdown. As long as he stays healthy, he’s a weekly WR2.
Cowboys 17 at Redskins 20
The Cowboys followed up their 40-7 squashing of the Jaguars in Dallas with a three-point loss in Washington and another unimpressive offensive showing. Washington was committed to keeping Ezekiel Elliott in check, and they bottled him up for 33 yards on 15 carries and two receptions for nine yards. Elliott’s a workhorse back, but he does have some tough matchups on the horizon following the Week 8 bye. Should gamers overreact and deal him for 75 cents on the dollar following what was far and away his worst game of the year? Absolutely not. However, Zeke could have a few more stinkers down the stretch with another matchup against Washington, two against the Eagles, and one against the Saints. Entering Week 6, the Eagles had allowed the third fewest fantasy points per game to backs and the Saints had yielded the fifth fewest, according to Pro-Football-Reference. Both clubs had stout showings defending the run in Week 7.
Adrian Peterson was a bellcow for Washington. He rushed the ball 24 times for 99 yards and caught one pass for eight yards. He looks spry for his age and has more in the tank than I thought. Jordan Reed fell short of 50 yards receiving for the third straight game and fourth time in six. He caught two of four targets for 43 yards. Tight end is a wasteland, but Reed’s not must-start option at the position.
Rams 39 at 49ers 10
The Rams remain the NFL’s only undefeated team after steamrolling the 49ers. Todd Gurley rushed for only 63 yards on 15 carries, but you won’t hear any complaints from fantasy gamers rostering him after he added two more rushing touchdowns and a receiving score on a 4-23-1 line through the air. The Rams didn’t need much from Jared Goff, and he completed 18 of 24 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. They were down one of their Big Three receivers with Cooper Kupp out, and the limited work through the air was highly consolidated between Gurley, Brandin Cooks (4-64-1 on five targets with one run for seven yards), and Robert Woods (5-78-0 on seven targets with one carry for six yards). The offense is a well-oiled machine.
C.J. Beathard crashed back to Earth taking seven sacks, throwing two interceptions, and losing one fumble. Matt Breida aggravated his ankle injury, and he left early. Even when Breida’s healthy enough to be active and start a game, he’s a threat to leave early. Raheem Mostert (seven carries for 59 yards and four receptions for 19 yards) appeared to have passed Alfred Morris in the backfield pecking order in Week 6, and he confirmed that by out touching and out producing Morris again. Marquise Goodwin was held without a catch until late in the game, and he caught just two passes for 24 yards on five targets. His world-class speed and field-stretching ability make him a high-ceiling option on a weekly basis, but his big-play dependency provides him a low floor that was on full display Sunday. George Kittle was the lone bright spot for the 49ers and he caught five of eight targets for 98 yards and a score.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
