E.J. Manuel: Buffalo Bills QB E.J. Manuel redefined what a bad day at the office is early Sunday as he completed just 24-of-42 passes for 298 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interception. Manuel also lost a fumble and two of his turnovers were returned for scores. Tyrod Taylor is expected back for Week 8 which means Manuel will go back to the bench where he belongs.
Blake Bortles: If you haven't been paying attention, a nice breakthrough is taking place with Jacksonville Jaguars second-year QB Blake Bortles. Bortles completed 13-of-29 passes for 182 yards with 2 TD's and 1 INT. While his accuracy was not great, Bortles has now tossed 16 touchdowns on the season with 8 picks. With the ability to also pick up some yardage on the ground, Bortles is pushing toward every week usage in fantasy football in all formats. At the very least he is a very solid QB 2 in setups that use two passers.
Charcandrick West: Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has gone on record saying that he beleved second-year running back Charcandrick West could do a very good job as the main back for the team after Jamaal Charles was lost for the season. It took a week but so far, so good on that assessment as West ran for 110 yards and a score on 22 carries Sunday, while also catching two balls for another 19 yards. With Knile Davis only getting one carry, West clearly is the guy to own in the Chiefs backfield. By the looks of this outing, West could be a sweet value the rest of the way.
Todd Gurley: The amazing rookie season for St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley continued on Sunday as he rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries for the team, while he also chipped in with 4 catches for 35 more yards. Gurley has now gone for over 100 yards on the ground in three straight games and already he looks like a monster RB 1 who would get picked in the first round if drafts were tomorrow. What a talent and Gurley quickly is showing he was worth the wait after he sat the first few weeks of the season recovering from his 2014 torn ACL.
Lamar Miller: It was pure insanity for Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller who rushed for a crazy 175 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries in the team's win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. Miller also caught 3 passes for another 61 yards and a second score as pretty much every time he touched the football was a big play. The veteran has been extremely hot over the last few weeks and that is terrific news going forward. Pretty much the entire Dolphins team has responded since Dan Campbell took over as head coach and they gets the New England Patriots next Thursday.
Stefon Diggs: Those who snagged Minnesota Vikings rookie wideout Stefon Diggs have a real gem on their hands. The guy who many say reminds them of Antonio Brown caught 6 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, continuing a tremendous burst over the last few weeks. Diggs is now a locked-in starter on the Vikings ahead of Charles Johnson and he is especially valuable in PPR formats.
Rob Gronkowski: A big game always means big production from New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski who caught 11 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown in the team's win over the New York Jets. Typical Gronk who the Jets had no answer for and there is no one even close to his production among tight ends this season. So far Gronk has been well worth the late first round pick his owners spent on him.
Ryan Tannehill: It was the QB equivalent of a perfect game for Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill as he completed 18-of-19 passes for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns in the team's blowout of the Houston Texans. There was nothing Tannehill couldn't do in this one and he and the entire team continues to play their best since Dan Campbell took over as coach. Coming into the season Tannehill was boosted big time by this staff but a rough September quieted things for awhile. However Tannehill is clicking on all cylinders right now and looks back as an every week starter even in single QB formats.
Nate Washington: Talk about a garbage time special. One of the reasons fantasy football is so popular is that blowout games still warrant attention due to the late statistics that are accumulated. Case in point is Houston Texans wideout Nate Washington who went off for 9 catches for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. Washington was not likely owned in leagues as DeAndre Hopkins is the primary receiver on the Texans. Nothing to do here as Washington is not worth an add based on this fluke of a game.
Chris Ivory: New York Jets running back Chris Ivory came up lame again on Sunday, this time a sore hamstring that allowed him to rush for just 41 yards on 17 carries. Luckily for Ivory, he was able to score a touchdown on one of his two catches that went for a sum of 12 yards. We said leading up to the week that the Jets need to pull off the gas when it comes to Ivory as he is much in the same way as Arian Foster in terms of only being able to withstand so many carries before he gets injured. Something to watch for Week 8 as Ivory could very well sit out given his penchant for slow recoveries from injuries.
T.Y. Hilton: We saw the T.Y. Hilton Special on Sunday as the big-play Indianapolis Colts wideout caught only 4 passes but they went for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the team's loss to the New Orleans Saints. This is typical Hilton as he is not a great PPR wideout due to the fact he doesn't catch a ton of passes in any given game but he has a knack for big yardage and scores due to his speed. He remains a WR 1 in standard formats and a 2 in PPR setups.
Matthew Stafford: It was a incredibly tough day for Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford on Sunday, just one week after he exploded for four touchdown passes. Stafford did throw for two more scored but he was sacked 7 times overall and needed X-rays on his hand afterwards. While Stafford say he is will be fine, you really can't run with him as your starter right now given the awful state of the Lions offensive line which is as bad a unit as there in the NFL.
Antonio Brown: Finally. We all know how rough it has been for Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown who was a virtual non-factor the last three weeks with Ben Roethlisberger. With Big Ben expected to come back next week, Brown's owners had to get through one last game without him. Well Brown actually had a nice day on Sunday as he caught 6 passes for 124 yards in the team's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Brown should be back to his number 1 overall wideout self next week when Roethlisberger gets back, a development that his owners have been waiting on baited breath.
Mark Ingram: New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram has shown that the team's investment in re-signing him was a smart move as he rushed for 143 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown. He also added two catches for another five yards. Ingram has thus far stayed healthy and been cashing in nicely around the goal-line. He also has been a surprising help in the receiving game, gathering his highest rate of receptions since breaking into the league.
Brandon LaFell: It wasn't the return that New England Patriots wideout Brandon LaFell expected on Sunday, as he had an absolute nightmare of a game in dropping SIX passes. Overall LaFell caught just 2 passes for only 25 yards in his awful outing. LaFell still has good value as a standard league wideout due to his past success in 2014 with Tom Brady. Hold onto him as things will just get better the more work he gets.
Derek Carr: It was a walk in the park for Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr on Sunday as he continued his ascent into an upper-level passer. Overall Carr completed 24-of-31 passes for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns. That upped Carr's TD/INT ratio to a terrific 11/3 as he did whatever he wanted against the San Diego Chargers defense. He no doubt has graduated into every week material.
Amari Cooper: Part of the reason for the Carr rise is the already dominant play of rookie wideout Amari Cooper who went off for 5 catches for 133 yards and a score Sunday. Cooper did his damage mostly in the first half for the Raiders before taking it easy in the second. He has been everything as advertised thus far and already is knocking on the WR 1 door.
Rashad Jennings: Now we have four running backs in the picture for the New York Giants after Orleans Darkwa came off the bench to run for a touchdown while also getting more than a cameo look. In addition, Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, and Shane Vereen all got carries as well. Needless to say, you don't want to be using any Giants running back right now.
Danny Woodhead: Another garbage time special came from Danny Woodhead as the Oakland Raiders barely played defense on him in the second half of the blowout game. Woodhead was a PPR monster again as he caught 11 passes for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns, also rushing five times for another 26 yards on the ground. He remains a top RB 2 in PPR formats an a lower level option in standard setups.