NFL Notebook Dump: Fantasy Notes and Stats from a Wild Week 7

Commanders 23 – Packers 21

The good:

• For the fourth week in a row, very few positives for Green Bay. The offense is still very much bogged down, and the Packers once again got away from running the ball after building an early lead. 
• Aaron Rodgers: 23-of-35, 194 yards, 2 TD

• Aaron Jones: eight rushes, 23 yards
  • Nine catches, 53 yards, 2 rec TD
• Taylor Heinicke was not good for most of this game but made some big throws late, including a touchdown to Terry McLaurin
  • Heinicke: 20-of-33, 201 yards, 2 TD, INT
  • The interception was a pick-six, and Heinicke very nearly had a fumble returned for a touchdown, as well. It was ultimately negated by a very questionable defensive holding call on Eric Stokes.

• Terry McLaurin: five catches, 73 yards, TD
  • McLaurin toasted Jaire Alexander in several one-on-one matchups, including the 37-yard touchdown. 

• Antonio Gibson: 10 carries, 59 yards; three catches, 18 yards, TD
• Brian Robinson: 20 carries, 73 yards; two catches, 13 yards

The bad:

• AJ Dillon continues to be one of the year's biggest busts. Dillon carried only four times for 15 yards.
• Allen Lazard: 6-55 on seven targets
• Romeo Doubs: no catches on four targets (two drops)
• Amari Rodgers: muffed punt that set Washington up at the Green Bay 17-yard-line
• Sammy Watkins returned from IR and caught two passes for 36 yards
• Green Bay went 0-of-6 on third down and also failed to convert a key 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter
• Washington won the time of possession battle 37:07 to 22:53

Giants 23 – Jaguars 17

The good:

• The Giants kept it rolling and won their sixth one-score game of the season – an incredibly rare feat.

• New York took advantage of an undisciplined Jaguars defense to rush for 236 yards as a team on 39 carries
• Saquon Barkley: 24 carries, 110 yards; four catches, 25 yards
• Daniel Jones: 11 carries, 107 yards, TD
  • Jones also completed 19-of-39 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown
  • Jones had an interception called back on a roughing the passer penalty
• Travis Etienne: 14 carries, 114 yards, TD; one catch, five yards
  • Etienne coughed up an extremely costly fumble in the second quarter
• Christian Kirk: seven catches, 96 yards
  • Kirk was stopped at the 1-yard-line on the final play of the game
• Evan Engram: four catches, 67 yards
• Darius Slayton: three catches, 58 yards, TD
• Wan'Dale Robinson: six catches, 50 yards

The bad:

• Trevor Lawrence did not commit a turnover but was once again inefficient and missed some layup throws. Lawrence finished 22-of-43 for 310 yards and a rushing TD on a quarterback sneak
• James Robinson played only 12 snaps for Jacksonville and did not receive a single carry. He's since been traded to the Jets.
• There's no question Etienne looks more explosive than Robinson, but he's been prone to fumbling and frequent drops 

• The Giants lost starting tackle Evan Neal to an MCL injury, though it's not as serious as it initially looked 

Bengals 35 – Falcons 17

The good:

• Coming into the week, we'd seen glimpses of the Bengals' explosive offense, but this was the first game this season in which it was on full display. 
• By halftime, Joe Burrow was already up to 344 yards and three touchdowns
• Burrow finished 34-of-42 for 481 yards and three TDs
  • Burrow trails only Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts in fantasy points per game
• Tyler Boyd: 8-155-1 (60-yard TD)

• Ja'Marr Chase: 8-130-2
  • Chase is up to WR5 in PPR leagues behind Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill

• Tee Higgins: 5-93
• Hayden Hurst: 6-48
• Cincinnati had only four drives in the second half. The Bengals' final drive encompassed 17 plays and lasted nearly nine minutes to run out the clock.
• Joe Mixon had another high-volume, low-efficiency day, carrying 17 times for 58 yards and a score. Mixon also had three catches for 33 yards.
  • It hasn't been pretty, but Mixon is the RB10 in PPR leagues
• Tyler Allgeier: 16 carries, 50 yards, TD
• Damiere Byrd: 75-yard TD catch

The bad:

• Pretty much the usual for Atlanta. Marcus Mariota went just 8-of-13 through the air for 124 yards and a touchdown
• Kyle Pitts remains a monumental fantasy bust: three catches, nine yards on five targets
• Drake London: one catch, nine yards on one target

Cowboys 24 – Lions 6

The good:

• The Cowboys' defense was once again the story on an afternoon when the offense got off to a sluggish start in Dak Prescott's return.
  • Dallas forced Jared Goff into four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions – one by Trevon Diggs and the other by Jourdan Lewis
• Ezekiel Elliott had a classic 'Zeke game: 15 carries, 57 yards, two short touchdowns
• Tony Pollard: 12 carries, 83 yards; two catches, 26 yards
• CeeDee Lamb: four catches, 70 yards
• Noah Brown: five catches, 50 yards, lost fumble
• Dalton Schultz: five catches, 49 yards
• Kalif Raymond: five catches, 75 yards 

The bad:

• For the second straight game – and despite coming off of a bye – Detroit failed to score a single touchdown.
• Jared Goff finished 21-of-26 for 228 yards and two picks

• Jamaal Williams: 15 carries, 79 yards
  • The Lions were without D'Andre Swift
• Amon-Ra St. Brown started the game but suffered a concussion on the Lions' second offense series. He was limited to 10 snaps on the day.
• St. Brown has reportedly cleared protocols and is expected to play in Week 8 against Miami

• Kalif Raymond led the Lions in snaps at receiver with 53, followed by Josh Reynolds (47) and Tom Kennedy (30)
• Michael Gallup: no catches on two targets

Titans 19 – Colts 10

The good:

• Derrick Henry carried 30 times for 128 yards; three catches, 10 yards
  • Henry is now the RB5 in both standard and PPR leagues and is averaging 107.3 yards per game over his last four contests
• Matt Ryan had another high-volume day, hitting 33-of-44 attempts for 243 yards, 1 TD and two INTs
• Jonathan Taylor: 10 carries, 58 yards; seven catches, 27 yards
  • Taylor is the RB20 in PPR leagues on the season (min. 3 GP)
• Parris Campbell: 10 catches, 70 yards, TD
  • Campbell has a touchdown in each of the last two games after posting a 7-57-1 line against Jacksonville last week

• Michael Pittman: six catches, 58 yards (nine targets)

The bad:

• The Colts have apparently seen enough from Matt Ryan, who emerged from Sunday's game with a Grade 2 shoulder separation. While it's unclear if Ryan would have been cleared for Week 8, the team has already announced that Sam Ehlinger will take over at quarterback – ostensibly for the rest of the season

• Tennessee did not score an offensive touchdown and Ryan Tannehill finished with only 132 yards on 13 completions 
  • Tannehill briefly left the game with an ankle injury and was noticeably limited down the stretch
  • At this juncture, it's unclear if he'll play in Week 8 against Houston. He was spotted in a walking boot on Monday.
• Alec Pierce: three catches, 37 yards

Panthers 21 – Buccaneers 3

The good:

• The Panthers were able to run all over the Bucs' defense, which surrendered 343 yards – including 173 rushing yards – on only 50 offensive plays
• PJ Walker: 16-of-22, 177 yards, 2 TD
• DJ Moore came alive, catching seven passes for 69 yards, including a TD
• D'Onta Foreman: 15 carries, 118 yards; two catches, 27 yards

• Chuba Hubbard: nine carries, 63 yards, TD; two catches, 10 yards
  • Foreman played 27 snaps compared to 23 for Hubbard. Hubbard was on the field for most third down plays.
• Mike Evans: nine catches, 96 yards (15 targets)
  • Evans remains a top-10 fantasy receiver in terms of FP/G (min. 3 GP)

The bad:

• Evans dropped what would've been a walk-in touchdown on the first series of the game

• Tom Brady: 32-of-49, 290 yards
  • Brady has only eight passing touchdowns through seven games after leading the league with 43 last season
• Leonard Fournette: eight carries, 19 yards; two catches, seven yards
• Rachaad White: six carries, 24 yards; one catch, eight yards
• Chris Godwin: seven catches, 43 yards (13 targets)
• The Bucs did not score until their ninth drive of the game

Ravens 23 – Browns 20

The good:

• Jacoby Brissett: 22-of-27, 258 yards
• Amari Cooper: three catches, 74 yards
• Donovan Peoples-Jones: six catches, 71 yards
• David Njoku: seven catches, 71 yards 
  • Njoku suffered a high-ankle sprain and is expected to miss 2-to-5 weeks
• Nick Chubb: 16 carries, 91 yards, TD
• Kareem Hunt vulture another touchdown in the fourth quarter
• Gus Edwards made his season debut and led the Ravens with 16 carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns
  • Other than Edwards, it was a disappointing day for the Ravens offense
  • Baltimore utilized a three-back rotation with Edwards (23), Justice Hill (20) and Kenyan Drake (17) splitting snaps relatively evenly. 
  • All three backs logged at least one carry around the goalline 

The bad:

• Baltimore's passing game failed to move the ball against a vulnerable Browns secondary
• Lamar Jackson: 9-of-16, 120 yards; 10 carries, 59 yards
  • Jackson has struggled as a passer the last three weeks, but he continues to rack up yards on the ground. Jackson ranks sixth in the NFL in total rushing behind only Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry and Miles Sanders. 
• Coming off of a huge Week 6, Kenyan Drake rushed 11 times for five yards 
• Justice Hill: five carries, 26 yards
• Rashod Bateman: four catches, 42 yards
• Mark Andrews: zero catches on two targets
  • Andrews came into the day battling a knee injury that had limited him all week
  • He was not on the field at Monday's practice heading into Thursday's game at Tampa Bay

Jets 16 – Broncos 9

The good:

• Technically, it was a solid afternoon for Jerry Jeudy (seven catches, 96 yards), but that's about it
• Breece Hall did run well (four carries, 72 yards, TD) before exiting with a knee injury that has since been confirmed to be a torn ACL, as well as damage to his meniscus
• The Jets swiftly traded for James Robinson on Monday to bolster their backfield depth

The bad:

• Brett Rypien: 24-of-46, 225 yards, INT
• Melvin Gordon: 11 carries, 33 yards
• Latavius Murray: eight carries, 24 yards, TD
• Courtland Sutton: three catches, 23 yards
• In addition to losing Hall, the Jets also had starting tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker suffer a torn triceps that will put an end to his season

Raiders 38 – Texans 20

The good:

• Derek Carr: 21-27, 241 yards, TD
• Mack Hollins: 2-44-1 (26-yard TD)
• Josh Jacobs: 20 carries, 143 yards, 3 TD
  • Jacobs trails only Austin Ekeler in fantasy points per game (22.2) in PPR formats

• Davante Adams: eight catches, 95 yards
• Pick-six aside, this was perhaps Davis Mills' best game of the season. He finished 28-of-41 for 302 yards, 2 TD and the INT

• Dameon Pierce: 20 carries, 92 yards; four catches, 25 yards
• Phillip Dorsett: 2-45-1

The bad:

• Brandin Cooks: 4-46
• Nico Collins: 3-33

Seahawks 37 – Chargers 23

The good:

• Geno Smith bounced back from last week's low-scoring output against the Cardinals to lead Seattle to another 30-plus-point performance.
  • Smith: 20-of-27, 210 yards, 2 TD, INT
• Marquise Goodwin: four catches, 67 yards, 2 TD

• Kenneth Walker: 23 carries, 168 yards, 2 TD
• Tyler Lockett: seven catches, 45 yards
• Justin Herbert: 33-of-51, 293 yards, 2 TD, INT
• Austin Ekeler: nine carries, 31 yards, TD; 12 catches, 96 yards, TD

The bad:

• DK Metcalf caught one pass for 12 yards before exiting with a knee injury. The good news is Metcalf will not need surgery, but he's battling a patellar tendon injury that will likely sideline him for a few weeks
• Mike Williams had seven catches for 86 yards and a score before suffering a high-ankle sprain. He'll miss a few weeks.
• Keenan Allen: two catches, 11 yards in his first action since Week 1. Allen did not play in the second half, though he said postgame that he did not re-injure his hamstring.

Chiefs 44 – 49ers 23

The good:

• Patrick Mahomes: 25-of-34, 423 yards, 3 TD, INT
  • Mahomes threw an interception on the Chiefs' first drive but was bulletproof for the rest of the game 
• JuJu Smith-Schuster: seven catches, 124 yards, TD

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling: three catches, 111 yards
  • Valdes-Scantling hauled in a 57-yard bomb from Mahomes on a key 3rd-and-long in the fourth quarter

• Travis Kelce: six catches, 98 yards
• Mecole Hardman: four catches, 32 yards, TD; two rush TD (on two carries)
• George Kittle had easily his best game of the season, notching six catches for 98 yards and a score

• Jimmy Garoppolo's day was marred by a bad interception in the endzone – he also took a safety in the fourth quarter – but he passed for 303 yards on 25 completions to go with two touchdowns
• Brandon Aiyuk: seven catches, 82 yards

The bad:

• Making his 49ers debut, Christian McCaffrey rushed eight times for 38 yards; he also caught two passes for 24 yards
  • McCaffrey (22) and Jeff Wilson (26) split snaps relatively evenly, though that split will likely shift heavily toward McCaffrey going forward
  • Wilson is probably a cut going forward, especially with Elijah Mitchell likely coming back from IR after the 49ers' Week 9 bye 
• Kyle Juszczyk suffered a broken finger and will likely sit out Week 8 against the Rams.
• Prior to Week 7, it was reported that Isaiah Pacheco would take over as the Chiefs' primary running back. Pacheco did out-carry Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but the two were used fairly interchangeably. Pacheco played 19 snaps to ECH's 17, while Jerick McKinnon led all Kansas City backs with 28 snaps

Dolphins 16 – Steelers 10

The good:

• Making his return from a high-profile concussion, Tua Tagovailoa finished 21-of-35 for 261 yards and a TD to Raheem Mostert
  • Mostert: 16 carries, 79 yards; four catches, 30 yards, TD
• Jaylen Waddle: four catches, 88 yards
• Tyreek Hill: seven catches, 72 yards
• Pat Freiermuth: eight catches, 75 yards
• George Pickens: six catches, 61 yards, TD

• Najee Harris: 17 carries, 65 yards; three catches, 15 yards

The bad:

• Miami got off to a red-hot start and looked like it might cruise toward a blowout win, but the offense completely shut down in the second half.
  • The Dolphins final six drives: downs (failed to convert 4th-and-3 from the PIT 14-yard- line), punt (3-and-out), punt (3-and-out), punt, punt, punt (3-and-out)
• Kenny Pickett: 32-of-44, 257 yards, TD, 3 INT
  • Pickett drove the Steelers deep into Dolphins' territory on the final two drives of the game, but both ended in interceptions

• Diontae Johnson: five catches, 42 yards
• Mike Gesicki: three catches, 27 yards
• Chase Edmonds: seven carries, 17 yards
• Jaylen Warren: two carries, seven yards; two catches, 17 yards

Bears 33 – Patriots 14

The good:

• This was a monster performance by the Bears and a shockingly poor showing by the Patriots – particularly on defense
  • Chicago rushed for 243 yards on 45 carries, while Justin Fields completed 13-of-21 passes for 179 yards, a TD and an INT
  • Fields: 14 carries, 82 yards, TD
• David Montgomery: 15 carries, 62 yards, TD
• Khalil Herbert: 12 carries, 62 yards
• Darnell Mooney: three catches, 53 yards
• Rhamondre Stevenson: 11 carries, 39 yards, TD; eight catches, 59 yards
• Jakobi Meyers: 2-34-1

The bad:

• The Pats started Mac Jones but after falling behind 10-0 with two 3-and-outs and an interception, New England pivoted to Bailey Zappe for the remainder of the night

• Zappe initially looked fantastic, leading a pair of touchdown drives in the second quarter, but he quickly faded as the game went on

• Mac Jones: 3-of-6, 13 yards, INT
• Bailey Zappe: 14-of-22, 185 yards, TD, 2 INT

• Against all odds, Bill Belichick declined to name his starter going forward. After the two touchdowns, Zappe appeared to be in the driver's seat, but he was bad enough the rest of the night that it could be an open competition moving forward.
• Damien Harris: three carries, eight yards
  • In his first game back from injury, Harris played only nine snaps compared to 40 for Stevenson. The gap won't be that large going forward, but Stevenson certainly looks to have a leg up in the Pats' backfield.
• Hunter Henry: one catch, 12 yards
• Cole Kmet: two catches, 32 yards