NFL Reactions: Week 7 Recap

How crazy was Week 7? Due to injuries or blowouts, nine teams used backup quarterbacks. Of course, we had a couple entertaining games, but this slate provided some wild fantasy outcomes. Let's look at the Sunday action.

Chiefs at 49ers

The Chiefs continue to simply win football games. They only throw when they have to, partly due to their injuries at wide receiver. Also, they load up their extra tight-end sets and run the football down their opponents' throats. It's still amazing the Kareem Hunt looked like a player who didn't have much left. He now is a strong RB1, at least until Isiah Pacheco returns. Hunt handled 22 carries for 78 yards and two TDs. The Chiefs could go to a shared backfield when Pacheco returns.

The 49ers faced a difficult challenge against an exceptional Chiefs defense. It didn't help that the team lost Deebo Samuel to an illness and Brandon Aiyuk to a knee injury. We should see Samuel back next week. Also, it's possible that Christian McCaffrey returns soon. This team should have enough weapons to remain a top offense in the league. 

Lions at Vikings

Jared Goff attempted 25 or fewer passes for the fourth consecutive game, but his efficiency remains incredible. The quarterback completed all but three passes, and the only receiver to have a big game was Amon-Ra St. Brown, who posted 112 yards and a touchdown. David Montgomery left in the first half with a knee injury but returned in the second half. However, it was Jahmyr Gibbs who played like a superstar. The dynamic runner recorded 160 scrimmage yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately, there were only three targets to be shared between Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. Due to inconsistent target volume, Williams is likely to be a boom-or-bust fantasy option. On the other hand, there may not be much "boom" to LaPorta's game. The tight end has 17 targets in five games. Overall, the Lions offense continues to pile up the points. Aside from the running backs and St. Brown, the remaining players are tough to project.

Fortunately, Aaron Jones returned, and due to the Week 6 bye, he did not miss a single start. Not only did Jones shred the vaunted Detroit run defense for more than six yards per carry, but the running back ended the game with 116 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. The only other offensive weapon to have a strong performance was Justin Jefferson. For some reason, the megastar has just one game this season with more than eight targets. Of course, with Minnesota 5-1, the coaching staff has little reason to change the offensive philosophy. Jones and Jefferson remain the two players we can count on each week. 

Texans at Packers

It was surprising that the Green Bay offense didn't explode against a Houston defense missing a starting cornerback, free safety and a pair of outside linebackers. Those absences made me think that Jordan Love would attack this team relentlessly through the air. Although the quarterback tossed three touchdown passes, he also was intercepted twice. This matchup seemed to indicate that Jayden Reed would be in line for a massive performance. However, the receiver caught two passes for 10 yards. Also, Christian Watson could not duplicate his solid performance from last week. Watson caught just a single pass for nine yards. Of course, Dontayvion Wicks, after letting down fantasy managers in recent weeks, turned in a solid performance with 48 yards and a touchdown. For the second game in a row, Romeo Doubs performed like the best receiver on the team. The veteran caught eight passes for 94 yards. It appears that Doubs is past the issue he was dealing with a few weeks ago. Finally, both Tucker Kraft and Josh Jacobs scored touchdowns through the air. Notably, it was the first receiving TD of Jacobs' career. Overall, Green Bay remains a team from which we can expect strong fantasy production. The only position that's problematic for fantasy managers is wide receiver. It's difficult to predict which receivers will perform well each week. Still, Reed and Doubs are "must starts."

The Texans desperately need Nico Collins to return to action as soon as his stint on injured reserve concludes after two more weeks. Without his best weapon, C.J. Stroud completed fewer than half of his passes while ending the game with 86 passing yards. Tank Dell was shut out, and Stefon Diggs was the most productive receiver with five catches for 23 yards. The main reason that Houston stayed close against the Packers was the play of Joe Mixon. The running back rushed 21 times for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Until Collins returns, it will be important to pay close attention to the Texans' matchups when setting fantasy lineups. Of course, Mixon is the one player who remains an elite option with Diggs a close second.

Eagles at Giants

While blowing out the Giants, the Eagles only had to pass 17 times and Saquon Barkley was only asked to run 17 times. The three main stars for Philadelphia were the only useful fantasy performers. Jalen Hurts accounted for three touchdowns, Barkley posted 187 scrimmage yards and a touchdown and A.J. Brown caught all five of his targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. With Dallas Goedert sitting this one out with a hamstring injury, the only player fantasy managers counted on who disappointed was DeVonta Smith. Smith caught one pass for a two-yard loss. Although Hurts was drafted to be an excellent running option, the quarterback has failed to post 35 rushing yards in any of his last four games. Regardless, he has rushed for at least one touchdown in half his games. Hurts might not be the fantasy superstar we've seen, but he remains a strong weekly option. Brown and Barkley remain the two players who retain the best ratio of floor and ceiling. 

Things could not have gone much worse for the Giants than they did against the Eagles. Daniel Jones passed for fewer than 100 yards and was removed once the game was out of hand. Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy shared the backfield work. Unfortunately, they combined for 53 yards. Although Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson combined for 17 targets, neither reached nine PPR points. The loss of left tackle Andrew Thomas certainly helped the Philadelphia defense overwhelm the offensive line. In any case, Nabers and Robinson remain solid PPR options. Also, with the backfield now appearing to be a split, it'll be important to pay attention to the matchups when setting fantasy lineups.

Seahawks at Falcons

After Geno Smith finished a stretch of games in which he was heavily pressured each week, it seemed to be a relief that he would be up against the Atlanta pass rush. However, Seattle played most of this game with the lead. As a result, the offense did not need to be aggressive. Smith barely cracked 200 yards, though he threw a pair of touchdowns. The stars were Kenneth Walker, who totaled 93 yards and two touchdowns, and DK Metcalf, who posted 99 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with a knee injury. Tyler Lockett only has one terrible game this season, and while he has not been a ceiling play, he has had a reasonable scoring floor most weeks. It may be time to worry about Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I expected a big breakout season from the receiver. However, he has just one big game this season with a number of mediocre performances.

Aside from the massive performance that Kirk Cousins had against the Buccaneers a couple weeks ago, he has not been a strong fantasy option. The quarterback has just six touchdowns in his other six games. Also, in the games he has not faced Tampa Bay, Cousins has yet to record 245 passing yards. It's difficult to recommend him as anything more than a streaming option in single-quarterback leagues. As expected, Drake London and Bijan Robinson have been excellent fantasy options the last two weeks. Each player is beginning to look like they were worth the high draft capital fantasy managers invested in them. Quietly, Kyle Pitts has posted 65 to 88 yards in each of his last three games. He's not finding the end zone, but the tight end is beginning to look like a reliable weekly option. 

Dolphins at Colts

It's difficult to talk about this game while being somewhat positive. For now, as long as Anthony Richardson is at quarterback, it will be difficult to trust any offensive players on the Colts. Richardson has completed fewer than half his passes this season. If he's not connecting on a deep pass, which he failed to do in this game, there is a real chance the Colts will struggle to score.

I hope Tua Tagovailoa wears one of the guardian helmets when he returns. I don't want the young man to suffer another head injury. In terms of fantasy, until the quarterback returns, there is almost no ceiling to expect from any of the team's skill players. Oddly enough, Jonnu Smith has had two excellent weeks in a row while all the team's superstars have struggled. During those two games, Smith has 33 PPR points. It's difficult to know if the tight end will retain value once Tagovailoa returns.

Titans at Bills

Buffalo got off to a slow start in the first half of this game. Fortunately, the Bills got quickly back on track after intermission. Josh Allen ended up throwing for 323 yards and two touchdowns and the team coasted most of the fourth quarter. Although Ray Davis had an impressive stat line of five carries, 41 yards and a touchdown, it all came in garbage time. Davis was not a factor while the game was in question. James Cook failed to reach three yards per carry, but he did reach the end zone to give him a decent fantasy performance. Not to overreact, but the presence of Amari Cooper seemed to give the passing game more breathing room than it's seen recently. Cooper, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman each posted at least 13.5 PPR points. I still think this offense has a number of things to work on, but it may just be as simple as it now has a receiver that defenses have to respect downfield. All along, I thought that opening the field would make everybody better. Based on this game, I'm encouraged. 

How bad is the Tennessee passing attack? it's so bad that part-time player Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has posted the most fantasy points by a Titans' wide receiver the last two games. At this point, the only player we can have any level of confidence starting is Tony Pollard. The running back was off to a good start against Buffalo but took a big hit to the head and had little production thereafter.

Bengals at Browns

Despite this being a divisional matchup, it's difficult to think that the Bengals were able to get up emotionally and mentally for this game. Although Joe Burrow did not have a great game, both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins did enough to satisfy fantasy managers. It's fair to toss out the predictive value of this game. The Cincinnati players were solid fantasy performers for a number of weeks coming into the game, and I expect them to snap back.

It appears the Browns will have no choice other than to turn to Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback after Deshaun Watson suffered an Achilles injury. Of course, it is the Browns, so don't be stunned if they go to Dorian Thompson-Robinson. DTR relieved Watson, as Winston was inactive as the emergency QB, but Thompson-Robinson was then forced out with a finger injury. Winston entered late in the fourth quarter and engineered a touchdown drive on the Browns' final possession. Even though Winston has plenty of issues at quarterback, he would immediately raise the value of the entire offense. If Winston is named starter, it's possible that Jerry Jeudy,  David Njoku and Nick Chubb  may be in a situation where defenses are not constantly compressing the short area of the field. I'm not saying the offense would be dynamic, but it could be be adequate for fantasy. If they go to Thompson-Robinson, this offense will continue to be a non factor.

Raiders at Rams

Hopefully, the Rams will get Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua  back from injury in the near future. Kyren Williams continues to score at an incredible pace. However, the remaining offensive players have potential for strong performances, but they also are prone to disappear just about any time.

Aidan O'Connell was knocked out of this game early, and Gardner Minshew took over. There's nothing profound to say about the Las Vegas offense for fantasy. Basically, we start Brock Bowers with confidence, and we hope and pray that any other player in this offense gives us some level of production.

Panthers at Commanders

There is little to take away from this game. Jayden Daniels left with an injury to his ribs. It's unclear if he could have returned, but the Commanders were blowing out the Panthers early in the second quarter. If Daniels misses time, and the team has to turn to Marcus Mariota, the entire offense would see a significant downgrade. In that scenario, defenses would likely load up the box and slow Washington's excellent running game. Mariota likely wouldn't have much success against any decent NFL defense.

We all know Carolina does not have a good offense. However, we also know it often puts up good fantasy production, especially when falling behind in games. There are times, however, when the Panthers fall behind so quickly that opponents can relentlessly attack them. When that happens, the limitations of Andy Dalton become a real problem. Still, Diontae Johnson and Chuba Hubbard should still be considered strong weekly fantasy options. Of course, Hubbard could see a significant decrease in value once Jonathon Brooks returns. Brooks may return in the next couple weeks.

Jaguars vs. Patriots

Jacksonville got off to a slow start against the Patriots. Fortunately, the Jaguars turned things around. Trevor Lawrence only needed to throw 20 passes, but Brian Thomas continued to show that he is an emerging star. Despite being lined up against Christian Gonzalez, the receiver caught a long pass in tight coverage. Thomas posted 89 yards and a touchdown, and he is in strong consideration as a top-20 WR option. Also, Tank Bigsby had fantastic volume. The running back took advantage of a soft matchup and rushed for 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns. After giving up a lot of work to D'Ernest Johnson last week, Bigsby was the clear backfield leader while Travis Etienne was out with a hamstring injury. If Etienne continues to  miss time, Bigsby is an RB2.

It looked as if the Patriots would have a great opportunity for a big offensive game against a struggling Jacksonville defense. Although Drake Maye led New England on an early touchdown drive, the offense stalled out until garbage time in the second half. Of course, the two players who found the end zone were likely in few fantasy lineups. K.J. Osborn was a healthy scratch in the prior two games before catching two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. Also, an early injury to Antonio Gibson allowed JaMycal Hasty to get on the field and score a receiving touchdown. Maye was fine if he was used in fantasy lineups, but it was problematic that he was unable to consistently attack a bad defense. The rookie remains a superflex-only option. Finally, Hunter Henry has had two productive weeks since the quarterback change. The tight end is in consideration to be a weekly fantasy starter.

Injuries 

• Deebo Samuel came into this week's game with an illness and didn't play long before being removed.
• Brandon Aiyuk injured his knee. Coach Kyle Shanahan fears an ACL tear.
• DK Metcalf injured his knee. Coach Mike McDonald said the injury, "doesn't look too bad."
• Jayden Daniels injured his ribs. Marcus Mariota took over.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster aggravated the hamstring injury that he brought into the game.
• Deshaun Watson injured his Achilles tendon. Dorian Thompson-Robinson took over, but after he injured his finger, emergency QB Jameis Winston finished the game.
• Aidan O'Connell may have broken his thumb. Gardner Minshew assumed quarterback duties.
• Tyler Huntley injured his shoulder, and Tim Boyle took over. 
• Curtis Samuel sustained a shoulder injury.