Mostly NFL Notes: Talking Russell Wilson and a look around the league in Week 7
Russell Wilson had a monster performance Sunday, becoming the first player ever to post 300+ passing yards and 100+ rushing yards in the same game and sure doesn’t look like he’ll miss Percy Harvin. Wilson is on pace to finish with 872 rushing yards, and after running for one score over his previous 19 games, he’s scored on the ground in three straight. Wilson became the first QB to eclipse 40 fantasy points this season, and if Seattle’s recent struggles carryover, it would actually be a good thing for his owners…Tre Mason is officially the back to own in St. Louis. He’d be my No. 1 waiver wire priority in Week 8. Zac Stacy, meanwhile, saw one snap and can be dropped in all leagues…The surprising Harvin trade means Doug Baldwin gets a huge upgrade. He won’t be a top-20 fantasy WR in this system but should be plenty useful in deeper formats…The Rams entered with one sack on the season yet recorded three over the span of five snaps Sunday…I’m not sure which St. Louis special teams play was more impressive, this one or this one.
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Andy Dalton had 23 passing yards on 19 attempts at halftime. Dalton got 3.3 YPA and took more sacks Sunday (three) than he had previously this season combined. It’s almost as if he’s worse off when A.J. Green is sidelined…Andrew Luck is on pace to finish with 5,328 passing yards, which would be the third-most in NFL history. He’s also projected to add 254 rushing yards with five touchdowns on the ground. In other words, he’s currently in the midst of a historic fantasy season.
Denard Robinson immediately becomes one of the top pickups this week after rushing for 127 yards and a score. Even after being named the starter before the game Sunday, I didn’t expect him to see more than 15 carries, but he’s emerged as Jacksonville’s lead back…Cecil Shorts somehow managed just 12 yards on nine targets. Blake Bortles struggled badly, but Shorts can’t be forgotten, as he’s now seen 25 targets over the past two games…Jordan Cameron, meanwhile, managed five yards on six targets. He’s been a huge bust…Things will get better for Ben Tate, who has a home matchup against the Raiders in Week 8.
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A relatively easy schedule has helped, but suddenly the Ravens look like one of the best teams in the NFL…Torrey Smith has as many touchdowns (four) over his past four games as he had over his previous 21…Facing a Falcons defense that entered having allowed the most fantasy points to opposing RBs, Justin Forsett’s performance almost felt like a letdown, but he’s clearly emerged as the team’s lead back…Matt Ryan has a 9.7 YPA with a 7:1 TD:INT ratio at home this season compared to a 6.2 YPA mark with a 6:6 TD:INT ratio on the road. It’s hard to believe this 2-5 Atlanta team once held a 56-0 lead in the fourth quarter of a game this year.
Here’s possibly the worst interview ever given during Jeopardy.
What Aaron Rodgers did Sunday was almost unfair. Since Week 1, he has a respectable 14:0 TD:INT ratio over six games…Eddie Lacy has four touchdowns over the past four games and has gotten 5.3 YPC over the past three contests, when he’s also secured all six of his targets. Still, he’s seen 15 carries in just one game this season (with a high of 17), which has really hurt his fantasy value…Cam Newton had seven rushing attempts for 41 yards, so despite the lackluster passing day, his value moving forward remains encouraging…The Panthers didn’t allow more than 31 points in any game last season. They’ve already ceded 37 or more in four games this year…Randall Cobb is on pace to catch 21 touchdowns, which would be the third-most in NFL history. He’s 5-10 and doesn’t have more than seven receptions in any game.
With Jimmy Graham active, I moved him just inside my top-10 in the tight end ranks Sunday morning. What a mistake. He’s clearly hobbled and saw just two targets all game…Golden Tate has averaged 11.0 targets over the past four games. He averaged 6.1 with Seattle last season…Brandin Cooks hasn’t scored since Week 1 and is on pace to finish with 741.3 receiving yards…The Saints have lost seven consecutive regular season road games…This Lions defense continues to look legit. They’ve allowed just 3.3 YPC (only three teams have been better) and entered Week 7 having given up the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
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The Bears are now 0-3 at home and reportedly dealt with some locker room issues. They’ve definitely been a tough team to figure out…Alshon Jeffery somehow got just nine yards on seven targets, while Brandon Marshall gained 48 yards on 10 looks. That’s not ideal…Lamar Miller has four touchdowns over his past three games, and his 18 carries were the second-most he’s ever seen in his career. Just maybe he’ll now start living up to his potential with Knowshon Moreno out for the year.
Not long after Fred Jackson left with a groin injury that has already ruled him out for Week 8, C.J. Spiller was carted off with a season-ending broken collarbone. I’ve always liked Boobie Dixon, but Bryce Brown is suddenly on the fantasy radar a few days after reports suggested he’d never see the field in Buffalo. Too bad for Spiller, who had one carry for 53 yards before departing on a cart with a towel over his head in agony…The Bills entered having allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs and yet Jerick McKinnon got 103 rushing yards on 19 carries. He’s impressive…Cordarrelle Patterson can continue to be ignored despite the TD...Sammy Watkins had a breakout game, including this game-winning catch.
After replacing an ineffective Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy’s first pass went for a 70-yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon. McCoy completed 10 of his next 11 throws, but those went for a paltry 5.3 YPA. It’s safe to say Robert Griffin has the starting job waiting for him when he’s able to return…Alfred Morris hasn’t reached 100 rushing yards since Week 10 of last season. He’s averaged 3.45 YPC since Week 1 this year…Kendall Wright has more touchdowns (three) on his last 18 targets than he had all of last season, when he saw 139 looks.
Alex Smith continues to play at a high level, as he dealt with some really bad drops by Dwayne Bowe and another that would have maybe gone for a long touchdown by Junior Hemingway. Smith still completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 7.9 YPA and has posted an 8:1 TD:INT ratio over the past four games. A.J. Jenkins inexplicably ran out of bounds on a sure 72-yard touchdown catch. The mishap means the Chiefs remain without a TD catch by a wide receiver this season…This Antonio Gates catch was nice…And this sick Jamaal Charles TD run actually resulted in Brandon Flowers leaving the game with a concussion…You have to like the 10 targets, but Keenan Allen has reached 60 yards in one of seven games this season. He’s scored in none…Philip Rivers’ NFL record of recording a QB Rating of 120.0 or more in five straight games came to an end.
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Andre Ellington’s YPC has dropped from 5.5 last season to 3.7 this year, although he has seen 25 targets over the past three games. He totaled 160 yards Sunday, but Stepfan Taylor scored two touchdowns to his none…At home and facing an Arizona secondary that entered having allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, James Jones and Andre Holmes (who had totaled 334 yards and four TDs over previous two games) managed a combined 69 yards and no scores on 13 targets…Oakland has now lost 12 straight games…In the three games in which Michael Floyd has played with Carson Palmer this year, he’s averaged 70.3 yards with two touchdowns. In the other three contests, he’s averaged 46.7 yards with zero scores.
Songs of the Week: Foo Fighters – “Something From Nothing” and Cold War Kids – “First”
DeMarco Murray became the first back in NFL history to start a season with seven straight 100-yard rushing games. He left briefly to get his ankle taped, but even with his injury history, it’s hard not to treat him as the No. 1 fantasy player right now…Dallas entered the week as the league’s best team when it comes to converting third-down conversions before going 9-of-14 on Sunday…Larry Donnell caught all seven of his targets for 90 yards, but his two lost fumbles negated all of that…Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. are both must starts with Victor Cruz out for the year…Gavin Escobar has more touchdowns (three) over the past two weeks than Jason Witten has had over his previous 10 games.
Longread of the Week: “Finding A Video Poker Bug Made These Guys Rich – Then Vegas Made Them Pay.”
The 49ers were traveling after playing on the road on Monday night against a tough Denver team in primetime with a litany of important players on the inactive list with an upcoming bye, so this outcome wasn’t exactly shocking…Congrats to Peyton Manning for breaking the TD record. He carved up an S.F. defense that entered having allowed an NFL low 5.9 YPA, completing 84.6 percent of his passes while getting 12.2 YPA with a 4:0 TD:INT ratio and a 157.2 QB Rating before sitting out the fourth…Both Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders’ touchdowns were their first of the season. Meanwhile, Demaryius Thomas has totaled 26 receptions for 521 yards and five scores over the past three games.
More from Yahoo's fantasy experts on Week 7's developments
