Here are my initial reactions to the early slate of games:

FAAB has been flying out of virtual wallets this season thanks to so many injuries, specifically at running back. If you happen to have some left, though, get ready to spend it on Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown. First in Buffalo, Fred Jackson suffered a groin injury and was carted off the field. About 10 minutes later, CJ Spiller broke his collarbone. While there’s yet to be any long-term word on either player, it doesn’t look good. Spiller certainly won’t go, and for Jackson it’ll be a matter of how serious the groin injury ultimately is. Dixon was next man up for the Bills and finished with 51 yards on 13 carries against the Vikings, but it’s worth noting that Brown was inactive. The former Philadelphia Eagles backup will certainly find himself with a significant role, if not the starting job next week. Keep an eye on reports later tonight and tomorrow to see if the Bills tip their hand.

 

I’ve mentioned Austin Davis in the space previously, but it’s always been a bit tongue in cheek. It’s time to take him seriously as a legit QB2 and even a bye week fill-in almost regardless of opponent. The former Southern Miss star had back-to-back three-touchdown games prior to a dud against San Francisco last week, but the Niners happen to be one of the league’s best defenses. Davis turned it back around against Seattle of all teams, not throwing for a ton of yards but throwing two scores without any picks. Davis does face San Francisco again in two weeks, but otherwise has a VERY favorable schedule coming up. If you’re hurting at quarterback, give Davis a shot.

 

The Bears continue to be awful at home, winless now in three tries. Matt Forte got his, but otherwise fantasy owners employing Chicago still players were left wanting. This wasn’t a matchup that should’ve stifled the Bears, so chalk it up to their own inconsistency. Jay Cutler completed just 21 of 34 passes for a paltry 5.6 yards-per-completion average. Unfortunately for Brandon Marshall (who was just OK), Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett, they make their money downfield—or at least farther downfield than 5.6 yards. This won’t impact my rankings of Bears for next week, but if Cutler puts up back-to-back duds like this, then I’ll have a harder time chalking this up simply to a bad day.

 

The money-makers made their money for Miami against the Bears, with Lamar Miller, Charles Clay and Mike Wallace all finding the end zone. The former and latter are no surprise, but the middle is interesting because he was a top 10 tight end a year ago before struggling out the gate this season. Clay’s troubles were largely due to injury, though, as the targets have been there all season. He found the end zone for the first time in 2014 on Sunday, and also finished with a season high in yardage. If you’re grasping for tight end help, Clay’s a guy who’s worth a gamble.

 

Colt McCoy played on Sunday. So much for Kirk Cousins being the quarterback savior in Washington. Robert Griffin III was back at practice last week, and I’ll be shocked if he’s not the starter in Week 8. If Griffin was dropped in your league, go get him.

 

Atlanta’s banged up offensive line has completed crushed the early-season momentum Matt Ryan and company had. The Falcons struggle to run the ball consistently, which makes passing much more difficult than it should be for a team with Julio Jones and Roddy White. White actually had a vintage performance against the Ravens on Sunday, but Ryan could only throw the one touchdown to him—leaving Ryan himself along with Julio Jones and the slew of Falcons running backs as fantasy disappointments. The schedule doesn’t get much easier for Atlanta, which struggles mightily on the road, but at least the Falcons get some home cooking next week. This actually isn’t a terrible time to buy low on Ryan (though you’ll have other opportunities in the coming weeks) because I don’t see this running game going anywhere and Ryan does have the ability to sling it when the schedule clears up later in the season.

 

NOW can we stop with all the Bishop Sankey questions? Each of the last three weeks was THE week for Sankey to break out. I’ve been hesitant to jump on board, recommending away from him in most cases for the last month. I think we’ve seen that Tennessee simply can’t turn Sankey into a stud fantasy back anytime soon. You’re better off handcuffing a stud that you currently have to protect against injury rather than waiting for Sankey to turn himself into a useable commodity.

 

It was a good matchup for Kendall Wright and he did what he should’ve done, scoring a touchdown and putting up a season-high 68 yards. However, the fact that 68 is his season high is telling, so if you can sell Wright’s three touchdowns the last three weeks, I’d sell high.

 

We’re all convinced that Jerick McKinnon is the Vikings’ starting running back going forward now, correct? The coachspeak from Mike Zimmer this week had some wondering, but McKinnon rushed for 5.4 yards per carry against a stout Buffalo front, finishing with 103 yards on the ground. He’s a solid RB2 going forward.

 

If you were late to the party Sunday morning and didn’t get Storm Johnson out of your lineup, you lucked out—he scored a late garbage-time touchdown. But it was Denard Robinson who piled up 122 yards and a score on 21 carries, blowing up the notion of a three-headed backfield in Jacksonville. So now when Toby Gerhart gets back, who do we start? Probably Robinson, though you can’t be confident until any of the backs put up back-to-back solid weeks with a significant number of touches. That said, go grab Robinson in hopes that he can carry this over.

 

On the other side of the ball, the Cleveland Browns offense was an absolute mess. If center Alex Mack was THIS big of a piece of that Browns offensive puzzle, Cleveland is in for a long second-half of the season. I expected big days from both Ben Tate AND Isaiah Crowell, and got neither. Not only that, but Terrance West was also active this week and got five carries. West’s presence on the active roster definitely hurts Crowell’s prospects on a game-to-game basis, and the fact they couldn’t run against the Jaguars is troubling. I wouldn’t drop Crowell—Tate’s still got a checkered health history—but I wouldn’t start him until I see the Browns turn this around on a Sunday.

 

Here’s hoping you grabbed Doug Baldwin prior to game’s starting. If not, he’s gonna be a spendy free agent this week. Worth it, though, as he’s now the primary target for Russell Wilson—who himself put up an enormous day. Percy who?

 

Ahmad Bradshaw continues to be ridiculously productive. He’s a must-start every week, though, I’d be shopping him around at this point due to his injury history. The good news, though, is that the Colts continue to give Trent Richardson plenty of work, which actually makes Richardson a low-end fantasy option, and may just keep Bradshaw healthy for an entire season.