Fantasy Football Week 7: Takeaways from Sunday's Action

Week 7 of the fantasy football season brought up a handful of explosive games. From Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi rushing for over 200 yards again to San Diego Chargers Melvin Gordon scoring three touchdowns, it was the running backs who seemed to dominate fantasy matchups.

There were, as usual, a few notable injuries. These include Cleveland Browns quarterback Cody Kessler, Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill and Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy.

From a real football standpoint, the last undefeated team—the Minnesota Vikings—lost their first game of the season on the road against Vikings quarterback Sam Braford's old team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Also, we had a tie on Sunday Night Football between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals—very, very weird.

Hopefully you all did well this week. If you still have players set to go on Monday Night Football, boy do I hope it's not Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler—I sense negative points in his future.

Good luck in the remainder of Week 7—let's start getting ready for Week 8.

The Legend of Colts TE Jack Doyle Grows

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Through his first three seasons in the NFL, Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle caught just 42 passes for three touchdowns.

Through the first seven weeks of the 2016 season, he has 23 catches and three touchdowns.

Needless to say he's finally found a role with the Colts, and it definitely showed in Week 7.

Narrative alert: the Colts opponent in Week 7—the Tennessee Titans—cut Doyle in 2013 after he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Titans. The team wanted to get him on their practice squad, but the Colts knew they had a gem...That would come to life three years later, randomly out of the blue.

Against his former team, Doyle caught nine passes for over 70 yards and a touchdown.

Doyle is a legitimate TE1 the rest of the way as fellow tight end Dwayne Allen is dealing with an ankle injury that could keep him out multiple weeks.

Bengals RB Jeremy Hill Goes Off; Leaves Game Early with Injury

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Going up against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7, Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill ran for over 160 yards on just nine carries and a touchdown.

Although it was just nine carries, Hill obviously did sufficient damage to rack up a healthy amount of fantasy points.

Late in the game, Hill suffered an injury to his chest that forced him to leave early. It was a tough sight to see due to Hill being in visible pain. Good news for Hill—it's all about pain tolerance. The chest injury originally occurred in Week 4 and has given Hill some issues this season. But pending pain, Hill should be fine, according to Dr. Mark Adickes of ESPN and DirecTV FantasyZone.

Before this game, Hill had not been over 100 rushing yards in a game and was averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, leading to his RB31 spot in PPR leagues.

Hill is a low-end RB2, but this was a fun performance to witness if you owned and started him.

Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi Is Not Human

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No words here, man.

Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi ran for over 200 yards again. Running backs almost never run for 200 yards in two straight games. In fact, he joins three other running backs in NFL history to do so: O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.

There was a scare towards the end of the game though, as Ajayi came up holding his leg. Turns out it was just a cramp. 

He needs to drink pickle juice on the sidelines again. You know, like he used to at Boise State.

He's a definite RB2 at minimum moving forward. This is his backfield now.

Browns Turn to Sixth QB This Season in Kevin Hogan; Runs for over 100 Yards

Gary Landers/Associated Press

After Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Cody Kessler left the team's 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals with concussion-like symptoms, fellow rookie quarterback Kevin Hogan entered the game and was essentially everything the Browns wanted from Johnny Manziel—scrambling well.

Granted, though Hogan was terrible in the passing game with for 100 yards and two interceptions, he did run for over 100 yards and a score.

If Kessler is forced to miss the team's next game and Hogan starts, his rushing upside warrants streaming considerations, but you will be banking on his rushing ability.

Let's see what happens with Kessler.

Jets RB Matt Forte Bounces Back; Totals 154 Yards and Two Touchdowns

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Since Week 3, New York Jets running back Matt Forte has been terrible in fantasy football, coming in as the RB44.

Well, he wasn't in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Forte ran for 100 yards on 30 carries and scored, and he also caught a few passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Forte is clearly not his old self, but this was a nice game for Forte—a running back we've relied on so much over the years in fantasy football.

What was different in Week 7 though, was that the Jets actually had a lead in a game—don't expect that to happen much.

Moving forward, Forte is a flex option. I know he had a great game today, but Forte needs a lot of things to go right for him to be successful in fantasy on a week-by-week basis.

Again, Forte is a flex option and maybe a low-end RB2 on a good day.

Saints WR Michael Thomas Leads the Way with 130 Receiving Yards

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Week 7 was another loss for the New Orleans Saints and their putrid defense. Nonetheless, quarterback Drew Brees lit it up as usual, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

His leading receiver? Not Brandin Cooks or Willie Snead, but rookie Michael Thomas.

Coming into the season, Thomas was looked at as a legitimate fantasy option, taking over the role of former Saints wide receiver Marques Colston.

After posting 130 receiving yards on 10 catches in Week 7, Thomas is showing he is a quality start every week, having either 100 yards or a touchdown in each of his last four games.

Don't ignore him anymore—Thomas is here to stay.

Raiders RB Latavius Murray Scores Two TDs; Not Buying Him

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In his return from his turf toe injury, Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray played in 57 percent of the team's snaps and carried the ball 18 times for nearly 60 yards and two touchdowns.

What's helping Murray's value is how pedestrian fellow running back DeAndre Washington has been this season.

Still, Murray played in just 57 percent of the team's snaps and is averaging just under 55 percent of the team's snaps on the season. His 18 carries in Week 7 were the most he's seen in a game to this point, and he's averaged less than four yards per carry in three of his five games this season, including Week 7.

He's touchdown dependent, but is worth a low-end RB2 or flex roster spot.

What you should do is trade him off, especially after this showing. This is your best chance.

Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles a Ghost in Week 7

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After seeing an increase in touches from two to 11 in Weeks 4 and 6, it was fair to assume Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was slowly working his way back to compete with fellow running back Spencer Ware for touches.

Well, it turns out he's further away than we thought.

In Week 7, Charles had just one carry for no yards, and Ware went off once again for well over 100 total yards.

Going up against the New Orleans Saints, we were hoping for Charles to return at least flex value, but that was far from the case.

If you have the roster space, stash Charles, but he's not a starting option yet.

Raiders WR Michael Crabtree Goes Off; Cooper Posts a Dud

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It appears we have a pattern brewing within the Oakland Raiders receiving core.

In Weeks 3 and 4, Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree was the leading receiver for the Raiders.

In Weeks 5 and 6, it was fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Jump to Week 7, it was Crabtree.

This clearly means Week 8 will be another Crabtree game, at least according to this bi-game pattern.

Cooper and Crabtree going off in the same week is hard to do. They both get their fair share of targets, but it seems like only one of the two has a great game, whereas the other posts a dud.

The Raiders get the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8—they're not the best pass defense in the league.

This feels like another Crabtree game.

Jaguars WR Allen Robinson Disappears

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In a loss to the Oakland Raiders in Week 7, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson was virtually invisible, catching two passes on six targets for just nine yards.

To be fair, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles was, well, not so good, but still—nine yards? Sheesh—the Raiders give up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Robinson has just five catches for 58 yards over his last two games, but has a chance to rebound against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football in Week 8.

It's Time to Drop Eagles TE Zach Ertz

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After seeing over 100 targets in 2015, it's time to unload Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz.

Since his return from a rib injury in Week 5, Ertz hasn't seen more than three targets in any game.

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is coming back down to earth a little bit, and we saw that in Week 7—he had plenty of accuracy issues.

Given Wentz's struggles, plus how little Ertz is used, it's safe to get rid of him in 12-team leagues, and especially 10-teamers.

I know it Ertz to do it, but all good things come to an end (like that pun?).

Redskins Keep with Matt Jones Despite Fumbles

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Throughout his short career, Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones has had his issues with fumbling—a total of eight from the start of last season.

Despite his lost fumble in the first quarter, Jones sat out a series and quickly returned to a rotation of fellow running backs Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson.

Moving forward, Jones presents some risk—how much more can head coach Jay Gruden take?

Hopefully he can rebound on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals—a team that gave up over 100 yards rushing to Cleveland Browns quarterback Kevin Hogan.

Bills RB LeSean McCoy Re-Injures Himself

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This whole situation was unintelligent from the start.

Leading up to Week 7, we were all sure Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy was not going to play. Well, it turns out he was active.

For three quarters.

In the third quarter of the team's loss to the Miami Dolphins, McCoy re-injured his left hamstring—the one bothering him up until this game.

Why head coach Rex Ryan didn't just sit him out this week to recover and feature fellow running back Mike Gillislee is beyond me.

His status for Week 8 is more than likely questionable at the very least.

Jets QB Geno Smith Injured; Fitzpatrick Enters

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Stop me if you've heard this before: New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith was injured in a football game.

Yup. That's what happened once again in Week 7. Before his injury, Smith had 95 passing yards and one touchdown.

He wasn't playing completely awful, but this sums up Smith's career to this point. Following the injury, the once-benched Ryan Fitzpatrick re-entered the game and led the Jets to a victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

If you had to ask me, it's Smith back to the bench. This may have been the last game he'll ever start in the NFL.

Both Patriots RBs Score TDs in Win over Steelers

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No, it wasn't New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who went off in Week 7 against the Steelers, but rather running back LeGarrette Blount.

In addition to Blount, fellow running back James White also caught a touchdown from Brady, making his day worthwhile.

Blount was an animal, running for nearly 125 yards and scoring twice.

This was definitely a ball-control game for the Patriots going up against a terrible backup Steelers quarterback in Landry Jones.

Blount always has a chance for goal-line touchdowns, but in games he gets 20 or more carries, he averages over 106 rushing yards and 1.5 touchdowns.

Blount is definitely an RB2 moving forward, regardless of format.

Buccaneers RB Jacquizz Rodgers Goes Off...Again

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In his second straight start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, running back Jacquizz Rodgers went over 100 yards.

The only downside is that in both of these starts he has yet to find the end zone.

With fellow running back Charles Sims on injured reserve and Doug Martin on the schnide for maybe a few more weeks, Rodgers will continue to tote the rock.

Averaging 28 carries and over 127 rushing yards in his two starts, Rodgers is an RB2 as long as he is the featured guy—he just gets too much work to not be taken seriously.

Start Rodgers with confidence in Week 8 against the Oakland Raiders—they give up nearly five yards per carry to opposing running backs.

Despite No Big Ben; Steelers WR Antonio Brown Goes over 100 Yards

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It took 47 passes, but Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Landry Jones managed to get wide receiver Antonio Brown over 100 yards receiving on seven receptions.

Leading up to Week 7, there was definite concern over Brown's value with Jones at the helm, but hey, it worked out.

Even though he was up over 100 yards receiving, it's still fair to temper expectations for Brown a little bit. 

The Steelers get a bye in Week 8, but will take on the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore Week 9.

There is a chance Ben Roethlisberger returns in Week 9, which would of course bring Brown's value back up to what we're accustomed to, but if Jones starts, don't make your fantasy goals all that lofty. We have a few weeks to figure everything out.

Chargers RB Melvin Gordon Scores Three Times; Bona Fide RB1

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In Week 7, San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon scored three touchdowns—two on the ground and one through the air.

This makes just one game all season—Week 6—in which Gordon has failed to find the end zone, whether through the air or on the ground, and now has 10 total touchdowns.

After an awful rookie season, Gordon is definitely a top-10 running back option the rest of the way, at a minimum as he is the RB3 in PPR leagues after seven games.

I think it's safe to say Gordon's mom will now wear her son's jersey.

Chargers TE Hunter Henry Musters Up One Catch in WIn

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After scoring in three straight games and posting 60 or more receiving yards, San Diego Chargers tight end Hunter Henry was nowhere to be found in the team's win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Considering the team scored 33 points and Henry had little to do with it in the end is definitely a heartbreaker, but Henry should bounce back as he continues to be competing with veteran tight end Antonio Gates for snaps.

It's unusual for a rookie tight end to contribute in fantasy, but Henry is an exception.

He'll have a tough go of it against the Denver Broncos in Week 8, but if anything should give you hope it would be his seven-target, six-catch game in Week 6 against the Broncos for 83 yards and a score.

Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and ESPN.com.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.