Fantasy Football Week 7: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally broke the seal on the win column for the 2014 season, and a fantasy football surprise was a bonus prize.

Who knew running back Denard Robinson had it in him? He ran for 127 yards—four more than Toby Gerhart has accumulated for the entire season—in victory, establishing himself as a popular waiver-wire addition in the process.

Robinson's Sunday performance was just one of many to discuss. Here are the biggest takeaways from Week 7's Sunday action.

Percy Harvin Won't Be Missed

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The Seattle Seahawks aren't going to miss Percy Harvin on offense. The real-world question is whether the rest of the team is going to respond.

We are talking fantasy football right now, though, and it looks like that offense is going to be just fine.

In fairness, quarterback Russell Wilson and Co. did get off to a slow start against the St. Louis Rams, perhaps weighed down a bit by the dramatic news of the week. Once the second half began, however, it was a race to the finish.

Wilson ended up with 313 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 106 rushing yards and another score. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to surpass 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a single game, something you would've thought a guy like Michael Vick would have accomplished.

As for Harvin's replacements? Doug Baldwin had a huge day with seven receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Jermaine Kearse had three receptions for 50 yards. Paul Richardson—the speedy rookie who might be Harvin's direct replacement—even caught four for 33 yards.

Any of those receivers is worth a look on the waiver wire if your leaguemates didn't already jump all over them when the Harvin news broke.

A Timeshare in Green Bay?

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We have been hearing for weeks about how Eddie Lacy and James Starks would be splitting time in the Green Bay backfield. It seems that is indeed the case. After all, in the previous two weeks, the duo had split playing time exactly down the middle.

Lacy owners must be a bit alarmed. Or should they be?

Both had nice games against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but Lacy once again got the bigger share of touches even if Starks got a similar number of snaps.

The reigning Rookie of the Year saw 15 touches to Starks' eight, outgaining him by 30 yards to boot. Both scored touchdowns—Starks on a wonderful 14-yard scamper—but it seemed like Lacy still commands the majority share of the offense.

Lacy may not be a workhorse, but he is still the main man in that backfield. The problem is he hasn't been as effective as he was as a rookie; it seems matchups are key for the second-year back.

Odell Beckham Jr. Cruising

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No Cruz? No problem.

Victor Cruz suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 6, ending his season in terrible fashion. That injury to the talented receiver was a big loss for the New York Giants, but it was also an opportunity for rookie Odell Beckham Jr. to step up.

Thus far, it looks like Beckham is up to the challenge.

The rookie out of LSU was injured to start the season, making his debut in loud fashion with a Week 5 touchdown. He followed it up with a quiet output in Week 6, but the entire Giants offense was muzzled against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Beckham got his first real start against the Dallas Cowboys, and he was the main reason the game wasn't a laugher. He scored a couple of touchdowns in a road loss, showing the fantasy realm that he is capable of replicating Cruz's past success.

At this point, Beckham should be considered starter material in fantasy lineups, at least as a flex play or third receiver.

Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown Are Suddenly Relevant

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The Buffalo Bills pulled out a nail-biting win against the Minnesota Vikings, but it was a rather Pyrrhic victory.

Top running back Fred Jackson was lost to a groin injury, one that looked like it could shelve him for some time. Fortunately, the injury isn't quite so severe—it could keep him out four weeks, as tweeted by NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

C.J. Spiller finally got the rock once Jackson went down, promptly ripping a 53-yard run down the sideline. Fantasy owners may have wondered where that has been over the past two seasons. Unfortunately, that was all she wrote for Spiller, who broke his collarbone on the play.

That leaves San Francisco 49ers castoff Anthony Dixon and former Eagle Bryce Brown—who was inactive for the game—as the next men up in that backfield.

Dixon ran the ball 13 times for 51 yards and added three receptions for 15 yards. He may be serviceable in the fantasy football realm, but Brown certainly presents more upside. Bank on a spilt for the next few weeks until Jackson returns.

Ryan Tannehill Spontaneously Combusted

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Don't look now, but the Miami Dolphins offense is starting to hum.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Co. came to Chicago and ripped into the Bears. The offense continued its momentum started in the second half of the crushing, last-minute loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 6.

Over the past six quarters, Tannehill is completing 78.7 percent of his passes for 437 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He has added 88 yards on the ground to boot as the Dolphins have seemingly figured out they should get him out of the pocket more often.

Tight end Charles Clay seems to be the biggest beneficiary of Tannehill's surge—or perhaps vice versa, given Clay had a slow start to his season due to injury—catching four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown against the Bears.

Tannehill is unlikely to keep up such torrid play, but he could be a great spot-starter during bye week season. Clay is a nice pickup if he is available on waiver wires.

The Hottest Waiver-Wire Pickup of the Week Will Be...

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After nearly half a season, we may have finally found the answer in Jacksonville's backfield.

The Jaguars signed Toby Gerhart—an abject disappointment thus far—and drafted Storm Johnson this past offseason. Denard Robinson outrushed Gerhart's season total in one game, and Johnson has been more smoke than fire.

Case in point, Robinson saw a workhorse's share of work against the Cleveland Browns—22 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown. That is a healthy average of 5.8 yards per carry.

Perhaps the Jaguars have figured out how to use the former college quarterback.

Is this the start of something nice for Robinson and future fantasy owners, or will Gerhart muck things up upon his return from a right foot injury. Robinson is certainly worth adding.

The Week's Second-Hottest Waiver-Wire Pickup Will Be...

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With so many injuries popping up at running back, you may need a reliable replacement.

It remains to be seen if Tre Mason will be reliable, but he certainly looked the part of a quality fantasy contributor Sunday.

The rookie had a nice start to his career in Week 6. He built on that with a great performance against the Seattle Seahawks in a huge upset for the Rams.

Mason broke out with 85 yards and a touchdown, seemingly surpassing incumbent starter Zac Stacy, who didn't see a single touch. Stacy was dealing with an ankle injury last week, but his goose egg was a surprise nonetheless.

A new backfield order has seemingly been established in St. Louis, and Mason might just be the biggest beneficiary.

Gavin Escobar Is the (Immediate?) Future

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Were it not for Denard Robinson and Tre Mason, we might be talking about Gavin Escobar as a hot waiver-wire pickup.

The Dallas Cowboys tight end broke out in a big way against the New York Giants, snagging three passes for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His counterpart—starter Jason Witten—looks like he is speed-walking when in a full sprint.

Escobar might need Witten to retire to really become the man in Dallas, but it seems like his role is increasing. A week after scoring his first touchdown of the season, Escobar saw half the targets he had gotten in the previous six weeks.

Granted, that amounted to three targets, but he sure made the most of them. The second-year pro is clearly a more athletic option at tight end than the 32-year-old Witten, and he is worth a stash.

Antone Smith Is Mortal

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For a while, it seemed like Antone Smith was destined for one long touchdown play per game.

The Atlanta Falcons running back has been a big-play machine this season, racking up touchdowns of 54, 38, 48, 74 and 41 yards in length. It has been enough for fantasy football owners to clamor for more touches for the explosive player.

On Sunday, we found out what happens when that doesn't occur.

Smith totaled five touches for nine yards against the Baltimore Ravens in a woeful performance that was a microcosm of the entire offense. The Falcons simply couldn't get anything going on the road against an improving Baltimore defense.

Starting Smith was always a gamble, one that didn't pay off Sunday. Odds are he will have more days like Sunday.

Julius Thomas Isn't a Machine

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Julius Thomas was on pace to shatter the record for touchdown receptions by a tight end heading into Week 7. He wound up putting up a nasty scoreline for his fantasy owners against the San Francisco 49ers, who had been pretty good at keeping opposing tight ends down in the fantasy realm.

The big tight end was an afterthought on a record-breaking night for quarterback Peyton Manning, who moved past Brett Favre and into first place with 510 career passing touchdowns.

Thomas caught just four passes for 27 yards on the day, a disappointing output for his fantasy owners, especially when juxtaposed with his per-game output prior to Week 7. Of course, this was just one game. Thomas, who has nine scores, is still on pace to break Rob Gronkowski's record of 17 from 2011.

The game served as a mere reminder that Manning maximizes matchups, which can leave players out in the cold from time to time. Don't fret if you are a Thomas owner; he will be just fine. 

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