Andre Ellington, Stepfan Taylor's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 7

Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington and backup Stepfan Taylor have presented fantasy owners with a complicated situation after their Week 7 encounter with the Oakland Raiders.   

Ellington has driven owners mad with his erratic performances, in which he has notched double-digit outings in every other game this season, while the second-year player out of Stanford has not been relevant at all.

Until now, of course. Ellington and Taylor took advantage of an Oakland defense that entered Sunday yielding the fourth-most points to backs this season. The starter had 19 carries for 80 yards and another 62 yards on five receptions by the midway point of the fourth quarter.

Taylor was also impressive, though, gaining 31 yards and a score on nine carries, with an additional score through the air on two receptions in that same time span. The final numbers reveal that Taylor's performance was unexpected, to say the least:

	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	TD	TGTS	Fantasy Pts
A. Ellington	24	88	3.7	0	6	72	0	9	15
S. Taylor	12	40	3.3	1	2	19	1	2	17

As Bleacher Report's Alessandro Miglio muses, Taylor threw a wrench in the plans of many owners:

He sure makes for a nice waiver-wire add, though.

This breakout performance means owners should see more of Taylor in the coming weeks. It also shows he can be effective without Ellington in his way, which is something to take into account when scooping him up—Ellington has battled a nagging foot injury all season long.

That said, Ellington is still a matchup-proof option when he suits up, as ESPN Stats & Info vividly justifies:

Speaking of matchups, both backs get the miserable defenses of Philadelphia and Dallas in the coming weeks, so owners should feel confident with either depending on the injury outlook.

Ellington is one of fantasy's top backs when healthy, but Taylor is a very good stash. He has flex upside in each game Ellington is active, but just be wary as touchdown-based production can bite owners in a violent manner. Should he assume the starting role, he becomes an RB2 with upside.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. Philadelphia, Tampa Bay on bye.