Week 7 Top Performers At Each Position: Lamar Miller and Todd Gurley

Well it looks like Devonta Freeman is human after all. Okay maybe he is still just really good, but for the first time since his explosion in week 3, Freeman doesn't find himself among the top performers at his position. This is no indictment of his skills, as he still had a great week. I am guessing that Freeman will be back in this article again next week though with a matchup against the Buccaneers. Freeman isn't the only guy who is going to miss out on making his fifth straight appearance here. Gary Barnidge like Freeman, had a solid game, but it wasn't enough to be considered a top performer. It appears the article can still go on without these two, as we see some familiar faces return.

Now that all but the Monday night game has been played, it is time for a weekly look at the top performers from the games on Sunday, and on Thursday.  After going over my thoughts on the top performers at each position, I will also select a few other players who either performed above expectations, or maybe have you questioning whether you should continue starting him or not.

The goal of this article is to highlight those top guys, and if you can expect some similar performances in the future from them or if it was a flash-in-the-pan, and also whether you should be worried about top picks in drafts that put up less than stellar performances.  So without rambling on longer in this intro, let's take a look at those who performed well in week 7.

QB - Tom Brady 355 Passing Yards, 2 Passing TD's, 15 Rushing Yards and 1 Rushing TD, 29 Fantasy Points

Brady is doing something here that is truly remarkable. He posted yet another game of over 20 fantasy points. So far this season Brady has yet to have an outing of less than 22 fantasy points. It doesn't matter who his opponent is at this point, as he will pick apart any defense he plays against. Brady is the best QB for the rest of the season, and is with Rodgers in the elite tier of QB's.

QB - Kirk Cousins 317 Passing Yards, 3 TD's, 15 Rushing Yards and 1 Rushing TD, 1 Fumble Lost, 29 Fantasy Points

Nothing like a matchup with the Bucs to get your game back on track. After having gone the first six games with only throwing for one TD in each, Cousins went out and threw for three. Not much to read into this performance, other than he is still capable of getting his receivers the ball, especially Jordan Reed. Outside of two QB leagues, ignore Cousins for future weeks. He might be able to do this once more this year, but I can't guess which week that will be.

QB - Ryan Tannehill 282 Passing Yards, 4 TD's, 27 Fantasy Points

This was an awful game. The Dolphins absolutely crushed the Texans, and it didn't take long for them to do so. Just like Cousins, he was going up against the right defense to have a game like this. Now while I like Tannehill more than Cousins the rest of the season, it took some odd plays like that Jarvis Landry TD to get some points. The problem with Tannehill isn't actually his skills going forward, but more so the gameplan. The Dolphins are turning into a power run football team under Campbell's reigns. He can be a bye week fill in in 12 team leagues, but shouldn't be your every week starter unless you are desperate.

RB - Lamar Miller 14 Carries for 175 Yards, 3 Catches for 61 Yards, 2 Total TD's, 35 Fantasy Points

As I just mentioned, the Dolphins are turning into a power run football team. This is great news for Lamar Miller owners, and what you have seen the last two weeks is real. He showcased this kind of skill last year. Miller now finds himself in an offensive scheme that is looking to take the ball out of Tannehill's hands to win games, and let Miller manage the clock. Borderline top 10 back for me the rest of the way.

RB - Todd Gurley 19 Carries for 128 Yards and 2 TD's, 4 Catches for 35 Yards, 27 Fantasy Points

I mentioned in my DFS articles that Gurley was going to have a great game, and that is exactly what he did here. Of his last three games, this was actually his lowest yardage output of all of them, but he did score his first two TD's this week. Gurley is showing all of his skills as a great all around back. The comparisons to Adrian Peterson were lofty for him, but I must say he is living up to them so far. I would consider Gurley a top 5 back the rest of the season, as he has been that good already.

RB - Arian Foster 18 Carries for 59 Yards, 5 Catches for 66 Yards, 2 Total TD's, 23 Fantasy Points

Sadly there isn't much to say about Arian Foster. Finally had his breakout game of the year, but in the end it is only good for this week. Reports are that suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. It was a non-contact injury and looked bad. Just when you think you are getting the old Foster back, something like this has to happen. I guess Alfred Blue would be the next in line, but as we saw in the first three weeks, he isn't going to be worthy of starting.

WR - T.Y. Hilton 15 Targets, 4 Receptions for 150 Yards and 2 TD's, 27 Fantasy Points

This was an interesting performance. Andrew Luck looked absolutely dreadful in the first half. It was almost as if Luck was still injured in the first half. Then the second half happened, and when the Colts were down by 27 points, we saw the old Andrew Luck appear. While the 4 receptions is little concerning, when you see that Hilton had 15 targets, I lose all of my concerns. Hilton may not have a better week than this the rest of the season, but he will have more good games. Hilton has been solid if not unspectacular so far this year, but this is the kind of game that gets him back on track. Keep on playing him in your lineups.

WR - Nate Washington 16 Targets, 9 Receptions for 127 Yards and 2 TD's, 24 Fantasy Points

Well it wasn't DeAndre Hopkins this week who had a great outing for the Texans. With the Texans playing catch-up all game, There were plenty of targets to be had. Hopkins still got his, but had a pedestrian outing with only 50 yards. Washington on the other hand capitalized on his targets. Hoyer was just throwing the ball at will in hopes of making a respectable game. I can't trust Washington going forward, as Hopkins is the mouth that will consistently be fed in the Houston offense.

WR - Mike Evans 12 Targets, 8 Receptions for 164 Yards and 1 TD, 22 Fantasy Points

This is what a healthy Mike Evans can do. These were the kind of games we saw out of Evans last year. Up until this game, Evans was playing under 100%. The bye week I think was exactly what he needed to get back on track. While I can't put him into my top 10 going forward, he may find his way there if he has another couple of solid weeks.

TE - Jordan Reed 13 Targets, 11 Receptions for 72 Yards and 2 TD's, 19 Fantasy Points

Well someone had to be the beneficiary to that outstanding Cousins game. Reed may have been forgotten after sitting out the last two weeks with an injury. Remember this game isn't actually out of the ordinary compared to his first three games of the season when he was fully healthy. While he does have a bye week next week, Reed is an option I think you can put into your lineups and immediately trust. In the games Reed has played in, he has had at least 5 receptions, and has been the one target Cousins has always looked for. Top ten the rest of the way, and may slip into the top 5 here soon.

TE - Rob Gronkowski 16 Targets, 11 Receptions for 108 Yards and 1 TD, 16 Fantasy Points

Well it is about time Gronk found his way back into this article. After some mediocre weeks, well for Gronkowski at least, he has put up another gem. While he only scored one TD here, he was able to at least put up over 100 yards. Not much to say other than this guy is special.

Now a look at a couple of other performances that stood out to me from Sunday's games:

QB - Eli Manning 170 Passing Yards, 6 Fantasy Points

For someone who was down on Eli Manning before the season, I don't actually think this type of performance is who he will be the rest of the season. Part of this has to do with Beckham Jr. not playing at 100%, but he will be able to right the ship here soon. While the last two weeks he has scored 8 and 6 fantasy points, I think he will return to the form he showed in the four games prior. Still a top 10 QB the rest of the season for me, so you should continue to start him if you own him. If you don't own him and are stuck with a bad QB situation, see if you can buy low on him before he lights up the Saints and Bucs defense.

RB - Darren McFadden 29 Carries for 152 Yards and 1 TD, 2 Receptions for 10 Yards, 22 Fantasy Points

Well a bye week won't stop me from writing about Darren McFadden again. In the week 5 version of this article I wrote about McFadden taking over the Lance Dunbar role in the offense. In this week 7 version, I will be writing about him filling in for Joseph Randle. The Christine Michael hype was just that, hype. He did nothing to show he is the back who should be shouldering the load. Darren McFadden on the other hand showed what is still left in the tank. Am I worried that McFadden will get hurt at some point? Well yes I am, but until that happens, McFadden is an intriguing option, especially if Randle has to sit out any games with that back injury.

WR - Antonio Brown 8 Targets, 6 Receptions for 124 Yards, 12 Fantasy Points

I think we can confirm now that it was Mike Vick holding back Brown's value. Even if Big Ben doesn't suit up next week, I am confident enough in Landry Jones to get the job done. Brown will find himself back in my top 10 for the rest of the season, and should start to post games like we were expecting.

Want thoughts on a specific player?  Leave a comment on who it is, and I will respond with my thoughts on that guy's performance and where he stands going forward.