Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 6

Lesson learned this week: Never go against my gut. Every gut decision I let my brain talk me out of this week turned out to be right on target. Now I get a whole week of feeling bad about myself… well, except for those two blowout wins. They say you can't win 'em all, but I want to. Anyway, let's go take a look at this week in the movement of highly athletic chess pieces, which is how Bill Belichick mentally refers to football players.

Arizona RB: Where last week was an embarrassment of riches for these running backs, this week was… well, the opposite. Chris Johnson: 45 total yards. Andre Ellington: 56. David Johnson: 17. CJ2K once again took the vast majority of the carries, running 14 times to Johnson's three and Ellington's one. Andre made most of his noise through the air, catching two balls for 47 yards. It looks like we're pretty well locked into a breakdown of this nature at this point, with Chris likely getting a mulligan in acknowledgment of his three straight weeks with a YPC north of 5.0.

Arizona WR: While Michael Floyd surprisingly turned in a fantasy-relevant effort (just in time, after I cut him in the one league where I owned him!) in Week 6, notching 50 yards and a score, it was really the John Brown show, as the sophomore wideout racked up 196 yards on 10 catches. He had four more targets (14) than did Larry Fitzgerald, who delivered another strong effort of his own. Over the last three weeks, Brown has 28 targets to Fitz's 26.

Atlanta WR: While Roddy White made his ex-owners angry by scoring a touchdown Thursday, he collected only 23 yards on three catches to go with it. Leonard Hankerson, though not fantasy-relevant this time (or most weeks), out-targeted him by a 6-4 count and gained 37 yards on four receptions. But you probably want to know how Julio Jones' hamstring is feeling. He wasn't quite that super-elite Julio you look for, but still led the Falcons in targets and receiving yards, and with a 10-day rest between that game and the upcoming Week 7 tilt in Tennessee, he could be close to 100 percent again next week.

Baltimore RB: Justin Forsett (ankle) was a game-time call Sunday, but game time came and he answered the call, rolling up 101 total yards. With Lorenzo Taliaferro on IR, Javorius Allen is the official No. 2 behind Forsett. He's worth owning as a speculative play, but the Ravens seem to get their best work done through the air right now.

Baltimore WR: Steve Smith quite literally has a broken back and was highly questionable to play… and then he came out and racked up 137 receiving yards plus a score in San Francisco on Sunday. I caught some flak a couple weeks ago for saying his season seemed like it'd be totally derailed by this injury, and this week it looks like I deserve it, but I still maintain that he's one nasty hit from hanging it up for the year. Will that hit come from Arizona corner Patrick Peterson next week? Kamar Aiken was the second-most-targeted receiver (eight) and he caught a touchdown, but gathered just 22 yards on the day.

Buffalo QB: Tyrod Taylor's got a pretty good MCL sprain; it kept him on the sidelines in Week 6, and it'd be no surprise to see him miss another few weeks of action on top. EJ Manuel took the snaps in his place Sunday, and he turned in a credible – you might say Taylor-esque – effort, going 28-for-42 for 263 yards, a touchdown and a pick, plus a second TD to go with 22 ground yards. Still, the word is that there's "nothing" (aka nothing short of being incredibly, Hall of Fame-level awesome) Manuel can do to take the role away from a healthy Taylor.

Buffalo RB: As my esteemed RotoWire colleague Tim Shoemaker would (and did) say, "Guess who's back, back again; Shady's back, tell a friend." Indeed, LeSean McCoy didn't look at all limited while carrying 17 times for 90 yards and a score Sunday. Game flow didn't let the Bills use him as much as they would have liked in this one, but McCoy be expected to take nearly all the handoffs in Buffalo going forward –as long as he can stay on the field, anyway. Backup Karlos Williams (concussion) was inactive again in Week 6 and remains in limbo for Week 7, leaving the inspiring duo of Anthony Dixon and Dan Herron as the current No. 2 and 2A.

Buffalo WR: Just give Sammy Watkins the damn ball, right? After the young star complained about his lack of targets thus far, he did pick up a touchdown in Week 6, but still was thrown to just five times – that's as many as No. 2 tight end Chris Gragg and the uninspiring Chris Hogan, it's one fewer than Manuel directed at the mediocre Robert Woods, and eight fewer than the workload enjoyed by top tight end Charles Clay, who led the charge Sunday.

Carolina WR: Devin Funchess sprang up to lead the Panthers' wideout corps in targets with six Sunday, but he caught only two of them for 24 yards and remains a long-term project. We saw the widely expected "Greg Olsen or bust" passing offense in this one – and it worked.

Chicago WR: Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) came back Sunday, and the returns were immediate. The Bears' top wideout stepped right back into his No. 1 role, and he collected eight of 11 Jay Cutler passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Eddie Royal still got targeted seven times, but he didn't produce much outside of a 30-yarder – his other four catches went for a grand total of 19 yards. Similarly, Marquess Wilson pulled one in for 46, but it was one of only two receptions on the day. With the Bears' upcoming bye allowing him to rest his hammy for another couple weeks, Jeffery should be primed for an enormous second half.

Cincinnati RB: Sometimes, I think there's no rhyme to this backfield. Sometimes, there's no reason. And sometimes, there's no rhyme or reason. The Bengals reversed field on their majority ballcarrier again Sunday, giving Jeremy Hill 16 runs to Giovani Bernard's eight. Bernard trounced Hill in ground productivity, picking up just six fewer rush yards than the bruising back while scoring a touchdown, but Hill surprised with a 13-yard score through the air – his only catch on the day. Over the prior four weeks, Bernard had carried 61 times to Hill's 39, so this is no small turnaround in distribution. These Bengals are very hard to predict on a week-to-week basis, making both backs (but especially Hill) boom-or-bust candidates. The Cincy offense as a whole seems to… take turns.

Cincinnati WR: A prime example of that turn-taking? How 'bout A.J. Green seeing only seven targets and gaining a quiet 36 yards in a game that saw the Bengals roll up 34 points? Marvin Jones was Andy Dalton's best friend in this one, garnering a cool dozen targets and reeling in nine of those for 95 and a score. Jones is underrated for fantasy purposes even though the Bengals have so many offensive options that week-to-week variance is a major issue.

Cleveland RB: While Isaiah Crowell (11 carries) and newcomer Robert Turbin (10) carried more times than Duke Johnson, it was Johnson who was the most efficient, though his nine rushes for 38 yards weren't good for much fantasy production. This split doesn't leave much room for any of these guys to be productive.

Dallas QB: As had been speculated, Matt Cassel is set to start in Week 7 against the Giants, replacing Brandon Weeden while the Cowboys await the return of Tony Romo from a broken collarbone.

Dallas RB: The offensive turnover continues in Big D, as the Cowboys haven't been impressed at all by Joseph Randle or Darren McFadden. From the sound of it, Christine Michael's going to get starter's run for the first time in his NFL career. The Cowboys still have a high-quality offensive line, so it's far from impossible that Michael could suddenly blow up with his increased playing time. It's time to put those bids in if he's still hanging out on your wire.

Denver RB: Last week, I wrote of Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson, "I'm willing to bet one or the other of this duo seizes the reins to some degree against Cleveland in Week 6." It was Hillman who did so, turning 20 rushes to 111 yards, though he didn't get anything going in the receiving game – just four yards on three catches. Anderson was a little better through the air (four for 25), but much less so on the ground (13 carries for just 41 yards). At this point, it's hard to imagine the Broncos not turning a majority role over to Hillman moving forward.

Denver WR: Emmanuel Sanders was right in the middle of everything for Denver on Sunday, but he hurt his shoulder and was ultimately pulled from the game. Still, with a bye week to heal up, it seems likely Sanders will be able to avoid missing time.

Detroit RB: Joique Bell (ankle) got a full week of practice in, and yet he was still inactive Sunday, leaving Ameer Abdullah as the lead carrier. The dividends weren't much, as the rookie had another quiet day, totaling 48 yards on 14 carries and three catches for another 21. Abdullah also put the ball on the ground again (that's thrice in two games), but the Lions maintained possession. Theo Riddick factored in with seven rushes and six pass targets, which was enough for him to outgain Abdullah, 78-69. This whole thing is a mess; avoid.

Green Bay RB: Paging Eddie Lacy… anyone there? Lacy's poor season turned disastrous in Week 6, as he was only handed the ball four times, rushing for three yards while adding two catches for 17 and a fumble that he was fortunate the Packers recovered. James Starks suffered from no such difficulties against the Chargers, turning 10 carries into 112 yards and a score while tacking on a five-yard receiving touchdown. Lacy has a much-needed bye week coming up, and it's going to be very interesting to monitor the practice reports over these next two weeks. For now, it's clear that Starks should be picked up on spec that he'll be given No. 1 duties.

Green Bay WR: James Jones does nothing but score touchdowns. Unfortunately, no one among the Packers wideouts is doing much in terms of racking up receiving yards, as teams seem to have made the adjustment to cover Randall Cobb, with the result that no one seems to be getting very open between the 20s. The one guy who made two very noticeable big plays Sunday was Jeff Janis, who caught only two passes, but they went for 46 and 33 yards. A preseason darling, Janis hasn't been guaranteed any increase in opportunities, but if he's making the plays for Aaron Rodgers and other guys aren't, guess who's going to start seeing the targets? He's a highly intriguing speculative pickup – in a lot of ways, his build and game are comparable to Jordy Nelson's, and there's no one in this offense who's made a legit claim on the No. 2 role opposite Cobb. That's not to say you'll need to bid on Janis like he's the second coming of Jordie – he'll most likely cost you practically nothing to pick up in most formats.

Houston WR: Cecil Shorts got back out there Sunday against Jacksonville, but there's clearly only one receiver to own here. You know who it is: target monster DeAndre Hopkins, who may well be the top wideout in all of football now after yet another monstrous game.

Indianapolis QB: Andrew Luck (shoulder) came back with a vengeance in Week 6, though it wasn't enough to topple Tom Brady and the Pats. Luck went 30-for-50 for 312 yards and three touchdowns, plus another 35 on the ground. Nice.

Indianapolis RB: Ahmad Bradshaw made his season debut with the Colts on Sunday, rushing four times for eight yards and catching an eight-yard pass on his only target. He could gradually work into a bigger role, but Frank Gore looked good in this one, averaging 6.0 YPC on his 13 rushes. Gore's not just going away, so don't get too excited about Bradshaw, who's old and injury-prone himself. Josh Robinson's waiver bait if you're still holding him.

Indianapolis WR: Predictably, Andre Johnson returned to normality – which is to say uselessness – in Sunday's loss to New England. He was targeted six times, and he caught three for 35 yards. Donte Moncrief led the team in looks with 11, two more than T.Y. Hilton; they both caught touchdowns, but Hilton narrowly outproduced Moncrief in terms of yardage, 74 to 69.

Jacksonville RB: T.J. Yeldon (groin) indeed didn't play in Week 6, and despite the fact that he's generally been nothing special, the Jags clearly missed him in a game that saw Toby Gerhart (nine carries) and Denard Robinson (seven) combine for 45 rushing yards. They didn't add a whole lot through the air, either. Yeldon could well be rested in Week 7 against Buffalo, as that combined with the Jags' Week 8 bye would afford him a nice, long rest to get healthy for the second half.

Jacksonville WR: Who was the Jags leading receiver in Week 6? Was it Allen Robinson? Nope. Allen Hurns? Nope. It was little-known wideout Bryan Walters, who caught eight of 12 (12!) targets for 87 yards. Of course, Robinson and Hurns caught touchdowns where he didn't. I'm not running out to add Walters.

Jacksonville TE: Julius Thomas did much better in his second week back in the lineup,

Kansas City RB: So, I do hope you didn't throw all your dollars in on Charcandrick West in last week's FAAB bidding, 'cause while he garnered the majority of the carries and looked better than Knile Davis on Sunday, he still tallied a measly 39 total yards. Still, that's better than the 25 Davis put up. Nonetheless, it looks like it's going to take a little while – and the right matchup – for West to produce.

Kansas City WR: After being targeted a total of just seven times in three games before missing some time to a shoulder injury, Albert Wilson saw six targets en route to the finest day in the KC receiving corps, as he notched three catches for 57 yards and a score. It's not exactly instant stardom, but hey, it's another touchdown catch by a Chiefs wideout! While Wilson was targeted two more times than Jeremy Maclin, Chris Conley turned out to be the surprise leader in looks, but after he managed just 16 yards on three catches with his seven targets, that doesn't seem like a situation you can expect to persist.

Miami RB: Lamar Miller had a much-needed breakout game Sunday, tearing off 113 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Perhaps the bye week and coaching switch will be good for him.

Miami WR: Rishard Matthews, not Jarvis Landry, was the most-targeted wideout on this team (second overall to Jordan Cameron) in Week 6, and he caught all six balls thrown his way for 85 yards. After getting shut down by the Jets in London, he got right back to producing, which has been Matthews' norm all year long. Meanwhile, Jarvis Landry managed to save a dull receiving day with a rushing touchdown.

Minnesota WR: Charles Johnson (ribs) wasn't able to return in Week 6, leaving Stefon Diggs to account for more than half the Vikings passing offense, as he caught seven of the nine balls sent his way for 129 yards. That's two outstanding games by Diggs now since he got the chains taken off him in this offense, and he's a must-add at this point. Johnson may return next week, but the Lions defense is suspect and Diggs may have earned the top role on a semi-permanent basis, as all the Vikings receivers but him have struggled this year. Mike Wallace tied Diggs with nine targets, but he caught just two of them for 23 yards, which is pretty illustrative of the difference between those two at this point.

New England RB: Despite Dion Lewis spending a ton of time on the field Sunday, it was LeGarrette Blount who got to enjoy far more time caressing the football, as he rushed 16 times for 93 yards and a score to Dion's four for a respectable 21. To make Lewis owners feel worse, Blount also recorded the first touchdown catch of his career while their man managed a quiet 18 yards on three catches (six targets). That's not good news with a matchup lurking against the Jets D, which has been quite adept at shutting down the backfield screen game. On the bright side, we could chalk some of this up to the abdomen injury that limited him in practice during the week.

New England WR: Julian Edelman's finger did some stuff that fingers aren't supposed to do in Sunday's game, and the result was that he ended up being more of a decoy than anything else afterward. He stayed in the game, which is a promising sign, but the ailment clearly limited his productivity. Danny Amendola took advantage to turn in his best game in quite a long time, catching seven of nine for 105 yards and making me kick myself for not going with my weird gut feeling on him in DFS this week. Amendola could continue to see an increased workload if Edelman's injury continues to impact his catching ability.

New Orleans WR: Owners looking for an encore from Willie Snead in Week 6 instead suffered through watching elderly tight end Ben Watson hog all the targets for himself, garnering 12 to the five each enjoyed by Snead and Brandin Cooks. Marques Colston (shoulder) sat out; his marginalization continues.

New York Giants WR: Odell Beckham's hamstring has him questionable for Monday night, a game-time call. With Victor Cruz (calf) also out, that could leave Eli Manning with only Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris and some guys you've never heard of to target. Something to keep an eye on as kickoff approaches.

New York Jets RB: You may have noticed that Zac Stacy found his way into 15 touches (13 carries, two catches) and 61 total yards on Sunday – just eight fewer touches than Chris Ivory, who rolled up 196 total yards and a score. Nothing to see here, though, just the Jets resting Ivory with a big late-game lead.

Philadelphia RB: Ryan Mathews is questionable for Monday night with a groin injury, and the word around the team has been fairly negative with regard to his potential for playing. His potential absence would leave more touches in the capable hands of DeMarco Murray and Darren Sproles.

Pittsburgh QB: After Michael Vick was awful as a passer in the first half Sunday, he suffered a hamstring injury and came out of the game. If you're a conspiracy theorist, maybe he was just pulled as an act of mercy, because Landry Jones came in and had no such issues -- he came in and completed eight of 12 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, with most of that going to one place. (More on that next.) Word on the street, however, is that Ben Roethlisberger (knee) could be back in time for Week 7.

Pittsburgh WR: That one place where the Steelers funneled their whole passing game? That would be the area between the left and right hands of Martavis Bryant, who excelled in his return, tying Antonio Brown for the team lead in targets (eight) while accounting for an incredible 137 of the Steelers' 174 receiving yards – and yes, both touchdowns. He's back in a big way, and while Big Ben's potential comeback from injury would be a great boon for Antonio Brown, this is an offense that can support both of those guys when it's going well. Markus Wheaton and Darrius Heyward-Bey, though, will need to take back seats.

San Diego RB: Melvin Gordon had a rough one Sunday, putting the ball on the ground twice and hitting the bench as a result. Danny Woodhead and Branden Oliver – both third-down-type backs – split the work in his absence, and there's potential that the Chargers could roll with them primarily for a little while to teach the kid a lesson. Woodhead and Oliver split 14 carries for a total of 31 yards, but also combined to catch nine passes for 103 yards. That's the kind of game they bring.

San Diego WR: Steve Johnson (hamstring) couldn't go again Sunday, and his teammates had nice days in his absence. Keenan Allen was spectacular again, but suffered a hip injury in the second half and had to leave the game. Malcom Floyd produced 95 yards of his own, though he caught only five of his 12 targets; Dontrelle Inman caught just three of seven, but one was a touchdown. Those two would stand to see a lot of work if Allen's forced to miss time and Stevie remains out. Ladarius Green's also been lining up as a wideout, including for his touchdown Sunday.

San Francisco RB: Carlos Hyde (foot) was a bit hobbled in Sunday's game, managing just 55 yards on 21 rushes, and he's got a short turnaround to Thursday's contest against Seattle. He sounds optimistic about playing right now, but we'll see. If Hyde isn't able to go and Reggie Bush (calf) stays out of action, that could mean we see Jarryd Hayne get his first dose of legitimate playing time, though Mike Davis should be in the mix too.

Seattle RB: Marshawn Lynch (hamstring) got back on the field in Week 6, and though he didn't exactly go Beast Mode on the Panthers, he took almost the entirety of the rushing load and did punch in a short touchdown. Thomas Rawls returns to obscurity while Marshawn's healthy, but monitor his status with the short turnaround to Thursday's game.

Tennessee QB: Marcus Mariota's bad game against Miami ended with a knee injury, and he's got an MRI on tap for Monday as a result. Zach Mettenberger was fairly competent in limited action after Mariota departed Sunday, and he'd be in line to play if the rookie can't go in Week 7 against Atlanta.

Tennessee RB: Oh, this disaster? Yeah, it's not good. Antonio Andrews and Dexter McCluster tied for the team lead in rushing with 23 yards each Sunday, though Andrews rushed nine times and McCluster just five. McCluster was the only one to achieve fantasy notice, as he snuck in a receiving touchdown in the second half for the Titans' only score of the game. Bishop Sankey had just four touches, with a nine-yard run the highlight of his day. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Tennessee WR: Dorial Green-Beckham was the most-targeted Titan outside Delanie Walker in the loss to Miami, as he caught three of six balls for 57 yards. That's 22 more yards than he picked up in the first four games of the year put together, and it appears his role in the offense is slowly growing, but he's also still a bit raw. Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter and Harry Douglas didn't do a lot between them, as has largely been the norm, so DGB has that going for him.

Washington RB: Matt Jones' toe kept him off the field in Week 6, which was probably good for him; it let Jones avoid the Jets run defense, which held Alfred Morris to 21 yards on 11 carries and Chris Thompson to a dozen yards on five rushes. Thompson was Kirk Cousins' most heavily targeted receiver (10), but the Jets bottled him up, as his six catches led to only 26 yards. Jones has to be considered fairly likely to return next week, but could potentially be held out once more with the bye coming up in Week 8.

Washington WR: Jamison Crowder led the 'Skins in receiving for the third consecutive week Sunday, though that only amounted to four catches on nine targets for 40 yards against the Jets excellent defense. Pierre Garcon managed only 28 yards on five receptions (eight targets), but he did cash in an early touchdown.

Washington TE: Jordan Reed (concussion) was out once more Sunday, leaving Derek Carrier (four targets, four catches, 39 yards) as the Skins' top tight end. Not much to be found there.