This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.
COLTS RB
Vick Ballard remained the starter, even with Donald Brown returning from a two-game absence, but both backs played well. Brown ran for 80 yards on 14 carries while Ballard finished with 55 yards on 12 runs. Ballard had the game's highlight, though, scoring on an acrobatic plunge into the end zone in overtime. Ballard has been decent the last few weeks, but Sunday's strong showing from Brown coming off a knee injury seems to indicate he's poised to regain his starting job. The important thing, from the Colts' standpoint at least, is that they appear to have two decent options available, which hasn't been true in Indianapolis in quite some time.
CHIEFS QB
Brady Quinn's time officially spent atop the depth chart was brief, as he suffered a head injury during a play in which he threw an interception in the first quarter. Quinn started for Matt Cassel two weeks ago, but during last week's bye the Chiefs announced that Quinn would keep the job even when Cassel got healthy. Cassel was healthy Sunday, and sure enough, came off the bench and threw for 218 yards and a touchdown. Neither QB is worth a whole lot, and with both dealing with head injuries and the starting job up in the air, it would be best to stay away from this whole situation and try to find your quarterback elsewhere.
DOLPHINS QB
Rookie Ryan Tannehill was knocked out of Sunday's game with a bruised left quad and will
COLTS RB
Vick Ballard remained the starter, even with Donald Brown returning from a two-game absence, but both backs played well. Brown ran for 80 yards on 14 carries while Ballard finished with 55 yards on 12 runs. Ballard had the game's highlight, though, scoring on an acrobatic plunge into the end zone in overtime. Ballard has been decent the last few weeks, but Sunday's strong showing from Brown coming off a knee injury seems to indicate he's poised to regain his starting job. The important thing, from the Colts' standpoint at least, is that they appear to have two decent options available, which hasn't been true in Indianapolis in quite some time.
CHIEFS QB
Brady Quinn's time officially spent atop the depth chart was brief, as he suffered a head injury during a play in which he threw an interception in the first quarter. Quinn started for Matt Cassel two weeks ago, but during last week's bye the Chiefs announced that Quinn would keep the job even when Cassel got healthy. Cassel was healthy Sunday, and sure enough, came off the bench and threw for 218 yards and a touchdown. Neither QB is worth a whole lot, and with both dealing with head injuries and the starting job up in the air, it would be best to stay away from this whole situation and try to find your quarterback elsewhere.
DOLPHINS QB
Rookie Ryan Tannehill was knocked out of Sunday's game with a bruised left quad and will have an MRI on Monday. Matt Moore performed ably in relief, though the Dolphins hardly had to break a sweat against the Jets on Sunday. Moore finished with 131 yards and a touchdown and would start next week if Tannehill can't go, though early indications are Tannehill expects to play Week 9.
DOLPHINS RB
Is a timeshare brewing in Miami? While Reggie Bush is still the starter, Daniel Thomas had more carries Sunday and also scored a touchdown. Of course, Bush outgained Thomas, 59-42, so it's not like Thomas is ready to take over just yet. Still, if the Dolphins are willing to give Thomas 15 carries in a divisional game, they might be leaning toward making him the premier rusher while Bush goes back to catching passes out of the backfield, which is clearly his strength.
JAGUARS RB
With Maurice Jones-Drew out several weeks with a sprained foot, Rashad Jennings stepped in as the starter and finished with 115 yards from scrimmage. That's the good news. The bad news is he had just 59 yards on 17 carries and lost a fumble. Jennings should hold onto the job regardless as long as MJD is out, and with the Jaguars going nowhere, there's no reason to rush Jones-Drew back.
JAGUARS WR
Laurent Robinson hasn't played since Week 4 due to a concussion, but he may not have a starting job when he gets the clean bill of health. Cecil Shorts has established himself as the clear No. 1 receiver in Jacksonville after catching eight passes for 116 yards Sunday, the first time a Jag wideout crossed the century mark all season. Justin Blackmon is still starting, but he just hasn't gotten it going. Shorts, already the team's best deep threat, has a team-high 12 targets Sunday.
LIONS WR
Although Nate Burleson didn't exactly set the world on fire before breaking his leg last Monday, his season-ending injury did create an opportunity for talented youngsters Titus Young and Ryan Broyles. Young joined the starting lineup and has the best game of his career, hauling in nine passes for 100 yards and scoring twice, while Broyles reached the end zone for the second week in a row. With Matt Stafford leading a pass-first offense, Broyles and especially Young could be nice sleepers in the second half of the season.
PACKERS WR
With Greg Jennings' season slipping away (he went under the knife last week) due to an abdominal injury he can't shake and Jordy Nelson out with a hamstring injury Sunday, James Jones and Randall Cobb have become fantasy stars. While Jones failed to reach the end zone, he led the team in targets (nine), receptions (seven) and receiving yards (78). Meanwhile, Cobb scored his fourth touchdown in as many weeks and has 31 catches in his last five games. Even 56-year-old Donald Driver got into the act Sunday, catching a four-yard pass for a touchdown. The Packers may have struggled to put away the Jaguars, but they still have plenty of weapons in their arsenal.
PATRIOTS TE
Aaron Hernandez's injury-filled season continued as he missed Sunday's game with a sore ankle. The Patriots still scored 45 points and Rob Gronkowski had eight catches (on 13 targets) for 146 yards and two touchdowns. So, yeah, Hernandez was missed. Hopefully his ankle will respond to treatment a bit better next time around, but with the Pats on a bye in Week 9, he'll have plenty of time to recuperate.
REDSKINS TE
Now that Fred Davis is done for the year, Logan Paulsen is the new starter in the nation's capital. Paulsen got his first start of the season Sunday and caught four passes for 43 yards against the Steelers. Paulsen isn't nearly the receiver that Davis is, so four catches for 43 yards is about as good as you can expect in Davis' absence.
