Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 7

What if I told you in the preseason that we would see Matt Barkley in action during the regular season? Would you have bet against that? What if I told you the Packers would start a wide receiver at running back? What if I told you the Browns would be playing a guy off the practice squad at quarterback? What if I told you that Justin Hunter (still a Titan at the time) would at least temporarily be the Bills' No. 1 wide receiver? What if I told you Jacquizz Rodgers would be a workhorse back for the Buccaneers?

What do all these things have in common? None of them were predicted by anyone (well, except maybe the Browns thing) coming into the season, yet they all happened in Week 7. Let's take a look at the fallout and try to preview the fresh madness Week 8 will bring.

QUARTERBACK

Chicago Bears

Just when we thought Brian Hoyer was establishing himself as the Bears' No. 1 quarterback, the veteran broke his arm in the Thursday night game, screwing over fantasy owners like yours truly. He was replaced by Matt Barkley, who (if there is any truth or justice in this senseless world) may never take another NFL snap after going 6-for-15 for 81 yards with two interceptions. Fortunately for Chicago, Jay Cutler (thumb) has been cleared to retake the reins Monday night, but he'll be facing a tough matchup against the Vikings.

Cleveland Browns

Cody Kessler went down to another injury in Week 7, suffering a concussion after getting off to a strong start (9-for-11, 82 yards). That led to Kevin Hogan – a guy you've probably never heard of who was promoted from the practice squad just a couple weeks ago – getting into the game. Two things are clear about Hogan. First, he can run, as he scampered seven times for a Michael Vick-esque 104 yards and a touchdown. Second, he's not much of a passer, as he completed only 12 of 24 attempts en route to 100 yards and two interceptions. Stay tuned for updates to Kessler's status as he tries to clear the concussion protocol in time to suit up against the Jets in Week 8.

New York Jets

After initially refusing to turn away from Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Jets decided in the middle of last week to make the change to Geno Smith at quarterback. That lasted about a quarter before Smith went down with a torn ACL that'll end his season. With Fitz back under center, the Jets erased a small deficit and went on to gain just their second win of the year. Hey, they've got the Browns, Dolphins and Rams coming up in their next three games – they could be 5-5 going into the bye! (That's what passes for optimism if you're a Jets fan. I can guarantee you that if I called my dad right now and mentioned the Jets, he would say that last sentence almost word for word.)

Pittsburgh Steelers

With the Steelers running a deficit for much of Sunday's game, Landry Jones was called upon to throw the ball 47 times, and he completed 29 passes for 281 yards, a touchdown and a costly end-zone interception. Not a bad performance, but not one that'll set fantasy owners' hearts racing either. The Steelers have a bye this week, and Ben Roethlisberger (knee) clearly wants to return immediately after it – he's throwing in practice already – but I'd guess that he won't be back for Week 9. We'll know more by the time we get to next week's edition.

San Francisco 49ers

Colin Kaepernick's second start of the season was no more efficient than the first – he completed just 16 of 34 passes for a meager 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He did, however, rush for 84 yards... but he mitigated even that by losing a fumble. All told, it's not looking good under center for the Niners.

RUNNING BACK

Atlanta Falcons

Tevin Coleman was looking awesome Sunday – and then he left with a hamstring injury. He's already been ruled out for Week 8, leaving Devonta Freeman with a big-time workload (and likely a ton of fantasy value) on the docket. The Falcons promoted Terron Ward from the practice squad and signed Stevan Ridley for some depth, but they most likely won't cut into Freeman's touches.

Buffalo Bills

In one of those head-scratching NFL moments, the Bills – after offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn said earlier in the week that he didn't want LeSean McCoy (hamstring) playing at less than 100 percent, for risk of aggravating his injury – decided to roll the star rusher out anyway against Miami in Week 7. They were rewarded with eight carries for 11 yards before he left the game due to, well, I bet you can guess. Mike Gillislee drew five rushes, turning them into 20 yards, with those who gave him a shot in fantasy getting extra screwed by Buffalo handing the ball to Reggie Bush for a one-yard touchdown plunge that turned out to be the veteran's only carry of the day.

Chicago Bears

We've now seen Ka'Deem Carey get more usage than Jordan Howard in consecutive weeks, and it's no surprise when you consider their relative efficiency – Carey rushed 10 times for 48 yards, while Howard managed only 22 yards on his seven carries. In extremely related news, Jeremy Langford (ankle) made his return to practice Tuesday. At one point, it seemed like Howard had marginalized Langford following his injury, but that's no longer the case. The workload Langford steps back into upon his potential return remains an open question.

Denver Broncos

I believe once Devontae Booker out-touches C.J. Anderson, I'm legally, morally and contractually bound to talk about it. Indeed, that's just what happened Monday night, as Booker took 17 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown, plus a four-yard catch. Still, Anderson outproduced him, turning 16 rushes into 107 yards and a touchdown. However, I must include the caveat that the Broncos led throughout the second half. Anderson went through a tough stretch there, but running hot and cold has always been part of his game; I still think he'll enjoy a solid edge in terms of carries moving forward. Nonetheless, it's clear that Booker is a great talent and ultimately the starting back in Denver – just probably not this year.

Detroit Lions

Although there were rumors that Dwayne Washington (ankle) would be back in time for Week 7, they turned out to be unfounded; instead, Zach Zenner and Justin Forsett split the load against Washington. The veteran Forsett was a bit more efficient, turning eight carries into 33 yards – it ain't much, but it's more than Zenner's nine for 29 – but it was the undrafted Zenner who found the end zone and thus a modicum of fantasy value Sunday. Considering the optimism regarding his prognosis last week, Washington seemingly has a decent chance to return this week. Theo Riddick (ankle), on the other hand, doesn't seem to have such a positive outlook.

Green Bay Packers

Eddie Lacy (ankle) has landed on injured reserve, while James Starks (knee) is out about another three weeks following surgery. All of a sudden, things are very different and very unusual in Green Bay. Wide receiver Ty Montgomery has become the starter at running back, and he carried nine times for 60 yards Thursday, adding 10 catches for 66 yards – his second straight 10-catch week. Montgomery held onto the ball this time, too, which is huge. Backup Don Jackson, promoted from the practice squad, suffered a first-half hand injury and departed, and new acquisition Knile Davis carried twice for a total of one yard and is still negative in terms of rushing yards on the season. Another wideout in Randall Cobb actually saw more carries than both those guys put together: five for 21 yards. It's a bizarre situation, but it's working.

Houston Texans

Lamar Miller picked up a shoulder injury in the first half of Monday night's embarrassment against Denver, although he came back for the second half, which is promising for his status moving forward. He was effective when he carried the ball – 11 for 61 – but Miller's movement in and out of the lineup allowed Alfred Blue to see a season-high 11 carries of his own, which he turned into 63 yards. It's hard to complain about Miller's 698 yards from scrimmage through seven games, and yet somehow he always keeps you wanting more. Maybe it's that he's only cleared 100 rushing yards twice despite plenty of carries, or that he's only scored two touchdowns (both in Week 6) and has only seen one carry inside the 10-yard line all year. There was always a feeling around Miller in Miami that he couldn't shoulder (heh) a 20-plus carry workload week in and week out, and I do think there's something to that. This is a minor injury, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it (combined with Blue's strong running) made the Texans mix in their backup a little more often moving forward.

Kansas City Chiefs

There were only two snaps for Jamaal Charles (knee) on Sunday; meanwhile, Spencer Ware led the team in both rushing (77 yards) and receiving (54 and a touchdown on two catches). Sadly for Charles owners/fans, this is probably the last time this situation merits mentioning unless something radically changes. The knee is still clearly an issue, and it's not particularly evident when it might cease to be.

Miami Dolphins

Not that we didn't already know that Jay Ajayi had taken this job over, but his second consecutive game of 200-plus rushing yards put his stamp even more firmly on the No. 1 role. What was Arian Foster's response? Well, he retired from football the very next day. Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake are your backups moving forward.

Oakland Raiders

Latavius Murray came back Sunday and took this backfield over to a degree we hadn't really seen in a while – he rushed 18 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns, marginalizing both DeAndre Washington (five carries for 16 yards and a six-yard catch) and Jalen Richard (one carry for one yard, one catch for no gain). The situation still bears monitoring, considering the 3.3 YPC that Murray has put up, but it looks like he's done strong work negating the timeshare that he'd been falling into prior to his toe injury.

San Francisco 49ers

As expected, Carlos Hyde (shoulder) was unavailable Sunday, leaving the trio of DuJuan Harris, Mike Davis and Shaun Draughn to piece things together in the backfield. Draughn had a 16-yard carry on his only rush of the day and did well in the passing game (five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown); Davis scored a short touchdown of his own (but only saw seven carries for 21 yards); and Harris led the crew in rushes and was quite inefficient, gaining a mere 39 yards on 11 carries. Perhaps Hyde will be able to return after the Niners' Week 8 bye.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jacquizz Rodgers drew another start Sunday in the aftermath of Doug Martin's hamstring injury setback, and he saw plenty of action again, carrying 26 times for 154 yards. However, Peyton Barber carved out 12 carries of his own (gaining a sparkling 84 yards), and it was the undrafted rookie who found the end zone to finish off a 44-yard run. There's currently no known return date for Martin, so it's the 'Quizz Show until further notice.

Washington Redskins

Matt Jones' well-documented fumbling problems aren't getting better – he put the ball on the ground two more times Sunday. One wasn't exactly his fault, but the other was a bad one in the red zone. That, combined with inefficient running (10 carries for 27 yards), caused him to take a back seat to Chris Thompson. For his part, Thompson responded with 12 carries for 73 yards and seven catches for another 40. It sure seems like Jones is about one more costly fumble away from losing his starting job, although Thompson's more of a third-down back whose lack of size may open him up to injuries if he sees a bigger workload. That could ultimately mean Rob Kelley ends up the biggest beneficiary of Jones' potentially reduced usage.

WIDE RECEIVER

Arizona Cardinals

With John Brown (leg) unavailable in Week 7, J.J. Nelson took on a bigger role, and in fact led the team in receiving during Sunday's tie, gaining 84 yards on three catches. His seven targets tied Michael Floyd (hamstring), although it took the two of them together to equal Larry Fitzgerald's 14. Brown's expected to return in Week 8 against Carolina, however. Floyd, meanwhile, has been playing through his injury. Jaron Brown (knee), by the way, was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

Baltimore Ravens

Steve Smith (ankle) could be ready to return in Week 9 after the Ravens' bye this week, which would push Mike Wallace back to the No. 2 role and cut down on the targets that Breshad Perriman and Kamar Aiken have been seeing recently.

Buffalo Bills

As if the Bills didn't have enough problems at receiver, Marquise Goodwin picked up a concussion in Week 7. With Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods both still sidelined by foot injuries, Buffalo may be down to Justin Hunter (two catches for 25 yards last week) and Walter Powell (two for 23) at wideout come Week 8 against New England. Tuesday brought word that Woods is making progress though, so he may get back Sunday.

Chicago Bears

After two straight 100-yard games, the Cameron Meredith train came to a brutal, grinding halt in Week 7, and the Hoyer injury was only one part of it – the guy was targeted just twice (which is to say, as many times as kick returner Deonte Thompson and two fewer times than fringe receiver Josh Bellamy), catching one pass for 12 yards. Alshon Jeffery saw a team-leading 11 targets, but with an ineffective Hoyer and a tragic Barkley throwing the ball, he managed only three catches for 33 yards. Eddie Royal (toe) didn't play after being injured in Week 6, and his status for Monday night is unclear. He didn't practice Tuesday.

Dallas Cowboys

Dez Bryant (knee) is officially expected back in Week 8, following the Cowboys' bye. Cole Beasley should remain heavily involved even when Dez returns, while Terrance Williams will probably see some variance in his targets and productivity from week to week. (That is to say: this is pretty much the same report as last week, except with more certainty about Dez's return.)

Green Bay Packers

Lambeau Field has officially turned into Bizarro World. Davante Adams – questionable heading into the game with a concussion – absolutely exploded for 13 catches (on 16 targets), 132 yards and two touchdowns Thursday night, leading the Packers in all those categories. The aforementioned Cobb (11 grabs for 95 yards on 15 targets) and Montgomery (13 targets) were also heavily utilized by Aaron Rodgers, but Jordy Nelson caught just a single nine-yard pass while being targeted only four times. To be fair, Thursday games are often odd affairs, but Nelson has not been good since the bye – he has just 10 catches on 24 targets for 115 yards over the last three games.

Indianapolis Colts

With Phillip Dorsett (hamstring), Donte Moncrief (shoulder) and Quan Bray (ankle) all out Sunday, T.Y. Hilton naturally received a big workload and he took advantage, netting seven catches on a dozen targets for 133 yards and a touchdown. Almost no other wideout saw much use at all, with Chester Rogers' three targets (two of which he caught for 30 yards) good for second place. Moncrief is expected back at practice Wednesday, but it's unclear whether that'll lead to a Week 8 return. This is the back end of his timeline though, so there's that to hang your hat on. Dorsett reportedly also has a chance to get back this week.

Miami Dolphins

Kenny Stills emerged from obscurity in Week 7 to record his best game of the year, snagging five passes on eight targets (tying season highs in both categories) for 100 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo. Jarvis Landry was as involved as ever, but DeVante Parker had his second tough one in a row, notching just three catches on four targets for a season-low-tying 20 yards.

Minnesota Vikings

Stefon Diggs (groin) came back Sunday, but wasn't effective – he caught only two passes for 18 yards on five targets. It was Cordarrelle Patterson who again made himself noticed, reeling in all seven of his targets for 67 yards and a touchdown. He's been getting better every week. Adam Thielen's in this mix too (five targets, two catches, 52 yards), but it's hard not to argue for Patterson as Minnesota's No. 2 wideout at this point.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Sammie Coates predictably reinjured his hand – which he shouldn't have been playing on anyway, if you ask me – in Week 7, and with Markus Wheaton (shoulder) out again, we saw our biggest 2016 dose of Darrius Heyward-Bey, who turned seven targets into three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Antonio Brown came down with a minor hip ailment that he played through, and Eli Rogers somehow didn't see the field despite all those injuries ahead of him. But no-name wideout Coby Hamilton did, catching three of six targets for 36 yards, which serves to illustrate just how far Rogers has fallen in the pecking order. With the Steelers on bye this week, all these hurting wideouts will have a good chance to heal up and come back strong in Week 9.

San Diego Chargers

Oh, man, this again? Tyrell Williams blew up for 140 yards on seven catches (and a wideout-leading 10 targets) Sunday against Atlanta, easily outperforming Dontrelle Inman (three for 58) and Travis Benjamin (four for 54). It's a coin flip every week here.

TIGHT END

Cincinnati Bengals

Tyler Eifert got back on the field for his season debut Sunday, but he was eased back into action, playing just 15 snaps and catching one pass for nine yards. Tyler Kroft played a lot of snaps, but was only targeted once, while C.J. Uzomah saw his usage nearly totally evaporate.

Detroit Lions

Another week, another game without Eric Ebron (knee). In his absence, Clay Harbor drew two targets and caught both of them for 16 whole yards Sunday.

Indianapolis Colts

Jack Doyle got to enjoy full-time duties with Dwayne Allen (ankle) on the shelf Sunday, and he paid off fantasy owners who took a shot on him with nine catches on 10 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. Nice! Allen is considered week-to-week, making Doyle a must-grab for fantasy owners who need to fill in at tight end or even a flex spot. It is worth noting, though, that fellow tight end Erik Swoope drew five targets of his own, catching two for 51 yards.

San Diego Chargers

One week after I write that Hunter Henry is clearly the Chargers' top tight end, what happens? Antonio Gates draws 10 targets to Henry's three, and the rookie catches just a single 16-yard pass (not that Gates' five grabs for 38 yards move the needle much). So okay, maybe I jumped the gun. Maybe. Jury's still out.

Washington Redskins

Vernon Davis turned in another highly respectable effort in place of Jordan Reed (concussion) on Sunday, grabbing all six balls sent his way for 79 yards. Reed's back at practice, but still needs to clear the final hurdle – clearance by an independent neurologist – to get back on the field for game action.