Week 7 POTW
By: Samuel Fung
We are almost halfway through the NFL season and fantasy players like I have completed the ol’ “bye-mageddon”, as RedZone host Scott Hanson calls it (six teams were on bye). Anyway, some of the top fantasy performers of the week will feature in this week’s POTW, as always.
Travis Etienne
Another two-touchdown game from Travis Etienne? No one could have anticipated that, but here we are. Etienne plowed through the Saints’ goal-line defense for a pair of scores as the Jaguars knocked off the Saints and improved to 5-2.
Mac Jones
Just when everybody began questioning the security of his job, Mac Jones went and did it. Jones completed 25/30 passes for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns as New England survived a massive Buffalo comeback attempt for a 29-25 upset win, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) upsets of the year so far.
Giants defense
I would have shouted out Tyrod Taylor had he led scoring drives at any time other than the second quarter. But the Giants’ defense held up very well, allowing just seven points, sacking Sam Howell six times, recovering an opposition fumble, and intercepting a pass through rookie corner Deonte Banks. This performance got New York a 14-7 win, one that could turn the tide of a tumultuous season.
Nate Landman
I am going to shout out a guy who only led his team in tackles, but deserves a shout because of his hot form so far. Last year Nate Landman was an unknown, undrafted rookie, and this year he has become the anchor of Atlanta’s defense. In the Falcons’ 16-13 away win in Tampa, Landman recorded 12 tackles and led a defense that held Baker Mayfield without a touchdown through the final three quarters.
Bagent/Foreman
How about a shared POTW for two backups who went off? Tyson Bagent, an undrafted rookie quarterback out of D-II school Shepherd, threw for 162 yards and a touchdown, plus rushed for 24 yards in place of Justin Fields. D’Onta Foreman, in for the injured Khalil Herbert, posted 120 total yards and three touchdowns. The Bears rode Bagent and Foreman’s performances to a 30-12 rout of the Raiders.
Myles Garrett
The Browns managed to stave off a top performance from Gardner Minshew, beating the Colts 39-38 in a thriller. One major player in this game was Myles Garrett, who posted 9 tackles, 2 sacks, and two forced fumbles, one of which occurred in the end zone and resulted in a touchdown. Shoutout to Kareem Hunt for scoring two touchdowns, including the game-winner.
Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson put up the sort of numbers you expect from an elite passer in the Ravens’ 38-6 destruction of Detroit. Jackson passed for 357 yards and three touchdowns and topped it all off with 36 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
George Pickens
The Steelers probably had by far their best offensive performance thus far against the Rams, thanks in large part to George Pickens’s big performance. Pickens hauled in 5 catches for 107 yards, keeping drives alive and draining the clock during the final minutes. The Steelers beat the Rams 24-17 and improved to 4-2, half a game behind Baltimore in the division.
Seattle’s rookie receivers
DK Metcalf’s injury was expected to hamper the Seahawks. It did, but rookie wideouts Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) and Jake Bobo assured that the impact of Metcalf’s inactivity was not reflected on the scoreboard. The two rookies caught four passes each and combined for 124 yards (JSN 63, Bobo 61) and a touchdown apiece.
PJ Locke
It looked like it was going to be another meltdown from the Denver defense when the Packers scored 14 unanswered to take a 17-16 lead and were driving late in the fourth. But PJ Locke, in for the disqualified Kareem Jackson, thought otherwise. He chased down a Jordan Love deep ball and intercepted it, sealing a 19-17 win for Denver, their first at home this year.
Travis Kelce
You may dislike Taylor Swift, but you cannot deny her impact across America. Look at her boyfriend, who caught 12 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown (one of four thrown by Patrick Mahomes) in the Chiefs’ 31-17 win over the Chargers, which improved them to 6-1.
Josh Sweat
The Eagles put up a solid performance against Miami, especially defensively, as they went and shut down the Dolphins’ high-powered offense. Part of the reason was Josh Sweat. Sweat made 2 tackles for loss and sacked Tua Tagovailoa twice.
Jordan Addison/Cam Bynum
The Vikings pulled off a massive upset against the 49ers thanks in large part to a big-time performance from first-round rookie Jordan Addison. Addison caught 7 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. The Vikings played a sluggish second half on offense, but safety Cam Bynum came up with two crucial drive-killing interceptions to seal the 22-17 win.
