This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.
BROWNS QB:Colt McCoy (ankle) was unable to assist Cleveland against the Panthers Sunday, so Jake Delhomme started in his place. If McCoy misses any more action, it might be Seneca Wallace who steps into the starting role since Delhomme's only touchdown pass went to Carolina DB Captain Munnerlyn. It will be difficult for head coach Eric Mangini to stand by Delhomme and his 48.2 quarterback rating.
CHARGERS WR:Vincent Jackson's return from his holdout was less than glorious - before catching even one pass, a calf injury knocked Jackson out for Sunday night. Legedu Naanee returned from his hamstring injury Sunday, but he wasn't particularly impressive. Naanee finished with three catches for 38 yards.
CHIEFS RB: This might sound a bit crazy, but it seems like Jamaal Charles might actually be better than Thomas Jones. The burner from Texas took 22 carries for 173 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks Sunday, while Jones produced just 68 yards on 20 carries. Of course, Charles did lose a fumble, so the fact that he was nearly three times as productive as Jones might not mean much to Todd Haley.
CHIEFS TE:Tony Moeaki returned Sunday after taking a week off due to a head injury, and he caught a six-yard touchdown pass against the Seahawks. That gives him 32 catches for 384 yards and three scores in 10 games. It seems unlikely that Moeaki's role will increase significantly from here, but it also seems reasonable to think
BROWNS QB:Colt McCoy (ankle) was unable to assist Cleveland against the Panthers Sunday, so Jake Delhomme started in his place. If McCoy misses any more action, it might be Seneca Wallace who steps into the starting role since Delhomme's only touchdown pass went to Carolina DB Captain Munnerlyn. It will be difficult for head coach Eric Mangini to stand by Delhomme and his 48.2 quarterback rating.
CHARGERS WR:Vincent Jackson's return from his holdout was less than glorious - before catching even one pass, a calf injury knocked Jackson out for Sunday night. Legedu Naanee returned from his hamstring injury Sunday, but he wasn't particularly impressive. Naanee finished with three catches for 38 yards.
CHIEFS RB: This might sound a bit crazy, but it seems like Jamaal Charles might actually be better than Thomas Jones. The burner from Texas took 22 carries for 173 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks Sunday, while Jones produced just 68 yards on 20 carries. Of course, Charles did lose a fumble, so the fact that he was nearly three times as productive as Jones might not mean much to Todd Haley.
CHIEFS TE:Tony Moeaki returned Sunday after taking a week off due to a head injury, and he caught a six-yard touchdown pass against the Seahawks. That gives him 32 catches for 384 yards and three scores in 10 games. It seems unlikely that Moeaki's role will increase significantly from here, but it also seems reasonable to think his role won't lessen.
COWBOYS RB:Marion Barber left Thursday's game against New Orleans with a calf injury, so it's looking like Felix Jones and Tashard Choice should get more work for a week or two. Given Jones' own hip issues, Choice in particular could stand to benefit. Choice may be worth speculating on in deeper leagues in the event that Jones too gets hurt, and it is worth noting he did get a goal-line carry touchdown against New Orleans. Still, he's too risky to be in any starting lineups in the meantime.
COWBOYS WR:Dez Bryant didn't have a single catch against New Orleans and lost a downright bizarre number of snaps to the likes of Roy Williams and Sam Hurd. It might not be a coincidence that Dallas lost with this gameplan - although Williams caught five passes for 83 yards, he fumbled away the game when it counted. Don't expect this to continue, both because Bryant is too talented not to bounce back, and because Jerry Jones will likely give head coach Jason Garrett a hint or two that he doesn't like seeing his favorite new pet wasting away on the sidelines.
DOLPHINS WR: With Brandon Marshall (hamstring) out of commission, Davone Bess and Brian Hartline stepped up against Oakland Sunday. Bess turned six catches into 111 yards while Hartline took four catches for 75 yards. Hartline has been surprisingly useful in PPR leagues lately - he has 18 catches for 328 yards in his last four games.
EAGLES WR: It's been an unchallenged truism for some time that DeSean Jackson is the top wideout in the Philadelphia offense, but it's time to reexamine that assumption. After catching two passes for 26 yards against Chicago Sunday, Jackson has posted three or fewer catches in four games this year (not including the game against Atlanta in which he suffered a concussion against). Jackson's average of nearly 20 yards per catch certainly makes that more tolerable for his owners, but the fact that Jason Avant has 27 catches in his last six games (including eight for 83 yards against the Bears) and Jeremy Maclin has eight touchdowns on the season (including one against the Bears) indicates that Jackson's superiority in the offense isn't so certain.
GIANTS RB:Brandon Jacobs didn't give head coach Tom Coughlin any reason to alter his role as the team's starting running back against Jacksonville, taking 14 carries for 87 yards. Ahmad Bradshaw still managed to nearly match Jacob's yardage from scrimmage, however, as his four catches for 34 yards made his nine carries for 49 yards slightly easier to stomach.
GIANTS WR:Derek Hagan didn't do much with Hakeem Nicks (lower leg) and Steve Smith (pectoral) out of the lineup, catching just two passes for 21 yards against Jacksonville. Mario Manningham, however, caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Manningham should keep rolling as long as Nicks and Smith are out.
LIONS RB:Jahvid Best didn't see the field against New England due to a toe injury, so Maurice Morris and Aaron Brown saw work in his place. Brown was a non-factor as a runner, totaling just 36 yards on 13 carries, but he did catch four passes for 29 yards. Morris was more impressive, showing good burst as he ran for 55 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries while adding five catches for 20 yards. Best is seemingly always hurt, so owners in deep leagues who need RB help might find utility with Morris in a depth role, particularly in PPR leagues.
PANTHERS RB:Jonathan Stewart's owners were hoping for a dud from Mike Goodson against Cleveland, but it looks like a timeshare between the two is here to stay. Stewart was easily the more effective of the two on the ground, taking 12 carries for 98 yards while Goodson went for just 55 yards on 14 carries, but Goodson had the only rushing touchdown between the two and was very effective as a receiver, catching eight passes for 81 yards.
PATRIOTS TE:Rob Gronkowski seems to be pulling away a bit from Aaron Hernandez in recent weeks. Gronkowski saw five targets against the Lions on Thursday, snagging all of them and recording 65 yards. That gives him 11 targets in the last three weeks, which he has turned into 11 catches for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Even though those three touchdowns all came against Pittsburgh, Gronk's owners have to be pleased with the fact that Hernandez has seen just four targets in the same span, resulting in two catches for 26 yards and one score. Hernandez caught his only target against Detroit, an 18-yard reception.
RAMS WR: If Danario Alexander can keep his knees healthy, he just might make a difference in St. Louis. He did as much against the Broncos Sunday, catching four passes for a team-leading 94 yards. Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson seem like the safer bets among St. Louis receivers, but Alexander has more upside if he can avoid injury.
RAVENS WR: Is Anquan Boldin officially out as Baltimore's top wideout? He has a miserable total of 13 catches for 134 yards and one touchdown in his last four weeks, including three catches for 27 yards against Tampa Bay Sunday. Meanwhile, Derrick Mason keeps looking sharp as he nears his 37th birthday, snagging eight passes for 87 yards and a touchdown against Tampa. He has three touchdowns in his last four games.
REDSKINS RB:Clinton Portis (groin) and Ryan Torain (hamstring) were both out against Minnesota Sunday, so it would be reasonable to expect the surging Keiland Williams to get a good amount of work, right? Mike Shanahan laughs at your foolishness. Although Williams caught four passes for 21 yards, he was given just three carries for five yards. The newly-acquired James Davis was given six carries for 11 yards.
SAINTS RB:Reggie Bush's return from a leg fracture was hardly noteworthy against Dallas on Thursday. He had one carry for one yard, one catch for 12 yards, lost a fumble, and fell down on a screen pass that almost certainly would have resulted in a touchdown. With Bush looking clumsy all day, Julius Jones and Chris Ivory stepped up for the Saints. Jones took 10 carries for 45 yards and made 21 yards out of three receptions, but Ivory got the goal-line work, punching in two touchdowns to go along with 38 yards on seven carries.
SAINTS WR:Marques Colston continued his strong play with six catches for 105 yards against Dallas. Colston has 50 catches and all four of his touchdowns in his last seven games. Out of the infuriating trio of Robert Meachem, Lance Moore and Devery Henderson, it was Moore who got the most work against the Cowboys, taking five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Both Henderson (four catches for 97 yards) and Meachem (one catch for 55 yards) showed more big-play ability, however.
SEAHAWKS WR: After getting next to no attention in the Seattle offense during the team's first seven games, Ben Obomanu has broken out in the last three weeks. Beginning in Week 10 against the Cardinals, he has been targeted 17 times, turning those opportunities into 14 catches for 306 yards and two touchdowns. The highlight was Sunday's game against Kansas City, when he produced 159 yards and a touchdown on five catches. Despite his recent productivity, you have to think Obomanu will cool off a bit - it's unlikely he'll keep catching 82 percent of the passes thrown his way. Still, as long as Mike Williams is out with a foot injury, Obomanu is probably worth a gamble if you need help at wideout.
TITANS QB: If Tennessee is looking to tank the season for a high draft pick at this point, then keeping rookie Rusty Smith the starter is a sound approach from here on out. Despite playing against Houston's miserable pass defense, Smith threw for just 138 yards and added three interceptions on 31 pass attempts.
VIKINGS RB: After Adrian Peterson left Sunday's game against Washington with an ankle injury, Stanford rookie Toby Gerhart stepped into the featured role. Gerhart took 22 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown, and he might be a must-add in most leagues if Peterson is out for any period of time.
