NFL Barometer: Miller Time

RISING

Lamar Miller, RB, MIA

Fellow running back Knowshon Moreno will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL Sunday. It's a remarkable sequence of bad luck for the former Denver starter, as the ACL tear follows a dislocated elbow and arthroscopic knee surgery over roughly a four-month span. Moreno's absence in any case leaves Miller as the clear candidate to lead the Miami running game going forward. With a feature back workload on his plate, Miller ought to safely hover in RB2 territory in most formats, especially PPR leagues. Aside from his three lost fumbles on the year – a fair reason for slight concern, admittedly – Miller has been both a strong runner and receiver, totaling 330 yards (5.2 YPC) and three touchdowns on 63 carries while catching 15 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown in five games.

Jerick McKinnon, RB, MIN

It was only a matter of time until the supremely talented McKinnon kicked the plodding Matt Asiata out of the feature back role in Minnesota, and Sunday's game against Detroit may have marked the end of Asiata's reign. Asiata played just 16 snaps against the Lions, running twice for minus-five yards and catching an 18-yard pass. McKinnon, meanwhile, ran for 40 yards on 11 carries and caught six passes for 42 yards while playing 46 snaps. With home-run-hitting speed and the ability to make plays in the passing game, McKinnon ought to push for top-20 status as a fantasy running back going forward.

Andre Holmes, WR, OAK

Holmes had his second straight big game Sunday, torching the Chargers for 121 yards and two touchdowns on four catches (eight targets). That gives him nine catches on 20 targets for 195 yards and three touchdowns over his last two games. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds with long speed and short-area quickness, Holmes has the size/athleticism dimensions you want in a starting wideout, and his production of late gives further reason to think he will remain a useful fantasy receiver. The Raiders have no receivers to push for snaps or targets at the expense of Holmes or James Jones, and they should find themselves playing catch-up often enough the rest of the way.

Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham, WR, NYG

Like Lamar Miller in Miami, Randle and Beckham are in line for a fantasy promotion due to an injury suffered by a teammate, with the injury in this case being the torn patellar tendon suffered by fellow receiver Victor Cruz. Randle has been heavily targeted lately anyway, seeing 37 in the four games prior to Sunday's loss to Philadelphia, but he might see even more going forward since Cruz saw 41 targets in his six games this year. Beckham's promotion is likely to be bigger than Randle's, relatively speaking, as the explosive rookie saw a more modest total of nine targets over the last two weeks, converting them into six catches for 72 yards and a score. Rookie Corey Washington should also see a sizable increase in snaps with Cruz out, though any productivity on his part figures to be less predictable than that of Randle or Beckham.

Jordan Reed, TE, WAS

Just a couple weeks ago it looked like Niles Paul would cut into Reed's workload after posting 21 catches for 313 yards and a touchdown in the season's first month. However, Reed alleviated some concern with a strong game Sunday as he returned from a hamstring injury against the Cardinals. After sitting out the previous four games, Reed saw 11 targets against the Cardinals, catching eight passes for 92 yards. Paul, meanwhile, saw just two targets while catching a seven-yard pass. It's possible that Paul might make an impact in the Washington passing game going forward, but it doesn't look like it will be at Reed's expense.

Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARZ

The only news with Floyd and Fitzgerald is the return of Carson Palmer from his shoulder injury, but the benefits were quite evident against Washington on Sunday. The duo combined to catch 10 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets Sunday, a one-game output much more efficient than the 19 catches, 282 yards and zero touchdowns they posted in the three games without Palmer.

FALLING

Eddie Lacy, RB, GB

Lacy is the top running back for Green Bay and should provide at least RB2 value going forward, but the chances of him providing a good return to owners who used a first-round pick on him aren't very good. His low rushing average (3.8 YPC) and inconsistent workload as a receiver mean he will need touchdown production to establish his fantasy value, but he has just three touchdowns on 90 touches so far this year. Considering he played just one more snap than 'backup' James Starks on Sunday – 39 snaps to 38 – it doesn't look like Lacy will accumulate touches rapidly enough to account for the disappointing touchdown rate, either.

Zac Stacy, RB, STL

The situation continues to worsen for Stacy, who finished Monday's loss to San Francisco with just eight carries for 17 yards and two catches for 17 yards. Benny Cunningham again stole snaps and touches, playing 38 snaps to Stacy's 25 while earning seven carries and two receptions. Rookie third-round pick Tre Mason may have established himself as another threat to Stacy's workload by running for 40 yards on five carries and making a 12-yard reception.

Nick Foles, QB, PHI

Foles' owners are probably too heavily invested in the second-year starter to change course in an efficient fashion, but it might be time to acknowledge that he quite simply isn't as good as he looked a year ago. After turning the ball over just four times last year in 317 pass attempts and 56 carries, he is already up to 10 turnovers in 237 passes and 13 carries in 2014. His completion percentage has dropped from 64.0 to 59.5, and his yards-per-attempt average has dropped from 9.1 to 6.9. His touchdown percentage as a passer has fallen from 8.5 to 4.2, as well. Some regression was bound to occur after his absurdly efficient 2013 season, but Foles has gone from superb to below average, and he will need a strong finish to reestablish himself as a good-but-not-great quarterback before the season ends.