This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.
Cardinals QB - Carson Palmer successfully finished his second straight game Sunday - another win! - and if he can do it again next week against the Eagles, I'm going to stop mentioning this situation.
Falcons RB - With the Falcons playing from behind all game long, there wasn't a lot of rushing to go around Sunday. Steven Jackson remains atop the depth chart and Antone Smith continues to be fed the ball sparingly despite his track record of making big plays. He didn't break any Sunday, though, gaining just nine total yards. Devonta Freeman had the best run of the day for Atlanta - 18 yards.
Falcons WR -Matt Ryan and Roddy White fell in love all over again in Week 7, with Ryan throwing the veteran's way 15 times, producing nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted nearly twice as many times as Julio Jones (eight), with Devin Hester again working as the No. 3 man. Don't expect White to marginalize Julio like this often, of course - the Ravens were simply doing their best to smother the Falcons' No. 1 receiver.
Ravens WR - Joe Flacco didn't need to throw much on Sunday, and when he did, it was disproportionately to tight end Owen Daniels, who was targeted on nine of Flacco's 25 pass attempts. Steve and Torrey Smith were each targeted five times, and no other Baltimore wideout was targeted more than once, highlighting this team's lack of a true No. 3 receiver.
Bills RB - Well, this took a turn. Fred Jackson suffered a groin injury Sunday and is expected to miss at least two weeks. Meanwhile, C.J. Spiller ripped off a 53-yard run on his first play… and then sustained a broken collarbone, which should keep him out for quite a while. That leaves Anthony Dixon (he's calling himself Boobie Dixon now, which is totally normal) as the man standing atop the mountain of wounded Bills running backs. He turned in a credible, albeit unexciting substitute performance (13 rushes, 51 yards, plus three catches for 15).
Bills WR - With the Buffalo running game disabled, this offense became the Sammy Watkins show on Sunday. He had more targets (14) than the next two most heavily-targeted players combined, ripping off his second career 100-plus-yard game and his first multi-touchdown performance. Curiously, Chris Hogan came in second in targets among wideouts, seeing six for the second straight week, while Robert Woods had five - and both lost fumbles. At this point, Woods is essentially only useful when you can count on Watkins being shut down, and that's not something you can do very often.
Panthers RB - Jonathan Stewart (knee) returned to handle the starting duties in Week 7 after nearly a month-long absence, posting a typically unimpressive line of 14 carries for 55 yards. Actually, considering Stewart hasn't averaged 55 rushing yards a game since 2010, this represents a bit of a breakout by his standards. DeAngelo Williams (ankle) is still a couple weeks off, from the sound of it. Chris Ogbonnaya was the No. 2 rusher Sunday, and would presumably get the bulk of the carries if Stewart goes down again before Williams returns.
Bengals WR - Mohamed Sanu was a much less efficient No. 1 on Sunday than he was last week, catching only three of his nine targets, though it was still enough to lead the team in receiving (54 yards). With Sanu and Jermaine Gresham (12 targets) dominating Andy Dalton's attention, no other wideout saw more than two passes come his way.
Browns RB - Terrance West was back in the fold Sunday, but had just five carries for eight yards. Ben Tate was the lead rusher, carrying 16 times for 36 yards, while Isaiah Crowell managed just 18 yards on seven carries. Ugly, but Cleveland's got nice matchups coming up against the Raiders, the Buccaneers and the Bengals. That should be good for Tate, and maybe enough to make Crowell flex-relevant.
Browns WR - Andrew Hawkins had his best game of the year Sunday, catching five balls for 112 yards as the Browns' most-targeted receiver (nine). No. 2 and 3 men Miles Austin and Taylor Gabriel were both inefficient, each catching three balls on eight and seven targets, respectively. This passing game really didn't produce much from Brian Hoyer's 41 pass attempts, as he completed just 16.
Browns TE - Jim Dray faded back into irrelevance Sunday (no targets), but Jordan Cameron only caught one of his six targets for five yards. It looked like Cameron was finally coming around last week, but he took one heck of a step back against the abusable Jags defense.
Broncos RB - Ronnie Hillman turned in another big performance Sunday, scoring two touchdowns to go with 103 total yards. Yeah, maybe Montee Ball will return in two or three weeks, but why would he return to a starting role with the way Hillman's been playing? The only question is whether the undersized Hillman (he's just 5-10, 195) can hold up to being tackled 15-20 times a game.
Broncos WR - Demaryius Thomas has been going absolutely insane since the bye, with another 171 yards and two scores on Sunday adding to his impressive resume. The amount of attention that Peyton Manning gives him and Julius Thomas has thinned out the targets among the rest of the Broncos' receivers, although both Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders found the end zone Sunday despite being thrown to just three times each. Don't give up on Welker - when the going gets tough, Manning's going to start looking his way much more often.
Lions RB - Reggie Bush only ended up carrying four times (though he also had five catches) on Sunday, as his ankle injury came back to bite him, keeping him out for the second half. Joique Bell rushed 18 times for a rather sad 48 yards, but did score a touchdown. He also remained curiously useless in the pass game (five targets, two catches, 19 yards). Remember how he caught 105 balls over the last two seasons? Yeah, he's got 13 receptions this year.
Lions WR - Another week without Calvin Johnson meant another huge week for Golden Tate, who bounced back from the prior week's quiet performance with his third 100-yard game out of four. Megatron could be out another couple weeks yet, and it looks like Tate will remain one of the game's better receiving options as Matt Stafford's top target in the interim. The Lions' other wide receivers were generally quiet, which isn't surprising, considering the lack of big names there. Corey Fuller did catch a touchdown pass, so that's something.
Lions TE - With Eric Ebron (hamstring) and Joseph Fauria (ankle) inactive Sunday, Brandon Pettigrew had the position essentially all to himself, but he managed just four catches for 28 yards on six targets. Not much there. Fauria's timetable is unknown, while Ebron seems likely to be held out next week with a bye coming up in Week 9.
Packers RB - Eddie Lacy is still the top dog in this backfield, but James Starks has carved himself out a decent role, and he punched in a touchdown from 13 yards out Sunday. Even though Lacy played well Sunday against the Panthers' no-longer-good defense, he should be considered a risky option moving forward due to his inconsistencies this year. Starks has been terrific in a backup role and has stepped in as the starter before; that's something to be aware of if you own Lacy or if Starks is available on your wire.
Texans WR - We'll be looking for more targets heading DeAndre Hopkins' (hand) way on Monday night in Pittsburgh after he was underutilized last week against the Colts. Andre Johnson (ankle) is expected to play, though, and should take up a lot of Ryan Fitzpatrick's attention.
Colts RB - Trent Richardson took Sunday's blowout as an opportunity to post his most efficient game of the year, clearing 100 yards for the first time this season, only to suffer a late-game hamstring injury. It sounds minor, so it probably won't affect him for next week, but it's something to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, Ahmad Bradshaw generated another fine fantasy line, with 88 total yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving), but also lost a fumble. I really don't like Bradshaw, but he's picked up seven touchdowns in his last six games, which is hard to argue with. He's also turned the ball over twice in the last three, though.
Colts TE - While Dwayne Allen continues to play touchdown machine, Coby Fleener actually outgained him 64-52 Sunday, and the target distribution was nearly even (six to Allen, five to Fleener). It seems like no matter how many touchdowns Allen generates, this is destined to remain a timeshare just because Fleener's good enough to play, too.
Jaguars RB - Denard Robinson was the surprising workhorse Sunday with the Jags in the rare situation of leading late. He turned in a massive game, rushing 22 times for 127 yards and a touchdown, while Storm Johnson ended up carrying just six times for 16 yards (though he produced a late TD of his own). Even if Toby Gerhart (foot) is able to return in Week 8, it seems unlikely that the Jags will just turn the keys to this offense back over to him after the way he plodded to a 2.4 YPC over the season's first five games. It's also unlikely that the Jags will produce a 20-carry rusher many more times this season.
Jaguars WR - Although Cecil Shorts led the Jags in targets in Week 7, he made just 12 yards out of nine pass attempts. Meanwhile, No. 2 man Allen Robinson turned in a far more productive performance, reeling in four of seven for 60 yards and a score. Neither Allen Hurns nor Marqise Lee got much attention. I know Shorts had a big Week 6 and we can't count him out, but Robinson has been much more efficient this year.
Chiefs RB - Knile Davis saw a surprisingly big share of the work Sunday, but turned his 10 carries into just 25 yards while Jamaal Charles had a 100-plus-total-yard day. It's good to see Charles touch the ball 24 times, but his fantasy owners in close matchups have to be longing for those extra five runs that went to Davis.
Dolphins RB - Out of nowhere, Knowshon Moreno blew out his ACL and got placed on season-ending IR last week, leaving Lamar Miller in full control of the Miami backfield. Miller had a solid fantasy day on Sunday thanks to a touchdown (his fourth in three weeks), but only posted a 3.4 YPC. Daniel Thomas appears to have solidified the backup role.
Dolphins WR - At this point, I'm comfortable calling Jarvis Landry the No. 2 receiver behind Mike Wallace and ahead of on this team, although Landry isn't blowing anyone's mind with his production (four catches on five targets for 46 yards Sunday).
Vikings RB - Despite noise about the Vikes wanting to get Matt Asiata the ball more, it was the Jerick McKinnon show again on Sunday, as he ran 19 times for 103 yards. While McKinnon wasn't able to get anything going in the passing game (four targets, two catches, two yards lost), Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings didn't do much there in general. Nonetheless, McKinnon should be considered the legit No. 1 back in this offense for the rest of the year, as I have significant doubts about the potential return of Adrian Peterson.
Vikings WR - Good news: Cordarrelle Patterson caught a touchdown! Bad news: he had two catches on four targets - that four-yard score and a five-yarder. And he ran the ball just once for three yards. Greg Jennings was Bridgewater's favorite receiver Sunday, getting targeted seven times; Jarius Wright did much more with his own four targets (four catches, 60 yards).
Patriots RB - Shane Vereen turned out to be the main beneficiary of Stevan Ridley's season-ending knee injury on Thursday, as he led the Pats in both rushing and receiving, rolling up 114 total yards and a pair of touchdowns (both through the air). Practice squadder Jonas Gray served as the No. 2 running back, with Brandon Bolden touching the ball just once (highlighting his role as a key special-teams player, not a running back) and James White inactive again. Things look good for Vereen now, but Bill Belichick is nothing if not unpredictable with his backs.
Patriots TE - Tim Wright went totally silent Thursday, while Rob Gronkowski led the Pats in targets. After his big Week 5, Wright's been targeted just once in the last two weeks; it's clear now that his role's more marginal than it appeared to be for a moment there.
Saints RB - Mark Ingram (hand) returned to the lead role Sunday, but was able to generate just 16 yards on 10 rushes. Khiry Robinson outrushed him with just three carries, but also lost a fumble (after which he was largely banished from the field), and Pierre Thomas had a quiet game before going down with a shoulder injury. So this situation is a bit of a mess entering next week's contest against Green Bay's league-worst run defense. Personally, I'd buy on Ingram right now.
Saints TE - Though Jimmy Graham (shoulder) was active Sunday, he was targeted just twice in a bench role and posted a big, fat zero. But most fantasy owners should have had a backup plan in place anyway, as this was no surprise. Neither Josh Hill nor Ben Watson benefited from Graham's lack of playing time, as Drew Brees instead looked to his wide receivers and running backs aplenty.
Giants RB - Andre Williams turned in another quiet game as the Giants' lead back on Sunday. They've got a bye coming up in Week 8, and Rashad Jennings is looking to return from his knee injury thereafter. If he does, he should retake the No. 1 role, as Williams has done nothing to carve out a timeshare situation. Peyton Hillis was well more productive on a per-touch basis on Sunday, and he didn't even have a job in the league a month ago.
Giants WR - Odell Beckham didn't rack up the yards in his first full game as the No. 2 receiver Sunday, but he did pick up a pair of touchdowns, and that'll do for a start. Rueben Randle was predictably heavily targeted, leading the team with nine, which he turned into six catches for 74 yards. Preston Parker served as the No. 3, but was used sparingly.
Giants TE - Larry Donnell had a strange mixed bag in Week 7, catching all seven of his targets for a team-leading 90 yards, but also losing two fumbles. Meanwhile, Daniel Fells chipped in a 27-yard touchdown on his only target. Things are not looking great for Donnell's prospects moving forward; the Giants can't afford those turnovers.
Jets RB - The Jets ran the ball terrifically effectively on Thursday, with Chris Ivory ripping off a much-needed huge day (125 total yards and a touchdown) while Chris Johnson even looked good in spurts, compiling 80 total yards. Johnson saw 13 carries to Ivory's 21, but I'd expect Ivory to draw an even bigger split than that going forward.
Jets WR - A midseason trade for Percy Harvin the day after Thursday's loss has dramatically changed the Jets' depth chart, with Harvin slotting in as the No. 2 (and potentially No. 1) behind Eric Decker (whose hamstring seems alright now), pushing Jeremy Kerley to the No. 3 spot, which is more appropriate for him. The Jets cut David Nelson to make room for Harvin, making exactly zero fantasy owners sad. This should be a nice boost to Harvin's value after he didn't do much in Seattle, as the Jets certainly didn't trade for him to not make him a significant piece in the offense. He'll have to get over his thigh injury, though.
Jets TE - One week after Jace Amaro's big blowup, the rookie went quiet (three catches for 22 yards) while veteran Jeff Cumberland caught as many balls for 50 yards, including a huge late-game touchdown. With Harvin in the fold now, it seems likely that both tight ends will see a little decrease in use, as the Jets have had to rely on their big guys extra in the absence of quality options at wide receiver.
Raiders QB - Derek Carr (knee/ankle) was normal Derek Carr again Sunday, going 16-for-28 for 173 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. I hope you didn't get too excited about the Week 6 iteration of Carr. His job security remains strong, though.
Raiders RB - Darren McFadden had a horrendously inefficient day as the Raiders' lead back in Week 7, with a poor fantasy day saved by a one-yard touchdown run. He averaged just 3.4 YPC and managed to turn eight pass targets (tied for the team high) into just seven yards. Maurice Jones-Drew didn't make much of an impression off the bench (three carries, six yards), but obviously that's a small sample. The Raiders would do well to either give MJD some extended run or start seriously working Latavius Murray into the mix.
Raiders WR - James Jones (eight targets) and Andre Holmes (five targets) were the only Raiders wideouts who got much attention Sunday, and with Carr back to his normal inefficiency, neither generated much. Brice Butler's lone catch - a 55-yarder - was enough for him to lead the team in receiving. It's noteworthy that Butler's now had big plays in consecutive weeks - he should start seeing more looks.
Steelers WR - The man to watch Monday night (aside from Antonio Brown, who's always must-see TV) is Markus Wheaton, who's still looking to really get a firm grip on the No. 2 receiver role. No one's coming to take his job from him now, but if Wheaton doesn't get more efficient as he goes along, the Steelers are definitely going to have to consider their options in the offseason.
Chargers RB - Branden Oliver didn't see terribly heavy usage Sunday, but he still delivered an efficient (if unspectacular) line against the Chiefs, making 78 total yards out of 17 touches. Ronnie Brown had just two touches as his backup. While Ryan Mathews (knee) is on the mend, it seems like he's still headed for another week or two on the sidelines, meaning Oliver will continue heading the Chargers' rushing attack for at least that long. Even when Mathews returns, it wouldn't be surprising to see Oliver - a far better receiver - maintain fantasy relevance.
Chargers WR - It's like a broken record at this point - another day of heavy targets (10 this time) for Keenan Allen, another unimpressive performance (six catches, 58 yards). At least his second-highest catch total of the year made PPR owners feel better. At least this time, Malcom Floyd and Eddie Royal were similarly inefficient - Floyd caught only three of seven targets for 50 yards, and Royal picked up just a lonely 20-yard catch on his five targets. The pecking order has seemingly been settled in that sequence, but it's a very odd situation.
Chargers TE - Ladarius Green didn't show up in the box score at all Sunday, going without so much as a single target while Antonio Gates led the team in receiving, and Gates and fellow tight end John Phillips caught both of Philip Rivers' touchdowns. Phillips' was a one-yarder and his only pass target of the day, so it's not like he's really usurped Green - it's just that Green has been targeted very inconsistently. He's seen two or fewer looks in four of six games this year; in the other two, he's totaled eight catches on 11 targets for 124 yards.
49ers WR - Steve Johnson had as many looks (seven) as Michael Crabtree on Sunday, and he turned them into five catches for a team-leading 79 yards and a score. Brandon Lloyd was also a little more heavily involved in what was obliged to be a pass-happy gameplan against the Broncos, catching three of six targets for 63 yards. The widely unowned Bruce Ellington caught Colin Kaepernick's other touchdown among his three catches for 44 yards (season highs both). Meanwhile, Anquan Boldin had a team-high (and season-high) 10 targets, though he generated just 50 yards on his seven catches. Tough day almost all around in this pass game.
Seahawks WR - With Percy Harvin having been shipped off to New York, this depth chart shuffles a little, but not much has changed - Harvin wasn't seeing a major number of looks anyway. The main beneficiary was Paul Richardson, but with four catches for 33 yards, he didn't exactly explode onto the scene. Doug Baldwin blew up for 123 and a score on a season-high 11 targets, but I take that more as a function of the Seahawks playing from behind, which is a rarity.
Seahawks TE - Zach Miller has missed three weeks and doesn't seem terribly close to returning following ankle surgery. His stand-in, Luke Willson, couldn't go Sunday due to a groin injury. That left No. 3 man Cooper Helfet, and all he did was catch three balls for 61 yards and a gorgeous toe-tapping touchdown. Willson will probably be back in the fold next week, though, which will push Helfet back to a bench role.
Rams RB - How quickly things can change. Six days after making an impression in limited action on Monday night, Tre Mason took the reins in Week 7, leading the Rams' rushing attack with 18 carries for 85 yards and a score. Benny Cunningham was still heavily utilized in the pass game, while Zac Stacy wasn't used at all. Buy on Mason and be prepared to cut Stacy if he doesn't mount a miraculous comeback next week.
Buccaneers WR - Mike Evans (groin) and Vincent Jackson (ribs) should both benefit from the bye week and come back much healthier in Week 8, pushing Louis Murphy back into a marginal role.
Titans QB - Jake Locker (thumb) is expected back for Week 8, so he'll displace Charlie Whitehurst, who at least had a decent game on Sunday, although he only threw for 160 yards and lost. Not that Locker's been so great.
Titans RBShonn Greene (hamstring) sat out again Sunday, but Bishop Sankey didn't impress again, running 16 times for 56 yards. That's three straight weeks of 3.5 YPC or worse for Sankey. Greene could be back by next week, which would further dilute the rookie's value.
Titans WR - In this schizophrenic pass game, Justin Hunter went silent on Sunday (one catch, six yards) after two straight nice weeks, while Kendall Wright bounced back from the prior week's zero with six catches for 68 and a score. Don't get overly excited about Derek Hagan's 38-yard touchdown.
Redskins QB - After an inconsistent first half with a pair of turnovers, Kirk Cousins was yanked for Colt McCoy on Sunday, and McCoy responded by going 11-for-12 for 128 yards and a touchdown, leading the Skins to a second-half comeback and a game-winning Kai Forbath field goal. McCoy's expected to be handed the reins in Week 8 against Dallas unless Robert Griffin (ankle) is able to return - Griffin's been practicing on a limited basis.
Redskins TE - Even though Jordan Reed was the main tight end for Washington on Sunday and drew six targets, he ended up being outproduced (58 yards to 54) by Niles Paul even though Paul was targeted just twice. Logan Paulsen got a target too. Still, Reed has put together a pair of solid outings in a row for PPR purposes since returning from his hamstring injury.
