NFL Reactions: Week 7

-The game script and circumstances generally were favorable for both Teddy Bridgewater (23-of-38 for 281 yards and two touchdowns) and Latavius Murray (119 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, five catches for 31 yards on six targets) as the Saints beat down the Bears, and Michael Thomas was automatic as usual (nine catches for 131 yards on 11 targets.

-The Bears are toast, and Matt Nagy's job might be in some real trouble. Allen Robinson (10 catches for 87 yards and one touchdown on 16 targets) is really great, but the numbers for Mitch Trubisky (34-of-54 for 251 yards and two touchdowns) don't do justice to how poorly he played. With a stumbling defense and a helpless offense, this team won't necessarily bounce back anytime soon.

-Lamar Jackson made up for a rough day passing (9-of-20 for 143 yards) with an excellent output on the ground (14 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown), but his passing struggles lately are putting a lot of pressure on the rushing production. Miles Boykin stepped up a bit (two catches for 55 yards on two targets), but the Ravens need more so that the whole passing game doesn't tank whenever Mark Andrews (two catches for 39 yards on eight targets) and Marquise Brown (out, ankle) can't come through.

-Chris Carson was contained by a suddenly competent Baltimore defense, limiting him to 65 yards on 21 carries and three catches for nine yards on five targets. Rashaad Penny didn't play, which makes sense because he was playing well before he got hurt. Penny might be behind C.J. Prosise, who had a 17-yard carry.

-Philip Rivers posted strong numbers (24-of-38 for 329 yards and two touchdowns) in large part thanks to a resurgence by Austin Ekeler, who ran for only seven yards but caught seven of eight targets for 118 yards and a touchdown. Melvin Gordon struggled again with just 29 yards from scrimmage on 18 touches, though he did catch a touchdown. Keenan Allen (four catches for 61 yards on 11 targets) and Mike Williams (four catches for 47 yards on six targets) disappointed while Hunter Henry thrived (six catches for 97 yards on eight targets. Some ref stuff complicated things at the end otherwise.

-The Chargers defense is beat up on the line and was struggling this year anyway, but Ryan Tannehill made a good initial impression as starter by completing 23-of-29 passes for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Just as importantly, Tannehill specifically jumpstarted both Corey Davis (six catches for 80 yards and one touchdown on seven targets) and A.J. Brown (six catches for 64 yards on eight targets).

-Jared Goff managed to bounce back in fantasy but was still a bit off Sunday in terms of passing efficiency, completing only 22-of-37 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns, running for a third. Goff's passing touchdowns went to Gerald Everett and Todd Gurley, leaving the day a bit disappointing for the owners of Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Brandin Cooks in a game that was supposed to be a feast for them. Gurley struggled on the ground (41 yards on 18 carries) but Darrell Henderson was no better (11 carries for 31 yards).

-Matt Ryan was a huge disappointment even before he left Sunday's game against the Rams with an ankle issue, completing only 16-of-27 for 159 yards and an interception. Ryan will undergo an MRI on Monday. Matt Schaub did better, completing all of his six passes for 65 yards and one touchdown. Devonta Freeman's ejection after just 19 yards and a lost fumble on seven carries didn't help, neither did Ito Smith's exit with what might be a concussion. Brian Hill otherwise took five carries for 11 yards and caught both of his targets for 14 yards.

-This wouldn't be the first time he looked good as a replacement starter only to burn us all later, but credit to Ryan Fitzpatrick for playing well against a tough Buffalo defense, completing 23-of-35 passes for 282 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while running for a second touchdown. Preston Williams (six catches for 82 yards on eight targets) and DeVante Parker (five catches for 55 yards and one touchdown on 10 targets) both have big height advantages over Buffalo's corners, but Fitzpatrick was also efficient throwing to Allen Hurns (three catches for 53 yards on three targets) and Mike Gesicki (four catches for 41 yards on four targets).

-Mark Walton not only played ahead of Kenyan Drake (six carries for 21 yards), but was also more efficient (14 carries for 66 yards). Drake was much more active as a pass catcher, though, turning four targets into three catches for 37 yards while Walton only had a minus-eight yard catch.

-Although Josh Allen finished with a dignified box score (16-of-26 for 202 yards and two touchdowns), he struggled for much of the first half against a useless defense. Cole Beasley saw six targets and scored, but his 16 yards on three catches to John Brown's five catches for 83 yards and one touchdown highlight Beasley's limitations. Breakout WR3 candidate Duke Williams disappointingly finished with just a 23-yard catch on his only target.

-Gardner Minshew got the victory, but it's a bad look to complete fewer than half of your passes against the Bengals. Nick Foles probably ought to get this job back when available. Foles can't make Dede Westbrook stop dropping passes, though six catches for 103 yards on nine targets isn't so bad.

-Perhaps it's as simple as A.J. Green's absence, but Andy Dalton is worse than ever underneath Zac Taylor. Tyler Boyd was dreadfully inefficient (five catches for 55 yards on 14 targets), though Alex Erickson (eight catches for 137 yards on 14 targets) was not. I wouldn't go chasing Erickson, though.

-In a day full of fantasy disappointments and unexpected outcomes generally, perhaps none was as improbable as the shootout in Detroit. Kirk Cousins played great against a legitimately strong Detroit defense, completing 24-of-34 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns even as Adam Thielen (hamstring) left in the first quarter. Stefon Diggs (seven catches for 142 yards on eight targets) was able to light up the otherwise impressive Justin Coleman, proving he can get open against anyone. Healthy Dalvin Cook is basically infallible, and his 142 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries were par for the course.

-Matthew Stafford did his part despite Detroit's loss, completing 30-of-45 passes for 364 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Marvin Jones' four touchdowns were of course a fluke, but he's a good player for his own part. Though it wasn't Kenny Golladay's fault, it still must be noted that Jones' monstrous game is a significant missed opportunity for Golladay. Stafford has quietly put together a strong season, though, so Golladay should have his own blowup game.

-Kerryon Johnson left after five carries with a knee issue of unknown extent. Ty Johnson saw 10 carries to J.D. McKissic's five in the game, but McKissic matched Ty's rushing total of just 29 yards. Both players were effective pass catchers, with McKissic turning three targets into two catches for 31 yards and Ty turning four targets into four catches for 28 yards.

-Derek Carr completed 22-of-28 passes for 293 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, but he did so wearing a clownsuit. Carr needlessly fumbled into the endzone while trying to play hero in the first half, and the Raiders went on to completely collapse afterward. Darren Waller finally got his positive touchdown regression, catching seven passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets, and it's no exaggeration at this point to say that he's in the midst of one of the best tight end seasons of recent memory. He's showing Michael Thomas-like efficiency, catching 88 percent of his targets at 9.7 yards per target. He's on pace for 117 receptions, 1,293 yards, and five touchdowns. Great as Waller is, the Raiders might have another standout tight end in rookie Foster Moreau, who once again flashed with two catches for 24 yards and a touchdown on three targets. Look for Keelan Doss (three catches for 54 yards on five targets) to emerge as the WR2 behind Tyrell Williams (foot).

-Aaron Rodgers is probably happier than he's been in half a decade. Perhaps the surprising availability of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison played a role, but it seems more like Rodgers was just in the zone as he completed 25-of-31 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns, adding a sixth touchdown on the ground. MVS' 74-yard touchdown was just bad defense -- he didn't look healthy as he ran untouched after the catch -- but it's nice to know you can score a 74-yard touchdown even if you're only around 75 percent healthy. Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams both scored as receivers, though Jones correctly saw 12 carries to Williams' three.

-DeAndre Hopkins finally got going after a disappointing five-week stretch, catching nine of 12 targets for 106 yards and a score. Depending on what happens with Will Fuller (hamstring), Kenny Stills (four catches for 105 yards on five targets) could get hot. It's objectively true to say that Stills is an above average starting receiver, so the opportunity is one worth chasing if Fuller misses time. Keke Coutee dropping a pass that was intercepted to end the game can only help Stills' job security. Duke Johnson is better than Carlos Hyde and Bill O'Brien simply does not care.

-The Texans corner rotation is no good, but Jacoby Brissett still deserves credit for his mammoth performance Sunday, completing 26-of-39 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Although he still might be a game manager for the most part, the 4-2 record and early divisional lead say he's absolutely doing his job. T.Y. Hilton's reputation as a downfield specialist was always misinformed -- he was a killer underneath target at FIU and he's shown the ability to seamlessly adapt to Brissett's underneath tendencies, adding another six catches for 74 yards and a touchdown following his one-game absence. Zach Pascal doesn't strike me as the real deal, but six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets is awfully impressive.

-It's really annoying for fantasy owners when coaches pull stunts like Kliff Kingsbury did with David Johnson (ankle), but it makes sense from his strategic standpoint and to be fair, he did tell us Thursday that Johnson wouldn't have been able to play if they had a game that day. For as much time as we spend trying to figure out this game, it's still necessary to accept the fact that the outcomes are largely arbitrary. Chase Edmonds in any case appears to be pretty good – he might even be the better pure backfield runner between himself and Johnson, though Johnson is still clearly the greater receiving threat. More importantly, the backfield will be Johnson's again once he's healthy.

-Kyler Murray had a brutal box score against the Giants, completing just 14-of-21 passes for 104 yards, running for just 28 yards on 10 carries in what has easily been his worst fantasy output to this point. I tend to give most of the credit for this outcome to Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher, but it would help if Christian Kirk (ankle) could get back on the field.

-With rookie quarterbacks we tend to make too big of a deal of both the ups and the downs – myself included – so I need to preface this with acknowledgment that Daniel Jones' career won't be defined by his effort against the Cardinals on Sunday. But this is still a pretty discouraging game for him, because playing at home against the Cardinals defense is pretty close to the ideal setting on paper. Jones' game was never theoretically supposed to work much downfield, but to his proponents he is supposed to be good at the underneath and intermediate game. The Cardinals are specifically weak at the points at which Jones is supposed to make his living, yet he completed just 22-of-35 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while taking eight sacks and losing two fumbles. The Cardinals pass rush had no such success in its other games this year, and the Giants offensive line is probably one of the better pass-blocking groups, so the blame has to largely or mostly fall on Jones.

-If I were Bill Callahan I would claim that I was trying to lose against the 49ers on Sunday, lest someone take me for a doofus. It was rainy and Case Keenum is bad, but you're seriously going to call 12 passes to 26 carries in a shutout loss? It's like he thought they had a lead the whole game and only at the last second realized he ran out the clock without any points to show. It shows impressive resolve at least.