Boy, Week 6 was a doozy. Who would have thought that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford would lead the league in fantasy points on Sunday? As the season cruises on, let’s look at a few players who stood out Sunday.
James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers (ESPN 22 percent, CBS 43 percent, NFL 5 percent, Yahoo! 22 percent)
Let me just come right out and say it, last week was not a great week for me in terms of predictions. I said to start Packers running back Eddie Lacy in a great matchup against the Chargers. Much to my chagrin, Lacy had just four carries for 3 yards. Even quarterback Aaron Rodgers had more yards on his two scampers. Lacy looks out of shape, sluggish and is being outplayed by running back James Starks. Starks got the lion’s share of the workload Sunday rushing for 112 yards on 10 carries. Looking at the season as a whole, Starks is just barely in front of Lacy. He’s rushed for 286 yards on 63 attempts for 4.5 yards per carry. Lacy has 260 yards on 67 attempts for 3.9 yards per carry. Lacy’s longest carry of the season went for 15 yards, while Starks broke off a 65-yard touchdown Sunday. If last week’s game was any indication, Starks could end up being top dog in Green Bay before long. He needs to be rostered immediately.
Christine Michael, RB, Dallas Cowboys (ESPN 31 percent, CBS 54 percent, NFL 7 percent, Yahoo! 40 percent)
Last week, NFL reports surfaced that the Dallas Cowboys were going to give former Seattle running back Christine Michael more carries. With running back Joseph Randle rushing for just 3.9 yards per carry this season, Dallas has apparently seen the need to make a change. The team’s running back coach Gary Brown said said that Michael is “where he needs to be, and (The Cowboys) want to take the reins off him and let him rock.” Brown also noted that the team needed to utilize Michael’s 5-foot-10, 221-pound frame. While Michael hasn’t been named the starter, he’s got some major upside behind the fourth-best offensive line overall and the best run-blocking line in the NFL according Pro Football Focus.
Theo Riddick, RB, Detroit Lions (ESPN 26 percent, CBS 55 percent, NFL 2 percent, Yahoo! 22 percent)
This one is a heartbreaker for me. I was super high on rookie running back Ameer Abdullah heading into the season. The former Nebraska Cornhusker looked like a star in the preseason, drawing comparisons to the great Barry Sanders. However, you can’t believe everything you see in the preseason. Six weeks into the regular season, Abdullah is churning out 3.3 yards per carry behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. What’s more, Abdullah is tied for third-most fumbles lost this season with three. Point is, with Abdullah’s ball security issues, Joique Bell dealing with a lingering ankle injury and Zach Zenner out for the season with multiple broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung (ouch), passing back Theo Riddick is due for an increase in workload. Also be on the lookout for running back George Winn who the Lions just signed off their practice squad to replace Zenner.
Brandon LaFell, WR, New England Patriots (ESPN 21 percent, CBS 43 percent, NFL 56 percent, Yahoo! 51 percent)
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said receiver Brandon LaFell will probably practice this week. LaFell was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list after suffering an injury to his foot. A top-25 wideout last year, LaFell led all Patriots wide receivers in fantasy points with 953 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014. A matchup-based play, LaFell has a chance to make an impact for the Patriots and fantasy teams in one of the league’s more prolific passing offenses.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings (ESPN 3 percent, CBS 7 percent, NFL 1 percent, Yahoo! 10 percent)
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater isn’t having the breakout season I imagined. Through five games, he ranks 29th out of the 52 players who have thrown a pass this season in total passing yards this season with 1,023. Bridgewater has just three touchdowns on the season. Part of the reason for Bridgewater’s lackluster season is due to the return of running back Adrian Peterson who is a top-10 rusher this year. The other reason is because Bridgewater hadn’t found his trusted target yet. Until now. Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs has totaled 87 and 129 yards in his last two games, respectively. That 87-yard total came against the Denver Broncos no less. Diggs has been playing in the absence of fellow receiver Charles Johnson. In two weeks, he nearly rivals receiving leader Mike Wallace for most receiving yards this season with 216 to Wallace’s 256. Diggs is worth a stash at least as there’s no way the team could afford to return to Johnson after Diggs’ massive performances.
Deep Target
Branden Oliver, RB, San Diego Chargers (ESPN 1 percent, CBS 9 percent, NFL 4 percent, Yahoo! 1 percent)
Another backup running back made his presence felt in the San Diego vs. Green Bay game on Sunday. Branden Oliver relieved Melvin Gordon after the latter had two fumbles. Oliver, Gordon and passing back Danny Woodhead all had seven carries in the contest. However, Gordon outperformed Oliver rushing for 29 yards to the latter’s 23. Oliver has some value as long as Gordon keeps fumbling.
Hugh Johnson: 303-954-1037, hjohnson@denverpost.com or @HughJohnsonDP
