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I absolutely hate October 20th, 2013.
Related: Week 7 Fantasy Recap: New York Jets vs New England Patriots
Why? Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps because it is one of the worst fantasy days in recent memory. There were tons of significant injuries and a handful of disappointing stat lines. However, I am still going to be recapping some of the key fantasy games from this week’s action, starting with this matchup between two AFC East rivals. Let’s check out the good, bad and annoying from Week 7.
Buffalo Bills, 23 @ Miami Dolphins, 21
Buffalo: Man, as of right now, if your name isn’t Fred Jackson, you aren’t very welcoming to many fantasy owners. I’ll admit it. I had a gut feeling that C.J. Spiller would explode for his best fantasy outing of the year this afternoon. Turns out that feeling must have just been gas, as Spiller carried the ball just six times for 11 yards. In fact, that number was the same as Tashard Choice. After each run, Spiller still looked to be hobbling a tiny bit, which could be why he hasn’t showcased his explosiveness too much this year. It’s frustrating for me, as I was praising him all offseason, it’s praising for the Bills and, of course, for fantasy owners. Meanwhile, Jackson continues to be a top-15 fantasy back. He only had 11 carried for 36 yards, but he did find the end zone, while also hauling in four balls for 49 yards. I am officially worried about Spiller, folks. And it makes me very, very sad.
As for receivers, Stevie Johnson returned to the lineup and posted a respectable stat line of six catches for 61 yards. He remains a flex play at best for the rest of the season, but there are better options out there, especially when you consider the state of Buffalo’s signal callers. Rookie Robert Woods (three for 24 yards) remains an intriguing dynasty prospect.
Miami: I ranked quarterback Ryan Tannehill inside the top-15 this week, and it started off a bit frightening. He started the game with a pick-six, but as the game progressed, Tannehill really started to settle in. He only threw for 194 yards, but Tannehill did toss three touchdown passes, finishing with a solid fantasy outing. The sophomore signal caller attempted 37 passes in this contest, which is his fourth-straight game with at least 35 passing attempts. Protection continues to be a problem for Tannehill, who was sacked twice in this game. He has now gone down 26 times on the season, which is one of the worst in football. As for the running game, head coach Joe Philbin continues to troll us all. Speedy, more talented back Lamar Miller carried the ball just nine times for 43 yards, while plodding Daniel Thomas saw 12 carries for 60 yards. Just when you think Miller is establishing himself as the featured back, Thomas continues to poke his head in. Coming into this game, Thomas was actually seeing more snaps per game (31.2) than Miller (28.8). Miller is clearly the more talented back, but I don’t think he is a must start right now.
Meanwhile, I liked both Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline in this matchup, but it was Brandon Gibson that impressed the most, catching five balls for 40 yards and two scores. Wallace still posted a respectable stat line, hauling in five balls for 76 yards, but he continues to be a boom or bust type of play. Also, one of the most overlooked fantasy assets continues to be tight end Charles Clay, who only caught one pass, but it went for another touchdown, and he is dominating the snaps.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
