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ESPN Staff Writer- Fantasy football, basketball and sports betting writer for ESPN
- Former manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company
Another week of the NFL season is in the books, and there is no shortage of fantasy football news to digest.
Each Tuesday during the season, ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Moody will ask our NFL Nation reporters what to make of the fallout after games are played and the most pressing questions heading into the next weekend. Who is primed for a big performance, who is impacted by injuries and what roles might change? Here's what our crew had to say about some of the biggest storylines after Week 7's action as we head into Week 8.
If Jerome Ford misses time due to his ankle injury, how would the Cleveland Browns' snap distribution play out?
Two months ago, Kareem Hunt didn't have a team. For at least the next week or two, he will be Cleveland's lead back. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Ford will miss the next week or two with an ankle sprain. Until Ford is back to full speed, Hunt will carry the load in the Browns backfield. Hunt is averaging only 3.2 yards per carry this season. But he has three touchdowns in the past two games, including the game winner over the Colts on Sunday. Given that Pierre Strong Jr. is the only other real option in the Browns' backfield right now, Hunt will be leaned on heavily -- especially with the passing attack completely sputtering. -- Jake Trotter
With D'Onta Foreman excelling as the starter, what should we anticipate from the Chicago Bears backfield when Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert come back?
Divvying up touches in a stacked backfield is a good problem to have. Foreman rushed for two touchdowns and caught a short pass for another in his breakout performance against the Raiders, one week after Chicago struggled to generate consistency in the run game against Minnesota. Johnson has one hurdle to clear in concussion protocol, so it appears he could be back this week, which would give the Bears a nice one-two punch with the rookie and Foreman. Herbert isn't eligible to return until Week 10. The hot hand at that point will decide who is up on game day and who is inactive. If Foreman continues to produce like he did Sunday, it's hard to see the Bears making him inactive once again on game days. -- Courtney Cronin
If DK Metcalf misses more time because of his injuries, who do you think will have a greater impact, Jake Bobo or Jaxon Smith-Njigba?
This might be a closer call than some would assume -- Bobo actually out-snapped Smith-Njigba 45 to 38 in Week 7 -- but the tie goes to the first-round pick over the undrafted player. Smith-Njigba had been building toward his breakout performance against the Cardinals, with a nice outing the week before in Cincinnati that would've been even better had Geno Smith seen him open for a would-be 30-yard touchdown. They had nearly identical stat lines vs. Arizona, except for Smith-Njigba getting two more targets, so he gets the nod here. -- Brady Henderson
Will Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s role expand in future games enough to threaten Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson?
Possibly, yes. I don't know if Rodriguez will take over the primary role, but at times he's been more effective in this system. His patience and vision are a good fit for how the Washington Commanders want to run the ball, while it has been an adjustment for Robinson. Rodriguez runs with excellent power. They still like Robinson, but they need more consistency from the run game, especially with an offense that allows so many sacks. A stronger run game has become a must, and that means Rodriguez should continue to see more work. If nothing else, the load will be more split. -- John Keim
Do you anticipate Tee Higgins returning to form as the Cincinnati Bengals come out of their bye week?
Fantasy managers should be hesitant to start Higgins in Week 8. Higgins is still dealing with a rib injury that affected him in Week 6. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the injury played a role in him being unable to secure a 50-50 ball in the team's win over the Seattle Seahawks. His catch rate is also a concern. After being above 60% in his first three seasons, Higgins has caught just 38.9% of his targets in the final year of his rookie contract. -- Ben Baby
If Christian Watson and Luke Musgrave miss time because of injuries, which Green Bay Packers pass-catchers do you expect to see an uptick in targets?
Dontayvion Wicks looks like a breakout candidate. While he caught only one pass against the Broncos, it went for 17 yards. And he's averaging 14.0 yards per catch this season. He also threw a pass Sunday, a sign the Packers coaches are gaining trust in him. Tucker Kraft got more snaps after Musgrave went out, but he's limited as a receiver. In fact, undrafted rookie tight end Ben Sims had more targets against the Broncos than Musgrave. -- Rob Demovsky
Should fantasy managers be concerned about Austin Ekeler's struggles the past two weeks? Will Joshua Kelley be given more rushing attempts in upcoming games?
Kelley's 49-yard touchdown run against the Chiefs on Sunday was the longest of his career. He led the Los Angeles Chargers running backs with 75 yards on seven carries, but he was still behind Ekeler in carries and snaps. Don't expect anything to change in the Chargers' backfield. Coach Brandon Staley said he was impressed by Kelley but that his workload would stay the same. Ekeler did limp off the field early in the game but returned, and Staley said the team would have more information Wednesday. If Ekeler is injured, Kelley will be the lead back. -- Kris Rhim
Could Jalin Hyatt's performance Sunday lead to an increased role in upcoming games?
Hyatt's role has already been solid for several weeks. He has played at least 40 offensive snaps in three of the past four weeks. That's not going to change. Coach Brian Daboll said recently that the New York Giants' young receivers were going to play. "You've got to play them to develop them," he said. The only question for Hyatt is if his target share can remain at its current level when the Giants go back to Daniel Jones. Tyrod Taylor has gotten the ball downfield more consistently, leading to nine targets in the past two games for Hyatt. He had two targets the previous two games on a similar number of routes with Jones at quarterback. -- Jordan Raanan