WINNERS
Lamar Jackson
The Ravens DOMINATED the Lions at home in Week 7 and the MVP of the game was undoubtedly Lamar Jackson. Jackson was great on the ground and through the air all afternoon, going 21/27 for 357 and three touchdowns passing while rushing for 36 yards and another score. The 2019 MVP now has the fourth-lowest odds to win the award again this year and his Ravens sit atop the AFC North at 5-2. If Lamar can keep up this play, the Ravens could very well win the division and head into the AFC Playoffs looking like a very dangerous team. This team is very close to being 7-0 right now, and Jackson’s play is the biggest reason why.
Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett was an absolute machine in Indianapolis. It’s not often that a defensive player can almost single-handedly win his team a game, but that’s what happened in Week 7 for the Browns. Garrett had seven tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble that ended with a Cleveland touchdown, but he was even more impactful than what the box score shows. When it comes to being able to turn games around and make impact plays, almost no one in the league is as good as Garrett. That’s why he’s currently tied with Micah Parsons as the DPOY favorite, and if play like this continues, it may not be a tie for long.
Tyler Bagent
Chicago didn’t just win in Week 7, they dominated. Most people wouldn’t have expected that with a rookie QB making the first start of his career on a 1-5 team, but Tyler Bagent made it happen. After Justin Fields went down last week, Bagent was thrust into his first start less than a year after playing Division 2 college football. Despite the doubts, he delivered in front of home fans, going 21/29 for 162 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers. I don’t think anyone expects Bagent to make a serious run at the starting job despite Fields’ struggles, but it was great to see the kid walk into Soldier Field and get a resounding win in his first NFL start.
LOSERS
Bijan Robinson Fantasy Owners
If you have Bijan Robinson in fantasy football, you may be a little upset with the Falcons right now. The star rookie running back was listed as active and suited up for the game, but never touched the ball due to illness. Usually, this would just be unfortunate. What makes this situation unique, though, is the fact that the information was never disclosed by the Falcons and Robinson did not appear on the injury report. Now, there may be a perfectly fine explanation for this, but for a league that heavily involved with sports gambling and fantasy leagues, this is something that really shouldn’t happen. It likely won’t happen again, though, as the NFL has launched an investigation into the unannounced absence.
Buffalo Bills
If not for the defence gutting it out last week against the Giants, the Bills would be on a three-game losing streak with an overall record of 3-4 right now. Things are clearly not going that well in Buffalo, and while some of that is due to the injuries they’ve had on defence, some people are beginning to wonder just how good this team actually is. Yes, they killed the Dolphins. Unfortunately, they’ve also lost to the Jets, the Jaguars and now the Patriots. This team made Mac Jones look great in Week 7, and that’s got to be a little scary. The Bills have always been like this, but if they don’t change things, the lack of playoff success likely won’t change either.
Washington Commanders
The New York Giants aren’t exactly a defensive juggernaut this season, but the Commanders sure made them look like one in Week 7. After the brutal 14-7 defeat, Washington sits at 3-4 on the year with losses in four of their last five contests. Sam Howell has looked very solid at times this season, but he’s also had multiple subpar performances as well. This team has shown that they can be competitive, but without consistency, there’s no way they can really turn into the team they want to be. After the game, the frustration was obvious from defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who held nothing back in his post-game press conference.
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