National Football League

Five Takeaways from Week 6

Published Oct. 13, 2014 4:07 p.m. ET

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Quick rant: I’m all for the rejuvenation of the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL theater is more captivating when its flagship franchise is not a laughing stock. HOWEVER, I’m going post-play Vontaze Burfict on the next talking head who remarks, “Those who ripped Jerry Jones’ management style in the past have to give the man credit!" You mean the Jerry Jones that had to be physically restrained from drafting Johnny Manziel? Yeah, hell of a GM. Just a thought, but maybe the club is succeeding in spite of his presence, like the 2010 Auburn Tigers (Gene Chizik owns a 24-38 career record sans Cam Newton) or the 1989 Cleveland Indians (Rachel Phelps). 

This week’s takeaways…

Time to panic, Keenan Allen owners

Through a third of the season, Allen has 296 yards and zero scores. Subtract his Jacksonville outing (10 receptions, 135 yards) and those figures are especially disheartening.

Philip Rivers hasn’t forsaken Allen, as the second-year wideout leads the Chargers in receptions and targets. Moreover, any concerns that Allen’s troubled by a hamstring injury are overblown, evidenced in Allen’s participation on special teams against the Raiders. In truth, Rivers is spreading the wealth among his talented receiving corps, correlating to a drop in Allen’s production. While he’s more than capable of creating fireworks in the box scores, expect there to be plenty of duds going forward, particularly with stout defenses in Kansas City, Denver and Miami on the upcoming itinerary.

Circle Eddie Lacy as a buy-low candidate

Owners may think they wasted a first-round selection on the Alabama product, a sentiment the numbers seemingly reinforce. For the fifth time this season, Lacy failed to surpass 50 yards on the ground on Sunday, and his three scores on the year lose some luster when remembering two touchdowns came against the lowly Vikings.

So why the prosperous outlook? Green Bay’s schedule has been a gauntlet, at least in terms of rush defenses, with the Seahawks, Jets, Dolphins, Bears and Lions all bearing impressive front sevens. The final 10 games present a respite for Lacy, starting this week with a Carolina resistance conceding 140 yards per contest (26th in the NFL). Additionally, Aaron Rodgers will have the Cheeseheads in the red zone at an elevated rate, bestowing Lacy a fair share of scoring opportunities.

Banking on a bounce-back performance in fantasy can be a venturous play, yet Lacy has the prowess and surrounding assets to facilitate such conviction. If the Lacy manager in your league is dangling him as trade bait, jump on the proposition.

No, you don’t need to pick up Joe Flacco

Thanks for asking, though.

New offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has improved Flacco’s efficiency: after tossing 22 picks last fall, the former Super Bowl MVP has only three interceptions in six games. Alas, this hasn't paralleled to fantasy relevance. Before Sunday’s conquest, Average Joe had found the end zone just seven times through the air. It’s also worth noting that Flacco’s windfall came against a 1-5 Buccaneers’ defense that has been anything but.

Concededly, the Atlanta Falcons do serve as an advantageous matchup for Flacco in Week 7, evidenced in the Dirty Birds’ 31st rank in total defense. However, at this stage of his career, Flacco is who he is: a sound, but far from spectacular, quarterback. Those envisioning anything more will be sorely mistaken.

Has any quarterback looked less like a quarterback than Kyle Orton

Is this clip from a) yesterday’s Bills-Pats post-game presser or b) an audition tape for True Detective?

R.I.P, C.J. Spiller’s Fantasy Worth

Some stars shine so bright they burn out before their time.

Spiller’s 2012 campaign (1,244 rushing yards, 459 receiving yards, eight touchdowns) seems like a distant memory. The Buffalo back is averaging a feeble 35.8 yards per showing, hitting pay dirt just once. Worse, Fred Jackson is now the go-to backfield receiving target, with Buffalo arms looking in his direction 39 times versus Spiller’s 15 attempts. How bad is Spiller’s predicament? Anthony Dixon was allotted more carries on Sunday. THAT bad.

I understand Spiller’s fantasy enticement in Week 7 with the Vikings on the slate. In that same tone, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. As blasphemous as it may sound, feel free to drop Spiller in all standard formats.

AJ Green out, Jermaine Gresham in

Mohamed Sanu is the popular waive-wire grab, and rightfully so after a breakout game on Sunday. Yet also meriting attention is Gresham. The Cincinnati tight end brought in six balls for 68 yards versus the Panthers, and has a platform to shine against a Colts defense that has struggled guarding his position. Gresham has burned owners in the past, but with Green sidelined and Marvin Jones likely out, the Bengals have few options through the air. For Jimmy Graham proprietors seeking a replacement, Gresham, available in 95 percent of FOXSports.com, is a viable sub.

Joel Beall is a writer for FOXSports.com and WhatIfSports.com, and is the host of the Fast Break on FOX podcast. He lives with a Golden Tee machine and a jump shot that’s broken. Reach Joel on Twitter @JoelMBeall

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