Week 7 Impressions

In a surprising week of football, some very interesting things occurred. This week, I was able to watch larger portions of the games. With the help of some statistics, here are my observations from Week 7:

• I'm changing my stance. The Panthers are the league's biggest disappointment, not the Saints. Everyone expected so much from Cam Newton, as they rightfully should have, but the reality is that Carolina has a pair of mediocre running backs, a dearth of good wideouts behind Steve Smith, and inconsistencies at many other positions.

• Quarterbacks aren't everything. While they are quite important, a team's performance does not depend on its quarterback's, as evidenced by the Redskins' loss to the Giants despite a big game from RG3.

• Who are the Texans? Which team are we going to see, the Houston team that obliterated Baltimore (a team that was missing two key defensive starters) or the Houston team that was handled easily by Green Bay (a team coming out of a slump)? I think they could go pretty far in a bizarre AFC filled with middling teams.

• The Patriots may have won, but their reign is likely coming to an end soon. They almost lost to the Jets, and the AFC East is a tight division. There's a chance they may not win it this year. This team needs some depth for the future at many positions. They could also use a top-flight running back to use on a regular basis. Their current strategy is alternating between Ridley, Bolden and Woodhead, and I'm sure that infuriates many fantasy football players.

• These Bengals aren't as good as last year. While Andy Dalton and A.J. Green are a great duo for the future, Cincinnati seems to have regressed after 2011's surprising playoff run.

• The Rams have come up close in many games against elite teams. This week, Green Bay beat them by ten. However, St. Louis hasn't made the playoffs in a few years. Their rebuilding process could finally be working out. They've already acquired some possible successors for Steven Jackson in Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson, and with the right pieces, this team could contend in a few years.

• Fantasy football is a strange world. I found myself dominating with non-big-name players like Randall Cobb and Fred Jackson, while Trent Richardson and Maurice Jones-Drew struggled, both due to injury. Drew Brees put up about 30 points, while Tony Romo scored about 14. I made the dumb decision to use the Titans defense against a Bills team that scored 34. For my opponents, Santana Moss had an unexpected breakout game in Washington's loss. Victor Cruz was a standout as well, but Calvin Johnson, of all people, underachieved. Jonathan Dwyer (!), a little known, one-time third-string running back scored 12 points, and Jordy Nelson also had a great game with Greg Jennings out. My teams are both in playoff contention at 4-3 each.

See you next week!