After a hot start. WR James Jones has cooled off.

Quarterback

Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills
Season Stats: 55-79, 507 yds., 1 TD, 3 INT
Last Week: Bye

With Cleo Lemon looking respectable last week, he has likely held off John Beck for at least a few more weeks – making Edwards the only quarterback on the rookie radar at this point.  Edwards’ stats are nothing to write home about, and an upcoming week against Baltimore will likely not help matters much.  He couldn’t do much against a significantly weaker Dallas defense two weeks back, so this one could be ugly.  I feel terrible for Lee Evans and Marshawn Lynch…as well as their owners.

Running Backs

See what this kid can do with 20 carries?  If you were like me and thought you would have a chance to buy low on Peterson after the Chicago game, your jaw is likely still on the floor.  Peterson’s performance last week was one for the ages and just shows why he was the first running back taken in the NFL draft this season.  He hits the hole hard, and is explosive in the open field.  While I’m not a fan of him on special teams due to the extra pounding, Peterson is a top-10 running back for the rest of the season.

Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills
Season Stats: 100 yds., 373 yds., 3 TD; 7 rec., 68 yds., 0 TD
Last Week: Bye

Up until this point, we could at least say that Lynch had Peterson beat on touchdowns, but there is no looking back from here.  Trent Edwards will make or break Lynch’s season for the second half.  The kid is without a doubt explosive, but if Edwards cannot provide a passing threat for the opposition, the former Cal standout will be shedding eight tacklers per carry.

Brandon Jackson, Green Bay Packers
Season Stats: 38 car., 97 yds., 1 TD; 11 rec., 81 yds., 0 TD
Last Week: DNP

We’re choosing to include Jackson this week as he appears to have shed the shin injuries that have plagued him over the last couple of weeks.  DeShawn Wynn (more on him below) is apparently locked in as the goal line guy, with Vernand Morency catching a few passes in third-down situations.  I refuse to believe that the Packers would give up on this kid after only a few games this season as they used a second rounder to add him to the team.  Monitor his carries closely, and if he was dropped in your league, he may be a decent second-half addition.

DeShawn Wynn, Green Bay Packers
Season Stats: 49 car., 202 yds., 4 TD; 9 rec., 73 yds., 0 TD
Last Week: 13 car., 37 yds., 1 TD; 0 rec., 0 yds., 0 TD

This isn’t the first week that Wynn’s yards per carry were sub-par, but he found himself in the end zone, making things better for his owners.  The downside to Wynn is the hit his value takes in PPR leagues given Vernand Morency’s return.  The Pack is on a bye this week, so if you can move him for some solid value afterwards, I recommend it.  If not, the worst you have is a goal line back on a solid offensive team.

Brian Leonard, St. Louis Rams
Season Stats: 50 car., 199 yds., 0 TD; 15 rec., 98 yds., 0 TD
Last Week: 12 car., 18 yds., 0 TD; 3 rec., 23 yds., 0 TD

Wow.  One and a half yards per carry was definitely not something the Rams were hoping for when they locked up with Baltimore last week.  Things get a bit easier against Seattle during week seven, and then Cleveland in week eight.  However, owners should monitor the pending return of Steven Jackson, who is reportedly back in practice – though wearing non-contact colors.  You may be looking at the final two shots for production out of the back-up.

Wide Receivers

Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
Season Stats: 11 rec., 192 yds., 2 TD
Last Week: Bye

The Detroit Lions and their reporters are saying that Calvin Johnson is finally 100 percent after experiencing a lower back injury a few weeks back.  The team is coming off of a rough outing against the Washington Redskins, and will look to air it out big time at home against Tampa Bay.  Not only is CJ a solid option for your week seven lineups, he should likely assent back to a WR2 level before the end of the season.

Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs
Season Stats: 26 rec., 415 yds., 3 TD
Last Week: 4 rec., 46 yds., 0 TD

It was the Larry Johnson show last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, with an outside shot that we see more of the same against a banged up Oakland Raiders line this week.  Bowe is without a doubt the best wide receiver option in a Chiefs uniform this week, but he’ll be pressured all day by a tough Raiders secondary.  Nothing is leading me to think that he will not get his typical four or five receptions, but owners may want to temper their expectations if they’re hoping for another 160-yard game any time soon.

James Jones, Green Bay Packers
Season Stats: 23 rec., 293 yds., 1 TD
Last Week: N/A

Jones looked like a decent flex play last week against the Redskins, but failed to record a single reception in the Green Bay win.  The addition of Koren Robinson to the mix will likely not bode well for the rookie as he’s already sharing receptions with Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and Donald Lee.  He’s droppable in leagues that have a lot to offer on the wire – especially for a week or two.

Sidney Rice, Minnesota Vikings
Season Stats: 11 rec., 119 yds., 1 TD
Last Week: 1 rec., 13 yds., 0 TD

While not as bad as Jones’ week, this one was pretty rough as well.  The kid shows a ton of talent and potential, but as long as Tavaris Jackson continues to try Troy Williamson as an option, he’ll be swept under the rug.  All he can hope for at this point is that the opposing defenders crowd the box to stop Peterson, allowing him open space which to work.  All I know is that with all of these rookies in the NFC North, there may be a changing of the guard soon in terms of division strength. 

Tight End

Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears
Season Stats: 11 rec., 148 yds., 1 TD
Last Week: 5 rec., 63 yds., 0 TD

Oh look…another NFC North rookie!  In only a handful of games, Olsen has out produced a slew of tight ends that have played all season long.  Five receptions is very nice to see as his targets look to be consistently distributed for the rest of the season with Brian Griese at the helm.  If you drafted him, or scooped him off of the wire, consider yourself lucky as you have a top-12 tight end on your team for little or no cost.  Philly and Detroit look like very nice match-ups going into the week nine bye.