Ahmad Bradshaw, Running Back, New York Giants
Just when people were dropping Bradshaw from their fantasy lineups, he comes through and does something like this. The veteran running back tallied a total of 200 yards Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, which represented a career-high.
With much attention being paid to Andre Brown and then before him, David Wilson, this has to come as a major surprise to fantasy owners the world over.
Now don't just decide to place Bradshaw in your starting lineup willy-nilly. He is going up against a stout run defense and the best front seven in the NFL in the form of the San Francisco 49ers on the road next Sunday. While no one expects a repeat performance, Bradshaw will be lucky to put up 50 yards this upcoming weeks. Of course that doesn't mean that you should forget about the New York Giants running back. He will definitely have his chances to earn his badges as a RB2 or FLEX option moving forward, it just won't be this week.
Alex Smith, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
In an afternoon that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady went against one another in Denver, Alex Smith had the best fantasy output of any quarterback in the NFL. Yeah, we definitely saw this coming after his struggled the previous two weeks against the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets.
Smith led one of the most prolific offensive performances in the history of the NFL on Sunday...You got that right, the history of the NFL. He put up nearly 350 total yards and three scores while compiling a near-perfect quarterback in route to the 49ers becoming the first team in league history to go over 300 yards both running and passing in the same game.
I had mentioned Smith as a possible QB1 option earlier this season. His production Sunday afternoon was truly elite...A total of 28 fantasy points.
As with Bradshaw earlier, don't expect Smith to repeat his performance this week. He isn't going to be taking on what has quickly become a disastrous Buffalo Bills defense. Instead, San Francisco will be taking on the New York Giants in a rematch of January's NFC Championship Game. While I do expect him to continue this stellar play, be cautioned that 300 yards and three scores is not the norm for the improving quarterback. Just keep that in mind!
Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
Wayne was supposed to be done, finished, and shall of his former self. What the heck happened? Well, he has had some luck on his side in the form of a stellar rookie quarterback after being a part of a dynamic duo with Peyton Manning over the last decade.
The future Hall of Fame receiver put up 212 yards on 13 receptions and has cemented his status as Andrew Luck's go-to guy on the outside. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Wayne will not continue this success as his targets should remain relatively high moving forward. The veteran is currently on pace for over 2,000 receiving yards a quarter of the way through the Colts season. Yeah, we saw this coming!