Roy Helu - Running Back, Washington Redskins
Washington has played from behind for almost the entire season thus far, which has left them to abandon the run game more often than not. This week they were able to play well against the Chicago Bears, especially after Jay Cutler went down with an injury - which allowed the Redskins to establish a ground game. The crazy part, is that second-year stud Alfred Morris wasn’t fed the rock, but Roy Helu actually was. Helu had a huge day, racking up three touchdowns on just 41 yards rushing. Helu finished Sunday with 22.60 fantasy points, which was 10th-best overall and the second best fantasy running back.
Jake Locker - Quarterback, Tennessee Titans
Locker suffered a wicked hip injury earlier this season, so it was crazy when rumors started circulating that he would actually start against the San Francisco 49ers this weekend - and even if he did, playing your first game back against one of the best defenses in the league isn’t exactly a recipe for success. But it happened, and despite the loss, Locker played extremely well. He finished the day as the 12th-best fantasy player and fifth quarterback with 21.94 points thanks to 326 yards passing and two touchdowns. He would’ve had even more points if it weren’t for a costly interception.
Jordan Reed - Tight End, Washington Redskins
If you’ve read or listened to any of my work since the Super Bowl ended earlier this year, then you know how high I was on Reed coming out of the University of Florida. It was only a matter of time before the Redskins handed him the No. 1 spot for good and it finally happened this weekend with Fred Davis being a healthy scratch. Think about that for a second: Reed is so good, they didn’t even demote Davis down to No. 2 on the depth chart, they scratched him entirely. Reed sure made the most of the opportunity, finishing as 20th overall and the top tight end with 19.40 points behind 134 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Ryan Mathews - Running Back, San Diego Chargers
Mathews hasn’t had much of an impact so far this season, due to injury and better play from Danny Woodhead and even Ronnie Brown at times. This week though, the Chargers decided to feed a healthy Mathews the ball, which turned out well for both the team and fantasy owners this weekend. Mathews rushed for 110 yards and scored a touchdown, which was good for 17 fantasy points and sixth-best among running backs.
Jarrett Boykin - Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers
On paper, Boykin was in a great situation to have a big day - Randall Cobb and James Jones were both out of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, and Jordy Nelson was going up against Joe Haden, which doesn’t usually point to success. As the No. 2 receiver, Aaron Rodgers targeted Boykin early and often, and he delivered to the tune of 103 receiving yards and a touchdown. Boykin finished Sunday as the sixth-best fantasy receiver with 16.30 points and could be a solid WR2 moving forward until all of the Packers receivers are healthy again, especially with Jermichael Finley suffering yet another scary head injury.