Quarterback
MVP: Tom Brady (Patriots)
Shocker of the century: The Tom Brady revenge tour is still in full swing. Despite a slew of bad passes and costly drops by Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman, Brady still finished with 355 YDS and 2 TD's against a stout Jets defense that ranks near the top of the league in every major category. Brady also managed to tear it up in the running game, rushing for a team-high 15 YDS and a TD. After 4 consecutive seasons of being merely a decent fantasy option, Brady is now back being to being an elite QB1. Brady faces a recently improved, but still very beatable Dolphins defense in Week 8.
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins), Phillip Rivers (Chargers), Andrew Luck (Colts)
LVP: Drew Brees (Saints)
The Saints may have won pretty handily against the Colts in Week 7, but their star quarterback was once again relatively quiet. Brees threw for just 255 YDS, 1 TD and 1 INT in this stellar matchup against the Colts weak secondary. It could've been a much bigger day for Brees, but tight end Ben Watson got brought down at the 1-yard line on 2 separate long receptions. Brees hasn't been playing terrible in 2015, but his lack of TD's (he's only thrown multiple TD's in 2 of his 6 starts) make him a less-than-ideal fantasy option at the moment.
Dishonorable Mentions: Blake Bortles (Jaguars), Eli Manning (Giants), Russell Wilson (Seahawks)
Running Back
MVP: Lamar Miller (Dolphins)
Lamar Miller seems like he's responded especially well to the presence of interim head coach Dan Campbell. In the 4 games with Joe Philbin at the helm, Miller didn't rush for more than 53 yards, had 0 TD's and was averaging just 11.8 touches per game. In the 2 games under Campbell, Miller has 2 100+ yard rushing games, 3 TD's and averaged 19 touches a game. Miller's Week 7 performance was a fantasy masterpiece (236 total yards, 2 TD's) that brought no shortage of joy to his owners. Miller is suddenly at the top of the fantasy running back and has handsomely rewarding any owners that were patient with him as he worked through his early-season struggles. Miller faces another juicy matchup in Week 8 when the Dolphins take on the Patriots weak rush defense.
Honorable Mentions: Todd Gurley (Rams), Arian Foster (Texans), Darren McFadden (Cowboys)
LVP: LeGarrette Blount (Patriots)
It's no secret that LeGarrette Blount is one of the biggest enigmas in fantasy football. The Patriots tendency to commit to a different running back each week paired with Blount's erratic play when he's actually on the field make him the classic boom-or-bust player. Blount was at his absolute worst in Week 7 against the Jets, managing just 3 carries for -3 yards on the afternoon. Luckily for Blount, no Patriots running back got the job done (1 yard on 5 RB carries), which led to Tom Brady leading the team in rushing for the 1st time in his 16-year career. Look for Blount to fair much better in their Week 8 contest with the below-average Dolphins.
Dishonorable Mentions: Rashad Jennings (Giants), Frank Gore (Colts), DeMarco Murray (Eagles)
Wide Receiver
MVP: T.Y. Hilton (Colts)
The Colts 2015 campaign has been largely disappointing from both a reality and a fantasy perspective. One of the few bright spots for this Colts this year has been the play of their number one wideout T.Y. Hilton. Hilton had his best game of the year so far in Week 7, putting up 150 YDS and 2 TD's on 4 receptions. Despite his strong play of late, Hilton's hot streak will more than likely come to a close in Week 8 when he goes up against the Carolina Panthers elite shutdown corner Josh Norman.
Honorable Mentions: Jarvis Landry (Dolphins), Mike Evans (Buccaneers), Amari Cooper (Raiders)
LVP: Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals)
Sometimes even the greats can't take advantage of prime matchups. Despite facing the bottom-ranked passing defense of the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7, the resurgent Larry Fitzgerald was held to just 39 yards on 3 receptions. Fitzgerald is having one of the best years of his storied career in 2015 and it would come as a huge shock if this was anything more than a bump in the road. Fitzgerald will be a solid WR2 play in Week 8 against the Browns banged-up secondary.
Dishonorable Mentions: Travis Benjamin (Browns),DeAndre Hopkins (Texans),Jordan Matthews (Eagles)
Tight End
MVP: Jordan Reed (Redskins)
Jordan Reed made one hell of a return to the field after missing 2 games with a concussion, sparking the Redskins improbable comeback victory over the Buccaneers with his 11 REC/72 YD/2 TD performance. Reed is one of the most injury-prone players in the NFL, but when's he on the field, he's one of the better tight ends in the league. Reed is owned in between 20-50% of leagues right now depending on what site you play on, so if you're having tight end problems and are willing to roll the dice on him being healthy for the rest of the year, he's definitely worth a look.
Honorable Mentions: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), Ladarius Green (Chargers), Eric Ebron (Lions)
LVP: Julius Thomas (Jaguars)
A week after making his first notable contribution as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Julius Thomas disappeared in Week 7. Thomas reeled in just 1 of his 5 targets for 4 yards in the Jaguars narrow victory over the Bills. Thomas reportedly sustained a groin injury early in the game, which explains why he was only on the field for 37 snaps and looked sluggish at times. Thomas will continue to be a matchup-dependent TE1 when the Jaguars return from bye in Week 9 as he continues to find his role in this young upstart offense.
Dishonorable Mentions: Charles Clay (Bills), Jordan Cameron (Dolphins), Jimmy Graham (Seahawks)
Defense
MVP: St. Louis Rams
The stellar production of the Rams defense has gone relatively unnoticed in 2015 as the dominant defensive play of the Broncos and Cardinals have garnered a majority of the attention in fantasy land. However, the Rams absurd performance in Week 7 should finally get them the moment in the spotlight that they've long deserved. The Rams surrendered just 6 points and picked up 4 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries and a touchdown against a Browns offense that has been surprisingly solid for a majority of the 2015 season. The Rams potent defense has another excellent matchup in Week 8 as they take on the lowly 49ers offense at home.
Honorable Mentions: Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs
LVP: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers defense has pleasantly surprised fantasy owners this year with their consistent productivity. This week snapped their streak of impressive performances as they posted their weakest performance since their Week 1 loss against the Patriots. The Steelers allowed 23 points, mustered just 2 sacks and failed to get a takeaway against a Chiefs offense that has struggled mightily since running back Jammal Charles went down with a torn ACL in Week 5. The Steelers defense is worth hanging onto for the long term, but they aren't worth starting in Week 8 as they face a Bengals offense who has only surrendered 6 sacks and turned the ball over 6 times this year.
Dishonorable Mentions: Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots
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