I'm not going to mislead my loyal readers. I'm actually typing this piece before the Sunday NightFootball game is over. Oh hell, who am I kidding that game was over midwaythrough the 3rd quarter. Way to step up San Francisco. It was another crazy week in the realm of fantasy footballand here a few things that caught my eye. If only fantasy owners could trust New England to utilize Shane Vereen the way he was on Thursdaynight. That would be so nice...and unexpected. Love how hard ChrisIvory is running the ball and hope he can stay healthy for the entireseason. Should the Patriots keep running the same defensivealignment they did in Week 7 (which wasn't particularly effective) both Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins are going to put up hugeIDP-fantasy numbers. So the Jets now have PercyHarvin, eh? This is a match in ‘they deserve each other' heaven. Fantasy wise? Yawn. Call it a hunch, but I'm guessing Bryce Brown will be active next week for the Buffalo Bills. Well, the Kirk Cousinsera was fun while it lasted. By that I mean, I bet it was fun for the defenses that linedup against him. Not for his fantasy owners... oh heck, no... that was not fun atall. Losing to Jacksonville with the kind of performance that Brian Hoyer put up Sunday can lead toonly one conclusion: Start up the ‘Johnny Football' hype machine!! Hello there, DenardRobinson. Looks like Jacksonville may have a running back after all. May as well give a hearty welcome to fantasy-relevant Tre Mason while we are at it. The Ramsrunning back situation should have gotten a lot clearer this week. Apparently, it was JoshMcCown that made the Bears offense the juggernaut it was last season. I'mjust saying. What is the knock on AndyDalton, again? Oh yeah...he can be wildly inconsistent. Case in point...thisgame against the Colts. Brandon Flowers I'dlike you to meet Jamaal Charles. Ouch!That is why cornerbacks prefer not to tackle. It was nice to see GoldenTate step up and produce WR1 numbers with Calvin Johnson out again. You think Seattle regrets letting this kid go? Me, too. Speaking of Seattle. Wow. The Rams? Really? Wow. On the plus side, the CooperHelfet owners are dancing after the Seahawks tight end's performance thisweek. Both of them. Lamar Miller isplaying like a man who almost lost his job twice. He's running hard andcontributing in the passing game. He is a weekly start at RB for fantasypurposes moving forward. Was that RyanTannehill or Dan Marino picking apart Chicago? Nah, Marino would have hung 450 yards passing on thatshambles of a defense. What a difference having a pro quarterback has made for Sammy Watkins in Buffalo. Kyle Orton willnever be mistaken for a star QB but he is light years better than E.J. Manuel. It is simply a joy to watch Aaron Rodgers run the Packers offense. This team is a high-calibertight end away from damn near unstoppable. Don't let the last two sub-par outings alter your thinkingon Marshawn Lynch. He gets a matchupwith the struggling (I'm being kind) Carolina defense next week. It boggles the mind how little the Falcons utilize Antone Smith. The clock is officially ticking on the Mike Smith regime inAtlanta. For all my IDP brethren...Free Vincent Rey! Give the man the snaps and he produces fantasy totals. While I'm rambling about things IDP related. Vontaze Burfict seemsto be on the same career trajectory of Bob Sanders. Hugely productive playerthat can't stay healthy due to his physical playing style and is destined for ashort career. Burfict sustained another head/neck injury this week. It's time to seriously consider rostering Gavin Escobar from Dallas as his roleis growing on a weekly basis. Yeah, that means it is also time to consider having long-time TE fantasy option, Jason Witten, ridethe pine or even be let go in shallower leagues. Looks like my AndreHolmes man crush has hit a bit of a roadblock. And by roadblock I mean hishands are sometimes like the bricks used to make roads. Sigh...it looks like both PaulPosluszny and Brian Orakpo havesustained injuries that could sideline them for significant time. It has notbeen a good year for linebackers in the IDP realm. Actually, it's been a downright brutal year. Worst I canremember and I'm not a young man. If you are still holding on to Hakeem Nicks...don't. He is now seeing fewer snaps than rookie WR Donte Moncrief. It's over. He's done. It's going to be a long year from here on out for theGiants. Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. are the onlyoffensive players I trust moving forward. Yes, I realize that RashadJennings will return soon but I need to see him healthy and running hardagain before I start him. After the performance he put on against the Giants, Dez Bryant is closing the gap as thetop fantasy WR option. The man is a beast. It looked to me as if the Broncos were toying with the49ers. Peyton Manning was pickingand choosing when he would break the all-time passing TD record. As of right now, I don't see a team from the NFC that cancontain Denver's offense. Yes, that includes the reigning Super Bowl champions. We love AhmadBradshaw even more moving forward now that Trent Richardson (hamstring) is ailing. As expected, DougBaldwin will be the fantasy beneficiary of the Harvin-to-New York deal. Dynasty owners who have TeddyBridgewater, Jerick McKinnon and CordarrellePatterson should be very excited. These three are going to be the nucleus of the Vikingsoffense moving forward. A name that IDP owners need to know moving forward is Brandian Ross as he is next in lineto replace the injured Usama Young (whohad replaced the injured Tyvon Branch) at safety for Oakland. Wally Spurlin is aFantasy Football Staff Writer at Fantasy Sharks and a member of the FantasySports Writer Association. Spurlin is also a weekly contributor at FantasyInsights. Spurlin's work has appeared in print publications, including the 2014USA Today Fantasy Football magazine. Follow him on Twitter @WaltonSpurlin