Revenge is for Week 8

Every fantasy player knows about "revenge games," when a player who was released or traded plays against his prior team. I haven't checked the statistics, but the general consensus is that players tend to have big games against their former teams -- hence the revenge. With all of the player shuffling that occurs in the NFL, I limit the concept of revenge games to team swaps that have occurred within the current season or the one prior.

The Cowboys' running back Christine Michael, who the Seahawks traded for a measly conditional draft pick, matches up with his former team in Week 8. Michael, who the Cowboys claimed would be heavily involved this week, toted the rock only five times. Darren McFadden finally found his time machine, rushing 29 times for 152 yards and a touchdown. While McFadden earned a larger role with his performance this week, owners that grabbed Michael during the Cowboys' Week 6 bye shouldn't drop the untested back yet, as I can see McFadden wearing down against the Seahawks front seven and Michael having a bit of a revenge game.

Arian Foster blew his achilles tendon. First Jamaal Charles, now Foster. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans are now fantasy wastelands. Travis Kelce is a legitimate TE1, you could get away with starting Brian Hoyer in a two-QB league and DeAndre Hopkins is still a WR1. Sadly, we saw how ineffective the Texans' backups are during Foster's earlier absence. There isn't really a recommended pickup. It sucks for everyone.

Miami Dolphins interim coach Dan Campbell has finally instilled some balance to Miami's offense, allowing running back Lamar Miller the freedom and touches he needs to succeed. A highly efficient back who is criminally underused, Miller turned 14 carries into 175 yards on the ground plus a touchdown, 61 yards through the air and a receiving touchdown. Miller is an RB1 talent-wise, but he has a terrible rest of season schedule and has still yet to receive 20 carries in a game, so exploring trades after this week isn't a bad idea.

Tom Brady proved that he is matchup-proof, lighting up the Jets for 355 yards and two TDs. He even contributed a rushing touchdown, and you don't see that every day. Brady, Andy Dalton and Aaron Rodgers lead quarterbacks in average scoring in that order. Yeah.

Let's all welcome back Mike Evans, the massive jump-ball machine that is about to make Jameis Winston's life a lot easier. Evans finally looked like himself, turning 12 targets into 164 yards and a touchdown. I should cautiously prescribe WR2 status, but he feels more like a WR1 to me.

Randall Cobb is the forgotten man this year. Cobb's 58.3 yards per game average isn't so bad considering he averages 0.7 touchdowns per game, but owners who sank a second or third round pick into the diminutive slot-man were hoping for more. Those owners can trot Cobb out with confidence in Week 8, because Broncos shutdown corner Aqib Talib will likely stick to the right side. Look for eight catches, 80-100 yards and a touchdown.