No real intro this week except to say thanks to our Editor-in-Chief, JJ Zachariason, for ably filling in for me last week while I was in Mexico not drinking the water. For the record, Chichen Itza is amazing. If you get a chance to go, do yourself a solid and make it happen. You won’t regret it.

Seahawks 34, Cardinals 22

Nothing like starting the recap off with a game that gives us almost nothing interesting to talk about. I’ll hit the high points.

- This post-game interview from Steve Smith. It is fantastic. Really, really fantastic.

Sell: Now might be the time to bail on Carmen Miranda hat. The (surprisingly) good news is that Jordan Cameron has been just fine when the former Oklahoma State quarterback starts, averaging over 12 points per game. Josh Gordon has had a tougher go of it, but he fared fine in 2012 with Weeden under center. So, while I am not panicking, I do think some concern is warranted, especially where Gordon is concerned. The top-15 ceiling he displayed with Brian Hoyer seems to be wishful thinking.

Eddie Lacy continues to climb the ladder into RB1 territory. If you’ve been reading me long, you know I love him like that weird kid in study hall loves sharpening his pencil. Lacy’s skills are a perfect complement to the Packers high powered offense. It should be a great marriage for years to come.

Buy: Eddie Lacy as a RB1 ROS.

Bonus Buy: I like Fozzy Whittaker. I thought the Chargers should have given him a longer look this year, perhaps releasing Ronnie Brown instead. Now a Brown, Whittaker is more quick than fast, can catch the ball out of the backfield, and is seeing more and more snaps, especially on passing downs. Not addable in 10- or 12-team leagues, he is purely somebody to keep in mind if you play in a 14-plus teamer or dynasty league, especially if they use PPR scoring.

Sell: For the fifth consecutive week, the Browns running game.

Hold: Jarrett Boykin. He had a great game, but we will need to see him operate in the offense with James Jones back on the field. If he isn’t owned, pick him up, but bye week needs permitting, maybe give it another week before you stick him in your lineup.

Chiefs 17, Texans 16

Case Keenum comported himself quite well in his first NFL start, especially considering the caliber of defense he faced. It got a little ugly at times in the second half, but there were signs of potential goodness. With Matt Schaub likely healthy after their Week 8 bye, it will be interesting to see how the Texans handle this situation. In my opinion, Schaub is better for their skill player’s fantasy value, but I’m assuming Gary Kubiak won’t take that into consideration.

Arian Foster left the game with a reaggravation of his hamstring pull. We won’t know much until after their Week 8 bye, but if he can’t go, Ben Tate will likely provide about 90 percent of what Foster does on a weekly basis.

Kansas City is very good, but Alex Smith is going to end up biting them in the behind at some point.

Buy: Jamaal Charles as the number one running back in all the land at year’s end.

Sell: Arian Foster staying healthy for any sort of extended period.

Hold: Texans receivers.

Steelers 19, Ravens 16

Front seven holds ground
Blockers not opening holes
Ravens Rice useless

Awful game to watch
Waste of time to write about
Skip to buy/sell/hold

Buy: Le’Veon Bell as a solid, every-week RB2. The Steelers may be bad, but their schedule is the opposite. With juicy matchups against Oakland, New England’s decimated front seven, and the Bills the next three weeks, Bell is going to have plenty of room to run.

Sell: Ray Rice. He says he is healthy. If true, that is a bad sign. I just sat down and watched all his carries from this game and can confirm what others are saying: he is very slow to the hole (when their brutal line actually creates one). It could be that he aged suddenly, but I reckon that hip flexor is more of an issue than he is letting on. The reason is inconsequential because the fact is that he is not a good player right now. I’ll give the same advice here I did for C.J. Spiller above: If you can find a reasonable replacement, don’t be afraid to sit him and wait for his health to come around.

Hold: Following a torrid start to 2013, Torrey Smith has had a couple bleh games. Chalk it up to two tough matchups (Ike Taylor and Sam Shields are both very good cover corners) and move on.

Colts 39, Broncos 33

Twitter was abuzz Sunday night with talk of Peyton Manning’s arm strength. Following the awkward hit he took on the play that resulted in a safety, Eli’s older brother looked as bad as he has since last year’s playoff loss to the Ravens. His passes had no zip and were almost mostly ducks. As ever, Manning somehow pushed through, bailing Wes Welker owners out late and giving the Colts a scare at home. My number one storyline for Week 8 will be how Manning’s arm looks.

Reggie Wayne left the field late in the fourth following a non-contact injury to his right knee. The Colts are calling it a sprain, but still plan an MRI. We should all be holding our breath as any sort of tear may end the career of one of the best players of the 2000’s and would be a massive blow to the Colts offense.

I am unintentionally making a name for myself as a ardent defender of Trent Richardson. I had planned a longer column on this, and may still get there, but for now I will reiterate my opinion here in brief.

Richardson undeniably has elite skills in terms of size, speed, power, and acceleration. When he hits a hole hard, he is very difficult to tackle without help. He catches the ball well when given the opportunity and is not a liability in pass protection. None of this has changed from last year or during his time at Alabama.

Despite middling results, I personally thought Richardson had his best game in a Colts uniform on Sunday night. Through the first three plus quarters he looked as decisive (more on this in a moment) as I have seen him all season. The issue, at least in this particular game, was not Richardson; it was the Broncos run defense. Donald Brown, who has had some success as of late, was also bottled up, logging 11 carries for 23 yards (Richardson had 14 for 37). According to the numberFire metrics, Richardson has been a bottom 20 running back this season.

Prior to this game, the former Alabama standout has looked tentative behind the line of scrimmage. This was an issue at times last year as well, but to a lesser degree. I am not a scout or coach, so I won’t speculate as to why this is happening or how to fix it, but I do believe it is something than can be coached. Whether coaching helps Richardson turn that corner, only time will tell.

If the Colts come out of the bye and Richardson has poor outings against the now Brian Cushing-less Texans (he tore up his knee against the Chiefs) and sieve like-Rams, I’ll bail for the rest of 2013. But until then let’s all keep this in mind: In his first 12 games after being traded to the Seahawks, Marshawn Lynch posted 573 yards and 3.47 yards per carry (YPC). In his first seven games he had 3.1 YPC and in his first five he posted 2.93 YPC. Last I checked, Lynch turned out just fine. So let’s not hold a funeral for Richardson’s fantasy value quite yet.

Buy: If Reggie Wayne misses any time, T.Y. Hilton should see a huge uptick in output. An interesting add would be LaVon Brazill, a talented but troubled 24-year-old receiver. He would likely slide into Hilton’s role if Wayne is out.

Sell: Jim Irsay. I don’t care what he meant with his little diatribe this week. That guy spends way too much time garnering attention for himself. Stay in the background where owners belong.

Hold: Your breath and pray Manning’s arm is OK.