Becks is back! At least it looks that way. He was back on the field and progressing toward making his season debut this week against the Lions. Huzzah! The bad news (because The Watch offers equal doses of sobriety with joy) is that OBJ has said that he might still not be fully right for a few more weeks. Alas, Beckham at less than 100 percent is still a better option than lots of other receivers. I'm also not reading anything into his dance-off with Russell Westbrook. I'm just sad that we haven't seen video of it yet. The world needs this.

Yes, this is the "Buck" Allen you've been hearing about for the past week -- lest we have a redux of the mass Akeem/Kareem Hunt hysteria that gripped Fantasy Nation a week ago. Mr. Allen is the recent heir to a PPR fortune. In the wake of the hamstring injury to Danny Woodhead, the third-year back will see an immediate increase in snaps and touches -- a number likely coming via the pass. What happens to Allen when Woodhead gets back in a couple of months? We'll eat that burrito when we get to it.

The Jordan Howard as First Round Pick with RB1 Upside Era was fun, wasn't it? Any thoughts that Howard was going to retain favored nation status in John Fox's backfield got a rude awakening with Tarik Cohen's usage rate and production in Week 1. We have a dramatic music sting committee situation! But there is some good news (because what's a little sobriety without some joy sprinkled in) ... Howard's still the starter. So there's that.

I used to have a recurring dream where I was trying to run a race where I knew I was faster than everyone else but I kept slipping in the starting blocks. It reminds me of John Brown's season so far. Smokey dealt with injuries all during preseason. Got on the field for a lackluster Week 1 outing and has now missed practice this week as he deals with a quad injury. His status on the depth chart is slipping. His fantasy value is falling with it.

For those of you who aren't a fan of too many running backs in a backfield, the Seattle Seahawks would like to offer you ... another running back. Thomas Rawls looks to be all systems go for the 'Hawks as they host the 49ers this week. Ostensibly that means there are four players who could be battling for opporunity this week. That's less fun than walking around in wet socks. The upside (remember ... joy and sobriety) is that Eddie Lacy seems destined to be less a part of whatever's going on there. So it's like going from walking in wet socks to having one wet sock and one bare foot. So ... better?

As much as I enjoy low-hanging fruit, this isn't just me taking a shot at Blake Bortles. After all, he played mistake-free football last week and outscored Carson Palmer, Russell Wilson, and Eli Manning. Allen Robinson's season-ending injury leaves a passable-at-best receiving corps. Meanwhile, waiting in the backfield is the hulking figure of Leonard Fournette, ready to matriculate the ball 30 times a game if necessary. If Bortles throws the ball more than 30 times in a game the rest of the year, it's almost guaranteed to be a Jaguars loss.

Sometimes you know a thing intellectually but when you see it with your own eyes, it drives the point home. Everyone knew that Dalvin Cook was good at football. The Vikings knew it too. That's why they drafted him in the second round. But after seeing him take the Saints defense to task, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur had little choice but to admit the rookie had earned a workhorse role. Latavius Murray's battleship has been sunk.

The 500-piece interlocking puzzle that is the Patriots offense might be another piece short for this weekend's anticipated intersquad professional passing camp with the Saints. Danny Amendola is dealing with a concussion as well as an injured knee. After not practicing on Thursday, it seems unlikely that we'll see him on the field on Sunday. Chris Hogan ... the floor is yours.

Let's say you're a football team based in the District of Columbia who had a not-so-great day with your quarterback getting sacked an turning the ball over. You're not going to be excited to face a defense that just mashed a hapless Colts team. That's pretty bad. You know what's worse? When that same face-mashing defense gets Aaron Donald back. Gulp.

James Koh voice And oh by the way ... said D.C.-bssed football team might not have the services of their first-round receiver from a year ago. He's contined to argue with a nagging hamstring that had him limited in practice this week and could keep him on a snap count on Sunday. There will come a day when we will see a fully healthy Josh Doctson unleashed upon an NFL defense. Sunday will not be that day.