Bolden is in a very good spot at the moment. Given Stevan Ridley's excessive fumbling, LeGarrette Blount's unimpressive straight-line speed and receiving skills, coupled with Bolden's solid hands, he could very well take over the starting running back job this week against the Houston Texans.
Cordarrelle Patterson's situation is a little bit different than the other players' on this list. He has been active for every game this year, but was mostly returning punts and kicks. He played very sparingly as a receiver until last week, when he caught eight passes for over 50 yards. Now, the Minnesota Vikings insist that they will incorporate him much more in the receiving game. That could lead to him going from a receiving afterthought to a bonafide star wideout, perhaps as early as Week 13.
For Robert Woods, injuries both to him and fellow wide receiver Steve Johnson have eaten significantly into his production on the field. With Woods and Johnson both as healthy as they have been all year, it could finally be time for him to break out in Week 13 and beyond.
While he technically had his breakout game last week already with six caught passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, Hunter also developed a nice rapport with now starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick that he did not have with Jake Locker. With Kendall Wright also drawing significant coverage away from him, Hunter should continue to benefit from the change at quarterback down the stretch.
Marcus Thigpen was a running back who was buried on the depth chart for the Miami Dolphins before this week. Now with Daniel Thomas done for the season, he will be the no. 2 running back behind Lamar Miller, who has been average at best this season. If he can outplay Miller with the opportunities he is given, or if Miller suffers an injury, Thigpen could seize the starting running back job on the spot.
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