1. Justin Blackmon — For a guy who has been widely panned as a rookie bust, Blackmon’s out-of-the-blue performance against the Texans last week (seven receptions for 236 yards and a TD) served as more than a mere rebuttal to popular opinion. This was Blackmon grabbing us by the lapels and shaking us. Hard. “See that?! You still think I’m terrible?” Blackmon’s coming-out party came with Chad Henne at quarterback in place of starter Blaine Gabbert, who went down early with an elbow injury. With Gabbert now on I.R., Henne will start going forward, including this weekend when they host the Titans and their 26th-ranked pass defense. Is Blackmon finally ready to live up to his lofty NFL draft pedigree, or was last week’s display a mirage?

2. Dez Bryant — One of the more baffling fantasy performers in recent memory, Bryant is coming off the sort of game that makes you wonder just how good he could be if only he more fully applied himself to his chosen profession. He had 12 catches for 145 yards and a TD in the Cowboys’ overtime win against the Browns, and Bryant’s owners are cautiously optimistic about his Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Redskins, whose pass defense has been softer than grandma’s yam casserole. But will Dizzy Dez dazzle us again, or will he fall into a tryptophan coma on a day known for turkeys? Bryant has been held to fewer than 20 receiving yards three times this season, though it happened against pass defenses ranging from good (Seattle, Atlanta) to fair (Carolina). It seems unlikely that the Redskins would be able to shut down Bryant; whether Bryant shuts down himself is another matter.

3. Andre Johnson — Just in case anyone had forgotten how good No. 80 can be at the height of his powers, Johnson offered an extraordinary reminder last week in what he later called the best game of his career, a 14-catch, 273-yard performance in the Texans’ overtime win against the Jaguars, capped off by a 48-yard TD on a screen pass that finally delivered Houston the victory. The game-winner was Johnson’s first touchdown since Week Three. Is he finally ready to start delivering the sort of week-to-week excellence that he provided just a few short years ago, before injuries began to take a toll? Here’s an encouraging sign: Johnson has had eight or more receptions in four of his last five games. He and his teammates kick off Week 12 with a Thanksgiving Day game against the Lions, whose spirits might be flagging after last week’s home loss to the Packers dropped their record to 4-6.