By Cory
Week
7 is upon us and there is still a great lack of clarity throughout the
NFL. Marquee players are turning in dud performances, and no-names
continue to put together highlight reels? This inconsistency is almost
enough to make fantasy players just root for a team and watch the game
for the game…crazy to think! With all this unpredictability, you may
find yourself ready to pack it in and try fantasy hockey instead, but
all hope is not lost. For starters, hockey sucks so you should get that
thought right out of your head. And if you’re still feeling
disillusioned by Tim Hightower’s 0 points or by the fact that your stellar Minny
defense earned you negative points, here are some helpful pointers that
should get you back on track in week 7.
Texans at Titans
Matt Schaub has still been able to produce even without Andre Johnson, who will once again be out this weekend. Owen Daniels,
as we've mentioned, is the most consistent beneficiary of Johnson’s
absence, but the Texans still need to spread the ball around to be
effective. Jacoby Jones
lived up to the hype last week with solid yardage and a score. The
targets will continue to be there; it is just always a question mark
whether or not they’ll be able to connect. But Jones has big play
ability and is showing some chemistry with Schaub so he may not be a bad
start. Arian Foster
continues to be a force to be reckoned with and even in this tough
matchup he will be too involved to ever consider benching…real
controversial stuff here…real controversial.
For the Titans, Nate Washington
continues to be a viable option in this passing attack. He hasn’t had
an explosive game even without Kenny Britt’s presence, but he is
getting enough targets to at least be worth a flex consideration. Damian Williams has
also been stepping up in the receiving game with 11 targets in the
Titans last game. Williams is only worth monitoring at this point but if
he turns in another solid outing in this surprisingly competent passing
game, he may make it to our next Working the Waiver column. Jared Cook has
also taken on a significant role in this offense and in a week like
this where many of the top fantasy tight-ends are on bye, Cook is a must
start. Without Mario Williams, the Texans are much easier to throw on
so this should be an interesting matchup.
Bears at Buccaneers
LeGarette Blount missed practice yesterday and is expected not to play this weekend again meaning that Earnest Graham
will be the workhorse back for the Bucs. Graham looked impressive last
week closing out the game against the Saints and gaining over 100 yards
rushing. I would temper my expectations in a tougher matchup, but Graham
is also valuable in the receiving game so he should get enough touches
to be an RB2 especially if he can get into the end-zone. The rest of the
Bucs have been pretty disappointing. Preston Parker
was one of our projected sleeper picks but without the score last week
he would have been a bust player (and we doubt many started him after
his 13 yard performance in week 5). However, Arrelious Benn is back and healthy now, and ready to resume his number 2 receiving gig opposite the…uhhh…”Slightly Better” Mike Williams.
Benn had a great game last week with 83 yards and a score, but the Bucs
have been yet to establish a solid passing game to make me believe
anything more will really come out of any of these guys. Even Josh Freeman
has been a bit of a bust for fantasy owners (not for Bucs fans though!)
so I’d be worried about starting him this week unless you have Tom
Brady of Mike Vick.
Chargers at Jets
All sorts of good news out of Chargers practice yesterday! Vincent Jackson
was a limited participant in practice but he is on schedule to be able
to go this weekend. It’s not a great matchup against Revis, but if
Jackson is good to go he should be in your starting roster. Antonio Gates also returned to practice yesterday and looked as good as ever according to Phil Rivers
(and you know we can always trust what a player says!). If Gates is
able to go, this will put a lot of pressure on the Jets secondary and
hopefully free up Jackson for some nice plays. If Gates is active, it’s
time to start rolling with him again. Mike Tolbert
was also back in practice yesterday, though he too was slightly
limited. The Chargers anticipate having Tolbert back on the field this
weekend, which means his committee with Ryan Mathews will
continue. However, Tolbert’s role has been declining and he has not
scored recently so he is a risky play even against this Jets run defense
that made Reggie Bush look like a hard-nosed runner. If Gates and
Jackson really are both back to 100%, there might be trouble for Malcom Floyd owners.
Floyd is coming off the best game of his season but has not gained more
than 3 catches in a single game; he is just too risky to play.
Who’s afraid of the big bad Jets? Not me! Well, unless you own any of them on your fantasy team. Mark Sanchez
struggled throwing the ball against the Dolphins…wait a minute that
must be a typo – nope, Sanchez really struggled against the Dolphins.
Unfortunately, this does not bode well for Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress.
Both of these receivers are getting targets galore, especially Holmes,
but Sanchez just can’t deliver a catchable ball at the right time.
Burress is showing his age in his inability to gain separation from
coverage and shouldn’t be started. I’m still clinging to a hope and a
prayer that Holmes can keep scoring so he can have some fantasy value
but he’s far from a sure thing. Shonn Greene keeps
getting chances and he keeps doing nothing. Someone should have told
Rex Ryan that you need a running game in order to have a ground and
pound offense, and the Jets just don’t. LaDainian Tomlinson
is still getting involved, but the Jet offense looks so pathetic that
50 all-purpose yards is optimistic thinking out of the once great LT (or
LT2 for the Lawrence Taylor fans out there).
Broncos at Dolphins
Silly Broncos, the NFL is for professionals! Tim Tebow will
be the new starting quarterback for the Broncos now, and while this may
produce great value for Tebow owners, it basically concedes that this
will
be a “rebuilding season” for the Broncos. To make that point clearer,
the Broncos dealt away their only legitimate threat on offense by
sending Brandon Lloyd to the
Rams. Tebow may be worth a start against the lowly Dolphins pass-rush,
but don’t be fooled, most – if not all – of his value will come on the
ground. Tebow lost his big play receiver and Eric Decker will now be the number one, but there is no point starting him until we see how he clicks with Tebow. Demaryius Thomas
will most likely step in as the number 2 receiver opposite Decker, but
we really can’t say anything about what these guys can do until we see
Tebow start a game at a competitive point in the season. Willis McGahee has taken over early down duties from Knowshon Moreno,
making Moreno just a third-down back. This news sucks for No-Show
owners, but is great news for McGahee owners who will have a solid
starting runningback against a susceptible Dolphins defense.
If there is anything good to be said about the Dolphin massacre that was Monday Night Football, it is that Matt Moore is not afraid to take chances – stupid chances, yes – but chances nonetheless. Moore targeted Brandon Marshall
like it was his job, and as Brett would say “He wasn’t ‘Forgetting
Brandon Marshall,’ did you see what I did there!?” Marshall looks like a
viable option with Moore at the helm. Daniel Thomas also
returned to action this last week and had a mediocre outing. As much as
I don’t want to root for Thomas, I would chalk his struggles up to his
lingering injury and the fact that Reggie Bush
aka “He Who Must Not Be Named” was able to run effectively…and the fact
that the Fins were down the whole game didn’t do much to help the run
game.
Falcons at Lions
The
Falcons avoided the pass last week because they didn’t need to go to
the air. Expect a different game this week against the Lions. Matt Ryan has
looked mediocre so far this season and will not have an easy matchup
against the Lions, but you gotta like his potential to be throwing the
ball a lot which makes him a solid start. The same can be said for Roddy White who should have a rebound performance after his stinker last weekend against the Panthers. Julio Jones
missed practice yesterday which doesn’t bode well for his chances of
playing this weekend so be sure to check the injury reports before
you’re locked in on Jones. If Jones plays he should be started, but if
Jones can’t go, Harry Douglas
will get the start opposite White. I don’t love Douglas and since Jones
should be back this week or the following, I wouldn’t bother
considering him. Michael Turner got it done in a major way last weekend and there’s no reason to bench him.
Be sure to check back to confirm, but all signs seem to indicate that Jahvid Best will be sidelined this weekend with a concussion meaning Maurice Morris
will get the lion’s share of the carries. Morris is a solid runner and
has good hands so he makes for a very decent option this week.
Redskins at Panthers
Hey Mike Shanahan, thanks for all the years of runningback headaches! Ryan Torain got the start last week against the lowly Philly run D and did nothing with it. Roy Helu came in as a change of pace back and racked up 6 big ones on 2 carries, while our boy Tim Hightower did
– well – nothing!. What is the lesson to be learned from all of this?
Screw these guys until things shake out. Torain remains the nominal
starter but with Hightower likely back to full health this week this
really is a three-headed monster. Fred Davis is a great option at the tight-end spot in this matchup especially with his partner in crime, Chris Cooley, out this weekend.
Cam Newton continues to make owners happy even if he can’t make Carolina fans happy. Steve Smith is still a must start, but fellow must starter Greg Olsen
is combatting turf toe and was held out of practice yesterday. Olsen
has been a consistent option at tight-end and if he is unable to go, he
will be replaced by Jeremy Shockey.
Shockey is a great tight-end but he is past his prime and has no
chemistry established with Newton to make him worth consideration. DeAngello Williams and Jonathan Stewart
owners beware, these guys are a committee by all meanings of the word
and can give you a great performance or a No-No (you thought I forgot my
own catchphrase didn’t you?) performance on any given Sunday. I still
like Stewart more but that’s not saying a whole lot.
Chiefs at Raiders
Matt Cassel has
turned in back to back impressive outings and capped off his last game
with 4 touchdowns. Given, he won’t be playing the Colts again this week,
but Cassel could be a decent desperation option for Brady and Vick
owners, especially since the Chiefs have no real running game to speak
of. The resurgence of Cassel has meant good things for Dwayne Bowe who has been solid since a rocky and inconsistent start to the season. Also getting into the fray is Steve Breaston
who had 50 yards and 2 scores against the Colts. Breaston is a risky
play but if Cassel is going to be throwing for 250 yards, Breaston is
really the only other player who can catch a ball. I do mean to offend
you Keary Colbert, and I
will not even make a “Colbert Report” joke because that is how little I
care about the Chiefs number 3 receiver. As for the “Carrousel of Crap”
aka the Chiefs backfield, Jackie Battle really seems to be running away with the starting gig. Thomas Jones and Dexter “Lack Luster” McCluster
have had their chances and they have failed. They will likely still be
involved in this game, but only Battle is worth considering.
As
for my precious Raiders (if you haven’t noticed by my unashamed bashing
of all other teams in the AFC West, I’m kind of a Raiders fan and will
be attending this game), there is trouble at the quarterback position.
The Raiders just broke the bank in one of the worst decisions of my
fan-hood of the Raiders by acquiring Carson Palmer.
Palmer is on his way out and his value has declined in each of the past
5 seasons. Impressive huh? What does this mean for fantasy? Nothing.
The Raiders receivers were already bye-week fill-ins at best, and until
we see any kind of production with Palmer at the helm, I’d steer clear
of DHB, Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford. What this really means is we can see more of the same out of the running game in Oakland. Darren McFadden will continue his dominance this week and Michael Bush
will occasionally come in on short-yardage, but Bush is not getting
enough touches to warrant starting him unless DMC goes down. Sebastian Janikowski
should be started; I have never mentioned a kicker and I never will
again, but the Raiders are a stalling offense all the way and especially
with a new quarterback, Janikowski may have the best fantasy day of any
Raiders player.
Packers at Vikings
The Packers are too damn good, it’s really unfair. Aaron Rodgers looks like a kid playing Madden on Rookie mode going for the Hail Mary pass with 20 seconds left in the 4th
quarter when you’re already up 98-6 because you really really wanted to
hit a triple digit score. All Packers receivers are potential monsters
or potential duds. Just ask Jermichael Finley
whose performance this season has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and
downs, but he is still the number 5 fantasy tight-end and is thus always
a roster-lock in hopes that you catch him on an up day. Greg Jennings is likewise a must play, but the real question is what to make of James Jones and Jordy Nelson.
I recommended starting both these guys last week and they made me look
smart despite only getting 3 catches between the two of them (that went
for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns). I continue to roll the dice with both
these guys in my deeper leagues and accept that they burn me because I
know what they might get me and I’d prefer that upside over starting
someone like Malcom Floyd. I still like James Starks more than Ryan Grant,
but that little Bromance of mine might not matter anymore as the
Packers really are just a passing team. Starks is good for handful of
points, but he will surrender goal-line duties to John Kuhn making Starks a very low ceiling kind of player.
Rams at Cowboys
The
Rams? Oh yeah I’ve heard of them! They suck, right? But in the infamous
words of Sammy Jackson in Jurassic Park, “Hold on to your butts!” The
Rams just acquired Brandon Lloyd and will test out their shiny new toy this weekend. The only downside? They’re still the Rams, and Sam Bradford will
likely miss action this week which will greatly hamper Lloyd’s value.
Monitor the Bradford injury, but even if Bradford doesn’t play, it’s
tough to bench Brandon Lloyd.
Felix Jones will miss some serious time with his high ankle sprain which means the Boys backfield is now a committee between DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice.
Choice is extremely talented and the more proven veteran, but all
indications seem to be that this is Murray’s job to lose now. The
Cowboys have expressed a great deal of confidence in Murray as an every
down back and there is no reason not to play Murray if you got him (or
add him if he’s still available!) in this cakewalk matchup against the
Rams.
Colts at Saints
Well hot dog, I just sure like this Curtis Painter character.
He is still making mistakes with the football and is far from a
superstar, but he is on one of the greatest passing systems in the NFL
and he still is surrounded by great options. In a game where the Colts
will have to throw to be competitive, I like Painter and I really like Pierre Garcon. Garcon is the favorite target of Painter and has big play potential. Dallas Clark might finally be turning things around with solid yardage and a score so he might be worth another roll of the dice this week. Donald Brown has been outperforming Delone Carter
in the past two weeks that they have been sharing the load so expect
Brown to see his role continue. With that in mind, his role consists of
being the number 3 runningback on a team that does not run the ball and
that has a third string quarterback starting, sooooo maybe just steer
clear of this whole Indy backfield.
Drew Brees
even when he struggles can put together a solid fantasy outing with how
many weapons he has. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help people who own
his many weapons in trying to establish any consistency. At this point, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston and Darren Sproles are our must start guys. Mark Ingram
is a scoring upside guy but if he doesn’t get to the end-zone he really
is only worth a handful of points and the same can be said for Pierre Thomas minus the scoring upside. Lance Moore and Robert Meachem
are homerun hitting wide receivers, but the Saints haven’t been
throwing the homerun ball as often this season, and they certainly won’t
need to deviate from that pattern against the Colts. Moore is still the
better option, but neither of these guys are safe or desirable bets.
Ravens at Jaguars
Joe Flacco showed us what he can do when there is no pass rush last weekend and he looked very promising. I’m still a believer in Ed Dickson but he has yet to really wow me so I wouldn’t blame you if you cut bait on him. Hopefully the action out of Anquan Boldin from last week will carry through and he can realize the value that he was drafted at.
Happy Trails!
