Yay or Nay Week 7
Yay or Nay Week 7:
I am writing the intro on Monday before MNF so I do not know how Matt Forte or Larry Fitzgerald did on Monday.
So I did terribly on quarterbacks. I did not get a single quarterback pick right. Now that’s just ugly. At least I was right about Case Keenum having a breakout game (even though there’s absolutely no way he repeats that. Ever.) I think that I made up for it in the running backs I liked though, Terrance West two touchdowns, James White two touchdowns, LeSean McCoy three touchdowns. Funny thing, I benched West and White and I played against McCoy, needless to say, I did not win this week. Ezekiel Elliot killed my running back streak but he was the only I got wrong. Same old story with the wide receivers I pick, they get the yardage but they just can’t get in the end zone (yeah I’m talking to you Cooper.) The Browns decided to actually defend the Tight End position this week so that was a bust but at least Jimmy Graham picked me up. Vernon Davis decided turn back time and go back to his Niner days but at least Julius Thomas wasn’t good. Well that’s the recap from last week so without further ado here’s to improving next week, Yay or Nay Week 7 use at your own discretion as this article is not reinforced by normal stats, mostly by the eye test and good/bad feelings.
QB’s I say Yay to Week 7:
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: He’s playing the Browns whose defense has decided to roll over in the passing game. Need more? The Browns’ top corner, Joe Haden, is most likely going to sit out the game. Joe Haden is the only guy who can remotely stick with A.J. Green. I think that Green and Dalton will have a massive game against the Browns. Dalton might be getting Tyler Eifert back this week and Tyler Boyd really has been usable for Dalton. I think that this will be a good game for the Bengals offense.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans: I like him against the Colts this week. He has had back to back big weeks and I’m not saying he has another huge game but I do think that he will have a nice game and is a nice streaming option for people who are looking for a Ben Roethlisberger or Cam Newton replacement for this week. Everyone who has read this knows that I think that the Indianapolis Colts defense is garbage to put it lightly. I think that Mariota has a very above average game this weekend against a mediocre Colts defense.
Brian Hoyer, Chicago Bears: Yeah, I like Brian Hoyer. Three weeks in a row, should’ve been four. Last week was unfortunate because he threw for no touchdowns but he has thrown at least 300 yards in four straight games. I don’t think the run game will be successful against the best run defense in the league because Jordan Howard is no Ezekiel Elliot so they will end up throwing the ball a lot more in Chicago. The Packers have one of the most unbalanced defenses ever, they have a great run defense but they are ranked 21st against quarterbacks in fantasy. And I’m assuming that the Packers will get it together offensively and put the Bears behind early.
QB’s I say Nay to Week 7:
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: I am peeved. I don’t care if he does well or not I am done with Russell Wilson. He has literally done the exact opposite of what I have thought every week. I bench him, he goes off for 24 points; I start him and he gets 11. I usually don’t take my own advice on sleeper quarterbacks because I’m like, “I have Russ I don’t need to!” but I am starting Brian Hoyer this week. Also, I don’t like his matchup against the Cardinals but in general I am done with Wilson.
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles: So the Eagles are cooling down, and they’re playing Minnesota who, unless their Bye week turned them into a different team, are most definitely not cooling down. The defense that has caused the most turnovers in the league will probably force the rookie to make a couple mistakes. I can see this being a close low scoring game.
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: Here is my thought process: everyone expects him to have a great game because he is going against a bad defense in the Chargers. But are they really a bad defense? Well, yes, yes they are but that’s not the point. The point is that this season, when someone expected a quarterback to have a big game against the Falcons, they didn’t. The only “elite” quarterbacks that the Chargers have faced have been Andrew Luck and Drew Brees, but in truth they haven’t played bad quarterbacks. They shut down Trevor Siemian and kept Blake Bortles in check. Those aren’t terrible quarterbacks, they gave 20+ points up to Alex Smith and Derek Carr. I don’t think Matt Ryan has a big game just because of the fact that everybody expects them to have a big game. It sounds crazy but hey, this article is based on crazy sometimes.
Week 7 Breakout QB Candidate: Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
RB’s I say Yay to Week 7:
James White, New England Patriots: This game is in my, “has potential to be a blowout but then again could be a really close game” category. The Patriots always scheme to take the other team’s star player out of the equation so I’m assuming they’ll focus on Le’Veon Bell considering the fact that Antonio Brown has never caught a touchdown pass from anyone other than Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones will be starting at quarterback for the next 4-6 weeks. Either way, I don’t think that the Steelers defense can hang around with the Patriots offense. Here’s a stat for you, the Patriots throw more than any other team in the league. That’s a no brainer, here’s a better stat: 25% of Tom Brady’s completions go to his running backs. Tom Brady isn’t the quarterback that throws deep anymore, that means that he dumps off to James White often. James White is a consistent starter for me now and maybe even when Dion Lewis returns from injury.
David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals: This is just here to let you know if the Seattle run defense scares me. It doesn’t. Good day. Oh you want stats? Fine, the Seattle defense has given up at least 6 points to opposing running backs in all their games. Johnson leads the league in rushing touchdowns with eight this season, so I think that he’ll get in the end zone. He averages 94 yards per game and he has the workload all to himself, but you knew this already he’s arguably the number one running back in the league, I just needed to throw some stats out there.
Melvin Gordon, San Diego Chargers: While the Falcons have proven to be a force to be reckoned with this season, their run defense has not. On average they give up 74.8 yards per game to opposing running backs. Melvin Gordon is an above average running back on an average team. I like the fact that there is nobody who is there to take carries away from him but I also love the fact that he has a really good full back in front of him. Chris Watt, J.J. Watt’s brother, is one of the best full backs in the game. The only problem is that when he is in the game, they run, when he is not, they pass. I still believe that the San Diego Chargers find a way to involve Watt in the passing game to create a little deception in the running game.
RB’s I say Nay to Week 7:
LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots: His touches have diminished in the past two games that Tom Brady has been back and I don’t think that it is going to get better any time soon. Blount is always a candidate to get a goal line touchdown but the thing that teams have figured out is that when he is in the game in a goal line situation they are most definitely going to run it. If James White is in there is more ambiguity because White can do both run and catch. I think that Blount’s season long value has diminished
LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills: As I write this LeSean McCoy has not finished practice because of tightness in his hamstring. I have a bad feeling about this and frankly I don’t think he will play. Soft tissue injuries are always really dangerous because if he tries to come back from it too soon he could reaggravate it and this time worse and be out for longer time. Also the fact that this happened mid-week worries me even more. I’m worried about McCoy this week injury-wise but if he is 100% healthy he will have his work cut out for him against a confident Miami defense.
Lamar Miller, Houston Texans: He is coming off a big game, but when he plays a strong defense like Minnesota; he isn’t productive. He was only able to muster up twenty yards against the Vikings and I think he might not even have enough space to get twenty against the Broncos. I don’t think Lamar is as good as people drafted him so I think that he will struggle against the Broncos.
Week 7 Breakout RB Candidate: Jacquizz Rodgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR I say Yay to Week 7:
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons: He’s Julio, against a bad defense. Even though I don’t think Matt Ryan has a huge game I do think that Julio has a huge game. Jason Verrett isn’t there to shut Julio down so I believe that Julio goes for at least 120 yards.
Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders: I just think this game is going to be a massive shootout. Crabtree hasn’t had the best past few weeks but I think he bounces back and catches a couple touchdowns. The Jacksonville defense has been mediocre at best and I think this is a big game for Oakland in general, start your Raiders (except for the running backs, not a fan this week)
Tyrell Williams, San Diego Chargers: I like Tyrell Williams because I don’t like the Atlanta defense. I think that Desmond Trufant, Atlanta’s top young corner, will be on Travis Benjamin the whole game (who frankly has not been good) and that will leave lots of space for Tyrell and Hunter Henry. I think that Rivers will look to him more often considering this could be a shootout (although I don’t think it will).
WR I say Nay to Week 7:
Brandon Marshall, New York Jets: Two words: Geno Smith. I think that Fitz and Marshall had created nice chemistry and I just don’t think it will be there immediately with Geno in a quarterback. I don’t think we’ll see the same Brandon Marshall for a few weeks.
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans: It hasn’t been the same Nuk we have been used to this year. It just hasn’t, blame it on the quarterback, blame it on the new weapons that take targets away from him. It just has not been the same and frankly I think he’s a buy low. Buy him after this week because I think that the Denver defense will shut him down. Expect him to bounce back after this week though.
Golden Tate, Detroit Lions: People expect his bounce back game to put him back on track so I’m sure he’ll be started against a week Washington secondary but I do believe that Marvin Jones will find himself a lot more open so Stafford will be looking his way more than Golden Tate’s. I think that Tate will continue be to be a fantasy wack-a-mole for the rest of the year.
Week 7 Breakout WR Candidate: DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins
TE I say Yay to Week 7:
Hunter Henry, San Diego Chargers: I learned one thing last week: Hunter Henry is still the number one tight end even with a healthy Antonio Gates. I think that we are entering the transition period where the Chargers found a rookie tight end who is good and they know that Gates won’t continue being productive for long so they have bet all their chips on the rookie and he has answered all the tests. He is a top 10 tight end the rest of the way.
Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins: This is assuming that Jordan Reed doesn’t play, the Lions are 30th against Tight Ends this season and I can see Davis turning back the clock to his Niner days.
TE I say Nay to Week 7:
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles: He has been disappointing in a year that everybody expected to be a breakout year. Not only that, he is playing the Vikings who are not just good, they haven’t allowed a touchdown to a Tight End this season. I think Ertz has a pretty bad game this week.
Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals: I don’t like him this week because it’s his first game of the season and even though he’s playing against the Browns I don’t think he’ll get a full workload.