This weekly column offers a look at fantasy trends. It combines recaps from the previous week’s action with tidbits you can use in the future. We are still going to look at who earned A’s and who got F’s, but the injury to Patrick Mahomes in the first game of Week 7 must be addressed right away. The injury will have an impact on our Week 7 fantasy trends.
Chief Down: The Fantasy Impact Of The Patrick Mahomes Knee Injury
An MRI will provide more clarity, but fantasy owners need to prepare for a likely absence. Hopefully you have a quality backup if you have Mahomes. Otherwise, going the streaming route should work if Mahomes misses a short period of time. If his injury happens to be of the long-term nature, it might be best to trade for someone. Naturally, the other elements of Kansas City’s offense are also heavily impacted by last night’s injury. Losing Mahomes will be negative for all involved. Backup Matt Moore has not started a game since 2017 when he was with Miami. Outside of 2QB leagues, Moore would not be a recommended starter. But can he keep others afloat? You can read the rest of my piece breaking down the full impact of Mahomes’ absence here. Hopefully that inside look helps you plan ahead. Most importantly, hopefully Mahomes will have a short absence.
We always like to mention the teams on bye, and this week, fantasy owners are feeling serious pain. Carolina, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh are all off. Speaking of pain, being a Denver fan cannot be easy right now. Joe Flacco earns an endorsement from stink bomb companies after setting off several of them.
And now, our voyage around the league begins:
Week 7 Rankings | QB | RB |WR | TE |
Sizzle
Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings/Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings – Critics of Kirk Cousins are eating a heaping helping of crow. Against Philadelphia’s vulnerable pass defense, Cousins threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Diggs won weeks for many owners by catching seven passes for 167 yards and three scores. The ceilings for both players will not remain this high. Detroit will present a strong test on Sunday. But lessons are learned every week in fantasy football. Despite the presence of dazzling Dalvin Cook, Minnesota’s passing game should not be written off.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals – As expected, Murray feasted on the Falcons. Playing the best game of his promising career so far, Murray threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns. Another impressive element to his performance was that one of his top receivers, Christian Kirk, did not play. Hopefully, Kirk comes back soon, but even without him, Murray’s success should continue in a nice matchup with the Giants.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens – The naysayers will keep saying Jackson needs to keep getting better as a passer. And to a degree, that remains the case, although he keeps showing improvement. There are also times where Jackson dominates as a runner. And when that is the case, why change anything? Against Cincinnati, Jackson rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown while still contributing 236 passing yards. It was his third career game with over 100 yards on the ground, the most by any quarterback in the Super Bowl era within their first two seasons. Jackson will run into some harder matchups in the second half of the season. New England, San Francisco, and Buffalo possess some of the best defenses in the league. Still, hard to see his QB1 ride stopping anytime soon.
James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers/Benny Snell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers – With the Steelers protecting rookie quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges, their ground game easily conquered the Chargers. Conner led the way with 119 yards and two trips to the end zone. However, a quad injury took him out of action. Snell, who spelled Conner because Jaylen Samuels is sidelined, rushed for 75 yards on 17 carries. When the Steelers return from their bye in Week 8, they will host Miami. It will be business as usual if Conner has no health concerns. If he does, Snell will be a highly desired waiver pickup. And in that kind of a matchup, desperate owners could turn to Snell as a flex.
Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons – Many feel Freeman’s best days are behind him. But he turned back the clock against Arizona. Freeman caught two touchdown passes and totaled 118 yards. Most importantly, he received 19 carries while Ito Smith only got three. As long as Freeman can hold off a time share, he will produce reasonably well most weeks.
Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers – More often than not in 2019, Samuel delivers disappointment. But when everything clicks, everyone remembers the high ceiling he possesses. He caught four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown in a win over Tampa Bay. Samuel also added a rushing touchdown. D.J. Moore remains steadier than Samuel. Nonetheless, Samuel probably would not cost much in a trade. If you can get him, you would reap the benefits of two matchups with Atlanta in Weeks 11 and 14. He would also have Washington in Week 13.
Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets – Safe to say Anderson and the entire Jets roster really missed Sam Darnold. Anderson hauled in a 92-yard touchdown pass from Darnold as the Jets shocked Dallas. Anderson happens to be a hit or miss player even with Darnold. Against New England, a miss seems way more likely. But when you get past the game with the Patriots, Anderson’s schedule turns delightful. In Weeks 9 through 14, Anderson gets Miami twice. He also has tilts with the Giants, Washington, Oakland, and Cincinnati. If you go beyond typical league play, that type of schedule sets up Anderson as a DFS mainstay.
Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers – Most everyone focuses on the controversial officiating when reviewing the Lions/Packers battle on Monday night. But the Packers needed someone to help Aaron Rogers out, and Lazard came through in the clutch. The former Iowa State Cyclone hauled in four receptions for 65 yards and a critical touchdown. Green Bay’s top three wide receivers, Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Geronimo Allison, are all question marks heading into the weekend. By default, Lazard lurks as a major power broker in the Green Bay passing game. If you still need a waiver wire hero, take a look at Lazard.
Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers – Supposedly Henry would be limited upon his return against Pittsburgh. Limitations usually do not lead to eight receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. No need for deep thoughts here. As long as Henry can stay healthy, which has been an issue for him, he will be a TE1 for quite some time.
Fizzle
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans – The first two picks of the 2015 draft are forever linked together. Sunday, they bonded in ineptness. Tennessee benched Mariota for Ryan Tannehill after Mariota threw two picks and completed just 7-of-18 passes. Tannehill will start on Sunday against the Chargers and moves to the 2QB radar.
As for Winston, quarterbacks in their fifth season should not be responsible for six turnovers! But it happened as London fans thought they were watching a horror movie instead of a football game. If you are Tampa Bay, and you have great receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin that would give a young quarterback a great foundation, why do you keep Winston after this season? For now, Winston does not appear to be immediately heading to the bench. He still has games with Arizona and Atlanta where he will earn consideration as a streamer. But given how bad his floor can be, tread very lightly with Jameis. He looks more likely to open an “Eat a W” restaurant concept in Tallahassee than become an All-Pro.
Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams – Sure, San Francisco’s defense happens to be outstanding. A bad offense line and the absence of Todd Gurley would hinder anyone. Nevertheless, how can someone in a Sean McVay offense and with three quality receivers throw for 78 measly yards? Goff looked shaky in losses to Seattle and Tampa Bay, but still delivered fantasy value. All he could deliver against San Francisco was a disaster. And yet, with Atlanta and Cincinnati on tap the next two weeks, give him a mulligan. The time to panic will occur if he flops in those prime spots.
Gardner Minshew, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars – The mustache finally becomes mortal, at least for a week. Minshew was unable to get anything going against a resurgent New Orleans defense. He completed 14-of-29 passes for 163 yards as Jacksonville was held to six points. Redemption could come quickly for the fan-favourite. A trip to Cincinnati to face an injury-plagued Bengals secondary gives Gardner an opportunity for a big rebound.
Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals – Speaking of Cincinnati, the downfall of Joe Mixon continues. Blaming Mixon entirely would be pointless. Cincinnati has one of the worst offensive lines in football. Their defense spends way too much time on the field. For example, Baltimore controlled the ball for almost 40 minutes last Sunday. Benching Mixon has the potential to backfire because his talent can conquer the Cincinnati curse. But when Mixon generates 39 total yards and no scores, can you keep him in your lineup? The conflict will rage within the brains of fantasy owners. For now, stay the course.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints – A high ankle injury puts Kamara’s status in doubt for a battle with the Bears in Chicago. Almost impossible to sit if he suits up, Kamara presents rare downside for a player of his caliber. The matchup starts things off in the wrong direction. Then, you have to ponder how limited he would be. Can the injury get even worse? It would be best to get alternatives ready. A Kamara absence sets up Latavius Murray for success.
Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers – If we flashback to draft season, the selection of Smith-Schuster early looks savvy. But anyone with Juju on their team now sips Pepto Bismol, not champagne. We all know the situation in Pittsburgh has changed and drops his upside. Regardless, one catch for seven yards does not cut it. Hopefully he can produce again in Week 8 against Miami. Otherwise, get ready for a potentially painful decision.
Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys – One key component of the Cowboys losing to the Jets was Cooper leaving early with a quad injury. And Cooper may not be able to go against Philadelphia in a crucial NFC East showdown. In his last encounter with the Eagles, Cooper caught 10 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Play him if he starts, but otherwise, Michael Gallup becomes Dak Prescott’s top target in a great matchup.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans – In many ways, Hopkins would not be a player to truly fret about. But since he caught eight passes for 111 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, he has not visited the end zone. Nor has he topped 100 yards receiving. His setup in Houston continues to be great. On the surface, there are no reasons for him to be a disappointment. And yet, here we are. Hopkins needs to produce a strong stretch run to make up for his slow start. Odds are, he makes that happen.
Will Dissly, TE, Seattle Seahawks – Sadly, Dissly suffers another season-ending injury. After losing most of 2018 to a torn patellar tendon, now he will be out for the rest of 2019 due to a torn ACL. Dissly was not just a pleasant surprise. He was a pleasant surprise at fantasy’s most challenging position. Dynasty owners need to hang tight with Dissly. And redraft owners may get a bargain, as his injury history will lead to a lower ADP.
Come back next week for more Sizzle/Fizzle!
