What’s up Fantasy Football fans! Are you ready for the NBA season? Ha! Switched topics on you. Now all my ADHD brethren have lost focus and are passing ideas like you’re Ricky Rubio. Wait, did I say passing? Quarterbacks pass! Hey, now we’re back on topic. I’d do anything for you dear readers, but I won’t do that [Grey says I need to make at least one Meatloaf reference per year or else he’s cutting by benefits]. ENYWHEY. Let’s get you prepped for the 40% mark of the fantasy football season. That’s right — it’s 40 week! Besides, it’s a bones day. Go get your favorite beverage and drink it — you deserve it!Â
Week 7 Highlights
Quarterbacks
Jalen Hurts: I have an announcement: I have written the script for Elmo in Grouchland 2, a gritty drama airing on HBO Max sometime this winter. What does that have to do with fantasy football? It means I’m an expert in garbage time. So, you hang around the internet and you hear the stories: Jalen Hurts can’t throw. The team is in shambles. Our own Eagles expert Nic Rome turns off the Eagles game in the 3rd quarter so he can watch Chicago Fire reruns. But! Guess who is QB6 on the year? It’s none other than Jalen Horatio Hurts, our favorite Eagles quarterback. Is he accurate? No. Does he seemingly do those 90s-style Madden passes where he tries to air it out for 70 yards when he could just toss it to Miles Sanders? He sure does. But as rookie-mistake-laden as Hurts has been this year, he’s getting in the endzone a ton and racking up yards. It’s 4 quarters of garbage time for the Eagles right now, and Hurts’ ability to get in the end zone by foot or by moonshot bodes well for fantasy managers. Start Hurts on your team, but don’t watch him on TV. Also, wouldn’t it be sweet for a drive-in movie theater to put the game on the big screen and people could just run around the parking lot playing flag football and tailgating?Â
Running Backs
Alex Collins:Â Now that the Seahawks have lost their main RB (Chris Carson) and their franchise QB (Russell Wilson), Alex Collins carries the team on his back every week in an Atlas-style situation. Somehow Collins is still available in 50% of leagues and he just finished a 100-yard game. OK, Boomer, keep starting Todd Gurley instead of Alex Collins. The rest of us will wait.Â
D’Ernest Johnson: In this primer, I try to focus on running backs that you can pick up, or highlight those rushers who you might think are off to a slow start. D’EJ is in that first category. Yes, you can pick him up; he’s available in most leagues. But, the Browns are on a short week, and Case Keenum is taking the QB reigns. I know I sound like a conspiracy theorist when I say this, but Case Keenum — only 33 years old — was purposefully brought in by Browns’ coach Kevin Stefanski to push Baker Mayfield. Mayfield is the fantasy QB25 on the year with a mere 6 passing TDs in 6 games. Why do I raise this in the D’Ernest Johnson section? Because I see a game script where D’EJ — Cleveland’s primary rusher for Thursday night — pulls a Miles Sanders and goes completely AWOL while Stefanski tries out Keenum as his QB for the rest of the season. If the fans see Keenum pass to OBJ like he used to pass to Stefon Diggs, there could be clamoring among fans for a QB change. Yes, it’s a conspiracy theory, but if you’re going to find the next breakout, you can’t always think logically. For evidence, see Patterson, Cordarrelle. So, if D’EJ is your desperation RB, run with him. But I wouldn’t assume he’s automagically better than the healthy RBs on your roster.Â
Receivers
Sterling Shepard:Â The guy’s WR17 on a per-game basis this year and still available in 25% of leagues. As long as people keep ignoring him, I’ll keep highlighting him. Thanks for the easy work guys and ghouls!Â
Henry Ruggs and Hunter Renfrow: Two players who are in the top 30 WR on the year and available in 40%+ of leagues. They go against the Eagles, which (see Jalen Hurts commentary above) has the opportunity to become a mess of a video game…um…game.Â
Jamison Crowder:Â He’s baaaaaaack. And he’s got Zach Wilson under center but whatever, he’s got an opportunity. 15 targets in 2 games — yeah, that’s how you win.Â
Thursday Night Football
Browns vs Broncos. I mean, these primetime Thursday night games just aren’t cutting it this year, right? Even before the Browns fell apart to injuries, this wasn’t a very exciting game prospect, unless one considers Teddy Bridgewater leading a 4th quarter comeback a thrilling Thursday night. Vegas has the game pegged for about 41 points, which is pretty boring unless you’re a huge IDP fan. The Browns — even with Case Keenum and D’Ernest Johnson leading the way — are still the odds-on favorites for Vegas. So, who should you play?Â
Courtland Sutton:Â He’s healed, he’s back, and he’s bonded with Teddy Bridgewater. Sutton has 3 games where he’s been a top 6 or better WR so far this season, and he’s the most likely target for TD TB.Â
Noah Fant:Â He has quietly been the TE6 on the year, which is right about where I ranked him in the preseason. Can somebody Google if he has a sister named Ella?Â
Donovan Peoples-Jones:Â He’s been on the field all year but the big games have happened the past two weeks, with 70 and 100 receiving performances respectively. He’s available in 96% of leagues, so it’s time to get your PJ’s.Â
Have an awesome week 7 everybody!Â
