Week 7 Players to Play/Avoid: Randle On

Nick Foles is doing everything he can to keep his job in Philadelphia and as it turns out, everything he can is quite a bit.  With three TDs and zero interceptions, Foles put up a passer rating of 133.3 against an honestly not awful Tampa Bay defense.  This week, he faces an even easier Dallas defense that has given up the most fantasy points to QBs this season, mostly because the good Manning (no, not the one with two Super Bowl rings) took them to school.  If you’re looking for someone to start this week while Brees is on bye, he’s your man.  Philip Rivers and Jay Cutler are also in excellent matchups this week if you need them while Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton could have relatively low scoring days.

With Randall Cobb expected to miss 6-8 weeks and James Jones also nursing a leg injury, it could be all Jordy Nelson this weekend.  However, before you get too excited, keep in mind that Joe Haden will be playing the part of Nelson’s shadow on Sunday.  Nelson is still too talented to bench, but if you’re in a 10 team league with a lot of options, it’s worth looking at Nelson more as a high-upside flex as opposed to a sure thing WR1.

Larry Fitzgerald is also in an especially difficult matchup this week.  Combined with the fact that he is now apparently battling problems with both of his hamstrings, fantasy owners need to follow-up on his status and start him with extreme caution this Thursday night.  If you have other options available to you, this is the week to use them.

Speaking of other options, Aaron Dobson and Reuben Randle are both in excellent positions for success this week if you need them.

As for running backs, Brandon Jacobs and Joseph Randle are the big buzz names on the waiver wire this week, and for a good reason.  Both are in relatively decent matchups this week and both will likely see the vast majority of carries.  The only problem is that they’re only good for the next couple of weeks.  If you can afford to drop someone, they’re both solid starts this week and should be highly considered over the likes of Maurice Jones-Drew, Zac Stacy, and Le’Veon Bell who all face tough opponents.

Also, I know Stevan Ridley put up some serious points this past weekend, but don’t throw him into your must start pile just yet.  Against the Jets, Ridley is a flex play at best, but still a better option than either running back for Cleveland or Arizona.

Luckily for Cleveland, Green Bay is really only a formidable defense when it comes to the run.  That should leave plenty of opportunities for Jordan Cameron this week, who has moved into the every week TE1 category.  Heath Miller and Kyle Rudolph are both in nice matchups as well if you need them.  It’s a pretty good week for TEs in general so there aren’t a whole lot of terrible matchups for them, but Greg Olsen and Garrett Graham should both stay on your bench in case their performances last week weren’t convincing enough.

Now it’s time for the sleeper pick of the week.  This week, I really like Brandon Gibson.  He’s got an easy matchup and has been very quietly consistent despite not scoring a TD yet this year.  He’ll get his first of the season this week.