Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press

Fantasy Football Week 7: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Gary Davenport

We're halfway home.

It has flown by, but the regular season in fantasy football is already halfway over.

For some folks, it has been a six-week joyride. Their fantasy teams are loaded with players like Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals. The wins have piled up, and sitting at 5-1 or 4-2, they are well-positioned for a second-half playoff run.

For others, though, it hasn't been so fun. Those fantasy managers drafted Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants and Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles. They are sitting at 2-4 or 1-5 and hanging on to their seasons by the slimmest of threads.

Whether your team is rolling or reeling, the goal in Week 7 remains the same: to set the best possible lineup and get a win. This column aims to help in that regard.

Every week, I examine lineup questions from the Bleacher Report app and then try to provide answers that will help folks maximize their team's output.

Now, let's pile up some points and go get a win.

Youth vs. Experience

From the Bleacher Report App

At first glance, the quarterback end of this question appears to be an easy call.

As well as Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals has played as a rookie, he's still just that: a rookie. Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans was a top-six fantasy quarterback over the second half of last season who sits in that same spot in terms of points per game six weeks into the 2020 campaign. he just torched the Houston Texans for four touchdown passes.

A significant difference in Week 7 matchups further narrows the gap. But Tannehill remains an underrated fantasy option who gets the nod here over the youngster.

If you're feeling especially froggy, you could try to double up on a potential Tannehill-to-Adam Humphries touchdown pass by stacking them. But that stack feels less like aggression and more like reaching.

Michael Gallup of the Dallas Cowboys is also out in the flex spot. There was some hope that the switch to Andy Dalton at quarterback could boost his fortunes, but his 2/23/0 line on six targets against the Arizona Cardinals last week crushed those hopes.

That leaves rookie Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers. He hasn't exactly lit up the stat sheet, either. But he has found the end zone in three of five games, including last week against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Call: Ryan Tannehill (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200), Brandon Aiyuk (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,100)

Fantastic 4

From the Bleacher Report App

Don't we all wish we had this kind of "problem" at running back?

We'll run through this quartet of ball-carriers one at a time.

James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been maybe the single biggest surprise of the 2020 fantasy football season. For most of the summer, he was a completely unknown undrafted rookie. Six weeks into the season, he's seventh in point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy points among running backs. His production has cooled a bit the past couple of weeks, but he's an easy inclusion.

So is Ronald Jones II of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who is anything but cool right now. Fresh off a 113-yard, two-score effort against the Green Bay Packers, he has topped the century mark three weeks in a row and sits just outside the top 12 for the season in PPR fantasy points.

That leaves two rookie backs coming off big games and one spot. Clyde Edwards-Helaire of the Kansas City Chiefs just gashed the Buffalo Bills for 161 yards on 26 carries. D'Andre Swift of the Detroit Lions sliced up the Jaguars for 116 yards and two scores on just 14 carries.

It's, as they say, a good problem to have.

Both backs face teams this week who rank inside the top 10 in PPR points allowed to running backs. But in addition to having a better matchup against a Las Vegas Raiders team that leads the AFC in that category, Edwards-Helaire has a slightly better track record this year.

The addition of Le'Veon Bell might not be great news for Edwards-Helaire's long-term fantasy value, but for one more week at least, he's going to be the lead back for the defending champions.

Edwards-Helaire gets the last spot.

The Call: James Robinson (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200), Ronald Jones II (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,100)   

A 3-Parter

From the Bleacher Report App

The always-popular three-part question!

At running back, all three of these options have been productive for fantasy managers in 2020. None of the trio has an especially good fantasy matchup, but Josh Jacobs' tilt with the stout run defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is especially odious since no team in the NFL allows fewer rushing yards per game.

The call between Mike Davis of the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville's James Robinson is close. But the Jaguars have a better chance of staying close to the Chargers in Los Angeles than the Panthers have of having with the Saints in New Orleans.

So, Robinson gets the nod in the running back spot.

At wide receiver, Keenan Allen of the Los Angeles Chargers left the team's Week 5 game with the Saints due to back spasms. But even with that missed time and the fact that L.A. has had its bye week, he still ranks eighth in targets this year. That target share and reports that he is expected to be fine for Week 7 gives the 28-year-old the edge over Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks.

In the flex spot, it's tempting to buck conventional wisdom with the benefit of PPR and roll out Lockett, who is only averaging about a point per game less than Jacobs this season. But on a per-game basis, it's Davis who has been the most productive of the bunch. With Christian McCaffrey reportedly not quite ready to return, he will have one more game as the team's featured back.

Follow the touches and ride Davis one last time.

The Call: James Robinson (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200), Keenan Allen (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200), Mike Davis (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,600)

A 3-Parter 2.0

From the Bleachetr Report App

The only thing better than one three-part query? Two three-part queries!

At running back, the first player we can rule out is Justin Jackson of the Los Angeles Chargers. He out-touched rookie Joshua Kelley two weeks ago, but there's just too much uncertainty in the Chargers backfield to start him over Kenyan Drake of the Arizona Cardinals or David Montgomery of the Chicago Bears.

Last week in Dallas, Drake finally produced like fantasy managers expected him to when they spent an early pick on the 26-year-old, and Montgomery has all of one game this season with over 100 total yards. But Montgomery doesn't have Chase Edmonds breathing down his neck or a matchup with a Seahawks team that tends to force opponents to throw to keep up with their high-octane offense.

Still, both backs get a start in Week 7—one at running back, the other in the flex spot.

That leaves two players and one spot: Robert Woods of the Los Angeles Rams and Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns. Beckham posted a respectable 4/74/1 stat line in Cleveland's first meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals this year, but Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is banged up, and the Cleveland offense has been hit-or-miss.

Woods, who has found the end zone in each of the past two games and four of six this season, has a much higher floor—even in a less favorable fantasy matchup with the Bears.

The Call: David Montgomery (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,900), Kenyan Drake (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,800), Robert Woods (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,100)

An Ugly Bunch at RB

From the Bleacher Report App

OK, so this collection of running backs is, um, yeah. Still, all you can do is make the best of what you've got.

James White of the New England Patriots is a no-go. He's coming off his best fantasy effort of the season and has two straight 10-plus-point PPR outings under his belt, but there's just no real upside. His fantasy value is tied almost entirely to catching at least half a dozen short passes in a game.

Of the three, the best bet for touches is Devonta Freeman of the New York Giants, who has at least 19 touches in each of his last two games. But he's also averaging a whopping 3.2 yards per carry and draws a bottom-10 fantasy matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.

That leads us to Boston Scott of the Eagles, who will ostensibly serve as Philly's No. 1 back while Miles Sanders is out with a knee injury. He may not get 20 touches against the Giants, but said Giants are also surrendering the ninth-most PPR points to running backs this season.

That matchup swings it.

The flex call is a relatively easy one. It's no secret that I usually defer to running backs and their steadier workloads in situations like this. But this time, it's the wideout who gets the call. Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans has at least eight catches, over 65 receiving yards and a touchdown in each of his last two games.

Ride the hot hand.

The Call: Boston Scott (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,600), Brandin Cooks (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,200),

Wide Receiver Roundup

From the Bleacher Report App

We just spoke a bit about Brandin Cooks of the Texans, who is the easiest "yes" of this lot. Last week against the Tennessee Titans, he hauled in all nine of his targets for 68 yards and a score. The week before, it was eight of 12 targets for 161 yards and a score.

After that, the waters muddy.

Diontae Johnson of the Pittsburgh Steelers is expected back on the practice field this week after missing the Cleveland game with a back injury. The Tennessee Titans have activated Corey Davis from the COVID-19 list. Henry Ruggs III of the Las Vegas Raiders returned from injury against the Chiefs in Week 5.

But none of that group is any kind of sure bet. The same goes for Tim Patrick of the Denver Broncos and Travis Fulgham of the Philadelphia Eagles, who have gone from complete unknowns to important parts of their respective offenses.

There's upside there...but also a ton of uncertainty.

It's Fulgham who draws the second slot.

The second-year pro doesn't have the best matchup of the bunch, although it's a good one against a New York Giants team allowing the ninth-most PPR points to wideouts in 2020. But with tight end Zach Ertz joining the long list of injured Eagles on offense, he has a better chance at a large target share than the other options.

The Call: Travis Fulgham (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,400), Brandin Cooks (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,200),

Playing the Long Game

From the Bleacher Report App

We'll work under the assumption that this fantasy team has at least one other quarterback rostered because trusting either Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons as an every-week starter regardless of matchup is asking for trouble.

A look at the season statistics doesn't help even a little. The two are separated by a whopping four-tenths of a fantasy point in FFToday PPR Scoring. They rank Nos. 11 and 12.

The two teams' records may be vastly different, but the offensive situations for the two quarterbacks are also very similar.

Both have a pair of standout wideouts at their disposal—Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in Tampa Bay and Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley in Atlanta. Both quarterbacks have also been up and down from a fantasy perspective, stringing together one great game, two good ones and three that fantasy managers would probably just as soon forget.

It is, for all intents and purposes, a toss-up.

Ryan was better in Week 6 with 371 passing yards and four scores in Atlanta's first win of the season. And for a couple of reasons, it's Ryan who will be the better fantasy quarterback for the rest of 2020.

The first is my own stubbornness. I had Ryan ranked higher to start the season, and while things haven't gone as planned, they haven't fallen apart so much so that I'm ready to bail on him.

The second is that the Falcons stink. Of the two teams, Tampa is much more likely to be playing with a lead in the second half.

We want the squad playing catch-up.

The Call: Matt Ryan (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,700)

Bye Week Blues

From the Bleacher Report App

We're hitting the time of year when bye weeks become a real issue for fantasy managers—as evidenced by this question.

With Zach Ertz out Thursday against the New York Giants, it would be great if fantasy managers could roll out Dallas Goedert. But while he is reportedly progressing in his recovery from a dislocated ankle, he's not expected to play in Week 7, either.

Noah Fant of the Denver Broncos has had his moments in his second season, but he's sadly a no-go, too. Not because of injury but because of matchup since the Kansas City Chiefs are 22nd in fantasy points surrendered to tight ends in 2020.

Jared Cook of the New Orleans Saints found the end zone two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he also hasn't caught more than two passes since the season opener. Pass.

Austin Hooper has been OK for the Cleveland Browns and has five catches in each of the past three games, but the last time the Browns faced the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, he posted just two catches for 22 yards.

Rob Gronkowski of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is coming off his best game since joining Tom Brady in Florida, but he has five or more catches in just two games, has found the end zone just once and draws a bad matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.

That brings us to Dalton Schultz of the Dallas Cowboys in a matchup with a Washington Football Team that has given up the fifth-most PPR points to tight ends in 2020. The Dallas offense was terrible last week against Arizona, but Andy Dalton looked his way quite a bit.

At least it's only for one week.

The Call: Dalton Schultz (DraftKings DFS Value: $3,900)

DraftKings DFS Question of the Week

From the Bleacher Report App

This is an interesting question, especially if you consider upside in DFS to be at least partly contingent on salary.

Of this trio, the most expensive option at DraftKings in Week 7 is Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers at $6,600. He draws a favorable matchup with the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points in DraftKings scoring to quarterbacks this year.

However, while the Steelers are undefeated, Roethlisberger hasn't exactly lit up the stat sheet. He's 23rd among quarterbacks in fantasy points per game this year.

Next up is Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions ($6,500), who actually has an even better fantasy matchup than Big Ben against a reeling Atlanta Falcons defense. But again, the fantasy production just hasn't been there for the 32-year-old who ranks one slot above Roethlisberger in fantasy points per contest.

So far, color me underwhelmed.

That brings us to Justin Herbert at $6,400, who faces a Jacksonville Jaguars team allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks Sunday in Los Angeles. The rookie quarterback for the Chargers certainly doesn't have the track record of Stafford or Roethlisberger, but he's been a top-10 fantasy signal-caller in terms of points per game since taking over in Week 2.

Save the cash to spend on another position and roll with the rookie.

The Call: Justin Herbert (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,400)

Rapid Fire

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

As is the case every week, it's time to strap on the jet pack, kick on the turbocharger, send things into hyperdrive, peel off a few more tired metaphors for going fast and answer some app questions rapid-fire style.

Have more Week 7 lineup questions? Leave them in the comments. I try to spend at least a couple of hours there each Friday and Saturday to help readers set their lineups.

josiemc63 needs flex help: "PPR. Should I start David Johnson or [Tee] Higgins with Bengals?"

After Tee Higgins blew up with six catches for 125 yards last week against the Indianapolis Colts, he's a tempting option. But David Johnson (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,300) of the Houston Texans has quietly been a solid RB2, hitting 90 total yards or finding the end zone in five of six games so far this season.

dhyl_chill1 has to pick wide receivers: "Need to start 3 WR out of Amari Cooper, OBJ, Keenan [Allen], [Tyler] Boyd or [Travis] Fulgham."

Keenan Allen (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200) of the Chargers is one of the most-targeted wideouts in the NFL and a must-start. Tyler Boyd (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,400) of the Bengals is another easy "yes" as Cincinnati's most productive wideout and a top-20 fantasy option. Philadelphia's Travis Fulgham just doesn't boast the resume of the rest of these players. That leaves Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns and Amari Cooper (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,900) of the Dallas Cowboys, and after posting a 7/79/1 line with Andy Dalton under center, it's the latter who gets the nod.

It's a tricky running back question for mattyice1531: "Start [Jerick] McKinnon or Boston [Scott]?"

Both of these young running backs have value because of injuries ahead of them. The San Francisco 49ers are playing much better offensively, which favors McKinnon. But the Philadelphia Eagles have a much better fantasy matchup for running backs, so Boston Scott (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,600) is the better play against the New York Giants.

With Lamar Jackson on bye, ben_nguyen24 needs a spot-starter under center: "Joe Burrow or Kyle Allen?"

The Dallas Cowboys are so atrocious defensively that rational human beings are considering starting Kyle Allen on purpose in fantasy leagues. Don't. The first time Joe Burrow (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,500) and the Bengals played the Browns in 2020, the rookie set season highs in both yardage (316) and touchdowns (three).

It's back to the running backs with JTM424: "Which two of these three RBs should I play. [Devonta] Freeman, [Devin] Singletary, [Justin] Jackson?"

Jackson is intriguing given a plus matchup with a Jacksonville Jaguars team allowing the fifth-most PPR points to running backs. But his workload is much less certain than either Devonta Freeman (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,800) of the Giants or Devin Singletary (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,800) of the Buffalo Bills, so he's the odd man out here.

mychalkell is looking for a Week 7 starter at tight end: "Gronk or Evan Engram?"

Rob Gronkowski's matchup with a Las Vegas Raiders team giving up the eighth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends has already been mentioned. Evan Engram (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,200) of the New York Giants faces an Eagles team surrendering the fourth-most PPR points to the position. May the fantasy gods have mercy on my soul given what a dud he's been this year, but Engram is the guy.

Lastly, 17_ansh has a quarterback quandary: "[Gardner] Minshew or [Ryan] Tannehill?"

I led this column off by talking up Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans as an underrated fantasy asset. But Gardner Minshew II (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,900) of the Jacksonville Jaguars has quietly been a top-10 fantasy option in his own right and draws a matchup with a Los Angeles Chargers team that has given up the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year. It's mustache time, baby!

DFS player salaries courtesy of DraftKings. Fantasy scoring data courtesy of FFToday. Fantasy points against data courtesy of My Fantasy League.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year.

Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details.

   

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