It is never too early to look ahead to the next week in daily fantasy football, especially if the previous week didn’t exactly go according to plan.
Did your perfect lineup fail to live up to expectations? Forget them all and pick a new perfect lineup this week. Although injury information and other factors could force some changes in the coming days, here is an early look at the best and worst options for Week 7.
Quarterback
There are some players in daily fantasy where no price is too great, and Tom Brady is approaching that level. He is $900 more than any other quarterback in Week 7 (thanks in part to Aaron Rodgers being on bye), but he has simply been too consistent to avoid.
After topping 25 fantasy points for the sixth game in a row, feel free to keep Brady in your lineup even with a tough matchup and at his most expensive level of the season.
That type of consistency has also helped Carson Palmer become a great weekly choice at a cheaper price. He didn’t have his best game in Week 6 from an efficiency standpoint, but the veteran quarterback threw a season-high 421 passing yards in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a better matchup in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens, he should once again top 20 points easily.
Russell Wilson hasn’t been as good as these players in 2015, but his value has fallen almost every week to the point that he is underrated in fantasy. He will face the worst San Francisco 49ers defense he has ever seen on Thursday, however, and he can utilize his dual-threat ability to post big fantasy numbers.
Finally, Blake Bortles shouldn’t necessarily be in the same category as the quarterbacks mentioned here, but he is in fantasy. Chris Wesseling of NFL.com broke down the type of year the Jacksonville Jaguars starter has had:
The last one is a joke, but the first two numbers are true. Still, the high interception totals don’t quite matter as much when he is firing tons of touchdowns. The actual play on the field still needs work, but he has been a top fantasy producer in recent weeks.
On the other hand, the same cannot be said about Matt Ryan as of late. Although throwing the ball up to Julio Jones is usually a great strategy, the quarterback is only averaging 14.4 fantasy points over the past three games. Against a Tennessee Titans defense that leads the NFL with 184 passing yards allowed per game, this might be a time to avoid the Atlanta Falcons star.
Beyond that there aren’t really many overpriced options, but Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr are facing tough matchups in Week 7 and have simply been too inconsistent to trust in daily fantasy.
Running Back
Like Brady, it is hard to bet against Devonta Freeman at this point based on how well he has played. The running back has come out of nowhere to average 39.4 fantasy points over the last four games on DraftKings.
Everyone in your contest might have him, but you might not want to be left behind with the way he has played.
That said, there is plenty of value to be had in Week 7 at running back. LeSean McCoy finally looked healthy in Week 6 and finished with 17 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. Todd Gurley is coming off a bye after totaling 140 rushing yards in back-to-back games and now faces the struggling Cleveland Browns run defense.
As for Lamar Miller, it’s clear the talent was there the whole time, but he just never got the ball. Nerdy Football’s Mike Freeman seemingly spoke for everyone watching at home with his thoughts:
The Miami Dolphins coaching change made a big difference for the running back, and he is a good bet to succeed going forward.
Depending on the health of Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones, Chris Thompson could be a good sleeper pick for the price. He had 11 touches against the New York Jets in Week 6, but he could do a lot more with that against a weaker Tampa Bay Buccaneers front. He also gets plenty of catches to help his score in a points-per-reception contest.
With so much value across the board, this might be a week to avoid top-priced Le’Veon Bell. Teams are starting to stack the line against him, and it led to just 88 rushing yards on 24 carries in Week 6. He is still one of the best in the league, but the value is just not there.
The same could be said about Dion Lewis, who has jumped in price from one of the best picks every week to borderline overpriced at $6,500. He is coming off his worst game of the season (just 6.9 fantasy points) and faces a tough Jets defensive line. Wait until the price comes down to jump back on the bandwagon.
Charcandrick West and Ameer Abdullah both had chances to shine as the lead dogs in their respective backfield and couldn’t do much. Even at cheap prices they just don’t offer enough to justify a fantasy start.
Wide Receiver
Until further notice, it seems DeAndre Hopkins is the best fantasy receiver in the league. After his 10-catch, 148-yard, two-touchdown performance in Week 6, it’s clear it doesn’t matter who is throwing him the ball. He will get tons of targets and bring down most of them for a big game every week.
Calvin Johnson also reminded people how good he can be with his big day Sunday (166 yards and a touchdown). Even when the numbers aren’t there, the Detroit Lions try to get him the ball, which is a good sign for more fantasy points going forward.
One often overlooked player at the position is Allen Robinson, who has five touchdowns this year but is still at a middling price. Sports Illustrated was still impressed by the effort this week:
As long as he is healthy, he is a good bet to succeed.
There are also cheaper options available with the always dangerous Vincent Jackson in a great matchup against the banged-up Redskins secondary. You could also get great value with Stefon Diggs, who has become Teddy Bridgewater’s new favorite target, per ESPN’s Ben Goessling:
The rookie has played well in his last two games and is prepared to keep it up over the course of the season.
Meanwhile, there are a few top receivers you might want to avoid this week. This includes Antonio Brown, who has just 11 catches for 111 yards over the past three games combined. That used to be a normal game for him. Unless Ben Roethlisberger suits up, Brown has to stay out of your lineup.
Julian Edelman doesn’t quite have the value he once did and is now coming into a tough matchup against the Jets with a finger injury also holding him back. He has been heavily owned each week, but this might be a time to look in another direction.
Amari Cooper is still a great receiver, but for the second game in a row he faces a tough opponent. After being slowed by the Broncos, he now faces a Chargers secondary that can keep him from busting loose. Better days will be ahead, but not this week.
Note: All prices and fantasy score info courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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