Week 7 feels DEEP but there are still 10 weeks of regular season football left. It’s crazy that we just now finally have a big enough sample size to know what the heck is actually going on while, at the same time, injuries and trades are constantly changing the landscape. The best way to stay on top of things is to know what the heck you are looking for each week BEFORE the games start so you can make the right decisions on waivers after. He’s what I’m looking for.
*All times below are Eastern Standard Time*
Broncos @ Browns - Thursday 8:20 PM (Recap)
Broncos - Javonte Williams continues to look impressive yet he continues to split snaps with veteran Melvin Gordon. In fact, Melvin continues to play more snaps both in the pass game and on the ground. If you are a Javonte fan, you have to be rooting for this team to continue to struggle so that they consider trading Melvin to a contender (since they aren’t signing him next year).
Browns - Wow D’Ernest Johnson. What a game. I know the Broncos were missing some interior linebackers but, if Chubb and Hunt are out again, this guy is in lineups.
Jets @ Patriots - Sunday 1:00 PM
Jets - With this team we are just looking to salvage anything we can for assets. Corey Davis plays a big snap share. Michael Carter finally led in both run and pass snaps so he’s a stash. Would love to see Elijah Moore get more work.
Patriots - There seems to be a quiet battle going on that could have big PPR fantasy implications. It looked like Brandon Bolden had the James White role locked up but last week Rhamondre Stevenson played 11 pass snaps to 10 for Boldin to 6 for Harris. Stevenson is the more exciting player than Bolden, no question.
Bengals @ Ravens - Sunday 1:00 PM
Bengals - Joe Mixon finally escaped the clutches of Gio Bernard after all these years only to have Chris Evans come in as a rookie and catch a touchdown pass last week. We’re watching closely this week hoping that Evans and Perine stay on the sidelines.
Ravens- The Ravens are notorious for spreading out the snaps among all players - ESPECIALLY rookies. So the huge snap share for Rashod Bateman was a welcome surprise. Can he repeat this week?
Falcons @ Dolphins - Sunday 1:00 PM
Falcons - Coming out of the bye, has Cordarelle Patterson finally established himself as the big dog in the backfield? Or is Mike Davis still going to get his surprisingly large share, both in the run and pass game?
Dolphins - My concern for the Dolphins is this - Mike Gesicki has basically been playing every snap at WR (234 at WR to 16 at TE). But it’s also basically just been him and Jaylen Waddle. Eventually, they will also have DeVante Parker and Will Fuller at full strength. We need to be looking for clues as to how that will shake out and prepare in advance.
Chiefs @ Titans - Sunday 1:00 PM
Chiefs - Darrell Williams established himself as the RB last week. We know what Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are so I’m still most interested in whether we’ll ever get to see Josh Gordon playing real snaps at some point?
Titans - The Chiefs have been one of the worst teams vs. the tight end but Anthony Firkser only played 15 snaps last week which isn’t cutting it. No other TE on the team is a pass threat. This is the last call for Anthony Firkser before he can probably be dropped in all formats.
Football Team @ Packers - Sunday 1:00 PM
Football Team - This is how the split has gone for which RB has been better in PPR: Gibson, McKinnon, Gibson, McKinnon, Gibson, McKinnon. The Packers can be run on but WFT is also underdogs so maybe they throw to McKinnon a lot? Another tough call.
Packers - Speaking of running back splits, Matt LaFleur said he wanted to use AJ Dillon more. And then he did. A 42% snap share for Dillon was his highest of the season. As long as Aaron Jones gets the pass work then he’s a guy you start every week but you don’t want to see a split.
Panthers @ Giants - Sunday 1:00 PM
Panthers - The Giants are one of the worst teams in the league for the tight end. Terrace Marshall is out with a concussion. If Panthers tight ends are going to be anything, now is the time to show up. Ian Thomas is still running more routes though Tommy Tremble has been the more intriguing player.
Giants - What a nightmare - at one point Thursday Saquon, Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, John Ross, Evan Engram, and Kaden Smith were all listed somehow on the injury report. It seems that Shepard, Slayton, and Engram will play making them the fantasy options for this week.
Lions @ Rams - Sunday 4:05 PM
Lions - If Amon-Ra St. Brown is going to take a step forward and play both outside and in the slot, this is the week. If he just plays in the slot again, forget it.
Rams - We know Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Darrell Henderson will get their shares. I’m interested in what Tyler Hibee’s deployment looks like with no Johnny Mundt in a run heavy game. If Higbee goes back to his heavy blocking ways, he’s in trouble.
Eagles @ Raiders - Sunday 4:05 PM
Eagles - All eyes on Dallas Goedert for me. Week 12 last year with no Zach Ertz he played 30+ snaps in the slot and ran 95% of the routes. Week 14 when Ertz returned, he played less than 10 snaps in the slot and ran only ~65% of the routes. This is a huge week for him - could ascend to the elite tier or remain middle of the pack.
Raiders - After Darren Waller, is anyone going to emerge as a reliable pass catching option? Renfrow gets the most targets but he’s a low aDot guy and not a TD threat. Ruggs and Edwards run deeper routes but haven’t garnered enough looks. Of this group, Ruggs is the guy I like best.
Bears @ Buccaneers - Sunday 4:25 PM
Bears - This is it. The Bears finally HAVE to throw it. The Bucs are letting up under 60 rush yards per game on average. And their secondary is banged up. You can’t just throw 20 times like the Bears have been. Let’s see what this offense can be.
Buccaneers - Can Ronald Jones ever escape the doghouse and get back some of his workload? This week is likely the nail in the coffin for anyone still holding out hope. If it’s the Fournette show again, time to move on.
Texans @ Cardinals - Sunday 4:25 PM
Texans - Rookie Nico Collins returned and actually played a decent snap share. Outside of Brandin Cooks, of all the players on this team, he is the most interesting. His size, speed, and draft capital profile are incredibly similar to Kenny Golladay.
Cardinals - The other side of the trade - Zach Ertz is in town. It’s less exciting for him for this week given he needs to learn the playbook but still excited to see his usage.
Colts @ 49ers - Sunday 8:20 PM
Colts - Parris Campbell hit the IR once again so there is a battle now between Ty Hilton and Zach Pascal for relevancy. My money is on Hilton with the big arm of Carson Wentz.
49ers - Elijah Mitchell dominated snaps the last we saw but JaMycal Hasty returns this week and we know Shanahan’s tricks. Elijah Mitchell could solidify himself this week or it could be a mess.
Saints @ Seahawks- Monday 8:15 PM
Saints - This is the last call for a fantasy relevant wide receiver to emerge before Michael Thomas returns. If not much happens, forget them all.
Seahawks - Folks who had Chris Carson were bailed out with Alex Collins last week - will the oft-injured Rashaad Penny return to rain on that parade this week?