Top Tier
Kyler Murray, ARI - There is little doubt in my mind that the Cardinals are going to run through this Texans team but as always in these scenarios the worry is that the team jumps out to such a big lead that Murray ends up getting his ceiling capped. Last week against Cleveland we saw him throw for 229 yards and four touchdowns to finish with 25.76 fantasy points. As the top priced quarterback on the slate, that production is certainly acceptable but in a more competitive environment his ceiling would have been greater. I am expecting Murray and DeAndre Hopkins to connect on at least one touchdown this week given Hopkins disdain for the organization. Murray is a high floor play this week.
Tom Brady, TB - Week 6 wasn't Brady's best performance even though it was still solid as he completed 81-percent of his passes for 297 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. In Week 7 the Buccaneers return home where Brady has been outrageously good this season, having thrown 14 of his 17 touchdown passes this season over just three games….Yes, he has 14 passing touchdowns in three home games, nearly five passing touchdowns per game….The Bears defense is not at all what it use to be and whether or not their offense can keep up really does not matter as Brady just slings it.
Patrick Mahomes, KC - Even when Mahomes is having a “bad” game he still throws for almost 400 yards and two touchdowns to give those who rostered him the high score of the week at the position. In Week 7 the Chiefs go on the road to face a Titans pass defense that ranks among the leagues worst. The Chiefs defense isn't much better and we just saw the Titans beat the Bills last week in a high scoring contest. This one figures to be a shootout and one where playing Patrick Mahomes is of course going to be a good idea.
Mid Tier
Matthew Stafford, LAR - The Rams were actually too good last week because Stafford was taken out of the game with Los Angeles taking a big lead over the Giants. Fortunately, Stafford managed to throw four touchdowns before being removed but this could very well be a similar scenario here this week as he faces off against none other than the Detroit Lions who traded Stafford to the Rams this past offseason. Hard not to think Stafford has a little revenge on his mind. Another multiple touchdown game seems like a lock but will he put up enough points before potentially seeing the bench or giving way to the ground game with the lead is the question.
Jalen Hurts, PHI - Hurts is a flawed NFL quarterback but for fantasy football there aren't' too many complaints as he is averaging 26.2 fantasy points per game this season. Last week against the Buccaneers he completed just 46.2-percent of his passes but had three total touchdowns thanks to his rushing ability. In fact, he has two rushing touchdowns in each of the past two weeks. The Eagles traded away one of his top targets in Zack Ertz this past week and Dallas Goedert is still out of the lineup due to Covid-19 so the Philly offense may need to rely on the legs of Hurts a bit more this week as well.
Value Tier
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA - Which version of Tua are we to trust? Is it the one we saw against New England that was inaccurate and showed some of the same flaws we saw from him last season or was it the one we just saw in London that tore apart a bad Jacksonville defense for 329 yards and two touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes? Fortunately for Tua the Dolphins come back from London to a home game where they welcome in a bad Atlanta Falcons defense. We saw Tua target Mike Gesicki and Jaylen Waddle heavily in the teams win over the Jaguars and this is something he should continue to do this week as well given the talent of the two players and this favorable matchup.
Daniel Jones, NYG - Listen, I get it, the last two week have been pretty tough for those who played Jones. He was knocked out against the Cowboys with an injury and then was fed to the Rams with limited help on the offensive side of the football. Those two performances have sent his price tag tumbling but I also think this creates an interesting bounce back spot against a reeling Carolina Panthers team that has had their defense a bit exposed of late. Yes, the Giants offense is still missing some core pieces but I think Jones will have more time and hopefully go back to using his mobility in this matchup here. If making multiple lineups, tossing Jones in one or two isn't an awful idea.
Fades
Ryan Tannehill, TEN - I understand the matchup and the expected game flow here that would make Tannehill an appealing option but the facts are simply that the Titans offense right now is the running game with Derrick Henry and running the football in this matchup is maybe the only way the Titans can win as they look to chew up the clock and keep Patrick Mahomes off the field as much as possible. We also saw Julio Jones once again get injured and we can only cross our fingers that A.J. Brown can manage to get through a game healthy as well. Just play Henry and leave Tannehill out of your lineups this week.