One RB Upgrade, One Downgrade ...
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade, we recap Week 7's TNF tilt, dive into start/sits for Sunday, and more.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:
Thursday Night Football was a game for fantasy football where you were glad to not start anyone outside of Javonte Williams and the Denver defense.
The Broncos took advantage of a depleted Saints team and won on the road, 33-10. The Saints were without Derek Carr, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Taysom Hill, and several offensive linemen. Given the lack of highlights on the field, the highlight of the night for New Orleans was Drew Brees being inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.
Here is the Friday FAQ ...
1. How has the Saints’ offense affected Alvin Kamara?
It’s crushed him. He had seven carries for 10 yards and caught six passes for 14 yards. Kamara now has 40 yards rushing or fewer in three straight games and has been saved in PPR formats with at least five catches in four straight games.
This version of the Saints with Spencer Rattler at quarterback lowers the ceiling in a big way for Kamara, despite the strong utilization.
2. What happened to Courtland Sutton?
While he was on the field and saw snaps, the wide receiver didn’t see a target, which was surprising. Sutton had scored a touchdown in two of the previous three games and at least 13 PPR points in three of the previous four games.
Quarterback Bo Nix completed only 16 passes and the Broncos didn’t need to be aggressive in the second half. Going forward, Sutton is a WR4 with a low ceiling.
3. What’s the deal with the Broncos’ backfield?
Javonte Williams remains the lead back. Williams didn’t score a touchdown in the first six games but had his best game yet against the Saints.
He finished with 14 carries for 88 yards with two touchdowns and caught three passes for 23 yards. Sean Payton mentioned getting rookie Audric Estime more work and he had five carries for 29 yards but lost a fumble in the fourth quarter.
Jaleel McLaughlin had 4 carries for 35 yards. Williams gets a great matchup next week against the Panthers, who have allowed the most fantasy points in the league to running backs. On the flip side, be sure to start your running backs against the Saints, who have allowed separate running backs to rush for 102, 136, 81, and 88 yards, respectively, in the last three games.
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Start/Sit Decisions for Week 7: Sneaky starts to target
- Watercooler: Matthew is back with Love/Hate for Week 7
- Throwing Shade: Everyone knows this fantasy football manager …
Start a PATRIOT in Week 7??
By Gene Clemons and John Laghezza
Welcome to Fantasy Life's Start/Sit column, where John Laghezza and Gene Clemons dig deep with non-obvious, outside-the-box lineup advice. John's a numbers guy, Gene is a literal football coach—what more could you ask for?
Good luck! Enjoy the column! And to fill in any players we didn't cover here, check out our premium set of expert fantasy football rankings.
John’s Week 7 QBs/WRs/TEs: “Start DeMario Douglas aggressively”
- Patriots (at JAC) — Drake Maye shined at points in his debut against a very tough HOU defense, instantly elevating multiple pass catchers into fantasy viability. This one’s especially fun because Patriot WRs remain widely available. Start DeMario Douglas aggressively. He could be a universally rostered must-start by Monday—the Jaguars' pass defense sits dead last in passing yards allowed and defensive EPA/dropback.
Buccaneers (vs BAL) — Get your popcorn, the circus is coming to town. Only three teams played to a combined average game score of 53, and two of them clash on Sunday in Baltimore. Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin were always must-starts—but this is the week to reach deeper in the pantry for Cade Otton and Sterling Shepard.
Avoid These QBs/WR/TEs
- Steelers (vs NYJ) — Josh Allen just marked the first QB to throw for multiple TDs against the Jets, who have yet to allow a single opposing QB to pass for over 231 yards. And we’re getting Russell Wilson managing an Arthur Smith offense averaging 167 yards through the air? No thanks, I’d like to wait and be surprised before starting anyone in black and yellow this weekend. Sit George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth if you can find a league-average replacement.
Colts (vs MIA) — Miami’s defense remains their last redeeming quality right now and frankly this unit’s undersung—a good example of where defensive scoring stats can mislead. This MIA offense sans-Tua creates too many short fields to weigh points too heavily. From a rate standpoint, the Fins sit top-3 in pressure rate, passing yards allowed/game, snaps/splash play, and 20-plus-yard completions. Plus Indy struggled to throw with Anthony Richardson under center, making the Colts’ pass catchers too volatile and prone to bust this weekend. Sit Michael Pittman and Josh Downs if you can.
Gene’s Bold Prediction: Start Tyrone Tracy Jr. RB, Giants
Sometimes when you're looking for a player to start and you have limited options in a deep league, you must be willing to charge directly into the belly of the beast. That’s what starting Tyrone Tracy Jr. against the Eagles represents. Not because the Eagles defense has been lights out this year — but because of all of the things that surround this game: the return of Saquon Barkley, the Eagles needing to establish dominance in the NFC East, and the recent news that the team will be without starting left tackle Andrew Thomas for the remainder of the season due to a foot injury.
Ask yourself a question — of all of the fringe starters you have on your roster, who has the best chance to cobble together a decent fantasy game regardless of the game script? Tracy brings value as a runner and pass receiver and if you are in a PPR — or even half-PPR format — his upside could be tremendous. Take a look at last week, he only rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown but he added six catches for 57 yards. That 16 points in a standard league is good but the 19.7 in half-PPR and the 22.7 in full PPR is even better. Even if you took away the touchdown, he still scored double digits.
If you loaded up on receivers early this draft season, you're learning a hard truth: running back depth is sparse. If you have Tracy, you picked him up off waivers, so the fact that he is even a fringe starter is a positive for your team. On paper, this is a favorable matchup. The Eagles are allowing 146 yards on the ground and even if Devin Singletary returns, Tracy's work in the previous two games should have carved out a role in the Giants offense. Yes, this looks like a game with crazy circumstances, but these are the types of games that produce the most interesting results. Tracy could go out and stand toe to toe with Barkley. That would make for a memorable performance.
More Start/Sit Answers for Week 7
RELATED CONTENT:
- 32 Facts for 32 Teams. Ian runs through Week 7.
- NFL Pigskin Pick’em: Picking every winner for Week 7.
Quench Your Hard-Earned Thirst With Mike’s Hard Lemonade 🍋
Winning in fantasy football is hard work. You’ll need to replace your injured QB one day but get outbid in Free Agency. Next week you’ll need 5 points from your TE and see him deliver only 4. But, Mike’s Hard Lemonade wants to remind you that Hard Days Deserve a Hard Lemonade. So, the next time you work up a hard-earned thirst by leaving your highest-scoring player on the bench, it’s time to twist open a Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
Find Mike’s Hard Lemonade near you at www.MikesHard.com.
The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:
❤️ The best part of every week … Love/Hate is here.
💀 A throw so bad you have to see it to believe it … and you still won’t believe it.
🤑 Geoff is betting on these players to score in Week 7 … are they in your lineups?
✍️ A TE to acquire. Fantasy football buy, sell, hold.
🚑 Today should be full of injury updates. Stay on top of rankings updates.
Throwing Shade … At The GM Who Yells At Real NFL Players On Social Media
Throughout this season, we’ll be “throwing shade” at some of the elements of fantasy that we could do without.
Today’s topic: The angry fantasy GM who yells at real NFL players on social media.
Shoutout to Knockaround Sunglasses for the inspiration! This week we’re rocking the Eagles frames, in honor of Nick Sirianni, who did what we all would have done, right?
Subject: The angry fantasy GM who yells at real NFL players on social media
Identifying Traits: They usually have fewer than 150 followers and many of their other posts are directed at official company accounts, complaining about orders gone awry, dirty bathrooms, perceived slights at the deli counter, or other day-to-day trifles.Brief Synopsis: This person has just lost a fantasy matchup by 0.5 points because a running back took a knee at the 1 for clock management, a wide receiver only caught two passes, or a kicker missed a 53-yard field goal. Instead of taking a deep breath and reflecting on the many blessings in their life, they direct their ire at a famous, charitable, well-paid athlete who likely won their real NFL game but played a role in losing this particular fantasy matchup. There will be blame thrown around, maybe a follow-up post clarifying that they “have always loved” this player, and a good chance one of these angry posts gets picked up in a hack-ey story about how people on social media are mean to players in real life.What to do if you see the angry fantasy player who yells at a real NFL player on social media in the wild: They usually aren’t seen in the wild, as they spend most of their days indoors. If, however, you do encounter one — and you’re in the service industry — do your best to keep them happy at ALL COSTS.
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