Silvia’s Week 7 Fantasy Frenzy
October 16, 2018
Brock Osweiler really brought the heat down in Miami. The long-time journeymen and Dolphins’ backup quarterback came out of nowhere replacing the injured Ryan Tannehill last week. The reincarnation of Osweiler shredded the Chicago Bears defense for 380 yards and three touchdowns to give the Dolphins a win. No, I’m serious. With Tannehill’s shoulder injury, Osweiler could be called on again this week to face-off against the Detroit Lions. Please don’t pick him up.
Nothing new here, wideout Adam Thielen had another ho-hum performance posting his sixth straight 100-yard receiving game. The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver became the first player in NFL history to produce five straight 100-yard receiving games two weeks ago. He continued the trend this past week extending it to six.
Meanwhile, Julio Jones still can’t find the end zone, Odell Beckham looks to be slipping outside of the top ten fantasy receivers and Atlanta Falcons bell cow running back Devonta Freeman has been placed on Injured Reserve. We are entering must-win territory here heading into Week 7 and on top of the byes and injuries around the league, teams once again flock to the waiver-wire to fill their voids.
Here’s who you should grab.
New York Jets wide receiver Jermaine Kearse was the primary beneficiary of fellow wideout Quincy Enunwa’s ankle injury last week. Kearse saw a team-high 10 targets, reeling in nine for 94 yards in their Week 6 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Kearse acts as the Jets slot receiver and should see a lot of targets against the Minnesota Vikings. Acting as Sam Darnold’s underneath option, Kearse has a chance to be a PPR monster this week and needs to be picked up. Owned in only one percent of Yahoo leagues, he is a sneaky player with high upside for a team in need.
As mentioned earlier, Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman has been placed on IR. The 26-year-old thumper will undergo groin surgery, causing him to miss a minimum of eight weeks. He’s a candidate to return this season but for fantasy purposes, it’s time to move on. The Falcons have always used a two-back system with Freeman and Tevin Coleman, and now look to maintain that one-two punch with rookie Ito Smith. The former Southern Miss Golden Eagle saw a career-high in carries last week, rushing the ball 11 times for 22 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smith now has three touchdowns in just as many games and his workload is about to get a lot bigger. Don’t expect Smith to take over this backfield, but the Falcons’ high-powered offense has supported two running backs before and he could provide some much needed RB2 value for teams. Owned in only 11 percent of Yahoo leagues, Smith is a must-add with starting upside for the rest of the year.
Wide-receiver Taylor Gabriel of the Chicago Bears has brushed off his slow start after topping 100 yards receiving in each of his past two games. The speedy 27-year-old posted only 89 yards combined in his first three games but seems to have found his rapport with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Gabriel grabbed all five of his targets for 110 yards while adding a nine-yard rush in the Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Dolphins. The preferred deep-threat is owned in only 25 percent of leagues and gets to face a leaky New England Patriots’ secondary Week 7. Plug him into your roster with confidence.
Sometimes you have to swing for the fences. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp will miss some time with a sprained MCL and the next man up just might be Josh Reynolds. Reynolds who was discussed last week is a bit of a dart throw but has a juicy match-up against the San Francisco 49ers. I don’t know about you, but I want a piece of the Rams’ offense.
We are about to reach the halfway point for most fantasy leagues before the Week 14 playoffs and every decision is vital. Some teams need to win out, others hope to make do while their studs nurse injuries and squeak into the playoffs. Whatever the case, making the right choices on the waiver wire and the right start/sit decisions become more important each week. Most importantly have fun, don’t take it too seriously, and enjoy Week 7.
Until next week.