Week 7 Fantasy Football Studs
Week 7 marks the halfway point for most fantasy football leagues. Whether your playoffs start in Week 14 or 15, there is no time like the present to start gearing your roster up for that playoff push. Take notes of the players that frequent this article series. Find a way to get one or two more of these studs onto your roster and into your starting lineup so that you can bring home a #FootClanTitle. As always, for the full recap, you can dive into today’s podcast or jump to the Studs section on YouTube.
Quarterbacks
Dak Prescott @ SF
234 passing yards, 3 TDs, 26 rushing yards, TD
The Cowboys did whatever they wanted en route to dropping a 40 burger on the 49ers. They were so comfortably in control of this game that turning to their Safety as their Place Kicker was a fun joke as opposed to a stressful disaster.
Derek Carr vs KC
417 passing yards, 3 TDs, 15 rushing yards
Could it be? Is this the end of the Thursday Night Football Curse? We have seen a few solid performances on TNF including this outburst from Carr and the Raiders against a stout Kansas City defense.
Russell Wilson @ NYG
334 passing yards, 3 TDs, 10 rushing yards
With Aaron Rodgers out for the rest of the season, Russell Wilson is the default king of the hail mary TD pass. He threw up an absolute prayer to Paul Richardson that was, of course, completed. If you have followed Wilson’s season trajectory over the past few years, you will recognize this as Wilson turning the corner. He’s a locked in starter going forward.
Abbie Parr/Getty Images
Alex Smith @ OAK
342 passing yards, 3 TDs
I heard some “Alex Smith for MVP” talk. It’s crazy to think that a statement like that is no longer farfetched. Smith is balling out.
Josh McCown @ MIA
209 passing yards, 3 TDs, INT, 1 rushing TD
This past week a fellow Footballers Writer said that McCown is good for one monster game per season. Well, this makes two.
Jameis Winston @ BUF
384 passing yards, 3 TDs, INT
I guess the shoulder is fine.
Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott @ SF
26 carries, 147 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 1 reception, 72 receiving yards, TD
E. Z.
LeSean McCoy vs TB
23 carries, 91 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 5 receptions, 31 receiving yards
The broadcast team in Buffalo mentioned that McCoy hadn’t scored yet this season so many times, it was bound to happen. It did. Twice.
Todd Gurley vs AZ
22 carries, 106 rushing yards, TD, 4 receptions, 48 receiving yards
Gurley saw 30 combined looks in this game. He is the centerpiece of the best scoring offense in the league. If you bought into Gurley early, enjoy.
Aaron Jones vs NO
17 carries, 131 rushing yards, TD, 3 receptions, 7 receiving yards
The situation was ideal for a solid rushing performance. The Packers were starting a backup QB, in the rain, at home, against the Saints atrocious defense. The only problem was that we didn’t know if it would be Montgomery or Jones, or a little of both. Jones seized the opportunity on Sunday and… ran with it. (sorry)
Le’Veon Bell vs CIN
35 carries, 134 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 58 receiving yards
Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are using Bell like they have no conscience. 38 touches in a game is absolutely ludicrous. This is now Bell’s 4th game of the season with 30 or more touches. They are going to run the tread right off this guy before he hits free agency after the season.
Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
T.J. Yeldon @ IND
9 carries, 122 rushing yards, TD, 2 receptions, 15 receiving yards
The fantasy community (and the football community as a whole) scoffed at Doug Marrone when he said the team “loves” T.J. Yeldon. Now we know why. But that still doesn’t explain why a talented back like Yeldon was inactive for the first 6 games of the year.
Mark Ingram @ GB
22 carries, 105 rushing yards, TD, 4 receptions, 5 receiving yards
I guess Sean Payton decided that compared to Adrian Peterson, he doesn’t hate Mark Ingram all that much after all. Ingram is making sweet music in this, now harmonious backfield, perfectly complimented by Alvin Kamara.
Wide Receivers
Amari Cooper vs KC
11 receptions, 210 receiving yards, 2 TDs, 19 targets
Dear Amari Cooper Owner,
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sincerely,
The guy who would’ve benched him too.
Kenny Stills vs NYJ
6 receptions, 85 receiving yards, 2 TDs, 9 targets
Leave it to Buster Skrine to make Kenny Stills look like an unstoppable red-zone weapon. Still, with Matt Moore at the helm for at least the next few weeks, things are looking up for Stills and the rest of the Miami offense.
Jarvis Landry vs NYJ
7 receptions, 93 receiving yards, TD, 11 targets
Landry has always been a solid producer, especially in PPR leagues, but when he scores it is an extra special treat for his owners.
Tyreek Hill vs NYJ
6 receptions, 125 receiving yards, TD, 8 targets
Tyreek Hill is no longer just a gadgety type “playmaker”. He’s developing into a legitimate #1 WR in this offense. As long as Alex Smith keeps slinging the rock, Hill will benefit.
Julio Jones @NE
9 receptions, 99 receiving yards, TD, 13 targets
Hooray! Julio Scored!
Doug Baldwin @ NYG
9 receptions, 92 receiving yards, TD, 12 targets
Like I said with Russell Wilson, the Seahawks offense tends to light up the scoreboard down the stretch. Look for this duo to keep this train rolling.
Mike Evans @ BUF
7 receptions, 88 receiving yards, TD, 10 targets
Somehow this line feels disappointing. When Jameis throws for nearly 400 yards, one can be forgiven for expecting more than 88 going to Evans. I guess we need to get used to Evans not being the only weapon in Tampa.
Ted Ginn Jr. @ GB
7 receptions, 141 receiving yards, 7 targets
Two things here: 1) this might be the first time ever that Ginn caught 100% of his targets in a game and 2) where on Earth is Willie Snead?
Dez Bryant @ SF
7 receptions, 63 receiving yards, TD, 10 targets
To echo my point about Mike Evans: Dallas scored 40 points in this game, how did Dez only have 63 receiving yards? This is madness. No. This is San Francisco.
Tight Ends
O.J. Howard @ BUF
6 receptions, 98 receiving yards, 2 TDs, 6 targets
Generally, rookie TEs are more wait-and-see type prospects in fantasy football. We waited and on Sunday we saw.
Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
Evan Engram vs SEA
6 receptions, 60 receiving yards, TD, 12 targets
If it wasn’t for these rookie TEs coming on, the TE landscape would be bare indeed.
Kickers
Seriously guys. Can we remove kickers from fantasy leagues? Kai Forbath, Chris Boswell, and Greg Zuerlein each outscored Cam Newton and Marcus Mariota, combined.
Defense/Special Teams
Chicago Bears vs CAR
2 TDs, 2 INTs, 1 fumble recovery, 5 sacks, 3 points allowed
Jay Griz’s favorite squad dismantled the Panthers offense led by Rookie DB, Eddie Jackson‘s 2 defensive scores.
San Diego Los Angeles Chargers vs DEN
TD, INT, 2 fumble recoveries, 5 sacks, 0 points allowed
We don’t often see teams get shutout in the NFL, with the way the rules favor offenses and the way teams take advantage of garbage time late in games. However, this wasn’t even the only shutout of the day.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ IND
10 sacks, 0 points allowed
Bonus points for shutting out a home team. If you weren’t already calling this team “Sacks-onville” you should start doing so, immediately.
Honorable Mentions
Tyrod Taylor vs TB
268 passing yards, TD, 53 rushing yards
Drew Brees @ GB
331 passing yards, TD, 2 INTs, 1 rushing TD
Latavius Murray vs BAL
18 carries, 113 rushing yards, TD
Jared Cook vs KC
6 receptions, 107 receiving yards, 7 targets
Jason Witten @ SF
4 receptions, 54 receiving yards, TD, 4 targets