With Cooper Kupp out, Woods should have a nice performance. Photo via LA Rams/Facebook
Week 7 is fast approaching and I have more sleeper plays for you. Let’s take a peek at how I did last week, and then look ahead to this week’s slate of games. My standard for a good fantasy game is around 100 total yards and/or a TD, and this is for PPR scoring. Of course, the bar is a little lower for TEs.
Week 6 Results
RB
Sony Michel (JAX): Right, great game! He was my play of the week.
Aaron Jones (SF): Wrong, he scored but it was overturned.
Alfred Morris (PIT): Wrong! Shanahanigans strike again. The dude didn’t even get a touch and Breida decided to play at the last minute. Let me say this again, I write this on Wednesday or Thursday. Make sure you check who’s active before the games.
Marshawn Lynch (TEN): Wrong, the revenge factor hasn’t been a big theme in 2018 for some reason. Of course, the Raiders were getting destroyed and had to give up on running the ball.
WR
Calvin Ridley (ATL): Wrong, he hurt his ankle and had to leave the game.
Sterling Shepard (NYG): Wrong, bad Eli showed his ugly face.
Julian Edelman (NE): Right, over 60 total yards and a TD.
Emmanuel Sanders (DEN): Right, 7 catches for 115 and a TD. I liked him more than most analyst.
Sammy Watkins (KC): Wrong, all the love went to Hill with three TDs.
Tyler Boyd (CIN): Right, big-ass game! He got in the end zone twice.
TE
Austin Hooper (ATL): Right, he did it again! He’s gone from unusable to a weekly starter in two weeks. That’s how bad TE is.
Cameron Brate (TB): Right, he scored! I didn’t think O.J. Howard would play and Brate still came through.
QB
Jameis Winston (TB): Right, Huge first game back as the starter for Jameis!
Andy Dalton (CIN): Right, 2TDs and no interceptions.
I went 8-5 this week or 8-6 if you count Alfred Morris against me. I said in last week’s article that I liked Morris because of opportunity with Breida out, not for any other reason. Once Breida was active, all bets were off. Still, it was another good week picking sleepers. Let’s take a look at Week 7. These players are in no particular order.
Week 7
RB
Kerryon Johnson (DET): It's a great matchup and I just have a feeling.
David Johnson (ARI): It’s crazy to think Johnson would be in a sleeper article, but he hasn’t been as good as expected this year. Plus, the Broncos have given up two consecutive 200-yard rushing games over the past couple weeks. Yes, 200 yards to Gurley and Crowell.
Frank Gore (MIA): The Lions are allowing over 30FPTS/G to RBs over the last month, so he’s definitely worth a shot with several teams on bye this week.
LeSean McCoy (BUF): This is good week to use McCoy, and I think he makes an impact in the passing game.
WR
Jarvis Landry (CLE): He has a fantastic matchup playing the Bucs who are giving up over 51FPTS/G to the WR position over their last three games. He’s coming off a down week, but at least he was targeted heavily in his poor performance.
Robert Woods (LAR): The 49ers’ secondary is nothing to be afraid of. San Francisco gives up almost 39FPTS/G to the position in their last 5 games, and he should get a bump in targets with Cooper Kupp out.
Marquis Goodwin (KC): The Rams are getting killed by WRs. Over the last month they average giving up over 50FPTS/G to the position. He’s worth a shot this week, for sure.
Julian Edelman (NE): He should continue to produce, and Brady will most likely have to get the ball out against the Bears defense.
Tyler Boyd (CIN): He was great last week, and I think he’s worth using again against the Chiefs underwhelming defense. The Chiefs are the 10th best matchup for WRs this season.
TE
David Njoku (CLE): There’s a reason the Bucs fired their DC. This defense it horrible, and they give up the most points to TEs over the last four games.
Trey Burton (CHI) The Pats have allowed 4 TDs to TEs in the last 5 games, so he’s worth using this week.
QB
Kirk Cousins (TB): Have to love the matchup here with the Jets allowing over 24FPTS/G to the QB position over the last 5 games, and his WRs are great.
Andy Dalton (CIN): He’s a great guy to use this week with so many players on bye, and there should be a lot of points scored here.
That’s all I have for this week. For more fantasy info, make sure you check out my show Moneyline on ESPN 97.5 every Sunday from 10-noon. Jerry Bo and I will get you ready for kickoff and answer any questions you may have. Also, follow us on Twitter.
Good luck in Week 7!
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Expectations
The Texans are favored to win the AFC South for a third straight season with a team led by young stars quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson. Stroud’s strong first two years helped the Texans turn things around and this year they’ll try to reach the playoffs in three straight seasons for the first time in franchise history. Stroud will be directing a new offense led by first-time offensive coordinator Nick Caley, who took over after Bobby Slowik was fired this offseason following Houston’s loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round. General manager Nick Caserio also beefed up the team’s receiving corps, led by Nico Collins, by adding veteran Christian Kirk and drafting Jayden Higgins in the second round and Jaylin Noel in the third. Coach DeMeco Ryans has vowed the offensive line will be better this season after Stroud was sacked 52 times last season, which was second-most in the league. But it’s difficult to see how his protection will be better after they traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil and didn’t make any big moves to replace him. Defensively, Anderson should take another step forward in his second year playing with veteran Danielle Hunter after the third-overall pick in the 2023 draft had 17 sacks combined in his first two seasons. Cornerback Derek Stingley returns to lead a talented young secondary after earning first team AP All-Pro honors last season when he had five interceptions and defended 18 passes.
New faces
OC Nick Caley, WR Jayden Higgins, WR Christian Kirk, WR Jaylin Noel, LT Cam Robinson, RB Nick Chubb, RT Aireontae Ersery, LG Laken Tomlinson, C Jake Andrews.
Key losses
LT Laremy Tunsil, WR John Metchie III, G Kenyon Green, TE Brevin Jordan, CB Eric Murray, WR Robert Woods, CB Kris Boyd.
Strengths
Stroud and Houston’s stacked receiving group should be the stars of the team this season. The 2023 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year has been great in his first two seasons to bring the Texans back into contention after an awful stretch. His interception rate was up last season but he’s looking for improvement this season in Caley’s offense, which he has described as “exciting.” He’ll have plenty of strong targets to throw to, led by Collins, who had a second straight 1,000-yard season last year despite missing five games with injuries. He’ll be joined by Kirk, who should fill in at the slot with Tank Dell likely to miss all season recovering from an injury he suffered in December. Higgins and Noel come to Houston after combining for 2,377 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns last season at Iowa State.
Weaknesses
It’s hard to see how the offensive line will be improved this season with Tunsil gone to Washington. Though he was penalty-prone, he was the team’s most consistent lineman. They completely revamped the line after his trade and return just one starter from last year’s group. They’ll likely rely on rookie Ersery to protect Stroud’s blind side after taking him in the second round of the draft. He started 38 games at left tackle over three seasons at Minnesota. Veteran Tytus Howard returns at right tackle after starting 16 games there last season. The center is Jake Andrews in his first year in Houston and he returns after missing all of last season with an injury before being released by the Patriots. Left guard Laken Tomlinson and right guard Ed Ingram are also new to the team.
Camp development
Houston’s secondary sustained a big blow in camp when safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a leg injury. The injury isn’t season-ending but he is likely to miss significant time. Gardner-Johnson is in his first year in Houston after he was acquired from the Eagles in March in exchange for left guard Kenyon Green. He was expected to be the team’s starting free safety after the Texans lost Eric Murray in free agency to the Jaguars. The Texans will also be without backup Jimmie Ward indefinitely after he was placed on the commissioner exempt list Tuesday as he faces a felony domestic violence charge after a June arrest.
Fantasy player to watch
Collins should have another big year after finishing with more than 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last two seasons. He’s had 15 touchdowns combined in the last two seasons despite missing seven games with injuries.
BetMGM Sportsbook
Win Super Bowl: 35-1.