RADIO
We are headed into Week 7. With six games in the books, we now have a large enough sample size to have a good depiction of how these players are being implemented in their offenses. The larger the sample of games, the easier it is to project which players we can count on to insert into our fantasy lineups each week.
On the contrary, as the weeks pass, there are more opportunities for players to reverse their progress and start bombing in our fantasy lineups. Things can change quickly. Keeping your ear to the ground to what’s happening around the league could give you the inside track to what to expect from some of the players on your fantasy teams.
Players tend to cast a warning signal when things are about to turn south. It could be a decrease in usage, an injury, or even a coaching change. Somewhere down the line, there’s an event taking place impacting the player’s output. As we jump into a new slate of games, let’s take a look at some players who could potentially provide a negative impact on our fantasy teams.
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Quarterback Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 7?
Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos
From a fantasy football sense, Bridgewater didn’t have a horrible performance against the Raiders in Week 6, passing for 334 yards and three touchdowns. His 18.26 fantasy points were more than enough to keep your fantasy team afloat as long as you don’t have multiple busts in your lineup.
Bridgewater threw three interceptions in this game. The Broncos struggled to put points on the board until the fourth quarter when he was able to connect on two touchdowns to get the game within ten points. The game script fueled his fantasy production as he was able to produce most of his fantasy points while trying to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter.
There was a lot of optimism surrounding Bridgewater during the start of the season. He was looking good and the team was firing on all cylinders. Week 2 is his only QB1 performance of the season. Since then, he has been a volatile QB2 at best. His fantasy production is dictated by the game script. If the game slows down or if the Broncos are nursing a lead, then he’s going to have a bad week in fantasy.
With that being said, it would be wise to monitor his matchup before putting him in your lineup. He has a Thursday Night matchup against the Cleveland Browns this week. Vegas is projecting a low-scoring game due to the 42.5 over/under they booked for the contest. The odds of him delivering QB1 fantasy production are very slim. He does have some favorable matchups later in the season, but for Week 7, he will be best left on the bench.
Running Back Concerns - Fade 'Em for Week 7?
Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
Jacobs has been productive enough to stick around on fantasy rosters, but he hasn’t done enough to make anyone feel comfortable starting him. He has plodded his way to a 3.2 yards per carry average. Missing Weeks 2 and 3 due to an injury doesn’t help matters.
Kenyan Drake has also been siphoning away work, preventing Jacobs from getting a full workload. This has been the expectation since the Raiders signed Drake to a two-year, $11 million contract this past offseason. Nonetheless, this is Jacobs’ backfield to lose, and his anticlimactic play has been very unsettling for fantasy managers.
Injuries have impacted the fantasy landscape and finding a running back who is getting a consistent workload is tough to come by. Jacobs might be the glue keeping some fantasy teams together. Unfortunately, he’s not a player you can confidently insert into your lineup. He’s more like a stopgap to fill the void until you can find a more suitable option off waivers.
Jacobs is a touchdown-dependent running back. We need him to fall into the endzone for him to deliver the return on investment for our fantasy lineups. Touchdowns are fluky and they are hard to predict. The Raiders are three-point favorites this week against the Philadelphia Eagles. Jacobs will be another dice roll in fantasy. Only start him if you have to, but hopefully you have better options at running back.
Wide Receiver Concerns - Fade 'Em for Week 7?
DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith is an obvious downgrade from Russell Wilson. His inability to push the ball downfield is impacting both Metcalf and Lockett’s production. The two players combined caught eight passes for 93 yards last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. When added together, their 17.8 PPR fantasy points made them the WR15 for Week 6. Getting WR2 results from two very talented wide receivers is a big red flag that we can’t ignore.
The Seahawks are naturally a run-heavy team, but we know they want to take some of the load off of Smith's shoulders by emphasizing more on the run. This means there will be fewer targets to spread around in the passing game. Not to mention it will slow down the pace of the game.
Russell Wilson is expected to be out of the lineup until at least Week 10. The team has reached out to Cam Newton, but even with a different quarterback, there could still be a transition process that could negatively impact the offense.
Until we see Wilson back under center, it’s going to be hard to start either Metcalf or Lockett in your fantasy lineups. They are both very talented and have the potential of blowing up on any given week.
The Seahawks will be facing the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night for Week 7. The Saints rank 26th in the league with 30 seconds between offensive plays while in a neutral game script. Vegas has a 43.5 over/under for this contest which implies this could be a low-scoring affair. Fantasy gamers might want to look at other options for their lineup this week. Both players are at risk for another less than optimal fantasy performance.
Tight End Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 7?
Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals
Ertz was just traded to the Cardinals and we are expecting him to make his debut this week. The Cardinals have one of the most explosive offenses in the league with a 55 percent pass rate while in a neutral game script. The marriage of Ertz and the Arizona Cardinals offense seems like a match made in heaven.
Fantasy gamers have to understand there might be a transition process, preventing him from being a key contributor to the team. It might be a few weeks until he’s fully acclimated. Tight end is the most fickle position in fantasy football and it’s hard to find players who can provide consistent production.
The Cardinals will be playing at home against the Houston Texans where they are favored to win by 17.5 points. The over/under is set at 47.5 points which indicates Vegas is thinking the Cardinals are going to score a lot of points in this matchup. Ertz should only be considered a startable option if you want to shoot for upside at tight end and you have no other reliable options to lean on.
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