Week 7 Roundup

A-Z FFB
Oct 27, 2020
15 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2020

The fantasy football regular season is half way over... dang. Hopefully you are still in the running for that championship, & hopefully these weekly roundup articles have helped you in one way or another. Whether it was nailing that waiver wire add for the upcoming week, or just for pure entertainment. I spend a good amount of time on these, so hopefully you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them! Let's hop on into it.

I should have saved this GIF for December... but who says I can't use it again?

Injury Update:

There were a lot of late inactives for week 7 that could have some implications heading into week 8. Additionally, it wouldn't be a week of NFL football in 2020 without a major injury to a star player... ugh.

Did Not Play Week 7:

- Michael Thomas - Ankle / Hamstring *

- Aaron Jones - Calf

- Joe Mixon - Foot

- John Brown - Knee

- Austin Hooper - Appendix *

- Jamison Crowder - Groin

Injured in Week 7:

- Odell Beckham Jr. - Knee *

- Diontae Johnson - Ankle *

- Chris Carson - Foot

Deebo Samuel - Ankle

Chris Godwin - Finger *

Andy Dalton - Concussion *

Michael Thomas has been making headlines all season despite playing in only one game so far. Thomas was on track to play in week 5 for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain in week 1. We all know, 'Slant Boy' was benched after a fight in practice. Fast forward to week 7, a hamstring injury was added to Thomas's injury report and there has already been talk that his week 8 availability is in jeopardy.

Austin Hooper has made a few appearances on the 'Sits' segment of the A-Z FFB Podcast, but this is no time for fantasy football talk. Hooper has his appendix removed last Friday. Appendicitis is no joke, but thankfully this is a rather routine procedure & Hooper should make a full recovery. Expect him to miss 1-2 more weeks minimum.

Odell Beckham Jr. was the marquee injury of the weekend. OBJ has not exactly been lighting up the stat sheet, but the Browns were winning games, and OBJ was certainly a reason why. The super-star WR suffered a torn ACL, confirmed by an MRI on Monday. Beckham's season is over.

Diontae Johnson, oh how I wish you would stop showing up in this section of my articles... Diontae was balling out vs. the Titans before exiting the game in the 4th quarter with an apparent ankle injury. Early reports by ESPN's Brooke Pryor indicate that this is a minor injury that should not impact Johnson's week 8 availability. Worth noting, this is Johnson's 3rd different injury this season that has caused him to miss playing time on Sunday's.

Photo: Philip G. Pavely / USA TODAY Sports

Chris Godwin has seen one of the worst strings of luck I can recall when it comes to injuries this season. The start WR has already missed games for: Concussion (x1), Hamstring (x2) & now a broken finger (x1 at least). Godwin has already been ruled OUT for week 8 due to this injury requiring surgery. Hopefully he makes a timely recovery and can return to the field son, as he is heading back to the injury report after his best game of the season.

Photo: thepewterplank.com

Andy Dalton suffered a concussion after a viscous cheap shot on Sunday vs. the Washington Football Team. Dalton attempted to slide down when he was met my a diving WFT defender who connected with Dalton's upper body, the impact bounced Dalton's head off of the turf & he eventually had to be carted off the field. Another massive blow to this Cowboys team that was already struggling.

What I Learned From Week 7:

- The NFC East is pathetically entertaining

The 2-4-1 Eagles sit atop the NFC East currently.. the deciding factor? That week 3 tie vs. the Bengals. This division has been plagued with injuries all season. The Eagles have been without multiple offensive weapons for most of the season. The Washington Football Team may have the most momentum of any team in this division after a 25-3 dismantling of the Cowboys in week 7. WFT's defense is returning to full strength, and they head into their bye week, following that up with a week 9 game vs. the 1-6 Giants. The 2-5 Cowboys likely saw their season crumble when Dak Prescott broke his ankle in week 5. Add in the loss vs. the WFT, it can't get much lower for Dallas. And then there's the Giants... somehow still just 1 game out of the mix at 1-6. Since losing Saquon Barkley in week 2, this team has struggling to gain any traction, literally.. Daniel Jones is out there falling down in the open field. The Giants season can't be summed up any better than that single play.

Photo: 247sports.com

- Speaking of pathetic... Atlanta... Seriously?

It's hard to imagine that scoring a touchdown could be the wrong thing to do, but past Sunday we saw a prime example of that. Todd Gurley accidentally fell into the end zone for his 2nd TD of the day (he probably started himself on his fantasy team..). You could literally see the Lions players celebrating Gurley's TD because this meant that they would get the ball back with 1:04 left on the clock. Turns out, this is all that Matthew Stafford needed to lead a 75 yard TD drive. There was some drama for the PAT, a personal foul resulted in the game winning point-after attempt being a 48 yard kick rather than the standard 33 yard kick, but Matt Prater split the uprights and the Falcons fell to 1-6, losing another game in head scratching fashion.

Photo: Screenshot from NFL Gamepass

- Is Baker Mayfield back?

This is an ambitious headline considering it was just the Bengals, but Baker was out there dealing, even after losing WR Odell Beckham Jr. The sad irony to the OBJ injury is that Odell was injured making a tackle after a Mayfield INT. Mayfield bounced back and ended up with an impressive day, throwing for 297 yards and 5 TD's. His game winning toss to rookie Donavan Peoples-Jones was a gorgeous throw. Baker has a history of going through a cycle of highs and lows, so it will be interesting to see how he follows his week 7 performance up, but this game was definitely noteworthy.

- Cam Newton benched vs. 49ers

The Pats looked straight up bad vs. the 49ers in week 7. The 9ers won with a score of 33-6, the Patriots fall to 2-4, a win/loss record that was never seen by Tom Brady in New England. My tone on the Patriots did change after they signed Cam Newton, but my initial concern was that as great as Bill Belichick is, he can't just fix everything. This team seriously lacks offensive weapons already, and now with Cam struggling, the Pats should feel grateful that the Jets bare the brunt of all of the Jokes in the AFC East.

- The final unbeaten team: The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers vs. Titans game was one of the best of the weekend. A matchup of two unbeaten teams that was decided by just 3 points. The Steelers's WR 1, Diontae Johnson, put on a show. Johnson saw 15 targets, catching 9 passes for 80 yards & 2 TD's. Johnson was a key contributor, especially on 3rd down. He did exit the game with an ankle injury in the 4th quarter, but it is not believed to be serious. A.J. Brown was the source of life for the Titans offense. Brown had another monster day, he caught 6 passes for 153 yards and a score. In the offseason I talked about how I liked the Steelers chance to take this division. As we approach the mid-way point of the season, I am not seeing a team in that division (or the AFC for that matter) who can hang with the Steelers. They are such a complete team and they have legitimate game breakers on both sides of the ball.

- The Packers are fine, and I am happy

This wouldn't be one of my articles if I didn't talk about my favorite team. The Packers followed up a brutal performance vs. the Bucs with a fantastic showing vs. the Texans. Highlighted by WR, Davante Adams putting up a career high 196 yards on 13 receptions. Adams also scored twice. The Packers were without Aaron Jones for this game, but RB Jamaal Williams filled in admirable, recording a RB 4 overall finish on the week. The Packers will look to keep things going in the right direction as they face division rival, Minnesota in week 8.

Photo: sports.yahoo.com

Report Cart:

I did it... I had a good week of calls! Well mostly. There were a couple of misses, but so is life. Just a heads up... Alex and I discuss starts & sits each week on the A-Z FFB Podcast. You can catch the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor & other streaming platforms. Please consider leaving a review, if you leave a 5-star written review you will get a shoutout on the pod! Anyways, let's take a look at my calls from the week.

Starts:

- QB - Matthew Stafford: Prior to week 7, Stafford had not recorded a 300+ yard passing game this season. I did have higher expectations for this game given the matchup vs. Atlanta (31st ranked vs. the pass), however Stafford still had a serviceable week. Not great, just fine.

- RB - Ronald Jones: Here is the downer of the week. Leonard Fournette had to show up and ruin Jones's streak of 3 straight 100+ yard games on the ground. Fournette ended up outscoring Rojo thanks to his 7 targets & 6 receptions. On the bright side, Rojo did find the end zone, and he still managed to finish as a RB 2 on the week. Not what I had hoped for, but that TD certainly saved his fantasy day.

-WR - Terry McLaurin: McLaurin's big day will likely be overshadowed by huge performances by Tyler Lockett & Davante Adams (amongst others), but McLaurin had himself a day vs. Dallas. McLaurin saw double digit targets yet again (11), catching 7 of them for 90 yards and a TD. His TD catch was a thing of beauty. McLaurin currently

ranks as a high end WR 2, if his trajectory continues he could find himself in the top 12 sooner than later.

Photo: si.com

-TE - Darren Waller: Given the state of the Raiders OL, I knew Waller was going to be leaned into heavily. The game was ugly, but Waller recorded 6 catches for 50 yards and a TD. That is good for a top 8 finish amongst TE's on the week.

Sits:

- QB - Jarred Goff: Goff actually faired pretty well vs. one of the leagues best passing defenses. That being said, he still ended the week as a mid-range QB 2 on the week. If you had to start Goff you were probably fine, but if you were relying on Goff to win you your week you were probably disappointed.

- RB - Josh Jacobs: Jacobs's trend of boom or bust continued. Yes, the deck was stacked against him with his entire OL missing the game due to COVID, but Jacobs's disappointing passing game usage continued. For the second time this year, Jacobs failed to finish in the RB 3 territory. Unfortunately, Jacobs is looking more like a 'spot start' than a true stud at the RB position.

Photo: espntuscon.com

- WR - JuJu Smith-Schuster: JuJu just needed Diontae. This really bolsters my quote from a while back, "I'm not going to say Diontae is AB 2.0, but I am not going to NOT say Diontae is AB 2.0". When healthy, Diontae continues to outshine JuJu, but JuJu saw a season high, 14 targets, catching 9 for 85 yards. JuJu failed to find the end zone, this resulted in a low end WR 3 finish, so I stand by the 'sit' call on JuJu.

- TE - George Kittle: It's never easy saying "you should consider sitting the TE 2 on the season". But I did just that, and it turned out to be a good call. Now I am sure that you didn't actually bench Kittle, but the Patriots did successfully neutralize Kittle at the expense of letting Jeff Wilson Jr. run wild on them.

My Score:

Finally. A week of calls that I feel good about. Were they all home runs? Nope, but my process seems to be on the right track. Again, catch my starts & sits along with the 'Why' on the podcast!

Grade: B+

Popped Off | Dropped Off:

This segment may not always feature the highest/lowest scoring players at their respective positions. These are just guys who surprised me and could have continued success. Points referenced are from fantasydata.com, 0.5 PPR scoring

Popped Off:

- QB - Justin Herbert - QB 1 | 38.5 pts.

27/43 passing / 347 yds. / 3 TD | 9 rush att. / 66 yds. / 1 TD

- QB - Joe Burrow - QB 4 | 33.6 pts.

35/47 passing / 406 yds. / 3 TD / 1 INT | 6 rush att. / 34 yds. / 1 TD

- RB - Jeff Wilson Jr. - RB 1 | 31 pts.

Rushing - 17 att. / 112 yds. / 3 TD | Receiving - 2 rec. / 8 yds.

- RB - James Robinson - RB 2 | 29.7 pts.

Rushing - 22 att. / 119 yds. / 1 TD | Receiving - 4 rec. / 18 yds. / 1 TD

- RB - Antonio Gibson - RB 5 | 18.8 pts.

Rushing - 20 att. / 1289 yds. / 1 TD

- WR - Tyler Lockett - WR 1 | 45.5 pts.

20 tgt. / 15 rec. / 200 yds. / 3 TD

- WR - Davante Adams - WR 2 | 38.1 pts.

16 tgt. / 13 rec. / 196 yds. / 2 TD

- WR - Diontae Johnson - WR 3 | 24.5 pts.

15 tgt. / 9 rec. / 80 yds. / 2 TD

- TE - Harrison Bryant - TE 1 | 19.6 pts.

5 tgt. / 4 rec. / 80 yds. / 2 TD

- TE - Rob Gronkowski - TE 2 | 14.7 pts.

8 tgt. / 5 rec. / 62 yds. / 1 TD

***

Dropped Off:

- QB - Josh Allen - QB 19 | 16.4 pts.

30/43 passing / 307 yds. / 0 TD | 11 rush att. / 61 yds.

- QB - Cam Newton - QB 36 | -0.18 pts.

9/15 passing / 60 yds. / 0 TD / 3 INT | 5 rush att. / 19 yds.

- RB - Zeke Elliot - RB 40 | 5.6 pts.

Rushing - 12 att. / 45 yds. / 0 TD | Receiving - 1 rec. / 6 yds.

- RB - Josh Jacobs - RB 41 | 4.6 pts.

Rushing - 10 att. / 17 yds. / 0 TD | Receiving - 3 rec. / 14 yds.

- WR - D.K. Metcalf - WR 74 | 3.3 pts.

5 tgt. / 2 rec. / 23 yds. / 0 TD

- WR - D.J. Chark Jr. - WR 76 | 3.1 pts.

7 tgt. / 1 rec. / 26 yds. / TD

- WR - CeeDee Lamb - WR 102 | 0.1 pts.

5 tgt. / 0 rec. / 0 yds. / 0 TD

- TE - Hunter Henry - TE 29 | 3.8 pts.

7 tgt. / 3 rec. / 23 yds. / 0 TD

- TE - Jonnu Smith - TE 42 | 1.4 pts.

4 tgt. / 1 rec. / 9 yds. / 0 TD

The Waiver Wire:

Quarterback:

Tua Tagovailoa - QB, Dolphins - 29% Rostered

Tua being on bye last week appears to have granted an extra opportunity to grab the newly dubbed starter off of the waiver wire. On the podcast I mentioned, if Fitzpatrick can make this offense go, Tua should be in a prime spot to step in and shine. They have plenty of offensive weapons, and if Tua is as advertised, he should be a viable starting QB week in & week out. I am personally not starting Tua in any of my leagues for his first start, but I would advise holding him on your bench for a week if you are able to do so.

Beyond that...

It's not looking good out there for QB... Hopefully you have a start-able QB on your roster already. If not, just close your eyes and hope for the best.

Running Back:

Chase Edmunds - RB, Cardinals - 64% Rostered

With the news of Kenyan Drake's sprained ankle, he may be on the mend for a few weeks. We have already seen Edmunds produce, at times outshining Drake even when he is healthy. Edmunds is the top priority waiver add this week IF he is still available in your league.

Jamycal Hasty - RB, 49ers - 22% Rostered

Jamycal Hasty generated quite a bit of buzz during 49ers camp. The UDFA out of Baylor is a bit undersized, but once I saw that he signed with San Francisco he became one of my favorite late round dynasty startup picks out there. We all know that Kyle Shanahan can make a star out of anyone at the RB position, look at what Jeff Wilson Jr. did last week... Hasty has seen 9 carries in each of the past two games, & now the 49ers are down to just him and Jerrick McKinnon as they head into a juicy matchup vs. the Seattle Seahawks.

Photo: nbcsports.com

La'Mical Perine - RB, Jets - 17% Rostered

This is the Jets, so temper expectations, but La'Mical Perine does offer some FLEX potential if you are in a pinch at RB. In week 7, Perine handled 11 carries for 39 yards and even found the endzone on an impressive run. Perine is also targeted out of the backfield, so a nice safety valve for whoever his QB will be, who the hell even knows about the Jets anymore.

DeeJay Dallas - RB, Seahawks - 1% Rosterd

DeeJay Dallas is another deeper play if you really want to go digging for gold. Chris Carson & Carlos Hyde are both dealing with injuries, this leaves a door open for the rookie 4th round pick out of Miami to step up. I have liked DeeJay Dallas for quite some time (I wrote about him in one of my very first articles, Dynasty Superflex Startup). Dallas is an elusive runner who also has excellent hands, I think he is just waiting on an opportunity to show out. His time may very well be coming vs. the 49ers. DeeJay Dallas could be in for some serious volume in week 8.

Photo: nbcsports.com

Wide Receiver:

Brandon Aiyuk - WR, 49ers - 50% Rostered

With Deebo Samuel suffering another injury (#2020), Aiyuk should see another uptick in volume. Aiyuk burst onto the scene in week 2 and he has been surprisingly consistent despite up & down QB play throughout the season. His upcoming matchup vs. Seattle has 'Start of the Week' written all over it, so you will definitely want to check and see if he is available in your leagues. 50% rostered (Yahoo) is far too low for the WR 36 on the season.

Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Jalen Reagor - WR, Eagels - 14% Rostered

I know it is a hard part of the fantasy season to hold guys on your bench, but if you have deeper benches, Jalen Reagor is near the top of my list of guys I would be stashing. The Eagles are desperate for pass catchers, and once the rookie 1st rounder is back on the field, you can bet that the team will be looking to get him involved. Reagor is a big play waiting to happen which is just what this Eagles offense needs to get things back on track in Philly.

Photo: Getty Images

Marquez Callaway - WR, Saints - 1% Rostered

So it is looking like we may not see 'Slant Guard Mike' for a while. This makes UDFA, Marquez Calloway an interesting deeper play if you are desperate. Calloway was tied for a team high 8 receptions (10 targets) in week 7 vs. the Panthers. His next game is vs. the Bears, so a tough matchup... but his usage is certainly encouraging in his first game with a 70+% snap share.

Browns WR's: Rashard Higgins (4%) & Donovan Peoples-Jones (0%)

After losing OBJ for the rest of the season (ACL), the Browns are going to need one of these two guys to really step up. Higgins is in his 5th year as a NFL WR, and QB Baker Mayfield has expressed his love for Higgins multiple times. Now a door may be open for Higgins to make an impact on Sundays. In week 6, Higgins caught all 6 of his targets for 110 yards.

On the other hand you have rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones. DPJ is an athletic marvel who lit up the combine, but production concerns coming out of Michigan plummeted his draft stock, allowing the Browns to scoop him in the 6th round. The past few weeks, DPJ has primarily been contributing on special teams, but in week 7 with the game on the line, DPJ caught the game winning TD on an impressive throw and catch.

I think Higgins has the advantage here, he has more experience & an established connection with Baker, but I definitely see the intrigue with DPJ, and it wouldn't be a huge shock to me if he comes out and makes his presence known in the coming weeks.

Tight End:

Harrison Bryant - TE, Browns - 1% Rostered

Rookie, Harrison Bryant certainly rose to the occasion with starting TE, Austin Hooper, missing time due to appendicitis. Bryant hauled in 2 TD's in week 7, helping propel the Browns to their win over the Bengals. Hooper is expected to miss more time as he recovers, this makes Bryant (& even David Njoku, who also scored) viable streamers at the TE position.

Trey Burton - TE, Colts - 21% Rostered

So, do we remember the 2018 Trey Burton hype? I do, because I was also bought in. Burton looked like an emerging star in Philly. As he left in pursuit of an opportunity to be 'the guy' in Chicago, it just never panned out. After fighting off early injuries, Burton appears to be hitting some sort of stride in Indy. Worth noting that HC, Frank Reich, was also behind Burton's usage back in Philly. It has been a carousel of TE's in Indy throughout the year, but knowing the Reich / Burton connection is there from years past may bode well for Trey Burton as the year goes on.

I hope you enjoyed this article! Haven't missed one yet, so that is good haha. It would be DOPE if you could give me a follow on Twitter, @ZackFFB & @AtoZffb. Also please subscribe to our podcast! I know there are a billion fantasy football podcasts out there, but Alex & I have been working hard to provide some awesome analysis for you this season. The links are right HERE... follow along wherever you listen to your podcasts!