As always, in this space, we journey through some Interesting Tidbits every week to help you with your upcoming lineup decisions. This can include notable recent performances, changes in playing time, historical matchup trends, and so on.
At the very least, maybe we’ll uncover some amusing factoids along the way! So without further ado, let’s see what’s on tap for Week 7 and beyond.
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Adrian Peterson quiets the critics and has an easy schedule moving forward
Well, then. Many, including yours truly, figured that Adrian Peterson’s trade to the Arizona Cardinals would give him an increase in volume as their starter, but that he would otherwise remain a fringe fantasy asset. Instead, Peterson turned around and rushed 26 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In one game, he obliterated the 81 rushing yards (27 carries) he had across four games as a member of the New Orleans Saints.
Now, before you get too excited, it’s worth noting that many of the potential risks still exist for his rest of season value. As expected, Peterson was completely uninvolved in the passing game (zero targets), making him game script dependent, and the offensive line’s play has been questionable throughout this season — although it’s worth noting they performed better last week with key players returning from injury. And while Peterson was miscast in the Saints’ offense, we can’t act like his first four forgettable games never happened.
It’s quite likely this Bucs’ game ends up being his best of the season. Still, the good news is he has some enticing matchups coming up, starting this week in London against the St. Louis Rams, who have allowed the most fantasy points to running backs. In tougher matchups, Peterson could be susceptible to getting phased out of games where the Cardinals fall behind, but with a good game against the Rams, he could prove to be a solid RB2 in the right spots.
If Peterson did it, then why not LeSean McCoy?
In Week 7, the Buffalo Bills face these same Buccaneers at home, so why can’t LeSean McCoy do the same thing as Peterson? On a team lacking receiving weapons — particularly with both Jordan Matthews and Charles Clay out — McCoy is pretty much both the running game and passing game.
He’s averaging nearly 23 touches per contest and received a whopping nine targets in the Bills’ last game. This season, McCoy’s fantasy output has been limited from not hitting paydirt yet, but this looks like a good week for him to finally get on the board.
Amari Cooper had only 28 yards in Week 6, but remains a buy-low candidate
It didn’t get a whole lot better in Week 6 for Amari Cooper, grabbing five-of-six targets for 28 yards. However, it’s sad to say it’s more receptions and yards than he had in the last three weeks combined. If the Cooper owner in your league hadn’t given up on him already, he may have by now.
But despite all of Cooper’s struggles, he still rarely leaves the field, and he’s averaging 7.4 targets per game in Derek Carr’s starts. The Oakland Raiders’ schedule isn’t the greatest, but some potential cupcakes against the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots loom on the horizon. Cooper is one of just nine players in NFL history to begin his career with two 1,000 yard seasons — that guy has to emerge at some point this season.
The touchdowns will come for Julio Jones
It’s hard to believe Julio Jones has gone five games without a touchdown. Then again, it’s not hard to fathom why when you learn he’s had all of two red zone targets this season. He’s also averaging just 7.4 targets per game, a far cry from the 9.2 targets per game he averaged last year.
It’s absurd to think that one of the best wide receivers in the league could be getting so little usage, but luckily, his own coach agrees. While we always need to take what coaches say with a grain of salt, a loss to the lowly Miami Dolphins at home is a pretty good reason to reevaluate things. Similar to the Cooper situation, the Jones who averaged over 100 yards per game across the previous four years (50 games) hasn’t suddenly disappeared.
On deck for Jones is a spot against a Patriots’ defense that just allowed Josh McCown to throw for 354 yards. This could finally be the week we see him rack up the yards, and maybe even get that elusive touchdown.
Evan Engram is who we thought he was
Even the most die-hard of New York Giants fans probably didn’t expect the G-Men to beat the Denver Broncos on the road last week. Less surprising, however, was the volume that Evan Engram saw, leading the team with seven targets on his way to five receptions, 82 yards, and a touchdown. He’s now averaging the fourth-most targets per game among tight ends (6.8), and even when Sterling Shepard returns, Engram will remain one of the top pass-catchers in this offense.
Mike Gillislee played just 13 snaps in Week 6
Uh-oh. Mike Gillislee played a season-low 13 snaps (10 carries), and we’ve now gone four straight games without a touchdown. A lost fumble could be partially to blame, but it’s worth noting he was out-snapped by Dion Lewis (29). A woeful Patriots’ defense hasn’t allowed for much clock-killing time this season, which has prevented Gillislee from becoming this year’s LeGarrette Blount.
Worse yet, it’s not like he’s hogging all the red zone looks from Lewis and James White, and this backfield will only get murkier with Rex Burkhead getting healthy soon. In what should be a high-scoring Super Bowl rematch against the Falcons, you can hope the touchdowns finally come Gillislee’s way in deep leagues, but if he can’t get it going in this one it might be the final nail in the coffin. You can also take a shot at stashing Lewis, or even Burkhead, in case someone else finally emerges, but overall it’s hard to trust anyone in this backfield outside of White in PPR leagues.
The Ezekiel Elliott situation is a mess, but hold on to Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden
In an ongoing legal saga that wouldn’t happen in any other major sport but the NFL, in a matter of days we’ve seen Ezekiel Elliott go back to being suspended — causing fantasy footballers to scramble for backups Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden — only for Elliott to now be allowed to play in Week 7 and Week 8. The truth is, we don’t know how this will ultimately play out, but if you picked up Morris or McFadden it’s worth holding onto them. If Elliott’s suspension takes hold again, six games is a good chunk of the season, and keep in mind that if things continue to get pushed back, the suspension could bleed into the fantasy football playoffs.
As for who to pick between Morris and McFadden if they’re still available, you’ll hear differing opinions, but Morris has been the backup all season, while McFadden has remained inactive. This suggests Morris would get the first shot to start.
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Kenyatta Storin is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from Kenyatta, check out his archive and follow him @kenyattastorin.
