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6 Interesting Tidbits for Week 7 (Fantasy Football)

6 Interesting Tidbits for Week 7 (Fantasy Football)

Julio Jones didn’t catch a touchdown again (groan), and for those keeping score at home, we’re now up to 182 different players who have caught an NFL touchdown in 2018. At this point, it’s almost as though Jones is trolling everyone, ranking fourth in targets (69), second in receiving yards (707), and first in air yards (1018). Yes, he once again didn’t see any red zone targets in a game where the Falcons scored 34 points — he has three through six weeks — which is particularly frustrating in standard leagues, but as we’ve hammered home in this space all season, the volume is too great for Jones to not get his touchdowns in eventually. Some may be sick of hearing people say he’s going to finally score every week, but he remains a buy in fantasy.

As always, let’s take a look at the surprises, stats, and trends entering Week 7, and how they might affect your fantasy football teams moving forward.

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Josh Gordon sees season-highs in targets (nine) and snap rate (81%) in Week 6

Gordon’s overall production in a 43-40 shootout against Kansas City was ultimately pretty modest (five receptions for 42 yards), but from a usage standpoint, it was by far the most encouraging game he’s had since his trade to the Patriots.

Since joining New England, Gordon’s nine targets and 81% snap rate in Week 6 were by far his best marks yet. He failed to exceed four targets or a 27% snap rate in either of his prior two games, so this is a huge improvement, and a normally mum Bill Belichick even said Gordon’s “role is expanding weekly,” suggesting big things could be in store as Gordon continues to get more comfortable.

If you’ve been stashing Gordon and waiting for the signal to unleash him, we may finally have it. Week 7’s matchup against the Bears doesn’t set up as the best breakout spot, but at the very least Gordon is firmly back in the conversation this week. It’s also worth noting the Bears did just allow 31 points to a Brock Osweiler led Dolphins team, and the over/under is hovering around an appealing 49.5.

Ito Smith out-touches Tevin Coleman 13-11 against Tampa Bay

Previously, we noted the near even touches shared between Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman in Week 5, but with Freeman ruled out with a foot injury last weekend, that left only Coleman and Ito Smith to split the backfield work versus the Bucs.

While many assumed this would mean a big day for Coleman against a lowly Tampa Bay defense, touches were pretty much split down the middle between him and Smith, with both players scoring a touchdown and Smith actually getting the slight edge in touches at 13-11. Coleman still saw the field more — a 57% snap rate compared to Smith’s 46% — but it’s becoming increasingly clear that Smith isn’t going anywhere and has some value when Freeman isn’t playing.

Well, as it turns out, Freeman is heading to the injured reserve, so this will be the new normal for the Falcons’ backfield moving forward. Smith’s yardage totals admittedly haven’t been impressive (3.2 yards per carry), but it might surprise you he leads all three backs in red zone carries (14) and has scored in three straight games. The upside could remain capped in a shared backfield, but his ever-increasing role could potentially mean bigger things down the line with Freeman now out of the picture. The touchdowns should be flowing for the Falcons once again this week at home against the Giants (54 over/under).

Jarvis Landry converts nine targets into just 11 yards in Week 6, but faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week

In Baker Mayfield‘s three starts as the Browns’ quarterback, Jarvis Landry has now seen 29 combined targets, but has only turned that into 114 yards and one touchdown. The volume is still there, but after a promising start to the year with Tyrod Taylor, the usage hasn’t translated to fantasy points with Mayfield.

But if there’s a week to get back on track, it’s this one against the Buccaneers, who have allowed the most passing yards per game (355.6) and points per game (34.6), while ranking last against the pass in DVOA. The Bucs fired defensive coordinator Mike Smith on Monday, but even after tossing the first mate overboard, it will be a tall order to fix a ship with this many leaks.

For whatever disconnect there’s been between Mayfield and Landry, this is the golden matchup to set things right. Landry still leads the team in target market share (29%) and red zone targets (nine) by a sizable margin, and remains seventh overall in targets and tenth in air yards. Better days are ahead.

Tampa Bay quarterbacks have thrown for at least 395 yards and three touchdowns in four of five games

Jameis Winston was widely touted as a streaming option in last week’s matchup against the Falcons, and he sure didn’t disappoint, finishing as the overall QB1 with 395 yards, four touchdowns, and two picks.

While that header would look a tad cleaner if Winston had added just five more yards to his tally to hit 400, it’s an impressive feat that between him and Ryan Fitzpatrick, this duo has lit it up in every game this year except their combined clunker against a tough Bears defense in Week 4. While the quarterbacks have benefited from some plus matchups to garner these results, everything lines up for Winston to continue putting up big fantasy scores.

The Bucs will continue to go to the air often with the aforementioned porous defense forcing this team into high-scoring shootouts, and they’ve also gotten little production from their running game, ranking 31st in rushing yards per game (80.2). The offense has also seen a boost with Todd Monken calling the plays this season, and there’s no shortage of pass-catching weapons, with playmakers like Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson.

The Browns have actually had their moments on defense this season, but they’ve also been skewered in two of the last three games by the Raiders and Chargers, so Winston should be able to keep this high-flying offense rolling. Tampa Bay is a home favorite in another game that features a solid over/under (49.5).

The Indianapolis Colts are allowing 30.0 points a game, but their defense draws the Buffalo Bills this week

Using defenses against the Bills has been a popular, and effective, streaming move this season, but at first glance, the Colts’ D might be one that gives you more pause. After all, over the last three weeks, the Colts have now allowed point totals of 37, 38, and 42 against the Texans, Patriots and Jets, which is hardly a ringing endorsement for a defense. Their 30.0 points allowed per game ranks 30th in the league.

But it’s already being reported that Josh Allen is expected to miss multiple games, meaning either Nathan Peterman or Derek Anderson will be the starter for Buffalo this week. In six NFL appearances, Peterman has been wretched, completing just 44.3% of his passes with three touchdowns to nine interceptions. Although interceptions aren’t considered to be particularly predictive, we’re going to go out on a limb and say an 11.4% interception rate probably isn’t a good thing. Meanwhile, the alternative is Anderson, who has only been with the team since last week. Even with Allen at the helm for most of the snaps, Buffalo has put up a league-worst 12.7 points per game.

The Colts are at home and favored by over a touchdown, which suggests the Bills will need to throw to keep pace, which can only mean more sacks and potential turnovers. And for all their woes on defense, the Colts are tied for third in sacks (19), and rank in the middle of the pack in DVOA (16th).

Jordan Howard plays a season-low 51% of the snaps in Week 6

When Howard only saw 11 carries and one target in Week 4, it initially appeared to be a game-specific plan. The Bears decided to feature receiving back Tarik Cohen against a poor Bucs pass defense, and Cohen would reward them with 174 total yards and a score on 13 rushes and seven receptions off eight targets.

However, while Howard would technically out-touch Cohen in Week 6 against Miami (14-12), Cohen was once again the star, logging five carries and catching 7-of-9 targets for 121 yards and a touchdown. Howard would accumulate 69 yards on his 14 carries and see just one target.

But perhaps the most telling change that this is turning to a trend is how Howard’s snaps have dropped in four straight games (73%, 62%, 54%, 51%), while Cohen’s have gone in the opposite direction (32%, 41%, 48%, 49%). We’re pretty much looking at an even timeshare at this point, and Cohen’s recent results and passing game usage have made him the far more intriguing fantasy back. As the bigger back, Howard should continue to enjoy the advantage in red zone carries (10-4) — even with last week’s goal-line fumble — but overall it doesn’t look like Howard will have the featured role many were hoping for entering the season.

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Kenyatta Storin is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from Kenyatta, check out his archive and follow him @kenyattastorin.

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