We’re almost two months through the NFL season, and by this point, everyone should’ve gotten a good read on how strong their team is and which positions of theirs need the most help. If you constantly find yourself looking at one-week rentals at RB and WR because you lack enough quality options to start on a weekly basis, then we’re at the point in the season where you should be looking to acquire a reliable player who could assist you in the long-term. However, if you haven’t yet pulled off that season-saving trade, are in need of another short-term fix until Le’Veon Bell comes back, or are just singing the bye-week blues along with the rest of us, our featured pundits have arrived to advise everyone on their top sleeper starts for Week 7 in addition to which studs people should exercise caution with.
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Q1. Who is a player outside of our top 100 flex rankings that is a deep sleeper start and why do you think he has upside this week?
Anthony Miller (WR – CHI)
“Miller is an intriguing upside play, currently ranked at 124 by ECR. He’ll face a New England defense that just gave up 40 points to an Andy Reid offense. Matt Nagy isn’t Reid and Mitchell Trubisky isn’t Patrick Mahomes, but the Bears are still capable of exploiting New England’s weaknesses. Allen Robinson just missed a practice and while Taylor Gabriel is gaining traction, Miller is the player that they look to over the top. He’d have had two scores last week had he not whiffed on a long pass, and he has scored in two of his last three.”
– Jon Collins (Fantasy Sports LR)
“Why not look at Anthony Miller this week? The Bears drafted him for situations like this. While Robinson is matched-up with Stephon Gilmore and Taylor Gabriel with Jason McCourty (who has blazing speed to match Gabriel), Miller needs to take advantage of his matchup with Jonathan Jones, who has allowed plenty of production to opposing slot receivers.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)
“Chubb deserves more work and he could get it now that Carlos Hyde has been traded. Chubb has averaged 10.8 yards per carry, but has had just 16 carries this season. With a bigger workload this week against the Bucs, he can do some real damage in Week 7.”
– Jeff Paur (RTSports)
Josh Reynolds (WR – LAR)
“The Rams are an offense worth investing in whenever possible, and with Cooper Kupp out this week, Reynolds provides an easy way to get in on the action. Under Sean McVay, this team has been producing three every-week WR2s. Reynolds probably won’t quite match Kupp’s production, but he is a talented player that McVay has talked up before. The matchup with San Francisco isn’t too bad, either, even if he does occasionally have to match up with Richard Sherman.”
– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)
Jermaine Kearse (WR – NYJ)
“Last week, Kearse saw his targets jump to 10 with the injury to Quincy Enunwa. The last three weeks, Kearse has been in on 77 percent of the offensive snaps. Enunwa is still out and Kearse definitely warrants flex consideration.”
– Andrew Ferris (Fantasy Hot Read)
Q2. On the flip side, what player inside the top 40 flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy owners this week?
Mark Ingram (RB – NO)
“Ingram returned from his PED suspension with a huge game. He had a 55-percent snap share and out-touched Kamara by nine. It was a short week, however, and Sean Payton likely gave Kamara some rest. This week, Ingram draws a tough matchup outside in Baltimore. I’d expect him to be a touchdown-dependent play.”
– Andrew Ferris (Fantasy Hot Read)
“Many are high on Mark Ingram after his two-touchdown game fresh off his suspension, but he’s likely to let down in Week 7 against the Ravens. Not only is this game on the road, but the Ravens have yet to allow a top-20 PPR running back this year. If only one member of the Ingram/Kamara dua can get it done, it’s Kamara in this matchup.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Keenan Allen (WR – LAC)
“I’m steering clear of Allen this week. The Titans have allowed just 81 receptions and seven TDs to receivers through six weeks, and as bad as their offense looked against the Ravens, their defense has played consistently well all season. Philip Rivers suddenly has a bevy of targets in his arsenal, and yet we’re still ranking Allen as a PPR WR1. He hasn’t seen the end zone since Week 1 and has had just two of six games over 90 yards.”
– Jon Collins (Fantasy Sports LR)
Michael Crabtree (WR – BAL)
“Crabtree has a fantastic matchup this week, but matchups only go so far. At this stage of his career, he’s simply not in the same class as most of the players surrounding him in the rankings, including teammate John Brown. Crabtree hadn’t topped 66 yards in a game this season until last week, and recency bias aside, that’s who he is: a touchdown-dependent WR3. If you’re ever going to use Crabtree, this is the week, but he’s still a poor bet for top-40 production.”
– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)
Tevin Coleman (RB – ATL)
“Coleman might be starting again, but that doesn’t mean he belongs in your fantasy lineup. Coleman has fewer than 55 rushing yards in five of six games. He averages just 60.8 total yards per game despite starting about half the season. He has not shown much with his chances and is a hard player for fantasy teams to trust — no matter the matchup. Coleman has 17 carries for 50 yards the last two weeks against the Steelers and Bucs (two bad defensive teams).”
– Jeff Paur (RTSports)
Thank you to the experts for giving their sleeper starts and duds for Week 7. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.
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