Week 7 looks like another week where you will want to consider playing the full week slate so that you can get exposure to the Thursday night, Sunday morning (London), Sunday night and Monday night action. I might play more of the full week slate than normal just so I can use the two RBs that I recommend in this article. Meanwhile, the Sunday main slate could be a difficult one to navigate with just 10 games and missing some high-scoring teams but more on that in my Friday article.
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Thursday Option
David Johnson (ARI – RB): $6,700 vs. DEN
The Denver Broncos have been absolutely shredded by opposing RBs over the last two weeks giving up over 200 yards rushing to Isaiah Crowell and Todd Gurley. While I don’t expect Johnson to continue the streak of 200-yard rushers against the Broncos, he should get plenty of volume as he has had at least 20 touches in each of the last three games. He should also be able to eclipse his season-high in rushing yards which is a pedestrian 71 yards and you know he is getting the ball near the goal line as he has scored four rushing TDs over the last three weeks.
Early Cash Game Core
Carson Wentz (PHI – QB): $6,000 vs. CAR
There are QBs with better matchups on paper than Wentz and Cam Newton ($5,900) who will face each other in Week 7 but I seem to be drawn to the two signal callers when trying to fill the QB slot in cash games right now. It is probably because of the combination of the reasonable salary and high-floor/upside that both QBs have. Newton has scored at least 18 DraftKings points in every game this season, while Wentz has reached 24 DraftKings points in three straight outings. The game also features a fairly close Vegas line as I can see this game going back-and-forth with the two QBs looking to outduel each other as the primary weapon for each offense.
Saquon Barkley (NYG – RB): $8,900 @ ATL
Man, I wish Saquon would be on the Sunday main slate. Why do the Giants have so many primetime games anyway? Oh well, if you want to get a piece of Barkley playing against the Falcons you will need to either play the Week 7 full slate or a small primetime slate with the Giants playing on Monday night. The Falcons are a juicy matchup for Barkley as they rank 31st DVOA against the run according to FootballOutsiders and have allowed a league-high 8.8 receptions for an average of over 70 receiving yards per game to opposing RBs. Barkley should capture all of that volume to go along with his explosive big-play ability.
John Brown (BAL – WR): $5,700 vs. NO
Brown found his way into a lot of my lineups last week and ended up being a complete dud as he was only targeted three times after averaging 10 targets over the previous four weeks. The fact that the Ravens had the game in control had something to do with it but Joe Flacco still had 37 pass attempts, so Brown’s target share was low compared to what he was getting. The game flow could be better for Brown this week to go along with a favorable matchup against the Saints. The Saints rank 32nd DVOA against opposing number one and number two WRs this season and have allowed the most fantasy points to the position. Brown’s salary is still reasonable, and I expect his targets to bump back up to the double-digits this week.
David Njoku (CLE – TE): $4,200 @ TB
Speaking of double-digit targets, Njoku has had 11 and 12 targets come his way over the last two weeks which he has turned into 13 receptions for 124 yards and one score. The ball should continue to come his way on Sunday facing a Buccaneers defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing TEs this season. In a game with one of the highest Vegas totals on the Sunday main slate, it could be a high-scoring affair in Tampa.
Players to Watch
Jermaine Kearse (NYJ – WR): $4,100 vs. MIN
The Jets receiving corps will be without their top target Quincy Enunwa this week after suffering an ankle injury in Week 6. Kearse stepped into Enunwa’s spot in the slot and proceeded to snag 9-of-10 targets for 94 yards against the Colts. While Robbie Anderson gets a tough matchup on the outside against the Vikings Xavier Rhodes, Kearse should roam free underneath as the primary look for rookie QB Sam Darnold. Fellow Jets WR Terrelle Pryor ($3,800) could also be a viable option if he is healthy.
D/ST
A pair of D/ST options should have an increased opportunity for production this week with the Colts D/ST ($3,300) getting to face Bills backup QB Nathan Peterman and the Lions D/ST ($2,400) potentially squaring off against the Dolphins Brock Osweiler. Peterman has been a turnover and sack allowing machine every time he steps on the field and will face a Colts defense that has compiled 19 sacks through six games and will be playing at home as a touchdown favorite. As for the Lions, they have accumulated 17 sacks through five games and are coming off a bye. While Osweiler helped guide the Dolphins to 31 points against the Bears last week, I suspect he will revert to his normal self now that the Lions have a week’s worth of data to see what the Dolphins offense looks like with him under center.
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Brad Richter is a Featured Writer and correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay and GoingFor2. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.
