Stars of Week 7

QB: Andrew Luck, IND: 27-39, 353 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs       

RB: Jay Ajayi, MIA: 28 carries, 214 yards 1 TD                                                                       

WR: Davante Adams, GB: 13 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs

TE: Rob Gronkowski, NE: 4 catches, 93 yards, 1 TD

Two players go back-to-back for our stars of the week, with one a shocker and the other not. Jay Ajay was largely unrostered in leagues up until a week ago, then became the number one waiver target this past week, and now posts a second consecutive 200 plus yard day. Ajayi has earned the bell cow role for the Dolphins. The team has a bye next week, but Ajayi owners should start him the following week and going forward. As for our non-shocker, congrats to Gronk on another strong day, in what was a relatively quiet day for tight ends. Andrew Luck earns the nod for quarterbacks, sailing past the 300 yard mark and tossing three TDs against a tough Titans’ pass D. Last but not least, Davante Adams had himself a game against the Bears. We’ll take a closer look at Adams below.

Week 7 Takeaways – A Closer Look 

Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Blake Bortles, QB – JAX: 23-43, 246 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Analysis: Blake Bortles had a rookie year to forget, then showed signs of promise last season, his second in the league. While not true in real life, Bortles finished just outside the top 5 for QBs in fantasy football last season. As speculated, much of this was due to the Jaguars having to come from behind in games, rather than Bortles mastering the QB position. Now in year three for Bortles, he has regressed, and the Jaguars have been in an offensive rut for most of the year. Bortles’ struggles are very real, as he battles accuracy issues and throws into very tight coverage more than a QB should. You should view Bortles as a QB2 until he demonstrates significant improvement, which is not likely to come this year.

- Russell Wilson, QB – SEA:  24-37, 225 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs (1 carry, -2 yards)

Analysis: Russell Wilson suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1 against the Dolphins, followed by an MCL sprain on his other leg in Week 3 against the 49ers. Despite Wilson’s proclamations that he’s feeling great, the reality is that Wilson can’t run. That being said, Wilson has developed into a solid pocket passer. Does his ability to throw out of the pocket make up for his lack of mobility? Not from a fantasy perspective. Wilson would be best served with some rest in order to heal up, but that’s not happening. So for those of you who own Wilson, you have to adjust accordingly. That means that Wilson is not a weekly starter, but rather a matchups play until his health returns – whenever that is. The Cardinals are a tough matchup with their stout passing defense. The Seahawks face the Saints next weekend (translation – start Wilson), but for future matchups, you need to evaluate his health and the quality of the opponent to determine if he’s a good start. Check my weekly rankings – I’ll let you know.

- Jeremy Hill, RB - CIN: 9 carries, 168 yards, 1 TD 

Analysis: Jeremy Hill serves as fantasy football’s big tease. Hill sat on the bench in many leagues, only for his owners to miss out on a matchup-altering day. Why was Hill sitting? Well, in his first six games, Hill rushed for 31, 22 97, 71, 12 and 38 yards. So four ineffective days, with two solid performances sandwiched in. Hill’s inconsistency has been an issue since he entered the league. If you sat Hill, don’t beat yourself up – there were legit reasons to do so. If you think Hill has turned the corner and will be a consistent performer going forward, that’s a view that I don’t share. I think you need to be prepared for ups and downs, and whether or not to start him remains a weekly question.

- Spencer Ware, RB – KC:  17 carries, 77 yards, 0 TDs

- Jamaal Charles, RB – KC: 1 carry, 0 yards, 0 TDs 

Analysis: The thought in August was that Spencer Ware would serve as the necessary handcuff for Jamaal Charles, with Charles resuming lead duties upon his return. Well, a few things happened which have thrown a wrench in that thought – Ware has been a stud, and Charles has not fully returned to health, despite playing the last few games. If you drafted Charles, hopefully you’ve got Ware as well, because Ware is the player you’ll want for the rest of the season. Ware’s averaging north of five yards a carry and is on pace for more than 1,300 yards rushing. Folks, that level of production will not be sitting on the bench to accommodate an injury prone Jamaal Charles. I’d give it one more game, but Charles appears to be droppable.

Davante Adams, WR – GB: 13 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis: The Thursday matchup against the Bears was looked at as a potential cure for what ails the Packers’ offense. Whether long ranging fixes were accomplished remains to be seen, but at least for one night, Aaron Rodgers had the Packers’ offense humming again. The main recipient of the air show was none other than forgotten man Davante Adams. Last season Adams was a popular pick for a fantasy sleeper, only to disappoint his owners. Now in the background, Adams has shown signs of taking the next step. Through six games, Adams has 28 catches for 350 yards and 5 TDs. While the TD pace is unlikely to keep up, there’s no reason that Adams can’t cross the thousand yard threshold for the season. Jordy Nelson doesn’t have the same explosiveness from his pre-injury self, and Adams is beginning to mature as a receiver. Adams is a solid flex play, especially with many team bye weeks still to come. But be careful with expectations, as Adams will continue to be inconsistent. Adams has two games where he was targeted three times or less, and as mentioned above, Aaron Rodgers has been up and down this year. Adams is worth a pickup if you need a WR, but don’t go overboard if you have a FAAB budget (ten percent or so seems about right).

Ty Montgomery, WR- GB: 10 catches, 66 yards, 0 TDs (9 carries, 60 yards, 0 TDs)

Analysis: Now let’s take a look at Davante Adams’ teammate, Ty Montgomery. The newest weapon for the Packers, Montgomery is being deployed as a hybrid WR-RB for the team, and he was quite effective against the Bears in his jackknife role. To add to Montgomery’s value, many leagues are granting him RB eligibility – well timed to help amidst bye weeks. With Lacy out for the foreseeable future and Jordy Nelson struggling, look for Montgomery to continue to be featured both as a runner and as a receiver. He’s not likely to find the end zone with regularity, but Montgomery should provide you with a steady diet of points each week. He should be viewed as a WR3/RB3/flex play, with upside to move up from there. 

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues. 

QB: Alex Smith, KC

RB: Devontae Booker, DEN (wrote about him last week, and with CJ Anderson out, last chance to pick him up)

RB: Chris Thompson, WAS

WR: Adam Humphries, TB

WR: Marqise Lee, JAX

TE: Jack Doyle, IND

Week 8 Rankings 

Quarterbacks:

  1. Tom Brady, NE (at BUF)
  2. Matt Ryan, ATL (vs GB)
  3. Aaron Rodgers, GB (at ATL)
  4. Andrew Luck, IND (vs KC)
  5. Drew Brees, NO (vs SEA)
  6. Russell Wilson, SEA (at NO)
  7. Cam Newton, CAR (vs ARZ)
  8. Matthew Stafford, DET (at HOU)
  9. Derek Carr, OAK (at TB)
  10. Jameis Winston, TB (vs OAK)
  11. Andy Dalton, CIN (vs WAS)
  12. Carson Palmer, ARZ (at CAR)
  13. Kirk Cousins, WAS (at CIN)
  14. Dak Prescott, DAL (vs PHI)
  15. Tyrod Taylor, BUF (vs NE)
  16. Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ (at CLE)
  17. Alex Smith, KC (at IND)
  18. Philip Rivers, SD (at DEN)
  19. Sam Bradford, MIN (at CHI)
  20. Josh McCown, CLE (vs NYJ)

Running Backs:

  1. David Johnson, ARZ (at CAR)
  2. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (vs PHI)
  3. Spencer Ware, KC (at IND)
  4. Christine Michael, SEA (at NO)
  5. Devonta Freeman, ATL (vs GB)
  6. Lamar Miller, HOU (vs DET)
  7. Jacquizz Rodgers, TB (vs OAK)
  8. LeGarrette Blount, NE (at BUF)
  9. Matt Forte, NYJ (at CLE)
  10. Melvin Gordon, SD (at DEN)
  11. Devontae Booker, DEN (vs SD)
  12. Frank Gore, IND (vs KC)
  13. Jeremy Hill, CIN (vs WAS)
  14. Mark Ingram, NO (vs SEA)
  15. James White, NE (at BUF)
  16. Giovani Bernard, CIN (vs WAS)
  17. Jonathan Stewart, CAR (vs ARZ)
  18. Latavius Murray, OAK (at TB)
  19. Mike Gillislee, BUF (vs NE)
  20. Isaiah Crowell, CLE (vs NYJ)
  21. Ryan Mathews, PHI (at DAL)
  22. Matt Asiata, MIN (at CHI)
  23. Robert Kelley, WAS (at CIN)
  24. Jordan Howard, CHI (vs MIN)
  25. Chris Thompson, WAS (at CIN)
  26. Duke Johnson, CLE (vs NYJ)
  27. Bilal Powell, NYJ (at CLE)
  28. Darren Sproles, PHI (at DAL)
  29. Zach Zenner, DET (at HOU)
  30. Jamaal Charles, KC (at IND)
  31. DeAndre Washington, OAK (at TB)
  32. Ka'Deem Carey, CHI (vs MIN)
  33. Knile Davis, GB (at ATL)
  34. Justin Forsett, DET (at HOU)
  35. Robert Kelley, WAS (at CIN)
  36. Ronnie Hillman, MIN (at CHI)
  37. Dwayne Washington, DET (at HOU)
  38. Wendell Smallwood, PHI (at DAL)
  39. Alfred Blue, HOU (at DET)
  40. Peyton Barber, TB (vs OAK)

Wide Receivers:

  1. Julio Jones, ATL (vs GB)
  2. Mike Evans, TB (vs OAK)
  3. A.J. Green, CIN (vs WAS)
  4. T.Y. Hilton, IND (vs KC)
  5. Brandon Marshall, NYJ (at CLE)
  6. Amari Cooper, OAK (at TB)
  7. Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ (at CAR)
  8. Doug Baldwin, SEA (at NO)
  9. Michael Crabtree, OAK (at TB)
  10. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (vs DET)
  11. Jordy Nelson, GB (at ATL)
  12. Marvin Jones, DET (at HOU)
  13. Demaryius Thomas, DEN (vs SD)
  14. Brandin Cooks, NO (vs SEA)
  15. Ty Montgomery, GB (at ATL)
  16. Emmanuel Sanders, DEN (vs SD)
  17. Dez Bryant, DAL vs PHI
  18. Kelvin Benjamin, CAR (vs ARZ)
  19. Terrelle Pryor, CLE (vs NYJ)
  20. Devante Adams, GB (at ATL)
  21. Alshon Jeffery, CHI (vs MIN)
  22. Jeremy Maclin, KC (at IND)
  23. Golden Tate, DET (at HOU)
  24. Stefon Diggs, MIN (at CHI)
  25. Julian Edelman, NE (at BUF)
  26. Will Fuller, HOU (vs DET)
  27. Michael Thomas, NO (vs SEA)
  28. Jordan Matthews, PHI (at DAL)
  29. Willie Snead, NO (vs SEA)
  30. Jamison Crowder, WAS (at CIN)
  31. Quincy Enunwa, NYJ (at CLE)
  32. DeSean Jackson, WAS (at CIN)
  33. Tyrell Williams, SD (at DEN)
  34. Donte Moncrief, IND (vs KC)
  35. John Brown, ARZ (at CAR)
  36. Cameron Meredith, CHI (vs MIN)
  37. Cole Beasley, DAL (vs PHI)
  38. Travis Benjamin, SD (at DEN)
  39. Brandon LaFell, CIN (vs WAS)
  40. Tyler Lockett, SEA (at NO)

Tight End:

  1. Rob Gronkowski, NE (at BUF)
  2. Greg Olsen, CAR (vs ARZ)
  3. Jimmy Graham, SEA (at NO)
  4. Travis Kelce, KC (at IND)
  5. Kyle Rudolph, MIN (at CHI)
  6. Jack Doyle, IND (vs KC)
  7. Martellus Bennett, NE (at BUF)
  8. Tyler Eifert, CIN (vs WAS)
  9. Gary Barnidge, CLE (vs NYJ)
  10. C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU (vs DET)
  11. Coby Fleener, NO (vs SEA)
  12. Cameron Brate, TB (vs OAK)
  13. Vernon Davis, WAS (at CIN)
  14. Antonio Gates, SD (at DEN)
  15. Hunter Henry, SD (at DEN)
  16. Zach Miller CHI, (vs MIN)
  17. Jason Witten, DAL (vs PHI)
  18. Charles Clay, BUF (vs NE)
  19. Zach Ertz, PHI (at DAL)
  20. Eric Ebron, DET (at HOU)

Defense/Special Teams:

  1. Minnesota Vikings (at CHI)
  2. Denver Broncos (vs SD)
  3. New York Jets (at CLE)
  4. New England Patriots (at BUF)
  5. Arizona Cardinals (at CAR)
  6. Kansas City Chiefs (at IND)
  7. Seattle Seahawks (at NO)
  8. Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)
  9. Cincinnati Bengals (vs WAS)
  10. Houston Texans (vs DET)
  11. Detroit Lions (at HOU)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (vs PHI)
  13. Carolina Panthers (vs ARZ)
  14. Oakland Raiders (at TB)
  15. Washington Redskins (at CIN)