Stars of Week 7

QB: Joe Burrow, CIN: 34-42, 481 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs (plus 1 rushing TD)

RB: Josh Jacobs, LV: 20 carries, 143 yards, 3 TDs

WR: Ja’Marr Chase , CIN: 8 catches, 130 yards, 2 TDs

TE: George Kittle, SF: 6 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD

Joe Burrow goes back-to-back as the top QB performer, as he threw for 3 TDs and rushed for another for the second week in a row, while approaching the 500 yard passing mark. The Bengals have found their stride on offense at just the right time. Stay tuned for another Bengals’ player who also took top honors for the second straight week.

Many fantasy football experts were fading Raiders’ star RB Josh Jacobs in fantasy drafts, with the thought that the incoming Patriots’-rooted regime (i.e. frustrating RB rotations), combined with Jacobs primarily playing on rushing downs the past few years, made him an overvalued asset. Wrong, as we’ve found out. Jacobs has been a clear RB1 this season – enjoy the ride.

We have to go back a full week since the last time we crowned Ja’Marr Chase as the top WR performer of the week. Chase found the end zone twice (same as last week), coming down with 8 receptions for 130 yards. Not much else to say here.

The best tight end performance on National Tight End Day belongs to George Kittle. Very nice to see Kittle finally come to the aid of his fantasy owners, with just under 100 yards receiving and a TD among his 6 receptions. Kittle has underperformed thus far this season, but he remains a must start TE1.

Week 7 Takeaways – A Closer Look

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

- Travis Etienne, RB – JAC: 14 carries, 114 yards, 1 TD

- James Robinson, RB – JAC: No carries – TRADED TO JETS

Analysis: What appeared to be a surprising timeshare early in the season has since shifted to a full fledged takeover of the lead job by Travis Etienne. The second year RB from Clemson played with QB Trevor Lawrence in college, and had the pedigree of both a silky rusher and a capable route runner. Etienne and Robinson split carries fairly evenly through the first trimester of the season, but Week 7 presented a changing of the guard, with Etienne rushing the ball 14 times on 57 snaps, and Robinson failing to log a single carry during his 12 snaps. On Monday, the Jaguars shipped Robinson out to the Jets, which means that Etienne has the gig fully to himself. Etienne has averaged just over 90 yards rushing in each of his last three games, with a YPC just under 8. Those are outstanding numbers, which should only further improve from here on out. You should view Etienne as a weekly must-start, high end RB2 for fantasy purposes, with upside for more. Robinson will likely share the RB duties with Michael Carter in New York, making him someone to continue rostering for now, but seated on your bench. The expectation here is that Carter will lead the committee in New York.

- Gus Edwards, RB – BAL: 16 carries, 66 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis: Welcome back from injury, Gus Edwards! In a backfield full of capable ball carriers (even with JK Dobbins on injured reserve), it was Edwards who stole the show for the Ravens in Week 7. Edwards scored twice while rushing for 66 yards over 16 carries. The Ravens’ split carries among three RBS – Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill to go along with Edwards. Drake rushed only for 5 yards with his 11 carries, while Hill gained 26 yards off 5 carries. Edwards dwarfed his teammates’ production when given his carries. Looking at the snap count, we’ve got relatively close numbers with Edwards at 23, Hill at 20 and Drake at 17. Edwards doesn’t offer much in the passing game, but that’s fine…he should get the majority of carries in goal line situations, to go along with the most carries while Dobbins remains out. Edwards remains available in 57% of leagues – and becomes a must add for Week 8 waivers in each of those leagues. Edwards profiles as a RB2 in standard leagues and RB3/flex in PPR leagues. If you need RB help, make Edwards your top priority.

- D'Onta Foreman, RB – CAR: 15 carries, 118 yards, 0 TDs

- Chuba Hubbard, RB – CAR: 9 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD 

Analysis: With the Carolina Panthers trading star WR Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers, a gigantic opportunity opened up for understudies D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard. The Panthers announced Hubbard as the starter versus the Bucs, but both Hubbard and Foreman played key roles in the team’s rushing attack. Foreman rushed 15 times for 118 yards, while Hubbard only toted the rock 9 times, albeit gaining an impressive 63 yards. While the numbers seem to indicate that Foreman has the brighter fantasy prospects, note that Hubbard missed nearly the entire fourth quarter with injury, resulting in Foreman’s usage bumping up past Hubbard’s. How will things look between these two RBs as we move forward? Consider the situation fluid, with both Foreman and Hubbard continuing to share carries fairly evenly. Prioritizing one over the other, Hubbard gets the nod due to his role as the primary third down back, along with how the Panthers deployed the two RBs prior to Hubbard departing the game. Hubbard outsnapped Foreman 22 to 14 through 3 quarters, with 11 of Foreman’s carries coming in the fourth quarter. As a result, both players should be owned in all but the shallowest of leagues, but make Hubbard the priority.

- Mecole Hardman, WR – KC: 4 catches, 32 yards, 1 TD (2 rushes, 28 yards, 2 TDs)

Analysis: Mecole Hardman’s name surfaced in the 2019 draft as a potential replacement for Tyreek Hill, when Hill’s long term status with the team appeared to be in doubt. Hardman possesses blazing speed just like Hill, but the comparisons ultimately stop there. While Hill ended up staying in Kansas City through 2021, Hardman hasn’t come close to making anyone believe he’s the second coming of Hill. That’s exhibit A as to why you don’t make comparisons to future hall of famers on draft night. Now in his fourth season, Hardman has teased his potential in a few select games each season, only to retreat to the shadows for the majority of the season. Against the 49ers this past Sunday, Hardman scored thrice, once via the air and two on the ground. Is Hardman’s fourth season the one in which he finally becomes a usable weekly fantasy option? Sorry to rain on the parade, but no. Despite Hill’s absence, QB Patrick Mahomes has only targeted Hardman 25 times through 7 games (less than 4x per game), and Hardman’s 28 rushing yards versus the 49ers brings his total for the season to 31. In addition, Hardman has posted 16 receiving yards or less in 3 of his 7 games thus far. So, Hardman’s not receiving the targets, which explains why he’s not producing in the passing game – while also not playing more than an irregular role in the rushing game. You can’t count on this type of player in your lineup. Thus, let someone else pick up Hardman in your league – he’s fools gold.

* All snap count information is referenced through statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case a player 1) who has NOT been featured above, and 2) remains available in more than 50% of leagues.

QB: Daniel Jones, NYG (@ SEA)

RB:  Latavius Murray, DEN (@ JAC)

RB: Kyren Williams, LAR (@ SF) *long-term stash, as Williams currently on IR

WR: Wan’dale Robinson, NYG (@ SEA)

WR: Isaiah McKenzie, BUF (vs GB)

TE: Irv Smith, MIN (vs ARI)

*Bonus: Jets RB Michael Carter is rostered in 67% of leagues, so he’s not included above. But Carter’s the top add at RB in case he’s available in your league.

Personal Note

Thank you for reading my articles on RealGM! I have a request of you – if you enjoy my work, I kindly ask that you consider following me on Twitter if you aren’t already. My Twitter handle is @NeemaHodjatNFL. Your support is very much appreciated.