Studs & Duds Week 7
Welcome back to another weekly studs & duds article. Here I will outline some guys who I think will have great games and others who will disappoint. I am once again putting a WR that plays on Thursday night as a dud. I have got that call wrong 2 times so far, ie A.J. Green and Alshon Jeffery. I have gone 3 straight weeks with getting 7 out of 12 of my picks correct. I am hoping this is the week that breaks past that 7 pick boundary.
Studs:
QB- Jared Goff: Goff has been on fire all season long. He is currently QB9 on the season, and I think he can start to make his way up the rankings this week. I am expecting a huge game against the 49ers. So far this season, the 49ers have given up the 3rd most passing touchdowns in the league. They also only have one interception. Goff is going to have a field day against this defense. The 49ers are also bottom ten in passing yards allowed and fantasy points allowed per game this season. I have Goff ranked as my QB2 this week.
RB- Joe Mixon: Mixon has been terrific since returning from injury. He is also getting more work in the passing game as weeks go by. He had 7 total targets last week, and I'm expecting similar numbers this week. The Chiefs have given up the most PPR points in the league so far this season. They have also given up 9 total touchdowns to the RB position. Sony Michel ran all over them last week, while running for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. The Chiefs have averaged 144 rushing yards allowed in the past 3 games. Mixon could end up as a top 3 scorer this week.
RB- Tarik Cohen: The Bears have recently shifted to using Cohen more and more each week. His snap percentage has continued to increase, while Jordan Howard's has declined. Last game they were at almost a 50-50 split. Cohen has been more than effective in the passing game the past two games, catching 14 passes off of 17 targets. He has had over 100 all purpose yards in each of the past two games. The Bears play the Patriots this week, who have given up the 5th most receiving yards to RB this season. I expect the Bears to be playing from behind most of this game, so Cohen should see a similar work load.
WR- Jarvis Landry: It is going to be a bounce-back week for "Juice". Over the past 4 games he has a total of 8 redzone targets. The Buccaneers have given up the second most touchdowns to the WR position this year. Landry has also seen at least 9 targets in each of his last 4 games. He may see a ton of Brent Grimes this week who has got burned in 2 of the last 3 games. In week 3 he gave up 101 yards and in week 5 he gave up 98 yards. In week 4, his snap count went down significantly. The Buccaneers have been the 2nd worst in PPR points allowed per game to WR this season. Landry will bounce back from his 2 catch performance from last week.
WR- Robert Woods: This offense has been on fire this year. Woods has been a big part of that. The Rams will be without Cooper Kupp in this game, so Woods may get more work than normal. Woods has averaged 101 yards per game in the past 4 games. With Kupp going down last week, he saw 10 total targets. The 49ers have been getting scored on quite a bit by opposing WR. They have given up the 4th most touchdowns so far this season. They are also bottom 10 in fantasy points allowed per game. With no Kupp in this game, Woods should have a field day against this offense.
TE- Austin Hooper: Hooper has been on fire the past two games. He has had 22 total targets and 18 catches. Ryan has relied on him heavily the past few weeks. Hooper has been a top 10 TE recently and he should continue that in week 7. The Falcons may be without Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley in this game. The Giants are a middling defense against the TE, but I think this will be a high scoring game. Hopper should continue his success this week.
DUD-
QB-Deshaun Watson: The Texans offensive line has been awful as of late. Watson has had barely any time to throw the ball. He looks nothing like his rookie year before he tore his ACL. He has thrown an interception in every single game this season. He has also failed to throw for multiple touchdowns in the past 2 games. The Texans face their division rival, the Jaguars this week. They have been top 6 in QB points allowed per game. It is going to be a tough matchup where I think the Jaguars come strong. They got blown out by the Cowboys last week and will be looking to prove they are still the leagues top defense.
RB- Alex Collins: It will yet again be a disappointing week for Alex Collins. His touches have begun to pick up, but he still isn't doing much with them. He is averaging just 45 yards per game this season and has had almost little work in the passing game. I expect the Ravens to have to throw a ton in this game to keep up with Brees and the Saints. So far the Saints have given up a league low 245 yards rushing all year long. They are also top 5 in fantasy points allowed to the RB. Expect a down game from Collins.
RB-Isaiah Crowell: He has been a big boom or bust player so far this season. He will be more of a bust in this game. In 4 of his last 5 games, he has failed to rush for over 45 yards total, but he has 5 total touchdowns on the year. He is touchdown dependant. He has a difficult matchup against the Vikings, who have given up only one rushing touchdown this season. They are also top 10 in fantasy points allowed to the RB. It is going to be another low rushing total game once again for Crowell.
WR- Demaryius Thomas: He has scored in back to back games but that won't be the case this week. He should see a lot of Patrick Peterson in this game. Peterson has played great so far this season, being one of the top CB in the league. Thomas has averaged just over 50 yards a game since week 2. He has only ran over 30 routes in just one game. The way this pass offense has been playing, I just don't see Thomas having a good day.
WR- Will Fuller: Keke Coutee has recently emerged in this offense and has taken a ton of work from Fuller. In weeks 2 & 3, he had 20 total targets. In weeks 4-6, he has seen only 11. He continues to run less routes which is going to limit his production. He is also nursing a hamstring injury that seems to be playing a factor on how he is playing. He gets a tough Jaguars defense this week who have given up the least amount of points to the WR this season. Fuller has gone back to a boom or bust player, rather than a solid WR2 that we saw him be in weeks 2 and 3.
TE: Trey Burton- His snap percentage has gone down from the beginning of the season, and other than last weeks 22 routes, he has only averaged 8 routes per game in weeks 2-5. That won't translate well for fantasy. Now, he has scored a touchdown in 3 of his last 4 games, but I think he will stay out of the endzone this week. His lack of playing time is killing his fantasy production. If he continues to run so little routes, he is going to become a touchdown dependant TE.