Fantasy Football Week 7: Underrated Players in PPR Leagues

As Week 7 is upon us, it’s time to review my Week 6 picks – and I will admit this week was not great. There were a number of issues, but the primary source of my struggles rests with the Carolina Panthers.

An offense that had struggled to come to life suddenly blew up against one of the best defenses in the league. Cam Newton had been mediocre thus far – even after his Week 6 explosion he ranks 12th in QB fantasy points. And with all of the running back injuries, I assumed a stout defense would hone in on Kelvin Benjamin and force this team to go to subpar ancillary weapons. Well, that clearly was not the case as Newton finally showed his running prowess and the Panthers exploded for 37 points.

These things happen in fantasy football – sometimes logic doesn’t prevail, you just have to move on to next week.

Performance Breakdown:

* Stats are based on players recommended (compared to options listed to start those players over) and based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Best of the week: Jordan Reed – Reed returned from an injury and put up a very solid 17.2 points, outscoring the opposition by a combined 22.2 points.

Runner-up: Joe Flacco – I didn’t expect five TDs but Flacco’s outing didn’t sway the +/- much due to Tom Brady’s dominate outing against a solid Bills D. Flacco netted a positive 15.3 points combined.

Worst of the week: Roddy White – Two high-flying offenses, two poor pass defenses, and a dome game where the Falcons shine. Well, the Falcons/Bears game didn’t turn into the shootout many of us had expected. The Bears defense rolled the Falcons offense to much surprise and White lost me a total of 22 points.

Runner-up: Keenan Allen – I will admit that I wasn’t sold on this pick given Allen’s struggles this season, but the matchup was right and I figured he would take this opportunity to get on track. We are at the point where Allen gets benched until he proves otherwise. He has had four straight strong matchups, only to perform in one of them. This pick cost me a total of 21.4 points.

Editor’s note: DraftKings is running another Millionaire Maker contest for Week 7: Turn $27 (entry) into $1 Million (top prize).

Looking ahead, here are some underrated options for Week 7:

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks
FantasyPros ECR – 9

Coming off a tough (and surprising) loss to the Cowboys, the ‘Hawks are going to be motivated … and a motivated Seattle team against a bottom eater is going to equal a massacre. I expect Seattle to right the ship this week and in a big way. Wilson should be a large part of that, given the Rams struggles against the pass. St. Louis ranks second to last in pass defense efficiency and Wilson has a good history against them. I believe Wilson will finish as a top-five QB this week.

Consider starting him over:

• Cam Newton – ECR 7
• Drew Brees – ECR 8

Carson Palmer – Arizona Cardinals
FantasyPros ECR – 15

Palmer looked good in his return from injury last week and reports have been positive that he continues to improve. The Raiders rank 29th in pass defense efficiency but have a very respectable rank of 17th-fewest fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. However, a lot of that has to do with opponents using a run-oriented offense in the second half with a big lead. The Raiders offense showed some signs of life against a stout Chargers defense last week, so perhaps the Cardinal offense will need to stay aggressive longer than expected. I like Palmer’s chances of putting up low-end QB1 numbers this week.

Consider starting him over:

• Matt Ryan – ECR 13
• Tony Romo – ECR 12

Running Backs

Reggie Bush – Detroit Lions
FantasyPros ECR – 21

There are slim pickings this week at the RB position as many of the top RBs have solid matchups and the ECR aligns pretty well with my rankings. However, Reggie Bush seems to be underrated this week. Reports say that Bush could have started last week but the Lions were playing it safe with him, so he is expected to be 100% this week. Going against his former team, Bush will look to have a big impact, and don’t think that will be lost on Joe Lombardi – another former Saint. New Orleans is downright bad against the run, especially against RBs catching the ball out of the backfield. With Calvin Johnson likely to miss another game, and the Lions passing game struggles without him, look for Bush to be a focal point of the passing offense.

Consider starting him over:

• Frank Gore – ECR 18
• Ronnie Hillman – ECR 20
• Joique Bell – ECR 16

Jeremy Hill – Cincinnati Bengals
FantasyPros ECR – 31

Hill continues to be involved in the offense and while he plays a complementary role to Giovani Bernard, he has been productive with his limited touches. Hill faces a Colts team that ranks 31st in run defense efficiency and has allowed the ninth-most points to RBs. The Bengals figure to be without A.J. Green again and this offense doesn’t have the firepower to match the Colts if he is out. I expect the Bengals to lean on the run game, taking advantage of the Colts defensive weakness and keeping the ball out of Andrew Luck‘s hands. In the event this game does turn into a high-scoring affair, Hill can be a threat as a receiver. Bernard is the primary passing back, but Hill’s seven catches the past two weeks suggest he may be carving out a more diverse role in this offense, especially with Green on the sidelines.

Consider starting him over:

• Steven Jackson – ECR 30
• Zac Stacy – ECR 29
• Bishop Sankey – ECR 28

Wide Receivers

Cecil Shorts – Jacksonville Jaguars
FantasyPros ECR – 33

Shorts returned from injury in a big way last week posting 10 catches for 103 yards on a massive 16 targets. This wasn’t a case of the Jags being in comeback mode early either, as they were in a tight game against the Titans throughout. Shorts has always had the talent, he just can’t stay healthy. This week against the Browns represents a great matchup, as they are dead last against WR1’s this season. The Jags are always a candidate to get down early and be forced to throw a lot, but even in cases where they stay competitive Shorts can produce, as evidenced last week.

Consider starting him over:

• Eric Decker – ECR 32
• Keenan Allen – ECR 29
• Michael Crabtree – ECR 27
• Roddy White – ECR 25

Michael Floyd – Arizona Cardinals
FantasyPros ECR – 19

Floyd falls into the same line of thinking as Carson Palmer. Oakland has been solid against the pass from the fantasy points against perspective, but their efficiency stats show they are ripe for regression. Floyd is the top downfield threat in a vertically-oriented offense. His struggles to this point in the season were related to Drew Stanton’s inability to throw deep with any level of consistency. With Palmer back and regaining his arm strength, Floyd is a candidate to be a top-flight fantasy WR2 from this point forward. This Raiders defense is ranked 27th in efficiency against opponents WR1’s and make no mistake, Floyd is the Cardinals top WR at this point in Larry Fitzgerald’s career. I like Floyd’s chances to flirt with WR1 numbers this week.

Consider starting him over:

• Julian Edelman – ECR 16
• Kelvin Benjamin – ECR 14

Brandon LaFell – New England Patriots
FantasyPros ECR – 43

Reports for the past few weeks have stated that LaFell is gaining a lot of trust from Brady. He has compiled 26 targets over the past four games and came out in a big way last week. A matchup against a weak Jets secondary shouldn’t slow him down. The Jets give up the 11th-most fantasy points to WR’s, but the kicker here is the distribution of those points. Outside of two big games from Demaryius Thomas and Jordy Nelson, the majority of production has come from the opponents WR2. The Jets rank 29th against WR2’s and a respectable 18th against WR1′s. Brady isn’t the type of QB to force feed anyone, he will take what is given to him. With Edelman the WR1 on this team, LaFell could find himself open early and often.

Consider starting him over:

• Brian Quick – ECR 42
• Marques Colston – ECR 39
• Terrance Williams – ECR 37
• Justin Hunter – ECR 40

Tight Ends

Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals
FantasyPros ECR – 21

Green looks as though he will sit out again this week. And while I expect the Bengals to rely on the ground game, they still need to throw the ball. With Mohamed Sanu operating as the No. 1 WR, he figures to see a lot of Vontae Davis. With no one else of note to throw the ball, Gresham will be the guy by default. He has never lived up to his NFL draft status, but he does have some pass catching chops. Coming off a game where he secured six of seven targets and facing an Indy D that ranks last against the TE position in efficiency, I think Gresham is a very sneaky start this week.

Consider starting him over:

• Heath Miller – ECR 14
• Vernon Davis – ECR 11
• Owen Daniels – ECR 17

Thanks for reading and good luck in Week 7! Follow me on Twitter @rw11687.