RealTime DFS Strategy: Week 7

Fri Oct 17 10:32am ET
By MIKE BARNER
Contributing Writer

Only two teams will be on a bye during Week 7, but it’s two big ones in the Bills and Ravens. Among the top matchups will be when the Lions host the Buccaneers. Let’s highlight some players to consider at each position for your DFS lineups, as well as a few to possibly avoid.

Quarterbacks

Jayden Daniels, WAS at DAL ($6,900): Despite losing a costly fumble against the Bears last week, Daniels had a productive fantasy game. He threw for 211 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing 10 times for 52 yards. He has posted at least seven carries in every game this season, which has helped him rush for at least 39 yards three times. Week 7 comes with a great matchup against the Cowboys, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.

Justin Fields, NYJ vs. CAR ($5,700): Fields might not be a popular DFS option this week. He bombed against the Broncos on Sunday, finishing with just 45 passing yards. Through five games, he has just four touchdown passes. Another negative for him is that his star wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) is expected to be out. However, that might mean the Jets ask Fields to run the ball even more than usual. His rushing upside makes him an intriguing option versus a Panthers team that has allowed at least 26 points in all three of their road games.

Player to Avoid

Jordan Love, GB at ARI ($6,200): Through six games, the Cardinals have allowed just seven passing touchdowns to go along with their four interceptions. Despite this game being on the road, the Packers are heavy favorites with Kyler Murray (foot) potentially out for the second straight week. If the Packers build up a big lead early, they might not need Love to throw much in the fourth quarter.

Running Backs

Quinshon Jenkins, CLE vs. MIA ($6,000): The Dolphins have allowed 5.60 yards per carry to running backs, which is the second-highest mark in the NFL. Enter Judkins, who has averaged 4.6 yards per carry during his rookie campaign. The Browns have relied heavily on him already, giving him at least 18 carries in three of their last four games. Expect him to be busy again in this stellar matchup.

Kareem Hunt, KC vs. LV ($4,800): Hunt doesn’t rack up a ton of yards on the ground. He has finished with fewer than 35 rushing yards in all but one game this season. However, the Chiefs look his way when they get in close, giving him a total of 11 carries inside the red zone. That has helped him record three touchdowns. The Raiders have allowed an average of 24.8 points per game, so it’s possible that Hunt receives more than one opportunity to make his way into the end zone.

Player to Avoid

Chuba Hubbard, CAR at NYJ ($5,800): The good news is that Hubbard (calf) has returned to practice in a limited fashion after missing the last two weeks. However, even if he is cleared to return in Week 7, he might have lost his leading role. Rico Dowdle has dominated in his absence, rushing 53 times for 389 yards and one touchdown. He also caught seven of nine targets for 84 yards and one touchdown.

Wide Receivers

Rashee Rice, KC vs. LV ($5,600): Rice will make his return after sitting out the first six games of the season because of a suspension. He only played three full games last year before suffering a season-ending injury, but still finished with 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He should be the top wide receiver for the Chiefs right away, so take advantage of him having a discounted salary while you can.

Sterling Shepard, TB at DET ($4,500): Mike Evans (hamstring) could return for this game, but Chris Godwin (fibula) and Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) are both trending towards being out. That means that Shepard could be in line for an increased workload versus a Lions team that has allowed sixth-highest yards per target to wide receivers. The veteran has averaged 12.7 yards per reception this year, which is on pace to be the second-highest mark of his career.

Player to Avoid

A.J. Brown, PHI at MIN ($5,800): Brown posted six receptions for 80 yards against the Giants last week, but failed to reach the end zone again. He has just one touchdown all season, to go along with four games in which he finished with fewer than 45 receiving yards. The Vikings have allowed just two touchdowns to wide receivers, so this isn’t a favorable matchup for Brown to find his way back into the end zone.

Tight Ends

Dallas Goedert, PHI at MIN ($4,500): Goedert is one of the main reasons why Brown has just one touchdown. Goedert has been given five red zone targets over the last three games, which helped him produce four total touchdowns. After missing Week 2 with an injury, he has posted at least one touchdown in each of the last four games. The Vikings have allowed 6.2 receptions per game to tight ends, so Goedert has the potential to produce another valuable stat line.

Chig Okonkwo, TEN vs. NE ($3,300): Calvin Ridley went down with a hamstring injury against the Raiders last week. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, which means that he might be forced to miss at least one game. The Titans don’t have much talent behind him at wide receiver, so they could turn to Okonkwo to fill a larger role. The Patriots have allowed 9.28 yards per target to tight ends, so the potential for more targets could help Okonkwo shine.

Player to Avoid

Kyle Pitts Sr., ATL at SF ($3,800): Coming out of the Falcons’ bye week, Pitts caught three of four targets for 18 yards against the Bills. It was a rough matchup because the Bills have allowed just 14 receptions to tight ends this season. Things might not get much easier for him against the 49ers, who have allowed only 6.18 yards per target to the position.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.

RealTime DFS Strategy: Week 7

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