Fantasy Football: The Things I Learned – Week 7, 2018

By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Follow @walterfootball for updates.

Below, check out my fantasy-centered recaps of key players from this week’s contests. For instance, did a player come back to earth after an aberrant breakout, or were they simply affected by something like game flow?

Chargers 20, Titans 19
Philip Rivers completed 19-of-26 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns for yet another high-efficiency passing game and another game with deep touchdown passes. I guess we’ll need the Chargers to give up a ton of points to see Rivers really get the workload to have a huge game, but 300 yards and two touchdowns will have to do for now!

Melvin Gordon’s hamstring tightened up on him during the 12-hour flight to London, so Austin Ekeler got the start. He played well, but didn’t come close to matching Gordon’s usual output, as he carried the ball 12 times for 42 yards and caught 5-of-7 targets for 26 yards. Ekeler is a change-of-pace back and a good one, but he needs Gordon there to take the brunt of the work.

Keenan Allen led the receivers with five targets, catching all five for 72 yards, and was not happy about his lack of work. He yearns for the 15-target days of old. He’ll see big target numbers again, but when Joey Bosa gets back, this Chargers defense is going to be better and there will likely be fewer games in which they need to score big points to win.

The Titans’ offense actually showed up a bit this week, as Dion Lewis totaled 155 yards, Tajae Sharpe went over 100 yards receiving and Derrick Henry scored his first touchdown of the year. Lewis out-touched Henry 19 to 14, but it probably should have been starker, as Henry totaled 65 yards to Lewis’ 155.

Marcus Mariota completed 24-of-32 passes for 237 yards with a touchdown and an interception, adding 38 yards on seven rushing attempts. He almost brought his team back from the dead, but was unable to convert a two-point conversion for the win. Overall, the offense wasn’t great, as the nice games from the guys I mentioned were the only good individual performances. The Titans still have a way to go.

Panthers 21, Eagles 17
Cam Newton completed 25-of-39 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 49 yards on seven rushing attempts. If you played Newton in fantasy this week, you weren’t feeling so hot about his first-half performance, but he turned it on in the second half and threw both of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the comeback win.

Devin Funchess was the clear target leader this week, and he continues to impress with his ability at the point-of-catch. He’s still not putting up big yardage games, but that’s the way it is in this Panthers offense unfortunately. The good news is that he has three touchdowns over his last four games and should continue to be a touchdown asset.

Christian McCaffrey’s big workloads continue to lessen, as he was coming off a 15-touch game and had 13 this week. We knew he’d have lower touchdown numbers due to Cam Newton’s goal-line prowess, but McCaffrey’s workload appeared to be consistent enough to still like him as a No. 1 running back, especially in PPR leagues. But if he’s not getting his 20 touches a game, he’s going to have trouble living up to RB1 status.

Carson Wentz completed 30-of-37 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns, continuing to put up good fantasy numbers as he picks apart defenses. He hasn’t flashed huge numbers, but that’s because the Eagles’ defense is still at least competent and keeps game close.

Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement split work fairly close, as Smallwood had nine carries for 32 yards and two receptions for five yards, while Clement had eight carries for six yards and two receptions for 16 yards. Neither of them were great, but Smallwood had a couple big plays called back and appeared to be the better of the two. With Josh Adams grabbing four carries for 17 yards, I expect Adams to continue gaining some work on the ground. Overall, this backfield will likely be too crowded for much upside.

Vikings 37, Jets 17
Kirk Cousins completed 25-of-40 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. It was a windy day at The Meadowlands, but Cousins was still able to cobble together an okay start. He should have a better chance of big numbers against the Saints at home next week.

Dalvin Cook was out again with his hamstring injury, and Latavius Murray capitalized for the second straight week, as he totaled 83 yards and two touchdowns on 17 touches. If Cook can’t go next week, Murray gets a tough matchup with the Saints.

Stefon Diggs had 14 targets to lead the team, and caught eight of those, but for just 33 yards! Move over Dolphins’ Jarvis Landry! It’s good to see the targets for Diggs, but with his ability, the Vikings need to get him further down the field.

Sam Darnold was awful. He completed just 17-of-42 passes for 206 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He better hope Khalil Mack is still limited when the Jets take on the Bears next week.

Bilal Powell left this game early with a neck injury. Isaiah Crowell didn’t do much with the increased reps, but he would see a fantasy boost if Powell were to have any long-term time off.

Chris Herndon was the best Jets fantasy player this week, catching 4-of-7 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown, his second in two games. He’ll be a worthy pickup for those looking for tight end help.

Texans 20, Jaguars 7
Deshaun Watson completed 12-of-24 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown and rushed seven times for 13 yards. His chest injury is real, and the Texans used their defense and the running game to win this one. Until Watson is fully recovered, we’ll need to lower expectations.

Lamar Miller rushed 22 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in what is one of the more insane lines we’ll see this week. Miller hadn’t topped 67 yards since Week 2, and the thought of him doing it against the Jaguars seemed insane, but here we are. There’s no doubt this Jacksonville defense is out of sorts at the moment, and teams should be able to take advantage for the time being.

Keke Coutee reaggravated his hamstring injury, so we can’t count on him being a full-go for a while. But Will Fuller seems to have healed up, as he caught 6-of-8 targets for 68 yards to lead the team. With Coutee out, Fuller will also see extra work moving forward.

Blake Bortles was awful yet again, completing 6-of-12 passes for 61 yards while also losing two fumbles. He was replaced by Cody Kessler in the second half, who completed 21-of-30 passes for 156 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Kessler wasn’t great or even that good, but he still was an upgrade on Bortles.

Lions 32, Dolphins 21
Matthew Stafford completed 18-of-22 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Those two touchdowns went to tight end Michael Roberts, who as you know, is not on any fantasy radars and probably shouldn’t be still. The Dolphins’ pass defense is good, and if they can slow down the Lions’ great trio of receivers, that’s an extra feather in their cap.

Kerryon Johnson finally broke out, but was still plagued by LeGarrette Blount getting goal-line carries he in no way deserves! Kerryon rushed 19 times for 158 and added two receptions on three targets for 21 more yards. This could have been happening a while ago, but Matt Patricia is a moron who remembers Blount scoring a million touchdowns for the Patriots when he worked there. Johnson did get one goal-line carry in which he had zero room and was stuffed. On the next play, Blount came in and the sea parted, letting him waltz in. His touchdown had nothing to do with ability. Johnson is by far the better back everywhere on the field. Thankfully, he out-touched Blount 21 to 10, but the Lions are going to be wishing they gave Johnson all the goal-line looks sooner than later.

Brock Osweiler completed 22-of-31 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns, plus looked competent, which is better than Ryan Tannehill. Osweiler is still Osweiler, but there’s no doubt he’s playing better right now. How long that lasts remain to be seen, but Tannehill should be out another week, so Osweiler will get a good matchup against Houston next week to prove himself.

Kenyan Drake rushed six times for 72 yards and a touchdown, and added four receptions for 15 yards, making for his second-best fantasy day of the year. His best day came just two weeks ago, so there is reason for optimism, especially with Frank Gore not doing much against a poor Detroit run defense. Gore still saw more work, so we can’t feel comfortable about Drake’s usage, but he’s proven his ability and will remain a big part of the offense.

Colts 37, Bills 5
Andrew Luck has now thrown for 15 touchdowns over his last four games after putting up four on the hapless Bills on Sunday. He only had 156 yards passing, as the Colts ran the ball with the big lead, but he was amazingly efficient, completing 17-of-23 passes in an afternoon in which the Colts didn’t even punt.

Marlon Mack was the big fantasy prize this week, as he rushed 19 times for 126 yards and a touchdown, plus caught 2-of-3 targets for 33 yards and another touchdown. There’s no doubt that Mack has taken over the lead job and will keep it as long as he is healthy. A game against Oakland next week shouldn’t hurt his ability to keep putting up numbers.

T.Y. Hilton is back, and despite a tough matchup, he caught two touchdown passes. He is set up for a big second half of the season.

Derek Anderson completed 20-of-31 passes for 175 yards with no touchdowns, three interceptions and a lost fumble. He looked like a journeyman quarterback pulled out of his den to play a football game with bad football players.

LeSean McCoy was knocked out of this game with a concussion. Chris Ivory played well in relief, totaling 106 yards on 19 touches and was by far the best offensive player on the team.

Patriots 38, Bears 31
Tom Brady completed 25-of-36 passes for 277 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. This came against a good Bears defense at home, and he now has three strong fantasy games in a row. It was also good to see him put up strong numbers without Rob Gronkowski running free down the seam.

Sony Michel hurt his knee early on in this game, and we have yet to hear the extent of the injury. Without Michel, James White saw an uptick in work and caught two touchdown passes and totaled 97 yards on 19 touches. James will be a high-upside play while Michel is out.

Josh Gordon caught 4-of-7 passes for 100 yards, and appears to be fully entrenched in this New England offense. This is likely just an appetizer to his main course, which should come with a lot of fantasy points.

Mitch Trubisky couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn, as he completed 26-of-50 attempts for 333 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, plus made six rushing attempts for 81 yards and a touchdown. He was no doubt a great runner in this game, but his accuracy was awful and he had the bulk of his completions go to Tarik Cohen and Trey Burton, as they caught 17 passes and the rest of the team combined caught nine.

Burton ended up being the offensive leader in this game, as he caught 9-of-11 targets for 126 yards and a touchdown. He now has four touchdowns over his last five games, but this game was by far his best overall. He will continue to be a must-start every week.

Buccaneers 26, Browns 23
Jameis Winston completed 32-of-52 passes for 365 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, plus lost a fumble. He also rushed 10 times for 55 yards and a touchdown. Winston wasn’t very good in this game, but his rushing ability was a huge reason for Tampa Bay’s win. His decision-making can’t stand up to a full football game, but in good matchups, he’s going to put up points, especially because his defense is going to keep the Bucs from holding big leads.

Peyton Barber’s nice game last week seems to have been an aberration, as he rushed 11 times for 30 yards and didn’t bring in either of his two targets, while Ronald Jones stole a goal-line touchdown from him. Jones wasn’t much better, rushing six times for 13 yards and the touchdown, and catching one pass for 15 yards, but there’s no doubt the Bucs would like to get their rookie going over Barber if he can.

Baker Mayfield completed 23-of-34 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns, adding 43 rushing yards on four carries. These numbers come against a defense that had allowed an average of 366 yards passing and 3.2 touchdowns, so we can’t really say this was a great game for Mayfield, but after an awful first half, he did bring his team back to take the game into overtime. He has yet to show that he can be a fantasy asset.

Nick Chubb rushed 18 times for 80 yards and a touchdown, plus had two uncatchable targets. It’s a good start to his lead-back, job but the lack of receptions will be a deterrent to his fantasy ceiling. He gets a tough run defense in Pittsburgh next week, but there will be easier matchups. He should remain a steady RB2 for fantasy.

Redskins 20, Cowboys 17
Alex Smith completed 14-of-25 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown in a vintage “Smith-ian” game. The Redskins would much rather grind it out with the run game than push Smith to win it for them.

Adrian Peterson was the motor behind Washington’s offense, rushing 24 times for 99 yards. His backup Kapri Bibbs played the Chris Thompson role and caught 4-of-5 targets for 43 yards and a touchdown, but Thompson should be back next week to face the Giants.

Dak Prescott completed 22-of-35 passes for 273 yards and one touchdown, while adding 33 yards and a touchdown on six carries. This was actually one of his better games of the season, as he found Allen Hurns and Michael Gallup for a few chunk plays, relegating Cole Beasley to short passes, while Ezekiel Elliott was stonewalled by Washington’s defensive line.

We still can’t count on any Dallas receiver, but it was good to see Gallup catch 3-of-5 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. He saw his workload go up with Tavon Austin out, but should be ahead of Austin anyway. Hopefully, this game will help get Gallup more involved moving forward.

Rams 39, 49ers 10
Jared Goff completed 18-of-24 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams didn’t need to do much on offense in this game, as the 49ers turned the ball over four times, setting the Rams up on short fields, which they really don’t need. In closer games, Goff will put up better numbers.

Todd Gurley continued his touchdown assault, scoring three touchdowns for the third time this season and raising his total to 14. He only managed 86 total yards, which is a mortal number for a fantasy god like himself, but I think his backers will take it.

C.J. Beathard completed 15-of-27 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble, but he also took seven sacks. Beathard is going to be inconsistent but have games where you wish you’d started him. This wasn’t one of them.

George Kittle was the fantasy star for the 49ers this week, catching 5-of-8 targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t moved into the Kelce/Gronkowski/Ertz tier quite yet, but he is inching his way there.

Matt Breida hurt his ankle again and missed most of this game. Alfred Morris led the way in rushing attempts, but he wasn’t nearly as efficient as Raheem Mostert, who out-touched him on the day, accumulating 78 yards on 11 touches to Morris’ 25 yards on nine touches. This is Mostert’s second strong game in a row. He’s worth a grab off waivers.

Saints 24, Ravens 23
Drew Brees completed 22-of-30 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns on the road against a good Baltimore defense. They aren’t great fantasy numbers, but Brees played well and would have smoked a worse defense no matter where they played the game.

Nobody broke out for the Saints, but Alvin Kamara was the lead back, getting 19 touches to Mark Ingram’s 14. Kamara also put up 75 yards and a touchdown to Ingram’s touchdown-less 42 yards. They aren’t the numbers you were getting with Ingram out of the picture, but that upside is still there as the lead back on a strong offense.

Joe Flacco completed 23-of-39 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. That will do during the bye week, but most weeks, that is not of the top-12 quarterback in today’s NFL. He was off-target plenty in this game and only has three touchdown passes over his last three games. He’ll remain a QB2 for the time being.

John Brown was the big fantasy winner for Baltimore this week, catching 7-of-7 targets for 134 yards and a touchdown. He was out-targeted by Michael Crabtree, but remains the highest upside play of the two.

The Ravens could get nothing going against New Orleans’ stout run defense, but Alex Collins did out-touch Javorius Allen 14 to 6.

Chiefs 45, Bengals 10
Patrick Mahomes completed 28-of-39 passes for 358 yards with four touchdowns, adding four rushes for 45 yards. Just another day at the office for Mahomes, who will remain the No. 1 fantasy quarterback through seven weeks.

Kareem Hunt has come on strong of late, as he has eight touchdowns over his last five games. This week, he found the end zone three times and made Bengals defenders look silly all game. He gets a juicy matchup with the Broncos in Kansas City next week.

Andy Dalton completed 15-of-29 passes for 148 yards with a touchdown and an interception returned for a touchdown. This comes against a poor Kansas City pass defense and reminds us that Dalton can be awful at times. He should be able to bounce back against Tampa Bay at home next week. At least my DFS teams will probably hope so.

Of Dalton’s 148 yards passing, 117 of those went to A.J. Green on seven receptions, which he caught from a hefty 14 targets. That’s just Green being Green, but the rest of the offense couldn’t sustain drives and Green was slowed down for just one reception in the second half.

For more thoughts, check out Walt’s updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

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