By Scott Kacsmar
Sunday’s Week 7 NFL slate will not have the Bills, Eagles, or Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson as those four teams are on byes. We are going to have to get a bit more creative without many obvious shootouts this week to build your DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Let’s go over our top choice for QB/RB/TE/WR, tips on which high-priced players to fade or play, and close with multiple flex suggestions.
Quarterback: Joe Burrow (Bengals) vs. Falcons
Joe Burrow may be heating up at the right time after torching the Saints for 300 yards, three touchdowns, and a touchdown run to finish as Week 6’s top fantasy quarterback. He is going to have a chance at another great game because of the matchup at home with Atlanta’s defense.
We know Burrow gets into trouble when he takes sacks, but the Falcons have the worst pressure rate of any defense in 2022, and their eight sacks are the fewest for any team that has yet to have a bye. They lack that dominant edge rusher like a T.J. Watt or Micah Parsons that gave Burrow so many problems in the first two games of the season.
The Falcons are also getting a poor third season out of corner AJ Terrell, their first-round pick in 2020. He has already allowed five touchdown passes and does not have an interception to go along with allowing 12.4 yards per catch. Terrell allowed three touchdowns all of last season.
Burrow is also a more dominant quarterback at home in his career.
- Home: 316.9 yards per game, 8.49 yards per attempt
- Road: 244.8 yards per game, 7.03 yards per attempt
I would take Burrow against Atlanta and stack him with Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins. Chase had the monster game on Sunday and might have found his groove again after taking that short pass for a game-winning touchdown, the first game-winning touchdown drive in the Burrow era for Cincinnati. Maybe Higgins is the right call though with Chase being limited in practice due to a hip injury this week.
Premium Quarterback Advice:
- Fade Lamar Jackson (Ravens) again after he had another two bad turnovers in the fourth quarter, and he threw four picks at home against Cleveland last year.
- Play Dak Prescott (Cowboys) against Detroit in his return game as that defense is terrible and he should be more comfortable with the offensive line settling in and Michael Gallup back. But it is a risky pick better reserved for tournaments rather than cash games.
Running Back: Josh Jacobs (Raiders) vs. Texans
In case you forgot about these teams after their bye week, the Texans are the worst fantasy defense against running backs and Josh Jacobs just set his career high in rushing yards two weeks in a row.
Jacobs had 144 yards and two touchdowns on the ground against Denver in a fantastic game, then he was strong again with 154 yards and a score against the Chiefs. Maybe this running game is the way Josh McDaniels figures out how to get this offense going as the receivers weren’t working out well with Davante Adams being added to the mix.
Jacobs had a bye week to rest up as he runs angry. The Texans have been terrible at tackling, and it is hard to see them drastically improving after the bye. This should be another big game for Jacobs and his salary isn’t even in the top 10 at DraftKings.
Premium Running Back Advice:
- Fade Nick Chubb (Browns) against the Ravens, one of only two teams who have held him under 70 rushing yards per game when playing him multiple times.
- Play Austin Ekeler (Chargers) to bounce back after a disappointing Monday night against Denver with bigger yardage numbers and possibly multiple touchdowns against a weak Seattle defense.
Tight End: Evan Engram (Jaguars) vs. Giants
Has the tight end position gotten so bad that we’re throwing Evan Engram a bone in a revenge game against the Giants? Yes, it has.
But Engram has also gone over 40 yards in his last two games and is still seeking his first touchdown catch of 2022. What better time to do it than against your former team?
The Giants did just allow Mark Andrews to have 107 yards and a touchdown last week, though no one will ever confuse Engram for Andrews. If that was the case, he would still be with the Giants this week instead of Jacksonville.
But with 40 yards and a touchdown, that could be enough to have a top-five week at tight end this year. This is just a cheap way to fit better players on your roster this week.
Premium Tight End Advice:
- Fade Travis Kelce (Chiefs) against the 49ers, because it’s not so much that he will have a bad game, but it is a high price to pay for him to maybe squeeze out 60 yards and no touchdowns. You need the salary for the rest of your roster.
- Play Mark Andrews (Ravens) against Cleveland as he has scored a touchdown in five of the last six meetings with the Browns.
Wide Receiver: Chris Godwin (Buccaneers) vs. Panthers
Tom Brady and Chris Godwin were not always on the same page in Pittsburgh, but Godwin still had 95 yards, easily his season high. Godwin has missed three of the four meetings against Carolina with Brady as his quarterback. He had six catches for 92 yards in the one game he did play.
But this is about the touchdowns. Godwin has gone eight straight games without a touchdown despite catching at least three balls for 24 yards in each of those games. It is the longest streak of his career without a touchdown since he went scoreless in his first 15 games as a rookie in 2017.
If the Buccaneers are going to smash Carolina as expected, it would be nice to see Godwin have his best game in quite some time.
Premium Wide Receiver Advice:
- Fade Michael Pittman (Colts) against Tennessee as he has never stacked 100-yard games in his career, hasn’t found the end zone since Week 1, and the Colts should run the ball more with Jonathan Taylor likely returning.
- Play CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) against Detroit as Dak Prescott hopefully gets into a groove right away with his best receiver against one of the bottom-ranked scoring defenses.
Other Flex Choices:
Jets RB Breece Hall vs. Broncos: The Jets did nothing but throw the ball with Joe Flacco, but with Zach Wilson, they are going to protect him with the running game. In Wilson’s three starts, Hall has gone off with a touchdown in each game and over 100 total yards in the last two games. He’ll get his share of production in this matchup.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel vs. Chiefs: No. 1 receivers continue to tear up the Chiefs, but Samuel is not your typical No. 1 with the way he runs the ball too. That hasn’t been good lately, but this needs to be a game where he is a big-time receiver.
Titans RB Derrick Henry vs. Colts: A good option for cash games, Henry seems to be back on track with 114 yards and a touchdown in Week 4 against the Colts, his sixth 100-yard game against the Colts since 2017. He also had 102 yards and two touchdowns in Week 5 against Washington before enjoying a bye. The Colts were just ripped for 243 yards on the ground by the Jaguars. Henry should produce again in this big AFC South matchup.
