Start/Sit for Week 7
Editor’s Note: This is a special guest column to Hail Mary Football by Dan Mattox
It certainly was an ugly Week 6 for fantasy, as well as an ugly Week 6 for Ya Boy’s starts and sits. Yes, I tend to go out on a limb sometimes, as this isn’t your ordinary start/sit column, so occasionally that limb is gonna break and I’m going to land on my face. Unfortunately, sometimes players like Kenyan Drake bust a garbage-time long TD and it skews what otherwise was a borderline good prediction. What are ya gonna do? Start Kenyan Drake every week? Don’t put that evil on me Ricky Bobby! Now lets recap the hits and misses of Week 6!
HITS
Last week’s recommended starts:
QB Matt Ryan - Welcome back Mr. Ryan. 371/4? Thank you very much.
RB Myles Gaskin - 126 total yards? Yea, that’s a hit.
WR Brandin Cooks - 9/68/1. Nice game. Nice call on the resurrected Cooks.
WR Tee Higgins - 6/125. Joe Burrow’s favorite toy did not disappoint.
Last weeks’ recommended sits:
QB Jared Goff - 19 of 38 for 198 and 2 with a pick. If you started him you were likely disappointed, so I’m taking this as a win, since I recommended you sit him.
QB Baker Mayfield. Benched. Bad. Probably wasn’t fully healthy but oh my, what a stinker. [Editor’s note: HC Kevin Stefanski pulled Mayfield due to concern that he was going to further injure his ribs, not due to performance.]
WR Odell Beckham - 2 measly catches for 25 yards.
WR Michael Gallup - Suffered at the hands of prime time Andy Dalton.
WR Tyreek Hill - 3 catches for 60 feet Monday night. Absolute non-factor in that beautiful Buffalo weather.
TE Eric Ebron - Way too many hungry mouths for Big Ben to feed for a touchdown-dependent dude like Ebron to be relevant.
TE Tyler Higbee - 3/56 and proving last years strong finish was fools gold.
MISSES
Last week’s recommended starts:
QB Joe Burrow - Played a very good game and if Tee Higgins crosses the goal line on the deep ball this is a hit. He did not, so it is not.
QB Andy Dalton - Being a lifelong Bengal fan one would think I would know better. Being an Andy Dalton apologist is a thankless job. I’m turning in my two weeks’ notice.
RB Antonio Gibson - This isn’t my fault. Riverboat Ron insists on playing JD McKissic. What are ya gonna do? [Editor’s Note: You’re gonna follow the Weekly Hail Mary recommendations to play McKissic!]
RB Alex Mattison - Baffling stat line in what should have been a smash play game.
WR Mecole Hardman - I think we can officially forget about Hardman until if, or when, Tyreek Hill gets hurt. He simply isn’t viewed by Andy Reid as anything more than Tyreek Hill lite.
TE Dalton Schultz - To quote Sargent Schultz, apparently “I KNOW NOTHING!!”
TE Zach Ertz - This dude has hit the wall. Bad miss.
TE Mo Alie-Cox - Doesn’t count. Apparently Alie-Cox was too hurt to play Sunday.
Last week’s recommended sits:
QB Philip Rivers - 245 yards in one quarter alone. Who saw this? C’mon be honest!
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire - The sloppy track and extra motivation from the Lev Bell signing made a liar out of me. CEH BALLED OUT.
RB Kenyan Drake - Still hate the Drake. Want to chase that fools gold? Be my guest and be prepared to be sad more Sundays than not.
RB Ronald Jones - Is it time to admit this dude might actually be good? I hate the way that sounds too.
TE Rob Gronkowski - Sunday was vintage 2012 in City of Tampa. Supposedly the Fountain of Youth is across the state in St. Augustine, but on Sunday apparently it was in the Bucs’ Gatorade coolers. .
I don’t mind admitting when I’m wrong. Most of us are wrong more than we are right. When I’m wrong, its like Kanye says, I could not be wronger. Let’s move on to Week 7 and see how “righter” I can get.
STARTS
Quarterback
Carson Wentz, Eagles versus Giants. While it hasn’t been pretty, and Rod Tidwell from Jerry McGuire would be a significant upgrade on what he has at receiver, Wentz just scratches and claws and offers a very safe floor if not a somewhat limited ceiling. He wont go bananas but he wont goose you either.
Matt Stafford, Lions @ Falcons. Despite Matt Patricia and his trusty number two pencil trying to regress the forward pass by 5 decades, somehow Stafford gets it done.
Justin Herbert, Chargers versus Jaguars. Herbert boasts a top three arm and the willingness to show it off. He has yet to crack the win column but this is the week and he makes a fantastic streamer.
Running Back
Darrell Henderson, Rams versus Bears. Henderson seems to have wrested the starting job in LA from Cam Akers and Malcolm Brown. The Bears don’t score much, and Henderson should see 15-20 touches and a touchdown.
Kareem Hunt, Browns @ Bengals. I know this looks like low hanging fruit on the surface, but the Bengal run defense has been decent and Hunt has not since getting the gig to himself. I expect Hunt to get back on track against The Who Deys.
Devin Singletary, Bills @ Jets. If Singletary can’t get it done against Team Gase, then its time to move on. I believe he steps up.
Wide Receiver
Henry Ruggs, Raiders versus Buccaneers. Coming off a bye and fully healthy, Ruggs is a great play. Yes, Tampa is very good on defense, but they have no one that can run with Ruggs. He may only get 3-5 targets, but that’s all he needs.
Tim Patrick, Broncos versus Chiefs. I may be a little late to the party since Patrick has posted back to back hundred yard games, but this dude is like a slightly smaller Courtland Sutton. Scary right?
Josh Reynolds, Rams versus Bears. The ultimate lottery ticket. Actually more like a discarded racing slip, but he saw a tie for his season high in targets and he got his first touchdown against the 49ers. Chicago’s defense is good, but Reynolds is as good a bet as any to find the end zone.
Tight End
TJ Hockenson, Lions @ Falcons. Quietly a top ten tight end. Should be plenty of targets to go around In Stafford’s return to Georgia, where he played his college ball.
Bobby Tonyan, Packers @ Texans. Houston’s defense is amazingly bad and Aaron Rodgers is stinging from the beating he received in Week 6. A lack of competition for targets (MVS, really?) should net Bobby T a nice fantasy day.
Dawson Knox, Bills versus Jets. Josh Allen’s recent struggles with accuracy should equate to some shorter, higher percentage passes. Knox could benefit from some dink and dunk.
SITS
Quarterback
Ryan Tannehill, Titans versus Steelers. While I think the Steelers are beatable on the back end, I’m not expecting the Titans to take many chances down the field. Unleash King Henry, throw 25 times, and play small ball.
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers @ Patriots. The 49ers find themselves in the unenviable position of facing a struggling Patriot team that many have written off. Have we seen this movie before? Stay away from handsome Jimmy G.
Kyler Murray, Cardinals versus Seahawks. Seattle’s defense is hot garbage and the Cards are coming off a big win against Dallas, but did anyone else notice Murray couldn’t hit the water from a boat? I’m betting Pete Carroll did. Put down Murray for under 200 passing yards against the Sea Chickens.
Running Back
Josh Kelley, Chargers versus Jaguars. The Jaguars’ defense is bad and this should be a smash spot for the rookie, but he has looked slow and indecisive. What’s more, he appears to be running second fiddle to Justin Jackson. Fade the rookie until his role becomes more defined.
Jerick McKinnon, 49ers @ Patriots. With the Raheem Mostert injury, the temptation might be to roll with Jet. Cool your jets. He was out-touched by someone named JaMycal Hasty after Mostert went out. McKinnon has a role as a pass catcher but he isn’t a 15-20 carry banger.
Boston Scott, Eagles versus Giants. I recommended Scott earlier this season and he rewarded me how? Well, he didn’t. Keep the scatback down against a respectable Giants front.
Wide Receiver
Cooper Kupp, Rams versus Bears. Kupp has been boom or bust this year. If he doesn’t find the end zone, he is a disappointment. The Bears boast a very good defense. Keep Kupp in the cupboard Monday night.
Tee Higgins, Bengals versus Browns. I love Higgins, but my feeling is AJ Green is on the verge of a monster game. Higgins is a flex against the Browns.
Amari Cooper, Cowboys @ Football Team. Cooper saved his week with a garbage time touchdown against the Cards. But Washington can bring some pressure, which will force Andy Dalton to focus on dump offs and the slot. (Have you ever seen Andy Dalton under pressure? It’s not pretty.)
Tight End
Jimmy Graham, Bears @ Rams. Jimmy Grandpa against a stout Rams front? Ill pass, thanks anyway.
Austin Hooper, Browns @ Bengals. Despite the Bengals’ long and storied history of being destroyed by tight ends, they have a stable of young linebackers that can run. Yes the Bengals were embarrassed by Trey Burton, but Hooper will find a much better prepared Bengal defense.
Here we go again! Another week of fantasy goodness, and badness. Hopefully more goodness on my part, but as usual start your studs, listen to your gut and enjoy!