Fantasy Football: Week 7 Sunday Superlatives
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
The seventh Sunday of the NFL season saw seven road teams come away with hard-fought victories. We witnessed a day where three quarterbacks threw for four TDs and one threw five. Ten wide receivers gained 100-plus yards receiving, and six running backs eclipsed the century mark in rushing.
Owners happily welcomed back New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley, while several vital fantasy stars went down with injuries.
Let's take a look back at the week that was.
Welcome Back Party
Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants
Fantasy owners welcomed back one of the best players in fantasy football for the first time since Week 3. Barkley rewarded his owners with 17 PPR points, gaining 80 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Fantasy owners will be looking forward to employing one of the most significant difference-makers in the NFL next Sunday when the Giants head to Detroit to take on the Lions. Owners will be hoping Barkley rounds back into “full form” just in time to take on a Lions defense that just allowed Dalvin Cook to rush for 142 yards and two scores on Sunday.
Surprise of the Week
Corey Davis, WR, Titans
Davis posted fewer than eight PPR fantasy points in five of the season’s first six games. In Week 7, he busted out for a season-high six receptions en route to 20 PPR fantasy points against the Chargers. Davis has been off the fantasy radar for nearly the entire season, leading the third-year wideout to be owned in less than 30% of leagues. My guess is that should change this week, as many owners will look to claim Davis off waivers after he displayed chemistry with new starter Ryan Tannehill that he lacked with Marcus Mariota.
Biggest Busts
David Johnson, RB, Cardinals
Johnson destroyed his fantasy owners on Sunday when he shockingly carried the ball just one time for two yards against the Giants. Johnson started the game, but then inexplicably took a back seat to fellow running back Chase Edmonds. Arizona team officials stated after the game that Johnson had not re-injured his ankle but instead was just not part of the game plan against New York. Johnson, who had posted 18-plus PPR fantasy points in five of six games, will now be difficult for owners to trust. On top of that, the Cardinals have a brutal matchup in Week 8 against a stout New Orleans Saints run defense.
Kenny Golladay, WR, Lions
Golladay owners were left frustrated on Sunday as the star wide receiver caught just one ball for 21 yards against the Vikings. Golladay's performance was even more shocking considering QB Matthew Stafford threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns. However, all four of Stafford's touchdown passes went to fellow wideout Marvin Jones. The third-year star wide receiver had been great in recent weeks, grabbing 10 passes for 188 yards and two scores in Weeks 5 and 6. Fantasy owners can look forward to Golladay bouncing back in Week 8 when he gets a plus-matchup at home against a struggling Giants secondary.
Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons
Ryan was absolutely dreadful against the Rams, throwing for a paltry 159 yards and accounting for three turnovers with no touchdowns. He will also be heading for an MRI Monday on his ailing ankle. Ryan was forced from Sunday's game in the fourth quarter, but not before disappointing his owners with just 7.15 fantasy points in the SI Fantasy Football World Championships. Ryan was a huge fantasy bust with such high expectations this past Sunday.
Top Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
Rodgers was superb on Sunday at home against the Raiders, throwing for 429 yards and five touchdowns. He added another touchdown on the ground for good measure, en route to a league high 48.05 fantasy points. Rodgers, who has now thrown for 400-plus yards twice in his last four games—with nine touchdowns—will look to continue his torrid play Sunday Night at Arrowhead when the Packers take on the Chiefs.
Top Running Back
Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings
The third-year back was outstanding in Week 7 vs. Detroit, rushing for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Cook has now surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark and scored in six of seven games this season, en route to becoming the overall RB2 among all running backs in fantasy football. Cook owners, who have been rewarded with 24-plus PPR fantasy points in six games, can look forward to another great week in a plus-matchup against the Redskins on Thursday night.
Top Wide Receiver
Marvin Jones, WR, Lions
To put Jones’s performance on Sunday in perspective, his 43.3 PPR fantasy points against the Vikings fell just slightly under his first five games combined (57.8). Jones brought in 10 of his 13 targets for 93 yards and four touchdowns in the breakout game his fantasy owners have been missing in 2019. Owners will be looking for another solid performance in Week 8 in a plus-matchup at home against a weak Giants secondary.
The New Sheriff In Town
Chase Edmonds, RB, Cardinals
Edmonds had been solid, with back-to-back 14-plus PPR performances heading into Sunday against the Giants. However, the second-year back had the best game of his career in Week 7, shockingly taking all the work away from star running back David Johnson. Edmonds ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns, en route to 35 PPR fantasy points. Things will get more difficult in Week 8 when Arizona heads on the road to take on the stingy Saints run defense.
Burned By Injury
Adam Thielen, WR, Vikings
Thielen, who had 13 catches for 187 yards and three touchdowns the past two weeks, made just one reception for 25 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. While making a great touchdown catch in the back of the endzone, Thielen suffered a hamstring injury that forced him from the game. Thielen owners will be waiting with bated breath for the results of Monday's scheduled MRI. Owners should have a viable replacement as it's very likely the star wideout is not able to suit up on a short week Thursday night against the Redskins.
Kerryon Johnson, RB, Lions
Johnson had been great with four straight 14-plus PPR fantasy point performances before entering Week 7 against the Vikings. However, Johnson was forced from Sunday's game with a knee injury after managing just 23 yards on the ground. Things don't look promising for the second-year star back out of Auburn, after he appeared on the sideline in the second half with a brace on his ailing knee.
Will Fuller, WR, Texans
Fuller, who had 19 catches for 261 yards and three touchdowns in his previous two games, disappointed his fantasy owners by making just one grab for six yards before exiting with a hamstring injury. Owners may have been hoping it was only a minor injury, as the Texans face a Raiders defense next Sunday that was just shredded by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. But it looks like Fuller will be out at least a few weeks.
Stop and Take Notice
Kirk Cousins, QB, Vikings
Just when you thought it was safe to dump Cousins on the waiver wire, he pulls out three consecutive 300-plus yard passing games and back-to-back four-touchdown passing efforts. Cousins will be a great streaming option on a short week Thursday night against a struggling Washington defense. Owners can expect his 10:1 TD to interception ratio the past three games to improve in Week 8.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Colts
Brissett was started in less than 34% of leagues in Week 7. He continues to shine at Lucas Oil Stadium, throwing for nine touchdowns in three home games so far this season. Overall, the fourth-year quarterback has been outstanding since taking over for the retired Andrew Luck, throwing for multiple scores in five of six games. Brissett will once again be a great streaming option at home in Week 8 in a plus-matchup against the Broncos.
Darren Waller, TE, Raiders
Waller caught seven of his eight targets for 126 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, en route to posting a league-best 31.6 PPR fantasy points among all tight ends. Waller, who is among the leaders in breakout player of the year category, finally was able to score the first touchdowns of his career against the Packers. Waller, who has six or more receptions in five of six games, and gone over 120 yards receiving twice, will look to build upon those numbers in Week 8 with a great matchup against a susceptible Texans secondary.
Zach Pascal, WR, Colts
The second-year wideout, who had just seven receptions in five games before Sunday, burst onto the fantasy scene in Week 7 against the Texans. Pascal caught six of seven targets for 106 yards and two touchdowns, en route to a career-best 28.6 PPR fantasy points. Owners should take a wait-and-see approach with the inconsistent wide receiver before trusting him as a WR3/flex starter going forward.
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