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Wednesday, October 18, 2023 |
Setting your lineups this week is going to be a chore. And you're going to have to rely on players you may not actually trust to fill out your lineup in Week 7, and a great example of that is Jamey Eisenberg's Start of the Week: Browns running back Jerome Ford. |
Do I feel confident in Ford? |
Heck no! |
He saw his snap share dip to 49% last week, and he's likely playing with a backup quarterback as Deshaun Watson continues to deal with a shoulder injury. This is not a great situation to be in right now. |
But there are, like, seven running backs in a great situation in Week 7. So, am I starting Ford? |
Heck yes! |
His 4.0 yards per carry and one touchdown in six games don't exactly instill a ton of confidence, but you've gotta take some context into account, as Ford just finished off a stretch of matchups that might be tougher than any running back faces all season. He became the starter in Week 3, and has seen the Titans, Ravens, and 49ers in succession. This week, he gets the Colts, who have given up 114 rushing yards per game and nine touchdowns on the ground this season, leading to the 10th-most Fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. |
Does that mean you should feel confident in a 100-yard, two-touchdown performance from Ford this week? Heck no! But there aren't many great options this week, and Ford looks like a pretty good one. |
You can read more about why Jamey expects big things from Ford this week, along with the rest of his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls here, and the rest of tonight's newsletter has start/sit calls for every position to help you make the best decisions possible. Tomorrow, we'll have our preview of every game on the Week 7 schedule, with more start and sit calls, the latest injury news, and more: |
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"Stafford didn't have a big game in Week 6 against Arizona as the Start of the Week with just 15.2 Fantasy points, but he was let down by Puka Nacua and Tyler Higbee dropping touchdown passes. I expect him to rebound in Week 7 at home against the Steelers, who have allowed three of five quarterbacks this season ( Brock Purdy, Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Stroud) to score at least 20.6 Fantasy points. With Kyren Williams (ankle) out, the Rams should rely even more on Matthew Stafford, and he should have the chance for a quality outing -- as long as receivers hold onto the ball in the end zone." |
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"Lawrence is expected to play Thursday night despite the knee injury he sustained in Week 6 against the Colts, but he might not fare well at New Orleans on a short week, especially if he's at less than 100 percent. The Saints are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Jordan Love and Baker Mayfield have scored more than 18.2 Fantasy points against New Orleans this year. The Saints have allowed seven passing touchdowns compared to eight interceptions, and Lawrence only has one game this season with more than 18.7 Fantasy points, which was in Week 1. I would only start Lawrence in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 7." |
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"Robinson was one of my candidates for Start of the Week, and I hope he takes advantage of this matchup with the Giants in Week 7. Six running backs this season ( Tony Pollard, James Conner, Christian McCaffrey, Kenneth Walker III, Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane) have scored at least 13.9 PPR points against the Giants, and Robinson has scored at least 13.1 PPR points in four of six games this year. Robinson scored 13.1 PPR points at the Giants last season in Week 13 and averaged 12.4 PPR points in two meetings with the Giants in 2022." |
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"Harris has yet to score a touchdown this season. He has one game with more than 6.5 PPR points, and that happened in Week 4 when he had one catch for a career-long 32 yards. He's also caught just five passes for 37 yards on nine targets this year. Maybe things change for him after the bye in Week 6, or we could see Jaylen Warren start to take on more work. And remember, Warren has led the Steelers backfield in PPR points in every game this season. The matchup isn't bad for Harris since the Rams have allowed three running backs in their past five games to score at least 14.0 PPR points (Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon and D'Andre Swift ). But I just can't trust Harris as anything more than a flex after what I've seen from him so far this season." |
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"Flowers continues to blossom as the No. 1 receiver for the Ravens, and he has consecutive games with at least 12.3 PPR points. He scored his first NFL touchdown in London in Week 6 against Tennessee, and I expect him to have another productive outing in Week 7 against the Lions at home. Detroit has allowed six receivers in the past five games to score at least 13.2 PPR points, and Flowers has at least eight targets in four of six outings this season. He should be considered a high-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues." |
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"We'll see how Pickens does now that Diontae Johnson (hamstring) is expected to return in Week 7 against the Rams. Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) is also expected back, and this is suddenly a crowded receiving corps. Pickens has done well with Johnson out, scoring at least 11.5 PPR points in three of four games after Johnson was injured in Week 1. But Johnson, if healthy, should return as the target leader for the Steelers, and Pickens has averaged 8.3 targets per game in Johnson's absence. This is also a tough matchup in Week 7 against the Rams, who are No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. The Rams have only allowed one touchdown to an opposing receiver all season. Pickens should only be started in three-receiver leagues in Week 7." |
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"Pitts is rolling right now, and you should start him in all leagues while he's hot. He's scored at least 14.3 PPR points in each of his past two games against Houston and Washington with 11 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets, and hopefully Desmond Ridder continues to feature Pitts with 8.5 targets per game. Tampa Bay has done well against tight ends so far this season, but I'm ignoring that while Pitts is getting this much attention from Ridder. He's a must-start Fantasy tight end for Week 7. Jonnu Smith is also worth using in deeper leagues since he's scored at least 10.7 PPR points in three games in a row." |
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"Henry is dealing with an ankle injury, and he missed practice Wednesday. Hopefully he can play, but I wouldn't start him against Buffalo. Henry's last two games have been awful with one catch for 7 yards on five targets against the Saints and Raiders, and he's also gone four games in a row without finding the end zone. Mac Jones is struggling, along with the entire Patriots offense, and it's hard to justify starting Henry against the Bills, who are No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends." |
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Start 'Em: Browns at IND |
"The Browns defense has been dominant all season, and Cleveland shut down the 49ers in Week 6, holding San Francisco to just 17 points. The Browns have now held four of five opponents to 17 points or less, and Gardner Minshew just had three interceptions at Jacksonville in Week 6. Minshew has also been sacked eight times in the two games he started this season." |
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"The Dolphins defense was a letdown in Week 6 against Carolina with no turnovers and 21 points allowed. Miami did have four sacks, but more was expected against Bryce Young. This week, you can move on from the Dolphins DST with a matchup against the Eagles. Even though Jalen Hurts is coming off a three-interception game against the Jets, I expect him to rebound in this matchup at home. In two home games this season, the Eagles have scored 34 points in each outing." |
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