Fantasy Football Picks: Week 7 

Football season is here! And that means fantasy football is here too! For expertly picked quality starters and bench warmers, continue reading below and WIN your fantasy football league! 

Previous Weeks: 

Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five, Week Six 

Starts of the Week  

Quarterback:  

Kyler Murray: Kyler Murray seems to be on the sophomore season explosion that many quarterbacks have had in the past. He has had 1487 passing yards to go along with 10 touchdowns. He also has 370 rushing yards and averages 7.3 yards per attempt. On Sunday, he will be facing against a Seattle defense that has not played well at all. The Seahawks have allowed quarterbacks to throw for 1883 yards through five games this season, an average of 376.6 passing yards a game.  

Running Back:  

Aaron Jones: For the past two years, Aaron Jones has been a great fantasy option. This year, he has averaged 77.8 rushing yards a game and has 7 total touchdowns. This week, he faces the Houston Texans who are statistically the worst defense against running backs. They have allowed 1194 scrimmage yards and 8 touchdowns so far this season to running backs. Considering how good Jones is, this could end up be a monster game for the fourth year running back.  

Wide Receiver:  

Kenny Golladay: After missing the first two games of the season due to injury, Kenny Golladay has played extremely well. He has averaged 74.6 receiving yards on 4.6 receptions a game. He will playing against a Falcons defense this week that has played poorly against wide receivers. The Falcons have allowed 217 yards a game to wide receivers so far, and 7 total touchdowns to wide receivers.  

Tight End:  

T.J. Hockenson: T.J. Hockenson has had a productive year so far for the Detroit Lions. He has had 197 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns through 5 games so far. This weekend, he will be facing against the statistically worst defense against tight ends. The Atlanta Falcons have allowed 73 receiving yards a game and 7 total touchdowns to tight ends. Hockenson should excel Sunday against the Falcons.  

Defense:  

Bills Defense: The Bills defense has not looked like the vaunted defense that was in Buffalo just a year ago. They are on pace to allow 1428 more yards than last season, 5 less takeaways, allow 189 more points, and have more penalties than last season. Despite the defensive woes, they still have talent and are likely to get back on track. Sunday is a perfect opportunity for just that. They face against the New York Jets, whose offense has been nonexistent so far this season. They have averaged 12.5 points so far this season, the worst among all teams.  

Bench Warmers of the Week   

Quarterback:  

Derek Carr: Derek Carr and the Raiders are off to a surprisingly 3-2 start featuring an upset win over the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Carr has completed 73.1% of his passes for 1442 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, that fast start may hit a speedbump Sunday night against the Buccaneers. The Bucs have had a great defense so far this season against all expectations. The Bucs have held quarterbacks to only 247.83 passing yards a game and only 7 passing touchdowns compared to their 8 interceptions.  

Running Back:  

Derrick Henry: King Henry and the Titans are off the one of the best starts in franchise history despite nearly half team infected with Covid-19. Henry has averaged 117.6 rushing yards and 1.2 touchdowns per game. But Henry’s toughest test so far this season will come Sunday afternoon against the Pittsburg Steelers. The Steelers have allowed only 54.8 rushing yards a game on 17 rushing attempts per game.  

Wide Receiver:  

Allen Robinson: Allen Robinson has had a crazy start to the NFL season. In the two weeks that Mitch Trubisky finished the game, Robinson averaged 53.7 yards and 4 catches a game. In the four games that Nick Foles finished the game, Robinson has averaged 91.75 yards and 8 catches a game. It is obvious that with Foles as his quarterback, Robinson has been a more productive receiver. That productivity will be hard to replicate though when he is guarded by Jalen Ramsey on Monday Night. Ramsey has allowed completions only 53.6% of the time and has held receivers to only 4.9 yards per target.   

Tight End:  

Hayden Hurst: Hayden Hurst has been productive for the Falcons so far this season, 37.8 yards per game on 5.3 targets per game. Hurst will have a tough matchup however against the Lions. The Lions defense has held tight ends to an average of only 19.2 yards and 2 catches per game.  

Defense:  

Broncos Defense: The Broncos being the third best defense after six weeks is surprising to some people, especially after all the key injuries and offseason losses that the team has had. The defense has held teams to 22 points per game and have held offenses to only 94 first downs, second best in the NFL. However, the Broncos will be playing against a Chiefs team that has scored the ball extremely well. The Chiefs have averaged 29.1 points per game, ninth in the NFL, and 417 total yards per game, third in the NFL.  

The MVP Candidates 

Russell Wilson: Head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have “Let Russ Cook” so far this season. Wilson has completed 72.8% of his passes for 1502 yards through five games this season. He also has thrown 19 touchdowns to go along with 4 interceptions. He is also on pace to break the single season touchdown record (55). 

Aaron Rodgers: The Aaron Rodgers revenge tour had seemed to be on a national tour until getting a beatdown by the Buccaneers last Sunday. Rodgers threw two interceptions and threw for only 168 yards and no touchdowns. He also ended the game with a 45.71% completion percentage and 35.4 QBR. Other than that one game, he has played well. He has passed for 1374 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has also led the Packers to a 4-1 start. 

Ryan Tannehill: Since leaving the Miami Dolphins, Ryan Tannehill has looked like a different man. In Miami, Tannehill had a 42-46 record in which he had a 62.8% completion percentage and an 87.0 passer rating. In Tennessee, Tannehill has a 12-3 record with a 70.2% completion percentage and a 116.0 passer rating. This season, Tannehill has played extremely well. He has passed for 1368 yards, 13 touchdowns, and has a passer rating of 113.5. He has led the Titans to a 5-0 start.   

Sources: 

Fantasy Football Scoring Leaders. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2020, from https://fantasy.espn.com/football/leaders?leagueId=0 

Pro Football Statistics and History. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/