Monday Morning Brew: Reflections On Week 7 In Fantasy Football
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(Daniel X. O'Neil, Creative Commons)
Well folks, we're halfway there. With Week 7 almost officially in the books, we are halfway through the fantasy regular season. For some of you, it may be offically time to panic. Stay tuned for a special edition of Wednesday Night Hype, where I break down winning strategies for teams with losing records.
Let's reflect on what we saw Sunday.
My Final Starting Team for Week 7:
QB- Tom Brady
RB 1- Darren McFadden
RB 2- Alfred Morris
WR 1 - Brandon Marshall
WR 2- Reggie Wayne
TE- Aaron Hernandez
FLEX- Kenny Britt
K- Shayne Graham
DEF- Arizona
Bench:
Jamaal Charles (RB, KC)
Randall Cobb (WR, GB)
James Jones (WR, GB)
David Wilson (RB, NYG)
Antonio Gates (TE, SD)
Donald Brown (RB, IND)
Tom Brady continues his mundane ways of scoring about 20 fantasy points every single game, regardless of the matchup. He's so consistent it borders on boring, and consistency is what wins championships in fantasy football. Brady had piled on the consistency with 22 points against the Jets Sunday. Mark Sanchez looked suprisingly good until he fumbled the game away in overtime. You just can't teach the clutch gene, and it looks like Mark Sanchez just doesn't have it.
Darren McFadden has been underwhelming all season long thus far. He uninspired yet again with a meager 10 fantasy points. I'd be more upset if I drafted McFadden - but since he was my buy-low special of the year, I'm not terribly upset. I gave up relatively little value for him, thankfully. It's hard to belive that McFadden will continue being a dud for the rest of the year. The remaining schedule for the Raiders is very run-friendly, with games against the Cheifs, Saints and the Browns. McFadden is a buy very low gem right now as owners are likely to be jumping ship. Let's hope McFadden's ship doesn't end up being the Titantic.
Speaking of underacheiving RB 1s, Ryan Mathews is having serious issues. Really, the whole Chargers team is having problems. San Diego just can't seem to find an identity. Coach Norv Turner called cuttting down on turnovers his biggest priority, and said the Chargers may go with a more conservative playbook. This sounds like Ryan Mathews may be in line for more carries, and this makes him a nice buy low.
Alfred Morris continues his reign, with 120 yards rushing. Despite fumbling the ball away for the first time this season, Coach Mike Shanahan went right back to Morris on the next drive without hesitation. Whew. That was a close one. It's always hard to be an owner of a Shanahan RB, but Morris is the real deal. Perhaps the most encouraging stat line of the game was Morris' two receptions. It doesn't seem like much, but it shows that despite his weakness as a receiver, the team is willing to throw it to him when needed - making him a viable third down back and keeping him on the field for more offensive possesions.
We can officially call Morris a must-start fantasy option, until further notice. You just cant argue with the procduction. Did I mention this guy was a 6th round draft pick, is a rookie, and had to fight to make the team during camp?
On a different note, it's not looking good for me this week. My opponent has a four point lead on me with the Chicago defense still left to play. The Chicago D has been straight scary, scoring over 20 points in each of the last three games. If the Yahoo projections stand, I'll win by one point. But the projections never stand. I'll be cheering for Marshall on one side of the ball, and on the other I'll be cheering for Mathew Stafford to not throw a pick-six. At least have the decency to tackle the guy if you throw a pick, Stafford.
Sunday Night Scoreboard:
Me: 86 Opponent: 90
Players Left to Play:
Me: Brandon Marshall Opponent: Chicago DEF
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