Another week, and another four teams on bye. We get some superstars back, but then others have the weekend off. All that does is add more stress to an already difficult endeavor of setting a successful fantasy football lineup. While more and more options tend to emerge throughout the season, it doesn’t happen without consequence. It’s often due to injuries or ineffectiveness, and replacements often come with more questions than answers. This forces you to make decisions regarding your starting lineup that a few weeks ago might not have even seemed plausible. Heading into Week 7 of the NFL season, let’s take a look at some of those fantasy football sneaky starts.
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Sneaky Starts for Week 7 of Fantasy Football
Tanner McKee, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Let’s target the Dallas Cowboys’ defense. They rank in the bottom third of the league in both passing yards (233) and passing touchdowns (11) allowed to begin the season.
In McKee’s first start of the season, he threw for 215 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. There’s a big difference between being a young backup quarterback with upside compared to being a starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. The Eagles hold McKee in high regard, and now it’s time to see what he’s capable of.
Both Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are healthy. So, along with Dontayvion Wicks, McKee has weapons to work with. Additionally, it appears that Saquon Barkley will be back from injury this week. The second week of McKee starting should also be better than the first.
JJ McCarthy, QB, New York Giants
Yes, I’m going deep here, but it’s all about being bold and being sneaky. The Giants named McCarthy their starting quarterback, and it was based on more than just one successful quarter of football.
The former first-round pick has had a rough path to this point. However, he’s still young and the same talented quarterback Minnesota drafted two years ago. We do need to qualify the fact that McCarthy’s 11 completions for 243 yards and a touchdown came in the fourth quarter of a game that was already seemingly decided.
However, McCarthy has been learning the playbook in cram sessions, and he has Malik Nabers and Isiah Likely as downfield targets. The Giants haven’t gotten their run game going yet this season, so relying on McCarthy will be their path to success. Additionally, his ability on the ground will offer up a nice floor.
Bam Knight, RB, Arizona Cardinals
With Jeremiyah Love likely to miss another game in Week 7 with an ankle injury, Tyler Allgeier should be busy once again. However, after gaining just 38 yards on 18 carries last week, I’m not sure how much upside is truly present. That brings us to Knight, who had a very different performance in Week 6.
Knight carried the ball 15 times last week and was quite efficient as he gained 80 yards. He also caught two passes for 18 yards, and with Love sidelined once again, I’d expect Knight to have a similar role. That’s likely in the worst-case scenario, as Knight is set to capitalize on facing a Denver Broncos defense allowing the sixth most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Let’s go for the ceiling and the explosiveness compared to the plodding Allgeier.
Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants
It’s clear that the Giants need help in the backfield. Through six games, they’ve yet to get anything going on the ground, and Najee Harris has since been released. Tracy has previously found success with more than a 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. Cam Skattebo has also struggled, which has opened up an opportunity for Taylor.
He didn’t do much from a yardage perspective last week, six carries for 18 yards and two catches for 27 yards, but more importantly, he scored two touchdowns. There’s not a perfect solution to New York’s backfield, and Skattebo is going to have more than his six snaps from last week. However, Tracy, as long as he can hold onto the football, has already proven he can get the job done. The two touchdowns he scored last week should be all Tracy needs to reclaim his job; or at least a 50/50 role.
DeMario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots
Even before Romeo Doubs went out with an injury, Douglas was beginning to emerge as a key part of the Patriots’ receiving corps. Over the past few weeks, there’s also a direct correlation to Drake Maye getting back on track following a rough start to the season.
After catching four passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns in Week 5, Douglas continued his breakout last week. He caught seven of eight targets for 86 yards and a touchdown and now looks to bring that momentum into Week 7. The Patriots have a good matchup this week against the Chicago Bears, and I’d look for Douglas to continue his recent success.
Keenan Allen, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Let’s turn back the clock with the reliable veteran receiver. With Alec Pierce on Injured Reserve, the Colts were in need of receiving help, and Allen stepped up to capitalize.
In his past three games, Allen has been targeted a staggering 29 times. That’s resulted in 19 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown. No, it’s not going to be an easy matchup against the Minnesota Vikings and their tough defense. But that means Daniel Jones will have to take to the air. Allen has proven his reliability with a strong veteran presence, and that should continue this week.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams
With Davonte Adams sidelined, someone needs to pick up the slack in the Rams’ receiving game. We know that Puka Nacua will be involved, but he’s not going to get all of the targets. When looking at Los Angeles’ tight end room, there’s always a level of confusion given the plethora of options available. For whatever it’s worth, though, it’s Higbee who does have the track record and sits at the top of the depth chart.
After catching just two passes in Week 1 and not being targeted in Week 2, Higbee has been busy over the last four weeks. The veteran has 22 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown on 27 targets in that stretch. This week, it’s a good matchup for Higbee. He faces a Raiders team that has allowed the sixth most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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