Week 7 of Fantasy Football is here, leaving your team with just eight more weeks to improve, secure a playoff spot, and chase the ultimate prize: a fantasy championship.
At this point of the season, you need to start strongly considering if slumps are turning into busts or if those slumps will be forgotten after the marathon, a season-long campaign. To help you navigate the concerns that you may be having about your team, let’s look at how panicked you should be for your players.
AMARI COOPER, WR CLEVELAND BROWNS
You’re a masseuse in Cuyahoga Valley who gets booked for a private massage at a fancy hotel for 3x your average asking price by a man named “Washaun Datson.”
Drafted: WR25 Current: WR39
It is time to panic about Amari Cooper, especially if this team keeps denying the opportunity for Jameis Winston to ball out. In five of the six games played this season, Cooper has under five receptions. In two of those games, he has received under 20 yards. The problem? Deshaun Watson.
Deshaun Watson has not eclipsed 200 passing yards this season and has yet to have a single game over two touchdowns thrown. The last time Deshaun Watson threw for over two touchdowns was nearly four years ago, on October 18th, 2020. That was also the last time that Watson threw for over 300 yards.
The good news is that the Cleveland Browns, like any masseuse in the greater Cleveland area, can cancel their appointment with Deshaun Watson at any moment. Don’t get me wrong; Winston is not great for the Cleveland Browns’ outlook, but he is a better option for any fantasy receivers on the team. Liam made the recommendation last week to buy Cooper, and after his embarrassing statline of four receptions for 42 yards, the price has never been cheaper.
CEEDEE LAMB, WR DALLAS COWBOYS
You are the Dallas Cowboys’ PR lead, and Jerry Jones just accepted an interview from a local radio show.
Drafted: WR2 Current: WR10
Something weird is happening with the Cowboys, and the only fantasy-relevant player is CeeDee Lamb. Even with this caveat, Lamb has finished with under 13 points four times this season, which only happened three times in 2023.
For fantasy owners, I preach playing patient with Lamb and not selling at his current floor. Lamb enters the bye as WR10, three spots above his WR13 ranking going into the week 7 bye of the 2023 season. After his 2023 bye, Lamb went on a historic campaign, finishing with an average of 23.9 half-point FPPG, nearly six PPG above the next-best WR.
Look for the Cowboys to regroup during their bye and return, with the Cowboys playing for their playoff hopes and Mike McCarthy coaching for his job.
BRIAN THOMAS JR., WR JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
You live in Jacksonville on the eve of Hurricane Milton.
Drafted: WR49 Current: WR11
For all the folks that may not know Florida geography, Hurricane Milton made landfall just south of Tampa, on the opposite side of the peninsula of Florida and way south of Jacksonville, meaning there is not much panic here.
After I wrote an article yesterday about Brian Thomas Jr’s hype and the tiny bit of worry I have about the re-introduction of Evan Engram, you would have thought I told fantasy players to cut Brian Thomas Jr. I’m not that worried about Brian Thomas Jr. Still, it would help if you acknowledged that Engam will see a decent target share moving forward.
Thomas Jr. found himself with a career-high 79% snap rate and nearly came down with a touchdown reception that would have helped his fantasy owners instead of putting up the finishing stat line of 3 receptions for 27 yards. The rookie wide receiver’s season-long outlook still looks positive, although fellow pass catchers Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis take a large hit, with Evan Engram looking poised to repeat his 2023 campaign.
CALVIN RIDLEY, WR TENNESEE TITANS
You work part-time for minimum wage, moving the chain for the Tennessee Titans, and see Will Levis scrambling towards the sideline and straight towards your knee. You must also be covered by the team’s health insurance due to your part-time status.
Drafted: WR34 Current: WR68
If you’ve read my articles before, you know I’ve been calling for a Calvin Ridley bust since day one. I am sure the site’s editor is getting tired of reading about how the preseason hype of Ridley was fools’ gold with Will Levis behind center, but guess what? I’m not stopping until it improves.
In the offseason, the question was if Ridley or DeAndre Hopkins was the correct Titans WR to draft, but it is obvious that choosing between those two was like choosing between a poke to the eye or a swift tap to the nutsack.
I mean, just look at these “targets” Ridley was given this week!
Ridley provided fools gold to fantasy owners with his week two finish, boosting his stats with a 40-yard touchdown, which created a mirage of the rest-of-game stat line with three receptions for 47 yards. In the following three games, Ridley has put up a combined stat line of two receptions on 14 targets for 14 total yards and zero touchdowns. Outside of week 2, Calvin Ridley has put up a total of 10.8 points, a point total that Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey has eclipsed in four out of six weeks alone.
The bad news here, everyone knows he sucks, so there is nothing you can get for him. The worst news is that Will Levis’s backup option is Mason Rudolph, meaning you do not have a veteran gunslinger like Joe Flacco or Andy Dalton waiting in the wings for a quarterback change. Join Wolf in the great cleanse of your fantasy team that is dropping Calvin Ridley.
JALEN HURTS, QB PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
You are the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, and you hear the crowd chanting for your job.
Drafted: QB3 Current: QB15
The NFC East has to be one of the most confusing divisions in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys look human, while the Washington Commanders lead the league in points scored. The Philadelphia Eagles have scored 106 points, something only eight other teams are currently trailing, and it is showing in Jalen Hurts fantasy production.
Jalen Hurts’ usual floor as a Konami Code quarterback is stifled a bit with the absence of Jason Kelce and the addition of Saquon Barkley. Hurts has rushed for a YPC of 3.44, well below his 4.77 YPC average heading into the 2024 season.
The reason I am not too panicked about the fantasy-long outlook of Jalen Hurts is the same reason I am not worried about the job security of Nick Sirianni (at least for this year) is the same: health. The Philadelphia Eagles offense has dealt with the injury bug early in the season, seeing players like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and tackle Lane Johnson miss time, leading to a hodgepodge lineup in multiple weeks of the early season. Look for the Eagles and Jalen Hurts to find their footing this upcoming week against the New York Giants, allowing an average of 5.2 YPC.
