Making the right lineup decisions can make or break your weekly fantasy football outlook. There is no worse feeling in fantasy football than leaving a player who is having a career day on your bench while your starter struggles. This game management separates the elite fantasy football minds from the casual.
Heading into Week 7, the pack has separated which players should be every-week starters, and which you might have to make difficult decisions with. This article will dive into five names facing difficult situations that you may be better off leaving on the bench for this week.
In each of these cases, your alternative options dictate how seriously you should consider putting one of these names on the bench. But here are five typical starters who may not be in line for their best success in Week 7 of the NFL season.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets (99.0% rostered)
The New York Jets changed the NFL landscape in one of the more predictable midseason trades by reuniting Davante Adams with Aaron Rodgers. The disgruntled star had his hamstring injuries fix themselves on the cross-country flight to New York and is set to take the field with the Jets in Week 7.
Unfortunately for Garrett Wilson, we should expect this to reduce his workload in his already disappointing start to the season. While Wilson is coming off back-to-back 100-yard receiving games, he was held to 60 or fewer receiving yards in the four games prior. This also comes after being targeted 33 times in the past two weeks which should not be expected to continue.
While the hierarchy of the Jets’ offense will be decided over time, Adams’ familiarity with Rodgers should pave the path for him to make a more immediate impact than most midseason additions. On top of this, the Jets will face a stingy Steelers defense that has allowed the second-fewest points and eighth-fewest yards in the NFL this season. Don’t expect Wilson to be fully irrelevant from a fantasy football perspective moving forward, but expect him to take a major step back this week against a tough defense amid the changes to the offense.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (97.5% rostered)
One of the more notable changes this offseason was Josh Jacobs’ decision to take his talents to the Packers. The two-time Pro Bowl running back and former Offensive Player of the Year started the season strong but has hit a mid-year lull.
He had his best performance in Week 2 when Jacobs had 32 carries for 151 yards. Since then, he has not had more than 73 rushing yards in a game including being held to 51 or fewer yards twice. Overall he ranks 27th among running backs in fantasy points per game and 22nd in total fantasy points among DraftKings scoring.
Heading into this week the Packers are set to match up with the Houston Texans. The Texans have allowed the third-fewest yards on the season and have held opponents to 82 total rushing yards or fewer twice. Houston has a strong offense that has a chance to make this game a blowout. Expect the game script to stray away from Jacobs being able to make much of an impact and for the Raiders to be playing from behind in this game. Jacobs has tallied just 11 receptions on the season and has only gotten in the end zone once in total. Don’t give up on him for the season, but don’t expect big things from Jacobs in Week 7.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (66.8% rostered)
Last week marked the breakout of Bucky Irving as he recorded 16 touches for 105 yards and a touchdown. He recorded 63% of the offensive snaps which marked the first time he eclipsed 43% on the season. This also was made possible due to the injury to Rachaad White which kept him off the field last week. White returned to practice on a limited basis and his status is unclear for this week. The Buccaneers have made it known they plan on riding the hot hand at the running back position so it will be interesting to see how the touches are split up moving forward.
Regardless of who is available, this will be a much different matchup for Irving and the Buccaneers. They are set to face off with the Ravens this week who are holding opponents to the fewest rushing yards and fewest yards per rush attempt on the season. Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson can chew up the clock and dominate the rushing game while also blowing the game open. Overall the Ravens rank fourth in scoring and have recorded the most yards of any team this season.
Expect all of the Buccaneers’ running backs to struggle in this game. Irving has been held to 56 or fewer total yards from scrimmage in three of the six games and should be expected to produce an output similar to this range. Keep him on your roster but don’t expect this to be another breakout Irving performance.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals (90.2% rostered)
The Cardinals started off the season strong and Kyler Murray looked like his prime self during the early weeks of the season. Arizona has fallen off since this point and their offense has not lived up to expectations in recent weeks. After scoring 28 and 41 points in the first two weeks of the season, they have scored an average of just 16 points in the four games since.
Looking at Murray specifically, he has not thrown for over 207 passing yards in these four weeks or have more than one passing touchdown during this stretch. Top wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is also going through concussion protocol and is not guaranteed to suit up this week. Overall this season, Murray ranks 12th in fantasy production based on DraftKings scoring.
Heading into this week the Cardinals are set to face off with the Chargers. Los Angeles has allowed the fewest points to opponents this season and the sixth-fewest overall yards. They also are holding opponents to the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game. The rushing ability of Murray still provides upside, but there are at least 10-12 quarterbacks that are better options to start this week.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills (92.1% rostered)
Tight-end production has been down across the board this season but Dalton Kincaid tops the list for the biggest disappointments. He is coming off his best week as Kincaid tallied six receptions for 51 yards last week against the Jets. He ranks 12th among tight ends in fantasy football scoring and has made his way into the end zone just once this year.
The Bills are set to face off with the Tennessee Titans this week who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to tight ends on the season. No tight end has recorded a touchdown against them this year and also allow the fewest passing yards.
Tight ends have become an absolute crap shoot so I understand if you want to keep him in your lineup based on the draft pick invested. But for DFS lineups there are far better options and even in season-long leagues, it is worth seeking out other options at the position. The optimism level for Kincaid turning things around has shrunk and he may not be primed to have the breakout season that managers had hoped for.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
