It’s Week Seven of the NFL season and that means it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff when dialing in your winning players on your NFL fantasy line-ups. I’m bound to peak some interest as you indulge in my Primordial Prophecy Picks of the Week, where you’ll find all the inside information that can give you the edge in your fantasy leagues or your one-hit wonders. When everything is said and done, you might actually have a little knowledge to throw-back at your counterparts over a few cold ones before kick-off.
Quarterbacks
1.) Tom Brady: It didn’t take me more than a few seconds to decide to recommend Tommy. I think we all can agree that after his outstanding Super Bowl performance against Atlanta, not putting Brady in your line-up or on a ticket would be redonkulous. He certainly knows how to cut through the Falcons’ suspect defense like a warm knife through butter. Also, he has only thrown for less than 300 yards in two of the six games he’s played in. Plus, the first-ballot Hall-of Famer has already flung 13 touchdowns. I expect another superb performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Sunday night.
2.) Dak Prescott: Apparently, Ezekiel Elliott will be suiting up for at least the next two games. That makes Prescott a hot commodity in my book. Nothing makes a quarterback look better than a balanced offense to keep secondaries honest. Oh, by the way, that secondary this week will be that of the 27th-ranked 49ers. Yes, the same befuddled secondary that has surrendered 262 yards a contest through the air. Besides, the Cowboy signal-caller has been solid in 2017. He has thrown for 11 touchdowns to only four picks. Also, he is a threat to score with his feet in the red zone. All fantasy prognosticators know how much that helps put points on your card. Who cares if he’s on the road.
3.) Drew Brees: Speaking of on the road, Drew Brees finds himself playing at Lambeau Field for his match-up against the Packers. I’ll have to admit, I do like playing the accurate passer at home rather than on the road but not this week. For one, how many time-consuming drives do you think Green Bay will come up with now that Brett Hundley is under center? Not many. That means more time on the field for Brees and his assortment of weapons. Secondly, the Saints’ captain is not serving up interceptions like he has in the past. It wasn’t until last week that he threw his first two. Also, he quietly has his Saints ranked 5th in passing offense, cranking out 258 yards a shot. I can detect another 270 yard, three touchdowns and one interception performance coming on Sunday.
Notables: Carson Wentz, Tyrod Taylor, Matt Ryan
Running Backs
1.) Leonard Fournette: Normally I would take Le’Veon Bell first after the performance he doled out last week against the Chiefs. Instead, I’m going to suggest taking Leonard Fournette against the Colts front seven. The Indianapolis run-stop has yielded six rushing touchdowns in 2017. Only the L.A. Rams have been worse (7). I get that he jammed his ankle in last week’s loss to those Rams, but he is a beast and says he will be raring to go by game time. I, for one, wouldn’t argue with the man. The bruising runner is second in the NFL with 596 yards rushing. He also is tied for first with Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley with seven touchdowns. Sold.
2.) Kareem Hunt: The outstanding rookie gets his first chance to experience the Raiders in the Black Hole this weekend. Personally, I think he is licking his chops to rebound from his sub-par performance at home to the Steelers. The dual-threat tailback still managed 89 yards through the passing game and 110 overall. Oakland struggled with that skill set when Melvin Gordon faced-off with them last week, making him one of the top fantasy options. Hunt leads the NFL with 630 rushing yards and the Men in Black rank 21st, giving up 117 a game.
3.) Todd Gurley: If you’re in a yardage league, Todd Gurley didn’t disappoint you last week. He got 23 carries and 114 yards on the ground. Unfortunately, not one of them was good for a score. That probably won’t be the case this week at home against the Cardinals. The Arizona defense has done well against fantasy running backs this season, but have really faced only one decent producer this season (Ezekiel Elliott, Week 3). Gurley is fourth in the league with 521 yards. Again, he is also tied for the lead with seven trips to the promised land.
Notables: Le’Veon Bell, Jay Ajayi, Ezekiel Elliott
Wide Receivers
1.) Antonio Brown: I just couldn’t find a reason not to put the NFL’s best receiver at the top of my list. He just eclipsed the 150-yard mark for two weeks in a row and is on pace to go for almost 2,000. What’s nice about Brown is he gets so many looks no matter who he’s matched up with. In Week 7, he will be playing a Cincinnati defense that has performed pretty well against opposing wideouts. In fact, they rank second in the league allowing only 159 passing yards a contest. Still, Brown is the best of the best and I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t recommend him for my fantasy readers.
2.) Julio Jones: I’m suggesting Julio Jones for several reasons and playing the Patriots’ secondary is one of them. As of now, the Pats’ back half sits dead last against the pass. Maybe this is the week that bone-head coach Dan Quinn finally figures it out. The Falcons are a solid running club, but this is not the time to try to churn out yards when you’re facing this pass defense. He calls runs when he should pass and pass when he should run. If last year’s Super Bowl doesn’t support my accusations, I don’t know what does. Either way, I like Jones to play well on Sunday night because the Falcons are going to need it.
3.) Michael Thomas: I was extremely disappointed with Michael Thomas’ fantasy production last week. He only had paltry 11 yards receiving. Even still, he is Drew Bree’s number one option and garners a lot of looks in most of his games. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this will be the game that he eclipses the 100-yard mark and adds a touchdown to the mix.
Notables: Michael Crabtree, Larry Fitzgerald
Tight Ends
1.) Rob Gronkowski: He’s the Gronk, he’s at home against the Falcons’ defense and he’s the best tight end in football. Need I say more?
2.) Zach Ertz: Zach Ertz is Carson Wentz’s favorite target in the middle of the field and his numbers are reflecting that. The athletes 34 catches and 405 yards are both tops in the league. The important thing to remember is even if he is not catching a lot of passes, he makes them count. Take last week, for instance. Ertz only had two catches for 18 yards, but both of them were for touchdowns. That is enough for me to ride this pony for the rest of the season.
3.) Jimmy Grahm: The oft-forgotten tight end is starting to trend upward this year for the Seahawks. Jimmy Grahm is tied for first on the team in targets from Russell Wilson and is starting to score. He will be facing a Giants defense that is worst in the league against tight ends. They have relented to seven touchdowns and 432 yards to them in 2017. Like the Saint’s receiver above, he should see plenty of time on the field. Eli Manning will be mired in three and outs for all four quarters against Seattle’s defense.
Notables: Travis Kelce, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jordan Reed
Defenses:
1.) Seahawks
2.) Vikings
3.) Jaguars
4.) Steelers
Kickers:
1.) Stephen Gostkowski
2.) Greg Zuerlein
3.) Adam Vinatieri
4.) Jake Elliott
