Quick PSA before I get to the Week 7 Fallers. Please check out the Fantasy Knuckleheads podcast on daily fantasy every Tuesday and Thursday at 10pm EST. You can watch live if you subscribe to Mark Milano on Youtube or you can follow me on Twitter (@AlexHanowitz) for the link when each show starts. Now on to Week 7 Fallers!
Quarterback
Eli Manning, NYG:
Sunday night was disastrous for the G-Men in more ways than one. The offense was completely shutout, Eli got sacked EIGHT times (and somehow never lost a fumble, so small victories) and lost his best receiver in Victor Cruz for the rest of the season. Without Rashad Jennings and a defense having a full week to prepare for Andre Williams, the Giants running game never got moving and the O-line was miserable. Eli was only able to get off 23 passing attempts for just 13 completions. Until Jennings comes back, this offense is going to be dismal. SELL, without Cruz, Eli’s entire season takes a hit and he was already just a fringe QB1/2. He is better left for streaming opportunities or to fill in on a bye-week.
Ben Roethlisberger, PIT:
For two weeks in a row, Big Ben has struggled against mediocre defenses, throwing for under 300 yards and one touchdown in each game. Coming off a respectable opening four games, much bigger things were expected from Ben going down the stretch, but this has been the story in recent memory for the Steelers passing offense. Ben has struggled in games fantasy owners expect him to dominate only to explode in games we expect him to struggle. This is just a blip on the radar for Ben this year as he still has the monster that is Antonio Brown catching the rock, but consistency will never be his strong suit. BUY him as a high-end backup QB in one-QB leagues, but SELL after a big performance if you’re relying on him to be your starter. In two-QB leagues, BUY low and ride the roller coaster.
Running Back
The one shining moment from Sunday night for AndreAndre Williams, NYG:
Because of how bad the Giants offensive line looked on Sunday night, there was just no way that it would end well for Williams. Williams was only able to rush 17 times for 59 yards, but had one really impressive run early when he hit the truck stick on Malcolm Jenkins. Other than that one run, Williams just did not have space to make anything happen and was forced into pass protection more often than not to help protect Eli from the Eagles onslaught. In my opinion, I think this game would have gone a bit differently with a healthy Jennings, and for that reason I have to SELL Andre Williams. If you own Jennings, Williams is worth a hold, but he has trade appeal right now and wont have any once Jennings comes back.
Frank Gore, SF:
After two 100 yard performances in a row, Gore ran for just 38 yards on 16 carries Monday night. Even more discouraging, Hyde was the preferred option for Niners when they reached the redzone. Considering Gore has not really been used all that much in the passing game and he is now being ignored in the redzone, Gore is a yardage dependent RB2 with a very limited ceiling. SELL, Hyde will continue to vulture touches and goal line looks and could eventually supplant Gore as his pass-protection improves.
Wide Receiver
Brian Quick, STL:
I warned everyone last week that Quick may have huge games, but consistency would be an issue moving forward. After starting the year with 10+ points in every game in PPR leagues, Quick came crashing back down to earth with one catch on four targets for just 10 yards on Monday. After Austin Davis exploded out of the gate, he struggled big time after the first few drives and was unable to find Quick throughout the night. Unfortunately, the prospects of Quick moving forward are inevitably tied to how well Davis plays moving forward, and that’s not something I want to take a chance on. I would rather own Quick than my two risers this week in Holmes or LaFell, especially in PPR leagues, but I still don’t trust him as a consistent starter on my fantasy team. BUY low if someone wants to get rid of him for scraps, but SELL after a good week if you’re relying on him as a WR3.
Percy Harvin, SEA:
Percy Harvin is the definition of boom-or-bust and we saw the worst of the bust end of the spectrum against the Cowboys on Sunday. Negative one yard of total offense is just not going to cut it. Harvin has game breaking ability and really got the short end of the stick last week with three touchdowns called back, but I just cannot trust a player that has such a high probability of dud weeks in fantasy. Harvin will have his weeks where he has monster games this year, but I’m not willing to try and figure out which games those are and you shouldn’t either. SELL after a big game, his injury history and inconsistency are not something you want on your team if you’re chasing a title.
Tight End
Owen Daniels, BAL:
Talk about your all-time backfires (bonus points if you know where that’s from). Going up against a defense that BLEEDS points to the tight end, Owen Daniels was set-up for a big day on an offense that typically gets the tight end involved. At first glance of Flacco’s stat line of 306 yards and five scores, conventional wisdom would lead you to believe that Daniels had a real nice day and probably caught one or two balls in the endzone. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong. Daniels was targeted just THREE times for two catches and 34 yards against a defense that gave up a career day to Heath Miller earlier this year. SELL, the only Ravens player I would trust for consistency going forward is Steve Smith.
Niles Paul, WSH:
Some owners thought there was a chance Niles could cut into Reed’s workload when Reed was finally healthy enough to play. Though he did still play a lot of snaps, Paul was virtually ignored with Reed back in the lineup, catching just one of his paltry two targets for six yards while Reed secured eight of his 11 targets for 92 yards. SELL, Reed is the guy to own here, but if he gets hurt again (which is definitely not a stretch of the imagination), Paul would instantly become relevant again.