Welcome to 2016 Golden Tate. I was wondering when he would arrive and he finally showed his face in a week 6 explosion against Los Angeles.
Tate finished with the fourth-most fantasy points among wide receivers, going for 165 yards and one touchdown. Despite that game, though, it’s hard to trust fantasy’s most notorious whipping boy in 2016.
Marvin Jones was nursing an injury and Detroit got into a shootout with a Rams team suddenly unable to stop the pass. The Lions face another bad defense this week against Washington, so we’ll see if he can continue to put up big numbers. I have my doubts.
For the rest of the week 7 start/sits, here’s the start ’em, sit ’em guide for week 7 wide receivers in fantasy football.
Start
Cameron Meredith vs. Green Bay Packers
I really hope you picked up Meredith off the waiver wire before week 6. The guy has been a machine during the past two weeks.
He’s put up double-digit fantasy points and 243 yards receiving combined in the previous two weeks. Most importantly, though, he’s been targeted 27 times in two games.
He’s taking over for the Kevin White role in the offense and he’s filling in better than his predecessor.
Quarterback Brian Hoyer loves targeting one receiver out of a group and it appears Meredith is his man. Even though Meredith deserves a starting spot in your lineup, it doesn’t mean you should have exorbitant expectations.
Defenses are going to start keying in on him, limiting the amount of targets he can accumulate. That’s OK, though, since his volume is so high, a little dip in that production shouldn’t hurt too much.
With a road Thursday night game ahead of them, expect the Bears to fall down early, resorting to the pass. Green Bay’s pass defense has been leaky for the majority of the season, while the run defense is solid. Meredith should attract enough balls to make him worth a solid start.
Terrelle Pryor vs. Cincinnati Bengals
You could do a lot worse than Pryor at the moment.
He’s really not that bad of a receiver and he’s only going to keep getting better. The quarterback-turned-receiver is Cody Kessler’s favorite target and bails him out constantly.
There were times Kessler just threw it in Pryor’s direction in double and triple coverage in week 6 against Tennessee, and Pryor was able to come up with the jump ball.
What also helps is that the Browns will likely be down early, like they are in most games, forcing more passes. And against the Bengals, that’s not a bad sign.
Cincinnati has been underwhelming against the pass this season, allowing almost 260 yards per game and 12.6 yards per pass, the seventh-worst in the NFL.
Pryor’s value also should be good this week, since the big-bodied receiver also is a favorite in the red zone. So far this season, the Bengals have been susceptible to giving up passing touchdowns, allowing 14 through six games, the third-worst mark in the NFL.
Sterling Shepard vs. Los Angeles Rams
Keep in mind that Shepard is still young, so you won’t go through this season without a roller coaster ride. After a hot start with double-digit points in three straight weeks, Shepard has been less than stellar in the past three weeks, going for 69 combined yards in three games.
It’s frustrating with rookies, but if you find the right matchup, it can be exploited.
Shepard is squaring off against a Rams team unable to stop the pass at the moment. Quarterback Eli Manning will accumulate plenty of volume in the passing game, and after Odell Beckham finally came through last week, I’m assuming the focus of the defense will be squarely on Beckham.
That should open up part of the field for Shepard. What’s important to note is Shepard’s targets have decreased during his fantasy slump. He’s still attracting at least seven a game, so that’s enough targets that he should have the opportunity at putting up some fantasy points.
Sit
DeAndre Hopkins vs. Denver Broncos
Do I dare bench Hopkins? It all depends who’s sitting on my fantasy bench.
Brock Osweiler is terrible. I don’t care if his team came back to beat Indianapolis in week 6. He is not accurate. And in the NFL, quarterbacks who are not accurate end up filling out a resume like the rest of us.
And when the best defense against the pass, which has allowed the fewest points of any team against wide receivers this season, is hosting you, then it’s problematic for all of your skill position players.
It’s not like Hopkins has been a machine this season. He’s attracting a healthy amount of targets, but he’s not producing, thanks to Osweiler’s inability to throw a good ball. Hopkins has been under double-digits in three of six games, and there has not been that major outburst, other than the week 2 win against Kansas City.
If your bench is dry, then Hopkins will still give you plenty of chances at points. But if you have a fringe player on there, then Hopkins is likely a worse play at this point. Osweiler will have a difficult time doing anything Monday night against Denver.
Keep that in mind when blindly starting Hopkins.
Jordan Matthews vs. Minnesota Vikings
If you believe the Vikings will allow Carson Wentz to breathe in week 7, then you probably haven’t watched Minnesota play this season.
The Vikings operate one of the most tenacious defenses in the NFL this season and they’re teeing up against a rookie quarterback. And that rookie has struggled in the last two weeks. Oh, and the Vikings are coming off of a bye.
That spells doom for Matthews and company.
What makes matters worse is it’s unlikely the Vikings blow them out, either. That creates a problem for Matthews to get some garbage time points. The Vikings have made it their mission to take out the opposition’s No. 1 receiver, and Matthews fits that bill.
If I can help it, I’m staying away from games where I’m choosing receivers against Minnesota.
John Brown vs. Seattle Seahawks
Some receivers are just frustrating. Add Brown to that list.
After attracting 27 balls in weeks 3 and 4, he’s gotten 11 balls thrown at him in weeks 5 and 6. He’s turned those into a sparkling 65 yards total.
That doesn’t have me overly excited for a date against Seattle, which has traditionally been very hard on opposing wide receivers.
I don’t care if Arizona beat New York and San Francisco in consecutive weeks. This isn’t the same offense as we’ve seen before. That will show once again in week 7 against Seattle.
I’m forgetting the second half of the week 6 victory against Atlanta for the Seahawks. Seattle will bounce back and will limit Brown’s ability to stretch the defense. And if Brown isn’t going deep, he’s not being productive for fantasy owners.
