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This is going to be a tough week for a lot of Fantasy owners with the four teams on a bye. There is a lot of star power missing with Green Bay, Cincinnati, Denver and Chicago not playing in Week 7.
Factor in injuries, and we could see plenty of strange rosters this week. It's also kind of a bland week for the waiver wire because there isn't a must-add player that has a significantly low ownership.
The top priority this week is running back Christine Michael, who is owned in 52 percent of leagues on CBS Sports. We've been saying to stash him since he was traded from Seattle to Dallas, and last week he was a popular pickup in a lot of leagues when reports said the Cowboys were giving him first-team reps ahead of Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden, which makes sense. If he's still available, make him your No. 1 waiver claim.
Blake Bortles (58 percent ownership) has been playing well for the past five weeks, and we said last week he was the best quarterback to add. Even with the tough matchup against Buffalo in London, he should still be picked up this week and used as a starter with quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Andy Dalton, Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler off this week. He might be better than Manning the rest of the season.
Jordan Cameron (57 percent) has been getting dropped in a lot of leagues with his poor play to start the year, and Miami had a bye in Week 5. But he scored a touchdown in Week 6 at Tennessee, and new interim coach Dan Campbell was the former tight ends coach. Maybe that means something substantial for Cameron when it comes to play calling, or maybe he'll just fulfill his potential. Either way, pick him up where available with his matchup this week against the Texans.
The one position where you might find someone available in the majority of leagues is receiver Stefon Diggs, who has been great the past two games with Charles Johnson (ribs) hurt. Johnson could return this week, but the Vikings should stick with Diggs as their starter opposite Mike Wallace. More on Diggs in the receiver section, but he's owned in just 4 percent of leagues.
An interesting decision for many owners this week is at kicker and DST with Brandon McManus and the Broncos DST on a bye. In standard leagues, those are the No. 1 starters at their respective positions, and you can't cut them for a replacement option or in some cases afford a roster spot to carry two kickers or DST units. You might feel the same about the Packers DST, the Bengals DST, Mason Crosby or even Robbie Gould, but the Broncos are the much tougher decision.
In a couple of my leagues with the Broncos DST or McManus where my record is 4-2 or better I plan to just take a zero in those spots and hope for the best this week. If my roster is loaded and I like my long-term potential then I don't want to mess things up just for this week, and you might want to do the same. Otherwise, you can see the streaming options for kicker and DST below.
Quarterbacks
Injuries: Marcus Mariota (knee) and Michael Vick (hamstring)
Key players on bye: Aaron Rodgers, Andy Dalton, Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler
Priority list (add them in this order)
- Blake Bortles (58 percent ownership)
- Jay Cutler (57 percent)
- Teddy Bridgewater (41 percent)
- Colin Kaepernick (53 percent)
- Landry Jones (0 percent)
Potential drop candidates
- Peyton Manning (99 percent)
- Joe Flacco (82 percent)
- Marcus Mariota (68 percent)
Of note
- If you don't need a quarterback this week and want a long-term solution for a low-end starter then look at Cutler in the majority of leagues even though he's on a bye. He's scored 21 Fantasy points in a standard league in each of the past three weeks, and his receiving corps is healthy again with Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal back in Week 6. The Bears defense is going to struggle most weeks, meaning Cutler should be throwing at least 40 times every game, and that should lead to consistent production down the stretch.
- Bridgewater hasn't been a good Fantasy quarterback this season, but I don't mind him this week as a bye-week replacement in deeper leagues. His best game this year was Week 2 against the Lions, so that should help in the rematch this week, and Detroit has allowed four quarterbacks this season to score multiple touchdowns, including Bridgewater.
- I'm not sure if Kaepernick has just taken advantage of good matchups the past two weeks or turned the corner with his play, but he's scored at least 24 Fantasy points in consecutive games against the Giants and Ravens with no interceptions in those outings. He's facing the Seahawks this week on Thursday night, which is daunting, although Seattle's defense isn't as menacing as in year's past. If Kaepernick plays well this week then he could become a low-end starting option down the stretch, although his schedule isn't exactly favorable moving forward. Still, he's someone to look at with a cautiously optimistic eye.
- Jones is expected to start for the Steelers this week with Ben Roethlisberger (knee) and Vick hurt. He played well in relief of Vick in Week 6 against Arizona with 8-of-12 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns, although Martavis Bryant did a lot of the heavy lifting. Still, the Steelers have standout weapons with Antonio Brown, Bryant and Le'Veon Bell, and Jones is facing the Chiefs this week. Kansas City has allowed multiple touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in four of six games this season, and Jones could be a good option this week if you're stuck.
Running backs
Injuries: Carlos Hyde (foot), Duke Johnson (shoulder), Zach Zenner (chest), Chris Thompson (back) and Bilal Powell (ankle)
Key players on bye: Matt Forte, Eddie Lacy, James Starks, C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard
Priority list (add them in this order)
- Christine Michael (52 percent ownership)
- James Starks (42 percent)
- Robert Turbin (4 percent)
- Theo Riddick (56 percent)
Potential drop candidates
- Melvin Gordon (89 percent)
- Darren Sproles (75 percent)
- Karlos Williams (71 percent)
- C.J. Spiller (66 percent)
- Joique Bell (57 percent)
Of note
- If you want to move on from C.J. Anderson in 10-team leagues, you can make that move. He's clearly fallen behind Ronnie Hillman, and he's been a bust thus far heading into a bye week.
- Starks should be added in all leagues with what's happening in Green Bay with Eddie Lacy struggling. We'll see what happens coming off the bye week, but Starks has been more productive than Lacy the past two games and there could be more of a split with the two moving forward. We hope Lacy gets going in Week 8, but you have to add Starks in case he becomes the lead back for the Packers.
- Turbin saw his first action of the season in Week 6 against Denver, and he had 10 carries for 27 yards and one target. By comparison, Johnson had nine carries for 38 yards and three catches for 18 yards, but he left with a shoulder injury. And Isaiah Crowell had 11 carries for 32 yards and two catches for 9 yards. We could see Turbin start to get more work, but he has a tough matchup in Week 7 at St. Louis with a brutal schedule moving forward.
- Without looking it up, can you guess the running back with the most receptions in the NFL this year? That's right, it's Riddick with 33. He's scored at least seven Fantasy points in three games this year in a standard league and has four games with at least five catches and three games with at least 50 receiving yards. He's also scored two touchdowns on the season, and the Lions are a mess in their backfield. Add Riddick in all PPR leagues.
Wide receivers
Injuries: Sammy Watkins (ankle), Keenan Allen (hip), Emmanuel Sanders (shoulder), Jeremy Maclin (concussion), Allen Robinson (leg), Anquan Boldin (hamstring) and Ty Montgomery (ankle)
Key players on bye: Alshon Jeffery, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Randall Cobb, James Jones, A.J. Green and Marvin Jones
Priority list (add them in this order)
- Stefon Diggs (4 percent ownership)
- Rishard Matthews (49 percent)
- Marvin Jones (42 percent)
- Brandon LaFell (43 percent)
- Michael Floyd (57 percent)
- Bryan Walters (0 percent)
Potential drop candidates
- Sammy Watkins (88 percent)
- Andre Johnson (83 percent)
- Percy Harvin (66 percent)
- Victor Cruz (63 percent)
Of note
- If Davante Adams (68 percent) is available, he should be added in all leagues. When his ankle injury heals, which hopefully will be after the Week 7 bye, he will start to pay dividends in all formats.
- Matthews was dropped in many leagues with the Dolphins on a bye in Week 5, but he played great in Week 6 at the Titans with six catches for 85 yards. He continues to be the best Dolphins receiver this year, and that doesn't appear to be changing any time soon. He has now scored at least eight Fantasy points in a standard league in four of five games.
- Jones is on a bye in Week 7, but he has scored at least 10 Fantasy points in three of six games this year. He'll be inconsistent for the Bengals, but he's worth stashing based on his upside. He's on pace for 64 catches, 856 yards and eight touchdowns for the season.
- LaFell is getting closer to a return, and he's worth stashing in all leagues. He had 74 catches for 953 yards and seven touchdowns last year on 117 targets and could play a significant role for the Patriots when healthy.
- You have to be encouraged by Floyd based on his performance in Week 6 against the Steelers with five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. He's still third on the depth chart behind Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown, but this offense can sustain multiple targets in the passing game. He's definitely worth adding in all formats.
- Walters could be an option in deeper leagues if Robinson is out this week. He had 12 targets for eight catches and 87 yards against Houston in Week 6, and he also had four catches for 64 yards in Week 5.
Tight ends
Injuries: No one of significance
Key players on bye: Martellus Bennett, Tyler Eifert, Richard Rodgers and Owen Daniels
Priority list (add them in this order)
- Jordan Cameron (57 percent ownership)
- Delanie Walker (69 percent)
- Benjamin Watson (6 percent)
- Dwayne Allen (46 percent)
- Ladarius Green (29 percent)
Potential drop candidates
- Larry Donnell (54 percent)
- Coby Fleener (54 percent)
- Heath Miller (53 percent)
Of note
- Walker hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1 and could be without Mariota this week, but he should still soak up targets from Zach Mettenberger against the Falcons, who have struggled with tight ends this season, including a touchdown allowed to the position in three games in a row. Walker had eight catches for 97 yards last week against Miami on 10 targets, and hopefully he produces a similar stat line this week.
- Watson was the surprise star in Week 6 against the Falcons on Thursday night when he had a career game with 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. But he's scored in two consecutive games, and with Drew Brees not throwing the ball downfield with a lot of regularity following his shoulder injury, this could be the start of something good for Watson. He doesn't have the best matchup against the Colts in Week 7, but he's still worth using as a streaming option.
- The same could be said about Allen and Green. Allen hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1, but the Saints have allowed three tight ends to score this season and have struggled with the position all year.
- Green is back to being the No. 2 tight end in San Diego with Antonio Gates back from his suspension, but he's an interesting flier in deeper leagues this week against the Raiders. Oakland is terrible against tight ends, and if Allen and Steve Johnson (hamstring) are out or limited we could see an increase in targets for Green. He had three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown in Week 6 at Green Bay on four targets even with Gates active.
DST streamers
Dolphins (vs. HOU): 42 percent
Falcons (at TEN): 53 percent
Vikings (at DET): 46 percent
K streamers
Josh Lambo (vs. OAK): 24 percent
Dan Carpenter (at JAC): 47 percent
Kai Forbath (at IND): 2 percent
