Sit Em, Start Em – Week Seven
Start Em
Ronnie Hillman – If you would have told me in July that I would be suggesting to start Ronnie Hillman in week eight I would have thought you lost your marbles. Fast forward to the present and both injury and ineptness have landed Hillman back in a starting role and coming off an impressive day against one of the leagues better run defenses. Hillman is an RB2 for week seven and despite a lack of high end talent does indeed boast RB1 upside as long as Ball is on the shelf.
Tom Brady – Brady is back in the QB1 picture after two straight solid weeks in which he displayed solid chemistry with offseason addition Brandon LaFell and Tim Wright who they acquired from the Bucks. The Patriots are at maximum potential when they run ‘12’ formations and Tim Wright receiver skill set allows the Patriots to shift back to the preferred style of play. Brady is a strong start against the Jets but with that said the obvious caveat here is that the Patriots may abandon the pass and sit Brady if and when the game gets out of hand and the Pats have a comfortable lead.
Jerick Mckinnon – Mckinnon appears to be the new starter in Minnesota and while he will be subject to being vultured by Matt Asiata he is teaming with upside and could very well explode as the featured back in a Norv Turner offense. Handpicked for Turners system with the sheer athleticism to make even Adrian Peterson notice Mckinnon is a high upside RB2. Mckinnon is currently ranked as the 21st overall running back and would be higher if not for the vulture concerns.
Odell Beckham – Beckham is a must-start WR2 level option for the rest of the season. We were high on Beckham the second he was drafted but are now salivating at his upside with Victor Cruz out for the season. Roll with OdB every week.
James Jones – Yes, we all know that Andre Holmes should be starting in most leagues but so should running mate James Jones, especially in standard formats. Carr has been quietly impressive this season and only continues to get better. The Raiders should be playing catch-up versus the Cardinals this week and will be forced to air it out which will help pad the stats of both of Oaklands starting receivers.
Jace Amaro – Jace Amaro has ascended the target pecking order for the Jets and is someone we are looking at as a top fifteen option this week against the Patriots. We expect the Jets to inevitably fall behind and be forced to abandon the run. Amaro may be the Jets best receiver and needs to be in lineups in leagues that allow tight end flexes, especially PPR formats. We expect Amaro to continue to improve as the season wears on and in the Jets current offense he could reach TE1 status by seasons end.
Sit Em
Kirk Cousins – Cousins has a tasty matchup versus the Titans this week but QB streamers should look elsewhere this and every other week. Cousins will be sent back to the bench in short order so owners should begin making other plans. Those hardpressed in 20 team leagues with no other options will have to roll the dice but those with a choice should opt for one of the 27 other better plays for week seven.
Brian Hartline – Jarvis Landry seems to finally have passed Hartline on the Dolphins target pecking order which means Hartline can be banished to waivers in shallower formats. Those in the deepest of leagues should look for better options as Hartline’s fantasy value is largely touchdown dependent.
Zac Stacy – Stacy has lost his grip on the featured job in St. Louis and Tre Mason has finally reared his head to make this a full blown RBBC. We like WMFL favorite Tre Mason to emerge from the pack and would not start Stacy this week in any but the most desperate of situations. It is a tough pill to swallow to face the prospect of having to bench someone who may have been viewed as your RB1 post draft but we just hope you drafted and played the wire well and are able to absorb the hit. We still have Stacy ranked as a RB3 as he looks to be in the lead to get touches in the red zone and due to his his strong game against the Seahawks in the 2013 season.
Matt Asiata – Those outside the most touchdown heavy leagues will want to look elsewhere in week seven. Mckinnon appears to have been promoted to starter making Asiata a high risk play going forward. He is still a flex option in standard formats due to his touchdown potential but his floor is so low that he is just not worth the gamble against a solid Bills run defense.
Cecil Shorts – Cecil Shorts is our highest rated receive that we do not actually like for week seven. Shorts does have upside as he displayed last week with a 100 receiving yard performance but we need to see more from the Bortles-Shorts connection before truly considering starting him week to week. Keep Shorts out of your lineups this week unless it is unavoidable.
Ladarius Green – Green once again showed some sign of life in week six but with the decline of Antonio Gates being vastly overstated Green is no more than a backend TE2 play and should not be considered in single tight end formats until he shows some consistency week to week.
