Week 7: Quarterback Streaming Options
Week 7 kicks off tonight as the Cleveland Browns take on the Denver Broncos. We already have some major injuries to deal with as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have officially been ruled out. It’s time for D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton to do work! Just kidding! They likely aren’t going to be in many starting lineups, though they may do better than many expect. Don’t forget that Baker Mayfield has also been ruled out. Case Keenum to the rescue!
Don't forget to check out our Week 7 Start / Sit article! DOMINATE your competition!
So we’ve got an injury plagued game to begin the week. If you thought Week 6 was tough with four teams on bye, you must be shaking in your boots as we gear up for Week 7. Some of the top teams are off this week including the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. All of these teams have fantasy studs so it will be quite difficult to find a streaming replacement, especially if you missed out on the waiver wire.
At the quarterback position, fantasy owners will need to find a replacement for Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Ben Roethlisberger, Kirk Cousins, and Trevor Lawrence. That is no easy task. So let’s dive in. Note: If you’re still abiding by the old “start your studs” saying and waiting on some of your preseason darlings to pan out (I’m looking at you, Miles Sanders, Robby Anderson, Brandon Aiyuk and Allen Robinson), it’s time to adjust your expectations.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tua has had an up-and-down start to his NFL career, but he looked good last week against the Jaguars despite a last-second field goal that snapped Jacksonville’s second-longest losing streak in NFL history. Still, Tua threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw an interception, but he didn’t have some of his top weapons on the field. This week, he gets a juicy matchup against an Atlanta Falcons secondary that has struggled all season. It also looks like Devante Parker is returning from injury, so things are shaping up nicely for Tagovailoa. Don’t forget that Mike Gesicki has performed quite well this season at the tight end position, Jaylen Waddle produced 70 yards and two touchdowns last week, and Myles Gaskin is a solid pass-catching running back even if he is terrible as an up-and-down runner. You can absolutely do worse than Tua against the Falcons.
Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers
At one point this season, the former New York Jets quarterback was leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns. It was absolutely insane but we all knew that in time, Darnold would come scorching back to Earth. That said, Darnold is poised to produce top-10 numbers in Week 7 considering all of the elite quarterbacks on a bye. Darnold gets a matchup with a Giants defense that was obliterated by Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford in back-to-back weeks. Lock him into your lineup. He’ll be getting DJ Moore and Robby Anderson for touchdowns.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
There is a reason Justin Fields was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears. He has immense talent and clearly had the potential to develop into a franchise quarterback. However, Fields has had rookie growing pains since taking over for Andy Dalton. If you were to simply look at the box scores from Fields’ first four starts, it wouldn’t look inspiring. But that’s been the Bears offense as a whole. They have been terrible, especially without running back David Montgomery. That said, Fields has made progress each and every week and seems to be learning from his mistakes. While I expected Fields to be more of a fantasy asset, he’s finally started showing flashes after coming out of the gate slowly. He’s got a very difficult matchup against the Buccaneers this week, but Chicago will almost definitely be in catchup mode. Look for him to target Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, and Cole Kmet consistently. He may even use his legs to find the end zone.
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