Fantasy football preview for Week 7

Week 6 of the NFL season was very, very frustrating for fantasy football for a large portion, but it picked up later on in the afternoon. Unfortunately, there were more injuries Sunday, which is even more frustrating when you consider how many teams are on bye next week.

There is a lot to pay attention to prior to Week 7, so let’s get after it.

Bye Week Trouble

The bye weeks made their 2021 debut in Week 6, but things get really, really tricky in Week 7. Six more teams get the week off, including some very high-powered offenses like the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. A lot of the Week 7 preview will have to do with replacing players that are on bye this week, especially since some of the best players in fantasy aren’t going to be available. So let’s take a look at some potential waiver wire targets that can help fill a void this week:

• Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans Saints — Winston was off in Week 6 but returns this week to face an awful Seattle defense that is allowing the sixth-most yards per drive (37.7), as well as the second-most plays per drive (6.6). Winston does have an absurd touchdown rate that is sure to drop but he also might get Michael Thomas back ahead of a fantastic matchup. If you are looking for a streamer, Winston is at the top of the list for me.
• J.D. McKissic, RB, Washington Football Team — Antonio Gibson has been dealing with a shin injury and was in and out of Sunday’s game. As a result, McKissic saw a season-high 16 touches, resulting in 110 total yards. He was once again on the field as Washington was chasing points late but because their defense has fallen off a cliff, that is a continuing trend, as Washington has trailed on over 80% of their offensive snaps so far this season. McKissic will benefit whenever this football team is chasing points and with Washington allowing a league-worst 2.88 points per drive, I expect it to continue going forward, especially in Week 7 against the Packers. And if Gibson is forced to miss time, McKissic should see 12-15 touches per game.
• Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens — Bateman made his 2021 debut Sunday, and all of the underlying numbers were encouraging. The first-round wideout logged about 64% of the snaps and actually tied with Mark Andrews for the team-lead in targets with six. He ran a route on nearly 70% of Baltimore’s pass plays and even with Sammy Watkins expected to return shortly, Bateman needs to be added in the majority of leagues as a WR4 with tremendous upside, especially with the Ravens throwing the football more often here in 2021.

The Cleveland Browns Backfield Remains Banged Up

Prior to their Week 6 game against the Cardinals, Cleveland ruled out Nick Chubb after he missed practice all week with a calf injury. Kareem Hunt, who was questionable heading into the game, was active and dominated the work before suffering a calf injury late in the game. He was carted off the field and with the Browns turning around and playing on Thursday night, it is entirely possible that Cleveland’s top two running backs for that game are D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton, who has actually played more receiver than running back this season. It doesn’t sound like Chubb will land on injured reserve, but he still needs to be considered questionable for Thursday. If he suits up, he’s an obvious must-start and could carve out a larger role in the passing game. However, if Chubb and Hunt can’t play, Johnson and Felton will find themselves on the flex radar in fantasy leagues.

Darrel Williams Is a Top-15 RB for the Foreseeable Future

With Clyde Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve, longtime backup Darrel Williams got the start and delivered, finding the end zone twice. He carried the ball 21 times and out-touched Jerick McKinnon 24-4, while out-snapping him 57-25. He also ran 12 more routes than McKinnon and got the opportunities that we have been wanting to see from CEH for over a year now. Williams converted two carries from inside the 5-yard line into touchdowns Sunday and saw three carries from inside the 10-yard line. Since Week 8 of the 2020 campaign, Edwards-Helaire has just three total carries from inside the 5-yard line; Williams had two on Sunday alone. The Chiefs clearly feel more comfortable with Williams in that role, and he continues to convert touchdowns, which is exciting in a Kansas City offense that is going to continue to present scoring opportunities. 

James Robinson Is Back to His 2020 Usage

At the start of the season, James Robinson was sharing work with Carlos Hyde, which was incredibly frustrating to watch. But lately, he’s been dominating the work and that was very evident in London Sunday morning. Robinson handled all 20 of the Jaguars’ running back touches in this game, outsnapping Hyde 56-7. Over the last two weeks, Robinson has accumulated 39 touches to Hyde’s five, while completely dominating in playing time. And, per usual, Robinson has been productive. In fact, Robinson has found the end zone in each of his last four games, while also rushing for at least 70 yards in each contest. He’s a rock-solid low-end RB1 going forward.