5:24 PM ET
Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft
Week 7 of the 2022 phantasy shot play was highlighted by large games by Joe Burrow, Gus Edwards, Travis Etienne Jr. and Ja'Marr Chase. Which developments from the week are worthy speechmaking into? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft connection their analysis.
Burrow raises the bar
Joe Burrow might've started the play slow, comparatively speaking, but has truly turned things connected the past 3 weeks, scoring a rushing touchdown successful each, and posting his 4th vocation 30-point phantasy show successful Week 6 (32.50), followed by his 5th and a career-best 39.24 points connected Sunday. Sure, the matchup against a Falcons squad bladed connected extent and missing A.J. Terrell for a information owed to wounded leaned highly favorably, but truthful does all of Burrow's docket until the phantasy playoffs. Five of his adjacent six opponents person seen quarterbacks transcend their seasonal averages by 1.88 phantasy points oregon more, truthful this is an perfect clip to fastener him successful arsenic astatine slightest a play top-six positional choice. Burrow has silenced immoderate doubters who thought helium couldn't repetition past year's magical run. -- Cockcroft
CMC epoch starts successful San Francisco
In his archetypal crippled with the 49ers, Christian McCaffrey posted 62 full yards -- connected 10 touches -- successful the Week 7 nonaccomplishment to the Chiefs. But we cognize that relation with CMC volition make rapidly successful Kyle Shanahan's offense; much volume, originative deployment and receiving taregts. McCaffrey is simply a quality shaper who tin beryllium set-up with Shanahan successful the way tree, portion producing connected the crushed successful 1 of the league's astir heavy schemed tally games. Given that expected bump successful run/pass crippled touches for CMC, I expect George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk to each spot a flimsy dip successful wide usage. And the days of Deebo logging 8 rushing attempts could beryllium done. With a Week 8 matchup versus the Rams, and a afloat week of signifier successful San Francisco, McCaffrey volition beryllium backmost successful the RB1 ranks. -- Bowen
All aboard the Gus Bus
With 16 carries - and 18.6 PPR points -- successful the Week 7 triumph implicit the Browns, including 2 rushing scores successful debased reddish zone, Gus Edwards' relation arsenic Baltimore's pb backmost is beauteous defined present with J.K. Dobbins connected IR. Yes, determination is ever going to beryllium much non-PPR upside with Edwards owed to his deficiency of walk crippled usage. We cognize that. But phantasy managers should beryllium assured moving guardant with Edwards fixed the workload we saw connected Sunday, and his wide violative acceptable successful the Ravens' dense spread (or power) tally system. He's a downhill runner with straight-line juice. Edwards volition beryllium successful my Flex/RB2 rankings for the Week 8 crippled versus the Bucs defense. -- Bowen
What struck maine astir astir this crippled was that Edwards, successful his instrumentality from September 2021 ACL reconstructive surgery, was being heavy utilized aboriginal successful this game, astatine 1 constituent adjacent halftime having played fractional the snaps with the lion's stock of the rushing attempts. Remember, this Browns defence has been bad against the run, and sure, the last people says the crippled was tightly contested capable that it made consciousness to consistently usage your champion players, but I see it a large assurance play for the Ravens to thin connected Edwards to the grade that they did. I'm with you, Matt -- having seen it, I consciousness a batch amended astir trusting him arsenic an RB2/flex going up against a overmuch tougher Buccaneers defense. -- Cockcroft
Etienne takes the pb successful Jacksonville
Did we conscionable ticker Travis Etienne Jr.'s breakout game? After spending the entirety of the twelvemonth successful a concern with James Robinson, if not arsenic Robinson's wide backup successful the aboriginal weeks, Etienne played 83% of the violative snaps, handled 14 of 21 carries and ran 21 routes portion seeing 5 targets. Robinson, meanwhile, had 1 people and zero rushing attempts, aft having delivered forgettable outputs the 3 weeks prior. Etienne's velocity was evident successful this one, arsenic helium had a brace of runs clocked 20-plus mph, resulting successful 49- and 15-yard gains, arsenic helium began inching toward his sizeable upside. This was the crippled successful which helium locked successful play RB2 status. -- Cockcroft
Tristan, Etienne simply looks much explosive than Robinson. And it starts with his short-area burst, which allows Etienne to onslaught unfastened creases of daylight. I hold connected making Etienne a play RB2 here, also. Run and walk crippled usage, with the quality to make explosive plays. -- Bowen
Walker already a RB1?
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks: The rookie is for real. And, if you drafted Walker, past you present person a existent pb backmost successful this Seattle offense. Walker cooked-up the Chargers tally defence successful Week 7, posting season-highs successful PPR points (28.8), carries (23) and rushing yards (168). Plus, with 2 rushing scores, Walker has recovered the extremity portion successful 3 consecutive games. The measurement is there, truthful is the large play juice, arsenic Walker ripped disconnected a 74-yard touchdown tally successful the 4th quarter. He tin play with powerfulness and onslaught the perimeter, too. Good vision. And the lateral quicks pop. With a Week 8 crippled versus the Giants, I person to enactment Walker into the RB1 mix. -- Bowen
Carolina's new-look backfield
Chuba Hubbard got the commencement and the archetypal touchdown of Christian McCaffrey's co-replacements, but D'Onta Foreman finished things disconnected nicely successful what was a shocking 21-3 upset of Tom Brady's Buccaneers. In the process, both Foreman (16.5 PPR phantasy points) and Hubbard (15.3) delivered fantasy-relevant constituent totals, which yet are present the second- and third-best idiosyncratic games against a Buccaneers defence that has been 1 of the champion against the tally during the Brady era. Foreman's beardown decorativeness capitalized connected Hubbard's aboriginal exit owed to an ankle injury, and if that lingers, it'd marque the determination casual arsenic to which gets astir of the tally and is astir fantasy-worthy, but Foreman is my prime careless of Hubbard's Week 8 status. He had each of the Panthers' 2 champion rushing gains, going by some expected rushing yards arsenic good arsenic apical velocity (both per Next Gen Stats), including a captious 60-yard summation that acceptable up Hubbard's touchdown. Expect immoderate sharing of the chores successful the abbreviated term, capping their worth successful the matchups-dependent, flex-play category, but Foreman is inactive the 1 I privation if pressed to prime betwixt them. -- Cockcroft
1:21
Tristan H. Cockcroft breaks down the Panthers' moving backmost country from a phantasy perspective.
Other observations
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys: His archetypal crippled backmost pursuing his thumb wounded wasn't thing spectacular for our purposes, but simply having him backmost connected the tract was a large happening from a semipermanent perspective. Prescott scarcely ran successful this one, with lone 1 existent rushing effort (the remainder were kneels astatine game's end), and attempted conscionable 25 passes arsenic the moving backs were the predictable absorption against an all-around atrocious Lions defense. Consider it a tiny measurement toward his instrumentality to his erstwhile top-eight positional aforesaid successful fantasy, though I fishy it mightiness instrumentality until aft the Cowboys' Week 9 bye earlier we spot him genuinely circular into form. -- Cockcroft
1:13
Tristan H. Cockcroft details what phantasy managers should expect from Dak Prescott the remainder of the season.
Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: These 2 played a immense portion successful Burrow's vocation day, arsenic Chase delivered his 2nd consecutive multiple-touchdown arsenic good arsenic 30-PPR-point phantasy performance, portion Boyd scored 29.5 points of his own. Chase continued to flash his top-shelf talent, dominating a Falcons defence that has performed poorly to day but besides mislaid cornerback A.J. Terrell to a hamstring wounded early. About the lone happening lasting successful Chase's mode of a top-three positional decorativeness is the contention for targets connected his ain roster, but arsenic mentioned with Burrow, the Bengals' docket is highly fantasy-friendly for the adjacent 2 months. Boyd, meanwhile, should beryllium much unpredictable week implicit week, mostly lasting retired for phantasy performances erstwhile facing defenses anemic astatine containing slot receivers. -- Cockcroft
Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: He's successful the midst of a monolithic blistery streak, exceeding 30 PPR phantasy points for the 3rd consecutive week, the archetypal moving backmost to bash that since Todd Gurley successful 2018 (Weeks 5-8) and archetypal wide subordinate since Davante Adams successful 2020 (Weeks 7-9) -- and carnivore successful caput that those are 3 of the 4 specified instances that Jacobs has had successful his full career. Jacobs' 36.5 points successful Week 7 acceptable a caller idiosyncratic best, arsenic helium continued to found the Raiders' backfield arsenic wholly his, thing that was successful a spot of uncertainty entering the year. With the Raiders' discourtesy potent capable to support him successful the 20-carry play mix, helium mightiness good beryllium capable to decorativeness the twelvemonth with a top-five positional constituent total.-- Cockcroft
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants: Jones dropped a season-high 28.2 phantasy points connected the Jags' defence successful Week 7. And, again, it was the rushing totals that pushed Jones past the 20-point people for the 2nd clip this year. The Giants backmost carried the shot 11 times for 107 yards, including a rushing score. In my opinion, this New York discourtesy is astatine its champion erstwhile Jones is deployed arsenic a runner connected designed carries, oregon erstwhile helium tin usage his legs disconnected footwear and second-reaction. But fixed the debased throwing measurement for Jones successful this Giants strategy (only six touchdown passes connected this season), tin we number connected accordant rushing numbers? I inactive spot Jones arsenic a matchup-dependent streaming option, and helium has a beauteous bully slate coming up with a roadworthy travel to Seattle successful Week 8, a bye, and past location games versus the Texans and Lions successful Weeks 10 and 11. -- Bowen
Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: For the 5th clip this season, Brady failed to station much than 15 PPR points. And we thought this was a bully matchup for the seasoned backmost versus Carolina. Yes, Mike Evans dropped a heavy shot propulsion that would person led to a walk-in score. We each saw that. But we can't beryllium present and not code a Bucs discourtesy (and walk game) that looks precise disjointed astatine this point. Brady has present thrown a full of 2 touchdowns successful his past 3 starts, and his wide throwing ratio has taken a deed during this stretch. Plus, Brady has to crook astir (on a abbreviated week) to play the Ravens this Thursday night. Baltimore volition people this Tampa violative enactment with pressures and stunts. At this point, Brady is astatine champion a fringe QB1 successful Week 8. -- Bowen
1:08
Tristan H. Cockcroft advises phantasy managers connected however to grip Tom Brady.
AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers: I can't fig retired the deficiency of usage for Dillon, fixed his accomplishment acceptable astatine the position. The Packers moving backmost registered conscionable 4 carries for 15 yards (with nary receptions) successful the Week 7 nonaccomplishment to Washington. And with 1.5 PPR points successful this one, it marks Dillon's sixth consecutive crippled with little than 10 PPR points. That's rough. -- Bowen
New York Jets moving backs: Breece Hall was disconnected to a coagulated commencement connected Sunday, good connected his mode to extending a streak of 3 consecutive games with a touchdown (he did widen that 1 to four) and 19-plus touches, until a genu wounded precocious successful the 2nd 4th prematurely ended his day. That the Jets ruled Hall retired truthful rapidly was ominous, and there's each crushed to deliberation he'll miss time, particularly with the team's bye upcoming successful Week 10. Outside of a 37-yard reception soon aft Hall's departure, Michael Carter failed to impressment successful relief, though he'll surely get astir each of the rushing enactment for truthful agelong arsenic Hall is absent. Carter, disposable successful astir 30% of ESPN leagues, should beryllium added everywhere, though Hall's wounded comes astatine a unsmooth clip for the team, with Zach Wilson struggling mightily and the squad present facing the Patriots, Bills and Patriots successful its adjacent 3 games surrounding the bye. This volition beryllium an discourtesy to slice during that stretch. -- Cockcroft
Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: Hardman checked-in with a season-high 28.0 PPR points, logging 60 full yards (on six touches) with 3 touchdowns successful the Week 7 triumph implicit the 49ers. While helium needs to spot a bump successful full violative measurement to beryllium considered a play play successful phantasy lineups, his usage arsenic a horizontal agelong enactment connected Sunday (fly sweeps), positive 3 consecutive weeks of PPR production, puts Hardman connected the radar successful deeper leagues oregon arsenic a apical streaming option. -- Bowen
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