Fantasy Football: Week 7 Pickups

Wow was that fun!!  Any time the Bears decide to put on a show like that, it makes for a good week.  Anything that I would say up here would merely be a rehash of everything everybody else has already said.  Forte is a beast.  Cutty is a world-class QB.  Lance Louis looks legit.  Same with Stephen Paea.  The Wright Conte secondary might have some legs.  And the Martzfense is dead.  All good things, and all of this is relevant to our little game of numbers.  D&D for jocks, if you will.  I'm going to take a look at some guys I'm targeting in a few of my leagues that might or might not be available in your leagues.

Editor Note: Promoted to the front page in lieu of the Fantasy Q&A, so drop your questions in the comment thread and hopefully someone will give you some great advice.

Before we do all that fun, though, a minor disclaimer.  I'm not a Fantasy expert.  I've run the gauntlet from 0-for the season to undefeated champion, and everything in between.  I've played in almost every type of Fantasy Football league except for Auction drafts and Franchise leagues.  My favorite leagues right now are the two 2QB starter leagues, one of which I'm the defending champion.  I'm also a big fan of scoring odd things, like return yardage for offensive players, and TFLs and 3-and-outs for Defenses.  So some of my rankings might be skewed slightly (or majorly) by some of my experiences.  Take them with a grain of salt.

Also, look back at my Week 6 recommendations.  I'm going to try to not repeat a name on that list, and there's probably some good ones to be had there.

Matt Cassel, QB, KC - Don't look now, but the New England castoff has put together three quality starts in a row.  This past week without his best receiver or running back on the field.  Keep in mind that he doesn't have much of a supporting cast.  But he's got a soft schedule coming off a Bye week.  He's a QB2, any way you slice it.  But he could be available in a few leagues after a dreadful performance against Detroit in week 2.

Christian Ponder, QB, Min - This has to happen at some point.  McNabb is not a part of this team's future, and Webb is decidedly average.  They drafted him top 15 overall to be their QB for the next decade.  It's time for them to see whether he can get it done.  He inherets Adrian Peterson, who will make any rookie transition much, much easier.  And he's got Percy Harvin whenever he's healthy as a deep threat.  This is not a team without weapons.  They just don't have anybody to get the ball to those weapons.  He's a solid QB2 every week he starts, and could turn into better than that with experience.

Colt McCoy, QB, Cle - This offense is not good.  Their best receiver hasn't had a 1,000 yard season in 3 years.  The team hasn't had another quad receiver in much, much longer.  But Payton Hillis is dinged, which means more passes.  And Colt has been reasonably accurate thus far in his young career.  To be sure, this is only a recommendation for deep leagues or 2 QB leagues on a Bye week.  But he could potentially turn into something decent.  And he's got a very favorable schedule for at least the next few weeks.

John Beck, QB, Was - Shanny can't POSSIBLY make the same mistake as Lovie, can he?  Can he?  Really?  Rex sucked this weekend.  Beck is the only other QB on the roster worth anything.  On the plus side, he's got a deep, veteran receiving core and one of the best ground minds in the NFL as his coach.  So he could surprise at points.  Bye week and 2QB filler only here.  And don't expect too much.

Kyle Boller, QB, Oak - Deep minded owners need apply only here.  Oakland's passing attack has been remarkably decent this season, especially given that their top 2 WRs have been out for the bulk of the season thus far.  They just got Darius Heyward-Bey back, and he's a legit talent.  But the passing game here is second always to Darren McFadden and the rushing attack.  Expect a ceiling of about 250 yards, 2 scores and a pick.  He gets the terrible Kansas City Chiefs next week, so he could be a decent play if your QBs are on a Bye and you're out of other options.

Ben Tate, RB, Hou - This team seems to be taking the Shanahan approach to RBs currently.  Never let anything on, even if it kills you.  But this zone blocking scheme is absolutely amazing, and will produce at least one useful Fantasy starter every week.  Yes, I know that Tate is probably already taken after his early season binge.  But I think that a lot of owners dumped him off after Arian Foster came back, and there will be enough leagues where he's available to grab him.  The ceiling here is probably 80 yards and a score, so don't get your hopes up for elite numbers.  But as a Bye-week filler or as a RB3/Flex, you could have worse options.  He gets a surprisingly decent Tennessee Titans team next week, so don't let the matchup dictate anything.

Roy Helu, RB, Was - I feel dirty recommending a Shanahan running back.  At this point, you should know all about Shanny and his proclivity for changing up his backfield.  Any Washington RB is going to be a dice roll, and I don't particularly like those.  However, he has looked the most lively of the Washington RBs over the past couple of weeks.  And he gets to run roughshod over a terrible Carolina rushing defense that gave 205 to Matt Forte a few weeks ago.  He'll either get 100 yards and a score, or he won't see the field.  That's boom/bust right there.

DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice, RB, Dal - Not highly recommended choices here.  But Felix Jones went down again (looks like a high ankle sprain, which tends to linger), and both of these guys put up decent numbers in a relief effort.  Murray got the bulk of the carries, while Choice was called on for passes.  The Cowboys get a cushy matchup at home against the woeful St. Louis Rams.  Either option is a 50/50 choice.  Don't expect anything big.  If either one of them gets 80 yards total, it'll be a good day.  Choice should get added somewhere in PPR formats.  But you're playing for touchdowns here, not for yards.

C.J. Spiller, RB, Buf - You're picking him up as a volume receiver, and that's about it.  He could be a PPR asset, but he's not going to get scores, and he's not going to get rushes.  He got 5 catches last week.  His schedule is rough, and it doesn't really get any easier.  Deep minded PPR owners need apply here only.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF - Yes, he hasn't gotten it done consistently yet.  But 9/77 is still legit work.  Yes, he's still got Alex Smith chucking the rock.  But he was once a legitimate first round draft pick, 10th overall.  The only reason he tumbled was because he didn't know how to put his Hancock on a piece of paper.  He's talented, and there's not much else in the San Francisco passing game to fear.  He'll get his targets going forward.  He's got a Bye this week, so you're really picking him up for future returns.  But he's still got the putrid NFC West as his competition, and he comes back to face the decidedly average Browns after the Bye. 

Harry Douglas, WR, Atl - Julio Jones is out for at least the next week or two.  Roddy White can't get all of the targets for this offense, and Douglas is probably the third best option on this team.  He'll probably get you 3-5 catches for around 50-70 yards and maybe a score.  Next week he gets a Lions team that had problems with the Bears passing attack when Cutler could get his passes off.  He'll be a top Waiver wire target.

Eric Decker, WR, Den - This is purely fallout from the Brandon Lloyd trade yesterday.  With Lloyd gone, Decker is likely the #1 in that offensive scheme.  However, take this for what it is.  This is a John Fox team with a quarterback known more for making plays with his legs than with his arm.  If there are 30 passes in any given game, that'll be a lot.  But Decker should get the majority of those targets, and that should turn into something resembling a WR2 output.  He's also got a cushy schedule for at least 3 weeks, facing the Dolphins, Lions, and Raiders.

Greg Little, WR, Cle - A nice little PPR pickup.  Over the last 4 weeks, he's racked up 19 catches for 191 yards.  With that kind of volume, scores aren't going to be far behind.  Pick him up wherever you can, especially in PPR leagues, and enjoy the volume.  As mentioned above for Colt, he's got a cushy schedule for a few weeks, so enjoy him while you can.

Danario Alexander, WR, StL - After the Lloyd trade, consider this a tepid recommendation at best.  But in a PPR format, I think he'll post some pretty decent numbers.  He won't get elite yardage or a huge number of scores, but he'll probably get a few good catches a week, and that's enough to make you legitimate in PPR.  He gets Dallas this week, who slowed down the Patriots powerful offense this week.  That team seems as Jekyll-and-Hyde as our Bears.  Don't fear the matchup, but don't get cocky either.

Jerome Simpson, WR, Cin - He's the #2 wideout with an all-world talent across from him.  He's essentially Nate Burleson lite.  He's got some issues with the dropsies, but he's also reached triple digit yards in two of five games.  This isn't an every-week starter here.  You're probably looking at WR3/Flex play with him.  Cincy has a bye, but gets the Seahawks after the bye and a very friendly Playoff schedule (Hou, @Stl, Arz).

Arrelious Benn, WR, TB - He's quietly put together some decent, but low-volume, days over the last few weeks.  While 3/83 isn't exactly something to hang your hat upon, it's also not a bad day at all.  He's turning into a WR2 in that system, and with LeGarette Blount riding the pine for at least a few weeks, there will be a lot more passes going around.  He gets the not very good Bears secondary next week in London, which is a whole slew of variables I don't really want to think about.  Start at your own risk.

Jake Ballard, TE, NYG - Here's his stat line for the last 3 weeks:  11 catches, 183 yards, 2 TDs.  That's starter material in almost any league except the most shallow.  And even then, you'd be thinking about him pretty darn hard.  The Giants are basically a Pass to set up the Pass team, even after Bradshaw's emergence this past week.  The Giants get a bye, then follow with a visit from the South Florida Fish, and enjoy a not particularly threatening schedule afterwards.  Start him, enjoy him.

Fred Davis, TE, Was - Chris Cooley broke his finger this week, and it probably requires surgery.  So he's out, whatever bit of him was still useful.  This means that Davis is their full time Tight End.  Like Beck above, don't overvalue this guy.  He's solidly a TE2.  But as Bye-week filler, he could work out.  Again, Panthers and Bills the next two weeks.  They give up yards, if not points.  Enjoy!