Bailey’s Week 7 Fantasy Football Dawg Pound

Our Jacob Bailey shares his expertise on the upcoming week of fantasy football.

Arizona Cardinals newly acquired running back, Adrian Peterson showed fantasy owners last week that he still has fantasy value. (Via Matt Kartozian/USA TODAY Sports)

Arizona Cardinals newly acquired running back, Adrian Peterson showed fantasy owners last week that he still has fantasy value. (Via Matt Kartozian/USA TODAY Sports)

Jacob Bailey, Staff Writer

Another week into the NFL season and we have additional key injuries with major fantasy implications on our hands.

Starting with the biggest name on the list, Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers who will have his season cut short after suffering broken collarbone in the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. Heading into last week Rodgers was ranked 5th among quarterbacks this season with 107 fantasy points and 13 passing touchdowns.

The quarterback position didn’t go the remainder of week 6 unscathed as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Jameis Winston suffered a shoulder injury and did not return in Tampa Bay’s matchup with the  Arizona Cardinals. Winston is ranked 15th among fantasy quarterbacks with 72 points this season (owned in 91% of leagues).

Despite injuries to two of the top 15 fantasy quarterbacks, owners should not panic as there are plenty of replacements that are likely available in your league.

We’ll start with the most reliable option, 15-year veteran Carson Palmer.  Palmer, 37, is currently ranked in the top 10 (8th)  fantasy quarterbacks and owned in just over half (59%) of leagues.  The addition of Adrian Peterson in the backfield could open up the passing game and provide Palmer with additional opportunities through the air for a team that currently leads the league in passing attempts and is 2nd in the league in total passing yards.

Additional options to fill in at the quarterback position include: Marcus Mariota, Jacoby Brissett and Josh McCown who are ranked 16th, 17th and 19th among fantasy quarterbacks with the later two being available in 78% and 90% respectively.

Shifting focus to the ground game, Ezekiel Elliott owners will be able to exhale as his six game suspension has been delayed yet again, and will likely keep Elliot available for the entirety of the season. Despite this, teams in deeper, 12-teams league formats should key an eye on Elliot’s teammate, Alfred Morris who would likely receive the bulk of the workload in Dallas should Elliot have to serve a suspension.

Looking at the position in a more positive light, Adrian Peterson is finally doing what fantasy owners were hoping he would do when they drafted him this season. After scoring just 10 fantasy points (81 yards on 27 carries) in 5 games with the Saints, Peterson proved he still has gas in the tank as the 32 year-old made a big splash in his first game as a member of the Cardinals rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns, good for 25 fantasy points.

Vikings running back, Jerick McKinnon, available in 25% of leagues, has been stellar since taking over for injured teammate, Dalvin Cook as the lead back for the Minnesota offense, accumulating 51 fantasy points over the last two weeks.continues to impress with another big week making that 51 fantasy points in 2 weeks.

In deeper league formats, New York Giants running back, Orleans Darkwa could be the beneficiaries of opportunities in a depleted offense moving forward. Week 6 saw Darkwa rush for 117 yards on 21 attempts accumulating 14 fantasy points for the second straight week.

For those in need for depth at the wide receiver position, or those who are still struggling to recover from Odell Beckham Jr.’s season ending injury, there are still plenty of available players that will valuable options at the position moving forward.

First and foremost, Agholor is on a Philadelphia Eagles team that ranks 2nd in the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns and attempts. Agholor has scored 34 fantasy points over the past two weeks and is owned in just 36% of leagues.

Other receivers that may be worth looking into is Jacksonville Jaguars wideout, Marqise Lee and Cole Beasley of the Dallas Cowboys. Lee had five targets last week for 83 yards leading to 15 fantasy points and is poised to have another big week against the Indianapolis Colts who have the 31st ranked fantasy defense.  Beasley is coming off of his best fantasy performance of the season after catching 2 touchdowns and accumulating 18 fantasy points against Green Bay in week five.

To fill a void at tight end, the key guys to look into would be Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay) and Evan Engram (NY Giants). Brate made a significant jump in terms of fantasy ownership last week and is now owned in 80% of leagues (+28%) while moving from  6th to the 4th ranked at the position. Brate is averaging 14 points per game and turns into a must start this week as Tampa Bay travels to Buffalo in week 7. Like the previously mentioned Darkwa, it seems that  Engram will get plenty of opportunities of the Giants moving forward and is fresh off a five reception, 82 yard performance in the Giants week 6 win over Denver.

For owners looking for a defense this week, the best bet would be New Orleans as they are coming off a 32 fantasy point performance in week 6 and will face the Rodger-less Packers in week 7.