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After a great Week 5, the Week 6 fantasy football sleeper page was a bust. Josh Downs came out ahead, although it was pretty obvious, but little else went right. Ja’Lynn Polk was the wrong New England receiver to move up, Daniel Jones had another nightmare game at home and we couldn’t find traction in the backfield.
There will be weeks like this. We are in Week 7.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. 49ers (44% on roster)
I can’t believe Smith-Schuster is still available for this column, but he’s still floating freely in more than half of Yahoo’s leagues. Are memories so short?
Smith-Schuster He was galloping free when we last saw him in Week 5. (7-130-0, eight targets), and let’s not forget that Smith-Schuster had 78 receptions for 933 yards the last time he started in Kansas City, that was just two years ago. He already has the trust of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. If Travis Kelce doesn’t lead the Chiefs in targets this week, JuJu will. Should be included in all medium and deep fantasy football leagues. It is certainly welcome on all my teams.
QB Drake Maye (14%), WR DeMario Douglas (35%) vs. Jaguars in London
Maye’s debut wasn’t perfect, let’s be clear about that. There were sacks; there were occasional bad decisions. But the speed of the professional game did not overwhelm him, and there were many highlights too – three touchdown passes and 38 useful rushing yards.
Now, the matchup becomes divine: the Jaguars defense. Jacksonville had the worst pass defense in the league, by a considerable margin, over the last month.
Douglas could be an even easier fantasy ticket to land. He’s become the target hog in New England’s offense (nine targets in three of his last four games), and there was a touchdown in Week 6, along with increased opportunities on the field.
We generally think of Douglas similarly to Wan’Dale Robinson in New York (a horizontal receiver), but there may be more upside than initially thought. No matter what you think of Douglas long-term, his fantasy stock takes a hit with Maye under center and that leaky Jacksonville secondary on the other side. Get up early on Sunday.
RB Tyler Goodson vs. Dolphins (7%)
The league is full of injury-riddled backfields these days, and this is another one. You can’t start Goodson until we know for sure that Jonathan Taylor (ankle) I won’t be able to go. But if Taylor is eliminated, we have to admit that Goodson has been much more efficient than Trey Sermon this year (see those yards per touch statistics), and Sermon himself is not completely healthy.
Miami’s defense fits the record, as it is the third-friendliest matchup for opposing running backs. This feels like the week the Colts let Goodson loose and see what he can do with a bigger opportunity.
WR Bub Means vs. Broncos (5%)
Means could be the last man standing in a New Orleans receiver room that has been plagued by injuries. We won’t see Rashid Shaheed for a while, and Chris Olave (concussion) is also ruled out for Week 7. Patrick Surtain II is also ruled out, a boost for the Saints.
Means didn’t set the world on fire in his first big snaps last week, but a 5-45-1 line plays in most PPR-related formats, and he drew a team-high eight targets. Obviously, he’s been running scout team reps with newly named starter Spencer Rattler; A good relationship is already forming. It’s pretty easy to give Means some projectable bulk in Thursday night’s game, and I think he’ll do something with that opportunity. He’s a reasonable WR3 option for Week 7.
RB Tyler Allgeier vs. Seahawks (36%)
No one expects Allgeier to steal the starting job in Atlanta (Bijan Robinson is that good), but the Falcons have made it clear that Allgeier deserves a seat at the table. Atlanta’s No. 2 running back has received 55 touches in his last five games, and last week he reached the end zone twice: once on a traditional touchdown and once on a two-point conversion.
In a typical week, Allgeier makes between 7 and 12 touches. If he gets the hot hand or Robinson suffers a mishap, the role could easily expand. Seattle is also a positive matchup for opposing running backs, giving up the 11th most points to the position.
Sometimes you have to get a little creative with your flex plays as we navigate bye season and injury season; This could be one of those moments.
TE Cade Otton vs. Ravens (36%), Noah Fant at Falcons (29%), Colby Parkinson vs. Raiders (19%)
We know a lot of fantasy managers will be without Cole Kmet and Jake Ferguson this week, and we hate losing set-and-forget options at Fantasy’s most perplexing position. So here are three potential tight end streamers to consider:
Otton is a secondary part of Tampa Bay’s passing game, but the Ravens have struggled in seam coverage and he had a touchdown last week.
Fant’s role could be set for an increase after he has secured all 17 of his goals in the last four games. Andy Behrens would also mention another fact about Fant: he attended the University of Iowa, home of so many talented tight ends.
Parkinson’s roster tag was likely delayed due to the bye week, but he has drawn 20 targets in his last two games. rating a respectable TE11 in that span. These three players are also working with competent quarterbacks, a traditional way to break a tie.