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The Yahoo team highlights several players they believe will deliver memorable performances in Week 7 in their fantasy football lineups.
All in Josh Downs
Josh Downs is a guy I’ll be playing with this week even with Anthony Richardson back in the lineup. Joe Flacco brings a bit of stability, but he himself was far from perfect. He was prone to knocking down pass catchers and fumbling the ball, even if the misses weren’t as egregious as Richardson’s. It’s also worth noting that we have yet to see a healthy Downs and Richardson play together for any extensive action this season, as Downs was coming off a high ankle sprain in the preseason.
Downs is the type of layup receiver who can alleviate a quarterback’s accuracy issues. The coaching staff will likely prioritize those shots in Richardson’s return and reduce his admirable aggression from earlier in the season. This will be especially critical against a tough Dolphins defense that specializes in interior pressure. A guy like Downs, who is ultra-talented and has been targeted on over 35% of his routes in the last three games, according to Fantasy Points Data, is a tough player to bench. There’s a real chance he’s the best receiver on the Colts’ roster and still isn’t viewed that way by the fantasy community. — Matt Harmon
Tank Dell continues its recovery campaign
Tank Dell may not be available yet completely He’s back to his pre-injury rookie form, but he certainly appears to be back for the most part. Dell was excellent last week against the Patriots, catching seven of his nine targets with a short touchdown included. He also ranked among the leaders in first-read target percentage according to Fantasy Points Data, a promising sign.
At his best, Dell is an explosive playmaker with an uncanny ability to change direction. He won’t be short of opportunities this week in a potential shootout with Green Bay, a defense that has allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game. Dell’s season-best stat line is about to fall. Light it up ahead of a potential top-10 positional finish. — Andy Behrens
Another big game for JuJu Smith-Schuster is in order
The Chiefs’ offense is fueled by a shorter passing game these days, and that directly fed into JuJu Smith-Schuster’s wheelhouse in Week 5. The only reason JuJu’s roster tag remains so low It’s because the Chiefs didn’t play in Week 6.
While Smith-Schuster is healthy on game day, monitor his status closely as he appeared on the injury report with a hamstring problem – I suspect he’s headed for another 6-8 catches, in part because the 49ers would prefer not to be beaten by deep connections elsewhere. I’ll grade Smith-Schuster as a confident WR3 with his WR2 up this week. — Scott Pianoowski
Sam Darnold…a top-three QB?
Sam Darnold’s TD rate (8.0%) will surely regress in the future, but he’s also likely to average over 27.4 passes per game in an offense with the fourth-highest PROE (+3.7%). An increase in volume should begin Sunday against a Detroit defense that uses passing funnels. I will miss Aidan Hutchinson dearly.. Darnold has averaged a whopping 12.1 YPA against man this season, a coverage the Lions have used at the sixth-highest rate in the league. With the help of a quick, pass-heavy matchup, Darnold finishes as a top-three fantasy QB this week. — Dalton Del Don
Chuba Hubbard stays hot
Hubbard remains one of the best running backs in all of fantasy. In Week 6, he got 82% of the snaps and a season-high 86% of the backfield opportunities. He turned this heavy usage into 103 total yards on 23 touches. Over the last four games, Hubbard ranks second in fantasy points, behind only Derrick Henry. Hubbard has been great and his success should continue this week.
Hubbard will confront Washington’s commanders. They allow the fourth-most rushing yards per play and the most explosive runs of 10+ yards this season. according to NFL Pro. This is a great spot for Hubbard, who is averaging 5.4 yards per touch on the season. Expect another strong performance from the former Oklahoma State running back. — Sal Vetri
