20 hours Ago
“Take the cookies when they’re passed.” This is an old family saying that my sister likes to remind us of. Even though we are hard workers who have earned much of our good fortunes, this quote reminds us to be grateful for blessings we may not have sought or deserved.
We — all of us — love our cookies, too. Advertisement Writing this reminds me, an avid pickleball player, of the unwritten rule to apologize when your shot unintentionally skips off the net into your opponent’s body or meekly dribbles over for a point. These weren’t the intended outcomes, and not exactly how I might have drawn the play up, yet the outcome benefits me.
The purpose of the game is to score points, so why am I apologizing? Take the cookies...
I had a similar moment with my Week 6 fantasy lineup. My dynasty roster was a series of little red o’s and byes. I stared at a starting roster consisting of Jalen Hurts , Kirk Cousins , Tyler Allgeier and (TG!) Joe Mixon , Gabe Davis , Jalen McMillan , Keon Coleman , Isaiah Likely , Theo Johnson and Hunter Henry .
Pretty bleak. If you’re curious about my three tight ends, it’s a SuperFlex, TE premium league with flexible roster construction. I literally didn’t have any RBs or WRs — out of a 30-player roster — to start.
Yet, somehow, I pulled out a victory even with McMillan avoiding every bit of the Bucs’ 51 points. I felt bad about it, honestly. My opponent had actual good NFL players in his lineup, like Mike Evans , Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs .
I didn’t feel like I deserved the victory, but it lay in my lap. So, I take it with thanks to the football gods, fickle as they are. So much about our game runs counter to expectations.
We mostly focus on the negative, so I hope I can remind you that occasionally, good things come out of nowhere, too, and it’s nice to acknowledge them with gratitude. I hope every one of you gets a fantasy bonanza from an unexpected source this week. With that attitude, let’s get to the players you shouldn’t overthink, as well as a couple you can feel good about mixing in if the need or desire to tinker is there.
Don’t overthink...
Although Sean Tucker stole the thunder and is a hot waiver wire name, don’t go benching Irving now. He still played more snaps than Tucker and earned one more target than Tucker. The talented rookie has outplayed Rachaad White all season and is the safest play of a potential three-headed committee.
The Bucs will face the Ravens on Monday night, which is a below-average matchup for running backs, unfortunately. Still, the game should be high-scoring and competitive – in other words, fantasy-friendly (on both sides). Advertisement The Jaguars are admittedly a mess right now, languishing in London while the world points fingers and tries to assign blame for this disastrous 1-5 start.
The one place I’m sure it doesn’t belong is on Bigsby’s shoulders. He is the team’s leading rusher with almost 300 yards and has been wildly efficient with a smaller workload than Travis Etienne Jr. (Bigsby averages 7.
2 YPC). He hasn’t been involved in the passing game but was overtaking Etienne in both snap share and rushing attempts even before Etienne’s hamstring injury in Week 6. If Etienne does miss this weekend’s game against New England , and I believe even if he doesn’t, Bigsby is a fantasy must-start.
The Patriots are among the league’s most generous run defenses for fantasy, and the Jags are somehow favored in this matchup of two of the AFC’s worst teams. The Titans boast one of the best pass defenses in the league and are the sixth-worst matchup for fantasy QBs, giving up an average of eight fewer fantasy points to the position this season. The QBs who Tennessee has faced? Joe Flacco , Tyler Huntley , Malik Willis , Aaron Rodgers and Caleb Williams (in his first NFL game).
I like to check DvP when making tough fantasy decisions, but it can’t be considered in a vacuum. With so many surging young QBs and Allen struggling through Weeks 4-5, I didn’t have him as a must-start against the Jets . So, of course, he basically threw a perfect game, with two passing TDs and his first rushing score since Week 1.
It remains to be seen how adding Amari Cooper to the mix will pan out, and I’m still not enthusiastic about the Bills’ receivers, but Allen is back in full trust mode against a defense that is more susceptible than it appears at first glance. Tinker with..
. With the Saints playing Thursday night vs. Denver , Chris Olave will not be on the field.
Though things were somewhat rocky with rookie QB Spencer Rattler taking over for the injured Derek Carr , it was Means who he looked to time and again after Olave went out. With five catches for 45 yards and a score on eight targets, Means is another hot waiver name this week. While it definitely isn’t as fantasy-friendly a matchup as the Bucs were last week, a player with Means’ usage metrics is one I have no problem slotting into a decimated roster.
I alluded to this game earlier, which kind of scares me since I don’t usually draw fantasy inspiration from the worst teams in the league. However, Drake Maye took over for the Pats in Week 6, and though he failed to beat the much better Houston Texans , he gives the team something exciting to build upon in Week 7. The Jaguars’ biggest problem this season is their defense or lack thereof.
Maye seemed to have an immediate on-field connection with Douglas, targeting him nine times to yield a 6/92/1 line for the second-year receiver. My money’s on New England winning this game outright, but at the very least, there should be some fantasy value in starting Douglas. It’s easier to tinker at WR than other positions this week, so hopefully your roster allows that flexibility.
Meyers should be back from an ankle injury this week and would immediately help Aidan O’Connell find his footing in a good matchup with the Rams . Los Angeles allows opponents the fourth-most points while ranking in the middle of the pack against the pass. Meyers is, and always has been, more of a PPR play, but he and O’Connell hooked up for four touchdowns at the end of last season, so there is hope.
(Top photo of Bucky Irving: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images).
