Credit: @NFL
It’s time to look forward to Week Seven in the NFL, and there are some pretty exciting games coming this weekend that should produce some great fantasy performers for owners. The biggest matchup of the weekend will be when the Atlanta Falcons visit the New England Patriots on Sunday night for a Super Bowl rematch. No matter the game, there is always fantasy relevance to be found, maybe there will even be some sleepers in the lower profile games. So here is the list of sleepers going into Week Seven.
Alvin Kamara, RB New Orleans Saints:
Kamara has been pretty great already this season, so he is an unusual sleeper pick. He should already be owned in every league, but if somehow he remains a free agent, he may be worth picking up before their game against the Packers on Sunday. The rookie has looked great with the ball in his hands so far this season and has already provided some solid fantasy production. Kamara started the year as the main passing down back in the Saints’ offense but has now transitioned into a larger role following the departure of Adrian Peterson. New Orleans ran the ball a total of 37 times against Detroit in Week Six which is unusual for the pass-heavy offense, but it could be a sign of things to come for the rest of the season. Coach Sean Payton showed last week that Mark Ingram would get the majority of the work (25 carries vs. Lions,) but Kamara still has a big enough role to provide fantasy relevance (14 total touches vs. Lions). Expect the Saints to go run-heavy against the Packers who will have a tough time controlling the clock without Aaron Rodgers. The star rookie should see around 15 touches this week and flirt with RB2 potential.
Taylor Gabriel, WR Atlanta Falcons:
The Atlanta offense hasn’t been sharp the past two games, and the entire team has not been as dominant as they were last year. On Sunday they travel to Foxborough to play the Patriots, another team who does not look as good as when the two played each other in the Super Bowl back in February. Things could go a little different in this game, given New England has the worst defense in football, they had a tough time beating the Jets in Week Six. The Falcons did lose to the Dolphins last week but should have no problem putting up some nice numbers against a pass defense that has allowed 325 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks. Gabriel is the biggest threat in the passing game besides Julio Jones, and while he hasn’t been able to bust out like he did last year, this could be the week the speedster breaks free for a long touchdown. Keep in mind that the veteran posted 76 yards on three catches against a better Patriots defense in the Super Bowl. Slot Gabriel in as a solid flex option with some nice touchdown upside.
Jared Goff, QB Los Angeles Rams:
Goff and the entire Rams team have improved this season and are looking to make a difference\\\\\\\, at earning a playoff spot with four wins before their bye week. The second year signal caller has slowed down a bit posting a combined 17.6 fantasy points in standard scoring over the last two games, but give him some slack since he played Seattle and Jacksonville, two elite pass defenses. This week the Rams host the Cardinals, and there is no reason to be scared of their secondary as they have allowed 13 passing touchdowns and 250 passing yards per game. It’s true that Patrick Peterson and Co. do a great job taking the opposing number one wide receiver out of the game, but they haven’t had as much success stopping passing offenses as a whole. Goff should be able to get his solid play going again, look for a couple of passing touchdowns and more than 200 yards through the air on Sunday.
Brice Butler, WR Dallas Cowboys:
In last week’s edition of this article I recommended Redskins wide receiver Josh Doctson as a deep sleeper with some nice touchdown potential, it ended up working out as owners were rewarded with a touchdown early in the game. This week I want to talk about Brice Butler as a deep sleeper with nice touchdown upside. It’s tough to trust many receivers in the Cowboys passing game, but they face a terrible 49ers secondary on Sunday and the offense should be able to take advantage of the matchup. Last week when I said to start Doctson he was also facing off against San Francisco, Butler could very well be my next deep sleeper who scores a touchdown against this defense. The fifth year wide receiver is averaging only about two targets per game but has two touchdowns already this season and is producing almost 26 yards per catch. Only play Butler if you are desperate for someone to put in the flex spot, but he could produce some solid fantasy points this week.
Marlon Mack, RB Indianapolis Colts:
Here’s another deep sleeper for this list, a rookie who has been explosive with the ball in his hands but hasn’t gotten a lot of work thus far. Mack has only played in four games this season but has a run of at least 22 yards in three of them, he also has two touchdowns to start his career. The ageless wonder Frank Gore remains the most used running back in the Colts offense, but one wonders why Indianapolis won’t let the rookie see more work so he can be the starter at the beginning of next season. Mack only received two carries in Monday night’s game against the Titans after getting nine the previous week, but he gets to play a Jaguars run defense that has allowed a league high 5.2 yards per carry this season. The rookie isn’t more than a low end flex option this week but his carries could increase giving him opportunity to break off a big run and possibly score his third touchdown of the year.
