Heading into Week 7 and we finally saw a Thursday night game with plenty of points. Granted, most fantasy owners didn’t start Kevin White, Rashid Shaheed, or Juwan Johnson, but it’s been an odd season. The Panthers wasted no time destroying their team trading away Christian McCaffrey and there are a lot of ripples from the transaction. I discussed that briefly in this article.
By Week 7, we’re seeing a separation of the good and bad teams though 22 teams do not have a winning record currently and ten of those are 3-3. At least the top players in each fantasy position are starting to become more stable and reliable, but there are more injuries and roster moves coming that will shake teams up.
Here are six items worth thinking about heading into Week 7 of the NFL season.
1.) What’s up with the old guys? – I’m apparently not the only one that watched quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady and thought that they suddenly just look old. Like really old. Like too old. So I whipped a quick comparison of the first 12 quarterbacks drafted (ADP) this summer, their respective ages and where they are ranked after six weeks. Interesting.
It would be wrong to assume that age alone is why those 30+ year old quarterbacks all fell short of expectations. But it is odd, and an interesting look at how the average drafter considered older quarterbacks versus younger ones. Consider where they ranked at the end of 2022 for Tom Brady (2), Matt Stafford (5), and Aaron Rodgers (8). There is something going on with the NFL in terms of low points and sluggish fantasy games.
I’m not alone in believing the decreased preseason work and how preseason games evolved into nothing more than a consideration for who makes the final 53-man roster have caused teams to not play to the level of past seasons. It’s likely more than just that, but perhaps for a later article. But the older the veteran, the less they do in training camp and preseason games where most never made a showing.
The other interesting, and maybe more important aspect of the above table is how those earliest quarterbacks have been money. Not a dud in the batch. While zero-QB drafters sort through their two or three average quarterbacks, the teams with the earliest drafted quarterbacks all own difference-makers.
2.) RB Kyren Williams (LAR) – The Notre Dame star fell to the 5.21 pick of the Rams because he measured just 5-9, 194 pounds while running a 4.64 40-time. By the tape, he doesn’t offer the measurables that teams like to see in their running backs but all he did in Notre Dame was produce. In 12 games as a sophomore and senior, he ran for over 1,000 yards and totaled around 1,400 yards each year with 14 and 17 touchdowns respectively.
The Rams traded up to get Williams. He broke his foot in OTA’s and missed much of the summer. In the season opener, he injured his ankle and has been on injured reserve. There has been a lot of buzz about Williams and he was expected to mix in with Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson but we haven’t seen him. Now Akers wants to be traded and the Rams backfield has been one of the worst. That’s partially on the offensive line, but Williams has upside when he does play. They reached to get him and were disappointed to see him injured. If you have an empty spot on the roster to see what may happen in future weeks, Williams is worth a stash.
3.) Panthers offense – The Trade of Christian McCaffrey signals that the Panthers are already living in 2023 and accept what should be painful results from the rest of the season. But – when teams go as bad as the Panthers seem to be heading, there is fantasy value. Even if only in the final fifteen minutes when their opponent is packing equipment boxes and resting starters. Sending Robbie Anderson to the Cards opens up the receivers for a team that is going to need to throw the ball. The Panthers defense is average at best and if the offense cannot generate enough points to stay in the game, the defense will suffer battling field position and opponents just trying to get first downs and kill the clock.
D’Onta Foreman offers fantasy value and should produce fantasy-relevant starts every week. He’ll be limited by the offensive line and the reality that the Panthers will be faster to abandon the run. On the plus, when it all goes really bad, even the losing team runs the ball to get the game over. Terrace Marshall takes over for Anderson and the 2021 second-round pick is the one to watch among the wideouts. D.J. Moore will continue to be blanketed by the opponent. The quarterbacking is and will be below average, but Marshall is in an ideal spot to get his career going against a secondary that may spend much of the second half dropped back and just watching Moore.
4.) RB Gus Edwards (BAL) – It is hard to remember back to 2020 when we last saw him. Edwards tore his ACL before the 2021 season and has rehabbed since the injury. He’s in his third week of practice since being cleared and the Ravens have one more week to add him to the active roster. With J.K. Dobbins having continued problems with his knee, there could be an opening for Edwards to be more involved. Kenyan Drake was getting half-a-dozen carries this season but then blew up with 119 yards on ten carries at the Giants. That should earn him more work but the coaching staff is excited to get Edwards back. He’s not likely to turn into any workhorse stud, but he will generate fantasy value when he is back to form. There is a chance he may play this week.
5.) Broncos backfield – Melvin Gordon was unhappy with his minimal workload against the Chargers last week, while Latavius Murray ran well with 15 carries for 66 yards. HC Nathaniel Hackett said of the fourth-quarter benching that their offense simply wasn’t controlling the ball or getting first downs. Murray was coming off a solid series, so they went with the hot hand at the end of the game. By most accounts, it was just a one-game situation and there is no change in the backfield committee of Gordon and Murray. Mike Boone appears to be the loser on the depth chart. But this situation bears tracking and the workload distribution could still continue to change.
6.) WR Tyquan Thornton (NE) – The Patriots’ second-round pick is one to watch. He started the season on injured reserve with a collarbone injury, but he impressed with his dedication even while injured. His debut in Week 5 was only two catches for seven yards but he caught everyone’s attention last week with four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown, plus three rushes for 16 yards and one score. That alone gets him scraped off waiver wires to be held in reserve on fantasy rosters. His 4.28 40-time was enough to get drafted but he further impressed with route-running and shiftiness even in tight spaces.
Despite rumors, the Patriots reportedly do not play to trade away their crowded receiver room with Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, and Thornton. The rookie did his damage when he entered the game in Cleveland after Bourne left with a toe injury. What makes Thornton a bit more interesting were those three carries and that rushing score. He only carries three times in his entire career at Baylor. The Pats are trying to get him onto the field.