Ten Things We Learned in Week 7 (Fantasy Football)

It's hard to believe we're already halfway through the fantasy football season. Some days it feels like we're just getting started and sometimes it feels like it's already a marathon. Even though Week 8 begins, we continue to learn new things every Football Sunday. Unexpected fantasy stars are still springing up. Unfortunately, devastating injuries still occur. And the rosters we thought would lead us to a championship are now reeling, while the fantasy manager that started 0-4 has won three weeks in a row. That's why the Ballers always emphasize that the draft isn't the be-all and end-all and that you can't give up, even if your record is 0-5 at the start of the season. Things are constantly changing and there is always a chance to make a breakthrough. Take a look at some of the things we learned in Week 7 that will help us moving forward.

Not so slim Pickens

The volume has impressed George Pickens so far in his career. We've seen his athleticism, his ability to make contested catches and the way he can retrieve the ball deep. But we hadn't seen him as a target eater until now with Russell Wilson starting at quarterback. Dare I say, Wilson looked good and finished the week as QB1 (not counting the Monday night games). And he often looked at Pickens as if he knew the wideout was the most talented pass-catcher on the team. Pickens had a team-high nine goals, more than twice as many as the next player. Wilson found him in the red zone and connected with him on an 11-yard touchdown pass to end the first half. It's just one game, but with matchups against the Giants, Commanders and Bengals over the next five weeks, this could be the start of a beautiful fantasy football relationship.

Etienne's job in jeopardy

A few weeks ago I expressed my concerns about Travis Etienne and his concessions to Tank Bigsby. I was worried at the time, and that was before D'Ernest Johnson came into the game, who has been playing well as a third-down back the last two weeks. Etienne missed the Week 7 game in London and Bigsby took advantage of the starting opportunity, rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts. He has already had one weekly RB1 finish so far this season. He is the RB21 of the season in standard scoring and only played 83 total snaps before Week 7! Even if Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson says Etienne is still the team's running back, I would be cautious. Bigsby was too good to ignore.

Lamar Jackson is the fantasy MVP (so far).

During the offseason, our editorial team put together a draft prep series and one of the questions was which quarterbacks we were targeting based on ADP. Most of the team emphasized the strategy of selecting quarterbacks in the later rounds, and while I generally agree with that approach, I made an exception for Lamar Jackson this year. Another year in Todd Monken's system, the addition of Derrick Henry and a healthy Mark Andrews finally hitting form in recent weeks made Jackson a sure-fire choice in the late fourth or early fifth round of fantasy drafts. He's proven he's the QB1 by far, 40 fantasy points ahead of Josh Allen, who was drafted almost two rounds earlier than him.

Bo Nix is ​​in streaming consideration

Considered more of a dynasty quarterback than a redraft starter, Bo Nix has entered the conversation as a streaming option in single-QB leagues due to his rushing abilities. The rookie is the QB7 for the last three weeks and averaged 19.6 fantasy points. He has racked up 136 rushing yards over the last two weeks, and although he didn't throw or rush for a touchdown last week, he scored 14.1 fantasy points. There's nothing better than a running quarterback in fantasy football, and Nix will always have a decent floor because of his ability to run the ball. In good matchups like next week against the Panthers, you can be sure to stream Nix when you need a quarterback.

TE Movers and Shakers

In the weekly tight end spotlight, it's important to mention two players who have been on the rise in recent weeks – Hunter Henry and Noah Fant. Henry posted a TE4 performance (13.2 fantasy points) on Sunday and managed 11.6 fantasy points (TE8) the week before. If you watched the London game early in the morning, you saw Drake Maye frequently looking for Henry. Amid an inexperienced and injured WR room, Henry is currently the only constant for the rookie QB. Fant's target share has gradually increased in recent weeks, and he has been in the top 12 at the position two weeks in a row. For added comfort, Henry and Fant have done this in the past. Admittedly, it's been a few years since Henry's old days with the Chargers and Fant's youthful promise with the Broncos, but they've been fantasy viable in the past. Both players should be used in this cutthroat TE economy.

Footclan, this is tough. As Anthony Richardson's manager, I find it difficult to press the drop button, even though it's probably the right thing to do. He poses an injury risk as he has already missed two games this season and when he is on the field he has simply not been good. If you take away his Week 1 performance, Richardson is the QB33 this season! That's not an exaggeration. Malik Willis, who started two games for the Packers this year, has more fantasy points than Richardson. If the Colts' schedule loosens up in the next few weeks, I would recommend keeping him, but given games against the Texans, Vikings, Bills, Jets, Patriots and Broncos in the next seven weeks, it feels like it will he do that you just clog up a roster spot. This is one of the few cases where I hope I'm wrong because I want to be in Richardson, but I just don't see it.

Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury suffered on Sunday was met with mixed reactions, but one thing is for sure: Jameis Winston is a fantasy football favorite. The Browns have not yet announced whether Winston or Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start next week and continue, but fantasy managers are longing for Winston, who is known for hitting the ball. If Winston starts, Jerry Jeudy and even Cedric Tillman become potential fantasy options. David Njoku, who is starting-worthy regardless of the QB situation, would become an elite option at tight end. However, at 1-6, the Browns could go the DTR route to see what they have at second-year quarterback, much to the dismay of fantasy managers.

Kareem Hunt could be a league winner

Ever since Isiah Pacheco was sidelined with an injury, Kansas City's backfield has been a big question mark for fantasy managers. It started with Carson Steele taking the lead and there was a chance that Samaje Perine would add even more. Even after the Chiefs signed Kareem Hunt, there were rumors that Clyde Edwards-Helaire would come off IR and take on some of the workload. Edwards-Helaire did not play last weekend and Steele and Perine combined for 29 snaps. The job appears to belong to Hunt, who has been the RB18 since his first game appearance in Week 4, including a bye week. Pacheco should return in time for the end of the fantasy season, but that's not a guarantee, and when he does return, Hunt will likely still be around since he played well. Fantasy managers who claimed Hunt off waivers just as KC plucked him off the street may have struck gold.

Amari Cooper made his debut with the Buffalo Bills less than a week after being traded and ran just 12 routes on Sunday, which was to be expected. Despite only running 12 routes, he was targeted five times and caught four of those targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. The Bills have been missing a WR1 since trading Stefon Diggs, and Cooper is the right guy to take over the job. He will quickly become Josh Allen's preferred target, making it easier for fantasy managers to make starting/sitting decisions as Bills' options advance moving forward.

Buccaneers lose Godwin and Evans

Seeing Chris Godwin get injured in the final seconds of the game on Monday night was devastating. He has been a revelation this season, putting up numbers that crowned him as the WR2 for seven weeks. But the fact that he also had to come back from a torn ACL just makes it even harder to understand. He will be out for the rest of the season, and Mike Evans also aggravated his hamstring injury, so he will likely be on IR. Unfortunately, in the NFL and in this game we love to play, it comes down to the next man up. For fantasy managers, that means the next man up could be Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard or Trey Palmer. McMillan has taken the most snaps of the three so far, even after missing two weeks, so he seems the most likely candidate to see an uptick in targets. The real fantasy beneficiary, however, is likely tight end Cade Otton. After a slow start to the season, Otton has been the TE5 for the final four weeks and a favorite target of Baker Mayfield. He should be the highest priority pickup if he becomes available on waivers.