Week 6 in the NFL seemed like an episode of Stranger Things because everything felt upside down. First, Miami made the upset of the week handling Pittsburgh. Both Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell were supposed to have real estate invested in the endzone by the time the game was over, but instead, they watched from the sidelines as Jay Ajayi torched them for over 200 yards. While that was going on, Golden Tate showed us he’s not ready to give up the top spot in Detroit just yet. And others like Cameron Meredith and Terrelle Pryor continue to prove they are no flukes.
That didn’t stop veterans like Odell Beckham and Julio Jones to put in miraculous performances even in tough matchups. So what should we expect to see in lucky number Week 7? Here’s a look at some of this week’s top DraftKings targets.
NFL DFS DraftKings GPP Plays for Week 7
DailyFantasyNerd DraftKings GPP Play of the Day
RB DeMarco Murray (TEN) vs. IND $7,200
Week 6 was the first time this year that DeMarco Murray did not reach at least 20 fantasy points on DraftKings. This was the first game he did not record a catch, and he got off to a rough start rushing the ball. Murray had -2 yards rushing on six carries in the 1st quarter, but he finished strong with 65 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. The touchdown was his sixth of the year.
This week, Murray gets a Colts defense giving up 117.7 yds/game, and 29.0 points per game. Murray is the clear workhorse of the Titans, and should have no problem totaling 100 yards against one of the weaker defenses in the league.
Quarterbacks
Tom Brady (NE) @ PIT $7,900Â
The Steelers will have to learn once again how to win without Big Ben, while the Patriots are still giddy about having their franchise player back. Brady has been extraordinary since returning from suspension, having already thrown for 782 yards and six touchdowns through two games. Two games!
The Steelers looked lost in their embarrassing loss to the Dolphins last week. Maybe they were looking towards this week’s matchup a little too premature. Whether they are able to keep it competitive or not should have no impact on Brady’s success. Only the Raiders and the Saints are giving up more passing yards than the Steelers, paving the way for another Brady Day.
Matt Ryan (ATL) vs. SD $7,200
It says a lot about Matt Ryan’s status as an elite QB to be able to go into Seattle, and put on a stellar performance. Despite a slow start, Ryan finished Sunday’s contest with 335 yards passing and three touchdowns against the league’s #1 defense. The Falcons should have had an opportunity to win the game, but the referees missed what should have been a pass interference penalty against Seattle’s Richard Sherman on 4th down in the final minute.
Ryan gets a friendlier matchup at home this week against San Diego. The Chargers have never been known for their defense, and to make matters worse, can’t seem to stay healthy. Matty Ice should reap the benefits in what has the potential to be a shootout.
Brian Hoyer (CHI) @ GB $5,900
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Giving up just 72.4 yards per game, the Packers are one of the best teams in the league against the run. Against the pass, however, they leave a lot to be desired. With that said, we can expect the Bears to throw a lot in Thursday night’s showdown.
There are rumors that Jay Cutler is nearing a return, but even if declared healthy, Brian Hoyer has earned the starting nod. Hoyer has thrown for over 300 yards in each of his last four starts. He’s also attempted on average over 44 pass attempts per contest, a clear indication that head coach John Fox wants to air it out as much as they can. Given the strong discrepancies between Green Bay’s run and pass defenses, it’s safe to say we can expect much of the same.
Other Notables:Â Philip Rivers (SD) @ ATL $6,500, Blake Bortles (JAX) vs. OAK $6,200, Tyrod Taylor (BUF) @ MIA $5,500
Running Backs
LeSean McCoy (BUF) @ MIA $7,600
Shady McCoy has been the centerpiece of Buffalo’s success during their four-game winning streak. He has six touchdowns during that span, and has totaled over 100 yards in each of those. No one has benefited more since the Bills decided to fire offensive coordinator Greg Roman after Week 2.
Buffalo will again lean on their premier running back when they visit the Dolphins in Miami for a division matchup. The Dolphins surprised everyone with their upset victory over the Steelers last week, and how well the defense played. That doesn’t excuse the fact, however, that Miami is still one of the worst defensive teams in the league, and are giving up an average of 147 yds/game on the ground. Combine that with Shady’s ability in the passing game, and it sums up for a big payday on Sunday.
Lamar Miller (HOU) @ DEN $6,000
Well, what do you know? Lamar Miller finally delivered for his owners on Sunday night, scoring his first two touchdowns as a Texan. It was exactly what we came to expect from Miller after signing with Houston in the offseason. Even though it came against a terrible Colts defense, it could be just what Miller needed to get going.
The Texans travel to Denver this week in a tough contest. Denver leads the league in defense against the pass, but have struggled this year against the run. Miller is averaging 23.6 touches a game this year, which is a polar opposite of his days in Miami. Between volume and Denver’s struggles against the run, Lamar is in line for another big day.
Jacquizz Rodgers (TB) @ SF $4,300
With the news that Doug Martin has suffered a setback from his hamstring injury, and a timetable is not set for his return. With fellow teammate Charles Sims on IR, Rodgers is in line for another heavy workload against San Francisco.
Rodgers had an astonishing 35 touches in Tampa’s game before the bye against Carolina. The 49ers are giving up a whopping 174 yds/game against the run, good enough for dead last by a wide margin. Rodgers is in line for big time production at a highly discounted price.
Other Notables:Â Melvin Gordon (SD) @ ATL $6,400, Todd Gurley (LA) vs. NYG $6,300, Stephen Ware (KC) vs. NO $5,800
Wide Receivers
Julio Jones (ATL) vs. SD $9,200
This week is a good week to pay up for wide receivers with a lot of good matchups to exploit. I’m fading Antonio Brown at all costs with Big Ben on the sidelines. Landry Jones just can’t be trusted. Jones and Beckham Jr. are in much better spots if you can afford them.
Jones didn’t let the Legion of Boom faze him on his way to seven catches for 139 yards and a touchdown last week. He almost topped that with what would have been an incredible one-handed catch with Richard Sherman clearly holding down his other arm, but fell incomplete. Unfortunately, pass interference was not called and the Falcons lost the game. Jones gets a much better matchup against San Diego and their depleted secondary.
Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG) @ LA $8,900
Beckham owners breathed a sigh of relief last week with his monster performance against Baltimore. Beckham almost single-handedly took down the Ravens with his 222-yard performance with two touchdowns. The second of which turned out to be the game winner.
His attitude may not be the best, and it nearly cost the Giants the game last week. However, the Giants offense doesn’t have anybody that comes close to electric as Beckham. OBJ is battling a hip pointer that will likely keep him limited in practice this week, but he’s expected to be fine. Luckily, this is an early matchup in London so as long as you’re awake, we’ll know ahead of time of Beckham’s status.
Cameron Meredith (CHI) @ GB $4,700
Normally, when a guy has a great game for the first time in his career we take it with a grain of salt. When it happens in back-to-back weeks, we take notice. It’s time to take notice of Cameron Meredith.
Meredith is making a case for the #1 receiver spot in Chicago. While Alshon Jeffery may have something to say about that, it can’t be denied that Brian Hoyer has found a liking with the 2nd-year wideout. In the past two games, Meredith has been targeted an amazing 27 times, and reeled in 20 of them for 243 yards and a touchdown.
Other Notables:Â A.J. Green (CIN) vs. CLE $8,600, Amari Cooper (OAK) @ JAX $7,900, Ty Montgomery (GB) vs. CHI $3,000
Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski (NE) @ PIT $7,200
Now that Brady is back, we can also say the Gronk is back as well. Suffering from injuries that kept him sidelined and a lack of targets through the first four weeks, Gronk has shown his true form the past couple of weeks.
Martellus Bennett may have benefited from three touchdowns against Cleveland, but Gronk still managed to go for over 100 yards. He followed that up by erupting against Cincinnati last week. It required some patience, but Gronk has returned and the closest thing to a guarantee among tight ends this week.
Hunter Henry (SD) @ ATL $3,600
If you haven’t jumped on the Double HH bandwagon yet in your league, then it’s probably too late for you. With all the injuries the Chargers have endured, Hunter Hearst Henry has quickly emerged as Philip Rivers #1 target. And that’s even with Antonio Gates returning to the lineup.
Double HH has scored in each of the last three games, and now gets to face-off against the Falcon’s 31st-ranked defense against tight ends. Lookout for Henry to Pedigree Atlanta’s defense in this one.
Other Notables:Â Travis Kelce (KC) vs. NO $5,300, Delanie Walker (TEN) vs. IND $4,900, C.J. Fiedorowicz (HOU) @ DEN $2,500
Defense
Buffalo @ MIA $3,400
Buffalo’s defense has been one of the better fantasy options through the first six weeks despite ranking in the middle of the pack in total defense. A large part of that is Rex Ryan’s willingness to blitz frequently. The Bills have at least three sacks in five of six games, and now face-off against a Miami team who is all too familiar with sacks.
The good news for the Dolphins is that they now have their five best linement healthy, but that won’t stop Ryan from testing the offensive line. Ryan Tannehill has been sacked more times than anyone else since 2012, and already 17 times this season. Buffalo has dominated this matchup in recent years.
Other Notables:Â Denver vs. HOU $3,800, Minnesota @ PHI $3,700
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