Fantasy Football Week Seven

How to save your fantasy team almost halfway through the seasonAlex StewartThe Santa ClaraOctober 19, 2017Buy Low - Christian McCaffrey (RB, CAR)The running back who garnered all the hype coming out of Stanford has been thoroughly underwhelming within these first few weeks.That sentence should make you excited.This is because week after week, McCaffrey has had an uptick in targets at wide receiver and rushes as running back.The Panthers and Cam Newton know what kind of a dynamic athlete McCaffrey is and want to get him the ball as much as possible.If you are looking for a first- or secondtier running back, go and snag him for a discounted price.You should be able to get him at the value of a third-tier running back because his owners are disappointed in his lack of production thus far.Possible pieces to trade would be Larry Fitzgerald, Alvin Kamara, anyone who has gotten unnecessary hype around him, players who are expected to decrease in production going forward or those who are at high injury risk.Sell High - Larry Fitzgerald (WR, ARI)The 34-year-old receiver has put forth some respectable fantasy weeks so far.When he’s healthy, he’s Mr. Consistency— always getting the highest volume of targets among the Cardinals’ receivers. Right now, he ranks around the first- or second-tier wide receivers, but due to his comparatively advanced age, his odds of a sprained ankle or a bruised rib exponentially increase with every week going forward.His owners have gotten just what they’ve hoped for the first few weeks, but if you own him, sell him for another first- or second-tier WR with a lower injury risk.If you’re lucky, T.Y. Hilton owners are probably ready to jump ship because Andrew Luck has been inactive longer than expected. If you’re willing to trust Hilton on your team for a few weeks until Luck gets back, you could have potentially traded a high injury risk for a solid receiver with top five WR capabilities.Key Waiver Wire Pickups - Roger Lewis (WR, NYG) and John Brown (WR, ARI)Wide receiver Roger Lewis is being thrust into the role of a primary target for a pass-heavy offense on the New York Giants ever since Brandon Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr. were offically declared out with injury for the remainer of the season.He is not on the radar in the vast majority of leagues but if you had Beckham and are desperate for wide receiver help, Lewis is probably a consistent flex piece. With the amount of targets he will get and with second-tier receiver capability, he will provide many red zone opportunities .John Brown is getting back from injury and is in the same type of role as someone like Will Fuller, wide receiver for the Houston Texans.So far, the young Fuller has outperformed expectations and there is no reason not to expect the same from Brown seeing as his potential has always been a topic of discussion.Plus, he has an ideal supporting cast.Brown has blazing speed with an aging, but excellent, quarterback, Carson Palmer and an aggressive-minded coach, Bruce Arians.On a week-to-week basis, Brown owners figure to either get a couple looks and around 30 yards, or up to nine looks, a hundred plus yards and a couple of scores.If you’re willing to take a risk, playing Brown in your flex or as your second-tier wide receiver could pay off.With a consistently rising potentialmhe could be similar to how good Will Fuller has been for the Texans.Key Matchups for Week Seven:Chiefs @ Raiders: This game is make or break for the Oakland Raiders.If they are going to bring back the magic they had last regular season, Derek Carr, Marshawn Lynch, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree will all need a good showing against the aboveaverage Chief’s defense. Carr, who was originally ranked as the No. 9 quarterback by most fantasy experts, has dropped into double-digits after the Raider’s first loss in Week Three. After coming off a hopeful playoff run last year and winning their first two season games, Oakland has lost four consecutive games. Their most recent loss, a devastating one-point spread to the San Diego Chargers, may decrease their momentum into this week’s game. If the Raiders flounder yet again, it will probably be time to put on your best salesman approach and sell the Raiders’ key pieces for as high of a value as you can get.Jaguars @ Colts: Jacksonville owners will be licking their chops for this matchup.A young and elite Jaguars’ defense that is progressively improving every game will be facing an average Colts’ offensive line—an inexperienced quarterback, an aging running back and only one real receiving threat.Indianapolis suffered an overtime loss to Tennesse last week, 26-22, and will be lacking drive this week.If you have one of the Colts’ key pieces, stash them for another week and start Jacksonville’s defense.Cardinals @ Rams: It will only get tougher for the Rams’ key pieces in Sammy Watkins and Todd Gurley, because the Rams’ schedule gets even more challenging going forward in the season. The Cardinals have an average rushing defense, but Patrick Peterson will make Sammy Watkins basically invisible. Time to see if the hype behind the Rams is real because, if you haven’t already, this game will probably tell you to trade Gurley and Watkins.Contact Alex Stewart at astewart@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.