Under-the-Radar Booms/Busts: Week 7

Craig Rondinone analyzes the under-the-radar booms and busts for Week 7 in fantasy football. These players could be high upside flex plays or players to bench and sit in Week 7.

Fantasy football owners are going to be hurting during Week 7. There will be no Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks or Oakland Raiders to use in fantasy lineups this week since the four teams are on bye.

Fantasy owners will need to find replacements for Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, James Conner, Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and countless other fantasy stalwarts. Don’t fret, fantasy owners. There are plenty of under-the-radar booms and busts to put in their places this week in standard and DFS leagues!

Here are some under-the-radar booms and busts for the seventh week of NFL action to help you set a winning lineup. Good luck RotoBallers!

Week 7 Under-the-Radar Booms

Joe Flacco (QB, BAL) vs. NOR

Flacco is on pace to destroy his career high in passing yards after six games. He is averaging almost 300 yards per game and has thrived with an entirely overhauled receiving corps led by veteran Michael Crabtree and speedster John Brown. His only fantasy drawback has been that all of his yards have not translated into tons of touchdowns (nine TD passes).

New Orleans’ defense has improved in recent weeks, probably because running back Mark Ingram returned and has kept the Saints defense on the bench while the offense has had more time-consuming drives. Their pass defense is still 29^th in the league, though, and playing at Baltimore where the Ravens have outscored opponents 74-17 sounds like a recipe for 300 yards and three TD darts for Mr. Flacco.

Jordan Howard (RB, CHI) vs. NE

Howard has been viewed as a disappointment in most fantasy circles with only 272 rushing yards and one touchdown over his first five games. Chicago’s offense has centered around Mitchell Trubisky’s arm and not Howard’s legs like the past two years. Howard has not even caught a pass over the last two contests as Tarik Cohen has been Trubisky’s full-time safety valve.

I think Chicago is going to try and establish the running game against New England’s 18^th-ranked run defense in an attempt to keep Tom Brady off the field and away from the Bears’ suddenly spotty secondary. Do not be shocked if this is the week Howard breaks out for 120 rushing yards and a touchdown or two and re-establishes himself as a fantasy force.

Jermaine Kearse (WR, NYJ) vs. MIN

Kearse easily had his best game of the season last week with a season-high nine receptions for 94 yards against hapless Indianapolis. Quincy Enunwa’s high-ankle sprain opened the door for more targets from Sam Darnold, and Kearse converted as well as Chris Paul converts free throws. With Enunwa out for a couple weeks, Kearse will be featured more prominently in the Jets passing attack this week than he has all season.

Minnesota does not have the pass defense it had in 2017 when it was ranked second in the NFL. The Vikings are now 19^th and riddled with injuries and inconsistent play. Running on the Vikes probably will fail miserably for the Jets due to their below-average offensive line, so look for them to throw over the top and for Kearse to receive more targets than Robby Anderson and Terrelle Pryor and score his first touchdown of the 2018 campaign.

Week 7 Under-the-Radar Busts

Devin Funchess (WR, CAR) at PHI

Funchess is a hard book to read. While tight end Greg Olsen was out and Funchess was primed to be Cam Newton’s top target, Funchess could not muster up an 80-yard game and caught one touchdown toss in three contests. Then Olsen returns from his foot injury last week and Funchess proceeds to have five catches for 74 yards and a score. The only thing more frustrating for fantasy owners than an inconsistent player is when their stat service goes down on a football Sunday due to the servers being overloaded by millions of visitors.

Fantasy owners might be fooled into thinking Funchess is finding his stride and should do well against Philadelphia’s 23^rd-ranked pass defense, but the Super Bowl champs held Odell Beckham to 44 yards in their last game and look to be rounding into championship form. Look for Olsen to get more targets this week and for Funchess to get less while he battles for 50-60 yards against the Eagles.

Cameron Brate (TE, TB) vs. CLE

Brate has fallen off fantasy radars as fast as a bungee jumper hops off a cliff. He has made a wonderful turnaround in recent weeks, however, by catching touchdown tosses in three consecutive contests. With Jameis Winston, the quarterback instrumental in Brate having 14 touchdown receptions between 2017 and 2018, back under center, it sure seems like Brate’s fantasy needle is pointing upward.

Brate has two things going against him this weekend, though. One is that O.J. Howard has returned from injury and is Tampa Bay’s top tight end, so Brate will be on the field for fewer snaps and will be looked at less by Winston. The second is that Cleveland has not allowed a tight end to have 20 yards receiving against its secondary in four of its past five games. Check for other low-cost tight end options this weekend.

Brock Osweiler (QB, MIA) vs. DET          

I know what some of you are thinking. Osweiler has finally put it all together and is ready to be the best Miami quarterback since Dan Mario was slinging bullets at Mark Duper and Mark Clayton. Ryan Tannehill will have fun sitting on the sideline while Osweiler leads the Dolphins and thousands of fantasy owners to the playoffs.

Yes, many of you are probably feeling this way after Osweiler’s 380 passing yards and three touchdowns this past Sunday.  Just remember that Osweiler was credited with two long touchdown passes on short throws that Albert Wilson turned into award-caliber scores. The bottom line is that Wilson, Kenny Stills and Danny Amendola are an average-at-best receiving trio, and Osweiler did not drink a magical potion that suddenly turned him into an Aaron Rodgers clone. If Detroit’s seventh-ranked pass defense can hold Tom Brady to 133 passing yards, the Lions (coming off a bye) are not going to let Osweiler and Wilson wreak havoc against them.

That's it for me, RotoBallers! Follow me on Twitter at @craigrondinone!

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