Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Week 7 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2019 Edition

Quarterback
MVP: Aaron Rodgers (Packers) 
Rodgers broke out of his "funk" by putting up a truly absurd statline (429 YDS and 5 TD's through the air, 6 YDS and 1 TD on the ground) against the Raiders that resembled a college QB beating up on subpar competition. The 35-year old seems to finally be clicking in Matt LaFluer's system after an uneventful start to the season and if you had been benching him on account of his mediocre statlines, it's probably a good time to put him back in your lineup.
Honorable Mentions: Matthew Stafford (Lions), Kirk Cousins (Vikings), Jacoby Brissett (Colts)

LVP: Kyler Murray (Cardinals)
A monster game from Chase Edmonds paired with the terrible conditions at MetLife Stadium prevented Murray (132 total YDS, 0 TD's, 0 turnovers) from building off his career-best game against the Bengals in Week 5. After securing 3 straight wins over questionable competition, the sledding is about to get much tougher for the rookie QB starting this week with a trip to New Orleans to face a Saints defense that has been tremendous since Drew Brees got injured.
Dishonorable Mentions: Matt Ryan (Falcons), Carson Wentz (Eagles), Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers)

Running Back
MVP: Latavius Murray (Saints)
Alvin Kamara's absence didn't slow down the Saints rushing attack in the slightest against the Bears on Sunday afternoon. Murray shined incredibly bright in his 1st game operating as the Saints feature back, piling up 150 scrimmage YDS (119 rushing, 31 receiving) and 2 TD's on 32 touches in another dominant win for the NFC's best team. Murray should be a quality starting RB1/2 option as long as Kamara is out.
Honorable Mentions: Dalvin Cook (Vikings), Sony Michel (Patriots), Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys)

LVP: Phillip Lindsay (Broncos)
Turns out all the Chiefs needed to do to stop the run is play an offense led by Joe Flacco. A banner night of ineptitude from the league's highest-paid statue resulted in the Broncos going down big early and subsequently forced Lindsay (32 YDS on 12 touches) to get phased out of the gameplan in the 2nd half. The sophomore back isn't likely to fare much better in Week 8 against a Colts defense that has been stout against running game all season long. 
Dishonorable Mentions: David Montgomery (Bears), Devin Singletary (Bills), Carlos Hyde (Texans)

Wide Receiver 
MVP: Marvin Jones Jr. (Lions)
How many people had Jones topping all wideouts in scoring this week? The Lions #2 wideout was all over the place against the Vikings on Sunday, hauling in 10 catches for 93 YDS and 4 TD's. While a regression is basically inevitable after such a huge performance, Jones should be a damn fine WR3/FLEX play against the Giants.
Honorable Mentions: Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Packers), DeAndre Hopkins (Texans), Allen Robinson (Bears)

LVP: Kenny Golladay (Lions)
Jones' running mate, on the other hand, wasn't quite as impressive. Golladay somehow caught just 1 pass for 21 YDS in another painful division loss for Detroit. The Lions top wideout should be in line for an uptick in production against the Giants awful secondary this week.
Dishonorable Mentions: Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), Tyler Boyd (Bengals), Calvin Ridley (Falcons)

Tight End
MVP: Darren Waller (Raiders)
The rise of Waller continues!!! The Raiders tight end was one of the few bright spots in a lopsided loss to the might Packers, securing 7 catches for 126 YDS and 2 TD's. Waller has been the runaway breakout star at fantasy football's thinnest position and at this rate, it's entirely conceivable that he'll finish the year as the top scorer if he can stay healthy.
Honorable Mentions: Eric Ebron (Colts), Jimmy Graham (Packers), Gerald Everett (Rams)

LVP: Evan Engram (Giants)
Apparently it is possible for a tight end to not destroy the Cardinals. Engram was sluggish and sloppy as hell after missing the Week 6 contest with the Patriots, registering just 1 catch for 6 YDS. He'll look to return to form against a struggling Lions pass D in Week 8. 
Dishonorable Mentions: George Kittle (49ers), Mark Andrews (Ravens), Zach Ertz (Eagles)

Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Patriots
I might as well just re-name the Defense/Special Teams section of this piece "The 2019 Patriots Award" at this point. Sam Darnold ran into this unforgivingly cruel behemoth of a unit last night, turning the ball over 6 times (4 INT's/2 FUM REC), allowing a safety and somehow getting sacked just once during a 33-0 home loss. With a middling Browns offense helmed by the current league-leader in INT's heading up to Foxboro this Sunday, another explosion seems imminent.
Honorable Mentions: Rams, Ravens, Jaguars 

LVP: Vikings
The Vikings D were victims of a shootout this week as they surrendered 30 points versus the Lions. Things would've been even worse if they hadn't picked up a couple of sacks along the way and a late, game-sealing INT on a desperation heave from Matthew Stafford. A return to glory against the lumbering trainwreck otherwise known as the Redskins offense seems very likely. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Chargers, Titans, Seahawks 

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