Week 6 included the most exciting individual performances that the NFL has seen this year — Odell Beckham Jr. and Rob Gronkowski both set career highs in receiving yards, while Zeke Elliott became the first rookie running back in history with four consecutive games of at least 130 rushing yards.
In Week 7, Minnesota will look to keep their record unblemished when they visit Philadelphia and Cleveland will try to get their first win of the season as they travel to Cincinnati. Carolina and Dallas are both on a bye this week, so if you’re a fantasy owner with players from either of those teams, be sure to replace them in your starting lineups.
Prime time games this week:
Thursday Night Football – Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Sunday Night Football – Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
Monday Night Football – Houston Texans @ Denver Broncos
Here’s what to watch for in Week 7:
Lock of the Week – Oakland and Jacksonville cover the over (50)
Four of the Raiders’ six games this year have resulted in at least 50 total points, and this should be another one of those weeks. Oakland has one of the top offenses in the league, but they have arguably the most vulnerable pass defense, as well. No team has allowed more yards through the air than the Raiders and only five defenses have surrendered more passing touchdowns. Unless Oakland can take advantage of Jacksonville’s vulnerable offensive line, their secondary will struggle with Jacksonville’s pass-catching trio of Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Julius Thomas, likely resulting in the shootout of the week.
Matchup of the Week – Minnesota Vikings @ Philadelphia Eagles
Only three games this week feature two teams with records over .500, and this figures to be the most intriguing of the three. If Stefon Diggs is unable to play, the Vikings offense may struggle to move the ball, but the strength of their team is on the defensive side. Minnesota hasn’t allowed more than 16 points in a game this year and the Eagles will have to find a way to make things easy for rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. The way to attack a dominant defense is with a heavy dose of misdirection, so we could see Philly feature running backs Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood on Sunday.
Player to Watch – Kirk Cousins @ Detroit Lions
Only three quarterbacks have thrown more times than Cousins this year, but he ranks just 10th in passing touchdowns. This week, he’ll face off against a Lions defense that has allowed 17 touchdowns through the air, including three games giving up at least three passing touchdowns. Tight end Jordan Reed is expected to return to action after sitting out Week 6 with a concussion and Detroit will be hard-pressed to find an answer for the receiving corps of Reed, DeSean Jackson, and Jamison Crowder.
TJ Hernandez is an editor at 4for4.com and the founder of RosterCoach.com. You can follow him on twitter @TJHernandez.
*The blog is for entertainment purposes only and in no way should be used in making wagers of any kind.