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Welcome back to the Rookie Report! Week 6 clearly demonstrated just how fickle the fortunes of fantasy rookies can be. Teddy Bridgewater and Sammy Watkins hit huge speed bumps, Bishop Sankey continued to struggle to breakout, Storm Johnson ran like every other Jacksonville running back, and Eric Ebron continued to under-perform with Calvin Johnson on the shelf. It wasn't all bad for the rooks though. Derek Carr had his biggest game of the season, Jeremy Hill, Isaiah Crowell and Jarvis Landry each found the end zone, Jace Amaro pulled in double-digit receptions and a score as well, Branden Oliver had another big game, and Jerick McKinnon finally looks like the starter in Minnesota. There should be plenty more rookie fun in store this week, so let’s dive in and talk about what to expect in week 7.

Rookies to start:

RB Branden Oliver, SD (Wk. 7: vs. KC): His match-up isn't quite as sweet this week, but the Chargers have been committed to the run game and Oliver has been far more effective than Donald Brown. He should be a very safe RB2 option this week, and maybe even a low-end RB1 in PPR leagues. Start him

RB Andre Williams, NYG (Wk. 7: @Dal.): If the Giants want to beat Dallas, they’ll have to get the run game going, and Rashad Jennings is out again this week. Williams is a punishing runner who will surprise Dallas with his physicality. I like his chances of being a decent RB2 this week and an excellent flex option. If he doesn't at least come close to 20 touches, I’d be very surprised.

WR Kelvin Benjamin, CAR (Wk. 7: @GB): Kelvin has earned must-start status every week. Green Bay’s offense should keep Carolina throwing, and Benjamin should be trotted out there as a very safe WR2 in fantasy again this week.

WR Brandin Cooks, NO (Wk. 7: @Det.): The Saints might be without Jimmy Graham this week, and the Lions have a ferocious pass rush that dropped Teddy Bridgewater 8 times last week. Look for the Saints to get Cooks involved early in the short passing game to counter Detroit’s pressure. He might even see a couple rushing attempts. He’s a solid WR2 option in PPR leagues and WR3 in standard ones.

WR Sammy Watkins, BUF (Wk. 7: vs. Min.): Don’t be scared away by last week’s rough game from Sammy. He was matched up against Darrelle Revis all day. He won’t face anyone that imposing against the Vikings, and he saw at least 8 targets in each of the previous 4 games before last week. I’d expect close to double-digit targets again, and I like his chances to turn in a strong fantasy day. Orton certainly makes him a better fantasy play than E.J. ever did.

Borderline Rookies:

QB Derek Carr, OAK (Wk. 7: vs. Ari.): Carr finally escapes the “Rookies to Sit” category. With Tony Sparano in charge as the interim head coach, the playbook was opened up and Carr was unleashed a bit against SD. The Arizona matchup is an interesting one. The Cards bring pressure a high percentage of the time and trust their corners to win one-on-one matchups. Carr struggled against pressure in college, but he’s responded well to it at this level. There will be a chance for Carr to have a nice day with crafty James Jones and physical freak Andre Holmes finding ways to get open. I like Carr as a low-end QB2 with upside for more.

QB Blake Bortles, JAX (Wk. 7: vs. Cle.): Like Carr, Bortles is fodder for 2 QB leagues. I like Carr better this week. Bortles has the better match-up, and he’s built a great rapport with Cecil Shorts and Allen Robinson, but the Jags’ lack of a running game will keep Bortles no more than a low-end QB2.

RB Bishop Sankey, TEN (Wk. 7: @Was.): Sankey has been absolutely maddening to anyone who owns him. Coach Ken Whisenhunt claims that “nerves” factored into Sankey’s slow start last week against Jacksonville, but Whiz still sprinkled in too much Dexter McCluster and Leon Washington for Sankey’s owners to feel good starting him against the #5 defense vs. fantasy RBs. There’s plenty of upside for Bishop, but plenty of risk too.

RB Isaiah Crowell, CLE (Wk. 7: @Jax.): Crowell was very impressive as a runner last week against Pittsburgh, putting up 77 yards and a TD on just 11 carries. He would be breathing down Ben Tate’s neck for the starting gig right now if not for 2 fumbles, but he’s still going to get his work and could torch the Jaguars’ terrible defense. He could end up with just 20-30 yards, or he could blow up. The talent is real.

RB Jeremy Hill, CIN (Wk. 7: @Ind.): The Colts allow the 7^th most fantasy points to opposing RBs, and the Bengals should continue to lean on their running backs with A.J. Green likely out another week. There is a risk of Cincy falling behind in this one and having to throw more than they’d like, but Hill should see 10-15 touches, which normally makes him a decent bet for a TD.

RB Jerick McKinnon, MIN (Wk. 7: @Buf.): McKinnon finally has leaped over Matt Asiata on the depth chart, out-touching the plodding Asiata 18-3 against Detroit. This week, he faces off against the best defense in the league against opposing RBs. The volume should be there for him to be an OK flex option though. The Vikes should look to run as much as possible to keep Bridgewater upright after he was sacked 8 times last week.

WR Davante Adams, GB (Wk. 7: vs. Car.): Adams role continued to increase last week. He remains a boom or bust WR3 option, but he’s good a decent chance to boom this week against the lackluster Panthers’ secondary. Carolina has allowed the 6^th most fantasy points to opposing WRs.

WR Odell Beckham Jr., NYG (Wk. 7: @Dal.): The stats would say that this isn't a good match-up for Beckham, but we can just throw out the stats when the Cowboys and Giants get together. I feel like this game will be a bit tougher for the Cowboys, and I actually really like Beckham as a decent flex option this week.

WR Allen Robinson, JAX (Wk. 7: vs. Cle.): I like Robinson this week in PPR leagues. He’s been surprisingly steady since week 2, averaging 5.8 catches and 62.2 yards per game over his past 5 with at least 4 catches and 6 targets in each game. I like his chances to at least get to his averages in a game that will likely have the Jaguars throwing.

WR Jarvis Landry, MIA (Wk. 7: @Chi.): Landry is seemingly gaining more and more trust from Ryan Tannehill each week, and he found the end zone for the first time last week. His efficiency has been impressive, with 18 catches on 25 targets in the past 4 games. This game has shootout potential, so Landry could approach the 6-75-1 line he registered last week and should be a reasonable WR3 option in PPR leagues.

TE Jace Amaro, NYJ (Wk. 7: @NE): Despite his breakout last week, Amaro is more of a 2TE league option. The Patriots do a good job of taking away a team’s best options. I still think Geno peppers him with targets again, making him a guy you could roll the dice on in 12-team PPR leagues, but he’s a risky play this week.

Rookies to Sit:

QB Teddy Bridgewater, MIN (Wk. 7: @Buf.): I believe in Teddy’s talent, but this matchup is daunting. The Vikings haven’t thrown a passing TD in the past 4 weeks and the Bills haven’t allowed a rushing TD all season. I’d like to believe that Bridgewater will find a way to throw his first career TD pass this week, but I can’t say with certainty he will. He’s coming off a 3 interception, 8 sack game against Detroit and gets another good pass rush this week.

RB Storm Johnson, JAX (Wk. 7: vs. Cle.): Storm may very well have a decent game with a good matchup against the Browns, but I’m giving up on the Jags’ running game until they show me more. The problem is the offensive line, and I don’t trust anyone running behind it. I’d sit Storm.

RB Terrance West, CLE (Wk. 7: @Jax.): He’s now 3^rd in the pecking order in the Browns’ backfield and Crowell is separating himself. He needs an injury ahead of him to even be rostered in redraft leagues right now. He just won’t get enough work to play.

RB Darrin Reaves, CAR (Wk. 7: @GB): Even with the other Panthers’ runners out, Reaves hasn't been much of a factor. The Panthers have found something with Cam running the ball again, and Jonathan Stewart might be back this week. I wouldn't consider Reaves this week.

RB Carlos Hyde, SF (Wk. 7: @Den.): The way to beat Denver is to pound the ball on the ground and keep it away from Peyton Manning, but Gore will continue to see the lion’s share of the work. The Broncos don’t often play from behind, so it’s hard to bank on the game flow getting Hyde involved. Keep him on the pine this week.

RB Juwan Thompson, DEN (Wk. 7: vs. SF): Hillman did plenty last week to earn the top spot in the Denver backfield while Montee Ball is out and possibly beyond. Against a plus defense like San Francisco’s, there just won’t be enough fantasy points to go around for Juwan Thompson.

RB Tre Mason, STL (Wk. 7: vs. Sea.): Mason had a couple of nice plays in his NFL debut on Monday night, but you know better than to play a running back who faces the Seahawks when they’re coming off a loss. The Seahawks will be playing focused and angry football, and Mason isn’t even the starter.

WRs Allen Hurns & Marqise Lee, JAX (Wk. 7: vs. Cle.): Hurns’s targets are falling off with Cecil Shorts back, and Lee is still working to crack into the rotation at wide receiver. Both guys should be out of your fantasy lineup this week.

TE Eric Ebron, DET (Wk. 7: vs. NO): Ebron’s comparison coming into the draft was Jimmy Graham. Who knows better how to defend that type of player than the Saints? They've allowed a league-low 4 points per game to opposing tight ends, and Ebron has already been under-performing with Calvin out. Don’t start Ebron this week.

Deep League Sleepers:

QB Zach Mettenberger, TEN (Wk. 7: @Was.): Jake Locker’s status is in doubt yet again this week, and “Checkdown” Charlie Whitehurst hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in his stead. If Mettenberger gets the start, he’s a sneaky good QB2 option going against the worst QB defense in the league. Keep an eye on the situation if you have an issue at QB2.

RB Lorenzo Taliaferro, BAL (Wk. 7: vs. Atl.): Zo has become a forgotten man in Baltimore as Bernard Pierce has returned to the mix, but I think he gets more involved this week and is a sneaky flex play against the awful Falcons’ defense. Forsett is still the top option, but I certainly like Taliaferro over Pierce this week. The Falcons allow 27.5 RB fantasy points per game.

RB James White, NE (Wk. 7: vs. NYJ): The Jets run defense has had some issues the past two weeks after being dominant prior to that, and the Pats’ backfield is in flux with Stevan Ridley done for the year. Brandon Bolden is the favorite to take over Ridley’s role, but White and preseason standout Jonas Gray could factor in as well. White was active for the first time last week, and was always a good pass blocker at Wisconsin, which is important at this level. It’s hard to trust White this week, but he’s a nice stash option in deeper leagues.

RB Damian Williams, MIA (Wk. 7: @Chi.): It’s still not clear who the number 2 runner is in Miami with Knowshon done for the year. Williams beat out Daniel Thomas for a roster spot in the preseason, but Thomas ran ahead of him in week 4 against Oakland. Williams could be worth a stash in deep leagues if he runs ahead of Thomas this week.

WR John Brown, ARI (Wk. 7: @Oak.): Brown has been forgotten by most since his 2 TD game against the 49ers, but with Carson Palmer back, Brown should be a sneaky flex play against the Raiders in deeper leagues. Palmer re-established Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald last week, taking the focus off Brown again (even he had 4 catches for 43 in week 6), and I like his chances of finding the end zone this week. There’s a lot of bust risk, but Brown has shown himself to be a play-maker.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully it helps you find fantasy victory in week 7. As always, good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It’s just a game.

Welcome back! We had another solid week in Week 7, but still could have been better.

Time to see what Week 8 has in store for us!

Week 8! HERE WE GO!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

15 – KANSAS CITY over St. Louis – The Rams got a home win against the champs last week, but they needed a lot of trickery to do so. You can’t rely on that every week.

14 – DALLAS over Washington – The Cowboys seem to be the real deal this season. It looks like Colt McCoy will be under center for the ‘Skins Monday Night – that’s a good reason to have a lot of confidence in Dallas this week.

13 – DENVER over San Diego – Peyton and the boys have given us no reason to think that we should have anything but a lot of confidence in them at home. The Chargers may keep this close, but a home loss last week showed that San Diego has some chinks in the armor.

12 – NEW ENGLAND over Chicago – The good news for the Patriots is that they get a home game this week…the good news for the Bears is that they DON’T have a home game this week! Seriously, the Blackhawks have more wins in Soldier Field than the Bears do in 2014! Tom Brady is starting to look like the old Tom Brady which isn’t good news for a depleted Chicago secondary.

11 – Miami over JACKSONVILLE – Miami looked really impressive on the road last week. The Fins may be able to make a strong run at the division this season. The Jags are coming off of their first win of the season last week – hard to see them make it two in a row this week.

10 – CINCINNATI over Baltimore – The Bengals are just confusing this year. A lot of the offensive problems, though, revolve around AJ Green and his toe. If he plays, it will be hard to stop Cincy.

9 – ARIZONA over Philadelphia – Hard to imagine but there is an outside chance that this could very well be your NFC Championship game! With Carson Palmer playing the way he is, the Cardinals offense will be able to outscore the Eagles.

8 – NEW YORK JETS over Buffalo – The Jets were a field goal away from an upset in Foxboro last Thursday and the Bills just barely got by half of the Minnesota Vikings at home. The Jets have been close in most of their losses this season – I think this is the week they cross the line.

7 – Seattle over CAROLINA – If you listen closely, you can hear the Packers score on the Panthers again! That game was brutal! It doesn’t get any better as an upset Seahawks team comes to Charlotte. After losing to the Rams, Seattle will be pumped to show they are still the cream of the crop.

6 – Houston over TENNESSEE – Titans fans have started the “Suck for the Duck” campaign (meaning tank the year in order to draft Oregon star quarterback Marcus Mariota) and it looks like the team is obliging. Arian Foster will run all over the Titans so much so that my BOLD PREDICTION is that Arian Foster will have a 200 yard game.

5 – CLEVELAND over Oakland – After looking drastically improved two weeks ago, the Raiders reminded us last week that they are indeed still the Raiders. Look for a huge game for Ben Tate which will allow the Browns to control the game and get the win.

4 – Indianapolis over PITTSBURGH – The Steelers have been very hit or miss this season. Last week they hit and this week the Colts will make sure they miss.

3 – Green Bay over NEW ORLEANS – Sunday Night Football has a shootout on their hands this week. The only thing scarier than the thought of a Saints offense in the dome is this Packer offense in the dome. Rodgers has the team and city R-E-L-A-X ing to the tune of four straight wins averaging over 36 points in that span. Look for win number five this week.

2 – ATLANTA over Detroit – London game number two comes up this week with the Falcons and Lions. Here’s the kicker – the game will be played in prime LONDON time, which translates to a 9:30 a.m. EST kickoff in the states. I’ll be sleeping to the coin told me the Falcons will win.

1 - Minnesota over TAMPA BAY – This could have been a decent game. Unfortunately half of the Vikings offense is gone and the Bucs just can’t seem to get it going. The Vikings were close on the road last week so we’ll give them our one-point line this week.

Week 8 Sleeper Starts

With so many options to choose from, sometimes fielding a fantasy lineup can be quite the headache. Obvious are the starts akin to Antonio Brown, Brandon Marshall, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck and the games other bigger names. However, it’s the tougher choices – namely the less obvious starts – that will end up winning your league.

Here are a few names you might want to consider:

Alex Smith QB Kansas City – Alex Smith has been just ok so far this year. Like so often when he played in San Francisco, Smith is more of a game manager than a passer. In leagues that play two quarterbacks, this week could be the opportune time to take a chance on Smith as he gets the hapless St. Louis Rams at home – a team whose defense is highly disappointing this season, especially against the pass. Top target Dwayne Bowe hasn’t been exactly lighting it up, but did show his presence in Week 7 against San Diego grabbing 5 catches for 84 yards – a good sign for Smith owners. Let’s not forget that RB Jamaal Charles always has the capability to turn a short catch into a long play. Too many indicators point to Smith being a decent play and solid WR2 for Week 8.

Bryce Brown RB Buffalo – We all know what Bryce Brown is capable of doing in a game. With 564 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in limited game time while filling in for an injured LeSean McCoy in 2012, we got a good taste of the kind of talent Brown has. Brown hasn’t since done very much waiting in the wings behind McCoy before getting moved to Buffalo this season where he has been sitting behind two very serviceable backs in Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Now Spiller is out until at least Week 16 with a collarbone injury and a less effective than past Jackson could be out up to four weeks with a groin issue. That leaves Buffalo to rely on Brown. Brown has the opportunity to really show what he can do in the next few weeks and though this week’s matchup at NY Jets isn’t the greatest, he should still put up numbers to qualify him as a decent RB2, especially if he can gain QB Kyle Orton’s confidence early and get targets in the short passing game. Brown has big play ability.   

Darren McFadden RB Oakland – McFadden only has 14 carries in each of his last two games but has tallied an above pedestrian 128 rushing yards with a touchdown. This week I suspect will McFadden get more carries and he has a juicy match-up at Cleveland who rank 25 against running backs this season. There is all kinds of potential for McFadden to put up fair numbers this week as neither team is known for slinging the ball around setting the table for a big run game on both ends. McFadden is a fill in option only as a RB3, but don’t be surprised if he exceeds expectations this week.

Mike Wallace WR Miami – Anytime a player goes up against Jacksonville this year, you have to take a close look. This week Wallace gets his chance and he should deliver big numbers. Scoring a touchdown in his last three games, Wallace has gotten fantasy owners double digits in points during that stretch and there is no reason to think he won’t do it again this week. This week would probably also be a good bet for Wallace to finally reach the 100-yard-plus receiving mark, as he has failed to do so far this season. Wallace is a nice WR2 with big WR1 potential.

Eric Decker WR NY Jets – Keep an eye on Decker’s status. He has played with a bum hamstring the past two games but has still managed 10 catches on 17 targets. Now that all purpose wide receiver Percy Harvin enters the fold, Decker could find himself open for QB Geno Smith far more often. Decker should certainly benefit from the surprising acquisition of Harvin and this week’s matchup against Buffalo would have been quite enticing anyway since their defense is ranked 24 against the wide receiver position. Despite a struggling Smith at the helm, Decker could be a decent WR2 in Week 8.

Gavin Escobar TE Dallas – Tightend Jason Witten’s numbers are dwindling while counterpart Gavin Escobar has snagged 3 touchdowns in the past two games. Witten will certainly get more targets moving up and down the field but Escobar has clearly shown his ability to get open in the endzone where a battle-weary Witten may have finally lost a step. There are plenty of decent tightend plays out there for Week 8, but if you are having injury or bye week issues, Escobar could be worth a shot for a touchdown grab or more. Escobar could be a nice fill in option – keep him on your radar.  

Every week there are certain surprises and disappointments that can really throw us off guard as fantasy owners and strategists. But I am a firm believer that keeping on top of these with good analysis and projecting what results will be down the line can be the difference for your fantasy team and propel you to the playoffs. Each week we'll find a couple such instances during the games and point out the important things that you may have missed along the way.

Being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, of course I'm going to bring up what was quite an amazing performance by the Steelers on Sunday against the Colts. Despite the medicore showings that the Steelers have had in the first several weeks of the 2014 NFL season, Week 7 and 8's match-ups have shown that their offense is clicking and the defense is starting to figure out who they are. First, Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed what was easily his best regular season performance of all time.. putting up 522 yards and 6 TD's. That's just a few yards shy of the best statistical performance from an NFL quarterback in the history of the league. We know that Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are every week plays for fantasy owners, but does this mean that Roethlisberger should be looked at as a top 10 QB going forward? He's currently the #7 QB overall in standard scoring leagues after this Sunday and I think he'll end the year at the bottom of the top 10. The only QB to have thrown for more yards than him this year is Andrew Luck. Markus Wheaton was a popular pick as a WR sleeper before the season started and is still a part of the offense, but the chemistry between him and Big Ben has yet to impress. With 6'4" rookie Martavis Bryant finally healthy and involved in games it looks like he'll move into the WR2 role in Pittsburgh which comes along with plenty of redzone targets and loose coverage opposite Antonion Brown. Bryant is immediately in the waiver wire discussion (owned in 10% of leagues but finishing as the #9 WR in Week 8 with 20.30 fantasy points in a standard league).

Tom Brady has quickly eliminated any doubt that we had about his 2014 season. True, he started out the year underwhelming fantasy owners even to the point of dropping him before his breakout game against Buffalo, but has since improved dramatically along with other key components of the offense. It has long been known that Brady's recent successes can be tied to good games by Gronkowski - and that certainly was the case against Chicago on Sunday when The Gronk scored 3 touchdowns on 9 receptions for 149 yards. The running back situation in New England has always been up-in-the-air, and especially this year with Stevan Ridley out and Bolden not being used. It looks to me like we can safely say that Vereen and newcomer Jonas Gray will be the primary options from here on out (until injury or ball-control issues, at least), with Gray taking on Ridley's responsibilities including goal-line carries. Keep in mind that Gray nearly scored a touchdown on Sunday, and if he had (along with his 17 rushes for 86 yards) he would certainly be in the discussion for the #1 waiver wire pickup this week. The real enigma as of late has been Julian Edelman: trending down over the past few weeks, we have to wonder if his role (so crucial last year to the Patriot's success) has been cannibalized by a healthy Gronkowski and the emergence of Brandon LaFell (at least 4 receptions over the past 3 games including 3 TD's, last game was 11 for 124 and 1 TD). LaFell is also definitely in the waiver wire discussion this week (only owned in 35% of leagues, #11 WR in Week 8 with 18.40 fantasy points in a standard league).

Admittedly I was down on Mark Ingram a bit for several reasons.. first, I don't like playing players when just coming back from injury and second, the two defenses that Ingram performed well against at the beginning of the season (Atlanta and Cleveland) have graded out to be absolutely terrible against running backs over the course of the year so far (giving up over 1000 rushing yards each and a combined 20 TD's on the ground). Ingram turned out to be a terrific fantasy asset on Sunday night, rushing 24 times for 172 yards and 1 TD and adding 1 reception for 3 yards. So, should we be slotting him into lineups each week from here on out? First of all, he should be owned in all leagues.. he is currently owned in only 69% of Yahoo fantasy leagues and if he is available he should be your first pickup this week without question. Let's temper ourselves a bit, though, and look deeper into the situation: Ingram is currently without any competition in the backfield because Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas are both out with injuries. According to the most recent news, both should also miss Friday's contest against the Panthers leaving Ingram with the unquestioned primary role once more and making him a RB1 for the match-up against a soft Carolina rushing defense. Travaris Cadet is an intriguing player who is also getting more time on the field now as the passing down specialist (4 receptions for 40 yards on Sunday night) but is no threat to Ingram's job and should fade back into the background when Pierre Thomas is able to resume play. The one thing that I want to caution about after all of this good news, is that the Packers were also bad against the rush.. which means that although I think Ingram will be great against the Panthers on Thursday, he still has yet to play a team of any real skill against running backs. In weeks 10-13 the Saints will face up against the 49ers, Bengals, Ravens and Steelers.. all teams that are much better equipped to stifle his production. When Thomas and Robinson return (as early as week 10), we'll also see a return to the Saints' 3-headed RB committee. What does all of this mean? Well.. play Ingram this week, but try as hard as you can to push him in a trade before his fantasy production falters in the coming weeks.