Thomason: Sleepers & Daily Fantasy Value Plays For Week 7
By Jack Thomason--
(CBS) We have four more teams on byes this week, and we're in the thick of the season. Coming up with spot-start plays when going through these bye weeks is never easy -- not to mention the injuries have either zapped you of your depth or left you scouring the waiver wire for replacement starters before even getting to bye weeks.
Never fear, I have some players here who should still be available in your leagues that can help. These guys will also be inexpensive starters in daily leagues who can provide salary cap relief for roster construction.
Let's take a look at this week's sleepers/value plays for both season-long leagues and daily fantasy.
Quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jets (at Patriots) -- The Patriots are giving up the seventh-most points to opposing quarterbacks, and Fitzpatrick is riding in on a hot streak. With the run game starting to really hit its stride, the pressure has also been taken off of him. Opposing defenses have to stack the box, and Fitzpatrick is good enough to take advantage of the one-on-one matchups that Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are provided with. At prices of $5200(DraftKings) and $7100 (FanDuel), Fitzpatrick is worth a spot start this week.
Kirk Cousins, Redskins (vs. Buccaneers) -- The Buccaneers rank 24th in DVOA pass defense and are giving up the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Cousins should be getting one of his primary targets back in Jordan Reed and looks poised for a solid fantasy day at inexpensive pricing (DK: $5000; FD: $6300). He has more than 40 attempts in three of his last four games and will allow for salary cap relief and a decent plug-and-play in season-long leagues.
Running back
Theo Riddick, Lions (vs. Vikings) -- Riddick has played 40 percent of snaps for the Lions this season, which leads the team among running backs. With Zach Zenner on injured reserve and Joique Bell not healthy, he and Ameer Abdullah will continue to carry the load. He's much more of a PPR play, but the Vikings also rank 26th in rush DVOA, so he has opportunity with the few carries he does receive. Add that to his cheap DraftKings price of $3400, and I think you've found yourself a nice play.
Darren McFadden, Cowboys (at Giants) -- Last time we saw McFadden, he was catching nine balls on 10 targets out of the backfield for the Cowboys. While there seems to be a changing of the guard taking place for early down work between Joseph Randle and Christine Michael, that shouldn't affect McFadden's new role as the pass receiving back for this offense. Dallas also seems to believe its offense can be more aggressive with Matt Cassel under center, which would bode well for McFadden, who will see some carries as well. (DK: $3100; FD: $6000)
Receiver
Stefon Diggs, Vikings (at Lions) -- In his only two active games this year, Diggs has tallied 19 targets, 13 receptions and 216 yards. He's an explosive playmaker and has taken full advantage of Charles Johnson's injury. Next up are the Lions, who rank 29th in pass DVOA and were just carved up by Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears for 353 yards. He's absolutely worth playing at $4200 on DraftKings and $5800 on FanDuel.
Rishard Matthews, Dolphins (at Texans) -- Matthews has been a consistent performer for the Dolphins. With the Dolphins on a bye this past week, Matthews picked up where he left off, nabbing six balls on six targets for 85 yards last Sunday. Texans starting corner Kareem Jackson has already been ruled out for this Sunday's matchup. This is more good news in an already plus matchup for Matthews. Fire him up this week with prices of $4300 on DraftKings and $6400 on FanDuel, and you shouldn't be disappointed.
Tight end
Jordan Reed, Redskins (vs. Buccaneers) -- Here's a tight end who was averaging nine targets per game and 70 yards, and he's priced extremely low at $4200 on DraftKings and $5400 on FanDuel. The most recent news has Reed saying he's 100 percent and ready to go for Sunday. Due to his injury, it's possible he's available on waivers as well. Cousins was locking on to Reed before he went down to injury, and this is a nice matchup against a Bucs team with a pass defense DVOA ranking of 24th.
Ladarius Green, Chargers (vs. Raiders) -- We know Antonio Gates is the lead dog here, but with injuries to Keenan Allen (who should play), Stevie Johnson and Gates (he didn't practice Wednesday but is expected to play), Green should play a larger role the way he did last week in Green Bay. We also know the Raiders are the worst team in the NFL at guarding tight ends. With a lot of focus going to Gates, Green is a nice "punt play" with upside at $2700 on DraftKings and $5100 on FanDuel. The Raiders are giving up 14.4 standard fantasy points per game to tight ends.
Others Considered: Tyrod Taylor, Landry Jones, Shane Vereen, Ahmad Bradshaw, Jamison Crowder, Jalen Strong, Vernon Davis and Eric Ebron.
Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and co-host of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter @jthomason77 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.