NFL Week 7 Picks, Sleepers & DraftKings Preview
The season is now heading for the halfway point and as each week passes we’re able to make more solid assumptions about players form and prospects on a weekly basis. As usual I’ll be giving a combination of good, solid picks, value selections and speculative low salary players, aka sleepers.
Quarterbacks
Rodgers and the Packers are on a three game winning streak and will be on a high after their come from behind win against the Dolphins on Sunday. Rodgers himself is flying this season with 15 touchdowns and just one interception, ten of those touchdowns coming in the last three games. This week the Packers face the Panthers who are up and down this year, their pass defense notably struggling, giving up more yards than all but four teams in the league.
Brian Hoyer – Cleveland Browns – $5,600 – Sleeper
People are starting to notice the Browns after their 31-10 win against the Steelers which has given them a 3-2 record. After this weekend that record could be 4-2 as they face the 0-6 Jaguars. Hoyer has been solid this year so far without being spectacular, having only been picked off once, but only scored seven TD’s in five games. This week Hoyer and the Browns will surely have many attempts from the red zone.
Running Backs
DeMarco Murray – Dallas Cowboys – $9,600
Murray has been on fire this season and after the Cowboys win in Seattle at the weekend, suddenly the team from Texas is being talked about in Super Bowl terms. Murray has rushed for a league leading 785 yards, 243 yards ahead of his nearest pursuer, and has run in for six scores. Add 155 yards receiving to these amazing figures, and factor in that that the Cowboys host the Giants on the back of 27-0 defeat and you have a player who looks value, despite the high salary.
Andre Ellington – Arizona Cardinals – $6,500
Ellington is a player who has been solid so far this year, without quite hitting the heights – his 305 yards rushing and 188 yards receiving seeing him score twice. However this week the Cardinals play the winless Raiders who are 26th against the rush, so Ellington could capitalize come Sunday. This is a solid value pick.
Justin Forsett – Baltimore Ravens – $5,600
Forsett is averaging 68 yards per game and has run in three touchdowns this year so far for a Baltimore team that are 4-2 and shown that they can blow teams apart with three of those wins coming by 20 points or more. This week they host the Falcons on a run of three defeats, and perhaps more importantly 31st in rush defense.
Wide Receivers
Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers – $8,200
Once again I’m going for the Quarterback/Wide Receiver combination this week in Rodgers/Nelson. Having caught for over 100 yards per game and scored five times Nelson has caught for more yards than any other player in the league. This is something of a bang or bust strategy this week, as the two will take up a large amount of your salary, but the combination looks very solid.
Andrew Hawkins – Cleveland Browns – $3,700
Here is another QB/WR combination in Hoyer and Hawkins. This time the combination is much, much cheaper but could pay big dividends because of one factor – the Jaguars! Hawkins hasn’t headlined this year but he has caught 24 passes for 270 yards and is the player who Hoyer looks for on the most occasions. For $3,700 this looks like huge value.
Alshon Jeffery – Chicago Bears – $6,600
Jeffery has caught for 495 yards and scored two touchdowns so far this year for the inconsistent Bears. I say inconsistent because it’s tough pinpointing the Bears this year, going to San Franciso and winning in week two but being beaten up at home by the Packers. This week Jeffery and the Bears play the Dolphins at home, another inconsistent team on the back of a late defeat to the Packers. Jeffery should put up some solid figures this week.
Tight End
Julius Thomas – Denver Broncos – $6,900
Thomas has caught nine touchdown passes this year in receiving for 277 yards and is the go to guy in the red zone for Mr. Manning Sr. The Broncos have upped their game in their last two outings and are looking like a team that could go all the way this year. With home field advantage this week, Thomas looks lick a solid pick, despite facing the 4-2 49’ers.
Defense/Special Team
Cleveland Browns – $3,000
The Browns defense and special team are my third pick for the Browns this week because the Jaguars can’t score. They are the lowest scoring team of all those in the league who have played six games and are facing a Browns team who are on a high after back to back victories.
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