DeMarco Murray had his best rushing game since Week 1 on Sunday at Baltimore, but his day was ruined with a sprained ligament in his foot. And now he's out for at least a week -- if not longer.
Enter Felix Jones, who will be the most added player this week and has an amazing matchup at Carolina. He will be in line for quality production and is worth spending at least 30 percent of your bid points on because he could be the difference in a win this week. And if Murray is out for an extended period of time, then Jones' value would continue to rise.
We also had Trent Richardson (ribs) get hurt in Week 6 against Cincinnati, but he expects to play in Week 7 at Indianapolis. Still, if he's out you'll want to add his backup in Montario Hardesty, who had a nice performance against the Bengals and has a favorable matchup this week.
There are some big quarterbacks on a bye this week (Matt Ryan, Peyton Manning, Michael Vick and Philip Rivers), so we'll give you some replacement options in case you aren't prepared. And we'll also address some big receiver performances from Mike Williams, Josh Gordon and Sidney Rice.
Editor's note: Must add is for players worth adding in all leagues. Maybe add is for players worth adding in 14-team leagues or larger. Desperation add is for players worth adding only if you're, well, desperate. The ownership percentage listed is how many leagues that player was owned in the previous week for CBSSports.com.
Quarterbacks
Must add: Carson Palmer, Raiders
(68 percent), Christian Ponder, Vikings
(63 percent), Josh Freeman, Buccaneers
(50 percent), Brandon Weeden, Browns
(21 percent)
Maybe add: Sam Bradford,
Rams (40 percent), Matt Hasselbeck,
Titans (8 percent)
Desperation add: Russell Wilson, Seahawks (28 percent), Mark Sanchez, Jets (16 percent), Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars (9 percent), John Skelton, Cardinals (4 percent)
The breakdown: Palmer
is not someone that has long-term value, but if you need a quarterback
for a one-week replacement then add him where available with his matchup
at home against the Jaguars. ... Freeman is coming off his best game of
the season with 29 Fantasy points against the Chiefs and he gets another
home matchup with the struggling Saints. ... Ponder doesn't have the
best matchup against the Cardinals at home, but he does have at least 19
Fantasy points in four of his past five games. ... Weeden is somewhat
risky to trust, but he has 19 Fantasy points in consecutive games and
faces a struggling Colts defense in Week 7. ... Bradford and Hasselbeck
are like Weeden in that they're risky starting options, but they also
have good matchups in Week 7. Bradford plays host to the Packers and
Hasselbeck is at Buffalo. ... I'm not ready to recommend Wilson, who had
28 Fantasy points against the Patriots, because he is at San Francisco
in Week 7. ... The same goes for Sanchez, Gabbert and Skelton, who could
start for the injured Kevin Kolb (ribs),
even though they have good matchups this week. Sanchez is at New
England, Gabbert is at Oakland and Skelton gets the Vikings at home, but
they are too inconsistent to start in most formats.
Running backs
Must add: Alex Green, Packers
(84 percent), LeGarrette Blount,
Buccaneers (54 percent), Felix Jones,
Cowboys (29 percent), Montario Hardesty,
Browns (3 percent)
Maybe add: Isaac Redman, Steelers (60 percent), William Powell, Cardinals (52 percent), David Wilson, Giants (45 percent), Daryl Richardson, Rams (38 percent), Mike Goodson, Raiders (21 percent), Cedric Peerman, Bengals (1 percent), Phillip Tanner, Cowboys (0 percent)
Desperation add: LaRod Stephens-Howling, Cardinals (34 percent), Jonathan Dwyer, Steelers (11 percent), Baron Batch, Steelers (0 percent)
The breakdown: You
couldn't pick a worst time for Murray or Richardson to get hurt. They
have dream matchups in Week 7. Dallas is at Carolina, which has allowed
four touchdowns to opposing running backs and six to reach double digits
in Fantasy points. Jones will start for Murray and is a must-start
Fantasy option. The Browns are at the Colts, who have allowed eight
touchdowns to opposing running backs and four to reach double digits in
Fantasy points. That could allow Hardesty to be a star this week if
Richardson is out. Add Jones and Hardesty in all leagues this week. ...
In deeper leagues you'll want to add Tanner as well since Jones has
never been able to stay healthy himself. ... Green had 22 carries in his
first start against the Texans and the Packers are going to lean on him.
He faces the Rams this week and has potential to be a flex option going
forward. ... Blount, as we told you last week, had the chance to score
against the Chiefs, and he did. He has another favorable matchup against
the Saints this week. ... Rashard Mendenhall
(Achilles) should play in Week 7 at Cincinnati, but if he's out then
Redman, Dwyer or Batch will see an increased role. Redman has the most
upside, but it's a situation to avoid if possible. ... Every Steven Jackson owner should have Richardson on their roster as he's
continuing to get more work. He was better than Jackson at Miami in Week
6 with 11 carries for 76 yards compared to 12 carries for 52 yards for
Jackson. ... Goodson is a Darren McFadden
injury away from becoming a star. He had eight Fantasy points against
the Falcons and we know McFadden has a lengthy injury history. ... BenJarvus Green-Ellis continues to show he has little big-play ability
and Peerman looks like the replacement for Bernard Scott (knee). He had eight catches for 76 yards against the
Browns in Week 6 and is worth picking up in PPR leagues. ... Powell is
clearly the running back to own for the Cardinals. He had 13 carries for
70 yards against the Bills while Stephens-Howling had 11 carries for 22
yards. Neither is going to start in most Fantasy leagues on a weekly
basis.
Wide receivers
Must add: Randall Cobb, Packers
(76 percent), Mike Williams, Buccaneers
(73 percent), Sidney Rice, Seahawks (69
percent), Kendall Wright, Titans (54
percent), Donnie Avery, Colts (48
percent), Josh Gordon, Browns (25
percent)
Maybe add: Darrius Heyward-Bey,
Raiders (60 percent), Mario Manningham,
49ers (45 percent), Nate Burleson, Lions
(40 percent), Brandon Gibson, Rams (25
percent), Stephen Hill, Jets (23
percent), Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (7
percent), Chris Givens, Rams (5 percent)
Desperation
add: Braylon Edwards, Seahawks (3
percent), Michael Jenkins, Vikings (1
percent), Derek Hagan, Raiders (0
percent)
The breakdown: The priority list at receiver this
week is Cobb, Williams and Gordon. All have played well and have the
shot to be starting options as the bye weeks continue. Cobb might have
benefited the most with Cedric Benson's
foot injury. Since Benson went down in Week 5, Cobb has 11 catches for
184 yards and a touchdown in the past two games. ... Williams has at
least 11 Fantasy points in three of his past four games with 25 targets
over that span. ... Gordon has emerged as the best Browns receiver and
has 35 Fantasy points the past two games on just five catches. Imagine
what he could do with more receptions. ... Wright is a must own in PPR
leagues. He has at least six catches in three of his past four games.
... Rice should continue to emerge as the best Seattle receiver. He had
his best game of the season with 14 Fantasy points against the Patriots
in Week 6. ... Avery keeps missing out on a big game. He had six Fantasy
points at the Jets in Week 6, but he has at least eight targets in every
game this season. He could have a big week against the Browns in Week 7.
... If you're going to gamble on a Rams receiver consider Gibson first
and then Givens. Gibson had seven catches for 91 yards on nine targets
in Week 6 at Miami, and Givens had three catches for 85 yards on seven
targets. ... Look for Heyward-Bey to be more involved now that he's
healthy from his Week 3 head injury. He's worth keeping an eye on going
forward. ... Hill could emerge as the best Jets receiver now that he's
healthy. He scored against the Colts in Week 6 and has a great matchup
against the Patriots.
Tight ends
Must add: Jermaine Gresham,
Bengals (76 percent), Jared Cook, Titans
(67 percent)
Maybe add: Joel Dreessen,
Broncos (23 percent), Brandon Myers,
Raiders (18 percent)
Desperation add: Anthony Fasano, Dolphins (10 percent), Tony Scheffler, Lions (1 percent), Benjamin Watson, Browns (1 percent), Tom Crabtree,
Packers (0 percent)
The breakdown: Gresham is starting to come
around with his performance of late. He has 12 Fantasy points in two of
his past four games with at least five catches and 60 receiving yards in
three of those four outings. He also has three games with at least 12.0
yards per catch, which is nearly 2 yards better than his career average
(10.3). ... Cook has at least nine Fantasy points in two of his past
four games with five Fantasy points in three of those outings. ... Myers
remains a quality tight end in PPR leagues with three games with at
least five catches and 60 yards. The problem is he's still looking for
his first NFL touchdown. ... Dreessen continues to prove he's better
than Jacob Tamme for Fantasy owners. If
you own Tamme, drop him for Dreessen going forward.
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