Things really looked like they were starting to turn around for Joe Mixon. He had the 181-yard game against Jacksonville, his role in the passing game was growing, he got into the end zone against a very good Colts defense — you could see things setting up for another big second half. Then he injured his foot.
We don't know the extent of Mixon's injury as of Thursday afternoon, but we do know he hasn't practiced this week. We also know that Giovani Bernard would be a must-start option if Mixon can't go in Week 7. Bernard has seen double-digit carries seven times since Mixon joined the Bengals. He's scored double-digit PPR Fantasy points in all seven games. He's topped 19 PPR points in four of them.
Without Mixon, Bernard comes with both a solid floor and a sky-high ceiling. Which is why it's so surprising that he's still available in two-thirds of leagues. If you have Mixon on your roster and not Bernard, you need to go see if the latter is available right now. And even if you don't roster Mixon, you should still be speculating on Bernard. He'd be top-15 in my rankings if Mixon was ruled out.
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Who's Out
The following player is out for Week 7:
Jerick McKinnon and JaMycal Hasty could both be strong flexes. But Jeff Wilson or Tevin Coleman could mess things up.
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Boston Scott is a high-end flex without Sanders this week.
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Numbers to know
- 9 -- Alvin Kamara averaged nine targets per game without Michael Thomas.
- 10.9 -- J.D. McKissic has scored at least 10.9 PPR points in each of his past three games without a touchdown. He's an excellent PPR flex against the Cowboys.
- 126 -- Derrick Henry has averaged 126 yards per game since Week 14 in 2018. It's time to stop questioning the sustainability of his production.
- 1 -- Cam Akers played just one snap in Week 6.
- 4.4 -- Raheem Mostert leads the NFL in yards before contact. Whoever gets a majority of the touches in San Francisco should be a Fantasy starter.
- 4.9 -- Antonio Gibson has broken a tackle once every 4.9 rush attempts. Don't be surprised if he breaks out against the Cowboys.
- 11 -- Opposing running backs have scored just 11 Fantasy points per game against the 49ers. Only the Broncos have been stingier.
We're previewing every game in Week 7 on the Fantasy Football Today podcast. Listen below as we make our start and sit calls, and subscribe via Apple or Spotify:
Matchups that matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
There's nothing exciting about McKissic unless you consider the matchup. But he is a high-floor play in PPR, and anyone with his type of passing-game volume has upside against a defense as bad as the Cowboys.
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If Mixon is out, I would start Bernard as a borderline No. 1 running back.
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Hasty actually led the 49ers in carries after Raheem Mostert went down, but I think that had more to do with game script. If you could promise me Tevin Coleman and Jeff Wilson weren't coming back, I'd view Hasty as a solid flex. As of Tuesday afternoon, he's more of a speculative add than anything else.
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Edwards led the Ravens in carries after Mark Ingram went down and seems the most likely to do so in Week 8 if Ingram can't go. He's averaged 5.2 yards per attempt on 318 career carries in this offense, so it wouldn't take much of an increase in role to make him a borderline No. 2 running back.
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DFS Plays
Kareem Hunt took over the feature role just in time to face two of the best run defenses in football, the Colts and Steelers. While that wasn't great for his Fantasy managers, in Week 7 DFS it looks like a gift because it held his price down for this matchup with the Bengals. Hunt should be $1,000 more than he is on FanDuel and he's underpriced on DraftKings as well. Expect 20-plus touches, 100-plus yards, and at least one touchdown. He'll be a cash game staple and someone I play a lot in tournaments as well.
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The Lions just shut down James Robinson, and it's not fashionable to like Todd Gurley, so I'd expect his roster rate to be very low. He's a home favorite with one of the largest implied totals on the slate, and he has at least 17 touches in four of his past five games. He should be chalk, but I don't think he will.
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Heath's Projections
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 7 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
