ALERT: As expected, the Chicago Bears have drafted QB Caleb Williams with the #1 pick in the NFL Draft

Week 7 Where to Put 'em

Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 at 12:00 pm ET

fantasy football rankings
Where to Put 'em is the Fantasy Football Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for the week. Decisions are based upon the FFN rankings and matchup analysis. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.

Put 'em In The Game: Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler comes into the Week 7 rankings at #9 among QB's. He looks more and more comfortable each week and faces a Bengals defense that ranks 28th against the pass giving up 252 yards per game. Cutler should have a good game.

Put 'em In The Game: Tony Romo
Tony Romo has had his share of ups and downs this season, but he should keep the points coming this week against the Falcons who rank 21st against the pass. The Falcons will be without CB Brian Williams and that makes me like Romo a little bit more.

Put 'em In The Game: Matt Cassel
I'll go out on a limb here and put Matt Cassel in the Start 'em column. The Chargers have been giving up points to QB's their past 2 games and they rank 13th against the pass and 28th in points allowed. You won't be benching a stud to play him, but he could be a great bye week starter.

Put 'em In The Game: Ryan Grant
Ryan Grant has looked almost lethargic so far this season, but I expect that to change this week against the Browns who are giving up a whopping 165 yards on the ground. Grant should be able to break a big run and find the endzone this week.

Put 'em In The Game: LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson hasn't spent much time on the FFN Start 'em List but that changes this week as he faces the 25th-ranked Chiefs who are giving up 130 yards on the ground. Welcome back LT.

Put 'em In The Game: Hines Ward
Hines Ward has been a monster as of late, especially in PPR leagues. Did you know that he's hauling down 120+ yards per game at home this year? He's also the 7th-ranked WR in FFN's Week 7 rankings. Put 'em in the game!

Put 'em In The Game: Donald Driver
Driver played second to Greg Jennings last year, but he's outscoring him each week now. Cleveland is currently 23rd against the pass. If the Green Bay offensive line can give Aaron Rodgers enough time, expect big games from both Driver and Jennings.

Put 'em In The Game: Miles Austin
Miles Austin won't have 250 yards and 2 TD's again, but he'll still turn in a respectable performance worthy of a starting spot in your lineup.

Put 'em In The Game: Jason Witten
We haven't seen much of Witten lately, but that should change this week. The Falcons rank 21st against the pass and opposing TE's are averaging nearly 10 points/game.

Put 'em In The Game: Heath Miller
You don't normally hear much from Heath Miller, but he's quietly becoming one of the best fantasy TE's in the league with 4 TD's in his last 3 games. He's still available in 20% of FleaFlicker leagues.

Put 'em On The Bench: Brett Favre
I like the old gunslinger and have been starting him in my flex position, but I'll bench him this week. The Steelers have Troy Polamalu back and that changes things. He's ranked #15 among QB's this week and may find it difficult to find 200 yards through the air.

Put 'em On The Bench: Jake Delhomme
C'mon. Seriously. Delhomme has been absolutely awful. He has a bad match-up this week and that puts him on double-secret-probation.

Put 'em On The Bench: Jason Campbell
We're going to learn what kind of guy Jason Campbell is on Monday. There's a ton of pressure on him to deliver, but I just don't think he's going to come through. The pressure will be too much particularly because the whole country will be watching. Oh yeah, he's also facing the Eagles.

Put 'em On The Bench: Clinton Portis
Also facing the Eagles is Clinton Portis. He hasn't lived up to expectations this year. He was good last week against the Chiefs. If it wasn't for one fantastic run, he'd have been awful. The Eagles aren't exactly the Chiefs.

Put 'em On The Bench: Brandon Jacobs
You didn't draft Jacobs to sit him, but control your expectations. That shouldn't be too hard considering the performances he's turned in this year. Ahmad Bradshaw has become a factor in the backfield outperforming Jacobs and Arizona has the #1 rush defense in the league allowing a paltry 59 yards per game.

Put 'em On The Bench: Steve Smith
I knew I was taking a chance when I drafted Smith and now I'm paying for it. Delhomme can't get him the ball and I don't care how talented a guy is - if he doesn't get the ball, he can't score. That's why he falls all the way to 27th in this week's WR rankings.

Put 'em On The Bench: Roy E. Williams
Roy Williams should be back this week from his injury, but don't rush to pluck him back in your lineup just yet. He's ranked 37th among WR's this week, because he's not much of a factor anymore. He wasn't a factor when he was healthy either.

Put 'em On The Bench: Owen Daniels
I'm going to go against the grain on this one. The 49ers may not have the best pass defense in the league (20th) but they've been pretty tough on opposing TE's allowing an average of 3 points/game. It looks like I'm alone on this one as Owens comes into Week 7 ranked #5 among TE's. We'll see.

Put 'em On The Bench: Zach Miller
Don't expect a repeat of last week's performance.

Join the Discussion

FantasyFamer CommentedOct 26, 2009 11:00 am

Hey Folks,

My fantasy leagues are doing pretty well. This week it is coming down to the line. Thats right, Monday Night Football. The Eagles taking on the Redskins. I have Westbrook, Akers, and the Philly Defense. Do you think with Zorn out of the picture and Sherman Lewis in, that the Skins will put up some points? Personally, I think Lewis is just another bad call for the Skins. Furhermore...what fantasy picks are topping your list for next week?

FantasyFamer CommentedOct 26, 2009 11:00 am

Forgot to mention that the league I play in lets me draft each week and start fresh as opposed to having one team all year. Being able to pick each week really mixes up the drafts and I really enjoy it. What are your thoughts on this option each week?

Nerd CommentedOct 26, 2009 11:00 am

Whatever I tell you...do the opposite. Looks like I was WAY OFF on Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel, and Owen Daniels this week. I obviously got some of the suggestions correct, but I always feel bad when a suggestion goes to the extreme opposite.

With that said, I think it's unlikely that we'll see much improvement. Their problems run deeper than just Zorn. Perhaps if they were playing someone like Cleveland or St Louis...maybe, but not Philly.

I like the idea of getting to pick a new team each week, but do you actually have to conduct a draft each week? It's hard enough to find a convenient time for everyone during the pre-season. Can't imagine having to do that every week.