Go For It or Stay Away Week 7

Week 7 is a very interesting week for us fantasy football owners. With teams like New England, Buffalo, and Philadelphia on a bye we are left with some tough decisions to replace some of our best players. On top of that, there have been a couple of quarterback changes that could change the entire offenses for those teams. That is why I write this. To help you make the tough decisions by giving you guys who, when it comes for your fantasy lineups, you should “Go For It!” or “Stay Away.” As I said last week, I believe in the “Start your Studs” philosophy, just because I mention a guy on here does not mean I think you should start him over Aaron Rodgers or Ray Rice. I am just giving you some options to think about. Okay, lets get started.

Go For It!

Quarterback

Tim Tebow Den- Yes, I am buying into Tebow-mania. Well, for this week anyways. He may not be your typical NFL pocket passer, but nobody can deny that the guy makes plays. Tebow showed us a lot in the fantasy world last year, and against the pitiful Miami Dolphins defense I have no reason to believe he wont do the same. When it comes to starting Tim Tebow this week, I say that you go for it.

Running Backs

Ryan Matthews SD- Coming into the season I would have told you that Mike Tolbert is the RB to have from the San Diego backfield. While I do think Tolbert still has some value, it has been fairly obvious that Matthews is the lead guy for the 4-1 Chargers. With Revis and Co. on the outside for the Jets, I expect the Chargers to try and establish the run against a Jets defense that has struggled in that aspect of the game this year. I expect big things out of Ryan Matthews this week.

Demarco Murray Dal- With Felix Jones out, it seems that the Cowboys are ready to give the carries to Demarco Murray. We have not seen much out of him this year, but in short time he has shown flashes. Now, Tashard Choice is still there and will get some of the carries as well, but I think Murray will be the one that ends up being the guy. If you have a running back on a bye, Demarco Murray is a guy that I would consider.

Wide Recievers

Darrius Heyward-Bey Oak- Heyward-Bey finally seems to be turning into the dangerous deep threat that the Raiders had hoped he would someday become. The Raiders traded for Carson Palmer on Tuesday and it looks like he could play this week against the Chiefs. While I realize that Palmer may be a little rusty, I feel that his big arm is a match made in heaven with Heyward-Bey. I think that the Raiders will look to take a few shots down field to Darrius and put this game away early.

Marques Colston NO- Drew Brees has always spread the ball around the field, so it is always hard to predict who he will go to. That being said, there should be plenty to go around against the Colts. Colston was his main target last week and put up some great numbers, I look for this to continue against Indy. When it comes to Marques Colston this week I say go for it.

Tight End

Fred Davis Was- With Cooley out, Davis is the guy. He has been great so far this year, and with John Beck getting the start this week I think he will look to the TE as a security blanket at times. Love me some Fred Davis this week, go for it!

Stay Away

Quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger Pit- Big Ben has been playing well recently, but I do not like him this weekend. Mendenhall seemed to have turned the corner last week, and I feel like the Steelers will have an easy time with the Cardinals and will be trying to run the ball to control the clock. Arizona has actually been okay against the pass this year, not great but decent. I do not expect a terrible game out of Roethlisberger, I just feel like there are many better options.

Running Backs

Steven Jackson Stl- Jackson has been playing alright, and is always an option out of the back field for Sam Bradford. That being said, I do not like him this week. Surprisingly, the Cowboys are best in the NFL in rushing yards per game. The Dallas defense has been much improved, and I could see the Cowboys pulling away early in this one, forcing Sam Bradford to throw the ball early and often. When it comes to Steven Jackson for this weekend, I say stay away.

Maurice Jones-Drew Jax- If you have Jones-Drew chances are that he is a must start for you each week. While I understand that, I am glad I am not a Jones-Drew owner this week. Baltimore has one of the best defenses in the NFL, being particularly stingy against the run holding opponents to 76.6 YPG and only one rushing TD so far. On top of that their offense has been rolling, and could put Jacksonville in a position to pass early and often. Start Jones-Drew if you must, but I would temper expectations, and seriously consider other options this week.

Wide Recievers

Vincent Jackson SD- Jackson gets the pleasure of being defended by Darrell Revis this weekend. I just think that the Chargers are going to attack the Jets more through their running game. There are better options out there than Vincent Jackson for this week.

Mike Williams TB- Going into the season Mike Williams was a very solid WR2 option, but he has not lived up to those expectations. Chicago has defended the pass well all season, and I do not see this as the breakout game for Williams. Stay away from Mike Williams this week.

Tight End

Tony Gonzalez Atl- I do not expect much out of Gonzalez this week, that being said he is always an option for Matt Ryan in the red zone so there is always a chance for a cheap score. There has just been some games the past couple of years where Gonzalez would completely disappear. Against the Lions, I think we will see one of those games. Stay away.

As always, good luck to everyone out there on their fantasy match-ups this week. I hope reading this piece helps you make the tough decisions in your line-up. Losing guys like Brady, Vick, Welker, and McCoy on a bye week can definitely be tough, but remember there are usually guys out there worthy of a start, the trick is finding who those guys are. That is it for this week. If you have any fantasy football questions, do not hesitate to send me a Tweet @FFootballQA. I answer all of the questions asked.