Top 5 Fantasy Surprises of Week 7
By Chip Bayless
- O.J. Howard, TB TE
ESPN PPR Projected Points: 3.7
Actual Points in Week 7 in PPR: 27.8
If you started O.J. Howard this weekend… wait you didn’t because he is the #2 TE in his own offense, was projected 3.7 points for this week, and scored more points this weekend than he had the entire season. Howard had a monster performance that included 6 catches for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Alabama product actually ended up as the 6th highest scorer in the NFL in PPR leagues. The 44th ranked TE in ESPN PPR scoring going into week 7 went off this week because he capitalized on all of his opportunities, as he netted 6 catches on all 6 targets.
2. Josh McCown, NYJ QB
Projected: 13.2 Actual: 24.5
This fucking guy has been in the league for 15 years and has never thrown for more than 13 TDs or more than 2,600 yards in a season. Not to mention, if I had to lose a finger for every team Josh McCown has played for, I would have to stop writing this right this second because I would only have two fingers left. Just two stumps for hands and a thumb or two for fingers. That’s no way to live life.
Josh McCown had his best game of the season against Miami, who surprisingly boasted the 10th best defense against fantasy QBs going into the game. Against the Dolphins, McCown went for 209 yards and 4 total touchdowns. However, in classic McCown (and classic Jets) fashion he “blew the game” (as NBC Sports put it) by throwing an interception in the 4th quarter deep in Jets territory.
3. Kenny Stills, Miami WR
Projected: 8.9 Actual: 24.5
Due to his speed and ball skills, Kenny Stills has the opportunity to have random games like this — especially with DeVante Parker sidelined due to an ankle injury suffered against the Titans, per Bleacher Report. Kenny Stills hauled in 6 of 9 targets for 85 yards and two touchdowns while being a key contributor to the Dolphins’ comeback win. He had some spectacular catches, and if you are reading this and haven’t seen his highlights from Sunday yet then you might want to see them for yourself. Stills came into the game ranked as the 61st best receiver in PPR but scored more points than every other WR who played in week 7 with the exception of Amari Cooper.
4. T.J. Yeldon, Jax RB
Projected: 6.1 Actual: 21.7
In the first game he has been active for all season, Yeldon had 137 yards and a touchdown on only 11 total touches. With Leonard Fournette out, Chris Ivory got the start but Yeldon ended up being the more productive and effective RB. Per Rotowire.com, Fournette will likely return from his ankle injury after the upcoming bye week and Yeldon could be inactive once again when the Jags face the Bengals in week 9.
5. Latavius Murray, Min RB
Projected: 10.5 Actual: 17.3
Prior to this game, Murray hadn’t scored a touchdown or even broken 7 points in a week in PPR. He was ranked as the 73rd best running back in PPR. Statistically speaking, that means if you are in a 10 team league where everyone has 6 running backs, Murray shouldn’t even be owned. Murray ended up running for 113 yards and a TD on 18 carries while scoring about as many fantasy points as he had scored all season long. Although this performance was encouraging for Murray owners, it remains difficult to trust Murray considering he will continue to share the Vikings backfield with Jerick McKinnon, per Rotoworld.com. Keep in mind that the Vikings organization has expressed on numerous occasions that they view McKinnon as a unique talent and a valuable contributor to the offense.
