Week 6 of the 2013 fantasy football season kicked off last Thursday with Brandon Jacobs finding the required 1.21 gigawatts to power his DeLorean. While Jacobs was hip to be square, Aqib Talib flexed his hip and his cover skills to blanket the previously unstoppable Jimmy Graham, holding him to zero catches on the day, ruining plenty of fantasy days. Tom Brady pulled off one of the more unlikely comebacks in recent memory while making Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan look like a dude that had something horrible happen to his rug.
With Week 6 winding down, there remains only two undefeated teams in the league and they both reside in the AFC West. While the Jags, Bucs and Giants search for that ever elusive first victory, 20 of the 32 teams are .500 or better. There's still plenty of football to be played and nothing has been decided after six weeks. Keep that in mind when it comes to your fantasy team and no matter what your current record is, keep fighting, keep planning ahead and check out the '10 Names You Should Know' for Week 7.
Brandon Jacobs, RB NYG
The future of David Wilson is very much in doubt, leaving a gaping hole behind a Giants offensive line that actually created a few holes for a change this week. Da'Rel Scott was re-signed by the G-Men last week but he will now be out for awhile with a hamstring injury leaving Jacobs as the last man standing. At this stage in his career, Jacobs is nothing more than a complimentary player and he has no business shouldering 20+ carries a game. Ten days of rest gives Jacobs another chance for a great game in Week 7. So you can choose to sell high or ride the wave until it comes crashing down, which we all know will be much sooner than later.
Chris Ogbonnaya, RB CLE
You know you spend too much time on fantasy football when your phone auto-corrects to spell Ogbonnaya the right way. Ogbonnaya compiled 85 total yards and a touchdown which will perk a little interest on the waiver wire this week in a desolate running back free agent group. We all know Willis McGahee is not what he used to be and Ogbonnaya is not what we want him to be, but at this point in that Browns offense he could be enough to insert into your lineup and be that spot-starter for your team. Is it a desperation move? Why yes, yes it is, but for those in PPR leagues the fullback/running back hybrid will get you points when you least expect them.
Nick Foles, QB PHI
It looks like Nick Foles wants to start a quarterback controversy. Foles was on the '10 Names...' list last week and decided to take his game to the next level and get a second mention this week. In a week where it would have been wise to temper expectations, Foles only misfired on nine passes while throwing for nearly 300 yards and accounting for four touchdowns on the road against an above average Buccaneers defense. It was a very impressive performance. If anyone missed the boat last week, it's time to climb aboard.
Joseph Randle, RB DAL
DeMarco Murray injured his knee. I didn't mean to shock you with that news. Even if the injury that knocked Murray out of the game turns out to be minor, it's at best a friendly reminder to go ahead and get that handcuff. With Lance Dunbar ruled out with a hamstring injury, rookie Joseph Randle was giving the chance to be the lead dog. Seeing his first action of the year, Randle didn't quite look all that impressive so it's probably anybody's guess who would be the immediate benefactor if Murray were to miss extended time. Randle is at least the healthiest at the moment, so he gets the nod here. A name that was highly drafted in dynasty leagues, Randle now finds himself a Murray MRI away from fantasy relevance.
Andy Dalton, QB CIN
The Red Rocket finally comes alive! So far this year, Dalton has been anything but confident and his owners have probably given up the ghost after the first month of the season. The Bengals have one of the best wide receivers in the game in A.J. Green and a dynamo rookie running back in Gio Bernard, both of which can take a short pass to the house. All Dalton has to do is get his weapons the ball and let them do the damage. When everything goes right, you get a day like yesterday. After a slow start to the season, Dalton has a chance to string together a few nice games especially with a shootout looming next week in Detroit.
Joseph Fauria, TE DET
All Fauria does is catch touchdowns. The 6'7" tight end has seven receptions and five touchdowns in six weeks after nabbing three yesterday against the Browns. Fauria has very minimal value outside of TD only leagues, but if you're a gambling man, Fauria is your tight end. Perhaps the Lions will start expanding his usage, but having a target that size on the opposite side of the field than Calvin Johnson, Fauria is going to have plenty of touchdown opportunities the rest of the year.
Kyle Rudolph, TE MIN
Kyle Rudolph has been a major disappointment so far this season but made amends to those few owners that stuck with him or plugged him in as a bye week starter as he recorded nine catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in Week 6. Unfortunately, this was most likely Rudolph's best game of the season as it didn't come as a result of a change in the offensive philosophy. Instead, Rudolph's surprising output came at the hands of that grand ole fantasy savior called garbage time. The Panthers defense was giving nothing deep so Matt Cassel made Rudolph a fantasy star, if only for one week.
Mike Glennon, QB TBB
Rookie Mike Glennon vastly improved on his rookie debut from last week by throwing for 273 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the Eagles on Sunday. Glennon looked the part of a franchise quarterback, honing in and finding his big money wide receiver Vincent Jackson religiously throughout the day for 14 receptions. With the Falcons defense on deck, Glennon is looking like a very nice QB2 add especially if Mike Williams can return next week.
Khiry Robinson, RB NOS
Last week it was Pierre Thomas, the week before that it was Darren Sproles and it has never been Mark Ingram. This week, it was Khiry Robinson that shined just a little brighter than the triumvirate of above average Saints running backs. Robinson has taken over the Chris Ivory role of the running back you will wonder ‘what could be if only he got a chance.' The undrafted rookie has shown some real flashes and notched a touchdown against the Patriots in Week 6 and firmly finds himself on the watch list.
Thad Lewis, QB BUF
Last week E.J. Manuel injured his knee and the prospect of starting the Bengals defense this week to face Jeff Tuel had owners salivating. Once the Bills decided to activate and start practice squader Thad Lewis, much of that anticipation of Bengals defense owners was still intact. While the Bills did surrender five sacks, Lewis played extremely well and relatively error-free (minus a fumble) and accounted for three touchdowns while passing for 216 yards in a surprising overtime loss. Unfortunately for Bills fans and Thad Lewis, the performance is not likely to be duplicated as he suffered a potentially serious foot injury near the end of the game. Even more unfortunate for Bills fans is Matt Flynn is being brought in for a tryout. It's time to start circling those wagons.
Until next week my friends...
10 Names You Should Know - Week 7 fantasysharks.comMon 10/14/13 6:00 AM