MACK’S SUNDAY SAUCE: NFL FANTASY FOOTBALL (WEEK 7)

This is Mack’s Sunday Sauce comin’ at ya! Always fresh, never stirred, where I’m here to give you your weekly dose of anything goes, no filter FANTASY FOOTBALL advice.

The NFL continues to trick its fans. Just when you think you know who is going to win an NFL game, the opposite happens. In Week 6, we saw the now 1-5 Giants upset the divine defensive Denver Broncos in Denver and the Miami Dolphins upset the Atlanta Falcons on their home turf as well. We also saw the Green Bay Packers lose star QB Aaron Rodgers to a broken clavicle and more confusion erupted with Dallas Cowboys’ star RB Ezekiel Elliot.

What does this all mean in fantasy football? Let’s take a look at some deep Week 7 NFL Fantasy Football sleepers and who can be started with all the injuries, suspensions and havoc in the middle of the bye weeks. So without further ado, let’s get to it; and while the sauce is always delicious, sometimes you just gotta’ go with that ‘Chicken Parmigiana Pizza (from Quality Italian in NYC)’ of a gut.

1) Blake Bortles, QB – Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts @ 1pm

The most frustrating QB in fantasy football in 2015 and 2016 has been given up on for the most part in 2017. And with only one multiple TD game in 2017, why would one even waste their time on him? Well, Bortles could always be played with the right matchup, as risky as it might sound. In this case, the Colts are giving up the sixth most fantasy points to opposing QB’s and haven’t really played lethal QB’s aside from a first game back Marcus Mariota and a mobile but struggling Russell Wilson. Bortles also has a long history against them in this tight division rival. He has thrown for at least 300 yards or two TD’s in each of their last three meetings. With injuries and byes, Blake may push through and be a top 15 QB in Week 7. BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 297 Yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT

2) Duke Johnson Jr., RB – Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee @ 1pm

Wow. Didn’t think a Cleveland Brown would ever make the Sauce! But, Duke is slowly but surely finally doing what he was signed to do, catch passes and be that shifty, change of pace back. Unfortunately, he’s on a miserable team and the team’s starting RB Isaiah Crowell doesn’t get much going often to complement him with, and through all of this, Duke is on pace for over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and about 8 TD’s through six games. He is the #12 fantasy RB in PPR formats, and has launched into RB2/Flex consideration weekly. This week, the Browns host Tennessee and they have been decent against the run, but not against receiving backs. So if they start to stop Crowell, look for them to lean on Duke early and often BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 7 carries, 40 yards / 6 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD

3) Robert Woods, WR – LA Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals @ 1pm

This one is just a gut feeling, and sort of makes sense. He has begun his tenure in LA as a workhorse, possession receiver, and is doing quite alright from a fantasy perspective, especially in PPR formats. He is averaging about 4 catches and 55 yards per game with two duds. He just hasn’t found the end zone, but that should change this week. While Patrick Peterson has been the lone bright spot of the Cards’ secondary, he should be covering Sammy Watkins a majority of the game. With that, Arizona is giving up the fifth most fantasy point to opposing wide outs through six weeks, so look for Woods to take advantage with Peterson busy and the unit on a sharp decline. BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 5 CATCHES, 64 YARDS, 1 TD

4) Julius Thomas, TE – Miami Dolphins vs. NY Jets @ 1pm

Sometimes we need to dig deep. The tight end position is super thin, so aside from five or six big names, every week could be a potential tossup. If you have a tight end on a bye or one that is injured this week, let’s take a look at this 7th year vet. While he has lost some steam, partially because of a horrid offense and partially because he doesn’t seem to have the spark he once had, in the last two weeks, the Jets have given up three TD’s to opposing tight ends, and got absolutely torched by Rob Gronkoswki. While we may not expect those numbers from Thomas, he is still a red zone threat and the Dolphins got some extra incentive to keep pushing to win after a monster upset in Atlanta last week. Lastly, DeVante Parker is doubtful, and this team really needs some pass catchers to break out. Reach for the stars with Thomas this week BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 4 CATCHES, 30 YARDS, 1 TD.

5) Devin Funchess, WR – Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears @ 1pm

Not the hugest sleeper, just stressing the love for him this week. In the past four contests with Greg Olsen sidelined, Funchess has been targeted at least eight times, and only failed to top 50 yards receiving in one of those games. The Chicago Bears land in the middle of the pack when it comes to defending the WR in fantasy

in 2017, but they’re also maintaining this stat with recent games against Baltimore with Maclin sidelined and Minnesota when Diggs got hurt early. Funchess should match up well with their secondary and be able to produce WR2/3 numbers in Week 7. You can definitely do worse than Funchess in this mid-year bye week. BOLD STATLINE PREDICTION: 5 CATCHES, 63 YARDS, 1 TD.

• MACK

#sports #NFL #football