Don't Sleep: Week Seven

Palmer? I Hardly Know Her
Photo Credit: SteelCityHobbies 

Before we get into our picks for this week, let’s take a look at how our boys from Week Six did (fantasy totals based on standard ESPN settings).

Quarterbacks from Week Six
Tim Tebow (DEN) – BYE
Alex Smith (SF) – 17-35 passing, 125 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 interception, 7 fantasy points
Smith had a pretty rough game against Detroit, but he was able to clutch up when it mattered most and get a win for his team. Even though that means nothing to us from a fantasy perspective, Jim Harbaugh still loves him and has a ton of confidence in his QB. Speaking of Jim, does anyone disagree that he would have knocked Schwartz out if people weren’t there to break it up? As far as Tebow goes, I suggested you add him last week but he had a bye. You could not afford to wait if you wanted him though, so get ready to start loving Tebow time!

Running Backs from Week Six
Jackie Battle (KC) – BYE
Delone Carter (IND) – 14 rushing attempts, 45 yards, 0 receptions, 4 fantasy points
For Battle, we are looking at the same situation we were for Tim Tebow. He had a breakout game going into a bye week, so you could not afford to wait until after the bye to pick him up. This week is the first game that you actually get to evaluate him as a waiver add. Delone Carter had 14 carries, but did nothing with them. I still like him as a guy to claim off waivers because of the workload, but he has to show us something more before he reaches must-own status.

Wide Receivers from Week Six
Doug Baldwin (SEA) – BYE
Darrius Heyward-Bey (OAK) – 6 receptions, 82 receiving yards, 8 fantasy points
See above to Battle and Tebow when it comes to Doug Baldwin. Heyward-Bey continued his strong play and his arrow will continue to point upward with Carson Palmer coming to town. Palmer is willing to take chances downfield and has great decision-making skills. Heyward-Bey is developing into a nice receiver and has reached must-own status.

Tight Ends from Week Six
Benjamin Watson (CLE) – 3 receptions, 35 yards, 3 fantasy points
A big bust in Week Six for Benjamin Watson. Not good since he has Evan Moore breathing down his neck. Moore is much more talented than Watson and he should start stealing playing time from him.

Picks for Week Seven after the jump:

Quarterbacks for Week Seven
Carson Palmer (OAK) 0 percent owned: Finally! Even though Bengals owner Mike Brown is an asshole, he isn’t an idiot. When a team offers you a first and second round pick (that could develop into another first round pick if OAK makes the playoffs) for a player that isn't even on your active roster, you are getting a major steal. And since Oakland offered those picks, we have another quarterback gift from the fantasy heavens for fantasy players that need a signal-caller. Carson Palmer is an experienced veteran that has had a lot of success in the NFL. Even though he struggled with his arm strength and accuracy last year, he still had almost 4000 yards passing and 29 touchdowns. He is said to be 100 percent healthy and will have something to prove. Just be prepared to wait a couple weeks to start seeing the promise because he might not even play this week and the Raiders have a bye next week. I would add him in all formats right now.

John Beck (WAS) Less than 1 percent owned: Beck has an opportunity to take this job and run with it. Rex Grossman played about as horrible as a quarterback can play last week and has likely "turnovered" his way out of serious consideration for the starting QB gig. Beck does have some skills that could make him fantasy relevant. He has surprising mobility and he can do some things with his feet. A few rushing touchdowns the rest of the way is very possible. He can also make some things happen in the passing game. The coaches are willing to see what he’s got at the position, and good ole' Shanny has always liked him. Pick him up in deeper leagues and see what he’s got.

Running Backs for Week Seven
Marion Barber (CHI) 4 percent owned: I know I have picked Marion Barber on Don’t Sleep before, but I really do think he is establishing himself as the goal line back in Chicago. Don’t expect Barber to get a ton of yards since Matt Forte is playing out of his mind, but he could have a two touchdown game in the very near future. This weekend would be great.

DeMarco Murray (DAL) 4 percent owned: Felix Jones will be out two-to-four weeks with an ankle injury and that means a lot of carries for Murray. He will have the opportunity to be the feature back and needs to prove his ability. So far this season he hasn’t shown us much but he has the talent to be a special player and this could be the boost he needs. I would pick him up in all leagues and use him for at least the next four weeks.

Wide Receivers for Week Seven
Greg Little (CLE) 8 percent owned: Greg Little is firmly locked in as Cleveland’s number one receiver for the rest of the season. Colt McCoy has been throwing the ball like crazy and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon, especially with what is going on with Peyton Hillis. Last week against the Raiders, he led the team with 12 targets. While he was only able to catch six of those passes, he is still getting a ton of looks and will only improve with time. He has a juicy matchup with the Seahawks this week, who just lost starting cornerback Marcus Trufant for the season with a back injury. I would add Little in 12 team leagues if you need a receiver.

Doug Baldwin (SEA) 12 percent owned: I’m sure you are all tired of seeing his name in here, but I thought I should give him a shout out again since he will actually play this week after the bye. No matter who is at quarterback they are going to look to check down a lot. Baldwin has an insane ability to find the soft spot against zone coverage. Look for him to lead the Hawks in targets and be a hot pick up again next week.

Tight Ends for Week Seven
Ed Dickson (BAL) 7 percent owned: Dickson is worth a look here despite coming off of a very poor performance in Week Six. He has a great matchup with the Jaguars who have allowed a ton of points to tight ends already this season. I am expecting something like 50 yards and a score for Dickson this week, which would be huge as a bye week fill-in or for teams struggling for consistent tight end play. Add him if you need someone to play for this week.

So there you have it. If you have any comments please leave them on here or hit me up on twitter @JessePotes. I promise to get back to you promptly if you have sit/start or add/drop questions.