Welcome to Week 7 of the NFL football season, and boy was Week 6 a circus for many fantasy teams. We are coming into the middle of the fantasy season, which becomes the last chance for teams to go on a tear and make the playoffs.
Even if you are staring at a 1-5 or 2-4 record, do not give up. This is the part of the season where other league mates slowly become less engaged with their team and where some even outright give up.
Righting the ship can seem like a tall task, but take it one week at a time because any veteran fantasy player, no matter how smart or experienced they are, has started 1-5 or 2-4. Most veterans will also tell you that despite a slow start, teams with the aforementioned records can still make the playoffs. And ultimately that should still be your goal because once you are in the playoffs, who knows what could happen.
As for the fantasy action for Week 6, we saw several big storylines coming out of Sunday. Of course, I am talking about the people who finally decided to bench Stefon Diggs, and he preceded to catch 3 touchdowns. That felt like true fantasy betrayal.
I continuously told everyone to bench Diggs on @5thDownFantasy’s twitter channel during the Sunday Morning Start/Sit Thread (which you should join every Sunday one-hour prior to kickoff where we answer your questions heading into Sunday’s slate). But boy was I, and 54.5-percent of teams who also benched Diggs, dead wrong about him in Week 6.
As bad as of loss that was, Charger fans could be facing the biggest let-down, with Cowboy fans coming in as a close second. Man, what a disappointing effort from these teams, both who once looked poised to make a playoff run. The bottom line is that we have to give credit to Pittsburgh and New York’s coaches and players.
But enough about two of the most mediocre teams of the last decade and let’s get into Week 7’s cut list.
Players to Drop in Week 7
Before dropping anyone, make sure to put your team into perspective; just because your player is listed on this cut column, it does not automatically mean you should drop him, especially if you are in a dynasty league.
You also need to weigh your waiver-wire options. If someone tells you to drop a player, it does not necessarily mean the move is right for your team. For your team to improve, you have to be able to add a player that will make your team better, immediately or down the road, compared to the player to be cut. It is paramount to evaluate the players, and the transaction, prior to completing it.
Here are some names you should consider dropping going into Week 7.
Vance McDonald (TE, PIT)
Vance McDonald is, in fantasy terms, the better version of O.J. Howard. You drafted him later in your draft and has outscored Howard thus far into the year, but that is nothing to brag about which is why McDonald is on this list.
Firstly, when your organization switches their mentality from offense-first to defense-first, some of the offensive players are going to see a negative trend in their production — nevertheless when the Steelers are marching out their third-string QB.
Outside of his wonderful Week 2 stat-line, McDonald has only combined for 15.9 PPR points on the season (he was inactive in Week 5). Even in the poor tight end landscape for fantasy this season, he just is not getting it done.
I will put a disclaimer here to say that McDonald’s schedule could open up his fantasy production more. After his Week 7 BYE, McDonald will face MIA, IND, LAR, CLE, CIN, CLE and ARI, which means he has matchups that he can be started, but presumably without much confidence.
If you are a team that has three-to-five losses on the year, I imagine that McDonald will have to be dropped with his BYE week happening this week. If you can stash him, hold on and see how he performs in Week 8. If he doesn’t show against Miami, when else would you be able to play him with confidence?
McDonald is a cut for me in 10-team and maybe even 12-team leagues. Deeper leagues or leagues with deep benches can continue to stash him since his strength of schedule does seem to be favorable for his future production. In the end, the Steelers will have to be a lot more consistent through the air in order to support McDonald’s fantasy ownership.
Raheem Mostert (RB, SF)
After playing in 34.5-percent of snaps through 2019, Raheem Mostert saw his snap percentage fall to 9-percent in Week 6. That makes this cut pretty simple because we can see that head coach Kyle Shanahan is going to be relying on Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida for his running back committee.
Mostert is good enough to pop off a low-end flex finish here or there, but overall you will never be able to play him with confidence. If any injury happens to Breida or Coleman, both who carry an injury history, Mostert will immediately regain his value. Thus meaning that Mostert will have handcuff value if you own Coleman or Breida.
That said, deep-bench leagues and 14-team leagues can hold onto Mostert as a stash. But in all other leagues, I would look to cut Mostert and move on.
Jonathan Hilliman (RB, NYG)
The Jonathan Hilliman experience came out of nowhere and is likely already over. Hilliman became a fantasy asset once Saquon Barkley sprained his ankle, followed by Wayne Gallman suffering a Week 5 concussion that kept him out from the Giants’ Week 6 tilt against New England.
If Saquon Barkley is back for New York, Hilliman is an automatic cut. If for some reason Barkley continues to miss and Wayne Gallman is still in concussion protocol, Hilliman may be worth stashing since the Giants take on the Cardinals in Week 7.
But if Barkley and Gallman are both healthy again, Hilliman would be virtually useless in all leagues. Keep up with the news before doing so, but Hilliman is a looming cut for all.
Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN)
Minnesota is a complicated place for pass-catching fantasy assets. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, year-to-date, have not lived up to the fantasy stock you drafted them to be – though you can easily blame Kirk Cousins and the team’s run-heavy scheme.
Which leaves Kyle Rudolph, a fantasy tight end that has yet to catch a touchdown pass, has only four red-zone targets and has only been targeted 11 times in 2019. That is a tough line to babysit on your fantasy team.
Now, you likely aren’t starting Rudolph, but you could be stashing him as a depth-piece and that is something I would highly question since Cousins cannot support his tight end. That said, I would drop Rudolph in almost every league.
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