DeAndre Hopkins is one of the many NFL stars with a bye this week.
After last week, I don’t expect any week to be “normal” again this year. The bye killed me last week and many of the pickups weren’t very helpful. In my efforts last week, I was able to hit on about 6 guys for a roughly 50:50 success rate. Today I expect to redeem myself with this week’s “Bye Week Blues” article.
In here, I will be giving my predictions for the best bye week fillers. These guys are going to be ~50% owned or less as to give you a chance to pick them up before the games begin.
To start, here are the teams on bye: Detroit, Houston.
Fantasy impact players* on bye:
| Detroit | Houston |
| M. Stafford (QB9) | D. Watson (QB6) |
| G. Tate (WR15) | D. Hopkins (WR1) |
| M. Jones Jr. (WR37) | W. Fuller (WR31) |
| A. Abdullah (RB14) | L. Miller (RB8) |
| E. Ebron (TE22) | R. Griffin (TE10) |
| M. Prater (K12) | Defense (D/ST3) |
* Based on SI ranking week 6
QB Suggestions
Tyrod Taylor (vs TB): Being that he doesn’t have many weapons, I find it hard to accurately judge Taylor. He has had 2 good games and 3 average games. Coming this week is his first “soft” defense against the Buccaneers (4th worst against QBs). I expect him to have a good game coming fresh off the bye.
Andy Dalton (@ PIT): After a rough start in the first 2 weeks, Dalton has been a legit fantasy starter. Although this game is against one of the toughest defenses, I believe that Dalton has it in him to pull out his 3rd straight wins against the mediocre Steelers.
Jared Goff (vs ARI): Same story as the above two, Goff seems to have his share of good and bad weeks. However, he faced the Seahawks and Jaguars (3rd and 1st toughest respectively) the last two weeks. This matchup is against the Cardinals, who have been one of the worst defenses in the league. Also, with their revamped offense, I expect the Cardinals to run up the score, making this game a shootout and a great game for Goff.
WR Suggestions
Marqise Lee (@ IND): Lee is on my streaming radar because of his performance against one of the best passing defenses in the league. If he can build on that this week, he could put up great numbers against the 30th ranked defense in the Colts.
Bennie Fowler (@ LAC): Newly injured Emmanuel Sanders opens up the WR2 spot for Fowler. If Fowler can capitalize on this opportunity, much like Lee, he has a great matchup against the Chargers this week. However, he is still just a prospect at this point, so show caution and play him only if necessary.
Sterling Shepard (vs SEA): If he is not owned, get him now. He has a legit shot at being a fantasy WR2 for the rest of the season, being that he is one of the only options on that hobbled Giants team. This opportunity to get a week-after-week starter at this point in the season is rare, so get him before he is gone.
RB Suggestions
Alfred Morris (@ SF): Morris has been the main backup for Zeke this year while DMC has been a healthy scratch. His role, albeit a small one, may have given him a chance to be the feature running back behind the Dallas line. If you can, pick up both him and DMC.
Darren McFadden (@ SF): McFadden was the lead back for the Cowboys in the preseason when Zeke was expected to be suspended for 6 games at the beginning of the year. I haven’t seen anything on why he was a healthy scratch at the beginning of the year, but I believe that he will be involved in that backfield. Again, if you can pick them both up, get them.
Dion Lewis (vs ATL): Normally I don’t trust New England running backs, and this is no different. Lewis showed last week what we have known for a couple years now, he is a capable runner and pass catcher. This week’s RB pickups are slim, so you may be left in the position of picking up this small ray of hope. On top of being relatively involved the past few weeks, he gets a great matchup against Atlanta and that could be enough for a bye week fill-in.
TE Suggestions
Ed Dickson (@ CHI): Dickson is on the TE2 radar for me this week after posting just 36 yards on 4 catches last week. He has, however, shown that he is part of this Carolina offense and, with Cam heating up, that could be a good thing.
Austin Hooper (@ MIA): After his poor start with 1 or 2 receptions per game, Hooper has been a bit more involved, catching 5 and 7 of his targets the past few games. This week he gets New England, a mediocre defense in all facets.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (vs NE): ASJ is proving himself as a TE starter for the rest of the season. McCown has targeted him 19 (!) times in the past 2 games. If you do not have a solid starting tight end, consider picking him up for a potential rest-of-season starter.
K Suggestions
Jake Elliott (vs WAS): Elliott has been a great signing for the Eagles. Since week 2, he has averaged more than 10 points per game. Elliott has a good matchup against the Redskins and has a great schedule for the rest of the season. He is a candidate for a set and relax kicker for the year.
Harrison Butker (@ OAK): About as reliable as you can get, Butker has replaced Santos flawlessly in KC and he is a valuable pickup for fantasy purposes as well.
Stephen Hauschka (vs TB): Hauschka has been on a hot streak with 19, 15, and 10 points in his last three games respectively. Fresh off the bye, I expect him to continue this production against the Buccaneers.
D/ST Suggestions
New Orleans Saints (@ GB): The saints have shown up and shown out the past few games and I don’t see them slowing down against Brett Hundley, who threw 3 interceptions last week. They are being criminally underrated and have a couple good matchups in front of them.
Buffalo Bills (vs TB): Middle of the pack and reliable, about the most you can ask for in a defense and that is what Buffalo has proven to be. I realize they are facing Tampa Bay this week, but Winston may be limited, and I believe in this Bills defense.
Tennessee Titans (@ CLE): Just like last week, I am putting the Titans in this column. They didn’t perform how I thought they could, but they are playing against the browns, and I still believe in streaming against them.
Nobody can predict the season, so I am here to help navigate the rough seas of the bye weeks. I hope you found something helpful in this article and if not, thanks for reading!
This is all I have for week 7, good luck to everyone!
For any fantasy questions or anything else, be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Devyn Smith Twitter: @smithdev002 Instagram: @devyn5mith
