There were a lot of surprises in Week #7 of the NFL season. Were you caught off guard? Hopefully not. But if you were, these were most likely the players that surprised you the most. We’ll take a look at them here with our review of the daily fantasy football busts and diamonds, letting you know whether or not these were flukes that you shouldn’t worry about, or whether they are the beginning of troubling (or encouraging!) trends that you will need to compensate for throughout the rest of the NFL season. Our analysis will provide you with a guide for how to build your roster over the coming weeks.
Busts of Week 7
Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Gurley struggled once again this week. He had 15 run attempts, but only picked up 57 yards. There were no touchdowns, and although he had 6 receptions, he only picked up another 35 yards here. These catches helped boost his fantasy point output, but not enough to make him a worthwhile pick in most leagues. He’s been very expensive, and while it’s clear that his team is relying on him heavily, he is not producing. Unless something drastic happens, he should be avoided.
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
It might seem odd to have Brady included as a fantasy bust, but this week he underperformed compared to what he has been doing the last several weeks. He threw for 406 yards in Week #5 and 376 yards in Week #6. Both of those weeks he threw 3 touchdowns. This placed him up on an unattainably high pedestal for Week #7. Brady played well against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but only threw for 222 yards with 2 touchdowns. It wasn’t a bad performance by any standard other than what he’s been doing over the last few weeks. As a result, Brady was a poor value pick this week based upon how expensive he was in most leagues.
Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, New York Giants
Beckham is having a very subpar season right now. We know that he’s capable of great things, and he has shown glimmers of excellence even this season. But once again, that didn’t happen this week. Beckham had 5 receptions on 9 targets, which is pretty lackluster in itself with a completion rate of just 55.6 percent. But Beckham could only convert that into 49 yards for just 9.8 yards per reception. His yards per target number was even worse at just 5.4. Beckham is much better than this, but until he starts showing that on the field, he should be avoided as a member of your daily fantasy football roster.
The Diamonds that Stood Out
Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins
If you thought Ajayi was a fluke after his stellar performance last weekend (like we did), then this was another surprise. However, it’s beginning to look like he is the real deal. Ajayi had 214 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also had one reception for 2 yards, which isn’t much, but it did boost his fantasy total a bit. The big news though is that this was his second game in a row with over 200 yards in rushing, making him only the fourth player in NFL history to do this. Like him or not, he is one of the premier RBs in the NFL and worth looking at consistently for the rest of the season.
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers
If you were lucky enough to think to enter your rosters before the Thursday night game this week, you could have included Adams on your roster. After being questionable because of concussion symptoms, Adams was given the start. It paid off for the Packers. He had a career high 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. Because these were career high stats, it’s tough to think that Adams will easily replicate this, but it is a possibility, especially with the stellar season that Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is having.
