Navigating the Midseason Grind
The midseason grind in fantasy football is where championships are often won and lost. Between nagging injuries and the dreaded bye weeks, even the best-laid plans can go sideways. Success from here on out comes from hitting the waiver wire with a purpose. It’s about spotting the players with a great matchup or an expanding role before the rest of your league catches on.
Strategy goes beyond just your standard league, too. Many managers are diving into different game styles like best ball, which completely changes how you build a team. It seems that discussions about these formats often bring up platform-specific features, like digging up details on an Underdog promo code to understand how those leagues work. Still, no matter the format, the goal is always the same, finding those diamonds in the rough.
A Quarterback You Can Trust This Week
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Let’s be honest, sometimes you just need a quarterback who won’t lose you the week. Daniel Jones is that guy for Week 7. He steps into a surprisingly favorable spot against the LA Chargers. While the Chargers’ defense is tough, it has been oddly generous to opposing quarterbacks.
Here’s the sneaky good part: LA’s defense has actually been giving up about 21 fantasy points per game to the position. Jones himself has a reliable floor because he’s accurate and protects the football. With a solid group of receivers like Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyler Warren at his disposal, he is set up perfectly to deliver a quality performance. He is a high-floor play and exactly what you look for in a fantasy football streamer.
Finding Gold in the Backfield
Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers
Figuring out the Carolina backfield will be a headache moving forward. After the last two weeks, though, it seems that Rico Dowdle is finally starting to create some separation. He should get more snaps than Chuba Hubbard and, frankly, he just looks like the more explosive back right now. This increased usage makes him an intriguing fantasy football pick.
Dowdle’s potential comes down to pure volume. The Panthers have a decent matchup in Week 7, which could lead to them leaning on the run game. If Dowdle sees 12-15 touches, he has an excellent shot at producing solid RB2 numbers.
Speaking of waivers, here are a few other players to keep an eye on this week:
- Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans: His role as a pass-catcher is growing by the week.
- Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Detroit Lions: A high-upside target for Jared Goff, especially near the end zone.
- Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers: An athletic tight end who is seeing more looks in the passing game.
The Receiver With League-Winning Upside
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Every fantasy football manager dreams of grabbing a piece of that high-powered Chiefs offense and after an early season suspension, Rashee Rice might just be this week’s winning lottery ticket. Before his season-ending injury last season, his playing time was climbing, and more importantly, he clearly earned the trust of Patrick Mahomes.The key here is his role when it counts most, near the end zone. He led all Chiefs wide receivers in red zone targets, and that’s the kind of stat that screams touchdown upside. Facing a vulnerable Raiders secondary, Rice has a great opportunity to breakout. He is certainly a boom-or-bust type of player after sitting out the first six weeks, but his ceiling as a flex option is too good to ignore.
