Mulligan’s Fantasy Forecast, Week 7
Another week and another disappointing fantasy stat line for Maurice Jones-Drew. Has he been the biggest bust of the fantasy season to this point? OK, maybe that’s a little harsh. He hasn’t been awful, but he hasn’t quite been what fantasy owners who drafted him in the top three-four picks of their draft had been hoping for either. There’s still plenty of time for MoJo to turn it around, however, so don’t give up on him yet as his schedule gets easier in the second half of the season.
Good match-ups
Johnny Knox vs. Redskins defense: Knox had disappointing performances in Weeks 4 and 5 but bounced back nicely last week with five catches for 120 yards. He’s still without a touchdown catch this season but the Bears are treated to hosting the Redskins at home this week. Washington owns the NFL’s second-worst pass defense so look for Knox to have his second straight productive game.
Marshawn Lynch/Justin Forsett vs. Cardinals defense: Lynch got 17 carries to Forsett’s 10 in last week’s win over the Bears but Forsett was the one who produced more yardage. For the time being, this running situation may be more of an even split between the two but that doesn’t mean you can’t start either of them especially this week. The Seahawks will face the Arizona Cardinals this week who are allowing over 140 yards rushing per game this season, 29th in the NFL. I think both Lynch and Forsett could make for decent flex plays this week.
Not so good match-ups
Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams vs. Steelers defense: The Ronnie and Ricky show hasn’t done much for fantasy owners to this point in the season and I wouldn’t expect them to suddenly turn it on this week. Miami squares off against the Pittsburgh Steelers who own the league’s best run defense, allowing just 63.8 yards per game on the ground and just 2.7 yards per carry. Tough it out with Ronnie and Ricky though, because their schedule gets pretty easy towards the end of the season.
Deion Branch vs. Chargers defense: It would be easy to get caught up in the Deion Branch hype after the game he had last week. But the Patriots face another tough pass defense this week in the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are allowing a league-low 163 yards passing per game to opponents and the odds of Branch having consecutive big games against two of the top three pass defenses in football are pretty low.
Waiver wire watch
Kevin Kolb, QB, Eagles: Kolb has played well in his second stint as the Eagles starting QB this season and it looks like he’ll get at least one more start this week against the Titans. Tennessee is allowing more than 242 yards passing per game this season, ranked 26th in the NFL. Kolb is a great bye week fill-in should you need one this week.
Kyle Mulligan is a contributing sports writer for the Observer. He welcomes your feedback and can be reached at kjmulli@gmail.com.