Sit/Start Week 7: Reviewing All the Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Saints@Bears

 

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, October 20th at 4:25 pm EST

Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

Betting Odds: -3 CHI, 38.5 total via Oddsshark

Network: FOX

Sleeper Spotlight: Anthony Miller

 

New Orleans Saints

 

Quarterback:

• Teddy Bridgewater (Sit)

This game features the lowest total of the week, so we’ll be avoiding this game except for the major players. Teddy Bridgewater has done an excellent job for the Saints with Drew Brees out. In matchups where the Saints faced poor pass defenses (Bucs and Seahawks), he’s gone out and slung the rock around and when the game plan dictates a defensive battle, he’s done an excellent job of not making mistakes. This game lines up as a defensive showdown, where Bridgewater will be asked to be a game manager. 

 

Running Backs:

• Alvin Kamara (Start/RB1)
• Latavius Murray (Sit)

 

You’ll have to keep an eye on Alvin Kamara’s status, as the ankle injury is still lingering and the Saints just signed veteran Zach Zenner today, as insurance in case Kamara can’t go. With Bridgewater at the helm, Alvin Kamara’s target share has ticked up to 22%, which makes a lot of sense. The Saints have adjusted and are setting up more short routes from Michael Thomas and Kamara. The result has been successful from a wins standpoint, but certainly limits the upside of the Saint’s offensive cogs, making Kamara a middling RB1 as opposed to being up at the top of the rankings. Regardless, if you have Kamara, you’re firing him up, even against a tough Bears defense. The Bears will be without DT Akiem Hicks, who was placed on IR after sustaining an elbow injury in their Week 5 game in London. Those of us (raises hand slowly) that envisioned Latavius Murray stepping into the Mark Ingram role were mistaken. Murray hasn’t received enough consistent work to start him and the matchup shuts the door on any inkling I still had.

 

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends:

• Michael Thomas (Start/WR1)
• Jared Cook (Start/TE1)
• Ted Ginn (Sit)
• Tre’Quan Smith (Sit)
• Lil’Jordan Humphrey (Sit)

 

Michael Thomas just continues to be great, regardless of the situation – Brees or Bridgewater, tough D or cushy matchup. Since Bridgewater’s Week 3 starts, Thomas leads the league with a 32% target share. He also leads the league with 43 receptions in that time, so fire Thomas up again this week. Jared Cook is a back-end TE1 option this week, but you’re just praying he falls into the end zone. Cook has just one game this year where he’s more than three receptions and has just a 13% target share. Bridgewater doesn’t push the ball down-field enough to make Ted Ginn playable and Tre’Quan Smith has just five targets on the year, making them both sit. Lil’Jordan Humphrey has an awesome name and even though I had never heard of him before today, he’s now my hero because he reminds me of Lil’ Penny.

 

Chicago Bears

 

Quarterbacks

• Mitchell Trubisky (Sit)
• Chase Daniel (Sit)

We’re still waiting on the word of whether we’re getting Mitch Trubisky or Chase Daniel, but that information doesn’t change my opinion of the nature of this game. The Saints defense has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, but that number is frontloaded. During the first three weeks of the season, the Saints allowed 30.4 fantasy points per game, but following the return of Sheldon Rankins from an Achilles injury he sustained in the playoffs last year, everything changed. Since Week 4, the Saints have allowed just 29.4 fantasy points total to Dak Prescott, Jameis Winston, and Gardner Minshew.

 

Running Backs: 

• David Montgomery (Sit)
• Tarik Cohen (Sit)

 

While the Saints pass defense improved after getting Sheldon Rankins back, their run defense remained dominant all year. The Saints have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing rushers this year and their list of victims includes Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette. David Montgomery has been pretty disappointing to start the year. While he has handled 72% of the running back carries, he has averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. Don’t expect things to get better anytime soon as the Bears just placed RG Kyle Long on injured reserve. If you have to use one of these backs, I don’t hate Tarik Cohen. Cohen’s averaging six targets a game and if the Bears can get him out in space, I could see Cohen having a decent day, but he’s still a low-end flex at best. 

 

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

• Allen Robinson (Start/Flex)
• Taylor Gabriel (Sit)
• Trey Burton (Sit)
• Anthony Miller (Sit)
• Cordarell Patterson (Sit)

 

With his 26% target share, Allen Robinson is the only pass catcher in this offense that you can rely on the week to week. Robinson has a similar aDOT and target share with both Trubisky and Daniels, so he’s a flex start regardless of who’s under center. Taylor Gabriel returned to practice on Monday following missing Weeks 4 and 5 after suffering a concussion during his breakout, three-touchdown game against the Redskins. Hopefully, Gabriel plays so we can get an idea of his and Anthony Miller’s role in the offense moving forward. Miller had 10 targets total in Weeks 4 and 5, while Gabriel was out, after having just five in the first three weeks of the season. Trey Burton has been a safety blanket at best with his 2.4 aDOT but has only received three targets per game. He can be ignored for the time being. Cordarell Patterson has just five targets on the year, but the Bears do end up running gadget plays for him now and again. He can be ignored. 

 

-Rich Holman, @nextdoorFFguru