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Predicting studs and duds for NFL Week 7

Week 7 in the NFL offers 15 fabulous matchups bound to produce some surprise personal performances. Who will shine or who will struggle when the New England Patriots host the Atlanta Falcons in a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl?

Furthermore, the Dallas Cowboys are back from their bye. We are predicting a high-scoring affair with an under-the-radar Cowboy coming up big against the San Francisco 49ers.

On the less-fortunate side, the Green Bay Packers will aim to win with a backup quarterback. How will they manage against an improved Saints defense?

Last week produced some of the most unpredictable football fans have seen in ages. We expect much more of the same in Week 7.

Stud: LeSean McCoy, running back, Buffalo Bills

LeSean McCoy

McCoy returns from his bye and has an inviting matchup at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He faces a run defense that simply had no resources shutting down new Arizona Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson last game. Peterson annihilated on the ground, running for 134 yards and two touchdowns. We have to think McCoy with his veteran experience might have similar success.

Dud: T.Y. Hilton, wide receiver, Indianapolis Colts

Poor Hilton. He was held to just one catch for 19 yards in his last game and he might be bottled up again in Week 7. The Colts host a Jaguars defense on Sunday that has given up only 112 yards to receivers per game this season. Even worse, is the Jags have permitted only one touchdown from a wide receiver on the season. Hilton will be shadowed by one of the top corners in the NFL in Jalen Ramsey. And with Jacoby Brissett under center, don’t expect the star receiver to do a whole lot here.

Stud: Julius Peppers, defensive end, Carolina Panthers

At the ripe age of 37, Peppers is still terrorizing opposing quarterbacks with the best of them. Right now, Peppers has 6.5 sacks on the season. If he were to keep pace, the nine-time Pro-Bowler would end the year with 17 sacks. Peppers has a prime opportunity to keep the sacks coming against Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky when he takes n his former team Sunday.

The young rookie took four sacks his last game and surely should be dreading his matchup with a vet like Peppers. Peppers already has two games this year he posted multiple sacks. He might just make it three games when the Bears roll into town.

Dud: Chris Thompson, running back, Washington Redskins

Thompson received at team-high 16 rush attempts last week against the San Francisco 49ers. He struggled, putting up just 33 yards in the process. If Thompson is designated the top rushing opportunities again in Week 7, he could be doomed. Washington travels to face a dominant Philadelphia Eagles run defense that gave up only one rushing yard to opposing running backs last game. On the season, the Eagles have yielded the second-fewest rushing yards on average per game. In order for Washington keep up with Philly, quarterback Kirk Cousins is likely going to have to attempt more passes. This might mean less work on Thompson’s part.

Stud: Jared Goff, quarterback, Los Angeles Rams

Goff and the Rams host their divisional rival Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. We predict Goff will have a successful outing throwing against a Cardinals pass defense that has given up 13 touchdowns in six contests. Only two other franchises have allowed more passing scores. The fact that the Cardinals just allowed Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick 290 passing yards and three touchdowns speaks volumes. Goff should be primed for a bounce-back performance in such a setting.

Dud: Brandin Cooks, wide receiver, New England Patriots 

In this Super Bowl rematch, Cooks and the Patriots host the Falcons. Considering Cooks just put up a 93-yard performance and made some huge catches, the Falcons should be planning double-coverage. It is worth mentioning that when Cooks was a New Orleans Saint, he played five games against the Falcons. In that stretch, he scored just one touchdown and averaged only 34.4 yards per contest facing Atlanta. It is already going to be a challenge for the Falcons to stop tight end Rob Gronkowski. So, they should aim to eliminate Tom Brady’s next biggest X-factor.

Stud: Dak Prescott, quarterback, Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are back in business and will travel to square off against the San Francisco 49ers. Prescott is primed for a huge day against a pass defense that just made Washington’s Kirk Cousins the top-scoring fantasy quarterback in Week 6. With Ezekiel Elliott set to play and take some of the focus off the quarterback, Prescott should find tremendous success in his passing game. Currently, the 49ers are yielding 262.3 passing yards on average per contest. They are also allowing a 65 percent pass-completion rate.

Dud: Jay Cutler, quarterback, Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler

Cutler has managed to get himself off of the naughty list after the Dolphins posted back-to-back wins. But, he might cause some eyebrows to furrow when the team hosts the division-rival New York Jets this week. The Jets had Cutler’s number, allowing him to complete just 59 percent of his passes for one touchdown and one interception in Week 3.

Just last game around, the Jets held Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in check. He threw for two scores, but completed an uncharacteristic 52.6 percent of his passes. If the Jets tripped up Brady, imagine what they have in store for Cutler next.

Stud: Earl Thomas, safety, Seattle Seahawks

Coming off their bye, the Seahawks head to MetLife to take on the New York Giants on Sunday. This is a team that is using its rookie tight end as quarterback Eli Manning’s top pass-catcher. Thomas should fill time covering Evan Engram and could prove to be quite a pesky obstacle. To date, Thomas has registered one interception, defended three passes, forced one fumble and combined for 31 tackles. His expertise against a rookie tight end and a quarterback with few other receiving options could be the winning ticket for Seattle.

Dud: C.J. Beathard, quarterback, San Francisco 49ers

Beathard was called to duty to rescue a drowning Brian Hoyer last Sunday. He will now face the league’s leader in sacks in the form of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. Lawrence has tallied an impressive 8.5 sacks in just five games. The 49ers could struggle if Beathard can’t avoid Dallas’ pass rush. The young rookie was sacked twice last week and a momentum-breaking guy such as Lawrence could certainly rattle Beathard’s concentration in the passing game.

Stud: Melvin Gordon, running back, Los Angeles Chargers

Gordon has been seeing an uptick in his overall touches over his past two games and has scored four times during this span. The third-year running back could have another smashing performance when the Chargers host the Denver Broncos this weekend. Normally, we would suggest that Gordon might take a step back, but the Broncos’ defense crumbled against the run in its last game. Denver’s rushing defense permitted Giants running back Orleans Darkwa to rush for 117 yards on 21 carries. Surely, Gordon stands to best this with how well he has been performing as of late.

Dud: Le’Veon Bell, running back, Pittsburgh Steelers

Bell has been a product of how well quarterback Ben Roethlisberger produces on a weekly basis. The Steelers host the nicely-rested Cincinnati Bengals that have allowed only a 57.4 pass-completion percentage rate. As for Bell, he will be up against a run defense that has allowed only 79 yards to running backs on average per contest. It has also given up only two rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs. In Bell’s five-game history playing against the Bengals, he found the end zone just four total times. This could be one of those down weeks that Bell, as well as Big Ben, frustrates the fantasy football world.

Stud: Xavier Rhodes, cornerback, Minnesota Vikings

Rhodes and the Vikings have an enticing matchup on tap when they host the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. Might Rhodes have some fun here? He will be facing quarterback Joe Flacco who has twice as many interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (four) on the season. Flacco has been an absolute mess under center and there is plenty of his errors on film for Rhodes and his defense to study as they prepare to host Baltimore. Rhodes has just one interception this year so far, but he stands to add another one against the mistake-prone Flacco.

Dud: Brett Hundley, quarterback, Green Bay Packers

Hundley received a promotion to starter after the Packers lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone. The show must go on and Hundley and his Packers play host to the New Orleans Saints. Hundley will face a Saints defense that suddenly woke up and caused all kids of havoc against quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Lions last game. Stafford endured five sacks and was hit a total of eight times. All said, New Orleans’ defense scored three touchdowns. Can we even imagine what is in store for Hundley here?

Stud: Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver, Oakland Raiders

The Raiders don’t seem to be getting the job done on the ground with Marshawn Lynch these days. So, it could be Patterson once again lining up at running back and taking another long run to the house for a score. Patterson is averaging a stout 12.4 yards per carry and has touchdowns of 55 and 57 yards on the season. The Raiders would be wise to plug him in at home against the Kansas City Chiefs this week. Kansas City has been awful at defending the run, allowing an average of 4.8 yards per carry. The Raiders’ passing game is struggling, so Patterson stands to be a stud if he gets more opportunities on the ground.

Dud: Trevor Siemian, quarterback, Denver Broncos

Siemian is dinged up and will be missing one of his best receivers when he hits the road to face the Chargers. He struggled in his last game, a clear indication things won’t be a cakewalk against a Chargers unit that was not kind to Raiders quarterback Derek Carr last week. The Chargers held Carr to a mere 171 yards and one touchdown, intercepting the quarterback twice in the process. And, for whatever the reason, the Broncos offense as a whole looked terrible last week. Until things improve, Siemian is poised for an uphill battle and a Broncos victory is hardly a sure bet.

Stud: Jimmy Graham, tight end, Seattle Seahawks

Graham’s targets and numbers have been all over the charts since the start of the season. But Grahams’s Week 7 matchup is too favorable to ignore. The Seattle Seahawks take to the road for a meeting against the Giants. The Giants boast the most generous defense against tight ends. Graham could certainly hit a home run against a defense that has allowed a league-high seven scores from the tight end position. Furthermore, opposing tight ends are averaging 72 yards per tilt against the Giants. Hopefully quarterback Russell Wilson is studying these stats, which should prompt him to hit up his red-zone threat a lot this week.

Dud: Michael Thomas, wide receiver, New Orleans Saints

Thomas was nearly invisible in a 52-38 win over Detroit last week. It’s a game that saw the Saints’ defense and running back mark Ingram account for all of the team’s touchdowns. This week, Thomas will face a Packers team that’s without Aaron Rodgers. It’s a clear indication that New Orleans’ defense might come up with some more scores of its own. This could all mean that the Saints’ offense won’t have to do a whole lot through the air to knock Green Bay out early.

Stud: Marcus Peters, cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs

Peters and the Chiefs head to California to strike hard at a weakening Raiders offense. The Pro Bowl cornerback will be looking to cause chaos against a team that has been sputtering in neutral for weeks. Peters will likely be hovering around wide receiver Michael Crabtree who has emerged as Derek Carr’s favorite target. Will Carr attempt to go there? Peters certainly stands to gain the upper hand considering Carr tossed two picks his last game. If so, Peters might just notch his third interception on the season.

Dud: DeMarco Murray, running back, Tennessee Titans

The running back situation in Tennessee does not do much for Murray’s stock in Week 7. The Titans hit the road to square off with a Cleveland Browns run defense that is yielding a mere 3.0 yards on average per attempt. It ties for best in the league in this category. Murray’s usage has been sporadic and the 29-year-old running back only gained 3.33 yards per carry his last game. Murray’s younger counterpart, Derrick Henry, received 19 attempts compared to Murray’s 12 in last Monday’s win over Indianapolis. We do not envision Murray delivering a winning performance this week against Cleveland under any circumstances.

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