!Throughout the season, Jake Ciely (*@allinkid*) will give you the expert take on New Orleans Saints players from fantasy perspectives, while letting you know which performers will help you take home a championship. The Saints look to make it two wins a row as they head into Indianapolis for Week 7.
Thanks to "Thursday Night Football" last week, the Saints have an extended period of rest and preparation for Sunday's game against the Colts in Indianapolis. Drew Brees will look to make it four straight games with at least 310 passing yards, and he should do just that against the Colts defense. Brees also has thrown for a touchdown in each game, and with the Colts putting up plenty of their own points, Brees and the Saints will need to be aggressive. Another positive factor for Brees is that the Colts just let Tom Brady throw for 312 yards and three touchdowns. That gives Brees a reasonable goal for Week 7, making him a must-start Top 10 QB play.
Carson Palmer of the Cardinals will keep up the great performances too, as he has the most favorable matchup of the week against the Ravens. Pittsburgh's Landry Jones faces the Chiefs, which is a good matchup, but he's not worth starting outside of two-quarterback leagues. The Dolphins offense looked revitalized out of the bye, and Ryan Tannehill has a nice matchup with the Texans to truly get on track. Ryan Fitzpatrick is actually a high-end QB2 so far and is a solid fill-in for those with QB byes. The Patriots host the Jets and have been weak against the pass. Cleveland's Josh McCown gets his second straight tough opponent (St. Louis) and likely isn't worth starting in your league.
Saints running back Mark Ingram is the fifth-best fantasy running back this season, and that's with only four touchdowns, so it's not as if Ingram is one-dimensional. He has at least 7.4 points in every outing with four games of double digits. He's a must-start in every league, even if you only start one running back. The Colts are one of the weakest teams at stopping running backs and have given up 45 receptions and 301 receiving yards to them already. That makes C.J. Spiller a decent Flex option in PPR leagues with a good amount of players on the bye this week.
Atlanta's Devonta Freeman is the real deal, as is Todd Gurley of the Rams. I talked about both in my RotoExperts.com column. Basically, you should have no hesitancy in trusting either player. Oakland's Latavius Murray is coming off a bye, should be 100 percent and gets a Chargers DST allowing a league-high 26.27 FPPG to running backs. LeSean McCoy returned earlier than expected for the Bills, but he looked quite good last week and now goes against a Jaguars team allowing the fifth-most FPPG to running backs with nine touchdowns allowed. The Jets continue to dominate the run defensively, which makes both LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis riskier than normal, especially since it's hard to figure out the Patriots' plans. The Eagles defense has been surprisingly tough against running backs, and while Carolina's Jonathan Stewart had a big day against the Seahawks, he's in for another tough week.
Saints receiver Willie Snead is a secret no more. In fact, Snead is pushing for the No. 1 receiver role in New Orleans. He has more receiving yards on the season and has drawn Drew Brees' focus the past few weeks. Over the last three games, Snead has 16 receptions for 285 yards and has to be considered a must-start now. That doesn't mean Brandin Cooks isn't a must-start too. He is, especially in PPR leagues, and this Colts game presents both receivers with high upside. Ben Watson might have overshadowed both receivers after his 10 catches, 127 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. While there will be some weeks when Josh Hill has a better Fantasy line, Watson is the go-to option if you want a Saints tight end. As with the receivers, Watson has plenty of potential and is a great replacement option for those dealing with a bye for Martellus Bennett of the Bears or Tyler Eifert of the Bengals.
The Chiefs just can't stop receivers this year, which means Antonio Brown cannot be benched, even if Ben Roethlisberger isn't at quarterback for Pittsburgh. Martavis Bryant showed how dangerous he can be and is also worth starting in all leagues against the Chiefs. All three Cardinals receivers are worth starting in most leagues, as last week proved there is enough coming from Palmer for all to have value. The Lions passing game provided the results owners have longed for and can make it back-to-back great weeks against the Vikings secondary. The Raiders secondary has actually been quite good, and while San Diego's Philip Rivers is on fire, there is less upside than usual for the receivers. However, Antonio Gates has the pleasure of facing that same Raiders defense that can't stop tight ends. Use him everywhere. Travis Kelce is primed to have his best game in a while for the Chiefs, as the Steelers have already allowed 390 yards and six touchdowns to tight ends.
The Cardinals offense is a juggernaut and the Ravens defense is among the worst, which sets Chandler Catanzaro up for a big day. If you need a Brandon McManus replacement as the Denver kicker is on a bye, Josh Lambo (Chargers), Graham Gano (Panthers) and Dan Carpenter (Bills) are all nice options. The Titans give the Falcons DST potential for a nice score. The Rams come off the bye and might have been dropped. Scoop them up if so, as the Browns have their fair share of turnovers. The Dolphins DST is a sneaky fill-in, as they have the talent to slow DeAndre Hopkins and limit the Texans offense.
For more in-depth Fantasy Football coverage, visit Jake Ciely and the team over at RotoExperts.com. Saints fans get a special discounted rate on the RotoExperts Xclusive Edge premium package by **clicking here*.*
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