Lucky Seven
Seven guys you’d be lucky to have in fantasy football moving forward
Jayden Reed (WR):
Green Bay Packers
This guy is as automatic as they come in fantasy football. Contested catches, a clear connection with his quarterback, and a tendency to find the endzone with a high frequency throughout his two year career in Green Bay. He is polished as a route runner, has blazing speed when getting the ball in space, and tracks the ball at an elite level. He has no weaknesses in his game and coach Lafleur and Jordan Love understand how integral he is to this offense. He legitimately could finish as a WR1 in fantasy football this season, which wasn’t really a thought before the season and the scary part is that his QB hasn’t even played his best ball yet. Once Jordan Love cleans up his turnovers and finds a rhythm once again with his unit he might ascend into the top five at the quarterback position. If Love gets better as the season progresses like he did last season throughout the year, then the Packers are going to be one of the top offenses in the NFL. The number one guy in a top tier offense is a guy everyone would love to have especially in the fantasy realm of NFL football. I don’t think people understand how much TD volume and upside Jayden Reed has each and every week. He has four touchdowns through six weeks of play. Three in the air and one on the ground and in 2023 he had eight receiving touchdowns and two rushing TDs, which translates to an extremely high floor. The guy finds the endzone at an elite rate, yet he isn’t mentioned in talks of the very best fantasy wideouts, but he’s soon going to enter that very conversation.
Look to trade for Jayden Reed with a bigger name wideout because his only “dud” weeks were with Malik Willis at QB in a 100% RPO ground and pound scheme. In case you didn’t watch his game against the Rams too he came two yards short of a TD on a deep bomb, which would make his value in fantasy even greater than what it currently is. Convince someone in your league that Reed is a fluke and you will get a locked and loaded fantasy superstar.
Terry Mclaurin (WR):
Washington Commanders
What Jayden Daniels has done with this Washington Commanders football team has been nothing short of legendary. A bottom feeder roster in the NFL is sitting pretty at 4-2 on the shoulders of their young superstar QB. All of this success is unprecedented considering Daniels has essentially one wideout on the team that can make any real impact in the passing game. That man is Scary Terry Mclaurin and finally after years of being in the gulag with backup caliber QBs and disappointing fantasy finishes he finally got someone to throw him the football with precision. Mclaurin always has been a guy with nice speed, elegant route running, and elite hands that put him in the conversation for catch of the year seemingly every year. The amount of times I’ve seen Terry get blasted while making a ridiculous catch has to be too many to count at this point. He’s a human highlight reel each week he’s given the opportunity to be and he has really cemented his connection with Daniels early in the season. The moment against the Bengals when he went up to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to suggest changing his alignment to exploit Cincy’s coverage was the catalyst for their immediate connection. The play resulted in Mclaurin catching a game winning touchdown on a go route that was thrown with remarkable precision by Daniels. This precision from Daniels has never faded this season and the throw he made against Baltimore on a corner route to Mclaurin for Terry’s first TD was on a rope once again. He’s yet another guy who’s a lock to be a high end WR2, but might just find himself in a situation where he is a WR1. Mclaurin has never been questioned on his ability, it’s just his production hasn’t matched his talent due to the Commanders being an absolute dumpster fire of an organization until this year. Another glaring positive about Mclaurin in fantasy is that the Commanders have no defensive identity and require magic from Daniels and Mclaurin to compete in and win games. He finally did it man. The wide receiver Kyle Pitts has finally returned and exceeded his value given he was picked around the 70th selection of fantasy drafts.
Baker “Faker” Mayfield (QB):
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With a real offensive line, a running back room that is on a steep uphill trajectory, and a healthy, talented receiving core Baker has been magical throughout six weeks of NFL play. He is the man with perhaps the most heart of any player in the NFL. Just this Sunday against the Saints did I witness Baker make a miraculous effort to scramble and gain yardage taking a shot to the ribs that might’ve killed the average man. It looked like he got hit at twenty miles an hour in his ribs and he took a helmet to his hip pointer on the same play. He goes to the sideline as if he were approaching retirement, spits, puts his helmet back on, comes out and amends all of his interceptions against the Saints. The guy is a competitor that never gives up in any game. He’s been accurate, efficient, and tough all season avoiding mistakes and being this team’s vocal leader. He could be backed up against the wall and pull out one of the most astonishing plays you’ve seen all week on Sunday. The chip on his shoulder he has from being booted out of the Browns organization and bounced around the league as a backup is evident in his play. How many guys will ever do what Baker has done in his career? Sign with a team (The Los Angeles Rams) two days before a primetime matchup in 2022 with a dying career, nearing an exit from the NFL and then he comes in and leads a game winning 98 yard touchdown drive with less than two minutes left without even knowing the entire Rams playbook yet. He doesn’t take his position for granted and in divisional play it’s easy to see Mayfield being dominant for the rest of season. The reason I put faker in his name is because I was not a believer in the guy after last season. The team’s offensive line led to a scheme of checkdowns that was largely uninspired and like many football analysts I fell into the trap of blaming the quarterback. It’s a good sign to see Godwin stay healthy and Mike Evans playing at a 1000 yard level especially when factoring in the Buccaneers two new running backs Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving who inevitably will give the inefficient running back Rachaad White the boot in Tampa. Baker Mayfield with a running game is a dangerous man. Never will forget Mayfield getting robbed by the refs in the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs when he was the Cleveland Browns franchise guy. What made Baker so elite in Cleveland for a brief stretch? An elite running game with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Baker’s production will sustain and the Buccaneers defensive struggles will only help Baker’s production in high scoring battles.
Joe Mixon (RB):
Houston Texans
Another guy I owe a huge apology to is this man Joe Mixon. His effectiveness on the ground has elevated this Texans offense to a new level. Had it not been for a hip drop tackle in week two against the Bears there is a good chance that Mixon might be the number one RB in all of fantasy football. The guy is shouldering an elite workload and is incredibly efficient. Just goes to show how important the offensive line upgrade was going from the Bengals to the Texans offensive line. He gets usage in the receiving game and there is absolutely zero competition in the RB room for this guy. Stroud will definitely lean on Mixon to help the offense out whenever the passing game can’t get going and he’s just as reliable as any running back in the league from a fantasy perspective. He’s not even vengeful after the Bengals gave up on him because the guy still believes he’s one of the best in the league and so far he has shown he is one of the best backs. In Stroud’s rookie season Devin Singletary had a breakout season and Mixon is a far better talent, which bodes well for his numbers as the season progresses. I know Mixon has only played two full games against struggling teams with bad defenses, but whenever the Texans are near the goal line he is the only guy touching the football and most project this offense to score plenty and move the football with ease. Maybe I’m giving him flowers too early, but the guy definitely hasn’t lost a step when it comes to speed and having elite vision.
Malik Nabers (WR):
New York Giants
The New York Giants offense without Malik Nabers is just not a threat whatsoever. They may move the ball down the field on occasion, but when it comes down to crucial downs Daniel Jones just panics and locks on a random target. With Malik Nabers slated to return after missing two weeks with a concussion the football world is eagerly awaiting this guy’s return. He has phenomenal burst and body control in the air on the deep ball allowing him to make plays that only him and a few other wide receivers can make in the NFL. He’s already a guy you can place next to Jamarr Chase and have a legit conversation of how close their play styles truly are. A physically gifted receiver with the ability to burn your defense on a huge touchdown or make a colossal low percentage catch when the team needs it most. Nabers’ biggest obstacle is the astronomically large volume he receives in every appearance he makes in this Giants offense. Normally that would be a resounding positive, but in Nabers case he gets put through the ringer taking hard hits in abundance. In his four games played he has been an absolute force to be reckoned with, putting up immediate superstar numbers with ease and giving Daniel Jones something he hasn’t had in the Big Apple, hope. He finally has that receiver he can throw a prayer up to and rely on the big moments of games, although I don’t know how competitive the Giants will be. Now after watching this Sunday my take on Nabers changes a bit. I think if Drew Lock leads this offense after a dreadful performance from Daniel Jones, then Nabers might boom significantly or bust. My theory is that without their best offensive player Andrew Thomas in the lineup at offensive tackle the playcall sheet from Brian Daboll is going to be quick pass to Malik or throw a prayer up to him in the midst of constant pressure from opposing defenses. This situation is nearing a territory where the Giants could have one of the worst offenses of all time, but you never know if Drew Lock can ignite something in this Giants squad. This game too was further proof that Devin Singletary can be written off.
J.K. Dobbins (RB):
Los Angeles Chargers
Every time I watch this guy play all I hear in the background is Clocks by Coldplay. He’s turned back time to his OSU days and hasn’t looked back one bit. He still has that unteachable explosiveness when he hits the hole and with Gus Edwards out for the foreseeable future on IR and Kimani Vidal as an unproven 5th rounder the backfield is going to be dominated by him in Los Angeles. Dobbins is an RB1 candidate if Greg Roman can figure out the Chargers’ passing attack and Herbert can sustain long drives. With their current defensive dominance heading into this Monday night primetime matchup Dobbins could get the ball 20+ times a game to salt away games and establish an offensive flow each and every contest. Hopefully this man stays healthy for the fan to enjoy and for his sake considering he had one of the worst stretches of consistent injury I have ever witnessed. If Roman uses McConkey in the scheme and gets the short passing game going to boost this offense getting Herbert into a rhythm, I see significant PPR upside for Dobbins inbound. He’s been an inspiration so far this year as the Chargers are looking to make it into this year’s playoffs and it’s wild to think about his emergence as the RB1 in Los Angeles when many, including myself, thought his best playing days were behind him. Talk about a guy you can root for as well as a guy you can count on, man do I love Dobbins. Running backs might be the most crucial position in all of fantasy football and Dobbins is a locked and loaded high end RB2 for the foreseeable future. Jim Harbaugh never abandons the running game. His best friend.
Devon Achane (RB):
Miami Dolphins
This guy is absolutely a league winner. Potentially the best buy low in the entirety of the league for fantasy football. With Tua soon to return his usage is going to be elite in an offense that will put up better numbers, but likely will be involved in many contests where the Phins are down. He has the best pass game usage of any running back by a landslide when Tua plays and is integral to what Mike McDaniel is trying to do in South Beach. He’s explosive, but a down side to his game is that he is incredibly injury prone with his small frame. I’m blasting trades for him left and right this week after he’s underperformed in every contest without Tua Tagovailoa to force feed him the football. Just think how many designed screens and dump downs he’s going to get when Tua is getting pressured. Every time Tua is trying to avoid hits he’ll look to get the football out and his first option in this offense is likely Achane. Think of rookie Najee Harris catching the football eight to ten times every game with Big Ben not having anything left in his arsenal to give to Pittsburgh. I think this offense has a lot more upside with Tua and outside of Tyreek Hill I’d take Achane as the top guy in the offense. Hearing about Jaylen Waddle every year is just a joke at this point. Show me a fantasy team that has won a championship with Waddle in their lineup since his second season in the league. Waddle obsessed managers are chasing that high from his second season and it will likely never repeat as long as Tua is the Dolphins guy. Achane is the safest buy low I can think of at the moment with his teammate Tyreek Hill being up there with him.
