Week 7 Fantasy Busts: Orleans Darkwa, Rob Kelley among those with matchup and injury worries

Tony Fortier-Bensen

Week 7 Fantasy Busts: Orleans Darkwa, Rob Kelley among those with matchup and injury worries image

Many players toe the line between bench depth and starter in fantasy football lineups, forcing tough start 'em sit 'em decisions every week. Heading into Week 7, we identify several who should be firmly placed on your bench.  Rob Kelley, oft-injured and inconsistent when he does play, Carson Palmer, with troubling road splits, and even players like Jordan Reed, LeGarrette Blount, and T.Y. Hilton, despite how good we feel like they should be, just continue to disappoint fantasy owners. Even shiny new waiver wire pick Orleans Darkwa is no lock to repeat his surprising performance last week in Denver.

Last week, we predicted Aaron Jones, Marlon Mack, and Reed, among others, to struggle. In Week 7, Reed makes a second straight appearance on a list that he and fantasy owners wish he wasn't on.

For more throughout the week, follow us on Twitter at @SN_Fantasy for rankings, DFS info, news, and updates.

WEEK 7 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

To see our Week 7 sleeper picks, click here.

Week 7 fantasy football busts: Running backs

Rob Kelley, Redskins @ Eagles (Tony Fortier-Bensen). He’s still battling an ankle injury, and it’s conceivable to believe he’ll share reps with Chris Thompson and Samaje Perine, which isn’t great against the second-best rush defense this year.

LeGarrette Blount, Eagles vs. Redskins (Vinnie Iyer). Washington has been solid against the run, and Blount is very TD dependent, as his volume could be further affected by the likely return of Wendell Smallwood.

Orleans Darkwa, Giants vs. Seahawks (Matt Lutovsky). This matchup looks decent on paper (Seattle allows 4.9 yards per carry) -- and it's certainly better than the matchup against the Broncos where Darkwa rushed for 117 yards -- but the Giants have struggled running the ball (and sticking with the run) this year. Even though Seattle had some trouble early against RBs, it's been better lately, limiting Todd Gurley (14 carries, 43 yards) last time out. 

Full Week 7 RB rankings

WEEK 7 DFS:
Yahoo GPP lineup | Yahoo cash | DK cash | DK GPP | FD GPPValues | Stacks |
 DFS lineup builder

Week 7 fantasy football busts: Quarterbacks

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers vs. Bengals (Fortier-Bensen). He’s thrown six interceptions in two weeks (five at home in Week 5), and the Bengals, fresh off a bye, have seven interceptions in their past five matchups

Philip Rivers, Chargers vs. Broncos (Iyer). It's been basically the Melvin Gordon and Hunter Henry show for this offense, as you can't trust Rivers getting enough points with his wideouts against the No-Fly Zone.

Carson Palmer, Cardinals vs. Rams (in London) (Lutovsky). Palmer throws a lot, and Adrian Peterson's mini-resurgence isn't going to completely change that. What we're worried about here is the matchup (Rams have held four of six QBs under 16 fantasy points) and Palmer's road splits (3:4 TD-to-INT). 

Full Week 7 QB rankings

Week 7 fantasy football busts: Wide receivers

Randall Cobb, Packers vs. Saints (Fortier-Bensen)  There’s room for three wide receivers to be productive in fantasy with Aaron Rodgers, but not so much with Brett Hundley.

T.Y. Hilton, Colts vs. Jaguars (Iyer). He's coming off a terrible one-catch game in Tennessee, and he struggled in a similar matchup to his in Seattle.

Nelson Agholor, Eagles vs. Redskins (Lutovsky).  Agholor has scored in four of six games, and you might remember he roasted the Redskins for 86 yards and a TD in Week 1. Since then, Washington has only allowed one WR touchdown. Don't expect a repeat from Agholor. 

Full Week 7 WR rankings

Week 7 fantasy football busts: Tight ends

Jordan Reed, Redskins @ Eagles (Fortier-Bensen). He just hasn’t looked right all year, and even Vernon Davis has outgained him in games they both play. Excluding Travis Kelce, the Eagles have held every TE, including Reed, in Week 1, to under 45 yards.

Jason Witten, Cowboys @ 49ers (Iyer). Thanks to Jacquiski Tartt and now Eric Reid, San Francisco excels in erasing tight ends from the passing game.

Coby Fleener, Saints @ Packers (Lutovsky). Fleener is always and up-and-down option, and this week he faces a Packers defense that has defended the tight end position about as well as anyone (3.2 FPPG allowed, second fewest). 

Full Week 7 TE rankings

Week 7 fantasy football busts: Defenses

New York Jets @ Dolphins (Fortier-Bensen). Even against a shaky, Jay Cutler-led offense, a Jets defense on the road shouldn’t be trusted.

Baltimore Ravens @ Vikings (Iyer). This defense can't get much done when it can't stop the run and is worn further down by its offense failing to play at acceptable standards.

Full Week 7 D/ST rankings

Kansas City Chiefs @ Raiders (Lutovsky). The "Thursday Sloppiness Factor" we always like is present in this game, and given how poorly the Raiders have played lately, perhaps we shouldn't ignore it. But the Chiefs usually aren't as good on the road, and Derek Carr should be sharper in his second game back from a back injury. Oakland has too many good offensive players to continue struggling.

Tony Fortier-Bensen