Streaming Plays Week 7 2016

By Armando Marsal
Armando Marsal Between bye weeks and injuries, fantasy owners have to find players to step in for their starters each week. Sometimes it is a player on your bench and other times you just have to pick up a player off of waivers and plug him in your lineup. That will be determined by the league you are in as well as the players you have on your bench. That being said, let’s take a look at some players that you can plug in your lineups this week if you are in need.

Quarterback


Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
Kaepernick completed just 44.8 percent of his passes in his first start, but that was on the road against a tough Bills defense. This week he has a much better matchup at home against the Bucs who are allowing 271 passing yards per game and have surrendered nine passing touchdowns. They have given two or more passing touchdowns in all but one game. From a fantasy standpoint, Kaepernick did not do so bad last week, scoring 18 fantasy points. He threw for 187 yards and one touchdown, as well as, rushed for 66 yards. This is a really good matchup for Kaepernick and one he should be able to exploit.

Running Back


James White, New England Patriots
In the last two games, White has been targeted 15 times and has caught 12 of them for 110 yards and two touchdowns. In that span, he has accounted for 19.7 percent of the Patriots target share. This is a favorable matchup for him as the Steelers are giving up 6.2 receptions and 64.3 receiving yards per game, while yielding two touchdowns. White’s roll in the passing game is steady and should remain that way until Dion Lewis returns. In PPR formats, White offers a safe floor and can be plugged in as a flex or those in need of a RB.

Jacquizz Rodgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Doug Martin out this week, Rodgers is set to get the start once again. In his last start, Rodgers had 35 touches and totaled 138 yards, while playing in 93 percent of the offensive snaps. He is likely in for another heavy workload against a poor run defense. The 49ers are giving up 148.7 rushing yards per game and have surrendered nine rushing touchdowns. Running backs have topped 170 yards in three consecutive games against San Francisco. Rodgers is someone who should be starting in just about every lineup this week and is this week’s top streaming play at running back.

Wide Receiver


Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins
It is tough to gauge the distribution of targets for the Redskins, but with Jordan Reed out last week, Garcon received 11 targets and that stood out to me. He is someone who was averaging 6.4 targets per game prior to last week, so still receives a decent amount of looks. This is a great matchup against the Lions who are giving up 13.7 receptions and 181.7 receiving yards per game, while allowing nine touchdowns. So long as Reed remains sidelined, Garcon should continue to see an increased amount of targets and that is a good thing as he has a solid catch rate and is an efficient receiver.

Cecil Shorts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This only makes sense if you are in dire need of a wide receiver as Shorts has not played since Week 2, but he is expected to suit up and start in place of the injured Vincent Jackson. Jameis Winston averages 41.4 pass attempts and has yet thrown fewer than 30 pass attempts in a game, so this is an offense that will chuck it. Not to mention with all the focus from the defense on Mike Evans, Shorts could get some open looks. In addition, this is a good matchup as San Francisco is giving up 168 receiving yards per game and has surrendered 10 receiving touchdowns. Opposing receivers have scored two touchdowns in three consecutive games against the Niners. This is a risky play, but in deeper leagues, you could do worse.

Tight End


Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins
Jordan Reed has been ruled out for Washington, so Vernon Davis will get the start. In the last game he started, Davis played in 97 percent of the offensive snaps. That did not necessarily turn into volume, as he received four targets, but that should change this week as the matchup is elite. The Lions surrender the third most fantasy points per game to tight ends, allowing 55.5 receiving yards per game and have allowed seven touchdowns. They have given up a touchdown in all but one game to tight ends. For someone who will be on the field as often as Davis is expected to be and in a matchup like this, he should be able to exploit it and have a big game. Keep in mind, despite the lack of targets last week, he caught two passes for 50 yards and scored a touchdown.

Defense


Baltimore Ravens
New York Giants
Tennessee Titans