Monday, November 25, 2024

Fantasy Football, Uncategorized

Week 7 Blitz Pickup: National Tight End Day!

Welcome to the Week 7 Blitz Pickup, where we review the most interesting facts, figures and notes from every NFL game each week. Just like a running back hitting a crucial chip on a blitzing linebacker, we’re going to make sure nothing gets by, all so you can make the plays you need to reach fantasy football paydirt. It’s down, it’s dirty. In honor of National Tight Ends Day, we present the Week 7 Blitz Pickup!

Note: All point totals and rankings are PPR unless otherwise noted.

Check out the Blitz Pickup from previous weeks

Week 1 Blitz Pickup Week 2 Blitz Pickup Week 3 Blitz Pickup Week 4 Blitz Pickup Week 5 Blitz Pickup Week 6 Blitz Pickup

Week 7 Blitz Pickup: Thursday Night

The Saints honored NTE Day in a big way, but couldn’t pull out the W.

Saints 34 at Cardinals 42

Andy Dalton threw four touchdowns for the first time since 2019… Dalton started his fourth straight game and is listed as the starter for Week 8… Alvin Kamara has not scored in six straight games dating back to last season, but is tied for 13th among running backs in fantasy points per game… Kamara has seen nine targets in each of the last two weeks… Chris Olave saw a season-high 14 targets… Rookie wideout Rashid Shaheed caught his only target for a 53 yard score. He now has two touches in his career for 97 yards and two scores… Juwan Johnson had his second career two score game and recorded the best fantasy game of his career… Taysom Hill had his first receiving touchdown since 2020…

Kyler Murray is seventh in quarterback rush attempts but fifth in rush yardage at the position… Eno Benjamin played 48 snaps to just 20 for Keaontay Ingram in James Conner‘s absence… Ingram had 11 opportunities (nine rushes, two targets) in those 20 snaps and scored his first career touchdown… Conner is set to miss his third straight contest… DeAndre Hopkins was the target on 14 of Murray’s 29 pass attempts in his season debut after serving a six game suspension… Zach Ertz caught two of four targets, just the third time since joining Arizona he’s had fewer than three receptions…

Week 7 Blitz Pickup: Sunday Early Games

The Jags were left wondering what might’ve been had they thrown that last pass to someone a little heftier…

Giants 23 at Jaguars 17

Daniel Jones had his first 100 yard rushing game en route to an overall QB2 finish for the week… Jones is QB9 in points per game thus far… Saquon Barkley has the third-highest target share of any running back in the league… Barkley leads the league’s running backs in percentage of snaps played… Wan’Dale Robinson led the New York wideouts in targets and receptions and was second in snaps played… After he played only 12 games in a year and a half, the Giants traded former first round pick Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs… Daniel Bellinger suffered orbital bone fractures that required surgery. Bellinger will miss multiple games…

Trevor Lawrence had his first 300 yard passing game of the year… Over the last three games, Lawrence has just one passing score, but three rushing touchdowns… James Robinson went without a touch for the first time in his career. Robinson was traded to the New York Jets after the game, leaving Travis Etienne the unquestioned starter at running back… Robinson had claimed a 42.6 percent rush share to 35.8 for Etienne on the season. JaMycal Hasty has only five rush attempts on the season… Christian Kirk and Zay Jones both saw 10 targets and a rushing attempt… Evan Engram (TE13) is tied for eighth in the league in tight end targets and has not scored yet…

Packers 21 at Commanders 23

Aaron Rodgers has at least 34 pass attempts in all but one game this season… Rodgers has thrown for two touchdowns in five of seven games… Aaron Jones had just eight rush attempts but saw a season high 10 targets… It was the third game in Jones’s career with multiple receiving scores… AJ Dillon played just 16 snaps in the game and had just four carries… Leading receiver Allen Lazard suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out for Week 8… Samori Toure made his pro debut and caught his only target for four yards… Sammy Watkins returned from injury and caught two passes, including a 28 yard gain… Robert Tonyan was the only Packer tight end to catch a pass for the third time this season… Of tight ends with over 20 targets, only Will Dissly (95 percent) has a higher catch percentage than Tonyan (83.3)…

Taylor Heinicke received the start as Carson Wentz is scheduled to miss at least four games with injury… J.D. McKissic went without a catch for the second straight week… Brian Robinson led the Commanders in carries with 20, while Antonio Gibson saw 10 carries and four targets… Both Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel had five catches on eight targets… Jahan Dotson missed the game and is ruled out for Week 8 as well… Logan Thomas missed the game. Rookie Armani Rogers led the Washington tight ends in snaps and receiving…

Browns 20 at Ravens 23

Jacoby Brissett had his most efficient game as a Brown, but did not throw a touchdown… Nick Chubb (RB3) has the fewest receiving targets of any running back in the top 12 of fantasy scoring… Chubb leads the league in redzone carries and rushing touchdowns… Donovan Peoples-Jones was perfect on six targets and led the team in wide receiver targets for the third time this season… Tight end David Njoku (TE4) suffered an ankle sprain and could miss multiple weeks…

Lamar Jackson‘s 16 pass attempts (nine completions) were the fewest he’s attempted in his career for a full game… Jackson did not throw a touchdown for the first time this season… Gus Edwards scored twice in his return from injury… Rashod Bateman immediately led the team in receiving as he returned from injury for the first time since Week 4… Mark Andrews was catchless on two targets for the first time since Week 14 of 2018…

Falcons 17 at Bengals 35

Marcus Mariota was just 8 of 13 for 124 yards. He has just 27 pass attempts over the last two games… Tyler Allgeier attempted a career-high 16 rushes and scored his first career touchdown… Cordarrelle Patterson may be ready to return in Week 9… Drake London played 40 snaps but saw just one target… Olamide Zaccheaus led the Atlanta wideouts with three catches on four targets… Meanwhile, Kyle Pitts had just three catches on five targets…

Joe Burrow‘s 481 yards were the most in a game by any quarterback this season… Burrow has a rushing touchdown in three straight games. Prior to this season, he had five total in his career… Joe Mixon has a per-rush average of just 3.3 yards, lowest of any top-20 running back… Ja’Marr Chase (WR4) had his second consecutive 30+ point game… Chase suffered a hip injury that will cost him multiple games… Chase is tied for the lead among wide receivers with six touchdowns this season… Tyler Boyd saw nine targets (a season-high) and led all wide receivers for the week with 155 yards… Hayden Hurst celebrated National Tight End Day with season highs in receptions (six) and targets (eight)…

Lions 6 at Cowboys 24

Jared Goff completed over 80 percent of his passes in the game. However, he has thrown three interceptions and zero touchdowns in the past two weeks… D’Andre Swift missed his fourth straight game… Jamaal Williams led the backs in snaps and carries, but Craig Reynolds led in targets (three)… Amon-Ra St. Brown played, but caught just one pass before leaving the game with a concussion… Kalif Raymond operated as the lead wideout in St. Brown’s absence… T.J. Hockenson (TE5) has the lowest catch percentage of any tight end in the top-20 of fantasy scoring (59 percent)…

Dak Prescott played every offensive snap in his return from injury… While he scored two touchdowns for the first time this season, Ezekiel Elliott suffered a knee sprain that has him likely out for Week 8… Tony Pollard led Elliott in snaps, targets, and rushing yardage… CeeDee Lamb has not scored in three straight games, but is still second among wide receivers in target share… Peyton Hendershot scored his first career touchdown… Dalton Schultz has not scored on the season and is averaging a career-low 5.9 yards per target…

Colts 10 at Titans 19

Matt Ryan injured his shoulder, although he did not miss a snap… Sam Ehlinger was subsequently named the presumptive starter for the remainder of the season… Ryan is second in pass attempts after seven weeks… Jonathan Taylor returned from injury and had just 10 rush attempts. He did, however, tie a career-high with eight targets… Parris Campbell has now both scored and seen double-digit targets in consecutive games… Michael Pittman Jr. is the only wide receiver in the top-20 of fantasy scoring who hasn’t scored multiple touchdowns yet this year… Despite leading the Colts’ tight ends in snaps, Mo Alie-Cox did not see a target for the second consecutive game…

Ryan Tannehill injured his ankle and was in a walking boot post-game… Derrick Henry rushed for over 100 yards for the third straight week… Henry is on pace for over 48 targets and 36 receptions, both of which would shatter his previous career-highs… Henry owns the second-highest rush share in the league… Robert Woods led the team with just four targets… Austin Hooper had his best game as a Titan, catching all three of his targets for 56 yards…

Buccaneers 3 at Panthers 21

Although he attempted 49 passes, Tom Brady failed to throw a touchdown for the first time this season… While Leonard Fournette continues to dominate snaps in the backfield, Rachaad White has closed the gap considerably. White played 43.3 percent of snaps in Week 7, to 59.7 for Fournette, their closest totals of the season… Correspondingly, White led Fournette in snap-to-rush ratio for the second time this season… Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both saw season highs in targets… While Cameron Brate missed the game due to injury, Cade Otton had the best fantasy score of his career. Otton set a new high with 64 yards…

P.J. Walker had the highest single-game passer rating of his career (126.52)… Despite not technically “starting”, D’Onta Foreman narrowly led Chuba Hubbard in snaps… Foreman also led the team with 118 yards rushing… Hubbard injured his ankle and is out for Week 8… D.J. Moore had his best fantasy game of the season, with a season high 69 yards on seven catches… Terrace Marshall Jr. operated as the number two wide receiver… Tommy Tremble had the first touchdown by a Panther tight end this season…

Week 7 Blitz Pickup: Sunday Late Games

He’s still far above the rest as TE1.

Chiefs 44 at 49ers 23

Patrick Mahomes leads the league in passing touchdowns, passer rating, and yards… Jerick McKinnon led the running backs in snaps, but once again the backfield was a full-blown committee… Mecole Hardman scored two rushing touchdowns and caught another after having only two scores all last year… JuJu Smith-Schuster had his second consecutive 100 yard receiving game with a score… After not catching a pass in Week 6, Marquez Valdes-Scantling had his first 100 yard receiving game of the year… The team traded for Kadarius Toney during the week… Travis Kelce has the second-highest target share among tight ends and continues to lead the league in most receiving categories among tight ends…

Jimmy Garoppolo has thrown two touchdowns in three straight games and had his first 300 yard game of the season… In his debut with the team, Christian McCaffrey led the team in rush attempts… Brandon Aiyuk led the wideouts in receiving and has seen 11 targets in back-to-back contests… Deebo Samuel is out for Week 8 with an injured hamstring… George Kittle had his first touchdown of the year and finished as overall TE1 for Week 7…

Jets 16 at Broncos 9

Zach Wilson has thrown only one touchdown on the season, in his first game… Breece Hall was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury in the first half… Michael Carter attempted a season-high 13 rushes… Garrett Wilson saw 33 targets in Weeks 1-3. He has seen just 19 and has not scored since Wilson returned in Week 4… Corey Davis suffered a knee injury and is out for Week 8… Elijah Moore did not play after requesting a trade mid-week… Tyler Conklin has not scored since Week 1… Conklin saw 24 targets in Weeks 1-3, and has seen just 14 since Wilson returned…

Russell Wilson missed the game with a hamstring injury… Mike Boone was lost to an ankle injury and will miss several games on IR… In spite of the fact that Melvin Gordon led the backs in snaps played, rush attempts, and targets, Latavius Murray received both of the backfield redzone carries and scored a touchdown… Courtland Sutton caught just three passes in the game and has scored only 8.7 total fantasy points the last two weeks… Greg Dulcich saw nine targets and led the team in tight end snaps…

Texans 20 at Raiders 38

Davis Mills had his best fantasy scoring game of the season, but is just QB24 on the season… Mills is 35th among quarterbacks in rush attempts, with just six thus far… Dameon Pierce is fifth in rushing yards in the league after Week 7… Rex Burkhead has just eight carries since leading the team with 14 rush attempts in Week 1… Brandin Cooks has not seen double-digit targets since Week 2… Brevin Jordan saw four targets and led the team in tight end snaps in the game, but failed to catch a pass…

Derek Carr has thrown just one interception since throwing three in Week 1. He has had two straight games with a passer rating over 100… Josh Jacobs leads all running backs in rush share… Jacobs is fourth in the league in redzone rushing attempts… Davante Adams is second among all wide receivers in redzone targets… Adams has the lowest catch percentage of any receiver in the top-12 fantasy scorers… Darren Waller missed the game with injury and is questionable for Week 8…

Seahawks 37 at Chargers 23

Geno Smith has thrown multiple touchdowns in all but two games this season… Smith leads the league in completion percentage… Kenneth Walker had 167 yards rushing, the second-highest total for a player in any game this season… D.K. Metcalf left the game early with a knee injury… Marquise Goodwin had his first multi-touchdown game since 2018 in Metcalf’s absence… Will Dissly has caught 19 of 20 targets this season…

Justin Herbert is second in the league in pass attempts and completions… Austin Ekeler (RB1) leads all running backs in targets, receptions, and receiving yardage… Mike Williams injured an ankle and is expected to miss multiple games… Keenan Allen returned to action but played only 23 first-half snaps. He did not play after halftime… Gerald Everett is fifth among tight ends in targets and fourth in redzone targets…

Week 7 Blitz Pickup: Sunday Night

Appropriate for the Steelers’ leading receiver to have been their tight end.

Steelers 10 at Dolphins 16

Kenny Pickett has thrown seven interceptions against just two touchdowns since taking over as the starting quarterback… Najee Harris is averaging only 3.3 yards per carry. Harris is tenth in rushing attempts… George Pickens scored his first career touchdown… Diontae Johnson is fourth in the league in targets, but has yet to score a touchdown… After missing a game with a concussion, Pat Freiermuth caught eight of nine targets and had his best fantasy score of the season…

After missing over two games with concussion complications, Tua Tagovailoa returned and attempted 35 passes, his second most of the season… Raheem Mostert led the Dolphins’ backfield in snaps and dominated opportunities 21-9 over Chase EdmondsTyreek Hill (WR3) leads all wide receivers in targets and receiving yards… Jaylen Waddle (WR8) is fourth in yardage among wideouts… Despite leading Miami tight ends in snaps and targets, Mike Gesicki scored just 5.7 fantasy points. Through seven weeks, he has five games under 6.0 fantasy points…

Week 7 Blitz Pickup: Monday Night

The Bears were having none of the New England tight ends Monday night.

Bears 33 at Patriots 14

After not having more than eight rushing attempts in a game for five straight weeks, Justin Fields has 26 rush attempts over the past two games… Fields is second in quarterback rushing yardage and third in attempts… Fields has been sacked a league-worst 27 times. Consequently, he leads the league with 11 fumbles as well… Khalil Herbert led the Bears’ running backs in yards and targets. However, he saw none of the Bears’ seven backfield redzone opportunities… After seeing a season-high 12 targets in Week 6, Darnell Mooney saw just six in Week 7… Thus far on the year, Cole Kmet has yet to score more than 8.5 fantasy points in a game…

Mac Jones started but played just 18 snaps before yielding to Bailey Zappe for the remainder of the game… Jones was just three of six for 13 yards and an interception. Zappe was 14 of 22 for 185 yards, with a score and two picks… Even though Damien Harris returned from injury, Rhamondre Stevenson continued to dominate the snaps and opportunities in the backfield… Despite being third in snaps, Tyquan Thornton led the Patriots’ receivers in targets… Although touted as one of the top tight end duos in the league, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith have just one double-digit fantasy score between them this season…

Challenge Chase!

Ever wonder how you stack up against the experts? Now’s your chance to find out! You can utilize what you learned in the Week 7 Blitz Pickup, and use teams you’ve already drafted to take me on for weekly bragging rights with Flex Fantasy. Visit https://www.flex.fan/bellyup to sign up and challenge me, as I’ll be using lineups from my own home leagues. You can play for fun, play for money, or play for both! Look for SttChaseFFB’s teams in the Flex Fantasy Arena and sign up today. I promise I won’t rub it in (much) when I win. Got something to say? Leave a comment below, follow me on Twitter @SttChaseFFB, and catch me on the Belly Up Fantasy Live podcast Sundays and Wednesdays all season long. Slàinte!