Is it just me, or is it hard to believe that week seven of the NFL season is upon us? Without question, it has been a crazy ride to this point. If there is one thing we can be sure of, it is that it will only get wilder the deeper into the season we get. Fantasy football rosters are hard hit throughout the land and many need life support. We at Belly Up Sports are here to provide the CPR necessary to get those rosters back to health. Come along as we take a look at this week seven fantasy football top pickups edition. FYI, all ownership rates are taken from the ESPN fantasy site.

Running Backs

Alex Collins, Seattle Seahawks, 46.6% Owned

It’s not often that a player replaces an injured teammate and outperforms him. That is exactly the case, though, with Alex Collins. Chris Carson was placed on injured reserve with inflammation in his neck, raising Collins to number one on the depth chart. Though the Seahawks lost to the Steelers on Sunday night, the blame certainly can’t be placed at Collins’ feet.

All Collins did in his first start of the season was rush 20 times for 101 yards and a touchdown. Of the 26 Seattle rushing plays, Collins received 20 of them. He is clearly in the driver’s seat until Carson returns, which won’t be for at least two more games. Collins is right at the door of 50 percent ownership and that rate is sure to soar this week. Because of that, Collins goes to the head of this week seven fantasy football top pick ups edition. Pick him up if at all possible.

Update:

Collins himself is questionable going into week seven, so proceed with caution.

Devonta Freeman, Baltimore Ravens, 2.4% Owned

Recommending a Ravens running back truly seems like risky business these days. The team has had so many injuries to the position. However, they are still running the football and this week, Devonta Freeman goes to the head of the list. Against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Freeman lead Baltimore with 53 yards on just nine carries. Surprisingly, Freeman had more rushing yards than star QB Lamar Jackson.

Baltimore’s next opponent, Cincinnati, is a top five defense overall, but gives up 90 .5 yards rushing per game. Clearly, the Bengals’ defense will key on stopping Jackson, which will give Freeman a great opportunity to top his production this past Sunday. Additionally, fellow RB Latavius Murray was forced to leave the game due to an ankle injury. If he misses this week’s game or is hobbled, Freeman is set to make the manager that claims him very happy.

Other Running Back to Consider:

While Kenyan Drake (just over 50% owned) scored two TDs Sunday, he wasn’t as involved in the Raiders’ offense as much as any manager would like. Still, with Jon Gruden out as coach, it is an unknown how Drake or anyone else will fit in going forward. If available, he could be worth a pickup.

Wide Receivers

A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals, 33.4% Owned

As evidenced by their unbeaten record and beatdown of the Browns on Sunday, Arizona is the best team in pro football at the moment. One of the biggest reasons for this is that A.J. Green has found his stride with the Cardinals after so many injuries in Cincinnati. For the third time in the last four games, Green came up big as the offense is humming at full speed.

Against Cleveland Sunday, Green caught five of his six targets for 79 yards and a touchdown. Green finished with 18 fantasy points for the third time in his last four starts. Additionally, he has been targeted six times in five of his six games played. There aren’t many wide receivers that can say all of that and certainly none currently on the wire. For that reason, Green headlines the receivers on this week seven football football top pickups list.

Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals, 25.1% Owned

If Green is off the market, a look toward his Cardinal teammate, Christian Kirk, would be profitable. Like Green, Kirk scored a touchdown Sunday against the Browns and scored 18 fantasy points. Kirk was targeted eight times, resulting in five catches for 75 yards. That comes out to an outstanding 15 yards per reception average.

To be sure, Kirk has been up and down this season. He has scored 18 or more fantasy points three times this season. Kirk has also scored nine or fewer three times, including a one point dud against the Rams in week four. However, a lack of production for the entire Cardinals team should not be an issue this week with the sorry Houston Texans on deck. If Green is indeed off the board, Kirk is certainly a great fall back. Pick him up with confidence this week.

Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos, 40% Owned

To be clear, the bloom is off the rose with the Broncos’ offense the past few weeks. After a terrific start, the team is in the dumpster after losing their last three games. Even so, Tim Patrick is worth a look if wide receiver is a troubled position on a fantasy team. Against the Raiders Sunday, Patrick was targeted six times, resulting in 42 yards and a touchdown.

For the season, Patrick has 25 catches in 34 targets for 344 yards and three touchdowns. Ten of those catches and 15 of the targets have happened in the last two games. Nest up is the Browns in Cleveland. Arizona did whatever they wanted through the air against them. No question, the Broncos are not the Cardinals, but they have shown they can throw the ball. Patrick should be heavily involved in the game plan and is certainly worth a pickup for this week and going forward.

Other Wide Receivers to Consider:

Darnell Mooney is quickly approaching the 50 percent ownership range and may not be widely available. If so, however, he is worth a pickup as he and rookie Justin Fields are building a nice connection between them. Fields targeted Mooney eight times Sunday and the two were responsible for a touchdown. Mooney is definitely worth a look.

Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns, 1.2% owned, is a player that the team counts on heavily this week. There are a ton of injuries on offense in Cleveland and the Browns may be throwing the ball a lot. Peoples-Jones scored two TDs against Arizona and is widely available. He is worth a pick up and stash if nothing else this week.

Tight Ends

Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team, 20% Owned

As in past seasons, there are few tight ends currently on the waiver wire worth any scrutiny. Fortunately, Ricky Seals-Jones is one of them. Seals-Jones had his by far the most productive game of the season Sunday against the Chiefs. He was targeted six times, resulting in four catches for 58 yards, including a 39 yard touchdown.

In the past two games, Seals-Jones has nine catches in 15 targets for 99 yards. Starter Logan Thomas has been out with a hamstring injury and as long as he isn’t in the lineup, Seals-Jones is a worthy fantasy pickup. His 20 percent ownership rate is sure to go up this week. If tight end is a concern, (and who doesn’t have that problem), get to the wire and claim Seals-Jones before he vanishes.

Other Tight End to Consider:

The position has become a waste land, almost overnight, and there are no other tight ends that can be recommended at the moment.

Quarterbacks

Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders, 47% Owned

Without doubt, Derek Carr is a player that fantasy managers didn’t know what to make of going into week six. He was coming off by far his worst game of the season against Chicago and his head coach was exiled to another continent. It certainly seems like there is little to worry about when it comes to Carr, as he bounced back big against Denver. In fact, Carr had a game similar to the first three he enjoyed when the season began.

Carr completed 18 of 27 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos. The yards were the most he has had since week four against Miami. The TDs matched what Carr had thrown in each of his first four games. Best of all, Carr didn’t turn the ball over for the first time in four games. To finish it off, Carr exploded for 38 fantasy points. Carr was cut loose by quite a few managers, but he won’t be available for long. With Philadelphia up next, Carr leads the way for quarterbacks on this week seven fantasy football top pickups edition.

Mac Jones, New England Patriots, 12.4% Owned

Last week, Mac Jones was featured Week at the top of the quarterbacks list and he makes a repeat appearance this time around as well. Jones would most likely have been featured first again this week if it weren’t for the two turnovers he had against the Cowboys. Even so, Jones is maturing right before our eyes and there is little chance his ownership rate will stay this low for long.

Against Dallas, Jones completed 15 of 21 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. The end of the game was a delight for football fans as Jones went toe to toe with Dak Prescott as Dallas won a thriller in overtime, 35-29. Going against the Jets for the second time this season, Jones should be able to deliver an excellent fantasy game this week. Jones’ availability won’ stay this low for long and with bye weeks coming strong, making the move now to pick him up just makes sense.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins, 25.3% Owned

Speaking of quarterbacks that have fallen off the face of the Earth, none have disappeared as completely as Tua Tagovailoa. Making his first appearance in three weeks, Tagovailoa showed up huge for the Dolphins in their game against Jacksonville in London. The fact the Miami lost to the Jaguars certainly can’t be laid at the feet of Tagovailoa. Simply stated, he had his best game as a professional Sunday.

Tagovailoa threw the ball a ton, as evidenced by his 47 pass attempts. He completed 33 of them for 329 yards and two TDs. Additionally, he had three carries for another 22 yards. For his efforts, Tagovailoa rewarded any manager that started him with 44.5 awesome fantasy points. Best of all, with a game against Atlanta up next, Tagovailoa can be expected to thrive once again in week seven. Any team with a quarterback issue should run, not walk, to the nearest waiver store and pick him up.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this week seven fantasy football top pickups edition! As always, I welcome input and suggestions from all of my readers. Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for all the latest NFL and sports news!

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