The fantasy football Week 7 schedule is coming and names like Brandon LaFell, Isaiah Crowell, Bernard Pierce, Jerick McKinnon, Storm Johnson, Austin Davis, Rueben Randle, Odell Beckham, Brandon Bolden, Darren McFadden and Andre Holmes are smart pickups as sleepers heading into next weekend, as those players have the chance to step up with injuries or good matchups coming for their teams.
Brandon LaFell and Brandon Bolden with the Patriots are two of the best pickup options, as LaFell has become a top target for Tom Brady and Stevan Ridley is injured. Ridley will be out for the season and now James White, Brandon Bolden and Shane Vereen will be getting the carries for the Pats. Injuries also make Andre Williams, Odell Beckham and Rueben Randle strong pickups, as the Giants are without Rashad Jennings and they now have lost Victor Cruz for the season.
Austin Davis had another solid game for the Rams and while his numbers were not like the past couple weeks, he has the chance to be a capable starter for fantasy owners in need. Isaiah Crowell has taken a back seat since Ben Tate come back, but he still has continued to find his way into the end zone and that makes him a solid fantasy pickup moving forward. Crowell is the better option over Terrance West because of the TDs, while Bernard Pierce appears to be back in shape after getting off to a slow start this season.
McKinnon has emerged as the best option behind Adrian Peterson with him out for the Vikings, as Matt Asiata has taken a backseat to him in recent games. McKinnon had his first 100 yard game a couple weeks ago and this week he showed off some more skills with over 80 total yards and head coach Mike Zimmer said he could be the starter moving forward. McKinnon had 40 rushing yards in the game against the Lions and that was his first start of the season. Asiata did not get a touch in the first quarter and that could be good news moving forward for McKinnon owners.
Darren McFadden and Andre Holmes with the Raiders are also solid options to look at, as Derek Carr is healed up and looking like he can direct a strong offense moving forward. The Raiders are bad, but they played tight with the Chargers and McFadden looked like McFadden circa 2010, putting up 80 yards on the goring and averaging nearly six yards per carry to go along with two catches. Holmes had a breakout game and ended up with two touchdown catches from Carr.
Beckham has the chance to be a major threat moving forward, as Cruz is now out and he could be elevated to one of the starting positions. Beckham scored a TD in his first game and while he had caught just two passes for 28 yards against the Eagles, he is in position to shine. The team also wants to use him in special teams plays and Larry Donnell also could get a boost with Cruz out of the lineup. Eddie Royal is dealing with an injury, but it's not serious and this dude just keeps getting into the end zone. Royal can be very valuable with how much the Chargers throw.
