Fantasy Football Week 7 BS Meter

Assessing your fantasy team after the first month of the season gives you a decent sample size to determine where players stand and how values have changed from the day you drafted them to present day. However, those assessments must continue throughout the season.

Marshawn Lynch provided fantasy owners with an unexpected boost by playing the first four games as a top-10 running back. While pleasantly surprising, it didn't mean Lynch was on his way to carrying teams to fantasy championships. If you understood that, his performances in the last two games weren't overly disappointing. 

Tarik Cohen and David Njoku looked like two candidates primed for breakout seasons. Unfortunately, slow starts over the first three weeks made a lot of fantasy players question if that would happen, so rosters and lineups were adjusted accordingly, even if that meant cutting either player loose. The last three weeks have seen big outings for both players, as their roles are starting to become clearer and more important.

The B.S. Meter breaks down the 10 most pressing issues in fantasy football heading into Week 7. The statements will be rated from 1 to 10 with 1 being completely true and 10 being total B.S.

Note: All fantasy stats used to calculate finishes are from FantasyPros. All advanced stats are calculated using data from Pro Football Reference. All stats are based on a points-per-reception (PPR) format.

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The Dallas Cowboys had one of the most impressive wins of Week 6 with a 40-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. For the first time this season, there were no glaring negatives about the team's performance, which meant a rare week with no criticism for Dak Prescott. It also meant Ezekiel Elliott wasn't the only Cowboy who performed at a high level. 

Prescott completed 17 of 27 passes for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which was a pretty good effort considering the Jaguars have one of the better defenses in the league. Prescott also had a career-high 82 rushing yards and an additional score on the ground to finish with 29.5 fantasy points and his only top-15 performance of the season (No. 2 among Week 6 quarterbacks).

The fantasy production was a throwback to Prescott's rookie season but not indicative of what Prescott has done this season. His previous high was 18.4 fantasy points in Week 4, which was the only other time he had two passing touchdowns.

The other surprising performance came from Cole Beasley. He turned a team-high 11 targets into nine receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns to wind up with 22.1 fantasy points. In five previous games, Beasley didn't make any trips to the end zone and had just one other game with double-digit fantasy points. That was Week 1, when he had seven receptions for 73 yards on eight targets to finish with 14.3 fantasy points, which made him a top-30 wide receiver.

Meanwhile, Elliott racked up his third 100-yard rushing effort of the season with 24 carries for 106 yards and a score in addition to just one reception for 11 yards on his only target. With 17.7 fantasy points, Elliott was probably a disappointment to his fantasy owners, considering he entered Week 6 as the No. 6 fantasy running back with an average of 20.3 fantasy points.

The point is that a down week for Elliott was still just another strong effort that has made him the most reliable and only good fantasy option in Dallas. While the performances of Prescott and Beasley were encouraging signs for a team begging for reliable production outside of Elliott, both players need to keep that production up for more than just week to get back on the fantasy radar.

B.S. Meter on Elliott still being the only Cowboy to trust: 1/10

A massive performance in Week 4 put Tarik Cohen back on the fantasy radar. As the Week 6 Big Board detailed, Cohen's chances of following that up with another strong effort looked promising thanks to an attractive matchup with the Miami Dolphins. 

He ended up doing just that with seven receptions for 90 yards on nine targets and five carries for 31 yards and a rushing touchdown and a lost fumble. With 25.1 fantasy points, he was the No. 6 running back for Week 6, which was his second top-10 performance in his last two games. 

Cohen opened the season with just 20.4 fantasy points in the first three games, making him the No. 44 fantasy running back through three weeks. During that time, he had 14 carries for 86 yards and seven catches for 48 yards on eight targets without any touchdowns. The rushing numbers weren't surprising, but such a small role as a receiver was odd considering Jordan Howard had 10 receptions for 78 yards on 11 targets over the same span. 

The Week 4 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started to turn things around for Cohen. He turned eight targets into seven receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown plus another 53 rushing yards on 13 carries. Over the last two games, he has 55.5 fantasy points and leads the team with 17 targets and 14 receptions.

The rise of Cohen has hurt the value of Howard. Howard's unexpected role in the passing attack has disappeared in the last two games with no catches on just two targets. He followed up 11 carries for 25 yards in Week 4 with 14 carries for 69 yards in Week 6, including a lost fumble at the goal line. Howard hasn't rushed for more than 82 yards in any game and has just one score, so frustration with him is understandable since he has just 51 fantasy points on the year.

Howard should continue to lead the way on the ground with a minimal role as a receiver, while Cohen will play a minor role as a runner and a pretty active role through the air. There's enough room for both players to have fantasy value, but Cohen has more upside in this ascending offense. 

B.S. Meter on Cohen having ascended to must-start status: 2/10

The move to Baker Mayfield was the right one for the Cleveland Browns because it raised the ceiling for the potential of the offense. Even though the Browns are 1-2 in Mayfield's starts, he's providing a boost to the passing attack, specifically David Njoku.

Njoku was pegged as a breakout star entering his second season, partially because of his physical skills, partially because of the presence of Mayfield and partially because the tight end position was light on reliable fantasy options and it wouldn't take a huge season to get him into the starter conversation. 

In the first two games, Njoku struggled to make an impact. Even though he had 14 targets, those yielded just seven receptions for 33 yards and no touchdowns. In the Week 3, Njoku had no targets when Mayfield entered the game for an injured Tyrod Taylor. It wasn't much, but Njoku caught both of his targets from Mayfield for 36 yards. It was an early sign of things to come for the Mayfield-Njoku pair. 

In Week 4, Njoku caught five of seven targets for 52 yards in a loss to the Oakland Raiders. He followed that up with six receptions for 69 yards on 11 targets in a Week 5 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Week 6 was his busiest game to date, with Njoku posting 55 yards and seven receptions on 12 targets, which was good enough for 18.5 fantasy points and the No. 2 spot among tight ends. 

In the last three games, Njoku leads the Browns in targets (30), receptions (18) and receiving yards (176) while averaging 13.9 fantasy points per game. That makes him a top-10 tight end over that span and a top-10 tight end for the season. The schedule only gets better for Njoku and the Browns in the coming weeks, so expectations should remain high. He might not be a consistent top-five option, but he's busy enough to be a weekly starter with a high ceiling.

B.S. Meter on Njoku being a weekly starter: 3/10

If you haven't noticed, the Oakland Raiders are at the bottom of the AFC standings with a 1-5 record. In five losses, they've scored an average of 13 points after suffering a 27-3 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6. They've been outscored 53-13 in the last two games, and, as a result, Marshawn Lynch's role has suffered. 

Through the first four weeks, Lynch was a busy man. He racked up 68 carries for 300 yards and three touchdowns in addition to 10 receptions for 60 yards on 13 targets. That made him the No. 8 running back, with 16 fantasy points per game. Considering he was likely drafted to be a low-end RB2/high-end RB3, Lynch's opening month was a pleasant surprise. 

Regression arrived in a big way over the last two weeks. With the Raiders getting trounced by the Los Angeles Chargers and Seahawks, Lynch ended up with just 22 carries for 76 yards and five receptions for 24 yards on seven targets without any trips to the end zone. That gives him just 15 total fantasy points in the last two weeks, which means he's gone from RB1 to useless.

Apparently, the Raiders see the writing on the wall. Before he suffered a concussion in Week 6, Amari Cooper's name was mentioned as a potential trade candidate, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports. Optimism for this team has disappeared, and if it isn't competitive, Lynch may not get a heavy workload. As the hurry-up back, Jalen Richard is second on the team in both targets (37) and receptions (31), which is an indication of how ugly things are just six weeks into the season. 

Lynch might settle into more of an RB3/flex role, which isn't bad, but his fantasy value peaked weeks ago.

B.S. Meter on Lynch's fantasy value fading fast: 4/10

With Ryan Tannehill sidelined by a shoulder injury, the Miami Dolphins turned to Brock Osweiler to avoid a three-game losing streak after opening the season with three straight wins.

Osweiler was tasked with beating the visiting Chicago Bears, and he pulled off a surprising, overtime victory. He wound up throwing for 380 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions on 28-of-44 passing. Albert Wilson was his top target, with six receptions for 155 yards and two scores on nine targets. Danny Amendola turned 11 targets into eight receptions for 59 yards. Frank Gore had his best effort of the season with 101 yards on 15 carries and a reception for 18 yards.

The win brought the Dolphins to 4-2, but for the most part, it's a team without a consistent fantasy producer. Wilson's big day marked only the second time he posted 50 yards this season and his second game with at least five receptions. Before Week 6, Amendola didn't have any games with five receptions or 50 yards, and he still hasn't scored. Gore is clearly leading the way on the ground, but the 12.9 fantasy points he had against the Bears was a season high.

Drake is the only player of note with some fantasy value, and even that has been hard to come by on a weekly basis. He's topped 50 rushing yards just twice and never had more than 57 yards on the ground, which came in Week 6. Other than seven receptions for 69 yards on 11 targets in Week 5, Drake doesn't have any games with at least five receptions or more than 21 receiving yards. With 11.3 fantasy points per game, Drake is a solid RB3/flex, but it's hard to expect much more. 

If you call Drake reliable in that tier, he's a somewhat reliable fantasy option, but other than him, Miami is better in reality than fantasy.

B.S. Meter on the Dolphins having no reliable fantasy options: 5/10

Other than hiring head coach Matt Nagy, signing Allen Robinson was the biggest splash the Chicago Bears made in the offseason. He wasn't the only important signing, but he got the most attention. Meanwhile, Taylor Gabriel has quietly turned into Chicago's most productive receiver over the first five games of 2018. 

Robinson isn't having a bad season, but he's not dominating. Through five games, he has 24 receptions for 281 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 38 targets. He scored 17.4 fantasy points in Week 6 thanks to five receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown on six targets. Through five games, he's averaging 12.8 fantasy points, which makes him a WR3 for fantasy purposes.

Meanwhile, Gabriel leads the team in receptions (27) and receiving yards (303) and trails Robinson in targets (38-34) with both players each scoring twice. However, Gabriel has 100-plus yards in each of his last two games and four games with at least five receptions. Robinson hasn't topped 83 yards in any game and has just two weeks with at least five receptions. Gabriel has a 14.6 fantasy-points-per-game average through six weeks.

With Tarik Cohen's role increasing and Gabriel already outperforming Robinson, he has legitimate competition for targets. He's still a viable fantasy option, but with lots of mouths to feed in Chicago, Robinson isn't the clear top target he was projected to be when he signed with the Bears. 

B.S. Meter on Robinson being the top target in Chicago: 6/10

It's never fun to cringe when watching your fantasy quarterback, yet there's been a lot of that for Deshaun Watson owners over the first six weeks of the season.

The Houston Texans needed all the help they could get to get an ugly 20-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Watson had his worst game of the season with just 7.3 fantasy points after going 15-of-25 for 177 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and just two rushing yards. Watson was sacked seven times, which was the most alarming stat. Week 1 saw Watson throw for just 176 yards on 17-of-34 passing with one score, one interception and three sacks, although he did have 40 yards rushing in that loss to the New England Patriots.

Week 6 was the second time in three games that Watson was sacked seven times. For the season, he's been nailed 25 times, leading all QBs. Other than taking just one sack in Week 5, Watson has been taken down at least three times in every game.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, head coach Bill O'Brien addressed the issue by saying, "If you look at the line, there were times where they certainly could (have done) a better job, but sometimes, the ball has to come out quicker. The route needs to be run better. We've got to take care of the ball."

But there's a lot to like about his Watson's season so far. Although he was listed on the injury report with a chest injury, he played through it and it doesn't seem like a major problem. His worst two games are bookending four straight contests with at least 310 yards passing. And coming into Week 6, he had three games in a row with at least 375 passing yards. Watson has at least 36 rushing yards in five games and four games with a minimum of 40 rushing yards.

His 9:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio isn't ideal, so that's another stat that needs to improve. 

Through six games, he has a 19.7 fantasy-points-per-game average, so he's on the low end of fantasy starters. That doesn't mean you should be having serious thoughts about benching Watson. He doesn't have a good matchup in Jacksonville this weekend, but the Jaguars just gave up 40 points to an average Cowboys offense. There's some concern for Watson, but we're far from panic mode. 

B.S. Meter on it being time to panic about Watson: 7/10

Watching Eli Manning play this season hasn't been easy for New York Giants fans or fantasy owners with Odell Beckham in the starting lineup. If you base opinions strictly off the eye test, Manning is killing Beckham's fantasy value. Luckily, fantasy points don't need the proper context to count. A one-win team can produce multiple top fantasy producers, and we're still getting that from the Giants.

Beckham's Week 6 fantasy output is the basis for concern. He caught just six of 10 targets for 44 yards, which was his worst out since a four-catch, 51-yard performance in Week 2. Luckily, when Beckham has been on, he's been great. Three of his six games have resulted in 100-yard efforts. He has at least seven receptions in four games, including three games with at least eight receptions. That's because he has 69 targets on the season, so the volume is there, even though the quality can be lacking at times.

To put Beckham's season in perspective, he's fourth among wide receivers in receptions (45), eighth in yards (506) and tied for third in targets (69). One touchdown is a bummer, but it's hard to be too concerned about anything else. 

At 19.3 fantasy points per game, Beckham may not be in the WR1 tier, but he's also not having anywhere near a bad season, and his best games are still yielding excellent fantasy production. Sure, the direction of the Giants offense isn't ideal, and if Manning were playing at a higher level, it would make owning Beckham a bit easier. But if you have Beckham, he's still a great asset. 

B.S. Meter on concern for Beckham being justified: 8/10

After not playing in Week 5 because of a chest injury, Lamar Miller resumed his disappointing fantasy season in Week 6. He carried 15 times for 46 yards and caught two of his three targets for 25 yards. That gave him 9.1 fantasy points, which made him the No. 30 running back for the week. 

A week prior, Alfred Blue led Houston's backfield with 20 carries for 46 yards and eight receptions for 73 yards on eight targets. His 19.9 fantasy points were good enough for the No. 13 fantasy running back spot in Week 5. That was also the best fantasy performance by a Texans running back this season. With Miller back out in front this past weekend, Blue was limited to 26 yards on seven carries and two receptions for 17 yards on three targets. Miller and Blue have two touchdowns between them for the season, so you can add a lack of scoring to the list of disappointing stats out of this backfield. 

Miller is the top scoring back for Houston with 39.9 fantasy points on the year. That makes him nothing more than a shaky flex option. His bad season has fantasy owners looking to D'Onta Foreman to come back and take over this backfield. However, Foreman is working his way back from the torn Achilles he suffered last season and remains on the PUP list.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, head coach Bill O'Brien was asked about the team activating Foreman for Week 7 and said, "I would probably say no." 

Foreman's injury isn't an easy one to come back from, so to assume he can take over this backfield and carry the type of workload it would require to improve on Miller's fantasy production seems way too optimistic. This will likely be an ugly split with reliable fantasy production remaining hard to come by for the rest of the season. 

B.S. Meter on the Texans producing a reliable RB2: 9/10

When Tyler Boyd got off to a nice start, he seemed like a reliable secondary option for Andy Dalton behind A.J. Green. With six weeks in the books, that description would be underselling just how good Boyd has been. 

The matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers didn't provide all of the fantasy fireworks we were hoping for, but Boyd was responsible for two of the touchdowns in the 49-point outing between the two teams. He caught seven of his nine targets for 62 yards and the two scores to finish with 18.2 fantasy points as the No. 9 wide receiver for the week.

It was encouraging to see Boyd bounce back with a huge game after posting just four receptions for 44 yards on seven targets in Week 5. For the season, Boyd leads the Bengals with 37 receptions and isn't far behind Green in targets (55-52), yards (494-455) and touchdowns (5-4). Green is still the top option in this offense, but Boyd has proven to be much more than just a complementary receiver. 

After six weeks, both Boyd and Green are top-20 fantasy wide receivers, so that makes them both strong, must-start options. If you're wondering if Boyd can remain inside the top 20, take a look at the volume in the passing game. Dalton is averaging more than 38 attempts per game, and that's out of necessity. The Bengals defense is giving up the fourth-most yards per game. With such a bad defense, the Bengals need to keep throwing, which means Boyd will continue to get plenty of chances. Believe in Boyd.

B.S. Meter on Boyd struggling to remain a top-20 wide receiver: 10/10