Top Fantasy Football Stories for Week 7: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams Reunited, Amari Cooper Traded, Nick Chubb's Return and More
These are all the top stories and biggest headlines you need to watch for this weekend.
Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are back together again
It feels like each week, the New York Jets lose a game and then desperately make a drastic change or major mood right after. Last week, they fired their head coach, and this week, they traded for Rodgers' old partner in crime from their incredible run in Green Bay.
However, this feels a lot more like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on the Brooklyn Nets than a game-changer that propels the Jets to the playoffs. Rodgers is now over 40 and visibly declining and Adams will be 32 years old in December. The impact this trade has on fantasy football may be far greater than the impact it has on the actual NFL standings.
You can make a strong case that this trade is bad for fantasy owners pretty much across the board. While Adams does upgrade from a bad quarterback to an average quarterback, his volume is inevitably going to take a hit. At his age, the volume is extremely important as his explosion and big-play ability fade.
The same can be said for Garrett Wilson, who has been playing great lately. He goes from the clear-cut WR1 to an undefined role that will likely see Adams lead the team in targets sooner rather than later. Allen Lazard goes from a sneaky good play to impossible to start, and Mike Williams has been banished to the nether realm.
Breece Hall could feel this one too. He had already been underperforming for fantasy owners because the offensive line still can't block and rookie Braelon Allen has been commanding more touches than expected with his impressive play. If there are now fewer passes for Hall to boost his PPR value, he may finish far below the top three overall running back you drafted him to be this summer.
Amari Cooper makes his debut with the Bills
While the Adams trade has drawn the press, the Buffalo Bills acquiring Cooper will have a much larger impact in real life and a much more positive impact on fantasy owners. Josh Allen and Cooper are both huge upgrades for each other.
Cooper may not be prime Stefon Diggs, but he's infinitely better than any other receiver they currently have on their roster at this point in their careers. Allen also gets a much-needed top target so he can start to have those huge games and make those big plays with his arm again. If you are a Bills fan or you own either Allen or Cooper in your fantasy league, you should be ecstatic right now.
Nick Chubb returns to action
With each passing report, it sounds more and more like Chubb is ready to get back on the field in Week 7. His ECR has climbed all the way up inside of the top 30 running backs. The excitement is only being amplified by the injury to Jerome Ford, who has been the clear top back in Cleveland since Chubb's injury.
A lot of fantasy owners are ready to get him into their lineup immediately. Well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news. If you even consider starting Chubb this week, you are out of your mind, unless it is a severely desperate situation.
There is a real possibility he never gets back to form in 2024 or possibly ever. To throw him in right away coming off that horrific injury would take a lot more guts than brains.
Russell Wilson is taking over in Pittsburgh
Despite Justin Fields getting the Pittsburgh Steelers off to a 4-2 start to the season and continuously flashing upside and potential to pair with his dynamic playmaking capabilities, the team is turning the starting job over to a finally healthy Wilson. That's not to say that Fields isn't without his flaws, some of them are quite significant, but there is at least a glimmer of hope that he could develop into their long-term quarterback of the future. Wilson is washed and may not be their quarterback of next week if plays like he's been playing for years now.
The argument for starting Wilson is of course that he gives the team the best chance of winning this upcoming game. My question is, why? What has he done at any point since the word Covid entered our vocabulary that would make anyone think that?
He has been bad for years now and it's time that everyone stops hoping he reverts back to his glory days in Seattle. Even if Wilson gives them the best shot to win this week, and that's a big if, he certainly does not give them their best shot at a deep playoff run.
If Mike Tomlin is content sneaking into the playoffs and getting bumped out in the first round yet again, then by all means. Nevertheless, developing Fields and letting him grow gives them their best shot at getting into the playoffs and making some noise.
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