Week 7 Thursday Night Fantasy Football Takeaways: Denver's Javonte Williams Delivers in Win, while Courtland Sutton is Missing | Saints' Playmakers Struggle Behind Spencer Rattler
Discussing some fantasy football takeaways from the Thursday night game between the Broncos and Saints.
The seventh week of the NFL kicked off with a Thursday night game between the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos.
Let’s take a look at some fantasy football takeaways from the game.
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Game Stats
Denver rolled to a 33-10 victory over New Orleans.
The Broncos had 389 total yards of offense, with 225 rushing yards and 164 passing yards. Denver didn’t allow a sack, turned the ball over once and committed seven penalties.
The Saints had just 271 total yards, with 97 coming on the ground and 210 through the air. New Orleans allowed six sacks, had two turnovers and was called for five penalties.
Nix has Mistake-Free Game
Bo Nix didn’t put up a huge fantasy score without scoring a touchdown, but he also took care of the ball and had over 200 total yards.
He completed 16 of his 26 passes for 164 yards. Nix rushed 10 times for 75 yards.
Since throwing four interceptions in the first two games, Nix has just one in the five games since. He’s added a nice rushing element to his game, with over 130 yards in the past two games.
By taking care of the ball, Nix is avoiding a lot of negative fantasy points. He’s not a top-tier fantasy QB by any means, but he’s firmly in the streaming category right now and can be played (especially in deeper leagues) when the matchups are right. There’s a mix of favorable and tough matchups coming up for the rookie, but definitely keep him in mind when options are limited.
Javonte Williams Breaks Out
The Denver backfield has been one to avoid all season with no real clear leader and three backs getting work most weeks.
Williams may have separated himself from the pack on Thursday after rushing for 88 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries. He added 23 receiving yards on three catches and targets.
It was his most rushing yards in a game this season, and the first time he’s found the end zone. He’s gotten double-digit carries in three of the past four games. He’s not a super safe option in standard leagues, but he’s in the flex starter conversation. I’d definitely be OK starting him in some deeper formats, especially in favorable matchups, but unfortunately, not many are coming.
Jaleel McLaughlin only got four touches in the contest, rushing four times for 35 yards. He was not targeted in the passing game.
Audric Estime had five carries for 29 yards and also wasn’t targeted in the passing game. He also lost a fumble, so that’s not likely to endear him to the coaching staff.
This might just be a one-game outlier, but this could be a step in the right direction for Williams.
Sutton Struggles, Youngsters Lead Way
With just 164 passing yards in the game, it’s fair to expect not many Denver pass catchers to have had big games. Every pass catcher was at or below 50 yards, but the big story was No. 1 option Courtland Sutton not even getting a target.
Sutton was really the only halfway decent standard league starting option for the Broncos going into the game, but his performance this week might get him dropped in a lot of standard leagues now.
I think dropping him, especially in deeper setups, is a big mistake. This is the first game in which he didn’t have a target, with at least four in every other game. Sure, he hasn’t topped 70 receiving yards and only has two scores so far, but he’s still the most-talented wideout on the roster.
Instead of dropping him outright, try to get something out of him in a trade. His value dropped big time after the game, but there’s plenty of fantasy owners out there that would take a chance on him.
Troy Franklin led the team with five catches, 50 yards and six targets. He’s now gone for 81 yards and a touchdown on seven catches and nine targets over the past two weeks. It’s not a ton of production, but he should get some deep league starting consideration now.
Tight end Lucas Krull had 41 yards on three grabs and four targets. It was a bit of a breakout game for Krull, but until we see it again, he’s not a very good fantasy option in any format.
Devaughn Vele, Marvin Mims and Lil'Jordan Humphrey all had at least one catch, but 20 or less yards. Adam Trautman didn’t catch either of his targets.
The Denver pass catchers look like a group to completely avoid in standard leagues at this point. Sutton and Franklin are deep league possibilities, but the inconsistent showings make them risky plays regardless.
New Orleans Injuries too Big to Overcome
The Saints played without Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave, and not many offensive players did much in the contest.
Shaheed is out for the season, while Olave could return next week if he clears concussion protocol. The bigger issue might be not having Derek Carr there.
Spencer Rattler was 25-of-35, but for just 172 yards. He added 34 rushing yards on five attempts, but lost two fumbles. Jake Haener completed 3-of-4 passes for 38 yards and a touchdown after coming on for the team’s last offensive possession. Either could start in week 8, and there’s also a report that Carr of Taysom Hill could start.
Cedrick Wilson Jr. was the top pass catcher, going for 57 yards and a touchdown on six catches and seven targets. Olave will return to being the team’s No. 1 wideout when he’s healthy, but with no clear No. 2 with Shaheed now out, Wilson is an intriguing waiver wire option.
Mason Tipton had 45 yards on six catches and nine targets. Bub Means had 37 yards on three grabs and five targets. These are more deep league options right now, but could work their way into standard leagues in time.
Tight ends Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson also were a bit involved. Moreau had 38 yards on two catches and targets, while Johnson had 18 yards on three receptions and six targets. Both are deep league starting options, but that’s it at this point.
Saints’ Running Backs Struggle
Alvin Kamara had a rare bad outing, rushing seven times for 10 yards. He caught six passes, but for just 14 yards across seven targets.
Kamara won’t have many of these poor fantasy performances, and regardless of who the quarterback is in week 8, I’d still feel pretty confident starting Kamara.
Kendre Miller made his second debut and had 36 rushing yards on six attempts. He caught two passes for a yard across three targets.
Miller got a lot of his work late, so unless Kamara misses time, Miller is not on the fantasy radar outside deeper leagues right now.
Jamaal Williams is also off the fantasy radar after going for 17 yards on three carries. His only fantasy relevance would come if Kamara was out.
IDP Standouts
Denver’s Justin Strnad had a game-high nine combined tackles, including one sack. He has 31 total tackles and three sacks across seven games, which makes him a decent IDP option in deeper setups.
Denver’s Cody Barton finished with eight combined tackles, a sack, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and a 52-yard fumble recovery score. This was obviously a fantasy outlier game, but Barton also has had seven or more tackles in five games this season, so he has some IDP value for sure.
Denver’s Ja'Quan McMillian had six combined tackles, a sack and a forced fumble on Thursday. The defensive back has 34 combined tackles, two passes defensed and then the sack and forced fumble for the season. That’s again decent IDP fantasy production, especially as a DB.
Denver’s Levi Wallace and New Orleans’ Jordan Howden each had eight combined tackles.
Wallace had five tackles coming into the game, so this looks more like an outlier for him. He’s still maybe worth adding/playing in deeper leagues though.
Howden is coming off an 11-tackle week 6 performance, so IDP owners might have something here to pursue. Pete Werner missed the game, so his return could slow Howden down, and that’s something to keep in mind.
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