Sneaky Starts: Week 7

Oct 18, 2013

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough -- a waiver wire or bench player who is capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

In Week 6 our Sneaky Starts included Joe Flacco (QB6), Andre Ellington (RB11), DeAngelo Williams (RB16), Zac Stacy (RB24), Danny Woodhead (RB29), Keenan Allen (WR9), Emmanuel Sanders (WR14), Terrance Williams (WR26), Marlon Brown (WR33), Heath Miller (TE7), Jeff Cumberland (TE15) and Jordan Reed (TE16).

At 4for4, we use Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed (aFPA) by position heavily in our rankings and analyses. For more detail, click here.

Note: These recommendations do not override our weekly rankings, which are updated throughout the week and weekend.

As we head into Week 7, Jay Cutler (@ WAS) and Eli Manning (vs. MIN) are possible pickup-and-play candidates at the QB position and are both ranked in the top 12 this week.

Eagles QB Nick Foles (vs. DAL)
Foles may still be lingering on the waiver wire this week in shallow leagues. After throwing two TDs in a half of play against the Giants, he lit up the Bucs secondary with three TD passes and even ran for another score. He's a very strong start (currently our #6 QB) against the Cowboys, who are #31 in QB aFPA.

Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill (vs. BUF)
The Bills are shaky against the pass (yielding 271 yards and 2.0 pass TD per game, resulting in the #25 QB aFPA), so Tannehill should have a productive outing at home coming off of a bye. He has averaged 277 yards per game, so the yardage should be there even if he's not a TD-heavy QB.

Browns QB Brandon Weeden (@ GB)
The Packers have given up the 5th-most pass yards and have allowed 2.2 pass TD per game, resulting in the #32 QB aFPA. He's turnover-prone, but Weeden has averaged 251 yards and 1.0 TD in four games and should hoist plenty of pass attempts against the Packers.