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Giovani Bernard (RB, Cincinnati Bengals)
ESPN ownership: 48.5%
Week 7 stats: 13 carries, 37 rushing yards; 5 receptions, 59 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Joe Mixon is considered week-to-week with a foot injury:
#Bengals RB Joe Mixon (foot) is out today and he’s considered week-to-week with this injury, meaning he could miss next vs. the #Titans too, source said. It’s Gio Bernard at RB until Mixon makes his way back.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 25, 2020
Giovani Bernard is the de facto starter in Mixon’s absence. He had a strong debut with 20.6 fantasy points in PPR leagues. He will hold extra value in PPR leagues due to his receiving production. Over the past three seasons, he has recorded more receiving yards than rushing yards. If Mixon does indeed miss next week’s game against the Titans, Bernard will be in the RB1 conversation.
Tee Higgins (WR, Cincinnati Bengals)
ESPN ownership: 65.0%
Week 7 stats: 5 receptions, 71 receiving yards, 1 touchdown; 1 carry, 7 rushing yards
Higgins is now averaging 16.34 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues over the past five weeks. Higgins has established himself as a reliable fantasy option. He will continue to see plenty of targets in Cincinnati’s offense, as Joe Burrow is currently third in the NFL in passing yards. He should be rostered in most leagues.
Rashard Higgins (WR, Cleveland Browns)
ESPN ownership: 0.2%
Week 7 stats: 6 receptions, 110 receiving yards
Odell Beckham Jr. exited Sunday’s game with a knee injury. The injury may be serious, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
#Browns WR Odell Beckham, who was knocked out of today’s game early, is feared to have suffered a major knee injury, source said. He’ll have an MRI in the morning and perhaps there will be some better news, but early indications aren’t good.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 25, 2020
With Beckham sidelined, Rashard Higgins had a career-high 110 receiving yards. If Beckham misses time, Higgins becomes an interesting option in deeper leagues.
Richard Rodgers (TE, Philadelphia Eagles)
ESPN ownership: 4.0%
Week 7 stats: 6 receptions, 85 receiving yards
Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert are both on the IR. As a result, Rodgers is the starter in a very fantasy-friendly offense for tight ends. The Eagles had the highest-scoring fantasy tight end group in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Admittedly, most of that success can be attributed to the performance of Zach Ertz, but the Eagles have utilized their tight ends at a high rate. In fact, the Eagles are currently leading the league in tight end targets. Even without Ertz and Goedert, they did not stray away from that pattern against the Giants, as Rodgers was targeted eight times and led the team in receptions and receiving yards. Rodgers has a great matchup next week against the Cowboys and is locked in as a TE1 until Goedert or Ertz returns.