Three players (and defense) that are must starts in Fantasy Football

My fantasy football season so far has been…subpar to put it nicely. What started out as a promising 2-1 start has quickly spiraled into a mind-numbing 2-4 disaster, topped off with a brutal 33-point loss to an 0-4 opponent last week.

On paper, my team is pretty decent. I have guys like Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor, Justin Herbert and Travis Etienne who have all been putting up a decent number of points every week; however, my overall problem is that I’m getting extremely unlucky with the players I face having 30-point games out of nowhere.

As I prepare for battle with my league’s 5-0 juggernaut, things are once again looking bleak. However, with Tee Higgins getting me off to a 21.6 point head start Thursday night, I am determined to get this ship straightened out starting this week.

If your fantasy season has been equivalent to mine, I want to get yours straightened out as well. Whether they’re in your lineup, on your bench, or sitting unwanted in your league’s waiver wire, here are the three players and defense that you must start in week 7.

Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns

If your tight ends are weak spots or your top tight end has a bye week and Fannin is in your waiver wire or free agents list, you must pick him up.

Fannin and David Njoku have been splitting time at the position for the Browns, with Njoku getting a little over 50% of the snaps, but last week he exited the game against the Steelers early with a knee injury and did not return.

Njoku is listed as day-to-day on the injury report and is questionable for the Browns’ Sunday afternoon matchup against the 1-5 Dolphins, but considering that he hasn’t practiced all week, he most likely won’t be playing, opening the door for the rookie Fannin to start.

As backup, Fannin is the 12th-best tight end in fantasy this year, putting up a season-high 15.1 point performance last week.

With a full game as a starter at home against a Dolphins team that has struggled mightily against tight ends (and pretty much everything else) this season, the sky is the limit for Fannin in week 7.

Kendrick Bourne, WR, San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers’ absurd amount of injuries this season has called for unsung heroes to take center stage. One of them has been Kendrick Bourne.

Bourne has stepped up massively as the 49ers’ new WR1 and his connection with Mac Jones has been a thing of beauty, finishing each of the past two games with 142 receiving yards.

With Ricky Pearsall and Brock Purdy sidelined once again for Sunday Night’s matchup against the Falcons, Bourne and Jones will get another chance to show off their connection, making Bourne a prime candidate to rack up yards once again.

He surprisingly hasn’t found the end zone yet in five games, but the longer scoreless streaks go on, the more they are due to come to an end…

Tez Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are another team plagued by injuries, specifically at the wide receiver position. Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka are both doubtful for Monday Night’s matchup in Detroit, and Mike Evans was a limited participant in practice this week, so if he does, it’s safe to say that he won’t see the field as much as usual.

Enter rookie Tez Johnson, who had 11.6 fantasy points, including an impressive long touchdown catch last week against the 49ers. All signs point to him getting an extended look as a top 2 wide receiver for Tampa Bay.

Although the Lions are one of the best teams in football, their defense ranks sixth-worst in the league against wide receivers, according to the ESPN Fantasy app, perfect for a rookie who just got his feet wet last week, to fully dive in this week.

Honorable Mention: Panthers defense/special teams

They are playing the Jets. That is all.

Brady Welsh is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bdw5435@psu.edu.