Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 7: Fantasy Football's Top Locks and Flops

A big-time NFL star is ready to dominate this week.

When the Buffalo Bills acquired LeSean McCoy in the offseason, they did so because of his versatility as a game-breaking ball-carrier as well as a high-level pass receiver.

McCoy had a hamstring injury early in the season, but he was in top form in the Bills' Week 6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and he flashed his talent by rushing for 90 yards on 17 carries. McCoy has 236 rushing yards on 60 carries this year, but he has just nine catches for 87 yards. He has one touchdown rushing and one receiving.

Now that McCoy is healthy, we expect him to have a big week in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Head coach Gus Bradley's team is reeling with just one win this season, and the defense is ranked 17th in the league.

While the unit plays with effort, it doesn't have the athletes or the skill needed to slow down McCoy. Look for him to rush for 100-plus yards and have at least 60 receiving yards. He should also find the end zone once as a runner and receiver. 

Position	Player	Team	Opponent	Lock/Flop
QB	Eli Manning	N.Y. Giants	Dallas	Lock
QB	Sam Bradford	Philadelphia	Carolina	Flop
QB	Philip Rivers	San Diego	Oakland	Lock
RB	LeSean McCoy	Buffalo	Jacksonville	Lock
RB	Justin Forsett	Baltimore	Arizona	Flop
RB	Todd Gurley	St. Louis	Cleveland	Lock
WR	Brandon Marshall	N.Y. Jets	New England	Lock
WR	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston	Miami	Flop
WR	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh	Kansas City	Lock
TE	Travis Kelce	Kansas City	Pittsburgh	Lock
TE	Delanie Walker	Tennessee	Atlanta	Flop

Top Locks

QB Eli Manning, New York Giants

Eli Manning and the Giants had a bad night against the Philadelphia Eagles when they played in prime time on Monday night.

After Manning led the Giants downfield on a scoring drive early in the first quarter, the Eagles defense had its way with the Giants. By the time it was over, that first quarter-touchdown pass Manning threw to Odell Beckham Jr. was the Giants' only scoring play of the night.

The Giants are tied with the Eagles for first place in the NFC East, and they get a chance for redemption against the Dallas Cowboys. Don't expect Manning to have a second consecutive poor game against a division rival.

Manning is having a sharp year running the Giants offense. He has already thrown for 1,606 yards, and he has an 11-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Expect Manning to have a big second half against the Cowboys. Dallas still does not have Tony Romo back in the lineup, and it is giving Matt Cassel his first start in a Dallas uniform.

That development means that the Cowboys will have a hard time getting in sync with their new signal-caller. Look for three-and-outs and turnovers that give Manning opportunities to lead the Giants on scoring drives. He will throw at least three TD passes in this game.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

WR Brandon Marshall, New York Jets

The Patriots are unstoppable. At least, according to the pundits who see Bill Belichick and Tom Brady on some kind of redemption tour this season because of the Deflategate controversy.

The Patriots were supposed to run over the Colts in Week 6, because that team was the main whistleblower against the Patriots. But instead of rolling the Colts 73-0, the Pats pulled out a 34-27 victory.

This week, they host the 4-1 New York Jets. The longtime division rivals often play close games against one another, and it's often difficult for the Jets to move the ball consistently. 

But the Jets have Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback and Brandon Marshall at the wide receiver position. The Patriots do not have a defensive back who can shut down Marshall. He has already caught 37-511-4, and he gets an opportunity to show what he can do against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Malcolm Butler has moved into the role of the Patriots' top cover corner, and he will give Marshall everything he can to slow him down. But Marshall (6'4" and 229) is too big, too strong and too fast, and he will catch at least 6-95-1 in this game.

TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

It's unlikely the Chiefs are going to turn around their 1-5 start and make a run at a playoff spot in the AFC. There are simply too many weak spots in the pass defense, and the injury to running back Jamaal Charles has left this team in a huge hole.

But 17-year veteran head coach Andy Reid knows how to get a team out of a difficult situation by appealing to its pride. That's just what must happen here if the Chiefs are going to make any kind of move toward respectability.

When the Chiefs have the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have a legitimate big-play weapon in Travis Kelce. The rambunctious tight end excels at bouncing out of tackles after making the catch and has already caught 29-416-2.

The Steelers have been burned by tight ends this year, and they have given up the third-most points to tight ends this season. Look for Kelce to punish the Steelers secondary.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Flops

QB Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have won three of their last four games and have moved into a tie for first place in the NFC East, so that means they have turned their season around and are ready to look like a contender for the rest of the season, right?

Not quite. The Eagles have won a few games recently, but their offense is not in any kind of dependable rhythm with Sam Bradford at quarterback. While the Eagles beat the Giants rather easily on Monday night in Week 6, Bradford threw three interceptions against a Giants secondary that ranks 29th in the league.

This week, the Eagles go to Carolina to play the undefeated, yet not fully respected Panthers. Ron Rivera's team has the seventh-ranked defense in the league, and that unit should stop Bradford cold.

Don't expect the Philadelphia quarterback to throw for more than 150 yards and one touchdown. He will also put the ball up for grabs, and the Panthers will come away with two picks.

RB Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens

It's hard not to respect everything Justin Forsett has done running the ball for the Baltimore Ravens in the past two seasons. He rushed for 1,266 yards and eight TDs a year ago, and he has run for 457 yards with a 4.4 yards-per-carry mark this year.

However, he has just one rushing touchdown in 2015, and that's not likely to get better this week against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals return home after a close loss on the road to the Steelers last week. Bruce Arians was quite upset to lose to a team that had fired him, and he should have his players revved up to keep the losing streak from growing to two games.

The Cardinals overpowered Detroit after their first loss, and we expect a similar effort here. Arizona has the sixth-ranked defense in the league, and it is not going to make life easy for the Baltimore running back.

Forsett could have one or two decent carries in this game, but he will run for less than 60 yards, and he will not score.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

This pick may raise some eyebrows because Hopkins is having a huge year with 52-726-5 for the Texans, a team that has shuffled back and forth between starting quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett.

The inconsistent Texans go to Miami on Sunday, and it appears the Dolphins have gotten a bit of a boost from Dan Campbell, who replaced mild-mannered Joe Philbin as head coach.

Campbell may not be a long-term coaching solution, but he had an excellent first week as the Dolphins rolled to a 38-10 road victory over Tennessee last week.

The home fans should be charged up to see a team that displayed far more grit last week than it had in any of its previous games.

One of the telling factors was the pass rush, and previously dormant Cameron Wake had 4.0 sacks. Look for the Dolphins' explosive pass rush that also includes Olivier Vernon and Ndamukong Suh to be all over Hoyer in this game.

He will have a hard time getting the ball to Hopkins, and he won't catch more than four passes for 60 yards in this game.

Swallow hard, and put Hopkins on your bench.