Fantasy Football Week 7: Maurice Jones-Drew and 10 Big-Name Busts to Avoid

Week 7 is going to be a tough week for fantasy football owners. The New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers all have bye weeks, and that means owners are going to have to make some crucial lineup adjustments.

Oh well. At least the big name players are safe plays, right?

Typically, yes. But this week, I'm not so sure. Some of the league's best players are facing some tough matchups, and I'm not entirely sure that all of them will be able to put up points.

In fact, here are 10 big-name players you might actually want to avoid altogether this week.

10. Matt Schaub, QB, Houston Texans

What we have in Matt Schaub is a classic case of a quarterback who truly misses his best wide receiver. And because Andre Johnson's return is not forthcoming, one presumes that Schaub will continue missing him this weekend against the Tennessee Titans.

While I wouldn't go so far as to call the Titans impervious, their pass defense is pretty decent. It would be even better if Ben Roethlisberger hadn't torched them for five touchdowns back in Week 5, but it's pretty good.

Either way, I expect the Titans to put up a good fight against Schaub and the Texans. Schaub is a bit banged up at the moment, and the Titans have had a whole extra week to prepare for him thanks to their Week 6 bye.

You can start Schaub if you want, but do so at your own risk.

9. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

This year, more than any other, you really have to hand it to Maurice Jones-Drew. He's always good, but he's managed to put up good numbers despite being backed by the league's worst passing offense. Not exactly an easy thing to do.

As such, I would love to say that MJD is a no-brainer for Week 7, but I don't think he is. He and the Jags are going up against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, and that's a problem for several reasons.

First and foremost, the Ravens have been death on opposing running backs this season. They are allowed just over 76.6 rushing yards per game, and no running back has gained more than 75 yards on the ground against them. The Ravens have also given up just one rushing touchdown.

Secondly, Blaine Gabbert will be up against one of the league's stingiest pass defenses. He's done an OK job of keeping defenses honest since being named Jacksonville's starter, but I have my doubts about him against the Ravens.

So as difficult as it's going to be, you should consider sitting MJD.

8. Mark Sanchez, QB, New York Jets

Mark Sanchez really has no business being a starter in any fantasy lineup, but there are a lot delusional New Yorkers out there who insist otherwise.

Well, it's a free country. I only hope that these same delusional New Yorkers can come to their senses before the Jets kick off against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. They're not the kind of team you want to start Sanchez against.

I say this because the Chargers have been pretty darn good against the pass this season. In fact, the only quarterback who has done well against them is named Tom Brady. He does well against everyone.

As if that wasn't enough, the Chargers have had an extra week to prepare for Sanchez and the Jets, who will be playing on short rest after their Monday nighter against the Miami Dolphins.

So yeah, don't risk playing Sanchez.

7. Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Hines Ward has had one very, very good game this season. That was against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5, when he caught seven passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

The rest of Ward's performances can be summed up with a single word: meh.

Because of this, I already think of Ward as a risky fantasy play on a week to week basis. He and the Steelers are likely going to roll right over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ward is heavily involved.

It's not so much because the Cardinals play the pass very well. They don't. It has more to do with how they don't play the run very well, either. Adrian Peterson showed us all that the Cardinals don't respond very well to repeated poundings, and the Steelers have the kind of running game that can follow suit.

Perhaps Ward is better served distracting Cardinals defenders with his dancing prowess.

6. Kevin Kolb, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb barely qualifies as a "big-name" player at this point. At the rate he's going, he will soon only be known as the guy that the Cardinals shouldn't have traded for.

Just take a look at his numbers. Kolb started hot with a 300-yard, two-TD performance against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, but things have been pretty much all downhill from there. Kolb hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since Week 3, and he hasn't been putting up many yards either.

To make matters worse, Kolb and the Cardinals are due to square off against the Steelers on Sunday. These would be the same Steelers who boast the league's best pass defense.

Not exactly a favorable matchup.

5. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

As Kevin Kolb goes, so goes Larry Fitzgerald.

Despite Kolb's struggles, Fitzgerald has actually been pretty solid this year. He has two 100-yard games, two receiving touchdowns and he has yet to truly fall flat in any one game.

You could look at this as a trend. I take it as a sign that Fitzgerald is due for a stinker.

All of the necessary ingredients for said stinker are there in Arizona's matchup with Pittsburgh. The Steelers are going to make life hard for Kolb, and that's going to make life hard on Fitzgerald.

It's also worth noting that the Steelers have allowed fewer points to wide receivers than any team in the league. And yes, they have faced some pretty good receivers along the way.

4. Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars

It's been a tough season for Jaguars Pro Bowl tight end Marcedes Lewis. He battled a calf injury earlier in the season and just hasn't really developed much of a connection with Blaine Gabbert.

The bright side is that Gabbert did target Lewis eight times on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the very least, Gabbert is trying to get it to Lewis.

This effort is likely to continue on Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens, but don't expect much success. The Ravens don't allow much to happen through the air, and they have been particularly tough on tight ends. In fact, no tight end has caught more than three passes against them.

I don't expect Lewis to break that streak.

3. Sidney Rice, WR, Seattle Seahawks

There are times when I sit back and wonder where Sidney Rice's career would be without Brett Favre.

Probably not anywhere special is my guess, but oh well.

The good news for Rice and the Seahawks is that they have a winnable matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The bad news for Rice is that he may have trouble getting touches.

Part of this has to do with Seattle's quarterback situation, which is uncertain. Charlie Whitehurst could start, but there's also a report out from the Seattle Post Intelligencer that Tarvaris Jackson has a chance to play.

Neither guy is all that reliable, of course, and that alone should make you wary of starting Rice.

If that doesn't do the trick, just know that the Browns have been surprisingly tough on opposing passing attacks this season, as they are allowing just 192 passing yards per game.

By the way, it's a good bet that Joe Haden will be back in action after sitting out Week 6. Last I checked, Haden is pretty good.

2. DeAngelo Williams, RB, Carolina Panthers

My guess is that most fantasy owners don't really associate DeAngelo Williams with heaps of fantasy points anymore.

As well they shouldn't. Williams was one of the most productive backs in the league once upon a time, but the Panthers are paying him a whole lot of money for a whole lot of nothing this year. Williams has rushed for 100 yards just once this season, and that effort was largely aided by a 69-yard scamper.

If you're thinking of rolling the dice on Williams this week against the Washington Redskins, here's some advice: don't. The Redskins have had occasional slip-ups against the run, but they are generally very good when it comes to stuffing opposing runners.

Besides, putting the ball in Williams' hands means taking it out of Cam Newton's. Why would the Panthers do that?

1. Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis Rams

Steven Jackson finally posted a strong effort on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, rushing for 96 yards on 18 carries. After going through various struggles early on in the season, maybe he's coming around.

Maybe. I'll believe it when I see more of it, and I don't think we're going to see more of it when the Rams take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

We give the Cowboys a lot of guff about their inability to close games, but one thing we know they can do is stuff the run. The Cowboys are allowing 69.6 rushing yards per game, a figure that ranks first in the NFL. They have yet to yield more than 60 yards rushing to any one running back.

For what it's worth, the Cowboys also boast a pretty good pass rush. They're going to make Sam Bradford's life even more of a living hell, and he's going to be powerless to help Jackson out as a result.