RADIO
Waiver wire outlooks for Week 7 of the 2017 fantasy football season. Dennis Clausen determines whether these sleepers are "fake news" or have real value.
We've seen a lot of fake news throughout the years. From "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq to an Ohio postal worker destroying absentee ballots cast for Donald Trump, the news is littered. The same holds true for fantasy football, we've seen plenty of news columns hyping a certain player, only to be left hugely disappointed. We can reference Carnell "Cadillac" Williams to recently featured Jets running back Elijah McGuire.
Need help and can't decide whether the players featured in articles this week are legitimately worth your roster space? Good thing we are here to put things back into perspective and examine whether this week's news regarding the studs of the waiver wire is actually "fake news" or if there is some authenticity to their performances.
This week, we'll take a long look at a New York running back whose value has appeared out of the blue. Let's get started!
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Fake Fantasy News or Real Deal Value?
Orleans Darkwa - RB, New York Giants
There probably isn't a more disappointing, grotesque team this season than the New York Giants. I mean, let's face it, when the Jets are getting more hype, there is a problem. After going 11-5 last season under first-year head coach Ben McAdoo and earning a trip to the playoffs, expectations were high for the "G-Men" heading into the 2017 campaign. Things were looking good, McAdoo has a new haircut and no longer looks like a used car salesman. The team also signed free-agent wideout Brandon Marshall to take some of the pressure off of superstar Odell Bechham. Evan Engram was also selected out of Ole Miss in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.
However, things have gone south quicker than Jenna Jameson in one of my old VHS tapes. As if things couldn't have gotten any worse aside from starting the season 0-5, the team not only lost Odell Beckham for the season, who went down with a horrific ankle injury, but they also lost Brandon Marshall as well. Up-and-coming receiver Sterling Shepard, like Beckham and Marshall, was also banged up in Week 5 against the Chargers. Though he may play against the Seahawks on Sunday, there is a possibility he may not return until Week 9 against the Rams. Quarterback Eli Manning has also been playing like hot-garbage, throwing only nine touchdowns paired with five picks on the season. With a crappy record and a handful of injuries, now what are the Giants going to do for offense?
Heading into the Sunday night, Week 6 showdown against the Broncos, there would be absolutely no chance in hell that New York would go into mile-high and such a defensively sound such as Denver, right? Wrong! Not only did they beat them, they beat them in a convincing fashion with a big part of the win coming off the stellar play of running back Orleans Darkwa. Darkwa played well against San Diego, rushing the ball eight times for 69 yards and a touchdown. However, there was little to get excited about considering that the efficient performance came against a San Diego defense that isn't that good. Nonetheless, people started to take notice of Darkwa after he averaged 5.6 yards per carry via 21 carries for 117 yards. The true test will come Sunday against when the team will host Seattle in Week 7.
Verdict:
Though the Seahawks have handled themselves fairly well against the run this season, I'm totally buying the news regarding Darkwa. Combine that with the fact that offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, who took over play calling responsibilities from McAdoo in Week 6, appears committed to running the ball down opposing team's throats leading me to believe that the news regarding Darkwa is far from being "fake news."
