Everybody played "Contra" on their NES as kid. And as I say this, I'm sure the overwhelmingly vast majority of you can remember the cheat code to give you unlimited lives. Hell, Xavier Woods has a video game YouTube channel named after it (Up Up Down Down). And while I'll resist the temptation to have a sidebar on the wildly inappropriate nature of having a game based on Contras (the 80s were some time, man), the NFL has its own version of a cheat code.
The Falcons have allowed the close to 25 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this year. The Eagles have allowed more than two touchdown passes on average to quarterbacks this season. That makes Jared Goff and Dak Prescott amazing starts. Neither are traditional sleepers, mind you. But I did want to take a moment to let you know that you will be able to trust them this week. Have no hesitation to start them.
Here are 10 more true sleepers that you can count on for Week 7.
Gardner Minshew, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
He's currently the QB15, but he's coming off a rough one. It's like when a band has a killer first couple drops and then they really start feeling themselves and forget what made them so special in the first place. Maybe the guitarist starts a side project and becomes obsessed with aliens or something. The point is, once you get back to what made you great, you can roll again. Luckily for Minshew, he's got the Bengals who are the only team to allow at least 16 fantasy points to quarterbacks in every game this year. They've also allowed 245 rushing yards to quarterbacks the last two weeks. And no, it wasn't all Lamar Jackson.
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are playing really well. But Jimmy G is just the QB24 on the season. He's due for a breakout game. And Washington has allowed 14 touchdown passes to quarterbacks this season, third-most in the NFL. And this is kind of a revenge game for his coach Kyle Shanahan whose dad was unceremoniously dumped in Washington.
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
It's Josh Allen SZN! He's currently the QB13. He averages around 32 rushing yards per game. He's second among quarterbacks with three rushing touchdowns. And he's scored at least 17 points in three of his last four. And he's got the Dolphins. So this isn't just a great play for this week. He's going to have a stretch of games where he's going to crush.
Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco 49ers
I love Matt Breida. But damn, Shanny loves him some T&C. He played 55 percent of the snaps in Week 6 (Breida was at 35 percent). But the key is that he had 12 red zone snaps and 12 red zone touches last week. The other guys were blanked. Washington has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs this season.
Frank Gore, RB, Buffalo Bills
His opponent, the Miami Dolphins have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs this year. They've allowed the most rushing yards per game this year. And if you're worried about Devin Singletary, I feel you. But both players seem like great flex options if you're in a bind because Christian McCaffrey is on a bye.
Duke Williams, WR, Buffalo Bills
Fine, fine. Start all of your Bills. But here is my thing, he's looked pretty good in recent weeks. The Dolphins have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to receivers this year. Look don't be all, "I'M SO MAD AT NUKE I'M STARTING HIM OVER HIM.' Because that would be foolish. But, if you have Davante Adams or a dude who is on a bye, this isn't terrible.
Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts
Darren Fells, TE, Houston Texans
I'm still mad at Fells because he went to Fullerton High but instead of going to Cal State Fullerton to play basketball, he went to UC Irvine. The Ant Eaters. The joke is on him, though, because the Titans beat the Eaters 81-66 in the Big West tournament finals in 2008, so boom. Roasted. (I will say, if Fells had gone to Fullerton there is no doubt we would have beat Wisconsin, though we would have been a much-higher seed. And we would have won the Big West the previous year, too. But enough about that.) Fells is the TE9 since Week 3. His targets, receptions and yards have increased in back-to-back games.
You want one more? Fine, here's one more.
New Orleans Saints D/ST
Listen, this is my unbiased pick. If I needed to stream a defense this week or look for a good DFS value, it's the Saints who have scored at least 11 fantasy points in three of their last four. And there is no guarantee that Mitch is playing this week.
Follow Adam Rank on Twitter at @adamrank
