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Lorenzo’s Locks: NFL Week 7 Picks and Predictions
USA TODAY Sports Lorenzo Reyes has been covering the NFL for nearly a decade, and this week he’s back with his favorite picks for Week 7 games, plus a few bonus tips for bettors.
The NFL trade deadline is a natural trigger for some fun hypotheticals.
Of course, most of the deals being thrown around will never happen, and the vast majority of teams will stick with it or make minor changes rather than try to make major changes midseason. But with the deal-making deadline now 11 days away, it’s only natural to think about the possibilities even if the majority of the league’s biggest stars remain in place.
With that in mind, we asked USA TODAY Sports’ NFL writers and columnists: Which NFL player — regardless of whether he’s actually on the trade block — most needs a change of scenery?
Your answers:
Davante Adams
Things have changed dramatically since Davante Adams moved to his childhood favorite team. His good friend Derek Carr was released, Chandler Jones was banished and the Raiders are in the basement of the AFC. Adams has already caught passes from Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell and Brian Hoyer this season.
The six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver explained last month that it wasn’t in his mentality to “sit around here and try to spend the whole season figuring it out.” But it turns out the Raiders are more like that Rebuild than resemble a contender, and they don’t have a franchise quarterback on their roster.
Not long ago, Adams was considered by many to be the best wide receiver in the NFL. Now it seems like he’s stuck in the Raiders’ black hole, a hole that Las Vegas likely won’t escape from in the next few seasons. And the 30-year-old wide receiver doesn’t have all the time to “figure it out.” –Tyler Dragon
Davante Adams is the easy answer here, as he publicly expressed his frustration this week. And he’s right. Jimmy Garoppolo has replaced the quarterback he first played with with the Raiders with Derek Carr, and Adams isn’t getting the ball as often as he should. One gets the impression that Adams has worked on his cardio in his last two games, recording just six catches on nine targets for 74 yards and no scores. Adams may be the most targeted receiver in the NFL, as he was in Weeks 3 and 4 when he had 33 targets and 21 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns. I don’t think Adams or the Raiders are going their separate ways because of his immense value. Hopefully Raiders coach Josh McDaniels hears Adams loud and clear and finds ways to feed his best player. The Raiders are second in the AFC West and could make the playoffs if Adams is as committed as he wants to be. – Safid Deen
Jerry Jeudy
The Denver Broncos are going nowhere fast. They haven’t been helped much at all by 2020 first-round WR Jerry Jeudy, who still doesn’t seem to gel with QB Russell Wilson – the results equate to four catches per game for Jeudy and a career-low 44.4 receiving yards per. And with outsiders like NFL Network analyst Steve Smith living rent free in Jeudy’s head, it just seems like a new team, new mentors, new advisors, a new quarterback, etc. could help restart the former Alabama star’s largely disappointing career so far. – Nate Davis
Jeudy, the former Alabama star, could use a fresh start after falling far short of living up to his status as a first-round pick in 2020. While it was reasonable to assume that Sean Payton’s arrival earlier this year could cause a stir in the receiver’s production, that didn’t happen. In five games, Jeudy recorded 20 catches for 222 and had zero touchdowns. The rebuilding Broncos would be risking a lot by investing a fifth-year option on Jeudy, who still has yet to produce a 1,000-yard season in the NFL while being outplayed by other first-round receivers in his draft class: Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk. Denver’s best option is to trade Jeudy for future draft capital – and there’s no reason Jeudy should object to that as he tries to revive his NFL potential. –Jarrett Bell
Justin Jefferson
I will also take a receiver, but a different one. We must integrate Justin Jefferson into a successful organization. Unless he’s the most electrifying wideout in the game – the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill might have a claim here – Jefferson isn’t third, we can say that with confidence. Kirk Cousins was a good and serviceable quarterback and he actually developed a solid relationship with Jefferson; Last season, Jefferson led the NFL with 1,809 receiving yards, tying Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964. But the problem is what happens in the win-loss column.
Minnesota made the playoffs just once in Jefferson’s three seasons there. That happened last year and the Vikings were knocked off in the wild card round by a flawed Giants team. The Vikings are now 2-4 and fall behind the Lions in the NFC North. Jefferson is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. His frustration with the defeat is clearly evident on the sidelines. He’s 24 and an absolute game breaker. He seems to be craving bigger moments and would benefit from a legitimate competitor. Now in the final season of his rookie contract, the Vikings have leverage via the fifth-year option and possibly the franchise tag. If the Vikings can’t change their performance, hopefully they can get a deal done and make him a contender because it would be fun to see Jefferson exit in the postseason. – Lorenzo Reyes
Alvin Kamara
After missing the first three games of the season while suspended for his role in a Las Vegas attack, Kamara returned to a Saints offense that is averaging 4.6 yards per play (26th in the NFL) through six weeks . Kamara still plays a significant role in the Saints’ offense, but with quarterback Derek Carr, he’s a nonentity in the passing game. Before Thursday night’s loss to the Jaguars, his average yards per target was 3.4. His average yards per reception? 3.7, which essentially means there is no room for Kamara to run the ball. Watch a Saints drive and it’s clear that Carr has no problem using his safety valve in the flat or below in Kamara. Unfortunately for the five-time Pro Bowl running back, his touches are more of an inveterate surrender than an attempt to move the ball. New Orleans should be in playoff contention all season – thanks to its defense – but Kamara’s effectiveness in both the passing and rushing attacks would be better suited to a team interested in playing modern offense. – Chris Bumbaca
CeeDee Lamb
The Dallas Cowboys will not – and should not – move their No. 1 receiver this year. That much is clear. But it’s still a real drag to see a target as dynamic as Lamb get stuck in a stagnant, uncreative offense that ranks last in the NFL in movement speed at the snap. according to ESPN. A seven-catch, 117-yard performance in Monday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers helped get the fourth-year pass catcher back on track this season. But the lack of a contract extension for Lamb – as well as Jerry Jones’ response of “I don’t know” when asked last week if he wanted more targets for his top weapon – underscores some worrying signs about the performance level of Dallas’ commitment. Don’t make the same mistake you made with Amari Cooper, “Boys.” – Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz