Fantasy Football Week 7 Matchup Winners

I spend a lot of time and effort on this series, and I take pride in identifying players who are likely to perform well each week. This article is meant to help you with your Fantasy Football lineups and DFS plays, giving you an edge in your competitions.

Every week, I thoroughly analyze every NFL matchup. This involves looking at Fantasy PPG (points per game) allowed, yards allowed, and player performances. I then identify which players can benefit from these statistics in their matchups. I hold myself accountable for both my successful picks and the ones that don’t pan out. Some misses from last week’s article include Jerry Jeudy, Titans wide receivers, Jalen Tolbert, and Daniel Jones. Week 6 was filled with plenty of hits though in this series! Big time week. Here are some of those:

• Kenneth Walker III – 20.9 Fantasy Points
• Caleb Williams – 29.6 Fantasy Points
• Jayden Daniels – 21 Fantasy Points
• Trey McBride – 17.6 Fantasy Points
• Tank Dell – 18.7 Fantasy Points
• Drake Maye – 21.5 Fantasy Points
• Alvin Kamara – 17.4 Fantasy Points
• AJ Brown – 23.6 Fantasy Points
• Najee Harris – 20.2 Fantasy Points
• Bijan Robinson – 25.5 Fantasy Points
• David Montgomery – 21 Fantasy Points
• Breece Hall – 21.9 Fantasy Points

Helluva week right there filled with big performances. The goal is to stay hot and keep momentum heading into Week 7. The mission has always been to help you “Play 2 Win”. Keep in mind that the Bears and the Cowboys are on a BYE this week. Let’s get it!

Fantasy Football Week 7 Matchup Winners

Broncos vs. Saints (Thursday Night Football)

• It was a down Week 6 for Javonte Williams after a season-high 16.1 Fantasy Points in Week 5, but he gets back on track in Week 7. Williams has rushed for 77/61 in Weeks 4/5 and caught five passes in Weeks 2/5 with 48/50 receiving yards in those games. That is a mixture of upside flashes. The Saints allow the eighth most Fantasy PPG to running backs and just allowed Sean Tucker to rush for 136 and score two total touchdowns as well as Bucky Irving to rush for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos defense can also create a game script that favors Williams rushing the ball plenty as they face Spencer Rattler in his second NFL start after he completed 55% of his passes and turned over the ball twice through the air last week.
• Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed were banged up in Week 6, which meant fifth-round rookie Bub Means stepped up catching five of his eight targets for 45 yards and a touchdown (15.5 points). Both Olave and Shaheed will be out in Week 7, so Means can once again earn solid target numbers in Week 7. Deeper FLEX consideration.

Patriots vs. Jaguars (Sunday Morning Football)

• 2024 third-overall pick Drake Maye made his NFL debut in Week 6 to throw 20/33 (60.6%) for 243 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, two interceptions, and rushed for 38 yards. 19.52 Fantasy Points could be foreshadowing much more Fantasy Football upside to come for the dual-threat quarterback. The Jaguars allow the most Fantasy PPG to quarterbacks and most passing yards per game this season, which sets up Maye to keep momentum moving forward.
• Travis Etienne is considered “week-to-week” with a hamstring injury, and although D’Ernest Johnson out-touched Tank Bigsby by one and played a heavier snap percentage in Week 6, I have faith in Bigsby. Bigsby displayed rushing upside in Week 4 with 90 yards on just seven attempts but then again in Week 5 with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts. The Jaguars may deploy Johnson and Bisgby in a committee for Week 7, but I would rather bank on the guy who has just recently had two big rushing days. The Patriots allow the fifth most Fantasy PPG to running backs this season so it is a nice matchup if Bigsby can earn the volume for it.

Seahawks vs. Falcons

• Jaxon-Smith Njigba has not had the explosive 23.7 Fantasy Point sort of week as he did back in Week 2, but he has scored double-digit Fantasy Points in three straight games. The volume from Geno Smith has been solid in four of his last five games with totals of 16 (Week 2), 12 (Week 4), seven (Week 5), and nine (Week 6) during that span. JSN finished with 117 yards in Week 2 and scored a touchdown in Week 5 which flashes some upside. I have always been a true believer in talent, so when talent meets volume there are typically good things to come. This Falcons matchup could be a ton of fun and one where JSN is a solid FLEX.
• Kyle Pitts has scored 10 and 15.8 Fantasy Points across the last two weeks which shows the potential for some positive momentum here. Pitts caught seven of his eight targets for 88 yards in Week 5, then three of his five targets for 70 yards in Week 6. Back-to-back games with some receiving upside to note. Geno Smith leads the league in passing yards so Kirk Cousins may need to keep up with him through the air which would benefit Pitts. Seattle allows the fifth most Fantasy PPG to tight ends this season.

Titans vs. Bills

• The Buffalo Bills allow the second-most Fantasy PPG to running backs and the 10th-most rushing yards per game this season which means it is a great matchup for Tony Pollard. Following the Week 5 BYE, Pollard rushed 17 times for 93 yards and a touchdown in Week 6 for 17.8 Fantasy Points. Pollard rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown for 18.8 Fantasy Points in the week prior. Pollard has now scored 17+ Fantasy Points in three of his five games played this season with those three games over 80 yards rushing paired with a touchdown.
• Amari Cooper was traded to the Bills this week, which fills the WR1 hole that Josh Allen has had. We are unsure of how much Cooper will play, if at all, but this is an upgrade to what Cooper has dealt with from Deshaun Watson. You should be excited for Cooper if you held on in Fantasy Football.

Bengals vs. Browns

• The Browns allow the 10th most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers this season and while Ja’Marr Chase comes to mind first I think this matchup just tells you Tee Higgins is a strong FLEX. And that is not just because of the matchup, but because of the last three weeks for Higgins. Higgins has earned 10, 14, and then seven targets during this span in weeks he finished with 60, 83, and 77 yards for 12, 29.3, and 14.7 Fantasy Points. Higgins scored two touchdowns in Week 5 for his best day of the season. As long as Cleveland keeps this somewhat competitive then Higgins should be a strong FLEX play.
• Amari Cooper was traded to Buffalo and vacates 9.4 targets per game which was a 27.3% target share. My first thought was that Jerry Jeudy’s targets could see a nice weekly increase, but David Njoku could certainly be another beneficiary to the vacated targets. Njoku returned from injury in Week 5 to only play 42% of the snaps, but that ramped up to 74% in Week 6. Playing the full game in Week 6 meant earning seven targets, and while his production was not great that target number on top of the potential for more should be noted. The Bengals allow the 10th most Fantasy PPG to tight ends, and do not forget that just last year Njoku finished with 81 receptions for 882 receiving yards which resulted in 12.6 Fantasy PPG. The quality of the passes will be key here.

Texans vs. Packers

• Dalton Schultz faces a Packers defense that allows the third most Fantasy PPG to tight ends and the eighth most passing yards per game this season. Schultz earned at least five targets in Weeks 3-5 but saw an increase to eight targets in Week 6 with it being Nico Collins’ first game out. Schultz has yet to have a game he finished with 40 yards, but this is a juicy matchup where the game script may push CJ Stroud to throw the ball plenty in which could mean Schultz’s best Fantasy week of the season.
• Jordan Love has scored 25.62 (Week 6) and 28.16 (Week 4) Fantasy points in two of his last three games returning from injury. Across the last three weeks Love has tossed 10 touchdowns, and while he has turned over the ball in each of those games we can note that that upside is what is translating to Fantasy Football. 389 passing yards in Week 4 shows the potential yardage Love can produce on any given day. The Texans allow the 11th most Fantasy PPG to quarterbacks this season and this game script should mean plenty of passing volume in Week 7.

Dolphins vs. Colts

• The Dolphins have been rough to say the least without Tua Tagovailoa, but there is some optimism for Jonnu Smith this week. Smith caught five of his eight targets last week with Tyler Huntley for 11.1 Fantasy Points. Signs of solid volume paired with decent receiving yard upside right there. Smith now faces a Colts defense that allows the seventh most passing yards per game and fourth most Fantasy PPG to tight ends which presents a streaming opportunity.
• Jonathan Taylor missed Week 6 with his ankle injury that could also keep him out of Week 7. Trey Sermon is now dealing with a knee injury that has him listed as questionable. Tyler Goodson could end up being a desperation play this week for some managers against a Dolphins team that allows the third most Fantasy PPG to running backs this season. Goodson has caught seven passes across the last three weeks, finished with 31 receiving yards in Week 5, then finished with 51 rushing yards in Week 6. Positive signs for a potential streaming running back if you need it and Indy is without the two first names listed.

Lions vs. Vikings

• Jameson Williams has not been earning the targets you would like across his last three games with totals of three, two, then four but he still has shown off his upside in two out of three of those games. Williams finished with 76 yards and a touchdown on three catches in Week 6, and two catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in Week four. Both of those games were 16+ Fantasy Points. Jamo opened up the season earning 20 targets through the first two weeks which resulted in a score and games of 121 and 79 receiving yards. The Vikings allow the third most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers and also third-most passing yards per game this season which is a great matchup. The Vikings are 5-0 as well, which could mean a lot of offense on both sides with better volume for Williams. Jared Goff threw 55 times back in Week 2, so if he has to sling it he is going to sling it.
• Jordan Addison may also be a solid FLEX play this week against a Lions defense that allows the fourth most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers and the sixth-most passing yards per game this season. Addison finished with 72 receiving yards back in Week 4 and then earned eight targets in Week 5 which are two positive signs heading into this matchup. With Aaron Jones sidelined, this could also mean more passing in a game that likely was always going to call for that. Sam Darnold threw a season-high 31 times in the Vikings’ last game, and I could see him beating that total in Week 7.

Check out all of our Week 7 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex

Eagles vs. Giants

• I do not care about anything related to the data for this matchup, all that I care about is the Saquon Barkley revenge game narrative. Barkley was selected by the Giants with the second overall pick in 2018 and spent six years with them, only for them to eventually let him depart. The chip on Saquon’s shoulder has to be huge, and outside of a down Week 6 he has been killing it as an Eagles. Barkley rushed for 109, 95, 147, and 84 yards through his first four games this season with four rushing touchdowns before the BYE. Barkley has totaled 14 receptions and scored on one of them. Barkley has finished games with 33.2 (Week 1) and 33.6 (Week 3) Fantasy Points as a true workhorse for Philly. I would expect the Eagles to feed him with the intent to let him punch his old team that gave up on him in the mouth.
• The Eagles allow the sixth most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers this season, and while Malik Nabers is likely back in action I will encourage you to continue FLEX’ing Wan’Dale Robinson. Robinson’s 58 targets through six weeks (9.7 per game) rank second for the position, and his 28.6% target share ranks eighth. Robinson has run the second-most slot snaps and is 14th in yards after the catch so far as well. Earning targets and playmaking. Keep Wan’Dale in your lineup, who is averaging 13.1 Fantasy PPG which ranks 30th.

Raiders vs. Rams

• The Rams allow the second-most Fantasy PPG to tight ends this season which sounds great for Brock Bowers who is on pace to have the best rookie tight end season ever. Bowers for the position ranks first in targets (46), second in air yards (271), first in receptions (384), first in receiving yards (384), first in yards after catch (206), second in yards per route run (2.65), and second in Fantasy PPG (13.8). Bowers has beaten his Fantasy Point average two weeks in a row now with scores of 23.7 and then 16.1 and has been targeted 22 times during that span. No Davante Adams should continue to mean heavy target volume.
• The Raiders allow the second-most Fantasy PPG to running backs and the ninth-most rushing yards per game. Kyren Williams currently leads all running backs with an 86.2% snap share and is averaging 72 rushing yards, 2.8 receptions, and 14.2 receiving yards per game. 19.4 Fantasy PPG ranks sixth. Despite having his BYE week no running back has earned more red zone touches than Kyren who has scored in all five games played and six total this season. The Raiders matchup presents a solid opportunity for red zone work yet again.

Panthers vs. Commanders

• The Commanders allow the fifth most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers this season, which further emphasizes Diontae Johnson to be in your lineups. Through four Andy Dalton starts, Diontae Johnson has scored 26.2 (Week 3), 21.3 (Week 4), and 19.8 (Week 6) Fantasy Points in three of them. The volume has been great across this span of games as well with games of 14 (Week 3), 13 (Week 4), and 10 (Week 6) targets. Three touchdowns across the last four weeks is the final note worth mentioning. DJ looks like a must-start this week.
• Even if Brian Robinson Jr. plays in Week 7, I like Austin Ekeler in this Panthers matchup whose defense has allowed the most Fantasy PPG to running backs this season. Ekeler has not been a monster producer this season but has scored double-digit Fantasy Points in all five games played which brings roster stability at times. We all love chasing upside but safe production is useful. Although Ekeler ranks 18th in receptions with 15, he ranks third in receiving yards with 198. Ekeler ranks first in all of yards per reception (13.2), yards per route run (3.25), and yards per touch (8.6).

Chiefs vs. 49ers

• The 49ers are not a great matchup for running backs, but in case you forgot Kareem Hunt rushed 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown in Week 5 for 18.7 Fantasy Points. Heavy volume resulting in Fantasy production in the Chiefs offense is an important note to make, and if you roster Hunt he is worth taking a shot on in Week 7 if the Chiefs can manage a lead in this one.
• The Chiefs allow the most Fantasy PPG to tight ends and George Kittle has been the best scoring tight end in Fantasy Football. Knowing this on top of a predicted heavy passing game script out of Brock Purdy should make you excited for Kittle this week. Kittle has scored over 20 Fantasy Points in three of his five games played, and has scored five touchdowns across his last four played. The touchdown upside has been a difference-maker for Kittle who currently leads all tight ends in red zone targets.

Jets vs. Steelers (Sunday Night Football)

There are two major questions that I am looking to get answered from Week 7 from these two teams

1. Does Davante Adams get playing time straight away? If so – what do the targets look like for him along with everyone else?
2. Does Russell Wilson get the start over Justin Fields after the news broke that he was getting first-team reps and if so does this positively impact George Pickens?

Ravens vs. Buccaneers (Monday Night Football)

• Zay Flowers was a player I featured in last week’s article who ended up delivering a season-high 22.4 Fantasy Points. Flowers caught all nine targets for 132 receiving yards in Week 6 after finishing with 111 receiving yards in Week 5. Flowers has scored 19+ Fantasy Points through three weeks and has earned double-digit targets three times as well. The Ravens are creative with Flowers’ usage whether it is him catching screen passes, running the ball, or going deep. The two really down weeks the Ravens abandoned the pass but I doubt they can afford to do so against the Buccaneers. Tamps Bay allows the seventh most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers and the fifth most passing yards per game this season.
• The Ravens are the best wide receiver matchup in terms of PPG allowed and also allow the second-most passing yards per game. This is going to be an exciting matchup, and without overcomplicating this advice, it is very obvious that Chris Godwin and Mike Evans should be in lineups.

Chargers vs. Cardinals (Monday Night Football)

• Ladd McConkey currently ranks 17th in target share (26.9%) for the position and is averaging 6.4 per game. McConkey caught five of his seven targets for 67 yards and a touchdown back in Week 4 for 17.7 Fantasy Points. Following the Week 6 BYE, McConkey earned a season-high eight targets. The second-round rookie has finished with 44+ yards for three straight games played and all signs point to him being a FLEX option in this matchup. The Cardinals allow the eighth most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers this season.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!