What You Need to Know From Week 7

Photo: USA Today Sports

NYG @ PHI

1. Sterling Shepard was immediately the most reliable target for Jones and he scored on his way to 6-59-1 line. He should be considered a high floor WR3/Flex going forward. Golden Tate is strong possibility to get traded in the next week.
2. Carson Wentz fought hard all night, scored his fifth rushing touchdown in six games, and made the game-winning touchdown pass to Boston Scott to keep the Eagles atop the worst division in football. He’s definitely a matchup QB1 and could be more as the Eagles are going to get back some key offensive pieces in the next few weeks. He should be in lineups against Dallas in Week 8.
3. Daniel Jones had his best fantasy game of the season with an 80-yard run that was ended by the turf monster before he reached the end zone and more intermediate passing with the return of Sterling Shepard. He’s a viable matchup play against a weak second half schedule, but not this week against Tampa.
4. It wouldn’t be an Eagles game if they didn’t lose an offensive player to injury. This week it was Desean Jackson (on a punt return), which should be your prompt to see if Jalen Reagor is available on the waiver wire. He’ll be back in Week 8 or Week 10 at the latest.
5. Richard Rodgers was very good in place of Zach Ertz, in fact better than Ertz had been any point so far this year. He’ll be a fine fill-in TE1 against Dallas this week.
6. Boston Scott was merely serviceable for most of the night until a touchdown catch to win the game put him into low PPR RB1 territory for the week. We’re unlikely to see a Miles Sanders return before the bye, so keep Scott in lineups against Dallas.
7. Devonta Freeman left with an ankle injury and Wayne Gallman was competent in his place, scoring and catching five passes. Freeman isn’t a sure thing to be back this week, but Gallman would only be a desperation RB2 against the impenetrable Bucs run defense.
8. Evan Engram was frequently targeted and adequate in PPR leagues but failed to make a big play and dropped his most important target of the night that could have all but iced the game. Despite rumors to the contrary, he is unlikely to get dealt before the trade deadline.

CAR @ NO

1. DJ Moore scored twice on a busted coverage and poor tackling play from the Saints defense. With Curtis Samuel back on the field and Christian McCaffrey soon to follow, it’s a sell high moment for Moore.
2. Marquez Callaway was finding all kinds of space in the short passing game and had a touchdown wiped off of the board before he left with an ankle injury. Once Michael Thomas is back from his hamstring injury and Emmanuel Sanders is back from covid, he’ll go back to the bench, but Callaway looks to have rosterable value in dynasty leagues.
3. You would not have known Drew Brees was missing his top two receivers against the Panthers. He was efficient and effective in the short passing game and had a strong fantasy game heading into a tough matchup against the Bears.
4. Jared Cook scored (he juggled it, because Jared Cook) and he should be a viable TE1 against the Bears this week after they led Rams tight ends catch seven passes for 75 yards and a score.
5. Mike Davis is running out of gas, although we should give some credit to a stout Saints run defense. Davis will be an RB2 play if Christian McCaffrey isn’t ready to play Thursday night against Atlanta.
6. Samuel caught a key third down to set up a field goal and scored as a tailback on a goal to go carry. He is rosterable again in typical leagues.

BUF @ NYJ

1. Zack Moss didn’t blow Devin Singletary off of the field, but he showed enough to feel like if there is going to be a fantasy relevant back out of this backfield this year (none of the above is still the most likely answer), then it will be him.
2. Cole Beasley was by the far the most frequent target and he appears to have lasting value this year. He shouldn’t be on any waiver wires.
3. Denzel Mims had an immediate impact and should get a chance to be relevant in the second half of the season. Breshad Perriman left with a concussion and Jamison Crowder missed this game with a groin injury.
4. Josh Allen didn’t return to his sharp Weeks 1-4 form, but he wasn’t a fantasy bust and still moved the ball well enough to set up eight field goal attempts. Next week, he’ll face his nightmare opponent from last year, the New England Patriots. He should get better when he gets John Brown back, but that might not be in Week 8.
5. Tyler Kroft did enough, including a downfield catch, to be a viable desperation play as long as Dawson Knox is out.
6. Frank Gore actually looked very good running the ball, but Lamical Perine got the touchdown and is the Jets running back worth carrying in deeper leagues.

CIN @ CLE

1. Baker Mayfield finally had a ceiling game, and it came only after Odell Beckham was lost for the year with a torn ACL suffered defending an interception return. Mayfield hit on 20 straight passes at one point and is red hot going into a matchup with the Raiders.
2. With Beckham out, Rashard Higgins had a big second half to put him on redraft radar, and Donovan Peoples-Jones had a game-winning score to put him on your dynasty radar.
3. Both Browns tight ends scored while Austin Hooper sat recovering from his appendectomy. Harrison Bryant was more involved than David Njoku in the core passing game and he’s the pickup for Week 8 if Hooper can’t go vs. Vegas.
4. Joe Burrow had his first 400-yard game and almost his first come from behind fourth quarter victory. He should be set up for a good result against Tennessee this week and would benefit from the Bengals not trading AJ Green in the next week.
5. Giovani Bernard wasn’t making much noise until a late go-ahead touchdown. He is a high floor PPR RB2 if Mixon can’t go in Week 8 against the Titans. With a Week 9 bye, the Bengals should err on the side of sitting Mixon and letting his mid-foot sprain have three weeks to heal before playing on it.
6. Tyler Boyd was fueled by a high volume passing game to put up a WR1 PPR week. Even with AJ Green contributing, he reminded us he comes with a high floor and a high ceiling in PPR leagues and shouldn’t be on the bench in any week.
7. Drew Sample came through with a decent PPR game for a tight end and has desperation value when we expect Burrow to throw 40+ times - which should happen again vs. Tennessee.

DAL @ WAS

1. Antonio Gibson had an outstanding result, but that was probably more facing the Dallas defense than turning the corner as a runner. He’s still a good high ceiling RB2/flex, but the lesson here is more about the Dallas defense than Gibson.
2. The bottom dropped out of the Dallas offense, and that was before Andy Dalton left with a concussion. If you can get 50 cents on the dollar for Ezekiel Elliott or Amari Cooper, it’s time to cash out.
3. Logan Thomas scored for the second straight week and has some momentum heading into the bye. He looks like he’ll be at least a matchup play in the second half of the season.
4. CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup were both zeroes, but Lamb is more likely to bounce back in an offense that will have to rely on short passes. Gallup sadly is droppable in typical leagues.

GB @ HOU

1. Jamaal Williams was a strong play in place of Aaron Jones. He got most of the work and AJ Dillon was unimpressive on his limited touches. The Packers medical staff is conservative, so it’s not a sure thing that Jones returns this week and Williams should be rostered even in short bench leagues once Jones is back.
2. Davante Adams is the best wide receiver in the league right now and he made going against the Texans secondary (which lost Bradley Roby during the game) look like child’s play.
3. Aaron Rodgers was nearly flawless in a sign that he’ll be just fine against all but the best defenses and that Houston will continue to be a get right game for opposing offenses.
4. The Darren Fells fantasy well ran dry. Jordan Akins should be back after the bye and could become a relevant fantasy tight end.
5. The Packers pass offense is back to being a one-man show with Adams rolling and it might not support a consistent WR2 or tight end as long as Adams is on the field.
6. The Texans offense is what it is at this point. Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks will gobble up short targets as the running game struggles to get on track and the team plays from behind. Will Fuller is a boom/bust play but his garbage time score bailed out anyone who played him. Deshaun Watson will rack up fantasy points in the second half of the game after he struggles in the first half and his defense stakes the opponent to a big lead.

DET @ ATL

1. Todd Gurley scored twice and he is set up for a huge Thursday night against Carolina, but all he’ll be thinking about is his failure to stop himself from scoring his second touchdown, which gave the Lions enough time to add another chapter to the ever-growing list of Falcons nightmare collapse losses.
2. We got more confirmation that the key to Matt Ryan’s fantasy value is Julio Jones presence, which in turn correlates with Hayden Hurst and Russell Gage being better plays. Having a true alpha in the passing game is making the pie bigger for everyone.
3. D’Andre Swift got the same share of the backfield that he got in his breakout game in Week 6, and he scored (with some help from a terrible roughing the passer call to set up the touchdown), but the Lions running game was predictable and never got on track against the porous Falcons defense.
4. Matthew Stafford was effective against the Falcons but only an improbable last second score made him a good fantasy play in a boring game until the unthinkable ending.
5. Marvin Jones had his best fantasy result of the season, but his ceiling is still modest and he’s only a desperation play in even the best matchups.
6. TJ Hockenson caught a score on the last play of the game to give him three straight games with a touchdown. He’s one of the few success stories at tight end in fantasy leagues this year.

PIT @ TEN

1. Diontae Johnson came back and ruined Chase Claypool’s value… but maybe just for this week. The Titans zone defense favored the easier short passes (which also fueled a Juju Smith-Schuster resurgence) but against weaker outside corners and defenses that can’t get pressure, Claypool will be back. Smith-Schuster was a key part of some important drives and his presence in Ben Roethlisberger’s mind will grow as the competition gets tougher.
2. James Conner had one touchdown called back by penalty, dropped a second, and Benny Snell also vulture a score. He’s running hard and big games are going to be there if he can stay on the field.
3. The Titans got Corey Davis back from the covid list and finally had their entire pass offense on hand, which resulted in greatly reduced numbers from Adam Humphries and the tight ends. It is going to be difficult for more than two mouths to get fed in any game because this offense will continue to revolve around Derrick Henry.
4. The Titans have an indefeasible spirit as a team and Ryan Tannehill embodies it. He wasn’t daunted by facing the vicious Steelers pass rush without his cornerstone left tackle and should be outstanding against the Bengals this week.
5. Ben Roethlisberger was dealing and putting together long drives in the first half and along with the Steelers whole team, let up in the second half. He’ll need to tighten it up against the Ravens this week and isn’t a QB1 for Week 8.
6. Eric Ebron has established himself with at least six targets in three of the last four games. He should be a big part of the game plan vs. Baltimore since throwing to him doesn’t challenge their strong corners.

TB @ LV

1. Leonard Fournette is back and has the important pass game role that should make him an every week start in PPR leagues. Ronald Jones II got the score, but Fournette’s re-re-emergence will relegate him to a flex or emergency RB2 role as long Fournette is healthy.
2. Rob Gronkowski is back and he might end up being a strong TE1 after all. He looked like Gronk of old on his touchdown catch and should be in lineups until further notice.
3. It’s almost unfair to give Tom Brady Antonio Brown in a pass offense that is humming now despite Mike Evans being less than 100% and O.J. Howard being on injured reserve. Brady has the relentless approach he employed in New England and there should be a huge pass game pie that will feed three mouths or more in games against weak defenses. Brady is creeping into elite QB1 territory, especially in 6 pt per pass TD or performance bonus leagues.
4. Nelson Agholor is finally looking like a first round pick, and it’s not really a new development, he just finally got enough targets for it to matter in fantasy leagues. Bryan Edwards isn’t getting the starting job back when he’s healthy enough to play again and Agholor has some legitimate, maybe even startable value.
5. With Mike Evans operating as a decoy, Chris Godwin was productive, but he’ll miss Week 8 with a broken finger. Scotty Miller isn’t quite 100% yet, but he is so in tune with Brady that he’ll be a must start in Week 8 with James Bradberry likely locking down Evans.
6. Josh Jacobs did nothing against the Bucs, as expected. Looking ahead, we might not be starting any Rams, Falcons, or Lions back against them, with the last two coming in the all-important Week 15 and 16.

KC @ DEN

1. Le’Veon Bell and Clyde Edwards-Helaire both looked good and it appears that there should be enough to go around here for both to be relevant, with Edwards-Helaire getting the larger share and first crack at it.
2. Kansas City had a disappointing passing day because they didn’t have to break a sweat to beat the Broncos. With the Jets up next, adjust expectations accordingly.
3. The Broncos offense is in shambles and Drew Lock looks overwhelmed. Play the D/ST facing the Broncos until this changes. In Week 8, it’s the Chargers.
4. Noah Fant might not be 100% yet, and Drew Lock isn’t going away from college teammate Albert Okwuegbunam even when he is if Week 7 is any indication.
5. Phillip Lindsay looked great and was ahead of Melvin Gordon in the rotation, but then he left with a concussion. It looks like Gordon is likely to get another start in Week 8, but he could be marginalized after Lindsay is back.
6. Smoke comes out of Drew Lock’s ears when he is asked to think too much and Tim Patrick hurt his hamstring, so don’t be surprised if Jerry Jeudy has a bounceback week against the Chargers.
7. Demarcus Robinson faded on the quiet passing day and Mecole Hardman had a beautiful effortless one-handed catch to remind us what he is capable of. Hardman is still very tough to drop despite the ups and downs to date.

JAX @ LAC

1. James Robinson is marooned on Jaguars Island, but his message in a bottle says that he’s not going to diminish in quality and needs to be started every week no matter how bad the offense around him looks.
2. Justin Herbert’s big games and his strong connection with Keenan Allen shouldn’t come as a surprise any more. Let’s also give the Jacksonville defense an assist here and remember to give priority to players facing them when setting our lineups.
3. Herbert isn’t relying on Hunter Henry or Mike Williams exclusively even though he is still throwing scores in bunches to tight ends and in the deep passing game. You’ll have to ride out the rollercoaster with these players, but the weekly upside makes it worth it.
4. Gardner Minshew played well enough to keep his job through the game and probably through the bye, but he is still on thin ice and he is making no Jaguars pass catch worth starting.

SF @ NE

1. The San Francisco running game wore out the Patriots behind… Jeff Wilson? Kyle Shanahan continues to confound us with his running back usage, but Wilson suffered a high ankle sprain and will go on injured reserve. Shanahan said Jerick McKinnon had a planned rest week, but you wonder if he’s being tactful to deflect attention from McKinnon losing his early season burst after a heavy usage game earlier in the season. Week 8 should bring a big opportunity for JaMycal Hasty.
2. New England’s offense is flatlining. Cam Newton looks lost and the targets aren’t giving him any help. If you believe in Cam, it’s time to buy low because perception won’t get much worse after this game.
3. Brandon Aiyuk had a big game against a team with some of the best corners in the business. With Deebo Samuel likely out for two weeks nursing a hamstring, this is Aiyuk’s time to shine.
4. Jakobi Meyers looked solid as the Patriots offense was collapsing around him. Since they are looking for answers and change, he could have a larger role going forward.
5. Damien Harris was effective, but the running game never got on track because the Patriots fell behind and never got a chance to settle into a balanced game plan. He’s worth holding onto in deeper leagues.

SEA @ ARI

1. Seattle should permanently be on Sunday Night Football
2. Kenyan Drake left with an ankle injury and Chase Edmonds looked magnificent in relief. Edmonds should be the starter coming out of the bye and could really make it decisive that he starts over Drake when Drake is healthy. Remember the name Eno Benjamin as Edmonds got hurt soon after breaking out last year.
3. Chris Carson left with a foot injury. Carlos Hyde looked good in relief of him, but he has hamstring tightness and might not play in Week 8. Travis Homer had a minor knee injury, but he has also been outplayed by Deejay Dallas. Dallas is the speculative add here with Hyde being the automatic add, hoping that his hamstring is no big deal.
4. Tyler Lockett can win a week for you. Never ever ever bench him.
5. Kyler Murray showed he knows his way around the kitchen and let’s remember to always start passing game pieces against the Seahawks. Maybe Jamal Adams return (this week?) will change that, but for now Brandon Aiyuk looks like a great Week 8 play.
6. Christian Kirk has four scores in the last two games and appears to be a favorite target when the Cardinals are close in.

CHI @ LAR

1. Matt Nagy, offensive genius? Feels like that was a lifetime ago. The Bears offense is unimaginative and won’t produce any fantasy overachievers, at least not until a dream fantasy playoff schedule of Houston, Minnesota, and Jacksonville.
2. Nick Foles was bad enough that Nagy had to answer questions about whether the team was going back to Mitchell Trubisky. The Saints are subject to lapses in the secondary, but if they play well, the number of questions will grow.
3. Darrell Henderson ran hard and showed his signature burst, but Malcolm Brown is not going away and he got the touchdown and better of the fantasy production in the backfield. Cam Akers is nowhere to be seen and might not be worth a hold in short bench leagues.
4. Josh Reynolds has held off rookie Van Jefferson and has a core role in this passing game. He’ll have some bench value and matchup WR3/Flex appeal.
5. Two of Jared Goff’s worst games under Sean McVay came vs. this Bears defense, but he was smooth and crisp in this game and had no problems with them. This should give us more confidence in this offense against tougher defenses going forward.