Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 7 Matchups to Consider
Believe it or not, Week 7 marks the midpoint of the fantasy regular season! Fantasy managers are either preparing to solidify their position for getting into the playoffs or are looking for a way to get back into the playoff picture after a rough start to the year. Either way, getting your lineup set to its optimal state is essential ahead of this week! Per usual, I’m here to walk through each position and highlight a few matchups that could be the difference in taking a step toward the playoffs and securing your spot in the toilet bowl!
For more in-depth analysis, be sure to check out Andy, Mike, and Jason’s rankings!
Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray (ARI) vs. L.A. Chargers
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| QB13 | QB13 | QB14 |
QB14 |
The hopes that Kyler Murray would be a QB value for fantasy managers heading into the season hasn’t paid off just yet through six weeks. Through his first six games, Murray has only been a top-12 QB twice, which were really the only two weeks he was super helpful for fantasy. The worst part is that Murray has as many games scoring 12 or fewer points as he does scoring 24+ fantasy points. On the bright side, Murray has been a consistent threat in the running game, averaging 43 rushing yards per week, so the threat for him to be a fantasy contributor really just depends on the Cardinals’ passing game.
If the passing game for Arizona is going to get rolling, they’ll have a tough task against a strong Chargers passing defense this week. Los Angeles’ defense has allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards this season and has allowed more than 20 points to be scored just once in their five games. For fantasy, that’s created a really tough matchup for opposing QBs. The Chargers have allowed just one top-10 QB finish this season, and that came just last week to Bo Nix. With Marvin Harrison Jr. possibly not playing this week due to a concussion, fantasy managers may need to look elsewhere for QB.
Kurt would prefer to play: Andy Dalton (CAR) at Washington
Jared Goff (DET) at Minnesota
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| QB14 | QB15 | QB15 |
QB13 |
After a slow start to the season, Jared Goff has finally given fantasy managers the high-end QB finishes Mike talked about all offseason with QB4 and QB3 finishes in consecutive games. While the passing volume hasn’t been the massive usage that fantasy managers grew accustomed to last season when he averaged 35 passing attempts per game, the difference in Goff’s fantasy output has been the five passing TDs over the last two games after throwing just three in his first three weeks. The Lions have scored a combined 89 points in their last two games, which is 27 more than Weeks 1-3 combined so it’s likely that we’ll get to see more of Goff attacking teams through the air.
If Goff is going to be deemed “on fire” by NBA Jam rules after putting together another huge fantasy outing, he’ll have a prime opportunity against the Vikings this week. Minnesota’s defense has given up the eighth-most passing yards on the season, but maybe more importantly for Goff’s fantasy output, they’re allowing the fewest rushing yards in the league and have only allowed one rushing TD so far this year. This matchup lines up perfectly for yet another huge game from Goff and fantasy managers should be excited to have him in their lineups this week.
Kurt would play Goff over: Geno Smith (SEA) at Atlanta
Running Backs
Raheem Mostert (MIA) at Indianapolis
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| RB31 | RB34 | RB26 |
RB33 |
It’s tough to back up an RB2 season that came out of nowhere, but Raheem Mostert’s start to the season has been a hard one. Mostert got injured in the Dolphins’ first game of the season and didn’t return until Week 5 to a Tua Tagovailoa-less offense. Luckily, Mostert’s return came with an RB22 finish and 21 opportunities, so there’s hope that the injured start to the season can be turned around and Mostert can be a player that fantasy managers can turn to again this week. Since Tua’s injury, the Dolphins’ offense hasn’t been the same and their running game has suffered as much as the passing attack, currently averaging just four yards per carry, and surprisingly have just recorded two runs that went for more than 20 yards.
For the Dolphins to get back on track in Week 7, they’ve got a great matchup against a Colts defense that has allowed the most rushing yards in the league so far this year. Indianapolis has allowed a top-15 RB in four of their six games this season, including two finishes of RB2 or higher. While there still may be another week before Tua is able to be back on the field in Miami and this offense returns to what fantasy managers expected coming into the season, Mostert and the Dolphins running game should stand a good chance to be a contributor to fantasy rosters again this week.
Kurt would play Mostert over: Ty Chandler (MIN) vs. Detroit
Tyler Allgeier (ATL) vs. Seattle
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| RB33 | RB32 | RB35 |
RB31 |
As much as fantasy managers wanted the RB work to be isolated to one player in Atlanta, Tyler Allgeier has carved out a pretty relevant role in this offense. Apart from being a great insurance policy for Bijan Robinson, Allgeier is consistently involved in the Falcons’ plan of attack on a weekly basis and even out-produced Bijan on the ground last week in an RB6 finish. When you take a closer look at the numbers, Allgeier has been better on a per-carry basis than Robinson, averaging nearly a yard more per carry. While fantasy managers shouldn’t be selling off their shares of Bijan, this offense feels big enough to have Allgeier be a flex play depending on the matchup.
There aren’t many RB matchups that could give fantasy managers confidence playing teammates in the same backfield, but the Seahawks should be on that shortlist. Seattle’s defense has allowed the fifth-most rushing yards on the season and has given up seven rushes that went for 20+ yards. In two of their last three games, the Seahawks have allowed two top-30 RB finishes in the same game, so there’s definitely potential for both Allgeier and Robinson to be productive on fantasy rosters.
Kurt would play Allgeier over: Nick Chubb (CLE) vs. Cincinnati
Austin Ekeler (WASH) vs. Carolina
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| RB25 | RB24 | RB29 |
RB24 |
After such a disappointing fantasy season in 2023, Ekeler has had a resurgence of relevance in the Washington offense, already posting four top-30 RB finishes on the year. Even though Ekeler has been running behind Brian Robinson Jr., he’s still averaging nearly nine opportunities per game and is seeing more work in the passing game than the Commanders’ starter. The biggest difference in Ekeler’s fantasy finishes being bigger than they have this year has been the lack of TDs, with Robinson and rookie QB Jayden Daniels combining for a very nice 69% of the team’s rushing TDs. If Ekeler can carve out any of the work that Robinson or Jeremy McNichols (two red zone TDs this season) has been given this year, the fantasy ceiling could be raised to a consistent flex option.
The opportunity for Ekeler to be a fantasy option for Week 7 is definitely there this week with a great matchup against the Panthers’ defense. Carolina has allowed the second-most rushing yards this season and a league-high 12 TDs on the ground. For fantasy purposes, they’ve been an absolute feast for RBs, allowing nine top-20 RB finishes already this season. Even better for Ekeler, the Panthers have allowed two RBs to finish as top-20 RBs in each of their last three games, including two top-10 finishes just last week to the Falcons. While Ekeler’s fantasy relevance may still be matchup-dependent, as long as this Washington offense continues to roll, he should be considered for lineups going forward.
Kurt would play Ekeler over: Bucky Irving (TB) vs. Baltimore
Wide Receivers
JuJu Smith-Schuster (KC) at San Francisco
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| WR33 | WR34 | WR30 |
WR34 |
The chances that we would ever see JuJu Smith-Schuster emerge as a relevant fantasy option to be considered in lineups were pretty slim, but here we are. Smith-Schuster assumed the Rashee Rice role in the Chiefs’ offense in Week 5, finishing with seven receptions for 130 yards and a WR12 finish on the week. That receiving production is the best output we’ve seen from JuJu since Week 7 of the 2022 season. It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs come out of their bye week and how much more rookie WR Xavier Worthy is involved in the passing game, but JuJu could provide a safe receiving option until we see the young speedster do more than run straight extremely fast.
Keeping the fantasy relevance rolling may be a tough bet to make on JuJu this week with a tough matchup against the 49ers on hand. San Francisco’s defense is typically one of the best in the league, but they haven’t been a hard stop for opposing WRs when it comes to fantasy to start the season. In their six games this season, the 49ers have allowed four top-24 WR finishes, though they’ve only allowed one over the last four weeks. What’s interesting is that all four top-24 WR finishes haven’t come on yardage alone, but needed a TD to get the players over the top, so JuJu may be a TD-dependent fantasy flex option this week. Given the rate at which the Chiefs are throwing TDs this season, it might be worth a “wait and see” approach with JuJu this week.
Kurt would prefer to play: Christian Watson (GB) vs. Houston
Demario Douglas (NE) at Jacksonville
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| WR35 | WR35 | WR34 |
WR36 |
The change at QB injected some much-needed life into the Patriots’ passing offense, and the biggest beneficiary from Drake Maye being under center was Demario Douglas. Douglas saw nine targets last week for the third time in four games but was able to turn them into a career-high 92 receiving yards and a WR11 finish on the week thanks to Maye. The passing attack in New England needed a new look and it feels like the change to the rookie Maye will be positive overall for the offense, but if Douglas can remain a consistent target for the young QB, there could be potential for him to remain a flex type option for fantasy managers going forward.
Overall, Douglas will be dependent on matchup for a struggling offense like the Patriots, and getting the Jaguars this week is the opportunity fantasy managers should be targeting. The Jacksonville defense has allowed the most passing TDs in the league and the second-most passing yards. On the season, opposing teams’ fantasy WRs are averaging 37.5 fantasy points against the Jaguars’ defense, which has translated into eight top-24 WR finishes already this season, including six in just their last four games. If Douglas continues to see the amount of opportunity he saw in Maye’s debut, he stands a chance to be a strong play in Week 7.
Kurt would play Douglas over: George Pickens (PIT) vs NY Jets
Amari Cooper (BUF) vs. Tennessee
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| WR29 | WR27 | WR32 |
WR29 |
The big news stories of the fantasy week have included WRs being traded to more fantasy-relevant teams, and Amari Cooper’s move to Buffalo could save his fantasy relevance for the season. Cooper’s start to the season has been rough with just one top-24 finish through his first six games. The trade to the Bills is mutually beneficial for both Cooper and the offense as a whole, giving the WR a chance to play with one of the best QBs in the league while the Buffalo offense gets an outside WR it desperately needed. Even with a team that doesn’t want to throw the ball a ton, Cooper’s 21.6% target per route run should see an increase over the coming weeks as he gets integrated fully into the offensive game plan.
For as bad as the Titans’ offense has been this season, their defense is the only reason they’re not the worst team in the league and it bleeds over into fantasy. Tennessee’s defense has allowed the fewest passing yards in the league and has only allowed 10 passing plays of over 20+ yards. Opposing teams’ WRs have struggled to produce for fantasy managers against the Titans. Only once this season has the Tennessee defense allowed more than 20 fantasy points to an opposing team’s WRs. As exciting as the big move may be for Cooper in the long run, it may be worth letting him sit this week.
Kurt would prefer to play: Darnell Mooney (ATL) vs. Seattle
Tight Ends
Mark Andrews (BAL) at Tampa Bay
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| TE14 | TE14 | TE14 |
TE14 |
We got signs of life from Mark Andrews’ fantasy relevance last week! Andrews finished as the TE4 in Week 6 behind 66 receiving yards and his first TD of the 2024 season. As optimistic as I’d like to be about Andrews’ return to relevance, he was still only on the field for 50% of the Ravens’ offensive snaps but did get a 16% target share against the Commanders. The bright spot for Andrews lately includes a red zone target in consecutive weeks, and those valuable targets coming back his way could be a sign of things to come.
If Andrews gives fantasy managers back-to-back solid fantasy finishes, it might be time to rely on him again and he’s got a great matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 7 to do it. Tampa Bay’s defense has allowed at least 12 fantasy points to opposing teams’ TEs in three straight weeks and just gave up their first TD to the position last week. While it may be tough to rely on Andrews again this quickly, the opportunity to have another big week is there and fantasy managers should expect to not get completely burnt by the TE this week.
Kurt would play Andrews over: Dalton Schultz (HOU) at Green Bay
Evan Engram (JAX) vs. New England
| Consensus | Andy | Jason | Mike |
| TE5 | TE6 | TE5 | TE5 |
The return to the lineup was a hot one for Evan Engram in Week 6! After missing four straight games, Engram came back to the Jaguars and led the team in receiving, with 10 receptions and 102 yards to finish as the TE3 on the week. Fantasy managers drafted Engram to be exactly what they got last week: a PPR nightmare at the TE position with the ability to put up huge weeks in yardage when given the chance. The Jacksonville offense is really struggling, and with a defense that’s allowed 20+ points in all but one game this season, the opportunity should continue to be there for Engram as long as he can stay healthy.
If Engram is going to get to repeat his big London performance with another across the pond, he’ll have a tough matchup against the Patriots. New England’s defense has only allowed more than eight fantasy points to opposing teams’ TEs twice this season, but in the last two weeks has allowed nine receptions for 89 yards to the position combined. As long as Engram’s hamstring issue doesn’t hold him out again, there should be plenty of chances for him to be a strong TE option again this week, but his upside might be limited.
Kurt would play Engram over: Trey McBride vs. L.A. Chargers