Week 7 is when the bye week crunch truly appears to begin. There are many high-end options around the league who will be out of action this week. This is the time when fantasy teams will begin to separate from the pack by capitalizing on matchups. Knowing which situations to take advantage of and which to avoid is of the utmost importance at this point in the season. With that in mind, I present to you my Week 7 sleepers and busts. These are players at each position who I am either considerably higher or lower on than the Expert Consensus Rankings. There are still plenty of injury situations to monitor, so a lot of the consensus rankings are relative and subject to change. I will also update my own rankings as kickoff approaches.
For help getting ready for NFL Week 7, check out our Week 7 Waiver Wire Recommendations and our Week 7 FAAB Guide.
Week 7 Sleepers and Busts
Sleeper Quarterback
Daniel Jones (My rank: QB11; Expert Consensus Rankings: QB13)
Daniel Jones predictably struggled during a Week 6 game in New England. Jones threw three interceptions and finished as the QB24. It was his third consecutive finish outside the top 18. I expect that trend will reverse course when Jones has a home date with Arizona in Week 7. Arizona has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. They have been a panacea for signal-callers all season long. Quarterbacks have averaged 8.46 yards per attempt, completed 71 percent, and have a perfect 16:0 TD: INT ratio. Jones should benefit from the return of Saquon Barkley as well as Evan Engram. Barkley will keep the defense honest up front and Arizona has been abysmal at covering tight ends this year. It all adds up to a week where I would be totally fine streaming Jones.
Bust Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers (My rank: QB14; ECR: QB10)
Aaron Rodgers enters Week 7 as the overall QB13 on the season. He ranks just 16th on a per-game basis. Head coach Matt LaFleur is running an offense that is much more reliant on the run than Rodgers has dealt with in the past. Rodgers has not needed to do as much and has proven very game script dependent early on in 2019. Through six games, Rodgers has just eight passing touchdowns. The future Hall of Famer has only finished as a top-18 fantasy quarterback in two of six games. Those two games were ones in which the Packers played from behind for a significant portion. If Green Bay plays with the lead this week at home against Oakland, which is expected, Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams figure to be featured. I do not expect Aaron Rodgers to finish the week as a QB1.
Sleeper Running Back
Frank Gore (My rank: RB19 in Standard; ECR: RB26)
Frank Gore has had at least 16 touches in four consecutive games and has surpassed 80 yards from scrimmage in three of the four. He now gets a cake matchup when the Miami Dolphins come to town. Last week, Adrian Peterson finished as an RB1 against the lowly Dolphins. There is no reason to believe Gore cannot repeat the feat. I figured my ranking was a bit of a hedge, but it turns out I am still much higher on Gore than the consensus is this week. Devin Singletary will be back, which may explain those not wanting to go all-in on the veteran. But I believe Gore will still get the bulk of the touches and will be the back Buffalo relies on to kill the clock late in the game. Gore is a potential top-10 fantasy running back this week based on the matchup.
Bust Running Back
Adrian Peterson (My rank: RB40 in Standard; ECR: RB32)
Adrian Peterson had 118 rushing yards a week ago, finishing as an RB1 for the first time this season. In his other four games, his average weekly finish was RB51. I’m going to go out on a limb and declare that Peterson’s strong showing last week was a product of facing the Miami Dolphins. Peterson will go from the penthouse to the outhouse when the veteran faces the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco has allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs. They have given up the fewest yards from scrimmage and are one of just two teams who have yet to surrender a score to an enemy back this year. Peterson is outside the top 30 in the consensus, but many still consider him a Flex play this week. I just do not see it. I want no part of Peterson under any circumstances this week.
Sleeper Wide Receivers
Cole Beasley (My rank: WR35 in PPR; ECR: WR50)
Duke Williams (My rank: WR40 in Standard; ECR: WR59)
The Buffalo Bills do not figure to get much resistance from Miami’s defense this week, but I am not particularly bullish on their top wideout, John Brown. Many people believe this is a smash spot for Brown, but I am a bit wary. He certainly has the potential, but Brown has been limited throughout the week with a groin injury that has his status up in the air. Even if he plays, Buffalo may limit his looks in a game they should win with or without him. Brown will also likely face off against Xavien Howard, should Howard return this week from his own injury. I would play Brown in redraft leagues if he is active, but a couple of Buffalo’s other receivers should provide better value, especially in deeper leagues or in DFS.
Cole Beasley is a fantastic option in PPR leagues this week. He leads the team with 40 targets and has finished as a top-40 fantasy wide receiver in PPR scoring three times in his last four games without the benefit of a touchdown. Beasley also has the easiest individual matchup among Buffalo’s receivers, as he will go against Jomal Wiltz in the slot. Out of 117 cornerbacks who have seen at least 20 percent of their team’s snaps, Wiltz grades out 109th per Pro Football Focus. Wiltz has allowed 161 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 targets. Beasley is in prime position to exploit this matchup. He may even end up a notch or two higher on my rankings before my final update on Sunday.
Duke Williams is another player who may make some noise in this game. Williams made his debut in Buffalo’s last game and caught all four of his targets including a touchdown. He was in on 51 snaps, trailing only Brown among Bills skill position players. Buffalo traded Zay Jones before their bye week, so Williams should be a mainstay in Buffalo’s offense going forward. I think Williams makes for an interesting sleeper this week, particularly in deeper formats. He is a potential Flex play in standard leagues depending on your other options.
Bust Wide Receivers
DK Metcalf (My rank: WR38 in PPR; ECR: WR29)
Truth be told, I did not consider myself low on DK Metcalf until I saw the consensus rankings. Still, I do not see a glaring need to alter my stance. Metcalf does not get a ton of volume in the Seahawks offense, and I do not see that changing much this week. Metcalf has 31 targets through six games and has not exceeded five targets in any of Seattle’s last three contests. I am interested to see how much Baltimore uses new acquisition Marcus Peters against Metcalf in this matchup. Peters went against Seattle just two weeks ago as a member of the Rams. In that game, Metcalf got behind Peters for a 40-yard score. I expect Peters to seek redemption, and not underestimate the rookie. I have no issue starting Metcalf this week, but I do not think he will get into the end zone this time around.
Jamison Crowder (My rank: WR40 in Standard; ECR: WR31)
Robby Anderson (My rank: WR48 in PPR; ECR: WR34)
Jamison Crowder and Robby Anderson clearly benefited from having Sam Darnold back last week. Anderson had 125 yards including a 92-yard touchdown in the Jets‘ upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Anderson had totaled just 110 yards in the three games Darnold missed. Crowder enjoyed a similar resurgence. Crowder had six catches for 98 yards and has now exceeded 90 receiving yards in each of Darnold’s two starts. That is in stark contrast to his production while Darnold was sidelined with mono. In three games without Darnold, Crowder had a total of just 75 receiving yards. Though better days are clearly ahead for the duo, I do not believe Monday night will not be one of them. The Jets face New England, who has the best defense in the league so far this season.
The Patriots allow the fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers on the year. Anderson has struggled in this matchup throughout his career. He will also likely square off against Stephon Gilmore, one of the league’s premier cornerbacks. Even if he avoids Gilmore’s coverage on occasion, he will have to deal with Jason McCourty, who has been arguably better than Gilmore this year. Either way, his is a matchup to avoid. Crowder may have an even tougher draw. He will go against Jonathan Jones in the slot. Jones is Pro Football Focus’ sixth-rated cornerback in 2019 and ranks third in coverage. Opponents have completed just 17 of 32 passes thrown in his direction, which is tremendous for a slot corner. He also has five pass breakups. I do not consider either a must-start and would hate to rely on either one to provide double-digit fantasy points on Monday night.
Sleeper Tight End
Jared Cook (My rank: TE10 in PPR; ECR: TE14)
My placement of Jared Cook here is entirely dependent on his ability to suit up, as he is currently dealing with an ankle injury. The ailment comes at a tough time, as Cook was finally beginning to produce. Cook has scored in each of his last two games, finishing as a top-eight fantasy tight end on each occasion. If he can play, I expect him to continue his recent hot stretch. Chicago has not been particularly great at defending the tight end position. The Bears have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this year. Cook would also stand to benefit from Alvin Kamara’s expected absence. Kamara has 33 receptions this year, and Cook would likely soak up some extra targets underneath. This is a late game, so pay attention to the injury reports, but fire up Cook with confidence if he is active.
Bust Tight End
T.J. Hockenson (My rank: TE15 in Standard; ECR: TE11)
Is it too late to change my ranking of Noah Fant? Oh, well. Instead, I will go with his former college teammate at the University of Iowa, T.J. Hockenson. Since Hockenson’s incredible NFL debut, Hockenson has just nine catches for 56 yards over his last four games. He dropped a sure touchdown last week in a game Detroit would ultimately lose by a single point. This week, Hockenson will get a chance to redeem himself against Minnesota. The Vikings have been a hit-or-miss proposition for opposing tight ends. They have given up the third-most receptions and fifth-most yards to the position. Yet they are one of just five teams who have not allowed a touchdown to a tight end. I think last week’s drop may cause quarterback Matthew Stafford to look elsewhere this go-around. As a result, I would expect Hockenson to languish in TE2 territory for another week.
Who are your Week 7 sleepers? Throw us a few names in the comments below. You can’t talk the smack if you don’t call it ahead of time.
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