If you were hoping the Chargers and Cowboys would save us from Week 6 being the lowest-scoring week in the NFL in more than 15 years, I've got bad news for you.
On the whole, the big names for Fantasy did pretty well Monday night. CeeDee Lamb had 18.7 PPR points, and Keenan Allen had 21.5; Tony Pollard had 17.0, and even Austin Ekeler had 10.2 points, a decent number given how lengthy layoff from a high-ankle sprain. Dak Prescott had 26.9 points and Justin Herbert had 21.1, enough to make both top-six QBs this week. But the story of last night's game was the points these teams left on the field.
Pollard had a 60-yard gain on a catch that could have been an even longer touchdown if he wasn't caught from behind – I saw some folks on Twitter saying he would have scored last season, and I can't disagree. He just hasn't looked as explosive this season, and it cost him and Prescott a few points. Herbert cost himself plenty of points Monday with a handful of errant passes, including two that could very easily have been long touchdowns to Allen if he hadn't airmailed them.
It was a frustrating ending to a frustrating week, and it just breaks my heart to have to tell you that I don't think things are going to get much better for Fantasy Football players in Week 7. Between our first six-team bye week and just a ton of injuries to deal with, Week 7 is looking like an awfully tough one to figure out.
In today's newsletter, we've got the latest on the injuries you need to know about, with an eye on how they'll impact this week's waiver-wire run. Then, I've got my first batch of rankings for Week 7 for every position, with some thoughts on the state of each position for this week. It's not going to be easy, but everyone is facing the same dilemma this week, so it's about who can navigate it the best.
It's our job to help you. Let's get to it.
My Week 7 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE
➕Top Week 7 Waiver Wire Targets
Before we get to this week's waiver-wire targets, here's a quick rundown of the injury news from Monday you need to know about.
- Christian McCaffrey had an MRI on his oblique, but we don't know the results yet. We'll have a lot more about his potential replacements shortly.
- Justin Fields is doubtful for Week 7 with a sprained thumb – he dislocated it Sunday. Tyson Bagent seems likely to start for the Bears, and that's a downgrade for the whole offense. Bagent is just a desperation QB2 starter, likely one with a very short leash.
- David Montgomery seems likely to miss Week 7 with a rib cartilage issue; Jahmyr Gibbs is trending in the right direction from his hamstring injury, according to coach Dan Campbell. Hopefully he can get back to practicing this week, but until he does, Craig Reynolds needs to be on your radar as a potential top-20 RB if both Montgomery and Gibbs are out.
- Trevor Lawrence didn't practice Monday as he deals with a knee sprain, and he's in question for Thursday against the Saints. It's not considered a serious, long-term issue, but the short turnaround before this week's game makes it tough, and C.J. Beathard might end up having to start for the Jaguars. That's a downgrade across the board, though I wouldn't be surprised if it meant more work for Travis Etienne if it comes to pass.
- Kyren Williams is likely to miss this week with an ankle injury, and Ronnie Rivers is going to miss longer than that with a knee issue. That could put rookie Zach Evans in line for a bigger role – we'll have more on him shortly.
- Anthony Richardson will likely have season-ending shoulder surgery. That's not necessarily surprising based on what we heard in recent days, but it's a super disappointing outcome for a guy who looked like an immediate top-12 QB as a rookie.
- Deebo Samuel is day to day with his shoulder injury. It wouldn't surprise me if he sat out even if the injury isn't minor, given how beat up he's been.
- Ryan Tannehill has a high-ankle sprain and is at risk of missing time even after the team's Week 7 bye. If you're in a 2QB league, both Malik Willis and Will Levis are worth adding as speculative options in case Tannehill is out, just in case the Titans opt to open up the competition between them again during the bye week.
We'll have more on all of these injuries as the week progresses, but that's what we know now. Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts here that make navigating the waiver wire this week more difficult than typical. There are plenty of opportunities for players to end up in significant, valuable roles in Week 7, but the uncertainty makes it hard to know exactly who to invest in.
You can get Jamey Eisenberg's thoughts on the top waiver-wire options at every position right here, and here are my thoughts on his top five targets:
Jamey Eisenberg's top targets
- Elijah Mitchell, RB, 49ers (56%) -- Mitchell was the presumed backup to McCaffrey to open the season, but he played a much smaller role than Jordan Mason last week. Does that mean Mason is now the No. 2 moving forward, and the guy to have this week? Not necessarily, as Kyle Shanahan said Monday: "Elijah's earned a ton with us over these years. I think Elijah, when he has been healthy, has been as good of a back as there is. He's just had a hard time staying healthy, but I also can't take away anything from JP. I mean every time JP's got his opportunities, you guys see how he's done. So both of those guys have done very well. Elijah came back and practiced late last week on Thursday. So he got really one true day of practice in and that's why JP got the first nod once Christian came out." Mitchell averaged 15.0 PPR points per game in 11 games as a rookie, and was running the ball well last season when he was on the field ... but that's happened just 18 times in 40 career games, and he's left a few of those early, even. We know Mitchell has been a good player when healthy. Is he still the same guy? Can the 49ers trust him to stay healthy? He's a high-risk, high-reward waiver target this week.
- Jordan Mason, RB, 49ers (9%) -- I want to say Mason is the safer play here, but the problem is, if Mitchell does get used as the lead back, I'm not sure there's much room for Mason to contribute. He hasn't done much as a pass-catcher in the NFL, and he didn't do much in college, so if Mitchell is healthy and gets the 1a treatment, you might be left hoping for a touchdown from Mason. He's still very much worth adding, but don't break the bank.
- Zach Evans, RB, Rams (3%) -- Honestly ... Evans might be the guy to break the bank for. Sean McVay has a tendency to use one back heavily when he finds someone he trusts, and the upside can be huge, as we've seen with Kyren Williams this season. Does Evans have McVay's trust yet? That's totally unknown at this point, but I guess we'll find out by how aggressive the Rams are about adding another back this week; if they go into Sunday's game against the Steelers having only elevated Royce Freeman from the practice squad, Evans could be in line for a significant role. He's a talented player who had trouble staying healthy in college and never locked down an every-down role, but he might be able to fake it for a week.
- Sam Howell, QB, Commanders (66%) -- Howell is a top-10 QB for me this week, which isn't necessarily saying a ton seeing as he's a top-11 QB for the season. He's got his limitations as a player, but Howell has been productive and has an awesome matchup against the Giants. I'm starting him with confidence this week.
- Josh Downs, WR, Colts (43%) -- The Colts probably didn't want to throw it 55 times in Week 6, but those kinds of games may happen when they fall behind, given how fast this offense plays and how many plays they're running right now -- they're fifth in offensive plays heading into Week 7. Downs has 26 targets in the three games Gardner Minshew has played the majority of the snaps in and could be a viable PPR option with Minshew moving forward.
My Week 7 Rankings
Week 7 QB Rankings
"If you're not happy with what you've been getting from the quarterback position in your Fantasy Football lineup lately, I've got some good news. No, you probably aren't going to find some obviously, huge upgrade waiting for you on the waiver-wire this week, so it's not that kind of good news. The good news is, that almost everyone else in your league is probably not feeling much better right now.
By my count, there are six quarterbacks you should feel really good about having in your starting lineup in Week 7: Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Herbert, in some order (though that's the specific order I've got them in). After that? It's a whole bunch of question marks."
- Jalen Hurts vs. MIA
- Patrick Mahomes vs. LAC
- Josh Allen @NE
- Lamar Jackson vs. DET
- Tua Tagovailoa @PHI
- Justin Herbert @KC
- Geno Smith vs. ARI
- Matthew Stafford vs. PIT
- Jared Goff @BAL
- Sam Howell @NYG
- Russell Wilson vs. GB
- Kirk Cousins vs. SF
Week 7 RB Rankings
"As of Monday afternoon, here's a list of just some of the running backs who won't be in my rankings for Week 7 of the Fantasy Football season: Christian McCaffrey (oblique injury), Tony Pollard (bye), Derrick Henry (bye), Breece Hall (bye), Kyren Williams (ankle), Joe Mixon (bye), Miles Sanders (bye), Chuba Hubbard (bye), Dameon Pierce (bye), David Montgomery (ribs), and Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring). And that's not even including guys like De'Von Achane, Khalil Herbert, or James Conner, who have been top-24 running backs in the past but are already on IR.
That is, by my count, at least 10 running backs who might typically be in the top 24 of my rankings at least potentially out of commission for Week 7, and that's assuming Aaron Jones is back from his hamstring injury this week; if not, add him to the list. That's decidedly less than ideal."
- Austin Ekeler @KC
- Bijan Robinson @TB
- Alvin Kamara vs. JAX
- Josh Jacobs @CHI
- Raheem Mostert @PHI
- Travis Etienne @NO
- Kenneth Walker vs. ARI
- D'Andre Swift vs. MIA
- Saquon Barkley vs. WAS
- Aaron Jones @DEN
- Isiah Pacheco vs. LAC
- Jonathan Taylor vs. CLE
- Zack Moss vs. CLE
- James Cook @NE
- Alexander Mattison vs. SF
- Craig Reynolds @BAL
- Rachaad White vs. ATL
- Rhamondre Stevenson vs. BUF
- Jerome Ford @IND
- D'Onta Foreman vs. LV
- Gus Edwards vs. DET
- Zach Evans vs. PIT
- Najee Harris @LAR
- Jordan Mason @MIN
Week 7 WR Rankings
"Injuries and bye weeks are hitting every position hard heading into Week 7 of the Fantasy Football season, but it's a double whammy at wide receiver, where every QB injury also hurts a wide receiver's Fantasy value.
So, even though the injury bug hasn't hit the wide receiver position as hard as it did at running back and QB last week, we're still looking at downgrades for the likes of D.J. Moore and Amari Cooper, plus potentially Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Calvin Ridley, and Christian Kirk among others, thanks to injuries to their quarterbacks. And we'll have to keep an eye on Josh Allen's shoulder, as he is dealing with some soreness that could affect Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, too.
And, of course, with six teams on bye in Week 7, we're already short-handed here."
- Tyreek Hill @PHI
- Cooper Kupp vs. PIT
- Stefon Diggs @NE
- Keenan Allen @KC
- Amon-Ra St. Brown @BAL
- A.J. Brown vs. MIA
- Puka Nacua vs. PIT
- Devonta Smith vs. MIA
- Jaylen Waddle @PHI
- Chris Olave vs. JAX
- Michael Pittman vs. CLE
- Brandon Aiyuk @MIN
- Zay Flowers vs. DET
- Tyler Lockett vs. ARI
- Chris Godwin vs. ATL
- Mike Evans vs. ATL
- DK Metcalf vs. ARI
- Davante Adams @CHI
- Jakobi Meyers @CHI
- Drake London @TB
- Jordan Addison vs. SF
- George Pickens @LAR
- Marquise Brown @SEA
- Michael Thomas vs. JAX
Week 7 TE Rankings
"One name I'm surprisingly high on this week that I want to highlight is Taysom Hill, who is my TE10 for Week 7 – that's the highest I've ever ranked him at tight end, I have to imagine. Because, for the first time really in his entire career last week, he wasn't just being used for gimmicky stuff near the end zone; he was actually playing tight end for the Saints. With Juwan Johnson out, Hill played a season-high 46 snaps Sunday, and lined up either out wide, in the slot, or as a traditional tight end on 42 of them. He ran a route on 33 pass plays and garnered eight targets, all of which came from the slot.
If the Saints are going to use Hill like that, he becomes a lot more interesting for Fantasy. He's been a useful Fantasy option at times in that gimmicky role, but it was always almost entirely touchdown dependent. Now? If he's going to be running actual routes as an actual tight end, you can throw him in your lineup as a streamer – and he still has that touchdown potential if the Saints do opt to use him as a goal-line runner or QB option, too.
There's no guarantee the Saints will use him the same way in Week 7, but if I've been desperate for a tight end, I'm willing to use him as a streamer for this week. "
- Travis Kelce vs. LAC
- T.J. Hockenson vs. SF
- Sam LaPorta @BAL
- Mark Andrews vs. DET
- Dallas Goedert vs. MIA
- Darren Waller vs. WAS
- George Kittle @MIN
- Evan Engram @NO
- Kyle Pitts @TB
- Taysom Hill vs. JAX
- Jonnu Smith @TB
- Logan Thomas @NYG
