Who to Start in Fantasy Football? NFL Week 7 First Look
The NFL season is nearing the halfway point as we enter Week 7, and the contenders and pretenders both in the NFL and fantasy football are coming into focus.
Although there’s only two teams on bye weeks — the Cowboys and Bears — there will be many tough decisions on who to start in fantasy football this week. We have a wide variety of projections to consider on PrizePicks to help managers decide who to start.
Let’s take an early look at the PrizePicks NFL board and highlight some of the more appealing players to start in fantasy football this week at each position.
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Who to Start in Fantasy Football? Week 7
Here’s our full list of who to start in fantasy football for Week 6. Click the player to view their PrizePicks Projections.
Who to Start: Quarterbacks
Who to Start: Running Backs
Who to Start: Wide Receivers
Who to Start: Tight Ends
Who to Start in Week 7: Quarterbacks
Packers QB Jordan Love 257.5 Pass Yards — More
Packers QB Jordan Love only has a 58.9% completion rate this season, but he still has 1,131 passing yards through four games — good for 282.75 yards/game. Helping his cause has been his average target depth of 8.9 yards. Week 7 brings a potentially high-scoring game against the Texans, which should force Love to throw the ball a lot.
That could leave him with a gaudy stat line this week, as the Texans rank 24th in the league in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) to opposing quarterbacks, per 4for4 Fantasy Football.
We could also see Love’s full receiving corps see the field this week, as Dontayvion Wicks should be good to return, and Christian Watson is regaining full strength.
Vikings QB Sam Darnold 236.5 Pass Yards — More
This should be a fun matchup between the Vikings and Lions in Week 7. The Lions have been excellent at shutting down the run, allowing the third-fewest rushing yards per game (83.2) in the league.
Combine that with the Lions’ offense tending to score in bunches, forcing opposing offenses to throw more than usual. The result has been the Lions giving up the sixth-most passing yards per game (246.2) in the league.
Vikings QB Sam Darnold could produce one of his better stat lines of the season.
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Who to Start in Week 7: Running Backs
Rams RB Kyren Williams 88.5 Rush Yards – More
Rams RB Kyren Williams is fresh with the Rams having been on a bye in Week 6. Prior to that, he had rushed for at least 89 yards in three straight games. He has been a workhorse for this offense, racking up at least 18 carries in four of five games.
Week 7 brings a matchup against the Raiders, who have allowed the ninth-highest explosive rush percentage (10.26%) and have the fifth-highest rushing expected points added per play (EPA) in the league, per 4for4.
Texans RB Joe Mixon 60.5 Rush Yards — More
Texans RB Joe Mixon returned from a three-week absence due to an ankle injury to run for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots in Week 6. Mixon also caught two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Mixon has played three games this season, topping 100 yards in two of them. More success could be in the cards for him when he faces the Packers, who have allowed the sixth-highest explosive rush percentage (11.02%) in the league, per 4for4.
Let’s not forget that Mixon had an astounding 30 carries in Week 1 before his injury in Week 2 against the Bears, and had 13 last week in a blowout win in his from injury.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III 66.5 Rush Yards — More
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III has struggled on the ground the last two weeks after coming back from injury, rushing for a total of 51 yards on 19 carries. Prior to that, he had posted at least 80 rushing yards in both of his first two games.
He is still averaging 4.6 yards per carry and has received at least 60.6% of the Seahawks’ rushing attempts in three of four games. What also makes Walker so appealing in fantasy is that he has 5 rushing touchdowns and 8 red-zone carries over four games.
Who to Start in Week 7: Wide Receivers
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill 54.5 Receiving Yards — More
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill has seen his production take a nosedive since Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) went down. He did produce a respectable stat line versus the Patriots in Week 5, catching six of 10 targets for 69 yards as QB Tyler Huntley looked more comfortable passing the ball.
In that game, he was targeted 10 times on 31 of Huntley’s attempts — 32.2% of all targets.
This season, he has garnered 24.4% of the Dolphins’ total team targets and he has been targeted on 30.5% of his routes. Expect a better stat line from him against the Colts, who are allowing an average of 13.8 yards per reception to wide receivers.
Texans WR Stefon Diggs 69.5 Receiving Yards — More
In the first game without Texans WR Nico Collins (hamstring), Texans WR Stefon Diggs caught six of seven targets for 77 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. Diggs has been targeted at least six times in every game this season and he has at least 69 receiving yards in four straight games.
The Packers have also allowed plenty of big plays through the air, allowing the eighth-highest explosive pass percentage in the league, per 4for4.
Diggs has a lot of upside here, especially if this game turns out to be a shootout between Jordan Love and CJ Stroud.
Panthers WR Diontae Johnson 67.5 Receiving Yards — More
Panthers WR Diontae Johnson produced another valuable stat line last week, finishing with six receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. He has been targeted at least 10 times in three of four games since Panthers QB Andy Dalton took over at quarterback.
Over those four games, Johnson has totaled 24 receptions for 306 yards and three touchdowns. His hefty target share will leave him with plenty of upside against the Commanders, who have allowed 13.1 yards per reception to opposing wide receivers and rank 28th in opponent’s dropback EPA (.222).
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Who to Start in Week 7: Tight Ends
49ers TE George Kittle 50.5 Receiving Yards — More
49ers TE George Kittle has posted a touchdown reception in each of his last four games. Last week, he had two touchdowns against the Seahawks. During that four-game span, Kittle finished with at least 58 receiving yards three times. He has a 19.4% target share for the 49ers.
Look for him to roast a Chiefs defense that is tied for the most receptions allowed (37) and the second-most receiving yards (409) to tight ends this season.
Texans TE Dalton Schultz 35.5 Receiving Yards — More
The Packers are also tied for the most receptions allowed to tight ends this season (37). Texans TE Dalton Schultz was more involved with Collins out last week, receiving a season-high eight targets.
Although he finished with just four receptions for 27 yards, a better stat line could await him in this favorable matchup. Also working in Schultz’s favor is that his average depth of target is 7.4 yards this season. Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson and Bears TE Cole Kmet are both on byes, so Schultz could be a good replacement for them in fantasy football.
Build Your Week 7 NFL DFS Lineup on PrizePicks
Despite just two teams being on a bye for Week 7, we have plenty of start or sit decisions to consider for fantasy football. Fantasy managers will need to find replacements for Cowbouys QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb, in particular.
You can get in on all the Week 7 excitement by building a team on PrizePicks for the Sunday main slate. There are no salary constraints, so pick two or more projections for your favorite players, finalize your lineup, sit back, and enjoy the games.
Follow Mike Barner for more NFL Picks: @rotomikebarner
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