[brid video=”664009″ player=”23231″ title=”NFL%20Defense%20Rankings%20Steelers%20Buccaneers%20soar%20heading%20into%20Week%207″ duration=”160″ description=”The absence of a normal offseason and an eliminated preseason took its toll on NFL defenses to begin the season, but we’re starting to see signs of change. As Week 7 draws closer, defensive coordinators are now making adjustments and some of the league’s game-changing players are stepping up.We saw it in Week 6, with teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears putting on defensive clinics. Those stellar efforts paved the way to victory and could set the tone for the next 11 weeks of the regular season.After another fun week of football, there was plenty of shakeup in our rankings for the NFL’s best defenses. If Sunday’s action is a sign of things to come, the next few months in the NFL should feature plenty of excitement.Here, we rank the top-20 defenses in the NFL heading into Week 7.” uploaddate=”2020-10-20 19:30:32″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/664009_t_1603222257.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/664009.mp4″]
Fantasy football Week 7 is here. We now have a large enough sample size to know where certain star players sit in the rankings and how they will perform moving forward.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara ranks as the top fantasy football player thus far. He should eat big time come Sunday. On the other hand, tight end has been a bit of a crapshoot after the big two of George Kittle and Travis Kelce.
Here, we look at our fantasy football Week 7 rankings and get you prepared for what promises to be a fun dew days of action.
Fantasy football Week 7 rankings: Quarterback
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Coming off a brutal performance that saw him throw his first two interceptions of the season last week, we fully expect Rodgers to turn things around in Week 7. He has a tremendous fantasy football matchup against a Houston Texans defense that has yielded 13 passing touchdowns compared to one interception on the season. Houston’s defense ranks seventh-worst from a fantasy football perspective stopping opposing quarterbacks.
2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Surprisingly, Mahomes heads into Week 7 as the second-best fantasy football quarterback. His preseason ADP included owners taking the reigning Super Bowl MVP over more traditional running backs. Even then, Mahomes should shine big time this Sunday. While the Denver Broncos have given up just seven passing touchdowns on the season, Mahomes has shined against them throughout his young career. Mahomes should be a fantasy football goldmine here.
3. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Through the first five games of the season, Russell Wilson has accounted for 19 passing scored and just three interceptions. He’s on pace to break the single-season mark for touchdowns. Needless to say, this has made Wilson the top fantasy football option from the quarterback position. Don’t expect that to change in what promises to be a high-scoring affair against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals.
4. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
In the two games since Bill O’Brien was fired, Watson has accounted for 745 total yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. It’s almost like O’Brien was the problem. There’s even better news for fantasy football owners heading into Week 7. The Green Bay Packers have given up nine touchdowns compared to two interceptions for an opposing 106.2 passer rating this season.
5. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
There’s absolutely no reason to believe Murray won’t have a tremendous fantasy football performance Week 7 against the Seattle Seahawks. He’s taking on a defense that has yielded the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks on the season. With this expected to be a high-scoring affair, Murray should pick up where he left off the past three games (eight touchdowns, one interception).
Related: NFL Week 7 schedule, predictions
Fantasy football Week 7: Sit or start
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: Stafford normally wouldn’t be a reliable QB1 option in fantasy football leagues. That’s until we realize that he is taking on an Atlanta Falcons defense which ranks dead last in the NFL stopping fantasy quarterbacks and has yielded 18 passing touchdowns in three games. Start him.
Fantasy Football Week 7 rankings: Running back
1. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Kamara heads into Week 7 as the No. 1 fantasy football player in the NFL. He’s recorded a whopping 676 total yards and a league-high seven scores from the running back position. Needless to say, Kamara should sit atop the fantasy rankings. Taking on a Carolina Panthers team that has yielded the third-most fantasy points to this position in 2020 does nothing to dispel this notion.
2. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
If Andy Dalton is tossing the ball 54 times in a game while he replaces Dak Prescott under center, it’s safe to assume things are not going right for the Cowboys. Add in Ezekiel Elliott’s fumble issues, and he’s been a disappointment around the fantasy football world this season. Even then, Zeke has a plus-level matchup against Washington in Week 7. That unit has already given up eight rushing touchdowns on the season.
3. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Henry was absolutely brilliant in the Titans last outing, going for 264 total yards and two touchdowns against the Houston Texans. Through five games, the reigning NFL rushing champ leads the league in attempts (123) and yards (588). Set to take on a Pittsburgh Steelers defense in Week 7 that has yielded the second-fewest points to fantasy football running backs, Henry is in for a difficult matchup here.
4. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Much like Rodgers, Jones struggled big time last Sunday against the Buccaneers. He tallied just 15 yards on 10 attempts. We’re expecting that to change Week 7 against an Houston Texans defense that has yielded the most points to fantasy football running backs on the season. Expect Jones to ascend the rankings big time.
5. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks
We’re bullish on Carson heading into Week 7 against Arizona. He’s already scored six touchdowns in five games this season and is averaging a robust 5.2 yards per touch. With the Cardinals expected to focus more on Russell Wilson, it should create opportunities for Carson. It doesn’t hurt that Arizona ranks in the middle of the pack stopping running backs from a fantasy football perspective.
Related: NFL Week 7 odds and point spreads
Fantasy football Week 7: Sit or start
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns: With Nick Chubb still sidelined, Hunt has become a RB1 in weekly rankings around the fantasy football world. While he’s coming off just a 40-yard performance against Pittsburgh in Week 6, Hunt should eat Sunday. The Bengals rank in the bottom 12 against fantasy running backs this season.
Related: In comparison, Yahoo! Week 7 fantasy football rankings
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson
Running Back: Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliott, Kareem Hunt
Fantasy Football Week 7 rankings: Tight end
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Fantasy football owners who drafted Travis Kelce ahead of Week 1 are absolutely loving what they’re seeing thus far. This All-Pro leads NFL tight ends in receptions (37), yards (470) and touchdowns (five). In fact, Kelce is on pace to put up a career-best performance. Don’t expect that to change Week 7 against a Denver Broncos team that has yielded a 73% catch rate to tight ends.
2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Despite missing two games to injury thus far this season (33% of the schedule), Kittle heads into Week 7 as the fourth-best fantasy tight end in the NFL. He’s just been brilliant in his time on the field. The All-Pro has caught 30-of-38 targets for 380 yards and two touchdowns. However, he does have a difficult fantasy football matchup against a Patriots team that’s allowed tight ends to catch just 15-of-28 targets on the season. That pushes Kittle down a bit.
3. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
Waller’s yards-per-catch average (8.7) is pretty troublesome. However, that’s more on Derek Carr failing to get him the ball down the field. The former Baltimore Ravens mid-round pick remains a PPR stud in fantasy football leagues. Through five games, Waller has hauled in 34-of-46 targets. Waller does have a less-than-stellar Week 7 matchup against a Buccaneers squad that’s yielded a sup 60% catch rate to tight ends.
4. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers
Coming completely out of left field, this former undrafted free agent out of Indiana State has been super impressive for the Packers thus far in 2020. Tonyan heads into Week 7 having caught 16 passes for 198 yards and five touchdowns. The biggest question here is whether his targets will decrease with Davante Adams at full health. Tonyan does have a plus-level matchup Sunday against a Texans that has yielded 35 receptions to tight ends on the season.
5. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
A top-eight pick of the Lions back in 2019, Hockenson remains largely inconsistent. The Iowa product has caught just 17 passes in five games. However, three of them have gone for touchdowns. He’s also taking on a Falcons defense in Week 7 that has yielded seven touchdowns and the most points to tight ends this season. Hockenson should be a fantasy football stud, inching up in the rankings in the process.
Related: NFL Week 7 power rankings
Fantasy Football Week 7: Sit or start
Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gronk has struggled to an extend coming off his one-year hiatus. From a fantasy perspective, he ranks just 18th among the tight ends heading into Week 7. With that said, Gronkowski did put up 78 yards and a score last week against Green Bay. With that said, he’s slated to take on a Raiders defense Sunday night that has allowed tight ends to catch just 18-of-31 targets. Sit!
Week 7 fantasy football rankings: Wide receiver
1. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
What has Nuke done in his first season with the Cardinals after a shocking trade from Houston? We’re glad you asked. He leads the NFL in receptions (47) and yards (601), dominating from a fantasy football perspective in the process. It helps Week 7 that Hopkins is going up against a Seahawks defense that has allowed receivers to haul in 108-of-157 targets. Ouch!
2. D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
It’s amazing how Metcalf has ascended the wide receiver rankings as a sophomore. The former second-round pick heads into Week 7 having caught 22 passes for 496 yards and a whopping five touchdowns in as many games. He’s been a fantasy football god this season. Don’t expect that to change Sunday in what promises to be a high-scoring affair against Seattle.
3. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
Sorry Texans fans, this one is going to get ugly. Houston is yielding an absurd 73% catch rate to wide receivers in the season. It is also giving up the sixth-most fantasy points to this position. Now fully healthy, the expectation is that Adams will have a fantasy football field day come Sunday. He’s hoping for that breakout performance after a multi-game absence. The picking is ripe here.
4. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Jones’ fantasy football rankings did not live up to expectations prior to a breakout Week 6 performance against the Minnesota Vikings. In fact, he had caught 15 passes in three games. That changed big time last Sunday with Jones tallying eight catches for 137 yards and two scores. Look for Jones to keep up with that level of performance Week 7.
5. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions
Speaking of the Falcons-Lions Week 7 matchup, it’s going to be an absolute shootout in Hotlanta. The Falcons have yielded a 67% catch rate to opposing wide receivers on the season. They have not been able to cover anyone all year. As for Golladay, he returned to form Week 6 with a 105-yard performance against Jacksonville. Look for him to ascend the fantasy football rankings come this weekend.
Fantasy football Week 7: Sit or start
Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns: By now it’s well known that OBJ was not happy with his team’s performance in a blowout loss to the Steelers. That should be rectified to an extent Week 7 against Cincinnati. The Bengals rank among the worst teams in the NFL defending receivers, yielding a 66% catch rate. This should help Beckham rebound after some major fantasy football struggles this season.
Related: In comparison, Yahoo! Week 7 fantasy football rankings
Tight end: Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Darren Waller, T.J. Hockenson, Robert Tonyan
Wide receiver: DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, D.K. Metcalf, Julio Jones
Fantasy football Week 7 rankings: Defense/special teams
1. Buffalo Bills
Despite being gashed in the run game recently, the Bills are still among the top defenses in our latest rankings. They have true ball hawks on the secondary and linebackers who can change games on a dime. Buffalo is also set to take on a Jets team Week 7 that’s averaging 12.5 points per outing. You can do the math from here.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
Daniel Jones. Daniel Jones. More Daniel Jones. The Giants’ sophomore quarterback heads into Week 7 having thrown twice as many interceptions (six) as scores (three). He’s also put the ball on the ground four times. Despite their own issues on defense, the Eagles should ascend the defensive rankings Thursday evening.