Week 7 fantasy rankings: Best, QB, RB, WR and TEs to start, sit

We’re quickly closing in on the halfway point of the 2023 NFL season, meaning we have more data points and film to put together our Week 7 fantasy rankings. As always, we’ll provide analysis and fantasy football advice for some of the top players at each position.

It’s going to be a rough time for fantasy managers thanks to the bye week. Entering Week 7, the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans are all resting. It removes multiple premium fantasy starters and significant depth, something to keep in mind. We’ll also have to monitor the key injuries from Week 6. Stay tuned for updates to the NFL injury report.

Related: Week 7 NFL power rankings

Let’s dive into our Week 7 fantasy rankings. Matchup previews for the top 15 players at each of our positional fantasy rankings will be provided throughout the week. Bookmark this page for updates taking you through Sunday morning.

Week 7 fantasy QB rankings

RANK	PLAYER	OPPONENT
1	Josh Allen	@ NE
2	Patrick Mahomes	vs LAC
3	Tua Tagovailoa	@ PHI
4	Jalen Hurts	vs MIA
5	Lamar Jackson	vs DET
6	Justin Herbert	@ KC
7	Geno Smith	vs ARZ
8	Trevor Lawrence (Q – Knee)	@ NO
9	Jared Goff	@ BAL
10	Brock Purdy	@ MIN
11	Matthew Stafford	vs PIT
12	Kirk Cousins	vs SF
13	Jordan Love	@ DEN
14	Sam Howell	@ NYG
15	Daniel Jones (Q – Neck)	vs WAS
16	Baker Mayfield	vs ATL
17	Derek Carr	vs JA
18	Deshaun Watson (Q – Shoulder)	@ IND

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills – Heading into Week 7, Allen is dealing with a shoulder injury. As long as he plays, this is a golden opportunity. While New England used to be outstanding against the pass, injuries depleted the secondary and the Patriots have now allowed an average 104.4 QB rating with a 72.3% completion rate and 7.7 yards per attempt to QBs in the last three games.
2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs – On the one hand, the Chiefs’ offense is far from its usual efficient self with a below-average receiving corps dragging this passing game down. But, we’re talking about Patrick Mahomes against a Chargers’ secondary that allows nearly 300 pass ypg.
3. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins – With the highest projected point total in Week 7, this matchup should be a delight for fantasy managers. Tua Tagovailoa is playing at an MVP-caliber level this season and he could finish as QB1 overall against an Eagles’ secondary that has allowed the fourth-most passing touchdowns (11) and the ninth-highest QB rating (94.7).
4. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles – Chalk up the Week 6 performance to a bad game against a fantastic defense. Jalen Hurts is in an ideal rebound spot, especially when you consider Miami has twice allowed its opponents to throw for 290-plus yards.
5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson is almost back at his MVP form, but the system and players around him are letting him down quite a bit. This is not a particularly good matchup against a well-coached Lions’ defense, but Jackson’s rushing ability provides a safe floor with many teams on a bye.
6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers – While some might be hoping for a shootout, don’t count on it happening. Justin Herbert is facing a Chiefs’ defense that has held opponents to an 82.0 QB rating this year with a 60.9% completion rate. Herbert is still an elite talent, but Kansas City is just playing so well defensively right now that his ceiling is lowered.
7. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks – Geno Smith missed some touchdown opportunities last week because of Cincinnati’s pass rush. Arizona isn’t nearly as capable of rushing the quarterback as the Bengals, meaning a cleaner pocket for Smith to go after a secondary ceding a 101.3 QB rating and 70.9% completion rate to its opponents.
8. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars – It’s been a frustrating season for Lawrence’s fantasy managers. Now, he’s dealing with an injury. Assuming he starts, the quarterback with a 100-plus QB rating in three starts and a sub-86 QB rating in two games faces one of the best pass defenses in the NFL on a short week. Proceed with extreme caution.
9. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions – In 2022, Goff had a 23-3 TD-INT line with a 105.5 QB rating at home and a 93.1 QB rating on the road. One season later, his home vs road splits (113.3 QB rating vs 97.7) are still pretty evident. He’s in a system built for fantasy success, but the upside is lowered in Baltimore against a top-10 defense.
10. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers – The rain caused Brock Purdy problems in Cleveland, but that won’t be an issue in Week 7. Instead, Purdy climbs to 11th in our fantasy QB rankings against a Minnesota defense that has allowed the second-highest completion rate (75.2%) in the NFL. That’s exactly the kind of matchup you want for Purdy.
11. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams – How Matthew Stafford performs will all come down to the Rams’ offensive line. Pittsburgh gives up big plays (7.3 yards per attempt), but its edge rushers are the one thing that prevents quarterbacks from attacking the Steelers’ secondary all day. That’s where the risk comes from, but Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua can feast on these cornerbacks.
12. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings – In his first game without Justin Jefferson, Cousins had only 181 passing yards with a single touchdown on 31 attempts. The only reason you’ll be starting him in Week 7 is due to the quarterbacks on the bye.
13. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers – There’s more doubt now about Jordan Love being a starting quarterback long-term, but just about anyone can have success against the Broncos’ secondary. Denver has already seen to thrown in the towel in 2023, so Love becomes a streaming option.
14. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders – As maddening as the Washington Commanders offense is, Sam Howell still gets you fantasy points. The New York Giants have a lot of issues tackling, which could pose problems against a Commanders’ offense that throws so many underneath passes and screens to set up yards after catch. Just remember, the road to Howell’s fantasy relevance isn’t pretty but he gets you to the destination.

Week 7 fantasy RB rankings

RANK	PLAYER	OPPONENT
1	Austin Ekeler	@ KC
2	Christian McCaffrey (Q – Oblique)	@ MIN
3	Kenneth Walker III	vs ARZ
4	Travis Etienne	@ NO
5	Aaron Jones (Q – Hamstring)	@ DEN
6	Bijan Robinson	@ TB
7	Saquon Barkley	vs WAS
8	Josh Jacobs	@ CHI
9	Brian Robinson Jr	@ NYG
10	Isiah Pacheco	vs LAC
11	Alvin Kamara	vs JAX
12	Jonathan Taylor	vs CLE
13	D’Andre Swift	vs MIA
14	Javonte Williams	vs GB
15	Jerome Ford	@ IND
16	Jahmyr Gibbs (Q – Ankle)	@ BAL
17	Raheem Mostert	@ PHI
18	James Cook	@ NE
19	Rhamondre Stevenson	vs BUF
20	Roschon Johnson	vs LV
21	Jaylen Warren	@ LAR
22	Rachaad White	@ ATL
23	Najee Harris	@ LAR
24	Justice Hill	vs DET
25	Jaleel McLaughlin	vs GB
26	Alexander Mattison	vs SF
27	Keaontay Ingram	@ SEA
28	Kareem Hunt	@ IND
29	Gus Edwards	vs DET
30	Ezekiel Elliott	vs BUF

1. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers – Coming off a disappointing performance, Austin Ekeler has a nice shot to rebound in Week 7. While Kansas City is strong defensively, Ekeler’s volume is tough to beat and Los Angeles will have even more at stake on Sunday. Whether it’s a close game or Los Angeles trails heavily, Ekeler is ensured a massive workload.
2. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers – If An oblique injury doesn’t rule Christian McCaffrey out for Monday Night Football, you must start him against a Vikings’ defense that is dealing with some injuries and makes a lot of mistakes in the first year with Brian Flores.
3. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks – With several of the regulars atop the fantasy RB rankings injured or on a bye week, Kenneth Walker jumps up thanks to a favorable game script. Plus, Arizona allows 4.5 yards per carry.
4. Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars – In the last four games, Travis Etienne is averaging nearly 25 yards per contest and he’s been effective as both a runner and pass-catcher. This isn’t a fantastic matchup, but Etienne has proven he’s the caliber of player who can overcome it.
5. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers – With Aaron Jones already back on the practice field early before Sunday’s game, it’s a great sign he’ll return to his normal workload. That’s precisely what we’re hoping for against a Broncos’ defense allowing 5.6 yards per carry and 172. rushing yards per game.
6. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons – Talent isn’t the issue, Arthur Smith’s insistence on getting Tyler Allgeier involved more is. Fortunately, Robinson’s uptick in routes run means even a disappointing performance on the ground can be overcome. Just know that Tampa Bay is holding opponents to 84 rushing yards per game.
7. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants – Fantasy managers saw what they were hoping for from Saquon Barkley in Week 6. Returning to his feature role, Barkley should keep shaking off more rust against a Washington front that allows 4.6 yards per carry and 129 rush ypg.
8. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders – The Chicago Bears have been surprisingly strong against the run (3.5 ypc, 89.5 rush ypg) this season, but they still give up a lot of points. Frequent red-zone trips and pass-catching work will be what makes Jacobs a potential top-10 running back in Week 7.
9. Brian Robinson Jr, Washington Commanders – It’s always about the game script for Brian Robinson Jr. In a winnable game for the Commanders against a Giants’ defense that allows 5.1 ypc and 147.5 rush ypg, this could be a blowup spot for Robinson.
10. Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs – With 19-plus touches in two of his last three games, Isiah Pacheco is approaching RB1 territory. Bye weeks and a very bad Chargers’ defense offer a much higher probability of Pacheco reaching his ceiling this weekend.
11. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints – The Saints have already given Alvin Kamara 75 touches in three games this year. While he’s experiencing a career-low in efficiency (3.8 yards per touch), we’ll gladly sign up for a running back with 20-plus touches.
12. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts – With no Anthony Richardson, the Colts’ offense is much easier to stop and Indianapolis clearly loves Zack Moss. A time will come when Taylor is an elite fantasy running back again, but we’re not betting on it against the Cleveland Browns’ defense (79 rush ypg allowed).
13. D’Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles – Philadelphia likely has some regrets about how it handled its play-calling in Week 6. Even on a bad day, though, D’Andre Swift had 18 touches. Anything close to that workload in a game with a 50-plus point total puts you in must-start territory.
14. Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos – Coming off a season-high 17 touches in Week 6, Javonte Williams becomes an RB2 with a nice upside as he takes on a Packers’ defense that allows 4.3 yards per carry and 143.4 rushing yards per week to opponents.
15. Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns – While Jerome Ford doesn’t have the backfield to himself, he produced 91 scrimmage yards against a top-3 defense last Sunday. Now, Ford takes on the Indianapolis Colts (113.5 rush ypg), providing a far more favorable game script and matchup.

Week 7 fantasy WR rankings

RANK	PLAYER	OPPONENT
1	Cooper Kupp	vs PIT
2	Tyreek Hill	@ PHI
3	A.J. Brown	vs MIA
4	Amon-Ra St. Brown	@ BAL
5	Stefon Diggs	@ NE
6	Davante Adams	@ CHI
7	Amari Cooper	@ IND
8	DK Metcalf	vs ARZ
9	Brandon Aiyuk	@ MIN
10	Keenan Allen	@ KC
11	Mike Evans	vs ATL
12	Jaylen Waddle	@ PHI
13	Deebo Samuel (Q – Shoulder)	@ MIN
14	DeVonta Smith	vs MIA
15	Tyler Lockett	vs SEA
16	Terry McLaurin	@ NYG
17	Calvin Ridley	@ NO
18	Christian Watson	@ DEN
19	Chris Godwin	vs ATL
20	Puka Nacua	vs PIT
21	Michael Pittman Jr	vs CLE
22	Jordan Addison	vs SF
23	Diontae Johnson (Q – Hamstring)	@ LAR
23	DJ Moore	vs LV
25	Gabe Davis	@ NE
26	Jakobi Meyers	@ CHI
27	Drake London	@ TB
28	Zay Flowers	vs DET
29	George Pickens	@ LAR
30	Marquise Brown	@ SEA

Matchup previews, stats and analysis for our Week 7 fantasy wide receiver rankings will be released on Wednesday afternoon.

Week 7 fantasy tight end rankings

RANK	PLAYER	OPPONENT
1	Travis Kelce	vs LAC
2	Mark Andrews	vs DET
3	Sam LaPorta	@ BAL
4	George Kittle	@ MIN
5	T.J. Hockenson	vs SF
6	Dallas Goedert	vs MIA
7	Kyle Pitts	@ TB
8	Darren Waller	vs WAS
9	Evan Engram	@ NO
10	Luke Musgrave	@ DEN
11	Cole Kmet	vs LV
12	Logan Thomas	@ NYG
13	Michael Mayer	@ CHI
14	Pat Freiermuth (Q – Hamstring)	@ LAR
15	Hunter Henry	vs BUF
16	Gerald Everett	@ KC
17	Trey McBride	@ SEA
18	Dalton Kincaid	@ NE
19	Tyler Higbee	vs PIT
20.	David Njoku	@ IND

Week 7 fantasy rankings – Best fantasy defenses for Week 7

You can check out our D/ST rankings for Week 7, with evaluations on the top matchups, below.

Week 7 fantasy rankings – Best fantasy kickers Week 7

Dive into our K rankings for the upcoming week below.