Before we get into the best plays of Week 7, let’s take a moment to reflect and evaluate how we did in Week 6. To start, we suggested Matt Ryan as an alternative option to Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, and he delivered as the QB1 for the week. We also had good performances from Leonard Fournette, Austin Hooper, Kyler Murray, Chris Carson, Larry Fitzgerald and Terry McLaurin. We identified the Eagles secondary as a matchup to exploit, but recommended the wrong Vikings receiver to attack it with. Although, Adam Thielen still delivered a touchdown and a WR13 finish. On the flip side, Keenan Allen and Tyler Boyd were complete busts, and Will Dissly suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Finally, Alvin Kamara, who popped up on the injury report late in the week, was limited with an ankle and finished as the RB18. Week 7 presents 13 more lock-button players who are primed for success. These players should be in your lineups based on usage, opportunity, matchups, advanced stats and metrics. Let’s assume PPR scoring with four points per passing touchdown.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
Matchup: Seahawks
Lamar Jackson is coming off an incredible Week 6 performance in which he ran for 152 yards and a touchdown on 19 rush attempts while throwing for 236 yards against the Bengals. He is now up to 460 rushing yards, which puts him on pace for over 1,200 yards for the season. Jackson is top-15 in pass attempts and Air Yards, and top-five in deep attempts. He is No. 5 in fantasy points per drop-back and second in fantasy points per game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcp6LZUV7Kg
Week 7 presents a matchup against a weak Seattle defense in what will be among the highest scoring games of the weekend. The Seahawks have allowed the seventh most passing yards and more than 24 points per game. Lock-in Jackson as this week’s QB1.
Leonard Fournette, RB, Jaguars
Matchup: Bengals
Leonard Fournette is a true bellcow. He dominates his team’s touches as much as anyone not named Christian McCaffrey. He holds a 91.5-percent (No. 2 among qualified running backs) Opportunity Share and 94.9-percent (No. 3) Snap Share. He is third in carries and seventh in targets. Only McCaffrey has more than his 141 touches. The only category he lacks in is touchdowns. Fournette has scored just once despite nearly 800 yards from scrimmage.
Check out Leonard Fournette on PlayerProfiler’s Updated Weekly Rankings and Projections:
The good news is, the Bengals have allowed 10 touchdowns to running backs in six games. They have also given up the second most receiving yards to running backs, the most rushing yards and the most fantasy points per game to the position. Fournette is priced as the RB6 on DraftKings, $1,900 cheaper than Saquon Barkley, and the RB3 on FanDuel. Lock him in as the best play of the week.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings
Matchup: Lions
Week 6 was the first time this season that Dalvin Cook failed to score at least 20 fantasy points and finish as a top-12 RB, but that came against one of the league’s best run defenses. The going will be much easier in Week 7 against the Lions, who have allowed the third most fantasy points per game to running backs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAhHEh9hjus
Detroit was torched on Monday night by Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones, who combined for 176 total yards and a score. While they rank middle of the pack against the run, Detroit has surrendered the fourth most receiving yards and receiving touchdowns to running backs. Cook ranks 14th among running backs in targets and top-10 in receiving yards. He is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards, second in Yards Created and fourth in total touchdowns.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams
Matchup: Falcons
The Rams offense was a complete disaster in Week 6. Jared Goff threw for 78 yards while Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods combined for 35 receiving yards. Goff continues to collapse under pressure with the offensive line taking a major step back from their 2018 performance. That won’t be much of a concern in Week 7, however, with the Falcons defense having totaled five sacks through six weeks. Atlanta has allowed the fifth most passing yards and second most passing touchdowns. Only the Dolphins have allowed more points per game. Wide receivers have averaged 44.4 fantasy points per game against this putrid secondary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nmzWs1tBd0
Kupp is the Rams receiver in the best position to take advantage. His 69 targets are good for second most among wide receivers. Kupp, who has scored a touchdown in three of the last four games, is top-three in Target Share, receptions and red zone receptions. He leads in yards after the catch and is No. 3 in fantasy points per game. Kupp is priced as the WR5 on the main slate on both FanDuel and DraftKings and is a good bet to finish as the overall WR1.
Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals
Matchup: Jaguars
This is Tyler Boyd’s third-straight appearance in this article. He smashed two weeks ago against the Cardinals, but was a major disappointment in Week 6. We are still sticking with him and trusting the volume. Boyd averages 9.8 targets per game and has seen 10 or more in four of six games. He is fifth among all wide receivers in receptions despite last week’s quiet outing. Boyd is top-25 in completed Air Yards and 11th in yards after the catch. The Jaguars have surrendered the 10th most receiving yards and 35.7 fantasy points per game to wide receivers. After last week’s letdown, both FanDuel and DraftKings dropped Boyd’s price to $5,600, making him a phenomenal value for Week 7.
Evan Engram, TE, Giants
Matchup: Cardinals
The Giants get Evan Engram back in time for this mouth-watering matchup. The Cardinals are basically incapable of covering tight ends. They have allowed the most receptions, yards, touchdowns and fantasy points per game to the positon. Austin Hooper, Will Dissly, Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst, Greg Olsen (twice) and T.J. Hockenson all scored against the Cardinals. Engram is the best receiver of them all. He is top-five in targets, Target Share, receptions, yards and red zone receptions, while leading all tight ends in yards after the catch. That’s after sitting out Week 6. He has scored double-digit fantasy points in four of his five games and has gone over 20 points twice. He is priced as the No. 2 tight end on both DFS platforms and is well worth the cost.
Other Locks:
Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals at Giants: Only Lamar Jackson has more quarterback rushing yards and the passing efficiency is improving each week. Murray has finished as a top-five QB in back-to-back weeks.
David Johnson, RB, Cardinals at Giants: The Giants have allowed the third most receiving yards to running backs and Johnson is top-three in targets and receiving yards.
Derrick Henry, RB, Titans vs Chargers: Henry has had 15 or more carries in every game and the Chargers have allowed 315 rushing yards over the last two weeks.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks vs Ravens: If he can mostly avoid Marlon Humphrey, Lockett will smash against a Ravens secondary that has allowed the third most receiving yards per game from the slot.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals at Giants: The Giants have allowed the most touchdowns to slot receivers and Kyler Murray targets the slot at a higher rate than any other quarterback.
Michael Gallup, WR, Cowboys vs Eagles: Not on the main slate, but with Amari Cooper likely out, Gallup should torch this Eagles secondary.
Austin Hooper, TE, Falcons vs Rams: The Rams have allowed the seventh most yards to tight ends and Hooper continues to be criminally under-priced on both DFS platforms.
