Here are my Week 7 fantasy football notes. There are only two bye weeks on the board, so this week should be a mostly full roster slate for most fantasy managers.
Denver at New Orleans
There isn’t much in the way of start candidates here outside of Alvin Kamara, but Bo Nix is a solid stream start or Superflex. He’s scored 19+ points in three of the past four weeks and is facing a Saints team that just gave up 51 points last week.
New England vs Jacksonville (game in London)
Drake Maye’s on-field performance last week left a lot to be desired, but he did score 19.52 points on the strength of three touchdown passes. The Jaguars cornerbacks have terrible coverage metrics over the past four weeks. Merge those factors and Maye is a good longshot start in 2QB or Superflex leagues.
Seattle at Atlanta
This is a great rush defense matchup for Bijan Robinson, and that should lead to a lot of rushes and not much passing. This means Kirk Cousins needs to be downgraded as a start prospect. For further proof, if you take out that one big game he had in Week 5, Cousins has not scored 13 points since Week 2.
Tennessee at Buffalo
The Titans defense has been superb of late, as they have strong advanced metrics versus both the rush and pass over the past month. Keep that in mind if you are considering starting Amari Cooper, as he is adjusting to a new quarterback and offensive system. Combine that with the matchup and he’s best suited as a sit candidate in most leagues.
The rest of KC Joyner’s Week 7 fantasy football notes are available exclusively for Pickwatch Pro subscribers.
Cincinnati at Cleveland
David Njoku just had his best game of the year, and this matchup portends for a game that is as good or better than last week. He makes for a good longshot TE candidate for those in a tough spot at this position.
Houston at Green Bay
Don’t hesitate to start the Packers D/ST given its penchant for takeaways (three in all but one game this year, and they had two in the other). Merge that with C.J. Stroud’s penchant for throwing picks (at least one in three of the past four games) and Green Bay should be in the starting lineup in many leagues.
Miami at Indianapolis
This isn’t to say to sit Anthony Richardson, as rushing quarterbacks don’t need much in the way of passing to be QB1 candidates but do remember that he has scored 10+ points only once this year, and that was in Week 1. His passing skills are very under-developed, and that sets a low floor if his rushing skills don’t make up for it.
Detroit at Minnesota
Jameson Williams is very TD dependent, but this week’s cornerback matchup has a very good chance of providing him with that touchdown. Consider him a good longshot start candidate, or an upside play if you need to go that route.
Philadelphia at New York Giants
Believe it or not, the Giants D/ST is a start prospect. This platoon can rush the passer and just held a very strong Bengals offense to only 17 points. The Eagles had pass blocking issues even before the injury to Jordan Mailata, and only scored 20 points against a Browns defense that isn’t much better than the Giants.
Las Vegas at Los Angeles Rams
Ignore any trade requests that you get for Brock Bowers. He’s posted 17 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown over the past two weeks and is in the midst of an incredibly favorable rest of season schedule. He’s even worth paying a bit of premium to get in a trade, as the Raiders have six green-rated TE coverage matchups from Weeks 7-17.
Carolina at Washington
Get as many Commanders starting-caliber players as you can into lineups. Carolina’s defense is awful, and the Washington offense is so good that if you added .28 points to Jayden Daniels Week 5 game, he would have five games with 20+ points.
Kansas City at San Francisco
Temper expectations for every fantasy prospect in this game. The Chiefs will likely go run-heavy on offense since their passing attack has been hampered by injuries. Kansas City’s defense is starting to play at last year’s elite level, so the 49ers recent big play spike will likely be capped. This doesn’t mean to sit any players, but rather that these players may end up on the wrong side of a tiebreaker if you have higher upside options available.
New York Jets at Pittsburgh
The Jets did just add Davante Adams to their lineup, but don’t hesitate to start the Steelers D/ST. This platoon can rush the passer and pick off passes, both of which have been issues for the Jets offense this year and is something that Adams’ addition doesn’t impact.
Baltimore at Tampa Bay
This may be a great game to start Mark Andrews. He’s done well of late (seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown), and Tampa Bay has been abysmal at covering tight ends.
Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona
Don’t expect big numbers from Kyler Murray. He was the worst vertical passer in the league in 2022 and 2023 and is starting to show that same weakness in 2024. Add that to Marvin Harrison Jr.’s injury and a difficult matchup and this is a week to sit Murray.