Week 7 fantasy football rankings: Evaluating best QB, RB, WR and TE options (2024)

The Sportsnaut Week 7 fantasy football rankings break down the most important positions in fantasy, evaluating individual matchups, recent performances, and injuries for the best players in the NFL. Bookmark this page for updates leading up to every game.

Our preliminary rankings for Week 5 are done before the latest NFL injury report comes out. There are plenty of injuries to monitor, including to NFL stars like Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown.

Before diving into our fantasy rankings for Week 7, here are the NFL teams on a bye this week.

NFL bye weeks – Week 7

• Buffalo Bills
• Los Angeles Rams
• Minnesota Vikings
• Philadelphia Eagles

Here are our Week 7 fantasy football rankings.

Week 7 fantasy QB rankings

Related: NFL quarterback rankings

The Week 7 fantasy football rankings take a hit with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Kirk Cousins among those in the bye. Facing one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Lamar Jackson sits atop the Week 7 fantasy rankings. In eight career games against Cleveland, Jackson boasts a 67.3% completion rate with 11 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns and 64 rush ypg.

Tua Tagovailoa and Dak Prescott rejoin our fantasy football rankings, returning from multi-week absences. Tagovaola received clearance to return more than a week in advance of a tantalizing matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, facing one of the worst pass defenses in football. Considering he practiced before Week 7, we feel good about his readiness for Sunday. As for Prescott, he draws an enticing matchup but is kept out of the top-five due to questions of how many throws he makes against the Detroit Lions.

In the 12-15 range of the Week 7 QB rankings, we’re advising caution with Derek Carr. Entering the bye, the Houston Texans defense surrendered under 250 pass ypg with a 4-6 TD-INT ratio and a 73.3 quarterback rating. If you’re looking for alternatives, Kenny Pickett should get plenty of opportunities to throw vs Miami.

Related: NFL games today

While we’re certainly not ready to say it’s time for fantasy managers to drop Russel Wilson, he shouldn’t be in starting lineups. Dealing with a lat strain and now a significant hamstring injury, Wilson might not even be active in Week 7. If Brett Rypien is under center, it further depletes the fantasy appeal of Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.

Matt Ryan is one of the most appealing options in the back end of our fantasy QB rankings for Week 7. While we do have concerns regarding the Colts’ ability to protect Ryan, he will get some nice looks against this secondary. Tennessee’s pass defense is allowing the most passing yards per game (287.6) with a 106.3 quarterback rating and a 12-4 TD-INT ratio.

There is also a level of appeal with Jimmy Garoppolo. Kansas City’s secondary allows 266 passing yards per game with a 107.5 passer rating. Just as eye-opping, the Chiefs allow opponents to average a 69% completion rate with an absurd 15-1 TD-INT ratio. We don’t expect a ton of volume stats from Garoppolo, but the efficiency could be great.

Week 7 fantasy RB rankings

Leading off our Week 7 fantasy rankings is Saquon Barkley, but the gap between him and the other options is smaller as he deals with some nagging injuries. Derrick Henry is a strong bet for a 100-yard game, facing an Indianapolis Colts defense that surrendered 495 yards in the last three weeks. On top of that, Henry’s career averages vs Indianapolis (103.9 rushing yards per game, 5.2 yards per rush, 14 touchdowns in 13 games) speak volumes.

Henry is far from the only one with a fantastic matchup in Week 7. Now in a featured role, Kenneth Walker squares off against the Los Angeles Chargers run defense that allows 5.8 ypr and more than 130 yards per game. On that same field, Austin Ekeler should feast against a Seahawks’ defense with the second-most rushing yards per game (165.8) allowed. We’re equally high on Josh Jacobs, who is thriving in the Las Vegas Raiders offense and now gets to run against a Houston Texans’ front seven that allows 165 rush ypg.

Week 7 fantasy running back sleepers

• Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins vs Pittsburgh Steelers
• Brian Robinson Jr, Washington Commanders vs Green Bay Packers
• Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars vs New York Giants

Outside the top-10 running backs in our fantasy football rankings, we’d focus attention on Rhamondre Stevenson, Dameon Pierce, Travis Etienne and Brian Robinson Jr. Even if Damien Harris (hamstring) returns in Week 7, Stevenson proved he can be a featured part of the Patriots’ offense and Chicago allows more than 160 rushing ypg. Pierce is now the focal point of Houston’s attack and the matchup against the Raiders should deliver strong performances on the ground from both teams. Robinson is in a committee, but his physical style as a runner is perfect to take advantage of a soft Green Bay Packers defense (135.2 rush ypg allowed) and Etienne is clearly the best running back in Jacksonville.

The Christian McCaffrey trade did provide a significant adjustment to the Week 7 fantasy RB rankings. Because McCaffrey is only going to play a limited role against the Kansas City Chiefs, he drops from a top-10 spot to just inside the top-30. He’ll be an elite fantasy option when he is fully integrated into the offense, but that won’t happen until Week 8 at the earliest.

As for the situation in Carolina, it’s not one we feel good about. The matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is challenging with a game script that makes the situation even more difficult. We’d advise staying away from both Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman in Week 7. As for long-term, you can find more on the ROS outlook below.

Among the running backs we’re cautious of in Week 7, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, A.J. Dillon and Najee Harris. The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best run defenses in the NFL and it’s not going to be something the Kansas City Chiefs really want to commit to overcoming. As for Harris, he has to face a Ravens’ front that just bottled up Barkley for his least productive game of the season. Meanwhile, Dillon is averaging just 3.9 yards per rush this season and doesn’t have a single play of 20-plus yards. The only fantasy value he brings right now is negating Aaron Jones’ production.

Related: NFL games today

Fantasy Football Rankings Week 7 – Wide Receiver

Related: NFL wide receiver rankings

The Week 7 fantasy WR rankings take a hit thanks to the bye week. With the Buffalo Bills (Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis), Minnesota Vikings (Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen), Philadelphia Eagles (DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown) and Cooper Kupp all unavailable. With many of the game’s biggest stars unavailable, the fantasy football rankings look a bit different.

Ja’Marr chase comes in at No. 1 against an Atlanta Falcons secondary allowing the second-most passing yards per game, especially now that his connection with Joe Burrow is back on point. While he will draw a higher volume of targets, a healthy version of Tee Higgins still registered as a low-end WR1 in Week 7.

The Arizona Cardinals welcome back DeAndre Hopkins on Thursday Night Football. Considering he is back from a suspension, there is no reason to fear a lighter workload or an injury setback. Kyler Murray will target him early and often, which is precisely what we want against a Saints’ defense that gives up plenty of big plays and a 98.1 quarterback rating.

Moving down the fantasy wide receiver rankings for Week 7, Alec Pierce and Jakobi Meyers are among the sleepers people should prioritize. New England didn’t need Meyers in Week 6 (60 receiving yards on four targets), but he should be more involved against the Chicago Bears and he was extremely productive (206 receiving yards, 1 TD) in his prior two contests.

Pierce is one of our favorite matchup plays in Week 7. The rookie drew 16 combined targets in the past two games, turning them into 130 receiving yards and a touchdown. He’ll now line up against the Tennessee Titans, a secondary allowing 287.6 passing yards per game.

Fantasy Football tight end rankings

There’s not much to say about the top of the fantasy football TE rankings. Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce each enter Week 7 with at least 50-plus targets, 450-plus receiving yards and are averaging nearly 12 yards per reception. They are being funneled targets from elite quarterbacks and the defense they line up against has no real impact on what they can do.

We highlighted David Njoku last week as a riser in our fantasy football rankings and he keeps elevating his stock. Njoku ranks sixth amongst all tight ends in targets (35) and he is fourth in receiving yards (347). Not only is the volume of targets there, Noku has also delivered seven plays of 20-plus yards this season. He’s entered must-start territory at tight end.

Njoku is taking the place of Darren Waller, who we can no longer feel confident in. It’s not a question of talent, Waller’s athleticism and playmaking ability is undeniable. However, the 30-year-old ranks 88th in the NFL in receiving yards (175) and he’s pulled in just six receptions for 46 yards in the last two games. Unless we see changes coming out of the bye week, Waller won’t gain much ground in the fantasy rankings moving forward.

Week 7 fantasy kicker rankings

1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens vs Cleveland Browns
2. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs vs San Francisco 49ers
3. Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals vs Atlanta Falcons
4. Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders vs Houston Texans
5. Brett Maher, Dallas Cowboys vs Detroit Lions
6. Will Lutz, New Orleans Saints @ Arizona Cardinals
7. Graham Gano, New York Giants vs Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos vs New York Jets
9. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers @ Washington Commanders
10. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Miami Dolphins
11. Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers
12. Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons @ Cincinnati Bengals
13. Riley Patterson, Jacksonville Jaguars vs New York Giants
14. Chase McLaughlin, Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
15. Nick Folk, New England Patriots vs Chicago Bears

Week 7 fantasy defense rankings