Much can change between now and kickoff, but here are some players and storylines fantasy football managers should be following for Week 7.
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
The Steelers are coming off a big win against Cleveland, and they should have their way against Cincinnati, especially on offense. Jaylen Warren was once again the center point of the running game, but it should be DK Metcalf who exposes the Bengals’ secondary.
Cincinnati got a good first game from Joe Flacco, and they’re going to need their offensive line to hold up against a Steelers pass rush that will be coming. The Steelers have been susceptible to the running game, so this might be a game where Chase Brown can break out a little.
Los Angeles Rams @ Jacksonville
This is a game between two teams with playoff aspirations, which we never would have said months ago. The Rams were very underwhelming on offense against Baltimore, and they lost star receiver Puka Nacua to injury. Look for Matthew Stafford to focus on Davante Adams and possibly Jordan Whittington, who should be out there on the early downs. Jacksonville has let up a lot of big plays, so there’s a possibility that Tutu Atwell might be in play, too.
Jacksonville has played significantly better on offense as of late, especially Brian Thomas Jr. What the Jaguars really need to do is figure out a way to get rookie sensation Travis Hunter more involved. The expectation, however, is that they will feature Travis Etienne and the running game as much as they can to try to keep Stafford off the field.
New Orleans @ Chicago
The Saints travel to Chicago, so it will be interesting to see how their fast-paced attack does on the grass. Spencer Rattler has played above expectations, but now that Taysom Hill has returned, Hill gets a lot of those short-yardage and goal-line plays. Chris Olave is in trade rumors, so watch out for his snap count.
DJ Moore is questionable after spending a night in the hospital in Washington, D.C., after the game on Monday. If he is out for any length of time, expect to see the Bears get the ball in the hands of Luther Burden more. He’s somebody that fantasy football managers should be watching very closely, as it seems like Ben Johnson wants to get him the football.
Miami @ Cleveland
Cleveland plays a ton of man coverage on the back end, which is exactly what Jaylen Waddle loves to see. Look for him to dominate on offense in week 7.
Miami’s run defense has been gashed by numerous teams, and just last week, they let up a ton of yardage to Kimani Vidal and the Chargers. Cleveland passed way too much in Week 6, so look for them to correct that with Quinshon Judkins, who should get a hundred yards and a touchdown.
New England @ Tennessee
This has the potential to be a let-down game, but I doubt Mike Vrabel will want to go back to Tennessee and let that happen. Look for Drake Maye to give the ball a ton to Rhamondre Stevenson, who should be able to gash the Titans poor run defense.
This will be the first game for the Titans since firing Brian Callahan. Tennessee is still searching for an identity on offense, and they will likely be without star wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who is dealing with an injury. Without Ridley, it will be tough sledding against a very aggressive Patriots defense.
Las Vegas @ Kansas City
Geno Smith has played horribly over the last few weeks, and this is a very difficult matchup for the Raiders on the road, especially if Brock Bowers is out. Kansas City will likely do whatever it can to try to stop Ashton Jeanty from finding any running lanes, which will force the Raiders to throw the ball more than they want.
This is the first week back for Rashee Rice after his 6-week suspension. This puts the Kansas City passing attack at full strength, so expect to see Patrick Mahomes slinging the ball down the field. This could be one of those weeks where Mahomes gets 300 passing yards and multiple touchdowns.
Philadelphia @ Minnesota
This game will be very hotly contested by two teams that really need to figure out their offensive identities. Philadelphia needs to run the ball more, but Minnesota is a very difficult team to run against. At the same time, the Vikings can be beaten in the back end, so if Jalen Hurts has any time to throw, it could be a very big game for AJ Brown and Dallas Goedert.
The big question for Minnesota is who will be the starting quarterback. Will Kevin O’Connell give the job back to JJ McCarthy? Has Carson Wentz won the job, considering he’s played reasonably well? A lot remains to be seen. If McCarthy starts and doesn’t play well, how quickly will his hook be? There’s a lot to unpack here with Minnesota, and fantasy managers have to watch this carefully.
Carolina @ New York Jets
Panthers head coach Dave Canales has already said that Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard are going to share carries, assuming they are both healthy. This seems to be a big mistake considering how good Dowdle has been over the last two games.
The Jets are in big trouble, considering they will not have star receiver Garrett Wilson on the field due to injury. Carolina’s run defense has been very tough recently, so the only Jet who is in real play is rookie tight end Mason Taylor.
New York Giants @ Denver
After the last couple of games, Giants fans are likely very excited to see how their team stacks up against some of the best teams in the league. They will get their chance as New York travels out to Denver to face the Broncos. The Broncos defense is stifling, and they sacked Justin Fields nine times last week. The Giants have to be very careful about avoiding Dart passing too much, as their offensive line is just not good enough to keep Denver’s defense away.
Denver’s offense was underwhelming as they barely could put any points up on the board against the lowly Jets. Look for Sean Payton to open up the offense a little bit and take some chances downfield against the Giants weak secondary. Courtland Sutton disappointed in Week 6, but he should have a much better game in Week 7. Bo Nix is also an under-the-radar play after failing last week.
Indianapolis @ Los Angeles Chargers
Indianapolis goes on the road to face Los Angeles, and they will have to make sure that Jonathan Taylor is up to the challenge. Look for Michael Pittman to have a rebound game, as he was underwhelming when people expected him to have a good game against Arizona.
The Chargers ran the ball exceptionally well against Miami, but it’s going to be harder for them to do that against Indianapolis. Quentin Johnston is expected to return, which could limit Oronde Gadsden slightly. Also, look for Kimani Vidal to continue being the RB1.
Washington @ Dallas
This should be a very high-scoring game between two teams with excellent offenses, but who are struggling on the defensive end. Hopefully, Terry McLaurin can return for Washington as their passing attack has just not been the same without him. Jacory Croskey-Merrit is in a really good situation this week, as Dallas’s run defense has not been able to stop any team.
There is a very good chance that CeeDee Lamb will be able to return. If he does, this will be the first time that Dallas has been at full strength in quite some time. With Lamb on the field, there will be fewer touches for Jake Ferguson, so fantasy managers need to watch for that.
Green Bay @ Arizona
Green Bay played well on offense last week, but they will need to continue to be more efficient. Josh Jacobs should get about 20 carries, and look for Romeo Dobbs and Tucker Kraft to have big weeks.
Kyler Murray will likely not be starting, and as of right now, Marvin Harrison has not been cleared to play. If Harrison misses any time, expect to see more of Zay Jones in the WR1 role.
Atlanta @ San Francisco
Atlanta pulled off a shocking upset at home against Buffalo and will need to have their defense play at the same level on the road against San Francisco. Offensively, Atlanta needs to take advantage of Fred Warner’s injury as San Francisco’s run defense should be susceptible to some big plays.
The expectation is that San Francisco should have Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, and Brock Purdy all healthy and ready to go in Week 7. This will take touches away from Christian McCaffrey, but it also should make him more effective in the touches he gets.
Tampa Bay @ Detroit
Tampa Bay’s offense looks like a MASH unit right now. They lost Egbuka for a couple of weeks, and Bucky Irving is also doubtful. It’s very hard to run against Detroit, so look for Baker Mayfield to have a big week throwing the ball to Cade Otton and to Rachaad White.
It’s also very difficult for teams to run against Tampa, so look for Detroit to air it out more than usual. Tampa runs the cover two zone defense, and Amon-Ra St. Brown loves to feast on that type of defense, so he should have a huge game. Jahmyr Gibbs will also have a great chance to have six to eight catches as well.
Houston @ Seattle
Houston is coming off their bye week, and it will be interesting to see how it approaches this game, considering Seattle’s run defense has been very good this season. CJ Stroud is going to need to get a lot of protection from his offensive line, and he will need to throw the ball to Woody Marks out of the backfield more than he did in the last game.
Seattle’s OL is going to have to play very well to keep Sam Darnold upright in the pocket. JSN has a terrific matchup as Houston doesn’t cover slot receivers particularly well, but it may be the ground game that is the big difference here. If Kenneth Walker can dominate and get 80 to 90 rushing yards, Seattle should be able to pull out the home victory.
