A quick-hit recap of what really mattered from Thursday through Sunday. We skip the obvious studs and instead focus on usage trends, injuries, and key shifts that actually impact your lineup decisions.

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Rico Dowdle right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

EAGLES @ GIANTS

• Giants’ rookie RB Cam Skattebo had a breakout performance with 110 scrimmage yards and three rushing TDs. He looks like a weekly starter for now, even with his teammate Tyrone Tracy (four carries, six yards) having just returned to the lineup.
• Jaxson Dart passed for 198-1 and added a 58-1 rushing line. He’s shown a fantasy-friendly skill set so far, rushing for 50+ yards and accounting for multiple TDs in each of his three career starts.
• Dallas Goedert led the Eagles with a 9-110-1 receiving line and had a 33% target share. It was his fifth TD in the past four weeks and he’s really thriving in the short areas of the field as well, giving him a nice floor-ceiling combo at TE.
• A.J. Brown (6-80) and DeVonta Smith (4-49) took a back seat to Goedert this week but still had a combined 42% target share in what remains a concentrated Philly passing game.

BRONCOS @ JETS

• Bo Nix threw 30 passes for a modest 174-1 passing line, and he added 24 yards on the ground. Evan Engram led the Broncos with six targets, five catches, and 42 receiving yards. Four Broncos WRs received multiple targets but none had more than 30 receiving yards. 
• J.K. Dobbins handled 14 of 18 RB carries for 40 scoreless yards. Rookie RJ Harvey had four yards on the ground and caught all four of his targets for 21 yards. It’s tough to confidently start any Denver players in fantasy leagues right now.
• Justin Fields was infinitely less effective than Nix, passing for 45 scoreless yards and rushing for 31 more. Garret Wilson had an exciting 47% target share, but he caught just three of eight targets for 13 yards.
• Breece Hall rushed 22 times for 59 yards. Isaiah Davis had three touches behind Hall, he’s a bench stash as the primary backup RB on the winless Jets.

SEAHAWKS @ JAGUARS

• Seattle’s passing offense was once again very condensed, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominating things and Cooper Kupp as the clear second option. Tight end AJ Barner had a quiet day prior to a 61-yard reception at the very end of the game to seal it.
• Brian Thomas Jr. had his second consecutive solid game, although it could have been much better as a 50+ yard touchdown was called back for an inconsequential formational penalty. It is safe to say he is back.

CHARGERS @ DOLPHINS

Your weekly roadmap to the wire. Each Tuesday, Tony Kneepkens highlights the top adds across positions — complete with FAAB recommendations and context to help you prioritize based on your league size and format.

These are the top players to consider adding from waivers this week. Unless otherwise noted, all players below are available in greater than 50% of Yahoo leagues (as of Sunday evening). Priorities and FAAB recommendations are meant to differentiate between some of the options available and are assuming 12-team, single-QB, fantasy formats.

This week’s waiver wire offers another high-priority RB option for managers to consider as well as some pass catchers who seem poised to take on larger roles filling in for injured teammates. I’ve tried to spell out players who I see as longer term holds, short-term spot starters, etc.

Week 7 teams on bye: Bills, Ravens

QB Pickups

Jaxson Dart, NYG, Week 7 at DEN

• Dart passed for 198-1 and added a 58-1 rushing line in last week’s win over the Eagles. He’s shown a fantasy-friendly skill set so far, rushing for 50+ yards and accounting for multiple TDs in each of his three career starts.
• Low-to-medium priority add. Dart’s rushing ability from the QB position appears to be his fantasy calling card and should provide a decent weekly floor. I don’t like his matchup in Denver this week, but that’s how I felt last week against the Eagles, to be fair. The Giants have a rematch in Philly on tap for Week 8.
• 5% or less of FAAB.

J.J. McCarthy, MIN, Week 7 vs PHI

• McCarthy is expected to practice this week and could be close to returning from his ankle injury suffered in Week 2. J.J. will soon be taking (back) over an offense that’s run by a great playcaller and affords him some of the league’s top playmakers to distribute the ball to.
• Low-priority add. There weren’t any widely available streaming options that jumped out at me this week. I like JJM as a bench stash for a manager who has a good option for this week but may need to cover a bye or play matchups at QB later in the fantasy season.
• 3% or less of FAAB.

RB Pickups

Kimani Vidal, LAC, Week 7 vs IND

• Vidal, a second-year RB, had a career day in Week 6 with 138 scrimmage yards and a TD catch. Vidal and Hassan Haskins were the next options in the LAC backfield with Omarion Hampton placed on short-term IR, but it was Vidal who handled 75% of the RB carries and 80% of the RB targets last week.
• High-priority add. Vidal had a great game and a strong role for playing for an offense with a high-level QB. He should have a shot at a few more weeks of strong usage with Hampton set to miss at least three more games. Adding a usable RB on a decent offense right in the heart of bye weeks is a very impactful use of waiver priority or FAAB.
• 40 – 60% of FAAB.

Tyjae Spears, TEN, Week 7 vs NE

• Spears played his second game of the season last week after an early-season ankle injury. He had nine touches for 50 scrimmage yards in the loss to the Raiders, compared to his teammate Tony Pollard’s dozen touches for 47 scrimmage yards. Tennessee fired head coach Brian Callahan on Monday.
• Medium-priority add. Spears is at worst a primary backup RB on a bad offense who has shown he can play a versatile role. At best, he has a chance to take the majority of touches from Pollard and the offense starts to put some drives together as the season progresses. I like stashing Spears to see how this all shakes out with the interim coach in place.
• 10 – 20% of FAAB.

Bam Knight, AZ, Week 7 vs GB

• Knight led the Cardinals RBs with 11 carries to Michael Carter’s nine in Week 6 with both RBs rushing for 34 yards on their opportunities. Knight added a catch for 20 yards while Carter caught two of his five targets for 30 yards.
• Low-to-medium priority add. Any RB leading his team in carries and touches is worthy of strong consideration but the Cards will be on their bye Week 8 after hosting the Packers as underdogs this week. Carter remains the AZ RB that I prefer based on him seeing five targets in each of the past two weeks, but Knight belongs on rosters to see how Week 7 shakes out.
• 10% or less of FAAB.

Some additional lower-priority RB adds to consider ::

Each week, Juan Carlos Blanco spotlights 4–5 under-the-radar plays who combine DFS tournament upside with season-long streaming value.

Each week, Streaming Sleepers will highlight at least five non-QB skill-position players and one team defense that currently have start or roster rates of 20% or less in season-long leagues but may be prudent options this week due to matchups and other circumstances, particularly in deeper formats. 

Additionally, the plays suggested here could be viable DFS large-field tournament options for the coming slate and are likely to carry modest ownership rates in that format as well.

Jordan Addison, MIN vs. PHI – 14% start rate 

Addison has had an interesting season to say the least, opening the campaign on a three-game suspension and then receiving a brief benching just two games in. However, the third-year wideout has been effective when on the field, producing a 9-155-1 line on 14 targets.

Those numbers have come with Carson Wentz under center, and it’s possible this matchup against the defending champs sees Addison play his first regular-season snaps with J.J. McCarthy (ankle) as his QB. However, irrespective of who’s throwing him the ball, Addison should retain a solid level of involvement in a potential wire-to-wire battle against an Eagles defense surrendering the third-most receiving yards per game to WR2s (70.1).

Kendrick Bourne, SF vs. ATL – 17% start rate

Bourne’s start rate following back-to-back 142-yard efforts certainly jumps off the screen, and despite the fact it’s a tough Falcons defense on the docket for the veteran receiver, it’s difficult not to give him consideration in what should be another week where he fills an elevated role. As of late Tuesday, the status of Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and even George Kittle is still up in the air, not to mention Brock Purdy’s as well. 

Much like Addison and Wentz have been in sync, Bourne has shown excellent chemistry with Mac Jones, so he may actually benefit if the latter gets at least one more start. Bourne has drawn 20 total targets in the last two games, taking three of his 15 catches in that span for 20+ yards, including two for 40+. The Falcons just did a number on Josh Allen and co., but Bourne could well be one of the main targets once again for whoever is at the controls of the Niners offense.

Harold Fannin Jr., CLE vs. MIA – 16% start rate

Xandamere breaks down the Thursday Night Football matchup with leverage angles and roster construction tips — the perfect way for fantasy players to start learning DFS through Showdown.

XANDAMERE’S SHOWDOWN SLANT

Week 7 begins with the Steelers at Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in a 43.5 total game with Pittsburgh favored by 5.5. The Bengals have ditched Jake Browning and brought in Joe Flacco, who wasn’t exactly elite last week but did keep them competitive against a very good Packers team. The Steelers definitely deserve to be the favorites here, but the Bengals didn’t exactly look awful last week, and it wouldn’t be a huge shocker to see them put up a fight in this one. 

Cincinnati

On the Cincinnati side, poor Chase Brown has been the victim of awful game scripts ever since Joe Burrow got hurt. In the last four weeks, he’s seen 10, 10, 8, and 9 carries as the Bengals have been playing from behind every game. He has seen 18 targets in those four games, keeping his floor intact, and his role is still excellent as he’s seen 72% of the team’s running back opportunities, but in order to find a ceiling, he’s almost certainly going to need to score a touchdown, which is something that’s eluded him since Week 1. The Steelers defense started the year poorly, allowing over 30 points in back-to-back games (including against the Jets), but has since played much better against the Patriots, Vikings, and Browns. Not exactly a murderer’s row of offenses, but neither are the Bengals. About the biggest positive for Brown is that his price has been sinking, and at $8k, he’s cheap enough that his role keeps him in consideration. RB2 Samaje Perine at $4,400 is too expensive for me. I’d want to see him down in the $2-$3k range for him to be attractive. He’ll be in my player pool, but I’m not going out of my way to play him even though I normally like being overweight on RB2s in Showdown.

Showdown Ownership Projections!

Ownership updates automatically

In the passing game, Joe Flacco brings inefficiency, but he also brings volume, having attempted 45 passes last week (as well as twice in four games with the Browns earlier this year). Flacco’s going to chuck it, and he doesn’t really throw deep much anymore, which can let his receivers rack up PPR points via easy completions. Ja’Marr Chase saw 12 targets last week, leading the team, and caught 10 of them. He’s $12,000, and that’s a tough price to pay with a backup QB, but given Chase’s ability to score from anywhere and the massive volume we can project for him, he still seems firmly in play to me. WR2 Tee Higgins saw 8 targets, and at $10k, he’s a tougher sell to me. Higgins is also a very good receiver, but he doesn’t have Chase’s ability to take a slant to the house from anywhere on the field, and he projects for a smaller target share. I do, however, expect him to come in at the lowest ownership of any of the plays priced in the $10k range, giving him some contrarian appeal in tournaments. WR3 Andrei Iosivas is not a good NFL player, having caught just 8 of 17 targets this year despite an 10.5 yard aDOT (normally we expect to see guys with deep aDOTs have such low catch rates). He’s a value option but not an appealing one.

What we did see last week was some rotation at tight end as Mike Gesicki got hurt early and Drew Sample (who is mostly a blocker) played his fewest snaps of the year, leading to increased work for Noah Fant and then Tanner Hudson, who is also a capable pass catcher, played meaningful snaps for the first time this season. The tight ends as a whole saw a whopping 11 targets with 2 for Sample, 4 for Fant, and 5 for Hudson. Hudson is also in the concussion protocol and is almost certain to miss, while Gesicki is already ruled out, which should leave the Bengals with Sample, Fant, and then probably Cam Grandy as the TE3. This could lead Fant to play a lot of snaps as the main pass catching tight end, and we know he’s a capable receiver (he’s also caught 16 of 18 passes on the season), and at just $3,600, he would be underpriced if he plays as the primary tight end. We also know that Flacco loves his tight ends. In the four games he started for the Browns, Harold Fannin saw 24 targets and David Njoku saw 25 – that’s 49 tight end targets out of 160 Browns pass attempts, or a 30.6% tight end target rate – one of the highest in the league. Sample and Grandy would be playable as dart throws, but Fant’s the guy who I’d really be drawn to. 

PITTSBURGH

Each Friday, Mike Johnson tackles lineup and trade dilemmas pulled from the OWS X and our Fantasy Football Discord channel. Real questions, real context, and actionable advice to guide you through the toughest calls of the week.

Some things in fantasy football are easy. We know we should start Puka Nacua (when healthy!) and Bijan Robinson. We know we should bench the backup running back who is only on our roster in case of injury and the guy who was ruled out early in the week. A lot of the decisions are made for us. However, there are a lot of things that are not so simple. All of the “in between” situations are what can make the difference between a few wins and losses, and therefore it can be the difference between a successful season or a failed season. Every Friday, we are here to help!!

I’ll take questions each week in our #fantasy-football channel in our Discord from people looking for Start/Sit advice and give my thoughts. This article will feature a few of those questions and responses each Friday, so join our Discord to be a part of the conversation or ask questions of your own!!

Question 1 :: Daniel Jones or Fields? (kegsonlegs)

Answer :: If you just look at box scores, Fields has been very good for most of the games he has played this season. However, the deeper story is that two of his strong performances were heavily reliant upon garbage-time production late in games. While all points count the same, it is difficult to bank on that consistently. Fields also lost his top wide receiver, Garrett Wilson, and is facing an improving Carolina defense. Additionally, the Panthers are an offense that moves slowly and there is a strong possibility this is just a low-scoring game overall, which further reduces the chances of garbage-time production carrying Fields. Jones, on the other hand, is the QB for the league’s highest-scoring offense. Go with Jones.

Question 2 :: Who should I start in the Flex: Woody Marks, Tyjae Spears, Jordan Whittington, or Jauan Jennings? (0.5 PPR) (gjlreid)

Answer :: This is a fun and interesting question, as it involves four players with uncertain roles and offensive situations. Spears looked good last week but is in a poor offensive environment, Whittington should be on the field a lot but we don’t know what that role looks like, and Jennings has health concerns and faces an elite defense. I like rolling with Marks in this spot as the most talented running back on his team and coming out of the bye week. I believe he has the greatest upside of the group here.

Question 3 :: Need 2, 0.5 PPR:: Cam Skattebo, Jameson Williams, Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Worthy.  (Chunk)

Every Saturday, MJohnson86 posts full positional rankings (QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF) to get you ready for Sunday’s slate. Built for 12-team, full-PPR formats — with insights that translate across most league settings.

The weekend is here and it’s time to get our lineups set before Sunday’s full slate of games. Each week, the Saturday edition of the Daily Dose will feature my rankings for all players who have yet to play a game this week. Obviously this will not include the Thursday games, but always feel free to hit me up in Discord or on X/Twitter if you have some tough decisions around guys who play on Thursday. 

Most of the leagues I play in are full-PPR, 12-team leagues and these rankings are designed for those settings – you may need to make some slight adjustments based on your own league settings.

QB :: 

1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Jayden Daniels
3. Jalen Hurts
4. Drake Maye
5. Dak Prescott
6. Baker Mayfield
7. Justin Herbert
8. Caleb Williams
9. Bo Nix
10. Jared Goff
11. Daniel Jones
12. Jordan Love
13. Matthew Stafford
14. Michael Penix Jr.
15. Sam Darnold
16. Justin Fields
17. C.J. Stroud
18. Mac Jones
19. Jaxson Dart
20. Carson Wentz
21. Jacoby Brissett
22. Dillon Gabriel
23. Bryce Young
24. Spencer Rattler
25. Cam Ward

RB ::

1. Jonathan Taylor
2. Christian McCaffrey
3. Bijan Robinson
4. Josh Jacobs
5. Jahmyr Gibbs
6. De’Von Achane
7. Saquon Barkley
8. Quinshon Judkins
9. Javonte Williams
10. Breece Hall
11. Kyren Williams
12. Rachaad White
13. Ashton Jeanty
14. D’Andre Swift
15. Jacory Croskey-Merritt
16. Rico Dowdle
17. J.K. Dobbins
18. Travis Etienne Jr.
19. Jordan Mason
20. Kimani Vidal
21. Cam Skattebo
22. Alvin Kamara
23. Rhamondre Stevenson
24. David Montgomery
25. Isiah Pacheco
26. Kenneth Walker III
27. Tony Pollard
28. TreVeyon Henderson
29. Woody Marks
30. Michael Carter
31. Kareem Hunt
32. RJ Harvey
33. Zonovan “Bam” Knight
34. Zach Charbonnet
35. Chuba Hubbard
36. Tyjae Spears
37. Nick Chubb
38. Kendre Miller
39. Tyler Allgeier
40. Jeremy McNichols

WR :: 

Mike Johnson (MJohnson86) has racked up over $500,000 in DFS profit as an NFL tournament player with success in all styles of contests.

Welcome back to my (Mjohnson86) Player Grid. The format will vary slightly from JM’s Player Grid, as we each see things slightly differently and play in slightly different contests, but should complement his thoughts and content very well for those looking to build their lineups for the week. The format of this article will vary slightly from my Fanduel Player Grid, which will be more direct in terms of which players I like. Enjoy!!

The Core ::

This is a list of players that stand out to me at each position from using my “Checking the Boxes” criteria outlined in my course you can find in our Marketplace. This list is a starting point, from which I build out lineups using game theory and roster construction concepts (which we will also touch on) with the mindset being to find the best plays with big ceilings. Low ownership is a bonus, but not a must. This section will focus primarily on three positions – running back, tight end, and defense – as the other two positions (quarterback and wide receiver) tend to have more dependent tendencies which I try to attack from other angles (which we will get into in the other sections). I like all of these plays on all sites unless otherwise noted:

Running Back ::

• Jonathan Taylor – JT is in the midst of a potentially historic running back season and has a terrific matchup against a poor run defense and fast-paced offense. 
• Quinshon Judkins – Judkins is the workhorse for a team that is likely to run, run, run, and he is facing an incredibly bad Miami run defense.
• Saquon Barkley – The Eagles are struggling this season and the reality is that their dominant 2024 season was propelled by building their offense around Barkley. They are likely to try to get back to their roots here and Barkley’s ceiling is 35+ points.
• Jacory Croskey-Merritt – “Bill” also has a terrific matchup this week and just set a season high in snap rate and touches, while playing in by far the highest game total on the slate.
• Josh Jacobs – Over 30 points in consecutive games and the centerpiece of his team’s offense, playing in a game where his team is favored and expected to score points. 
• Kimani Vidal – This is a back that has an explosive skill set and thrives in the passing game as well. His salary doesn’t represent the upside that he possesses in a strong offense and explosive game environment.

For the MME Crowd ::