NFL Predictions Week 7: Full Projections, Odds, Highlighting Top Fantasy Stars

In an NFL season swarming with slumping stars, fantasy football managers hope their depreciated investments follow Marshawn Lynch's path to Week 7 redemption.

On an otherwise gloomy Thursday night game, the Seattle Seahawks running back amassed 122 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. An ordinary line for him most years shattered previous season highs in yards and handoffs. A welcome sight indeed for drafters who spent their first-round pick on the Seattle bruiser.

A few other big-name busts also have the right matchups to reward patient owners with a rebound outing. After breaking down Week 7's odds and over-under lines, courtesy of OddsShark as of Saturday morning, let's examine three struggling studs ready to break out.

Away	Home	Line	O/U	Projection
Buffalo Bills	Jacksonville Jaguars (London)	BUF -4.5	41	27-20 BUF
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Washington Redskins	WAS -3	42.5	20-14 WAS
Atlanta Falcons	Tennessee Titans	ATL -7	46.5	30-17 ATL
New Orleans Saints	Indianapolis Colts	IND -4	52	28-27 IND
Minnesota Vikings	Detroit Lions	Even	44.5	20-17 MIN
Pittsburgh Steelers	Kansas City Chiefs	KC -2.5	42.5	19-16 PIT
Cleveland Browns	St. Louis Rams	STL -7	41.5	26-23 STL
Houston Texans	Miami Dolphins	MIA -4.5	44.5	30-23 MIA
New York Jets	New England Patriots	NE -10	48	27-23 NE
Oakland Raiders	San Diego Chargers	SD -3.5	46.5	34-28 SD
Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	NYG -3.5	45.5	24-13 NYG
Philadelphia Eagles	Carolina Panthers	CAR -3	45.5	24-20 PHI
Baltimore Ravens	Arizona Cardinals	ARI -10	48	31-28 ARI

Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Last Sunday night, Andrew Luck returned from a brief injury hiatus to record his first 300-yard game of 2015. After surrendering seven interceptions through three games, he avoided any picks against the New England Patriots.

Luck didn't efficiently eviscerate New England's secondary, but fantasy gamers signed up for high-volume stat-stuffing. He finally delivered, going 30-of-50 with 312 passing yards, 35 rushing yards and three scores through the air. Head coach Chuck Pagano set the bar high for the 26-year-old passer, per ESPN.com's Mike Wells.

“He played well,” Pagano said. “Obviously we expect him to play even better this Sunday."

He's not the only one. Luck's owners will confidently insert him back into the starting lineup against the New Orleans Saints, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks under ESPN.com standard scoring. Rob Ryan's defense has relinquished 8.6 yards per pass attempt while corralling only two interceptions.

Since the Colts aren't defensive savants either, expect a shootout between Luck and Drew Brees, who is also looking to shake off an early injury to regain his top form. Indianapolis likely won't need to throw another 50 times, but Luck will get plenty of chances to slice up a shaky secondary.

Projections: 24-of-38, 290 Passing Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 25 Rushing Yards

LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills

LeSean McCoy, who had missed two weeks with a hamstring injury expected to take him out longer, returned last weekend to face the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. Forgive anyone skeptical about the running back rushing his recovery, especially after averaging 3.4 yards per carry through three games.

The Buffalo Bills running back quelled those concerns on his first carry, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:

McCoy recorded a season-high 90 rushing yards and his first score of the season. His two strong performances have come against the Patriots and Bengals, who each have yielded 4.9 yards per run this season. They may well be the NFL's two best squads, but they feature the same flaw.

Meanwhile, he'll now face the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed a league-low 3.4 yards per run. Don't see Jaguars and immediately envision a breezy matchup; McCoy will need a lot of touches in London to shine.

He should get them. Despite their efficiency stifling the run, Jacksonville has allowed 101.7 rushing yards per game because opponents have tallied 29.7 carries per contest. Teams against the Jaguars play ahead. Teams playing ahead run the ball.

Even if it's not pretty, McCoy will kick off Sunday's festivities with plenty of fantasy production.

Projections: 24 Rushes, 90 Yards, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards, 1 TD

Mike Evans WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

On Nov. 16, 2014, Mike Evans registered 209 yards and two touchdowns. He has 174 yards and no scores this season.

All hope, however, isn't lost. Last year's demonstrative breakout party came at Washington's expense. Guess who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face this weekend? Washington ranks No. 21 in ESPN.com fantasy points yielded to wide receivers, making it the most favorable matchup Evans has seen during his sophomore campaign.

Date	OPP	FP vs. WR*	Rank*
9/20	NO	18.8	13
9/27	HOU	21.2	17
10/4	CAR	16.4	5
10/11	JAX	19.5	14
10/25	WAS	23.7	21

Write-ups about struggling wideouts often feature pass-catchers wanting more targets. In this case, the coaching staff instead talked up the importance of feeding Evans more. Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter discussed intentions of getting Evans going to Buccaneers.com's Scott Smith. 

"We just need to get Mike started," Koetter said. "He’s fine. We just need to get him started. I’m sure Mike is a little bit frustrated. It is what it is. We’ve been down this road before with other guys. We’ve just got to get him started. There is nothing he is doing wrong. He’s playing hard, he’s practicing hard."

Promising to hear, but a lack of targets isn't Evans' main problem. He has only caught 13 of Jameis Winston's 33 intended passes this season, 17 of which came his way against the Houston Texans. Never a consistent option during a strong rookie year highlighted by three torrid weeks, Evans relies on big plays.

He is also more than capable of executing those big plays against Washington. Look for him to finally get in sync with his rookie quarterback.

Projections: 6 Receptions, 12 Targets, 85 Yards, 1 TD