Week 7 Fantasy Football Projections: Top 100 Flex Players and Stat Predictions

As the NFL season continues, it is seemingly getting tougher to fill a competitive lineup in fantasy football.

The Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys being on bye for Week 7 takes away some top talent at a few positions, but injuries and inconsistency across the board are a bigger problem. There are plenty of options with high upside but fewer players you can trust to perform on a weekly basis.

Despite this problem, you just have to push through and put the best selection of players available. Here is a look at the top options at each position for Week 7.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Tom Brady	Patriots	at PIT	24
2	Drew Brees	Saints	at KC	23
3	Matt Ryan	Falcons	SD	21
4	Andrew Luck	Colts	at TEN	20
5	Matthew Stafford	Lions	WAS	20
6	Aaron Rodgers	Packers	CHI	19
7	Marcus Mariota	Titans	IND	19
8	Eli Manning	Giants	at LA	18
9	Russell Wilson	Seahawks	at ARI	18
10	Derek Carr	Raiders	at JAX	18

If you were patient enough to keep Tom Brady on your roster while he served his four-game suspension, you are definitely being rewarded now. The New England Patriots star has exceeded expectations in his first two games back, totaling 782 passing yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.

With healthy weapons around him, Brady might be the No. 1 quarterback in fantasy football for the rest of the year.

Matt Ryan is also near the top of this list after showing his hot start was for real. While the Atlanta Falcons were unable to get a win on the road against the Seattle Seahawks (possibly thanks to questionable officiating), he still had 335 passing yards and three touchdowns against one of the toughest defenses in the NFL.

With the toughest games already behind him, Ryan could be a must-start player every week.

This might no longer be the case for Aaron Rodgers, who has fallen hard this season both on the field and in fantasy. He is missing passes, causing turnovers and not putting up the numbers we have come to expect.

Bleacher Report's Zach Kruse summed up the difference in the former MVP:

It's too early to completely give up on the talented player, and he still remains in the top 10 due to his upside alone, but he is falling fast. It wouldn't be crazy to move him to your bench in favor of a more consistent option or someone with a favorable matchup.

One of those players could be Marcus Mariota, who has exploded over the last two weeks with six passing touchdowns and a rushing score. With the Indianapolis Colts defense not posing too much of a challenge, the second-year passer has a chance to keep up his hot streak in Week 7.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	David Johnson	Cardinals	SEA	15
2	Le'Veon Bell	Steelers	NE	15
3	LeSean McCoy	Bills	at MIA	15
4	DeMarco Murray	Titans	IND	14
5	Doug Martin	Buccaneers	SF	14
6	Lamar Miller	Texans	at DEN	13
7	Spencer Ware	Chiefs	NO	13
8	Melvin Gordon	Chargers	ATL	12
9	Christine Michael	Seahawks	ARI	12
10	Todd Gurley	Rams	NYG	11
11	Terrance West	Ravens	at NYJ	11
12	Jordan Howard	Bears	at GB	11
13	Devonta Freeman	Falcons	SD	11
14	Carlos Hyde	49ers	TB	10
15	C.J. Anderson	Broncos	HOU	10
16	Eddie Lacy	Packers	CHI	10
17	Frank Gore	Colts	at TEN	10
18	Jerick McKinnon	Vikings	at PHI	10
19	Jamaal Charles	Chiefs	NO	9
20	Giovani Bernard	Bengals	CLE	9
21	LeGarrette Blount	Patriots	at PIT	9
22	Mark Ingram	Saints	at KC	9
23	Matt Forte	Jets	BAL	9
24	Tevin Coleman	Falcons	SD	8
25	Jay Ajayi	Dolphins	BUF	8
26	James White	Patriots	at PIT	8
27	Matt Jones	Redskins	at DET	8
28	Jeremy Hill	Bengals	CLE	7
29	Isaiah Crowell	Browns	at CIN	7
30	Chris Ivory	Jaguars	OAK	7

Jay Ajayi is the talk of the fantasy world after his 204-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6. This came with the running back's previous season high of 42 the week before.

The second-year player made sure to praise the rest of his team for helping him get to that point, per Alain Poupart of the team's official website:

"

lt’s a special thing. Definitely something to cherish for sure because I pride myself of wanting to be the best. Just glad I was able to get that opportunity today. All help from the O-line, great job from the receivers. It was an overall team effort. I’ll cherish this milestone and celebrate it with teammates.

"

It appears with this performance Ajayi has taken over the starting job in Miami and could be a workhorse going forward. If he is available on the waiver wire, you should absolutely add him without hesitation. However, it's still important to temper expectations going forward.

There is obvious talent, but those big holes with tons of missed tackles won't always be available. Just wait before automatically throwing him in your lineup.

One player you can throw back in your lineup if he is healthy is Doug Martin. The runner hasn't played since Week 2 and didn't practice Monday, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. This situation remains worth monitoring going forward, but if he is active, he has the chance to torch the miserable San Francisco 49ers run defense.

The rest of the list features a lot of recency bias, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing. LeSean McCoy, DeMarco Murray, Christine Michael and Melvin Gordon all get a lot of carries, and that's led to solid production. C.J. Anderson and Matt Forte have not.

Both Spencer Ware and Jamaal Charles are worth playing against a poor New Orleans Saints run defense, but Ware remains the better option until proven otherwise.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Odell Beckham Jr.	Giants	at LA	14
2	Julio Jones	Falcons	SD	14
3	A.J. Green	Bengals	CLE	14
4	Amari Cooper	Raiders	at JAX	13
5	Antonio Brown	Steelers	NE	12
6	Jordy Nelson	Packers	CHI	12
7	T.Y. Hilton	Colts	at TEN	12
8	Mike Evans	Buccaneers	at SF	12
9	Alshon Jeffery	Bears	at GB	12
10	Brandon Marshall	Jets	BAL	12
11	DeAndre Hopkins	Texans	at DEN	11
12	Larry Fitzgerald	Cardinals	SEA	11
13	Brandin Cooks	Saints	at KC	11
14	Allen Robinson	Jaguars	OAK	10
15	Marvin Jones	Lions	WAS	10
16	Jarvis Landry	Dolphins	BUF	10
17	Demaryius Thomas	Broncos	HOU	10
18	Emmanuel Sanders	Broncos	HOU	10
19	Jeremy Maclin	Chiefs	NO	10
20	Michael Crabtree	Raiders	at JAX	10
21	Jamison Crowder	Redskins	at DET	9
22	Kenny Britt	Rams	NYG	9
23	Cameron Meredith	Bears	at GB	9
24	Quincy Enunwa	Jets	BAL	9
25	Stefon Diggs	Vikings	at PHI	8
26	Kendall Wright	Titans	IND	8
27	Tyrell Williams	Chargers	at ATL	7
28	Mike Wallace	Ravens	at NYJ	7
29	Golden Tate	Lions	WAS	7
30	Julian Edelman	Patriots	PIT	7

This isn't a good week for receivers with a lot of tough matchups and inconsistent players across the board.

A surprising question mark for Week 7 is the player who is usually the steadiest in the league, Antonio Brown. While the Steelers star is still arguably the most talented receiver in the NFL, he loses a lot of fantasy stock with Ben Roethlisberger out. According to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, the quarterback underwent knee surgery on Monday.

ESPN Stats and Info provided the breakdown of Brown's career with and without the starting quarterback:

Brown struggled with Michael Vick and Landry Jones throwing him the ball in 2015, and fantasy owners shouldn't expect much difference in 2016. He's too good to take out of your lineup, but avoid him in daily fantasy leagues at all costs.

Other big names have struggled to make an impact lately, including Julian Edelman and Doug Baldwin. Although both were likely drafted early after strong seasons last year, it's hard to justify keeping them in your lineup until they prove to be more consistent this time around.

While the end of the list features a few players seemingly coming out of nowhere with big weeks, it's better to trust these men than those who haven't matched the level of production.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Rob Gronkowski	Patriots	at PIT	14
2	Jordan Reed	Redskins	at DET	12
3	Jimmy Graham	Seahawks	at ARI	11
4	Hunter Henry	Chargers	at ATL	9
5	Martellus Bennett	Patriots	at PIT	9
6	Travis Kelce	Chiefs	NO	8
7	Delanie Walker	Titans	IND	8
8	Coby Fleener	Saints	at KC	8
9	C.J. Fiedorowicz	Texans	at DEN	7
10	Zach Miller	Bears	at GB	7

It's safe to say Rob Gronkowski is back.

After coming along slowly in the first four weeks, the big tight end had 109 receiving yards in Week 5 and then followed that up with 162 yards and a touchdown in Week 6. In a position that doesn't feature much consistency, Gronk is easily the best option.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Graham is also once again in the upper echelon at the position after his third game in a row of at least 89 receiving yards. He only has one touchdown on the year, but that is likely to change as he gets comfortable with Russell Wilson.

Among the names that aren't quite as familiar to fans, Hunter Henry could be on the verge of stardom in a San Diego Chargers offense that loves to use its tight ends. The rookie scored in his third straight game this week, finishing with 83 receiving yards against an elite Denver Broncos defense.

Considering this all came with Antonio Gates back in the lineup, it's clear Henry will have a steady role going forward.

C.J. Fiedorowicz has developed role with the Houston Texans and remains worth monitoring with an upcoming matchup against Denver. 

Harry How/Getty Images

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Minnesota Vikings	at PHI	10
2	Denver Broncos	HOU	10
3	Cincinnati Bengals	CLE	9
4	New England Patriots	at PIT	9
5	Buffalo Bills	at MIA	9
6	Seattle Seahawks	at ARI	8
7	Arizona Cardinals	SEA	8
8	Baltimore Ravens	at NYJ	8
9	Philadelphia Eagles	MIN	8
10	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	at SF	7

You are trusting the best defenses in the NFL to behave that way. The Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings are elite on the field and in fantasy and should be able to shut down their opponents in Week 7.

While it's difficult to predict where non-offensive touchdowns will come from, these two units are as consistent as they come to help your team.

The Patriots also become a top pick this week against the Steelers thanks to the injury to Roethlisberger. Head coach Bill Belichick is going to do everything he can to make things difficult for Jones in his first start of the season.

Additionally, anyone facing the 49ers or Jets gets a big boost when it comes to team defense in fantasy.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Adam Vinatieri	Colts	at TEN	8
2	Stephen Gostkowski	Patriots	at PIT	8
3	Justin Tucker	Ravens	at NYJ	8
4	Matt Bryant	Falcons	SD	8
5	Josh Lambo	Chargers	at ATL	8
6	Steven Hauschka	Seahawks	at ARI	7
7	Brandon McManus	Broncos	HOU	7
8	Caleb Sturgis	Eagles	MIN	7
9	Wil Lutz	Saints	at KC	7
10	Dustin Hopkins	Redskins	at DET	7

Adam Vinatieri might be 43 years old, but he is the best kicker in the game right now. Not only are the Colts providing the veteran with plenty of opportunities to shine, but he is taking advantage of every one of them.

Per Dave Griffiths of Fox59, the kicker has made 41 straight field goals, one short of the NFL record of 42. Until this streak ends, Vinatieri remains the top option in fantasy leagues and the one you want for your team in real life.

The rest of the options are generally consistent producers on top offenses around the league.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.