Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings: Top Players and Matchups for All Positions

Week 6 of the NFL season is in the books.

It didn't go so well for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger owners, who saw their starter rank 27th among quarterbacks before leaving the game with a knee injury.

On the other hand, it went really well for those elusive Case Keenum owners; the Los Angeles Rams quarterback scored 29.54 points with his 321 yards and three touchdowns. 

We never would have advised you to start Keenum in Week 6, so as always, you can assume there will be some outliers in Week 7. But the below players are the ones history and data tell us should show up for you.

Let's take a look at the projected top players at each position in fantasy football in Week 7. 

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Week 7 Opponent
1	Tom Brady	NE	@ PIT
2	Matt Ryan	ATL	vs. SD
3	Philip Rivers	SD	@ ATL
4	Aaron Rodgers	GB	vs. CHI
5	Derek Carr	OAK	@ JAC
6	Matthew Stafford	DET	vs. WAS
7	Andrew Luck	IND	@ TEN
8	Marcus Mariota	TEN	vs. IND
9	Andy Dalton	CIN	vs. CLE
10	Kirk Cousins	WAS	@ DET
11	Blake Bortles	JAC	vs. OAK
12	Drew Brees	NO	@ KC

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

The New Orleans Saints were the latest team to upset the Carolina Panthers, doing so to the tune of 41-38 in Week 6.

And quarterback Drew Brees, whose fantasy success hasn't always translated to wins for the Saints, was the driving force.

Brees threw for 465 yards and four touchdowns in New Orleans' win, earning him 32.60 points in standard leagues. He would have had even more points had it not been for a single interception.

The Saints don't have a favorable matchup against the Chiefs defense in Week 7, but Brees only does better fantasy-wise when New Orleans is playing from behind and thus forced to rely on his arm.  

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Week 7 Opponent
1	DeMarco Murray	TEN	vs. IND
2	LeSean McCoy	BUF	@ MIA
3	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	vs. NE
4	David Johnson	ARI	vs. SEA
5	Melvin Gordon	SD	@ ATL
6	Lamar Miller	HOU	@ DEN
7	Devonta Freeman	ATL	vs. SD
8	Christine Michael	SEA	@ ARI
9	Carlos Hyde	SF	vs. TB
10	Doug Martin	TB	@ SF
11	LeGarrette Blount	NE	@ PIT
12	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	@ CIN
13	Tevin Coleman	ATL	vs. SD
14	Mark Ingram	NO	@ KC
15	Jordan Howard	CHI	@ GB
16	Todd Gurley	LA	vs. NYG
17	Eddie Lacy	GB	vs. CHI
18	James White	NE	@ PIT
19	Spencer Ware	KC	vs. NO
20	Terrance West	BAL	@ NYJ
21	C.J. Anderson	DEN	vs. HOU
22	Frank Gore	IND	@ TEN
23	Matt Forte	NYJ	vs. BAL
24	Jamaal Charles	KC	vs. NO
25	Giovani Bernard	CIN	vs. CLE
26	T.J. Yeldon	JAC	vs. OAK
27	Jay Ajayi	MIA	vs. BUF
28	Matt Jones	WAS	@ DET
29	Jeremy Hill	CIN	vs. CLE
30	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	@ PHI
31	Theo Riddick	DET	vs. WAS
32	Duke Johnson	CLE	@ CIN

David Johnson had another monster day in Week 6 against the New York Jets.

Johnson's efforts were a big reason why the Arizona Cardinals defeated New York, 28-3. He rushed for 111 yards and a whopping three touchdowns, giving the Cardinals 18 of their 28 points. Johnson was the fifth-highest-scoring player in fantasy in Week 6, with 31.80 points in standard leagues. 

What was most impressive was Johnson's ability to find room to run on a 58-yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Jets' stout defensive line, which was simply not able to contain him. 

Because he had so much success against the Jets defense, Johnson is a must-start without hesitation against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7. 

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Week 7 Opponent
1	Julio Jones	ATL	vs. SD
2	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	@ LA
3	A.J. Green	CIN	vs. CLE
4	Mike Evans	TB	@ SF
5	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	vs. BAL
6	Allen Robinson	JAC	vs. OAK
7	Amari Cooper	OAK	@ JAC
8	Jordy Nelson	GB	vs. CHI
9	Marvin Jones	DET	vs. WAS
10	Antonio Brown	PIT	vs. NE
11	Michael Crabtree	OAK	@ JAC
12	T.Y. Hilton	IND	@ TEN
13	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	vs. HOU
14	Jarvis Landry	MIA	vs. BUF
15	Doug Baldwin	SEA	@ ARI
16	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	vs. SEA
17	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	@ DEN
18	Cameron Meredith	CHI	@ GB
19	Brandin Cooks	NO	@ KC
20	Jeremy Maclin	KC	vs. NO
21	Randall Cobb	GB	vs. CHI
22	Travis Benjamin	SD	@ ATL
23	Stefon Diggs	MIN	@ PHI
24	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	@ GB
25	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. HOU
26	DeSean Jackson	WAS	@ DET
27	Tyrell Williams	SD	@ ATL
28	Mike Wallace	BAL	@ NYJ
29	Jamison Crowder	WAS	@ DET
30	John Brown	ARI	vs. SEA
31	Terrelle Pryor	CLE	@ CIN
32	Kenny Britt	LA	vs. NYG

Though his behavior on the field (see: proposing to the kicking net as a touchdown celebration) can be questionable, Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s production on the field speaks for itself. 

Beckham had a monster game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, coordinating his 222 receiving yards with, what else, two touchdowns. 

As SportsCenter's Twitter account pointed out, not only was it a career high for Beckham, but it was the most receiving yards for any Giants player since 1962: 

Beckham's efforts were good for 32.20 fantasy points, the third-most among all players in Week 6. He matches up against an L.A. Rams defense in Week 7 that has been allowing 246.2 passing yards per game.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Week 7 Opponent
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	@ PIT
2	Delanie Walker	TEN	vs. IND
3	Travis Kelce	KC	vs. NO
4	Martellus Bennett	NE	@ PIT
5	Jimmy Graham	SEA	@ ARI
6	Hunter Henry	SD	@ ATL
7	Zach Miller	CHI	@ GB
8	Gary Barnidge	CLE	@ CIN
9	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	@ PHI
10	Vernon Davis	WAS	@ DET
11	Julius Thomas	JAC	vs. OAK
12	Coby Fleener	NO	@ KC

Bill Feig/Associated Press

New Orleans Saints tight end Coby Fleener is picking up where Jimmy Graham left off when he left New Orleans to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. 

Graham was always one of Brees' favorite targets, and the Saints offense has always utilized the tight end position well. Fleener continues to benefit from that. 

In Week 6, Fleener was the second-highest-scoring fantasy tight end with 19.60 points in standard leagues. He had a pair of touchdowns—one rushing and one receiving—and additionally, he connected with Brees for 74 yards. 

As mentioned above, the matchup with the Chiefs secondary could limit the Saints' offensive production somewhat this week, but Kansas City is allowing 236.6 yards per game to pass-catchers. 

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit	Opponent
1	Minnesota	@ PHI
2	Denver	vs. HOU
3	Buffalo	@ MIA
4	Cincinnati	vs. CLE
5	New England	@ PIT
6	Kansas City	vs. NO
7	Arizona	vs. SEA
8	Seattle	@ ARI
9	Green Bay	vs. CHI
10	Los Angeles	vs. NYG
11	Baltimore	@ NYJ
12	Tennessee	vs. IND

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

In previous weeks, Minnesota's defense, stout as it has proved to be this season, may have given some owners pause against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

But as of late, quarterback Carson Wentz and the Eagles have shown that they're human after all and susceptible to good defense. 

The Vikings defense has scored the most points of any unit in fantasy this season, with 83. It has had seven picks, five fumble recoveries and a safety, and it has allowed just 63 points this season. 

If the Eagles want to get back to dominance this year, they'll have a hard time doing it against Minnesota. 

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	@ PIT
2	Justin Tucker	BAL	@ NYJ
3	Adam Vinatieri	IND	@ TEN
4	Mason Crosby	GB	vs. CHI
5	Dustin Hopkins	WAS	@ DET
6	Matt Bryant	ATL	vs. SD
7	Mike Nugent	CIN	vs. CLE
8	Steven Hauschka	SEA	@ ARI
9	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	vs. SEA
10	Brandon McManus	DEN	vs. HOU
11	Nick Novak	HOU	@ DEN
12	Josh Brown	NYG	@ LA

George Bridges/Associated Press

Kickers' performances ebb and flow throughout the year in fantasy, and unless yours is on a bye, there's often little payoff in rushing out to add one on waivers.

However, some players can be counted on to show up week in and week out, such as the Colts' Adam Vinatieri.

Vinatieri is the highest-scoring kicker in fantasy this season, with 72 points in standard leagues. His five field goals of 50 or more yards have been particularly rewarding for his owners.  

Rankings and scoring leaders via NFL.com and current as of Tuesday, Oct. 18.