Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings: Matchups We Love and Player Stat Projections

Fantasy football owners can only hope the Week 7 edition of Thursday Night Football produces a snowball effect for the rest of the slate.

When it comes to exploitable matchups, the Green Bay Packers hosting the Chicago Bears in an eventual 26-10 win was almost as good as it gets. Wide receiver Davante Adams scored 25 points. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit on 23.

In a rather unconventional turn of events, receivers Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery took snaps at running back and tallied 17 and 12 points, respectively.

With any luck, it's a sign of things to come. Here's a look at player stat projections and matchups to know.

Week 7 Schedule

Sunday, October 23	Time (ET)
Monday, October 24
N.Y. Giants at L.A. Rams	9:30 a.m.
Washington at Detroit	1 p.m.
Minnesota at Philadelphia	1 p.m.
Cleveland at Cincinnati	1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Tennessee	1 p.m.
Baltimore at N.Y. Jets	1 p.m.
Oakland at Jacksonville	1 p.m.
New Orleans at Kansas City	1 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami	1 p.m.
San Diego at Atlanta	4:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at San Francisco	4:05 p.m.
New England at Pittsburgh	4:25 p.m
Seattle at Arizona	8:30 p.m.
Houston at Denver	8:30 p.m.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Tom Brady	25
2	Matt Ryan	24
3	Andy Dalton	22
4	Philip Rivers	20
5	Kirk Cousins	19
6	Alex Smith	18
7	Blake Bortles	18
8	Matthew Stafford	17
9	Drew Brees	17
10	Tyrod Taylor	16
11	Andrew Luck	14
12	Jameis Winston	12
13	Marcus Mariota	12
14	Derek Carr	12
15	Russell Wilson	12

Given the fact quarterback is the easiest position to predict, it's not hard to see that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton looks ready to have a third strong week in a row.

Dalton has been reliable as of late, totaling 21 points in each of his past two outings, ending a start to the season in which he failed to break the 20-point barrier.

It's hard to see him falling back underneath it against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7. The Browns allow the second-most points to quarterbacks on average and have coughed up three passing touchdowns in four consecutive games.

Funnily enough, Dalton scored a minimum of 21 points in each of his two encounters with the Browns last year.

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has been more inconsistent, but he does have two games at 23 or more points this year. It's easy to see a third on the way when his team hits the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons.

Yes, a team traveling that far might have some problems, but the Falcons rank right behind the Browns in terms of points allowed to Rivers' position. A shootout with Matt Ryan promises plenty of points.

Both of Rivers' big totals this year have come via four-touchdown performances. It's not a floor by any means, but it also wouldn't register as much of a shock. 

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Devonta Freeman	15
2	Le'Veon Bell	15
3	David Johnson	15
4	DeMarco Murray	14
5	Spencer Ware	14
6	Todd Gurley	14
7	Melvin Gordon	13
8	C.J. Anderson	13
9	LeGarrette Blount	13
10	Mike Gillislee	12
11	Jacquizz Rodgers	12
12	Christine Michael	12
13	Jay Ajayi	11
14	Isaiah Crowell	11
15	Jeremy Hill	11
16	Frank Gore	11
17	Matt Jones	10
18	Giovani Bernard	10
19	Mike Davis	9
20	Tevin Coleman	9
21	Mark Ingram	9
22	Lamar Miller	9
23	Terrance West	8
24	Jerick McKinnon	8
25	Latavius Murray	8
26	James White	7
27	T.J. Yeldon	7
28	Matt Forte	7
29	Rashad Jennings	6
30	Jamaal Charles	6

The DeMarco Murray show continues in Week 7.

The Tennessee Titans lead back has 12 or more points in every game this season and has scored his four touchdowns over his past four outings. Don't expect much to change, as the schedule won't let Murray slow thanks to a game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Indianapolis allows the second-most points to running backs on average, with three opposing backfields having hit on 22 points or more, one with a high of 45.

Also in a great situation is Spencer Ware of the Kansas City Chiefs. From the sounds of comments by head coach Andy Reid, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, Jamaal Charles isn't ready to carry the load on his own as he returns from injury.

Business as usual for Ware, then. Last week in a good matchup against the Oakland Raiders, he totaled 131 yards and a score for 22 points even while Charles worked into the rotation.

Call it more of the same in Week 7 when Ware lines up against the New Orleans Saints, the team allowing the most points to backs ahead of the Colts. That defense has allowed a silly seven rushing touchdowns over its last three outings, so expect Ware to have a major day.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Julio Jones	19
2	A.J. Green	18
3	Allen Robinson	17
4	Brandon Marshall	17
5	Odell Beckham Jr.*	16
6	Mike Evans	16
7	Antonio Brown	16
8	Amari Cooper	15
9	Brandin Cooks	13
10	Terrelle Pryor*	12
11	Julian Edelman	11
12	Marvin Jones	11
13	DeSean Jackson*	10
14	Jeremy Maclin	10
15	Jarvis Landry	10
16	Stefon Diggs*	10
17	Pierre Garcon	9
18	Tyrell Williams	9
19	Allen Hurns*	9
20	Golden Tate	9
21	Larry Fitzgerald	9
22	Anquan Boldin	9
23	T.Y. Hilton	8
24	Emmanuel Sanders	8
25	Michael Crabtree	8
26	Mohamed Sanu	8
27	Doug Baldwin	8
28	Willie Snead	8
29	DeAndre Hopkins	7
30	Mike Wallace	7
31	Kenny Britt	7
32	Robert Woods	7
33	Demaryius Thomas	6
34	John Brown	6
35	Jeremy Kerley	6

The usual suspects figure to dominate the fantasy conversation at wideout in Week 7. 

Despite turmoil at quarterback, New York Jets wideout Brandon Marshall has still been productive for owners, hitting on 14 and 17 points over his last three outings. The news the Jets will start Geno Smith under center doesn't change much, especially not ahead of a matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. 

The Ravens defense has been a shell of its former self this year, allowing the second-most points to wideouts. This week is especially juicy with names such as Jimmy Smith, Elvis Dumervil, Terrell Suggs and C.J. Mosley dealing with injuries.

Go ahead and stick with New York when it comes to wide receivers in great matchups. Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants extended his apology to owners for a miserable start last week with eight catches for 222 yards and two scores, good for 32 points—against those Ravens.

Beckham has now hit the end zone three times over his past two games ahead of a game against the Los Angeles Rams. To make it even better, those Rams enter the game after allowing four touchdowns to wideouts in Week 6, making it eight over the unit's past four outings.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Rob Gronkowski	16
2	Hunter Henry	14
3	Vernon Davis	11
4	Travis Kelce	10
5	Delanie Walker	9
6	Gary Barnidge	8
7	Martellus Bennett*	8
8	Cameron Brate	8
9	Jimmy Graham*	7
10	Dennis Pitta	7
11	Julius Thomas*	6
12	Charles Clay	6

Hunter Henry figures to benefit most from Rivers' eventual shootout with Ryan.

Henry entered Week 7 as the third-highest scorer at tight end, continuing to produce despite the presence of Antonio Gates. He now has a touchdown and at least 12 points in three consecutive games, giving him the most attractive floor in fantasy football outside of a guy with the Gronk nickname.

A matchup with the Falcons only means good things for Henry, as the Falcons have allowed five total touchdowns to opposing tight ends, and four sets have scored a minimum of 13 points.

Speaking of good matchups, Gary Barnidge of the Browns gets the Bengals, a team that has struggled for years against tight ends.

Granted, Barnidge only has five or more points in each of his past four outings. But he's had five or more receptions in three of those games, so the usage against the unit allowing the fifth-most points to the position will equate to a big day.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit	Projected Points
1	Broncos	12
2	Seahawks	10
3	Bills	9
4	Giants	9
5	Ravens	8
6	Raiders	7
7	Patriots	7
8	Bengals	6
9	Vikings	6
10	Cardinals	6

The Buffalo Bills have resumed looking like one of the elite fantasy defenses on a weekly basis.

Currently the third-highest scorer at the position, the unit has six interceptions, a fumble recovery in every game and three touchdowns to thank. The unit has strong outputs of 21, 12 and 16 points.

Next up is the Miami Dolphins, a team that oddly broke out last week in an upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But before that, opposing defenses totaled 14 and 13 points against the unit.

So long as the Bills can keep the momentum going against a unit that put up a fluke performance in Week 6, they will stick near the top of the leaderboard.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Adam Vinatieri	12
2	Stephen Gostkowski	10
3	Mike Nugent	10
4	Matt Prater	8
5	Cairo Santos	8
6	Jason Myers	7
7	Matt Bryant	7
8	Dustin Hopkins	7
9	Josh Lambo	7
10	Dan Carpenter	6

Well, this is as easy as it gets.

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri is the rare household name at his position and a true fantasy workhorse. The veteran sounds like a running back with his 12 or more points in five of six games this year, including three in a row.

Expect the streak to continue when he lines up for boots against the Titans, the team allowing the seventh-most points to opposing kickers. Four opponents have attempted two or more field goals against the Titans, and four in a row have made two or more extra points.

With the opportunities guaranteed, Vinatieri will once again put on a clinic.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.