Fantasy Football Week 7: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position
Many fantasy football managers desperately need viable fill-in replacements with six NFL teams on a Week 7 bye and several running backs, including Christian McCaffrey, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and Kyren Williams, on the mend with injuries.
This week, the 2023 rookie class could come to your rescue. We have a strong case to start four first-year players who can deliver fantasy goods in favorable matchups.
Aside from our group of rookies, pay close attention to the matchup between the Washington Commanders and New York Giants. Those teams field defensive units that rank in the bottom five in points allowed, which raises the probability of a high-scoring game.
Buckle up, we're going to take a deep dive into a pool of sleepers for Week 7. Each selection is available in more than 50 percent of points-per-reception leagues based on FantasyPros' consensus percentages.
QB Tyrod Taylor vs. Washington Commanders (1 Percent Rostered)
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Fantasy managers will need to monitor the New York Giants' injury report throughout the week. Daniel Jones missed the previous outing, and he's unsure about his status for Sunday's contest with the Washington Commanders. He returned to practice on Wednesday, but the team hasn't cleared him for contact.
In the event that Tyrod Taylor makes consecutive starts, he should be on your radar and in starting lineups if you need a bye-week replacement for Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott or C.J. Stroud.
Last week, Taylor completed 24 out of 36 passes for 200 yards and ran for 24 yards. He didn't put himself on the fantasy watch list with that performance, but the Giants will go up against the Commanders' 27th-ranked pass defense, which has allowed the third-most touchdowns (12) this season.
Moreover, Washington has surrendered the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Taylor isn't going to throw for a ton of yards, but if he continues to complete passes at a high percentage and beats a vulnerable pass defense for a couple of touchdowns, managers who need a fill-in starter at quarterback should be satisfied with that level of production.
QB Brian Hoyer at Chicago Bears (1 Percent Rostered)
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Here's a high-risk play that may pay off for fantasy managers who want to dive into the deep end of the sleeper pool.
Last Sunday, Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a back injury and underwent tests early this week. The team has ruled him out for Week 7.
Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Brian Hoyer, who relived Garoppolo in the second half of last week's contest, will start against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. He'll have a golden opportunity to make fantasy waves against the Bears' 29th-ranked pass defense, a unit that has allowed the second-most touchdowns (13) this season.
Against the New England Patriots, Hoyer completed six out of 10 passes for 102 yards, though he racked up most of his yardage on a 48-yard completion to rookie wideout Tre Tucker.
Early in the week, Davante Adams expressed frustration with his recent lack of involvement in the passing attack. Managers should expect Hoyer to target the three-time All-Pro wideout early and frequently, which gives the veteran backup quarterback somewhat of a decent floor in terms of production outlook for Week 7.
The Bears allow the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks—give Hoyer a look this week.
RB Kareem Hunt at Indianapolis Colts (32 Percent Rostered)
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Last week, against the San Francisco 49ers, Kareem Hunt had his welcome-back outing on the fantasy football scene. He recorded 12 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 24 yards.
Though Jerome Ford outpaced Hunt in touches (19-15), the latter saw enough action to find his way onto the sleeper list ahead of a favorable matchup with the Indianapolis Colts' 19th-ranked run defense.
Through six weeks, the Colts are tied for second in rushing touchdowns allowed (nine) and surrendered a score on the ground in five contests. Furthermore, they've given up the 11th-most fantasy points to running backs.
If quarterback P.J. Walker starts over Deshaun Watson in consecutive outings, the Cleveland Browns may employ a run-heavy game plan to exploit holes in the Colts' run defense.
In the event that Watson returns to action after two games on the sideline, he may dump off a lot of passes to Hunt to avoid reaggravating his right shoulder injury.
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RB Zach Evans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (3 Percent Rostered)
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Here's an unknown commodity who has a chance to make a name for himself.
Rookie Zach Evans looks like he's in line for a large workload with running backs Kyren Williams (sprained ankle) and Ronnie Rivers (PCL) set to miss time because of injuries.
This week, the Rams signed Royce Freeman to their active roster and added Darrell Henderson to the practice squad, but according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop, Evans will "likely" start at running back.
Last week, the sixth-round pick recorded four carries for 10 yards, which doesn't indicate much about his fantasy potential, but he has an opportunity to put together a breakout performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers' 29th-ranked run defense.
In line to handle the majority of the touches out of Los Angeles' backfield, Evans may be able to run up and down the field on a defense that has allowed at least 125 rushing yards in four out of five contests.
By the way, Pittsburgh has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Evans, as the lead ball-carrier in a platoon, could have a solid outing.
WR Rashee Rice vs. Los Angeles Chargers (38 Percent Rostered)
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Two weeks ago, we suggested Rashee Rice as a fantasy sleeper, and he's back on the list with another plus matchup.
Managers who add the 23-year-old should keep the rookie on their rosters for the remainder of the season. He's second on the team in targets (28), receptions (21) and receiving yards (245) with a couple of touchdown catches.
Though Rice is a distant second behind tight end Travis Kelce in those receiving categories, he's the young wideout on the Chiefs roster who's primed for a big breakout game.
Even though the Chiefs reunited with wide receiver Mecole Hardman via trade with the New York Jets, Rice should hold on to a solid role in the passing attack going forward.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, "Rashee Rice's profile could continue to grow in the Chiefs' offense coming out of Thursday's night's win over Denver."
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has targeted the SMU product at least five times in four out of six games, and the second-round wideout hauled in all four of his targets for 72 yards against the Broncos.
This week, Rice gets one of the best possible matchups for a wideout in a game with the Los Angeles Chargers. They give up the most passing yards per game, and they're tied with the Seattle Seahawks for most fantasy points allowed to wide receivers.
WR Curtis Samuel at New York Giants (32 Percent Rostered)
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Quietly, Curtis Samuel has established a pattern of consistency in offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy's pass-heavy offense.
The Washington Commanders head into Week 7 with the 10th-most pass attempts, and Samuel ranks second on the team in receptions (27) and receiving yards (285) with a couple of touchdown receptions. He also ran for a score in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Either on the ground or through the air, the 27-year-old has scored a touchdown in three consecutive outings. Managers should make note of the versatile wideout's scoring streak ahead of his matchup with the New York Giants' 28th-ranked scoring defense.
The Giants field a middling 16th-ranked pass defense, but they allow the 12th-most fantasy points to wide receivers, which is enough to get managers excited about a team that throws the ball as much as the Commanders.
Samuel has eclipsed 50 receiving yards in four out of six games. With a solid role in the Commanders' aerial attack, he's worth a start in the flex spot against Big Blue's generous defense.
TE Luke Musgrave at Denver Broncos (18 Percent Rostered)
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Coming off a bye week, Luke Musgrave has the best matchup for a tight end. The Denver Broncos allow the most fantasy points to players at his position.
A few weeks ago, the Broncos surrendered two touchdowns to Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet, who had his best performance of the season against Denver.
Aside from a fantasy-friendly opponent, Musgrave has a solid role in the Green Bay Packers' aerial attack. He's third on the team in targets (23) and ranks second in receptions (18).
Leading up to Green Bay's Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the rookie tight end cleared concussion protocol to play and tied Packers' lead wide receiver Christian Watson in targets (seven) and led the club in receptions (six).
Now that Musgrave is back in action, managers should stash the 23-year-old on their rosters and start him in favorable spots, which will be the case this week.
TE Michael Mayer at Chicago Bears (4 Percent Rostered)
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Here's the other half of this week's sleeper stack. We highlighted Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer above, now pair him with tight end Michael Mayer.
Last week, against the New England Patriots, Mayer recorded season highs in catches (five) and receiving yards (75). The Notre Dame product flashed a lot of promise after an alarmingly quiet start to the season, which is an encouraging sign for his development.
Also worthy of note, Mayer played a season-high 81 percent of the offensive snaps last week. As a second-round pick, he'll likely maintain a big role in the Raiders offense. If so, managers should plug him into their lineups because the Chicago Bears are tied for ninth in fantasy points allowed to tight ends.
Even with Hoyer likely to target Adams heavily on Sunday, Mayer could see a fair number of targets against a defense that is vulnerable to pass-catching tight ends.
Following his best performance, the 22-year-old is a reasonable dart throw at TE this week.
Eligibility restrictions apply. See DraftKings.com for details.
Fantasy points scored against statistics are provided by FantasyPros.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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