Fantasy Football Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Target

With six teams idle, Week 7 is tied for the busiest week of the entire NFL season in terms of byes, and that makes for a challenging environment in fantasy football.

Most fantasy managers are likely already dealing with injuries to key players, and fantasy-relevant teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys being on the bye doesn't help the already-existing depth issues.

Week 7 also represents the midway point of the regular season in many fantasy leagues, meaning and haves and have-nots are starting to separate themselves.

All of that is to say that a win or loss in Week 7 could be a make-or-break scenario for many fantasy managers, which makes setting the best possible lineup crucial.

In order to help with the burden of getting it right, PPR league rankings for quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers for Week 7 are included in this article.

Also, read on to see the best Week 7 sleeper starters at each of the three main skill positions, all of whom are rostered in 50 percent or less of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.

Week 7 PPR Rankings

AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Quarterback

1. Patrick Mahomes (KC)

2. Josh Allen (BUF)

3. Jalen Hurts (PHI)

4. Tua Tagovailoa (MIA)

5. Justin Herbert (LAC)

6. Geno Smith (SEA)

7. Lamar Jackson (BAL)

8. Brock Purdy (SF)

9. Jared Goff (DET)

10. Matthew Stafford (LAR)

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Running Backs

1. Christian McCaffrey (SF)

2. Austin Ekeler (LAC)

3. D'Andre Swift (PHI)

4. Kenneth Walker III (SEA)

5. Josh Jacobs (LV)

6. Isiah Pacheco (KC)

7. Alvin Kamara (NO)

8. Aaron Jones (GB)

9. Bijan Robinson (ATL)

10. Saquon Barkley (NYG)

11. Raheem Mostert (MIA)

12. Travis Etienne (JAC)

13. Brian Robinson (WAS)

14. James Cook (BUF)

15. Jonathan Taylor (IND)

16. Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)

17. Rhamondre Steveson (NE)

18. Javonte Williams (DEN)

19. Jerome Ford (CLE)

20. Zach Evans (LAR)

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Wide Receivers

1. Tyreek Hill (MIA)

2. Cooper Kupp (LAR)

3. AJ Brown (PHI)

4. Stefon Diggs (BUF)

5. Keenan Allen (LAC)

6. Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET)

7. Brandon Aiyuk (SF)

8. Jaylen Waddle (MIA)

9. Puka Nacua (LAR)

10. DK Metcalf (SEA)

11. Davante Adams (LV)

12. Chris Olave (JAC)

13. DeVonta Smith (PH)

14. Tyler Lockett (SEA)

15. Amari Cooper (CLE)

16. Christian Kirk (JAC)

17. Marquise Brown (ARI)

18. Jakobi Meyers (LV)

19. Calvin Ridley (JAC)

20. Terry McLaurin (WAS)

Sleeper QB: Joshua Dobbs, Arizona Cardinals (at Seattle Seahawks)

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 08: Joshua Dobbs #9 of the Arizona Cardinals scrambles out of the pocket during an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at State Farm Stadium on October 8, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Little was expected of the Arizona Cardinals entering the 2023 season, and much of that was due to the fact that head coach Jonathan Gannon tabbed journeyman Joshua Dobbs to be the starting quarterback in place of the injured Kyler Murray.

While it is true that the Cards are 1-5, they have been far more competitive than anticipated, beating the Dallas Cowboys and losing two games by only one score.

Dobbs is a big reason why Arizona has been able to stay in games, as he is completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,215 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing for 189 yards and a score.

He has thrown multiple touchdown passes in two of his past three games and also has at least 40 rushing yards in four of his past five games, which provides fantasy managers with a fairly safe floor.

In Week 7, Dobbs is going up against a Seattle defense that ranks 28th in the NFL against the pass, allowing 257.6 yards per game through the air.

Additionally, Arizona is 27th in the league in scoring defense, allowing 27.0 points per contest, which suggests there is a good chance Dobbs and the Cardinals offense will be playing from behind.

Seattle vs. Arizona has shootout potential, but even if the Seahawks get out to a big league as the superior team, it bodes well for Dobbs' fantasy prospects.

Dobbs is a strong play in two-quarterback leagues this week, and even in deeper one-quarterback leagues, he is startable for managers who stream or have their regular quarterback on the bye.

Sleeper RB: D'Onta Foreman, Chicago Bears (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

AP Photo/Melissa Tamez

Chicago Bears running back D'Onta Foreman (21) runs with the ball during an NFL football preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

After being inactive for four games, Chicago Bears running back D'Onta Foreman returned to fantasy relevance last week, pacing the team with 15 carries for 65 yards as the lead back.

Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer all got injured the previous week and were unable to play, which cleared the way for Foreman to dominate the backfield touches.

While Foreman only scored 7.7 points in PPR formats last week, he should be able to do much better than that with similar volume against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7.

Herbert was placed on injured reserve, and the Bears' injury report stated that Johnson did not practice Wednesday due to a concussion, while Homer was a limited participant with a hamstring injury.

Assuming Johnson misses another game, Foreman will be the unquestioned No. 1 running back again in Week 7 against a Raiders team that is 21st in the NFL against the run, allowing 121.7 yards per game.

Quarterback Justin Fields will almost certainly miss Sunday's game due to injury, so his rushing threat won't be present to take carries away from Foreman either.

Also, with undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent in line to start at quarterback, the Bears will want to employ a conservative, ball-control offense, and that means plenty of carries for Foreman.

Foreman may need to find the end zone in order to have a significant fantasy performance, but all the pieces are in place for him to flirt with the 100-yard mark and score one or perhaps even more touchdowns.

Sleeper WR: Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders (at New York Giants)

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 1: Curtis Samuel #4 of the Washington Commanders runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 1, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Entering the 2023 NFL season, Curtis Samuel looked like the clear No. 3 receiving option in the Washington Commanders' passing game behind Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, but that hasn't been the case.

McLaurin leads Washington with 31 receptions for 342 yards, but Samuel isn't far behind with 27 catches for 285 yards, plus he is tied for the team lead with two touchdown receptions.

Samuel is unquestionably ahead of Dotson in the pecking order when it comes to quarterback Sam Howell's favorite weapons, as Dotson has just 17 grabs for 140 yards and one score through six games.

Additionally, Samuel is a threat in running game, as he has carried for times for 20 yards and a touchdown, which adds another wrinkle to his fantasy value.

While Samuel has not had more than 64 receiving yards in a game this season, he has 42 or more in five of six games, and he has four catches or more in each of the past three games.

Samuel has also scored a touchdown in three consecutive games, which suggests offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy wants to get the ball in his playmaker's hands in the red zone.

In Week 7, the Commanders are facing a New York Giants team that has struggled mightily on defense this season, ranking 27th in total defense with 364.5 yards allowed per game and 28th in scoring defense with 27.8 points allowed per game.

That means the Commanders should have a ton of scoring opportunities, and based on the past few weeks, Samuel is the guy Howell will be looking for when they get close to the end zone.