Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown

The heart of the fantasy football schedule is upon us, and it is imperative for all owners to put together their best lineups in Week 7 as the talk of making the playoffs starts to circulate.

While many fantasy teams are in the driver’s seat and cruising to a first-round bye, other owners will be forced to scratch and claw their way into the postseason. Starting the optimal lineup now could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs.

Here is a position-by-position fantasy breakdown heading into Week 7. When in doubt, start the higher-ranked player on each list.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Projections
1	Peyton Manning, DEN	28 Points
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB	26 Points
3	Drew Brees, NO	26 Points
4	Andrew Luck, IND	22 Points
5	Matt Ryan, ATL	22 Points
6	Philip Rivers, SD	19 Points
7	Tom Brady, NE	18 Points
8	Jay Cutler, CHI	17 Points
9	Matthew Stafford, DET	16 Points
10	Cam Newton, CAR	16 Points
11	Tony Romo, DAL	15 Points
12	Colin Kaepernick, SF	14 Points
13	Joe Flacco, BAL	14 Points
14	Russell Wilson, SEA	13 Points
15	Brian Hoyer, CLE	12 Points

It was a good week to be an owner of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. If you started him in any formatted league, you reaped the rewards of 306 yards and five touchdown against Tampa Bay.

Flacco spoke to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com about his standout performance:

"

I don't know if I've ever thrown five touchdown passes in a game, to be honest with you. It was really surreal and a lot of fun at that point. At that point, shoot, we're on pace for almost 16 touchdowns. Man, that would've been even better. It could've gotten me into the 20s already.

"

Flacco has been feast or famine this season, but he is dangerous when playing well. While he struggled in Week 5, only throwing for 235 yards and zero touchdowns, he threw 327 yards and three touchdowns in Week 4 against Carolina.

The Ravens play at home in Week 7 and take on the lackluster secondary of the Atlanta Falcons, who are ranked 29th in the NFL and have allowed an astounding 277.7 yards passing per game this season.

Start Flacco with confidence in all standard-scoring leagues.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Projection
1	DeMarco Murray, DAL	22 Points
2	Arian Foster, HOU	22 Points
3	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	20 Points
4	Matt Forte, CHI	18 Points
5	Jamaal Charles, KC	18 Points
6	Giovani Bernard, CIN	17 Points
7	Andre Ellington, ARI	16 Points
8	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	16 Points
9	Alfred Morris, WAS	15 Points
10	Branden Oliver, SD	15 Points
11	Ben Tate, CLE	15 Points
12	Eddie Lacy, GB	14 Points
13	Frank Gore, SF	13 Points
14	Andre Williams, NYG	13 Points
15	Fred Jackson, BUF	12 Points
16	Lamar Miller, MIA	11 Points
17	Zac Stacy, STL	11 Points
18	Ronnie Hillman, DEN	11 Points
19	Justin Forsett, BAL	10 Points
20	Shane Vereen, NE	10 Points
21	Trent Richardson, IND	9 Points
22	C.J. Spiller, BUF	9 Points
23	Ahmad Bradshaw, IND	8 Points
24	Matt Asiata, MIN	8 Points
25	Bishop Sankey, TEN	7 Points

One of the biggest surprises of Week 6 was the Seattle Seahawks' unwillingness to feed the ball to star running back Marshawn Lynch. The Dallas defense has been susceptible to the run, but Seattle only gave Lynch 10 carries all day.

After taking the loss at home, Seattle will be looking for vengeance in Week 7 against the lowly St. Louis Rams (26th in the NFL allowing 139.8 yards rushing per game) and will get the star running back more involved.

Expect between 20-25 carries this week and several targets in the passing attack as well.

Another running back that is ready for a huge statistical day in Week 7 is Houston Texans star Arian Foster. The nagging hamstring and back issues he was dealing with look to be a thing of the past, as he ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Week 6.

With extended rest following a Thursday night game and the Week 7 matchup against Pittsburgh taking place on Monday Night Football, Foster should be ready to add to his elite fantasy numbers against a Steelers defense allowing 111.2 rushing yards per game.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	22 Points
2	Julio Jones, ATL	22 Points
3	Antonio Brown, PIT	20 Points
4	Jordy Nelson, GB	20 Points
5	Dez Bryant, DAL	19 Points
6	Brandon Marshall, CHI	18 Points
7	Steve Smith, BAL	18 Points
8	Andre Johnson, HOU	17 Points
9	T.Y. Hilton, IND	17 Points
10	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	16 Points
11	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	16 Points
12	Randall Cobb, GB	15 Points
13	DeSean Jackson, WAS	15 Points
14	Reggie Wayne, IND	14 Points
15	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	14 Points
16	Mike Wallace, MIA	14 Points
17	Brandin Cooks, NO	13 Points
18	Keenan Allen, SD	12 Points
19	Torrey Smith, BAL	12 Points
20	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	11 Points
21	Mohamed Sanu, CIN	10 Points
22	Percy Harvin, SEA	10 Points
23	Julian Edelman, NE	9 Points
24	Odell Beckham, NYG	8 Points
25	Roddy White, ATL	8 Points
26	Sammy Watkins, BUF	8 Points
27	Michael Floyd, ARI	7 Points
28	Brian Quick, STL	6 Points
29	Kendall Wright, TEN	6 Points
30	Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN	5 Points
31	Eric Decker, NYJ	5 Points
32	Golden Tate, DET	5 Points
33	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	5 Points
34	Pierre Garcon, WAS	5 Points
35	Michael Crabtree, SF	5 Points

Fantasy owners who took the educated risk drafting Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith this season have been treated to one of the biggest surprises in years. Smith’s career looked to be over, but after being cut by Carolina, he has found his drive once again and is killing it on the field.

Smith has four 100-yard performances though the first six games and has added four touchdowns thus far as well. The real key has been the targets from Flacco and how the game plan is predicated on getting the playmaker involved as often as possible.

Against a beatable Atlanta secondary, expect Smith to get another 100 yards and a touchdown.

Veteran receivers can be a dangerous proposition in fantasy football, but Smith and Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson are breaking the stereotypes and remaining two of the most reliable fantasy players in the league.

Johnson hasn’t racked up the touchdowns needed to be considered an elite WR1 in fantasy, but he has been targeted at least seven times each week and racked up at least 70 yards in four of his six games.

After watching the Pittsburgh secondary get torched by Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland Browns, Johnson should be able to amass his first 100-yard performance of the year. Fantasy owners will also be hoping for a touchdown, though.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	18 Points
2	Julius Thomas, DEN	18 Points
3	Martellus Bennett, CHI	14 Points
4	Greg Olsen, CAR	14 Points
5	Antonio Gates, SD	13 Points
6	Jordan Cameron, CLE	12 Points
7	Vernon Davis, SF	12 Points
8	Jace Amaro, NYJ	11 Points
9	Travis Kelce, KC	10 Points
10	Delanie Walker, TEN	10 Points
11	Jason Witten, DAL	9 Points
12	Dwayne Allen, IND	8 Points

The New York Jets drafted tight end Jace Amaro in the second round with hopes that he would blossom into a reliable receiver that could alleviate the pressure on Geno Smith or whoever is under center.

The transition to the NFL wasn’t easy, but the team is beginning to reap the rewards for their patience as Amaro caught 10 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown Sunday. Smith has been looking for a safety valve when the pressure is on, and Amaro was targeted 12 times against Denver.

With Smith and Amaro developing a rapport, expect New York to call more designed plays for the tight end on top of the dump-off passes when another option is covered. If you need tight end help in fantasy, Amaro is worth a pickup and start against New England in Week 7.

Team Defenses

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projection
1	Seattle Seahawks	St. Louis	16 Points
2	Arizona Cardinals	Oakland	16 Points
3	Denver Broncos	San Francisco	14 Points
4	San Diego Chargers	Kansas City	14 Points
5	Cleveland Browns	Jacksonville	14 Points
6	San Francisco 49ers	Denver	12 Points
7	Green Bay Packers	Carolina	12 Points
8	Cincinnati Bengals	Indianapolis	12 Points
9	Buffalo Bills	Minnesota	10 Points
10	Houston Texans	Pittsburgh	10 Points
11	New England Patriots	New York Jets	10 Points
12	Carolina Panthers	Green Bay	8 Points

Few fantasy owners think of the Cleveland Browns defense as a viable option week to week. After dominating the Pittsburgh Steelers and with a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, though, Week 7 is the perfect opportunity to take the educated risk.

Cleveland only allowed 10 points to Pittsburgh and seven of those points came off a fourth-quarter touchdown in garbage time. After watching Jacksonville score just 14 points on Tennessee, using the Browns as your fantasy defense should be considered in Week 7.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	14 Points
2	Dan Bailey, DAL	14 Points
3	Justin Tucker, BAL	13 Points
4	Mason Crosby, GB	12 Points
5	Chandler Catanzaro, ARI	12 Points
6	Matt Prater, DET	11 Points
7	Shaun Suisham, PIT	10 Points
8	Dan Carpenter, BUF	9 Points
9	Brandon McManus, DEN	8 Points
10	Adam Vinatieri, IND	7 Points
11	Matt Bryant, ATL	6 Points
12	Phil Dawson, SF	6 Points

The Arizona Cardinals square off against the Oakland Raiders in Week 7. After watching the shootout between Oakland and San Diego, fantasy owners should be looking to start Arizona kicker Chandler Catanzaro this Sunday.

Catanzaro is 14-for-14 on field-goal attempts this season and has made all eight of his extra points. With Carson Palmer back under center and the offense improving, the Cardinals should be in field-goal range early and often.

*Stats via NFL.com.

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