Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings: Latest Position-by-Position Rundown

With the midway point of most fantasy football leagues officially here, many owners find themselves in a position that dictates they must go on a run, which means they can't afford to make any crucial lineup mistakes.

While miscues are bound to happen in fantasy, they can be kept to a minimum by trusting your studs and making shrewd decisions based on matchups. Not everyone is lucky enough to have favorable matchups on a weekly basis, but there are always at least a few that can be exploited.

The rankings at this point of the season look much different than they did at the start of campaign due to injuries, poor play from expected stars and other factors. Even though names like Branden Oliver and Larry Donnell weren't on the fantasy radar at the start of the season, it is time to start relying on them in addition to the established stars.

As the second half of the fantasy season draws near, here is a look at the Week 7 rankings for each and every position.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Andrew Luck	IND	CIN
2	Peyton Manning	DEN	SF
3	Aaron Rodgers	GB	CAR
4	Jay Cutler	CHI	MIA
5	Drew Brees	NO	DET
6	Philip Rivers	SD	KC
7	Matthew Stafford	DET	NO
8	Colin Kaepernick	SF	DEN
9	Cam Newton	CAR	GB
10	Matt Ryan	ATL	BAL
11	Russell Wilson	SEA	STL
12	Tony Romo	DAL	NYG
13	Eli Manning	NYG	DAL
14	Joe Flacco	BAL	ATL
15	Brian Hoyer	CLE	JAC
16	Andy Dalton	CIN	IND
17	Carson Palmer	ARI	OAK
18	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	HOU
19	Kirk Cousins	WAS	TEN
20	Alex Smith	KC	SD

Most figured it was only a matter of time before Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck developed into an elite player, and that time has already come. The third-year star out of Stanford leads the league in both passing yardage and passing touchdowns, and he has been absolute money for fantasy owners.

The 25-year-old gunslinger has thrown for at least 300 yards in all but one game, and he has gone for 370 or more on four occasions. All things considered, Luck is on pace for a historically great 2014 campaign, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

While Luck is essentially matchup-proof at this point, his Week 7 opponent is pretty favorable. The Cincinnati Bengals are just 22nd in the league against the pass, and they have allowed an average of 40 points per game over their past two contests.

Indy's offense is rolling, and being at home within the confines of Lucas Oil Stadium will certainly help. Luck shouldn't be benched under any circumstances right now, but his owners can rest assured that he's in line for another huge outing.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	DeMarco Murray	DAL	NYG
2	Matt Forte	CHI	MIA
3	Jamaal Charles	KC	SD
4	Giovani Bernard	CIN	IND
5	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	HOU
6	Andre Ellington	ARI	OAK
7	Arian Foster	HOU	PIT
8	Eddie Lacy	GB	CAR
9	Branden Oliver	SD	KC
10	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	STL
11	Lamar Miller	MIA	CHI
12	Ben Tate	CLE	JAC
13	Justin Forsett	BAL	ATL
14	Andre Williams	NYG	DAL
15	Alfred Morris	WAS	TEN
16	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	CIN
17	Frank Gore	SF	DEN
18	Fred Jackson	BUF	MIN
19	Reggie Bush	DET	NO
20	Ronnie Hillman	DEN	SF
21	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	BUF
22	Joique Bell	DET	NO
23	Zac Stacy	STL	SEA
24	Steven Jackson	ATL	BAL
25	Mark Ingram	NO	DET
26	Bishop Sankey	TEN	WAS
27	Pierre Thomas	NO	DET
28	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	GB
29	Jeremy Hill	CIN	IND
30	C.J. Spiller	BUF	MIN

Although he wasn't considered anything more than a late-first-round selection at best in most fantasy leagues entering the season, Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray has unquestionably emerged as the preeminent player at his position.

His 785 rushing yards lead the league by more than 200, and his six touchdowns on the ground are tops as well. Murray's numbers look outstanding without any context, but they are even more impressive when you consider the type of company he is in, as pointed out by ESPN's Trey Wingo:

Murray is finally reaching his full potential largely due to the fact that Dallas is committed to letting him lead the offense. There is some concern that his production will drop off as the season progresses since there has been talk of lessening his workload, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, but offensive coordinator Scott Linehan doesn't appear to be in a hurry to make that happen.

"

At the end of the day, if you're playing the way you expect to play and the way it needs to be it's going to get in that number fairly often. Every game is different. We've been able to do it so far and it's certainly been a good formula for us at this point but these other guys are going to continue to play more; we're certainly not saying DeMarco is done after so many carries. He's been, I thought he really looked stronger in the fourth quarter this week with maybe less plays opposed to less carries.

"

With a huge divisional outing against the New York Giants on tap, fantasy owners should expect a healthy dose of Murray in Week 7. Big Blue has allowed seven touchdowns on the ground this season, and Murray will undoubtedly be the beneficiary.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Jordy Nelson	GB	CAR
2	Antonio Brown	PIT	HOU
3	Julio Jones	ATL	BAL
4	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	SF
5	Dez Bryant	DAL	NYG
6	Brandon Marshall	CHI	MIA
7	T.Y. Hilton	IND	CIN
8	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	MIA
9	Steve Smith	BAL	ATL
10	Mike Wallace	MIA	CHI
11	Randall Cobb	GB	CAR
12	Golden Tate	DET	NO
13	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	SF
14	DeSean Jackson	WAS	TEN
15	Andre Johnson	HOU	PIT
16	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	IND
17	Rueben Randle	NYG	DAL
18	Michael Floyd	ARI	OAK
19	Torrey Smith	BAL	ATL
20	Pierre Garcon	WAS	TEN
21	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	GB
22	Reggie Wayne	IND	CIN
23	Roddy White	ATL	BAL
24	Andre Holmes	OAK	ARI
25	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	OAK
26	Keenan Allen	SD	KC
27	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	PIT
28	Brandin Cooks	NO	DET
29	Sammy Watkins	BUF	MIN
30	Marques Colston	NO	DET

The NFL is seemingly stacked with excellent wide receivers this year, but it can be argued that Green Bay Packers speedster Jordy Nelson has managed to shine brighter than the rest.

Nelson leads the NFL with 632 receiving yards, and he is first among wide receivers with 43 catches as well. In addition to that, Packers teammate Randall Cobb is the only wideout with more touchdown receptions than Nelson's five.

While the Kansas State product's job is made much easier by the fact that Aaron Rodgers is throwing him the ball, he deserves credit for somehow always being open. Nelson excels in every area, but he has been especially valuable to owners in point-per-reception leagues, as evidenced by this stat, courtesy of the Packers' official Twitter account:

The Carolina Panthers, Green Bay's Week 7 opponent, have surrendered 12 passing scores this season, which is tied for the fifth-worst total in the league. The Packers are going to throw at will as usual, and Nelson will be on the receiving end of most of those passes.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Julius Thomas	DEN	SF
2	Greg Olsen	CAR	GB
3	Jordan Cameron	CLE	JAC
4	Delanie Walker	TEN	WAS
5	Larry Donnell	NYG	DAL
6	Martellus Bennett	CHI	MIA
7	Vernon Davis	SF	DEN
8	Antonio Gates	SD	KC
9	Jason Witten	DAL	NYG
10	Jordan Reed	WAS	TEN
11	Travis Kelce	KC	SD
12	Jared Cook	STL	SEA
13	Dwayne Allen	IND	CIN
14	Heath Miller	PIT	HOU
15	Josh Hill	NO	DET
16	Owen Daniels	BAL	ATL
17	Scott Chandler	BUF	MIN
18	Clay Harbor	JAC	CLE
19	Eric Ebron	DET	NO
20	Coby Fleener	IND	CIN

With New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski having played Thursday and New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham potentially out this week, Julius Thomas of the Denver Broncos has the top spot all to himself. Even if Gronk and Graham were included, though, Thomas might still be deserving of the No. 1 position.

That is how dominant the former Portland State basketball star has looked through six weeks. His 24 catches for 277 yards are somewhat modest, but he leads the NFL with nine touchdown grabs. In fact, Thomas has more scores than many of the league's elite receivers combined, according to Numbers Never Lie:

There is no question that Thomas has emerged as quarterback Peyton Manning's favorite target in the red zone. With Manning sitting just three touchdown passes away from the career record, Thomas figures to get some opportunities on Sunday night.

His matchup isn't the best since the San Francisco 49ers are giving up a mere 207 passing yards per game, but they have surrendered nine touchdown passes, and it isn't as if Manning can be slowed down by even the best defenses very often.

Thomas may not rack up a ton of yardage, but his status as a weekly touchdown threat makes him an elite fantasy contributor.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Adam Vinatieri	IND	CIN
2	Dan Bailey	DAL	NYG
3	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	OAK
4	Brandon McManus	DEN	SF
5	Steven Hauschka	SEA	STL
6	Phil Dawson	SF	DEN
7	Justin Tucker	BAL	ATL
8	Mason Crosby	GB	CAR
9	Nick Novak	SD	KC
10	Robbie Gould	CHI	MIA
11	Matt Bryant	ATL	BAL
12	Shaun Suisham	PIT	HOU

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Seahawks	SEA	STL
2	Cardinals	ARI	OAK
3	Bills	BUF	MIN
4	Browns	CLE	JAC
5	Broncos	DEN	SF
6	Bears	CHI	MIA
7	Ravens	BAL	ATL
8	Lions	DET	NO
9	Chargers	SD	KC
10	Steelers	PIT	HOU
11	49ers	SF	DEN
12	Texans	HOU	PIT

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