NFL Fantasy Football Week 7: Last-Minute Advice for Setting Your Roster

As stressful as this hobby sometimes seems, let's remember to enjoy the weeks of fantasy football fun we have left. The campaign blurs by, as we are already 46 percent of the way into the fantasy regular season and will cross the halfway mark after the week concludes.

While winning is always fun, watching the RedZone channel and talking friendly trash with competitors keeps us coming back—which isn't to say these are mutually exclusive activities.

Injuries don't dominate the Week 7 slate as they did in previous weekends. Among the most notable must-start fantasy commodities facing game-time calls, we find the San Diego Chargers' Antonio Gates, who is considered questionable thanks to a MCL sprain suffered near the end of Week 6's loss in Lambeau Field, per a report from Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Join us in discussing the key fantasy-relevant injuries, such a Gates' game-time status, as well as undervalued commodities such as streaming defenses and waiver-wire wonders with an eye on preparing for Week 7. We even take a crack at predicting the perfect fantasy football lineup for the week.

As always, feel free to post your lineup conundrums and your predictions for the perfect Week 7 fantasy lineup in the comments below.

Waiver-Wire Wonders for Week 7: Theo Riddick and Michael Floyd

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

In this section, we focus solely on players at each position we can find for free in at least 40 percent of ESPN fantasy football leagues. 

Quarterback Values

With so many injuries and several key bye weeks hitting the quarterback position hard this week, the market of widely available arms is essentially limited to the New York Jets' Ryan Fitzpatrick and possibly the St. Louis Rams' Nick Foles. There just aren't many fantasy quarterbacks available in over 40 percent of ESPN leagues.

Fitzpatrick is a respectable 15th in fantasy points per game in ESPN leagues and faces the New England Patriots in a game with the week's second-highest point total at 49, per Odds Shark, which suggests some upside if passing volume is present.

Although he's not a special talent, let's consider Fitzpatrick has two big and productive wideouts to target and has been sacked just twice on the season behind one of the league's best protection schemes.

Foles is far more of a deep and desperate consideration given his utter lack of passing weapons—the Rams are the only team in the league with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards this season. With talented rookie running back Todd Gurley set to dominate the visiting Cleveland Browns, however, multiple red-zone visits offer some dart-throw interest in Foles in daily tournaments and abyss-deep season-long formats.

Running Back Bargains

With a focus solely on fantasy free agents, Washington Redskins rookie Matt Jones could consume third-down duties, per ESPN.com's John Keim. Jones offers a better total-yardage floor than veteran teammate Alfred Morris for this matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Detroit Lions' Theo Riddick is an ideal addition in points-per-reception leagues, as we covered earlier this week in predicting the top waiver additions of the coming week:

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This season, Riddick is 21st in fantasy points per game in PPR formats among tailbacks with 11.83 points per game, just ahead of the Indianapolis Colts' Frank Gore and the Arizona Cardinals' Chris Johnson in per-game production. Riddick is tied with the Falcons' Devonta Freeman with 41 targets for the lead among NFL backs and is the lone back with more than 30 targets to not have a single drop on the campaign so far.

The Lions are second in the league in passing attempts and tied with the New Orleans Saints with 68 targets to their tailbacks, the most in the NFL. Nearly a quarter (24.7 percent) of the Lions' passing attempts go to their backs, suggesting that Riddick, who is on pace for 88 receptions and over 700 yards, could be an enduring PPR weapon this season.

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Waiver Wideouts

The Arizona Cardinals' Michael Floyd played on a season-high 75 percent of the team's offensive snaps in Week 6, per Football Outsiders. He nets a choice matchup with a Baltimore Ravens secondary that has allowed the most yards per game to receivers since Week 2 when you remove an outlier Week 1 outing versus a sluggish Denver Broncos offense. You can find Floyd for free in nearly half of ESPN leagues.

The Buffalo Bills' Robert Woods might only be owned in James Woods' private fantasy league at this point but merits much more attention for this single-week window while so many of his teammates are sidelined, per ESPN.com's Mike Rodak. Even if it's EJ Manuel behind center, volume could buoy a sneaky PPR outing from the USC product in London.

ESPN.com's Mike Reiss reports the New England Patriots have activated Brandon LaFell from the PUP list and he is set to be active for Sunday's tilt with the Jets. Still merely a desperate play in deeper formats, LaFell was quietly 22nd in ESPN standard fantasy points last season among receivers—best on the team. 

Tight End Streamers

If the San Diego Chargers' Antonio Gates does indeed miss an inviting matchup with the Raiders—a defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends in ESPN leagues, understudy Ladarius Green would become a must-add for Gates' investors or those streaming at this shallow position. Green is already seventh in fantasy points per game among tight ends in ESPN leagues and is owned in just a quarter of such leagues.

For streaming D/ST options, check out our "Streaming of Vegas" section.

Predicting the Perfect Week 7 Fantasy Football Team

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

For a bit of fun and possibly some help in identifying top daily matchups, let's try to predict to perfect fantasy football lineup for Week 7. For those of you have several shares of these potentially successful statistical stars, this might be a fun read. For those of you facing several of these upside options, bank on the idea we might be quite wrong.

Quarterback: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals' Monday night matchup versus a suspect Baltimore Ravens defense is simply too inviting to dismiss, which makes Carson Palmer a clear chalk play in daily fantasy competition and a common name atop rankings this week.

Palmer faces the most generous defense in fantasy football, as the Ravens' reeling group is allowing 14 percent more fantasy points per game to opposing arms than the 31st-ranked 49ers since Week 2. It's been quite a while since that epic Super Bowl, apparently.

The Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck is another ideal candidate for fantasy perfection. The Stanford star faces a Saints defense that is surrendering the second-most fantasy points to signal-callers this season.

In a rich week at the elite level of the position, the San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers is another stellar daily fantasy consideration and a top redraft play versus a Raiders secondary with lackluster talent in the cornerback corps. Rivers is on pace for a ridiculous 5,643 passing yards.

Running Back: Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams and LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

Call us out for blasphemy for excluding the Atlanta Falcons' Devonta Freeman, the Pittsburgh Steelers' LeVeon Bell or even the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson. All of the aforementioned options are elite, but in order to diversify our declarations we are going with Gurley and "Shady" as our perfect backfield in Week 7.

Gurley has 305 rushing yards in his past two games, while the Rams face the Cleveland Browns' soft front that is allowing the second-most yards per carry to opposing backs in the league. Run, rookie, run.

The bolder call would be to bank on the Bills' feature back in London on Sunday morning. Buffalo is literally missing most of its starting skill players to injury, per ESPN.com's Mike Rodak. McCoy is a good bet for 25 total touches in a climate defined by committee backfields.

We are guessing we finally see vintage Shady in Wembley this Sunday morning. As a reminder to get your lineups set, the Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Receiver: DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans and Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

The Cards' Larry Fitzgerald has an awesome case for top honors against the Ravens' hapless secondary, led by an exploitable Jimmy Smith at cornerback. The Chargers' Keenan Allen is looking good to start despite a hip ailment, per ESPN's Eric D. Williams; he is on pace for the second-most receptions of all time. That said, we ride with Hopkins and his somehow realistic chase for 2,000 yards and the irrepressible Jones, who could feast on a Titans secondary thinned by injury, per Titans Online's Jim Wyatt.

Tight End: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

We wanted to be bold on this one so we went with the greatest tight end on the planet on a whim. The New York Jets defense presents a unique challenge for this unique specimen, but with a few top tight ends on bye and some injuries afflicting the position, "Gronky Kong" is still the best play of the week.

For a more under-the-radar candidate, we discuss the upside of the Chargers' Ladarius Green on our bold predictions page. We dig both Green and the Washington Redskins' Jordan Reed as top sleepers to consider at this shallow position.

D/ST: St. Louis Rams

Could this be the week the Browns' uncommonly successful passing offense cools down? Given how talented and ferocious the Rams defensive line can prove, we're guessing this group could top the fantasy leaderboard for the week.

The Bills also offer some real big-play upside against the Jaguars, who somehow flew to London on Friday, per ESPN.com's Mike DiRocco. Which defense are your chasing as the top candidate this week?'

Questionable Calls Week 7: Antonio Gates Is a Game-Time Decision

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Any given fantasy slate can defined by a rash of injuries across the must-start class of commodities. This week, we find just the San Diego's Chargers' legendary Antonio Gates in a true game-time scenario among the elite every-week options. 

Gates has a sprained MCL, according to a report from Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, which places his status in question. With a late-afternoon kickoff in Ron Burgundy's town, Gates' owners will want to add productive backup Ladarius Green or have earlier options queued given the doubtful tone reports currently emit.  

The Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson has been downgraded to questionable because of an illness, per ESPN's Field Yates, but ESPN's Ben Goessling suggests we can expect "AP" to be ready to go. This is a surprise designation that suggests Peterson's owners should consider Matt Asiata or Jerick McKinnon as an insurance policy. 

We would suggest Asiata for a one-game spot-start if Peterson is unexpectedly scratched given Asiata's greater goal-line history and receiving pedigree. We assume Peterson's owners will be refreshing Twitter all morning.

ESPN.com's Adam Teicher reports Kansas City's Jeremy Maclin (concussion) is likely to play versus the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Steelers are just one of 10 teams to have allowed at least 1,000 yards to opposing receivers this season, which sets up Maclin up with sturdy WR2 status. 

The Arizona Cardinals' John Brown is one of the rare star fantasy assets facing uncertain availability with a hamstring ailment, but Darren Urban of the team's website reports Brown was back at practice Saturday and is trending toward starting Monday. Brown is a must-start asset in facing the Ravens' league-worst pass defense. For those who are seeking a sound insurance policy for Brown, teammate Michael Floyd could feast if his passing peer were deactivated. 

Sunday update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the New England Patriots' Dion Lewis is not expected to play versus the Jets due to an abdominal injury. This clearly an upgrade for LeGarrette Blount, who could see the bulk of the early-down workload. Change-of-pace duties could go to James White, offering some deep-league PPR flex appeal for those Lewis investors seeking immediate alternatives. 

Streaming of Vegas Week 7: Let the Desert Help on Defense

James Kenney/Associated Press

How can we leverage the point projection system that Vegas and offshore sportsbooks produce each week in seeking streaming D/ST options? The foundation of the idea has us favoring favorites in games with point totals under 46.5. 

The results showed favorites in games below this threshold ended up in the top 10 in ESPN fantasy leagues 49 percent of the time. Here is a simple breakdown of the quadrants for this concept: 

• Favorites in games with a point total under 46.5: 49 percent in the top 10 of fantasy D/ST units.
• Favorites in games with a point total over 46.5: 38 percent top-10 rate. 
• Underdogs in games with a point total under 46.5: 29 percent top-10 rate. 
• Underdogs in games over a point total over 46.5: 21 percent top-10 rate. 

We can also use these trends to help identify some potentially productive under-the-radar D/ST units for Week 7 of fantasy football competition. 

The Vikings Again Make for a Valuable Streaming Option

The Detroit Lions are 22nd in the league in per-game fantasy allowance to opposing D/ST groups, offering 7.67 fantasy points per outing this season. The Lions' mercurial signal-caller Matthew Stafford has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of just 1.11, and this is after a four-score Sunday in Week 6. The Vikings regularly blitz the A-gap, potentially producing persistent pocket pressure versus a turnover-prone Stafford.

This isn't just about measuring the matchup, as a talented Vikings' defensive group gets back edge menace Everson Griffen at defensive end, while Harrison Smith is arguably the best safety in football at the moment. As impressive as Stafford was statistically last week, I’m not fading coach Mike Zimmer's aggressive defense in Detroit.

The Atlanta Falcons' D/ST Offers Rare Upside As Road Favorites

This visit to Tennessee to take on the Titans' gunslinging signal-caller Zach Mettenberger could prove profitable for those willing to stream the Falcons defense. The second-year LSU product was 38th in QBR last season among the quarterbacks with at least 150 attempts, and he threw eight scores to seven picks last season, ranking 30th of qualifying arms in this important passing ratio.

With the Titans' running back corps ranking 26th in rushing yards among NFL backfields with just 459 yards on the season, forcing the game to Mettenberger's mistake-prone big arm offers some real upside for Atlanta. This game's point total is just slightly above the aforementioned cutoff at 47 points, per Odds Shark, but the matchup metrics versus a weak offensive threat remain inviting.

Bold Predictions for Week 7 in Fantasy Football: What Can Brown Do for You?

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

With some actual boldness as the goal, we offer some of the more unlikely, but still quite possible, awesome outcomes for specific players in Week 7. 

Last week we thought Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions would go off while the New England Patriots' bruising back LeGarrette Blount would feast on fantasy points. That worked out. Now on to this week's crop. 

The San Diego Chargers' Ladarius Green Leads All Tight Ends in Fantasy Points 

We really think the Patriots' peerless Rob Gronkowski makes for the perfect play at this shallow position, but Green could become a surefire ceiling play if Antonio Gates misses the week with a knee ailment. The Raiders, for their part, have allowed the most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season by a generous margin. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Antonio Brown Is the Top Fantasy Wideout

This would rarely ever qualify as bold, but this week might be the exception given the superstar's lingering fantasy woes since signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger went down. Since Week 3, Brown is 62nd in per-game fantasy output among NFL receivers. It's really been that bad. Facing an inept Chiefs secondary allowing the most fantasy points per game to the position in ESPN leagues, it's finally time for Brown to revive his elite ways.

Fantasy points against courtesy of ESPN.com.