Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings: Breaking Down Each Position
We're about to pass the halfway point of the fantasy football regular season.
Most leagues span 13 weeks. If you're 0-6, the injuries on your roster have likely been biblical. If you're undefeated, then health, luck and skill are all at play. If you're anywhere in between, you're still fighting for a playoff spot.
This is it. It's time to buckle down, make some moves and tear off a late-season run.
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Here's a breakdown for Week 7.
Note: Scoring based on half-point PPR ESPN leagues.
Quarterback
| 1 | Patriots | Tom Brady | Steelers |
| 2 | Saints | Drew Brees | Chiefs |
| 3 | Colts | Andrew Luck | Titans |
| 4 | Falcons | Matt Ryan | Chargers |
| 5 | Seahawks | Russell Wilson | Cardinals |
| 6 | Cardinals | Carson Palmer | Seahawks |
| 7 | Packers | Aaron Rodgers | Bears |
| 8 | Raiders | Derek Carr | Jaguars |
| 9 | Bills | Tyrod Taylor | Dolphins |
| 10 | Lions | Matthew Stafford | Washington |
Stud: Matt Ryan, Falcons
In the past two weeks, Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons faced the league's two most terrifying defenses.
They passed each test.
Week 5's 15-point performance against the Denver Broncos wasn't a matchup-winner, but it was serviceable. Denver is allowing 13.5 points an outing to opposing QBs, eighth-best in the NFL.
This Sunday, Matty Ice put up 24.6 points against the vaunted Seattle Seahawks, tossing for 335 yards and three scores while committing two turnovers.
Ryan's interception should've been a completion to Julio Jones, who let the pass bounce off his hands and into Earl Thomas' grasp.
From here on out, Ryan is officially a "set and forget" play. In Week 7, he gets the San Diego Chargers, who are coming off a bullying performance against Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian. Ryan and the Falcons' relentless offensive attack is a different animal, though.
The Chargers are certainly exploitable, as Derek Carr slapped 26 points (317 yards and two touchdowns) on them just two weeks ago. With cornerback Jason Verrett injured, Jones and Co. are viewing this matchup like lions view a zebra.
Ryan is easily a top-five play.
Dud: Marcus Mariota, Titans
Marcus Mariota has gone full-on Super Mario the past two weeks.
On the road against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5, the second-year Tennessee Titan was the No. 1 overall fantasy play. He tossed three touchdowns and ran for another without any turnovers, totaling 30.5 points.
Against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, it was more of the same—284 passing yards, three touchdowns and just one pick.
Consider this week's contest with the Indianapolis Colts his Bowser.
Now, Indy is far from a villainous defense. The Colts are surrendering 21.1 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, good for a league ranking of 26th.
Still, Mariota has never shown the consistency of a weekly top-10 start.
He totaled just 4.8 points against the Oakland Raiders' drippy defense in Week 3, followed by an 8.1-point outing in Week 4's battle with the Houston Texans. DeMarco Murray could easily dominate the ground game against the Colts and rob Mariota, never a high-yardage guy (who's yet to crack 300 yards this year), of scoring opportunities. Indianapolis is allowing the third-most points to opposing backs.
Mariota is not a bad play. If you had Ben Roethlisberger go down or need a QB with Cam Newton on a bye, the 22-year-old is a strong fill-in.
Just don't expect week-winning numbers for the third straight week.
Running Back
| 1 | Cardinals | David Johnson | Seahawks |
| 2 | Bills | LeSean McCoy | Dolphins |
| 3 | Steelers | Le'Veon Bell | Patriots |
| 4 | Titans | DeMarco Murray | Colts |
| 5 | Rams | Todd Gurley | Giants |
| 6 | Seahawks | Christine Michael | Cardinals |
| 7 | Falcons | Devonta Freeman | Chargers |
| 8 | Texans | Lamar Miller | Broncos |
| 9 | Saints | Mark Ingram | Chiefs |
| 10 | Broncos | C.J. Anderson | Texans |
Stud: Lamar Miller, Texans
On Sunday night against the Colts, Lamar Miller had the breakout game both the Texans and fantasy owners have been pining for.
Showing quick burst all night, Miller totaled a season-high 33.3 fantasy points—24 carries for 149 yards, three catches for 29 yards and two total touchdowns. He looked every bit the RB1 you likely selected him as.
Now, he gets the Broncos, who have been surprisingly weak against the run. They rank 23rd with 23.8 points allowed.
The recipe to move the rock on Denver is simple: Utilize running backs in the passing game.
Atlanta did it with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The Bengals did it with Giovani Bernard. The Buccaneers did not, sans Doug Martin in Week 4, and got stuffed.
Houston will figure this out, and Miller, who has proved to be a capable pass-catching weapon, will likely see an uptick in receptions.
Don't be scared off by the name value of Denver. Start Miller without hesitation.
Dud: Jordan Howard, Bears
What was the cause of Jordan Howard's Week 6 letdown?
Good game-planning by the Jacksonville Jaguars? An inevitable rookie off day? A loss of faith by the Chicago Bears' coaching staff? A perfect storm of a variety of factors?
It's hard to tell. And that's why Howard is a risky Week 7 play.
The Packers got treated like a treadmill by Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but that was a first on the year. Prior to the 20.4-point performance from Zeke, Green Bay was the league's No. 1 overall defense against running backs. Sunday was the first time an opposing runner saw more than 47 yards on the ground.
But we know how effective the Cowboys' ground-and-pound game is. The Bears shouldn't get that same respect.
On a short week, expect Howard, who put up back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances in his first two starts, to struggle once again. The Packers will be playing angry coming off an embarrassing loss, so Chicago will almost assuredly be playing from behind.
Perhaps Howard can make some magic happen in the receiving game, but he's more of a flex/RB2 than the RB1 he's been.
Wide Receiver
| 1 | Giants | Odell Beckham Jr. | Rams |
| 2 | Falcons | Julio Jones | Chargers |
| 3 | Bengals | A.J. Green | Browns |
| 4 | Steelers | Antonio Brown | Patriots |
| 5 | Packers | Jordy Nelson | Bears |
| 6 | Colts | T.Y. Hilton | Titans |
| 7 | Jets | Brandon Marshall | Ravens |
| 8 | Raiders | Amari Cooper | Jaguars |
| 9 | Jaguars | Allen Robinson | Raiders |
| 10 | Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald | Seahawks |
Stud: Julio Jones, Falcons
We talked about Ryan being able to exploit the Chargers in the QB section.
The same goes for Jones.
Even against Richard Sherman and the Seahawks, Jones hung a line of seven catches, 139 yards and a touchdown. The week prior, he only caught two balls for 29 yards versus the Broncos' elite secondary.
Julio's armor has been hardened the past two weeks. The last time he faced a weak secondary, he ran rampant for 12 grabs, 300 yards and a score.
Don't be surprised if he flirts with 200 yards against San Diego.
Dud: Antonio Brown, Steelers
You're not sitting Antonio Brown.
But he falls into this category because expectations need to be tempered with Big Ben out this week. Here's Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans with some sobering numbers:
Still, he's A.B. It would take everything inside of you to place him on your bench. His upside is that outrageous.
It's not time to sell him, as Roethlisberger could be back in a handful of weeks—possibly even after the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 8 bye, per former NFL head team doctor David J. Chao:
Roethlisberger's injury puts a damper on all Steelers fantasy-wise, but it doesn't appear to be season-ending. Weather the storm, and stay realistic with Brown. That's all you can do.
Tight End
| 1 | Patriots | Rob Gronkowski | Steelers |
| 2 | Washington | Jordan Reed | Lions |
| 3 | Seahawks | Jimmy Graham | Cardinals |
| 4 | Patriots | Martellus Bennett | Steelers |
| 5 | Chargers | Hunter Henry | Falcons |
| 6 | Chiefs | Travis Kelce | Saints |
| 7 | Titans | Delanie Walker | Colts |
| 8 | Saints | Coby Fleener | Chiefs |
| 9 | Bears | Zach Miller | Packers |
Stud: Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
Not much needs to be said here.
As expected, Brady's return has awakened the beast wearing No. 87 for the New England Patriots.
After watching Rob Gronkowski erupt for back-to-back 100-yard outings—including seven catches, 162 yards and a touchdown on Sunday—all questions about his health can be put to bed.
He's the NFL's premium tight end.
Dud: Antonio Gates, Chargers
This appears to be the Hunter Henry Show going forward.
Here's what Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk wrote about the Chargers tight ends following Thursday's win over Denver:
"After last night's win over the Broncos, there's little doubt that Henry, the rookie, is the Chargers' top tight end, while Gates, one of the best tight ends in NFL history, is No. 2.
Henry played 45 offensive snaps while Gates played 31. Henry caught six passes for 83 yards and scored the Chargers' only touchdown, while Gates had two catches for 16 yards. So far this season Henry has 310 receiving yards. Gates has 81 receiving yards.
"
Henry has scored in three straight games, with his yardage total growing in each one. Gates has been healthy for the latter two.
While the vet will steal some goal-line looks, Henry is a freak athlete with big-play potential. He also seems to have already gained the trust of quarterback Philip Rivers, especially on third down and in the red zone.
When he's in trouble, Rivers looks for Big Hank. Henry is the tight end to own in San Diego.
D/ST
| 1 | Broncos | Texans |
| 2 | Vikings | Eagles |
| 3 | Bills | Dolphins |
| 4 | Ravens | Jets |
| 5 | Bengals | Browns |
| 6 | Seahawks | Cardinals |
| 7 | Patriots | Steelers |
| 8 | Packers | Bears |
| 9 | Buccaneers | 49ers |
| 10 | Titans | Colts |
Notes:
- The Seahawks and Cardinals square off Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. While both defenses are often elite plays, they could cannibalize one another in what figures to be a close, high-scoring affair.
- Rarely is a defense ranked highly against the Steelers, but New England should drive head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Landry Jones nuts this week. Expect the Patriots to force the inexperienced (and typically ineffective) QB to beat them.
- After dropping their first two games of the season, the Bills have been rolling. They should chalk up win No. 5 against the Dolphins, who are the No. 30 offense against fantasy defenses.
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