NFL Predictions Week 7: Full Projections, Odds, Highlighting Top Fantasy Stars

Week 7 of the 2016 NFL season got off to an interesting start on Thursday night as the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears did battle in a classic NFC North clash. The game saw an uptick in the level of play from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Unfortunately, the game also saw a broken arm for Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer.

The remainder of the Week 7 slate appears just as intriguing with matchups such as the New England Patriots vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. There should be quite a lot of gaming action to come from the rest of the weekend, both in fantasy and more traditional forms.

Now, we're going to take a look at the rest of the week ahead. We'll be examining the latest lines—courtesy of Odds Shark—and making our predictions against them. We'll also take a closer look at some fantasy players with the potential to truly shine in Week 7.

All of our choices will be based on factors such as past performances, matchups and injuries where applicable.

Game	Line	Prediction
NY Giants at Los Angeles*	NYG -3	NYG
Oakland at Jacksonville	JAX -1	OAK
Buffalo at Miami	BUF -3	BUF
Indianapolis at Tennessee	TEN -3	IND
Washington at Detroit	DET -1	DET
New Orleans at Kansas City	KC -6	NO
Cleveland at Cincinnati	CIN -10	CIN
Minnesota at Philadelphia	MIN -3	MIN
Baltimore at NY Jets	NYJ -2	NYJ
Tampa Bay at San Francisco	TB -1	TB
San Diego at Atlanta	ATL -6.5	SD
New England at Pittsburgh	NE -7	NE
Seattle at Arizona	ARI -1.5	ARI
Houston at Denver	DEN -8.5	DEN

Fantasy Players to Watch

Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been nothing short of phenomenal since his return from suspension in Week 5. In games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, he threw for 782 yards and six touchdowns combined. He hasn't turned the ball over yet and has only been sacked four times.

His hot start to the 2016 season should continue this week against another AFC North team, the Steelers.

Pittsburgh possesses an athletic and aggressive defense, but it is one that shows a lot of inconsistency. Overall, the Steelers are rated just 21st in defense by Pro Football Focus; the team rates 23rd in pass coverage and 21st in pass rush.

Normally, the absence of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (torn meniscus) might cause the opposing quarterback to lose value—assuming the Steelers fall behind early. However, the Patriots are not a team that is concerned with abandoning the pass with a lead, and Brady isn't a quarterback who likes to let up late in games.

Brady may have his first turnover in this game, but he should also top the 300-yard mark again with a couple of touchdowns on the stat sheet.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans

Joel Auerbach/Associated Press

Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray is another player who has been on a fantasy tear of late. The former NFL rushing leader has become the centerpiece of the Titans offense and appears to have returned to the form he showed while with the Dallas Cowboys.

“We want to be a physical running team,” Titans tight end Delanie Walker said earlier this season, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. “You have to have the type of running back who believes that, and DeMarco does. He’s very physical, and everybody sees that.”

Not only is Murray a physical back, but he's also a talented pass-catcher out of the backfield. He leads Tennessee with 24 receptions, which is a sign of his value in points-per-reception leagues.

So far this season, Murray has produced 526 yards rushing, 172 yards receiving and six total touchdowns.

Murray is primed to add to his impressive totals this week against the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis is allowing an average of 117.7 rushing yards per game and is rated dead last in overall defense by Pro Football Focus.

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green has been one of the most productive fantasy receivers this season, racking up 42 receptions 606 yards and two touchdowns in six games. This week, he gets a chance to shred the beleaguered and banged-up defense of the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland is allowing an average of 285.3 yards per game through the air, and the team is rated 20th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. Still, we might be a bit hesitant to project big things for Green if Browns cornerback Joe Haden was healthy.

Haden has engaged in some serious battles with Green over the years, dating back to Green's time at Georgia and Haden's at Florida. Unfortunately, Haden has been dealing with groin injuries this season and has also missed two games.

Haden, along with receiver Terrelle Pryor, may miss Sunday's game.

“If they can’t run, they won’t be able to play,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said, per Patrick Maks of the team's official website. “They are running all the time and breaking and starting and restopping and all that. We have to know for sure. I will not dress a guy who I think cannot contribute to our football team in some positive capacity.”

If Haden isn't on the field or isn't close to 100 percent, Green should have himself a fantasy feast.

Hunter Henry, TE, San Diego Chargers

Harry How/Getty Images

We've already discussed the matchup for Brady against the Steelers this week. For many of the same reasons why Brady is a smart start, so too are Patriots tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett.

Brady has instilled some energy into New England's deep-passing game, and Bennett and Gronkowski are two of the biggest beneficiaries.

Looking outside New England, though, we like San Diego Chargers tight end Hunter Henry. The rookie has firmly established  himself as a key piece in San Diego's aerial attack, and he has produced because of it.

Henry has 19 receptions for 310 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. It's important, though, to recognize how much his role has grown in recent weeks. All three touchdowns, along with 13 catches and 218 yards, have come Since Week 4.

It helps that Henry has a guy like Antonio Gates to learn from and run alongside in two-tight end sets.

This week, Henry goes against an improving but still inconsistent Atlanta Falcons defense. The Falcons are rated 15th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus, which is respectable. However, the team has been hurt by top tight ends at times this season.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham produced six catches and 89 yards against Atlanta last week. Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen racked up six receptions, 76 yards and a score in Week 4. Coby Fleener had seven receptions, 109 yards and a touchdown for the New Orleans Saints in Week 3.

Expect Henry to have a solid day.