Fantasy Football Week 7: Rankings, Stat Projections and Top Waiver-Wire Adds

Jameis Winston is back to being Jameis Winston, and Stefon Diggs is back to being Stefon Diggs. Some things returned to a comforting normalcy in Week 6 for fantasy football, but we won't be duped into expecting consistency in Week 7. 

With recent performances and upcoming matches in mind, we've got the top positional rankings, stat projections and waiver-wire targets for the coming week. 

As usual, our rankings and projections are based on standard, four-points-per-passing-touchdown and non-points-per-receptions leagues, and our waiver-wire targets are owned in less than 33 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues. 

Monday projections are obviously early, so be sure to monitor injury situations (e.g. Amari Cooper and Saquon Barkley) and check our updated rankings as the week progresses. As for byes, the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all off in Week 7.

Quarterback

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (at SEA): 216 yards, two touchdowns, one intercepttion, 62 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown (26.84 fantasy points)

2. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (at NYG): 318 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, 33 rushing yards (26.02) 

3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (at DEN): 323 yards, three touchdowns (24.92)

4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (vs. PHI): 318 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, 16 rushing yards (24.32)

5. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams (at ATL): 326 yards, three touchdowns, one interception (23.04)

6. Daniel Jones, New York Giants (vs. ARI): 304 yards, three touchdowns, one interception (22.16)

7. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (vs. BAL): 293 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 38 rushing yards (21.52)

8. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (at IND): 278 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 41 rushing yards (21.22)

9. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (vs. MIA): 246 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 53 rushing yards (21.14)

10. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (vs. OAK): 302 yards, two touchdowns (20.08)

The most unexpectedly exciting potential shootout for Week 7 has got to be between the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants. Each team has a mediocre defense and returning offensive weapons—Evan Engram, Barkley and Sterling Shepard are all likely returns for the Giants, while Christian Kirk is probably returning for the Cardinals. That recipe gives Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones a fantastic opportunity to put up big points this week.

Them pushing into the top 10 squeezes some notable quarterbacks out. Tom Brady (at NYJ), Matt Ryan (vs. LAR), Carson Wentz (at DAL) and Gardner Minshew II (at CIN) all barely missed the cut-off. 

Running Back

1. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars (at CIN): 103 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 28 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown (25.1 fantasy points)

2. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants (vs. ARI): 93 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 63 receiving yards (21.6)

3. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans (vs. LAC): 83 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 6 receiving yards (20.9)

4. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings (at DET) : 89 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 31 receiving yards (18.0)

5. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers (vs. OAK): 89 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 29 receiving yards (17.8)

6. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals (at NYG): 73 rushing yards, 44 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown (17.7)

7. Todd Gurley II, Los Angeles Rams (at ATL): 74 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 28 receiving yards (16.2)

8. Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts (vs. HOU): 78 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 22 receiving yards (16.0)

9. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks (vs. BAL): 74 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 23 receiving yards (15.7)

10. Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos (vs. KC): 78 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 16 receiving yards (15.4)

11. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys (vs. PHI): 41 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 53 receiving yards (15.3)

12. Sony Michel, New England Patriots (at NYJ): 86 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, six receiving yards (15.2)

13. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (at CHI): 49 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 39 receiving yards (14.8)

14. Mark Ingram II, Baltimore Ravens (at SEA): 74 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 12 receiving yards (14.6)

15. Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills (vs. MIA): 73 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 12 receiving yards (14.5)

16. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons (vs. LAR): 53 rushing yards, 28 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown (14.1)

17. Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders (at GB): 62 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 18 receiving yards (14.0)

18. Tevin Coleman, San Francisco 49ers (at WAS): 66 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 13 receiving yards (13.9)

19. Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets (vs. NE): 72 rushing yards, 51 receiving yards (12.3)

20. Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions (vs. MIN): 67 rushing yards, 51 receiving yards (11.8)

Barkley should be back for Week 7, and that's huge for the New York Giants. The phenomenal back is guaranteed to have production against the Cardinals, as Arizona's tempo pushes the game's scoring line up and their defense has major holes.

Leonard Fournette is the start of the week, though, as a weak Cincinnati Bengals defense should be easy pickings for a back who has now secured a bevy of receiving work as well. Conversely, talented backs Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara are downgraded for Week 7 because of miserable matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears, respectively.

Most interestingly, Devin Singletary (vs. MIA), Tevin Coleman (at WAS), Phillip Lindsay (vs. KC), Austin Ekeler (at TEN) and Damien Williams (at DEN) are all in questionable territory because their shares of the backfield remain unclear at this point in the season. 

Wide Receiver

1. Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys (vs. PHI): 83 yards, two touchdowns (20.3 fantasy points)

2. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (at IND): 116 yards, one touchdown (17.6)

3. John Brown, Buffalo Bills (vs. MIA): 108 yards, one touchdown (16.8)

4. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (at DEN): 103 yards, one touchdown (16.3)

5. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (vs. LAR): 98 yards, one touchdown (15.8)

6. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos (vs. KC): 95 yards, one touchdown (15.5)

7. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (vs. HOU): 93 yards, one touchdown (15.3)

8. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (at ATL): 92 yards, one touchdown (15.2)

9. DJ Chark Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars (at CIN): 89 yards, one touchdown (14.9)

10. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (vs. BAL): 88 yards, one touchdown (14.8)

11. Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals (at NYG): 86 yards, one touchdown (14.6)

12. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (vs. OAK): 83 yards, one touchdown (14.3)

13. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys (vs. PHI): 81 yards, one touchdown (14.1)

14. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots (at NYJ): 79 yards, one touchdown (13.9)

15. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (at DET): 78 yards, one touchdown (13.8)

16. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams (at ATL): 137 yards (13.7)

17. Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens (at SEA): 74 yards, one touchdown (13.4)

18. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (at NYG): 72 yards, one touchdown (13.2)

19. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints (at CHI): 71 yards, one touchdown (13.1)

20. Terry McLaurin, Washington Redskins (vs. SF): 69 yards, one touchdown (12.9)

Michael Gallup is averaging nine targets per game this season and, with Cooper nursing a new quad injury, he is in line to absorb even more targets against a porous Philadelphia Eagles secondary that was just gashed for 167 yards and three touchdowns by Diggs. That makes him the lead candidate to finish as WR1 in Week 7.

John Brown is another potential surprise in the top five. The Buffalo Bills speedster is averaging 7.8 targets per game in 2019, and that engenders serious confidence in Smokey against a weak Miami Dolphins team.

While DJ Chark Jr. is likely to bounce back into the freedom of the end zone after being locked down by Marshon Lattimore in Week 6, the Chicago Bears' Allen Robinson II is next up to suffer from Lattimore's return to suffocating coverage.

Similarly, Kenny Golladay (vs. MIN) and Tyler Boyd (vs. JAX, if Jalen Ramsey returns) could struggle with difficult matchups and consequently miss the top 20. 

Tight End

1. Evan Engram, New York Giants (vs. ARI): 128 yards, one touchdown (18.8 fantasy points)

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (at WAS): 93 yards, one touchdown (15.3)

3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (at DEN): 73 yards, one touchdown (13.3)

4. Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons (vs. LAR): 68 yards, one touchdown (12.8)

5. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (at SEA): 63 yards, one touchdown (12.3)

6. Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers (vs. OAK): 53 yards, one touchdown (11.3)

7. Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders (at GB): 98 yards (9.8)

8. Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams (at ATL): 87 yards (8.7)

9. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL): 68 yards (6.8)

10. Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints (at CHI): 63 yards (6.3)

The curious case of Arizona's reluctance to cover the tight end position continued in Week 6, as the Cardinals gave up eight receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown to Austin Hooper.

With Patrick Peterson set to return from suspension, Engram should get to chow down as the other New York Giants pass-catchers receive actual coverage.

The top five tight ends feel fairly straightforward week in and week out, but the rest are an entire mess. Jimmy Graham (vs. OAK) and Gerald Everett (at ATL) should have favorable-enough matchups to produce, but Jared Cook misses the list because of a trip to the physical Chicago Bears defense. 

Waiver-Wire Targets

• Kyle Allen, QB, Carolina Panthers (10 percent owned)

• Sam Darnold, QB, New York Jets (16 percent owned)

• Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings (22 percent owned) 

• Mark Walton, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (4 percent owned)

• Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami Dolphins (1 percent owned)

• Jakobi Meyers, WR, New England Patriots (1 percent owned)

• Dante Pettis, WR, San Francisco 49ers (17 percent owned)

• Auden Tate, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (23 percent owned)

Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Alexander Mattison is the most valuable handcuff in fantasy football, and he needs to be rostered in more than 22 percent of leagues. Dalvin Cook has seemed more durable thus far this season, but Mattison proved again in Week 6 that he has the running talent to step up if need be.

In a blowout win against a stout Philadelphia Eagles front, Mattison turned 14 carries (just two less than Cook) into 63 yards. That's another impressive performance for a rookie who is now averaging 5.3 yards per carry this season. Cook has yet to play a full season in his young career, so Mattison is an absolute must-own for every Cook owner and the top lottery ticket to hold on to for teams with the roster space. 

Dante Pettis, WR, San Francisco 49ers

After getting hyped before fantasy drafts this season, Dante Pettis has lived in Kyle Shanahan's dog house and disappointed fantasy managers and San Francisco 49ers fans alike. The sophomore receiver has a visible panache for running routes and, despite some questionable miscues thus far, the appearance of a true top receiver. 

After scoring the game-winning touchdown for San Francisco two weeks ago, Pettis earned a season-high six targets (most among 49ers receivers) for three receptions and 45 yards in Week 6—including one target that was nearly a touchdown.

That's two straight weeks that Pettis failed to convert a likely touchdown, so there are points left on the field, and observant fantasy managers have the chance to show some faith in his upswing and roster him before he starts taking advantage of those opportunities.