Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings: Breaking Down Each Position

Many fantasy football leagues start their playoffs around Week 13 or 14 of the NFL season. That means most owners are near the halfway point of the regular season.

For some, there are no worries. You might be 5-1 or 4-2, or possibly even undefeated, and be riding a strong team on a clear path to the fantasy playoffs. But others are struggling, needing to make tough matchup decisions, scour the waiver wire and overcome a poor start to get back into playoff position.

Either way, it's always important to look ahead to the next week before setting your fantasy lineup to see which injuries or matchups could impact your team this week. Heading into Week 7, here's a look at the rankings at each position for this week's games.

Quarterbacks

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City (at DEN)

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore (at SEA)

3. Russell Wilson, Seattle (vs. BAL)

4. Deshaun Watson, Houston (at IND)

5. Jared Goff, L.A. Rams (at ATL)

6. Kyler Murray, Arizona (at NYG)

7. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay (vs. OAK)

8. Dak Prescott, Dallas (vs. PHI)

9. Matt Ryan, Atlanta (vs. LAR)

10. Josh Allen, Buffalo (vs. MIA)

The Falcons may be 1-5, but that's actually helped fantasy owners. Needing to pass while playing from behind, Matt Ryan has thrown for more than 300 yards in each of Atlanta's first six games.

That streak continued on Sunday as Ryan passed for 356 yards and a season-high four touchdowns in the Falcons' 34-33 loss to the Cardinals. Ryan has also thrown multiple touchdowns in five of the Falcons' six games.

There's no reason to think Ryan's fantasy production is going to slow anytime soon. The Falcons have talent on offense, but their defensive struggles will likely continue, forcing Ryan to pass to try to keep them in games.

Ryan has another strong matchup against the Rams this week, who have allowed at least 20 points in all six of their games. They gave up 331 total yards and 22 first downs in their loss to the 49ers this past weekend.

Running Backs

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

1. Saquon Barkley, N.Y. Giants (vs. ARI)

2. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota (at DET)

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans (at CHI)

4. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville (at CIN)

5. David Johnson, Arizona (at NYG)

6. Chris Carson, Seattle (vs. BAL)

7. Aaron Jones, Green Bay (vs. OAK)

8. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas (vs. PHI)

9. Le'Veon Bell, N.Y. Jets (vs. NE)

10. Derrick Henry, Tennessee (vs. LAC)

Saquon Barkley missed the Giants' last three games with an ankle injury, but he was back at practice Monday and seems to be nearing a return. If he's back on the field this week, it's quite possible that he'll have the best fantasy day for a running back in Week 7.

The Cardinals may have won back-to-back games, but they're allowing 414 yards per game, which ranks third worst in the NFL. That includes 132.8 yards per game on the ground, which ranks seventh worst.

The Giants need an offensive boost, and playing a Cardinals team that has allowed at least 23 points in all six of their games will help. Potentially adding Barkley gives New York the chance for an even bigger showing, one that could potentially help it snap its two-game losing streak.

Wide Receivers

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1. Julio Jones, Atlanta (vs. LAR)

2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City (at DEN)

3. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston (at IND)

4. Cooper Kupp, L.A. Rams (at ATL)

5. Michael Thomas, New Orleans (at CHI)

6. Keenan Allen, L.A. Chargers (at TEN)

7. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati (vs. JAC)

8. Adam Thielen, Minnesota (at DET)

9. Tyler Lockett, Seattle (vs. BAL)

10. Robert Woods, L.A. Rams (at ATL)

Since his best game of the season in Week 3, Keenan Allen has been quiet in the Chargers offense the past three weeks.

Allen had 13 receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns in Los Angeles' loss to Houston on Sept. 22. Over the last three games, he has 11 total receptions for 99 yards and no touchdowns. It's not typical for Allen to be so uninvolved, as he's received six or fewer targets in each of the last three games.

But fantasy owners should still have faith that the Chargers' top receiver will get his season back on track.

The matchups don't get easier the next two weeks as Los Angeles faces Tennessee, which hasn't allowed a receiver to put up 100 yards against it this season, and Chicago. But Allen is a top-level receiver, and he'll find ways to get more involved and put up better numbers soon.

Tight Ends

Gail Burton/Associated Press

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City (at DEN)

2. George Kittle, San Francisco (at WAS)

3. Evan Engram, N.Y. Giants (vs. ARI)

4. Austin Hooper, Atlanta (vs. LAR)

5. Mark Andrews, Baltimore (at SEA)

6. Darren Waller, Oakland (at GB)

7. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia (at DAL)

8. Gerald Everett, L.A. Rams (at ATL)

9. Delanie Walker, Tennessee (vs. LAC)

10. Jason Witten, Dallas (vs. PHI)

Mark Andrews was a yard shy of his third 100-yard game of the season on Sunday in the Ravens' win over the Bengals. It was a nice bounce-back effort for Andrews, who was held to 45 or less receiving yards in each of the previous three games.

Even when Andrews isn't having huge days, he's still heavily involved in Baltimore's offense. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has targeted Andrews at least seven times in each of the Ravens' first six games.

Now Andrews will be relied upon to try to help the Ravens win a tough road game against the Seahawks Sunday. And with wide receiver Marquise Brown still dealing with an ankle injury, Andrews could again see a lot of targets.

Defenses/Special Teams

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

1. Buffalo (vs. MIA)

2. San Francisco (at WAS)

3. New England (at NYJ)

4. Chicago (vs. NO)

5. Green Bay (vs. OAK)

6. Tennessee (vs. LAC)

7. New Orleans (at CHI)

8. N.Y. Giants (vs. ARI)

9. Jacksonville (at CIN)

10. Seattle (vs. BAL)

The Bills and 49ers rank second and third in the NFL in yards allowed per game, respectively. Meanwhile, the Dolphins and Redskins are both in the bottom five in total offensive yards per game in the league.

That's setting up huge days for the Buffalo and San Francisco defenses on Sunday.

The Bills will be fresh off a bye facing the winless Dolphins, who average 234.2 yards per game, second worst in the NFL behind only the Jets (220). And the 49ers, who have allowed only 10 total points over their last two games against the Browns and Rams, will face the 1-5 Redskins.

Both of these top-level defenses should collect a lot of points for fantasy owners this week.

Kickers

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

1. Greg Zuerlein, L.A. Rams (at ATL)

2. Justin Tucker, Baltimore (at SEA)

3. Jason Myers, Seattle (vs. BAL)

4. Matt Bryant, Atlanta (vs. LAR)

5. Harrison Butker, Kansas City (at DEN)

6. Ka'imi Fairbairn, Houston (at IND)

7. Aldrick Rosas, N.Y. Giants (vs. ARI)

8. Brett Maher, Dallas (vs. PHI)

9. Mason Crosby, Green Bay (vs. OAK)

10. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis (vs. HOU)

Over his 18-year NFL career, Matt Bryant has made a lot of field goals and extra points—394 and 566, respectively, to be exact. But when you're a kicker in the league for that long, you're also sure to have some bad moments.

One of Bryant's came on Sunday, when he missed an extra point that would have tied the Falcons' game against the Cardinals with 1 minute, 53 seconds to go. After his miss, Arizona held on for a 34-33 win.

But Bryant is an experienced veteran, and he is 6-of-8 on field-goal attempts and 13-of-14 on extra-point attempts this season. Don't expect him to miss another crucial kick against the Rams, who have allowed multiple field-goal attempts in every game this season.