Fantasy Football Week 7 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Target

If you've been participating in a season-long fantasy league, there's a good chance that you've already had to rely on the waiver wire this year. Injuries have been a factor almost weekly, and we're not in the middle of bye-week season.

In Week 7, the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on by. This means that fantasy stars like Christian McCaffrey, Nick Chubb, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chris Godwin will be unavailable.

Hopefully, you already have a backup plan in place, but if not, you'll likely be going back to the waiver wire once again. Here, we'll examine some of the top waiver-wire targets who should be fantasy relevant this weekend.

First, though, let's dive into the top 25 players for Week 7.

Fantasy Football Week 7 Cheat Sheet, PPR

1. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

2. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

4. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

5. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

6. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

7. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

8. David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

9. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

10. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

11. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

12. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

13. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

14. Le'Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets

15. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

16. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

17. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

18. Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

19. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

20. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

21. Michel Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys

22. DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

23. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

24. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

25. Mark Ingram, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

If you're looking for help at quarterback, this is the perfect week to scoop up New York Giants signal-caller Daniel Jones.

While his play has been up-and-down this season—he is a rookie, after all—Jones has been mostly steady. He's averaged 226 passing yards and has thrown at least one touchdown in each of his four starts.

In Week 7, the Giants will host the Arizona Cardinals, who have allowed an average of 281.2 passing yards per game, third-most in the NFL.

While the Cardinals are getting star cornerback Patrick Peterson back from suspension, the Giants could see some key returns as well.

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Evan Engram are expected to play this week, though wideout Sterling Shepard's return is unlikely.

With two of his top weapons on the field and against an inconsistent pass defense, Jones should have a solid fantasy outing in Week 7. He is owned in 29 percent of Yahoo leagues, according to FantasyPros.

Latavius Murray, RB, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is ranked here as if he will play in Week 7. However, he is dealing with an ankle injury that could limit him or even keep him out against the Chicago Bears.

He believes he will play, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero:

Because of Kamara's injury, it's worth picking up Saints running back Latavius Murray, who is available in 53 percent of Yahoo leagues, according to FantasyPros.

Murray wasn't a major piece of the Saints offense early in the season, but he saw an increased workload over the past two weeks. He rushed for 72 yards and caught five passes for 41 yards during that span.

Murray should be considered a low-end flex play if Kamara features, and he's a must-start if Kamara does not. If Kamara is on your roster, Murray is a player you absolutely must add.

Cole Beasley, WR, Buffalo Bills

Brad Penner/Associated Press

The Buffalo Bills employ a run-first and run-heavy offense, but wide receiver Cole Beasley has still been relevant in PPR formats. He's caught at least three passes in every game this season and is averaging 5.4 catches per game.

In Week 7, Beasley and the Bills will take on the Miami Dolphins, who have allowed an average of 270.2 passing yards per game. That puts Miami at 26th in the NFL in passing yards per game allowed, but they've been even worse than that number might indicate.

No team has allowed more yards per pass attempt than the Dolphins, who are allowing 9.7.

Expect Bills quarterback Josh Allen to test the Dolphins pass defense early. That should lead to several targets and catches for Beasley.

He isn't likely to replace the production of Godwin or Mike Evans, but Beasley is worth a start this week. He's owned in 16 percent of Yahoo leagues, according to FantasyPros.