Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings: Brandon Lloyd and 5 TD Targets You Must Play

Week 7 of fantasy football is rapidly approaching, and it is time for you to stop messing around and take control of your league once and for all. 

The only problem is you have no idea who you want to play. You need to figure out who the touchdown machines are going to be in order to put your team over the top as you prepare to face that cocky guy who thinks he knows it all and isn't afraid to send you 2,000 emails reminding you of that. 

Well, the good news is that we are here to point you in the right direction. We have spent hours analyzing data and poring over information before we arrived at our answers.

Some of the players will be obvious, others not so much. That's the key to fantasy football, though; you have to be willing to start someone you normally would not. It is all about matchups, instinct and, of course, the data that we are going to give you. 

Without further ado, here are five players who will light up the scoreboard for you this week. 

Brandon Lloyd, St. Louis Rams

After a few days of rumors and speculation, the St. Louis Rams were able to work out a deal with the Denver Broncos to acquire Brandon Lloyd.

While the long-term effects of Lloyd's presence in St. Louis will likely be minimal, he has a good matchup this week against the Dallas Cowboys.

Lloyd has had a solid season thus far,—19 receptions, 283 yards—but he has yet to catch a touchdown. 

Sam Bradford finally has a legitimate downfield threat to throw to for the first time in his young career. These two will have a nice chemistry right away, and Lloyd will not have to learn a lot since his former coach Josh McDaniels is the Rams' offensive coordinator. 

Lloyd will be re-energized playing for a new team and will have his best fantasy game of the season against the Cowboys, who have allowed at least 24 points in three of their five games.

Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

Hey, I told you some of these selections would be obvious.

With a matchup like this one, against a weak Falcons secondary, it is hard not to love Calvin Johnson in Week 7. 

Despite not having a touchdown catch for the first time this season, Johnson still dominated for the Lions against the 49ers in Week 6. He had seven receptions for 113 yards in the loss, and helped keep the offense going when the running game failed.

This week, Johnson will have plenty of chances to score since he goes up against an Atlanta defense that has allowed nine touchdown catches to opposing receivers this season.

Considering the matchup nightmare that Megatron presents, expect Matthew Stafford to look for him early and often in this week’s game—especially in the red zone. 

Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos

Quarterbacks are not usually touchdown "targets," but Tim Tebow is going to be an exception this week against Miami. 

Don't misunderstand me: The Broncos won't use Tebow as a receiver, but he is going to be running the ball a lot in this game and should get at least one rushing touchdown. 

The Broncos traded Brandon Lloyd, their best receiver, and Eddie Royal wants out of town, so who is Tebow going to throw to?

Plus, the fact that this game is in Miami and the Dolphins are planning a celebration for the 2009 Florida Gators team that won a National Championship is only going to make Tebow want to make that much more of an impression. 

Tebow probably isn't a must-start player every week just yet, but in the right matchup—like against Miami—he is a good play.

Mike Tolbert, San Diego Chargers

Mike Tolbert has emerged as a solid fantasy contributor this season. He has been one of the best flex players all year long, with 36 carries and 28 receptions through five games. Tolbert doesn't get a lot of rushing yards, but he gets a lot of goal-line carries. 

To date, Tolbert has four touchdowns—two rushing, two receiving—and he figures to be featured prominently in the game plan this week against a Jets defense that has been susceptible to the run all season long. 

Tolbert was suffering from concussion symptoms following the Chargers game against Denver, but Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that he will be ready to play in this week.

Ryan Torain, Washington Redskins

When the Carolina Panthers come to town, the opposing team's running back is a must-start for your fantasy team. 

Ryan Torain was given the keys to the Redskins' car in Week 6 against Philadelphia, a team that has a bad run-defense, and he crashed and burned; Torain had just 22 yards on 10 carries.

Part of his struggles can be attributed to Rex Grossman's interceptions, which made it impossible for the team to establish any kind of rhythm on offense. 

Torain will be able to redeem himself this week, though.

The Panthers have given up the second-most yards on the ground in the NFL (140.3), and with the Redskins' quarterback situation up in the air, the team will rely on the running game to keep them competitive in this game. 

Expect Torain to have a game closer to the one he had against the Rams in Week 4—19 carries, 135 yards and one touchdown—than what he did last week.