This article focuses on building lineups with a quality foundation by utilizing the powerful Groups and Rules/Limits tools within the industry’s optimization tools. All of the concepts and pairings included below can also apply to hand-building. The goal is to create lineups with strong correlations among likely point-scorers to maximize the gains from infrequent scoring events within stacks while limiting the likelihood of building inefficient or negatively correlated entries for a full slate of NFL DFS lineups.
This video was made in a former life and features a detailed demonstration of how to apply these concepts in one leading optimizer tool: Fantasy Cruncher – How-To Video
All references to Sims were done via friends of the site: acemind.io
Don’t miss the Above/Below feature article for a few of our top picks, coming Sunday morning
Game notes are updated during the week and initially posted as “work in progress” as they take a long time to create, if teams are missing notes simply check back later in the day/week and they should be updated.
2025 Week 7 DraftKings & FanDuel NFL DFS Stack Rankings
The following stack rankings were created by pairing each team quarterback with his top three scoring options, whether they are three wide receivers, two wide receivers and a tight end, a wide receiver, tight end, and running back, or any viable combination. In some cases, an expensive running back can push the overall price point of his team stack in the value rankings.
| TEAM | OPP | FD$ | FDpRank | FDvalRank | DK$ | DkpRank | DKvalRank | Vegas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | SEA | $26,200 | 13 | 15 | $51,400 | 15 | 20 | 16 |
| BAL | MIN | $30,500 | 4 | 6 | $22,900 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| BUF | MIA | $30,700 | 3 | 1 | $23,900 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| CAR | NO | $24,300 | 15 | 11 | $18,800 | 16 | 6 | 10 |
| CHI | NYG | $28,600 | 8 | 9 | $23,600 | 8 | 15 | 6 |
| CLE | NYJ | $24,800 | 20 | 20 | $18,000 | 20 | 12 | 14 |
| DET | WAS | $32,600 | 2 | 3 | $27,200 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| HOU | JAC | $25,400 | 18 | 16 | $18,900 | 17 | 10 | 19 |
| JAC | HOU | $24,900 | 16 | 13 | $20,300 | 13 | 9 | 17 |
| LAR | SF | $34,900 | 1 | 5 | $29,500 | 1 | 11 | 3 |
| MIA | BUF | $28,000 | 10 | 12 | $22,800 | 10 | 16 | 14 |
| MIN | BAL | $30,200 | 11 | 18 | $23,400 | 11 | 18 | 9 |
| NE | TB | $25,600 | 9 | 2 | $21,300 | 9 | 4 | 8 |
| NO | CAR | $25,000 | 19 | 19 | $19,600 | 19 | 17 | 20 |
| NYG | CHI | $25,800 | 12 | 8 | $20,600 | 12 | 7 | 12 |
| NYJ | CLE | $25,800 | 14 | 14 | $20,500 | 14 | 13 | 18 |
| SEA | ARI | $30,600 | 6 | 10 | $24,800 | 6 | 14 | 5 |
| SF | LAR | $29,100 | 7 | 7 | $23,100 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| TB | NE | $28,800 | 5 | 4 | $23,500 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| WAS | DET | $25,700 | 17 | 17 | $20,100 | 18 | 19 | 13 |
Week 7 DraftKings & FanDuel NFL DFS Stacks & Optimizer Groups
Overview
Rules and limits are powerful tools for lineup creation for NFL DFS where our primary focus is creating highly correlated lineups via stacking players from the same game. Lineups will typically be coordinated around the quarterback selection, which informs at least one pass-catcher choice, establishes a budget, eliminates a defense, and sets the tone for the lineup. We will typically look to correlate a quarterback and at least one of his pass-catchers in every lineup, with many of those including a skill player from the opposing team. This player is included to support the stack in a high-scoring game that drives offense on both sides, creating additional correlated scoring potential. Stacking multiple pass-catchers in the same lineup is a sound approach, though there are typically overall ceilings on how much volume is available at any given position. While pass-catching running backs can be prioritized in stacks and group tools, including running backs who are not involved in the passing game is less important at this stage, they will fall naturally into shares as needed. High-volume backs and pass catchers out of the backfield can be included in the groups utilized below, but it is frequently not necessary to do so with the very best players, they arrive in lineups without help.
Rules and limits are typically applied in an optimizer’s Advanced Options menu. Notes are included to illustrate the reasons behind each rule and explain what it does during the lineup creation process. These settings can typically be saved for re-use, which is highly recommended. Saving the groups created below is also a good idea that will save time with updates instead of recreation each week. These groups are created manually, but most optimizers include automated group creators that can help accelerate the curation process.
DraftKings + FanDuel Settings & Advanced Options
Note – Terminology may vary from site to site but these are common functions across most industry tools.
Unique Players Per Lineup– This setting forces the optimizer to utilize at least X new players who were not in Lineup 1 when it creates Lineup 2, and so on. We recommend a setting of at least two unique players, more can be applied depending on the degree of differentiation desired within lineups.
Team Salary– a minimum or maximum salary spend can be applied here as needed, although leaving salary on the table is an easy path toward creating unique lineups while not necessarily making a negative expected value play.
FLEX position– allows restrictions on what positions can be rostered at the FLEX spot. The primary position to restrict is the tight end so that lineups do not include two players from the position. In many industry tools this is a separate option via a checkbox, it can also be handled specifically within groups.
Global Exposure Setting – allows caps on the maximum percentage of lineups a player can appear in within a given pool of lineup construction. This is a powerful tool for shaping lineups but if settings are too low, attempts to build a full set will fall short due to a lack of available players, one of the most common errors in optimizer building. Most optimizers include the ability to calculate ownership caps continuously or at the end of the pool creation process. If caps are calculated continuously, a player with a 25% cap who is utilized in Lineup 1 will not be available for use again until Lineup 5, we recommend turning OFF continuous calculation.
Randomness – provides a random multiplier to each player’s projected point total based on the set values. This valuable tool helps differentiate lineups instead of simply creating them in order of the highest median projected scores. Using some randomness for lineup generation is strongly recommended but the degree to which it is applied is down to personal preference, 15-25% is fine to get started. We suggest heavier randomness to more event-based players like wide receivers while tracking volume-based positions like running backs more toward their median or ceiling projections.
DraftKings + FanDuel Team Stack Rules
This set of rules will force optimizers to build lineups with certain combinations. We are looking to stack at least one skill player, almost always a pass-catcher, with his quarterback while frequently playing a skill player from the opposing team in the lineup. The theory behind this build is that a high-scoring stack will require some response from the opposing team to deliver a ceiling score in most situations. Most optimizers utilize a “complete the sentence” approach for rule creation with selections from drop-down menus following a very straightforward logic. Exceptions to these rules can be added for specific teams and players on most optimizer products.
- QB with at least one WR/TE from Same Team (note: It is fine to set this to two or to utilize two versions of this rule, one with WR/TE and one with RB/WR/TE, but we can also refine this via Groups)
- optional – QB with at least one RB/WR/TE from the Opposing Team (we typically prefer the pass-catchers but high-volume running backs can be effective here)
- QB with at most zero DST from the Same Team (this is a personal preference; high-scoring teams and quarterbacks tend to leave their defenses on the field, exposing them to simple point-scoring negatives)
Limits & Custom Rules and Requirements
Limit rules can be applied to restrict certain combinations from coming together. This is powerful for limiting multiple running backs from the same team or getting overweight to a certain stack within a lineup.
- Limit QB/RB/WR/TE from Same Team to three
- Limit RB/WR/TE from the Same Team to one unless paired with QB from the Same Team OR the Opposing Team (this prevents multiple players from a team that is not a primary quarterback-based stack)
- optional – Limit RB from Same Team to one (we can also do this with WR in a separate rule that adds an “unless paired with QB or opposing QB” but it’s a personal preference for NFL DFS, we typically do not want two pass-catchers from the same team without their quarterback)
We will maintain the list of rules and limits throughout the season, with occasional tweaks. Each week sees another fresh crop of value plays as situations change and injuries create opportunities around the league. These changing roles and emergent value plays are accounted for in creating these groups from week to week. After a large pool of lineups is created utilizing these groups, it is still critical to filter them for factors including ceiling projections and leverage potential. These groups should help ensure that a highly correlated premium set of options that rotates through various combinations is utilized to create the full lineup pool.
Sunday Updates
Any changes and recommended boosts to specific players will be provided in an early morning update each Sunday.
NFL DFS Week 7 Features & Projections
- Week 7 Projections
- Week 7 Above/Below
- Week 7 Quarterback Scoring & Value Rankings
- Week 7 Running Back Scoring & Value Rankings
- Week 7 Pass-Catcher Scoring & Value Rankings
- Week 7 Defense Scoring & Value Rankings
Construction Concept
Team groups are built by utilizing the quarterback as the KEY player in group settings. The quarterback decision is the driving factor in determining which stack the lineup utilizes and which corresponding plays are made to work within the structured requirements. In Fantasy Cruncher, built to specification, each team will have two groups, a team group, and an opponent group, both of which utilize the same quarterback as the key player. Each game will have a total of four groups. This is the best approach to truly capture the requirement of playing individual “run-back” plays from the opposing team. A more basic approach would be to include all of the skill players from a game in each quarterback’s group and rely on rules and limits to restrict any potential overflow. It is highly recommended to save the early season groups as a foundation that will be updated for the rest of the season. The recommended groups will include skill players who have an active role in their offense and provide significant correlation with their quarterback’s scoring, often bell-cow running backs who do not specialize in the passing game will not be included in groups as they are projected highly and appear on their own in basically correct distributions, while also not always providing the strongest positive correlation plays. Stacking quarterbacks with pass-catchers and allowing running backs to fall into the lanes created by settings, available salary, and randomness should create a well-distributed set of quality lineups. These groups are updated weekly to account for changes in utilization, schemes, injuries, target shares, and more.
Team Groups for DraftKings & FanDuel – Week 7
The goal is to create a large pool of well-built lineups that can be utilized in any large-field GPP contest. Our approach is to build far more lineups than needed and utilize a sorting table or sim process to filter to the best set of entries. The lineups created in these crunches should provide a broad distribution that includes some of the lower-owned high-upside skill players from each stack. Applying boosts is critical in pushing and pulling ownership to individual players within their team’s stacked lineups if they appear too much or too little.
The groups below are designed so that each quarterback will have two groups to create, one with his skill players and another with the opposing team. A more basic approach would be to add them all to one large group with an “at least three” and let rules and limits set things, but there is a more granular level of control in creating them separately.
Utilizing two groups also allows us to place running backs into the “run-back” position in certain teams while not including them in the primary stack for their team. This is useful when a situation has an extremely highly projected running back that does not necessarily fit into his team’s passing game. These players are threaded throughout the following construction recommendations.
Note for all optimizers the rules can be utilized to force bring-back plays in some sets of crunches and turned off for others as a global function instead of changing each group to “exactly one” bring-back play, wherever applicable, but it will apply to all teams.
Arizona Cardinals
Game Total: 44.5 / ARI +6.5 (19.0)
Offense: 39.62% rush / 60.38% pass / 21.7 ppg / 4.6 ypa rush / 6.2 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.6 ypa rush / 5.5 ypa pass / 20.4 ppg / 5.61% sack / 0.99% int
Key Player: Jacoby Brissett (Kyler Murray remains questionable/less-likely)
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. (Q), Michael Wilson, Zay Jones (Q), Zonovan “Bam” Knight (on/off), Michael Carter (on/off), Greg Dortch (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Josh Jacobs (Q), Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Tucker Kraft, Dontayvion Wicks (Q), Malik Heath
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Typically competent veteran backup Jacoby Brissett was competent once again in Week 6, filling in for starter Kyler Murray who is likely to be out again this week. Brissett completed 27 of 44 pass attempts for 320 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. The completions total tied Murray’s season-high mark over five starts, while the attempts mark landed three beyond Murray’s season-high for attempts. Brissett has clear volume on his side, the running game in Arizona remains a job share between backups, but the matchup against the Packers is a bit of a challenge this week. Green Bay ranks fourth against the run at 3.6 yards allowed per rush and first against the pass at just 5.5 yards allowed per pass attempt. Brissett will have the team’s primary weapons intact with Marvin Harrison Jr. clearing the injury report on Friday but he ranks as just QB20/20 on both DraftKings and FanDuel atop a low-ranked stack on both sites.
Running Backs
After some back-and-forth ahead of the game on Sunday, the Cardinals ended up essentially splitting running back duties evenly between Zonovan “Bam” Knight and Michael Carter. Knight was announced as the nominal lead prior to the game but barely out-touched Carter while the two posted equally limited production. Knight gained 34 yards and scored on 11 carries with another 20 on one big catch, Carter gained 34 yards on nine carries and caught two of five targets for another 30 yards but failed to score. Carter’s potential touch mark of 14 was one more than Knight’s opportunity over more snaps. Carter ran 20 routes to Knight’s 14 for the game, and it was Carter who saw the team’s lone red zone carry and the running back target in the red zone. As things currently stand, both running backs rank just outside of the top-20 in both categories on both sites. Either option is capable of finding a score and a productive value day but there is no stability or predictability to the situation.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Trey McBride leads the Cardinals by fantasy point projections and positional ranking as TE1 by points on both sites this week. McBride has a bit more value on the blue site, ranking as TE4 by value on the FanDuel slate but TE9 by value on DraftKings. The tight end had a strong day in Brissett’s season debut, catching eight of a fantastic 11 targets for 72 yards and a touchdown. McBride picked up a bit of volume with Marvin Harrison Jr. out of action after sustaining a concussion during the game, even with Harrison Jr. expected back this week, this is a very strong option for raw scoring potential. The Arizona tight end draws 8.8 targets per game and has already seen 10 red zone targets this season, posting two touchdowns over six games. McBride gains a sturdy 1.54 yards per route run and sees a 28.39% air yards share while working at moderate depth. There is plenty of volume and scoring potential for all formats, even against a good defense in Week 7.
Marvin Harrison Jr. left the team’s Week 6 game early with a concussion that held him out of practices earlier this week, he returned on Friday and is now off of the injury report entirely and expected to play. Harrison the Younger has a pair of touchdowns on the season while gaining a team-leading 1.71 yards per route run on 33.0 routes per game. McBride’s 37.5 routes run per game lead the group but Harrison Jr.’s number was cut down by the partial performance in Week 6. Assuming full health, Harrison Jr. is a fair mid-board option among pass-catchers, he can break a big play even in a lousy game with a 12.0-yard ADOT and 31.32% air yards share on the season. Harrison Jr. is WR18/18 on DraftKings and WR20/29 on FanDuel, where his $6,700 price tag plays a bit rough.
Michael Wilson slots in as the number three option in the passing game, drawing an 11.7% target share on routes run over his 33.3 routes per game. Wilson has seen just a 52.17% catchable target rate and incredibly thin volume, so the 0.48 yards per route run that he has provided are hardly his fault. The receiver still works at an appealing 11.0-yard average depth of target for 17.52% of the air yards and he has a touchdown and two red zone targets on the season, he is viable but not as much more than a dart throw against a good defense. Wilson is WR41/44 and WR44/47 in Week 7.
Zay Jones is questionable for Sunday’s game, he caught a season-high five passes for 79 yards on eight targets over 41 routes, nearly doubling his average route total with Harrison Jr. out of action last week. Jones dips back to nothing more than an afterthought competing for chances with Greg Dortch at the bottom of the depth chart unless things change, but he is the preferred option between those two.
The Cardinals are a very limited-looking Stack 17/18 on DraftKings and Stack 18/20 on FanDuel. The issue is less the presence of their backup quarterback and more the sturdy opposing defense and limiting 19.0-point implied team total. While the team does not play as a great stack, there are individual skill players who provide upside as standalone options in other lineups.
Carolina Panthers
Game Total: 42.0 / CAR -1.0 (21.5)
Offense: 44.44% rush / 55.56% pass / 22.0 ppg / 5.0 ypa rush / 5.9 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.3 ypa rush / 7.3 ypa pass / 28.3 ppg / 4.49% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Bryce Young
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Tetairoa McMillan, Chuba Hubbard (on/off), Rico Dowdle (on/off), Xavier Legette, Hunter Renfrow, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble (on/off, large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Breece Hall, Mason Taylor, Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard, Arian Smith
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Bryce Young managed to make the most of good spots for fantasy production over the past two games and he draws a potentially compliant Jets defense in Week 7. While Young has been far from outstanding this season, he has had some encouraging outings, including last week’s three-touchdown day against the inept Cowboys defense. Young threw for a limited 199 yards on 17-25 passing, good for 8.0 yards per attempt despite the low total. Between that game and a Week 5 matchup against Miami, Young has five touchdowns against two interceptions while throwing for 397 yards over the last two games. Young’s best game of the year was an elite 35-55 for 328 yards and three scores against the Cardinals in Week 2, he could post similar numbers against a Jets defense allowing 7.3 yards per pass attempt and 28.3 points-per-game while getting to the quarterback for just a 4.49% sack rate on a weak 13.5% pressure rate. New York is yet to intercept a pass on the season, Young, meanwhile, has thrown five interceptions in six games. Young’s 33.17 pass attempts per game rank him in the top-half of the slate for opportunity, though he completes fewer passes than he should at 1.5 points below expectation by CPOE. Bryce Young is QB12/13 on DraftKings and QB12/14 on FanDuel atop a stack that rates similarly.
Running Backs
Running back Rico Dowdle exploded for value as a clear go-to option with Chuba Hubbard out of action over the last two weeks. The running back has been terrific overall in 2025, posting 5.8 yards per rush attempt, but with Hubbard rejoining the mix in Week 7 it will be interesting to see where the ball goes. Hubbard was dominating touches prior to his injury, carrying the ball 13.3 times per game while drawing 4.3 targets with Dowdle in the shadows. The team is reportedly set on a plan for distribution of touches, but they are being coy as to what that plan involves as of Friday night, odds are this will be an almost even split. Hubbard is a player the team values at the position and he was not out for long enough to truly lose this job. Dowdle was under-utilized until he was needed, he is unlikely to return to as extreme a backup role as he was in early in the year. With the uncertainty involved, Hubbard just working his way back and producing only an average 4.1 yards per rush attempt prior to his injury, this situation is murky at best. We have nearly identical projections for the two running backs, though they combine for one Voltron of an elite player if that were an option. Hubbard slightly outpaces Dowdle unless news pushes the other way, he is RB16/17 and RB17/17 to Dowdle’s RB18/24 on both sites.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Tetairoa McMillan gains 1.86 yards per route run over 34.0 routes per game to easily lead this group of pass-catchers. McMillan found the end zone twice in Week 7 for his first two scores of the season, though his overall performance was the lowest-end in terms of catches and yardage. The wideout was held to three catches for 29 yards on five targets over his 25 routes run against Dallas, still a high-value DFS scoring day with the touchdowns. McMillan has a 100-yard game (Week 2) and has been a productive favored target of Young’s early in 2025. The receiver’s 43.17% air yards share on an 11.3-yard ADOT over eight targets per game puts him among special options for big play and volume-based upside. McMillan is a strong alternative to the Carolina running backs and the top pairing with shares of Young as WR8 by points but WR22 by value on DraftKings, he rates far better by points-per-dollar at $6,600 on FanDuel, where he is WR8 by points and WR7 by value.
Jalen Coker was hopeful but ultimately failed to return in Week 6, the team has directly said that he will be active for Week 7. Coker should slot in as the clear number two in the passing attack, he had a productive 2024 with 478 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 32-46 receiving over 11 games as an undrafted rookie. Coker worked at an 11.0-yard average depth of target that should at least give Young another option down the field, the receiver and Young established a solid connection in their limited work together last season with six explosive gains on passing plays. Coker is WR37/36 and WR40/37 and quite a bit offset from McMillan by both points and value.
Xavier Legette is WR44/43 and WR48/48 across sites, he should slip down the board for opportunities and value with Coker’s return. Legette plays 78.0% of the team’s snaps on average, running 32.8 routes per game but sees just a 10.5% target share on routes run, returning a thin 0.38 yards per route run. Legette has a touchdown on the board despite the light volume and he was targeted five times in the red zone in early season action, though those chances may move around over the next few games. Legette is at best a dart throw in Week 7.
Ja’Tavion Sanders missed the last three games and has been limited in practices once again in the run-up to Week 7. Sanders is projected as just TE20/20 and TE20/21 with limited appeal across sites, Tommy Tremble would fill the role similarly and adequately if Sanders does not play. If both tight ends are active they will limit one another somewhat with Sanders as the likely lead option for target share in a low-end role.
The Panthers are Stack 14 by points on both sites but they rank as just Stack 20 and Stack 17 by value on DraftKings and FanDuel respectively. Thin stacks of Young and McMillan are an interesting option against a gettable defense that will not pressure the quarterback. Both running backs are also viable, the Jets are allowing 4.3 yards per rush attempt for the season but the split situation is not appealing.
Chicago Bears
Game Total: 46.5 / CHI -5.5 (26.0)
Offense: 43.97% rush / 56.03% pass / 25.2 ppg / 4.1 ypa rush / 7.4 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.8 ypa rush / 7.6 ypa pass / 26.7 ppg / 6.84% sack / 1.69% int
Key Player: Caleb Williams
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, D’Andre Swift (Q; on/off), Cole Kmet, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland (on/off; large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, Rashid Shaheed, Brandin Cooks, Taysom Hill (on/0ff), Kendre Miller (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The Bears check in as a sound option on both sites with the fourth-highest implied team total of the week at 26.0. Chicago and quarterback Caleb Williams draw an interesting matchup against a Saints defense that yields just 3.8 yards per attempt on the ground, ranking sixth-best in the league, but leaks against the pass with 7.6 yards allowed per attempt to sit 25th. New Orleans has put steady pressure on the quarterback with a 22.3% pressure rate and a 6.84% sack rate but Williams has plenty of potential to overcome or even exploit the pass rush. The Bears quarterback is a roller coaster with a completion percentage that sits 9.9 points below expectation by CPOE, ranking him dead last on the slate, while also accounting for 11 total touchdowns against just two interceptions. Williams has provided a steady stream of fantasy points this season, padding his decent 31.8 pass attempts per game and 7.4 yards per pass with 3.9 yards per rush attempt over 5.6 carries per game. Williams has a pair of rushing touchdowns and has thrown nine touchdowns to a solid group of pass-catchers. Williams has a clear favorite in standout second-year receiver Rome Odunze, but the Bears offer both depth and reasonable alternatives when stacking, with at least four playable receivers at a variety of prices and a strong tight end option. Caleb Williams checks in as QB3 by points on both sites, he is QB1 by value in a premium position on our board on the DraftKings slate, though he dips slightly as QB4 by value on the FanDuel board.
Running Backs
Between individual performance that rates as more “fine” than “standout” and facing a sturdy rush defense that has bottled-up running backs both before and after contact on the season while rating mostly in the middle of the league overall, D’Andre Swift seems like a playable option at a lower priority than some of the team’s pass-catchers. Swift does see a bit of upside in the passing game, he belongs in shares of Williams +2 stacks, but on a more limited basis. The running back gains 4.2 yards per rush attempt over 14.0 carries per game and has a strong 11.43% explosive play rate for the season, though he has reached the end zone only twice on the ground with an additional score in the passing game. Swift gains 7.2 yards per target, typically catching the ball behind the line and making things happen, he is a playable RB12 by points and RB7 by value on DraftKings and rates similarly as RB11/7 on the FanDuel slate.
Kyle Monangai rates outside of the top-30 running backs and has very little appeal across sites with Swift expected to play after dealing with a groin injury all week. Monangai gained 19 yards on five carries and another 25 on a catch from his lone target over 10 routes run last week, his 21 snaps were the most he received since Week 2. The rookie could see similar involvement this week if Swift comes up lame for a series, or worse, but otherwise is only a dart throw at a cheap unowned touchdown from an appealing offense.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Caleb Williams has thrown nine touchdown passes that have been fairly distributed among the team’s pass catchers, assuming you ignore that five of them have gone to Rome Odunze that is. No other Bears pass-catcher has more than one touchdown on the season, while Odunze scored at least once in each of the team’s first four game ahead of their Week 5 bye. Odunze had a lousy 32 yards on two catches over five targets in Week 6 against Washington, his weakest performance of the season by a wide margin, he should bounce back in a big way against a gettable defense in Week 7. In addition the the touchdown scoring, Odunze has been Williams’ top overall target with a 25.0% target rate on routes run over 34.8 routes per game. The receiver draws eight chances per game, while others see steady targets as well, no other Bears pass-catcher sees more than 5.6 targets per game. Odunze’s 13.3-yard ADOT and 43.37% air yards share put him in big play and big volume territory, he is a major weapon both in and out of Bears stacks as WR5 by points on both sites. Odunze is WR14 by value on DraftKings and WR11 for points-per-dollar on the blue site.
DJ Moore ranks as a strong play from the second shelf. Moore has a touchdown on the board while drawing 5.2 targets per game for a 16.3% target share on routes run. The veteran gains 1.28 yards per route run and works in between at an 8.7-yard average depth of target. Moore gains 4.4 yards after the catch per reception, slightly above expectation, he is capable of winning a route for a deep chance or breaking a play after the ball is in his hands. DJ Moore is WR24/23 and WR28/36 across DraftKings and FanDuel this week.
Veteran Olamide Zaccheaus has seen steady looks in the passing game as well this season, technically outpacing DJ Moore with 5.6 targets per game and a 17.5% target share on routes run over 23.2 routes per game, about 10 fewer than Moore runs each week. Zaccheaus gains just 1.23 yards per target and has yet to score this season, drawing a 13.88% air yards share on limited depth. The idea with Zaccheaus is to get the ball in his hands, though he has managed just 3.8 yards after the catch per reception this season, -0.1 yards below expectation per reception. Zaccheaus could also lose volume to rookie Luther Burden III as the season progresses, though Burden has been up and down over the first five games. Zaccheaus is WR40/39 and WR38/39 across sites this week, he is at worst a mixer in stacks of Caleb Williams +2 and a dart throw in other lineups.
Luther Burden III slots in as WR33/33 and WR35/31, slightly outpacing Zaccheaus’ rankings on a bit of big game potential. Burden was selected 39th overall in the 2nd round of this year’s draft to make an impact, he has two decent games in five NFL contests, with only limited opportunities in the other three. Burden blew up somewhat in Week 3 against a Dallas defense that will let you do that to them, and we do mean YOU, the reader, they are that bad. Burden caught three passes for 101 yards and a touchdown on three targets over his nine routes run on 17 snaps in that game but dipped to just two catches for -4.0 yards the following week. The receiver’s second-best performance came in Week 6 after the bye, he caught four of four targets for 51 yards over 13 routes run but that came on just 14 snaps with the offense. Burden will continue to dip in and out of relevance until more steady targeting emerges but he should see chances in a soft spot in Week 7, making him an interesting differentiation piece.
Both Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland were limited participants in the passing attack last week. Loveland played 27 snaps with the offense and caught two passes on three targets over 13 routes, Kmet played 32 snaps but ran only 12 routes and caught one of the two targets he saw for zero yards. Kmet has been slightly more involved than the rookie, he has a touchdown on the board in early action but has not been over 50 yards or three catches in a game this season. The tight ends in the Bears offense are limited shots at lower-owned touchdowns from an appealing stack, making either a potential differentiator for a Williams +2 build.
The Bears are a good option against a targetable pass defense this week, the explosive collection of players rates as Stack 7 by points and Stack 6 by value on DraftKings, they are Stack 7/9 on the FanDuel slate. Among the team’s skill players, any of Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, or DJ Moore are also easily playable outside of Bears stacks.
Cleveland Browns
Game Total: 37.5 / CLE -3.0 (20.25)
Offense: 34.64% rush / 65.36% pass / 13.7 ppg / 3.9 ypa rush / 5.0 ypa pass
oppDEF: 5.6 ypa rush / 8.0 ypa pass / 29.0 ppg / 6.42% sack / 0.57% int
Key Player: Dillon Gabriel
Setting: exactly one
Team Group: Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, Quinshon Judkins (on/off), Harold Fannin Jr., Jamari Thrash (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle, Darren Waller, Malik Washington, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Dillon Gabriel’s primary attribute is a dirt cheap $4,400 price on the DraftKings slate against what has been one of the NFL’s worst defenses to open the 2025 season. Gabriel has three touchdown passes on the season, though only two of them came from his two recent starts and he was held off the board against Pittsburgh in an otherwise capable game last week. Gabriel threw the ball 52 times in Week 6 and 33 times in Week 5, though his 221 yards in Week 6 were the best he has managed to date. Overall, the quarterback’s lowly 4.8 yard per pass attempt on 6.1 intended air yards per attempt leaves much to be desired. Gabriel’s completion percentage sits 8.7 percentage points below expectation by CPOE, but Miami has allowed 8.0 yards per pass attempt to rank 29th in football while giving up the second-highest passer rating in the league. Gabriel has a chance to find a bit of success, or at least provide cheap quarterback scoring as an access point to interesting builds on DraftKings. The Browns signal-caller is a limited QB19 by points on both sites but he ascends to QB6 by value on DraftKings while staying low-end as QB15 by value on FanDuel.
Running Backs
Quinshon Judkins leads the Browns by fantasy scoring projections for Week 7 against a defense that has given up a 30th-ranked 5.6 yards per rush attempt on the season. Miami allows 1.5 rushing touchdowns per game, there is plenty of potential for scoring from the running back spot in this contest, though who carries the ball into the end zone is still a bit of a discussion for Cleveland. Judkins had a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games over Weeks 3 and 4, seemingly taking control of the backfield with 18 then 21 carries before leaping to 23 carries for 110 yards in Week 5 against a tough Minnesota defense. The running back stumbled to just 12 carries for 36 yards while playing six fewer snaps in the Week 6 game, losing a bit of ground to Jerome Ford who ran 21 routes on 33 snaps while drawing six targets and catching five of them, though that went for just 13 yards. Judkins should return to better volume this week, he is in a terrific matchup for fantasy scoring, and he could slip through a bit under-appreciated after the lousy Week 6 game. The Browns running back is RB10 by points and RB6 by value on DraftKings, he is RB9 by points and RB12 by value on FanDuel and will be popular on both sites.
While Jerome Ford did see six targets and a handful of catches last week, he has clearly lost any stake in this job and is, in fact, rumored to be on the trade market. There are dueling schools of thought in that the Browns could look to either showcase or protect a potential trade piece, though Ford would only yield limited return on the open market. The running back gains just 3.7 yards per rush attempt and ranks outside of the top-25 positionally across the board this week.
Dylan Sampson played just 15 snaps with the offense last week, drawing three carries for a dozen yards, he has little-to-no value in Week 7 outside of a cheap broken-play touchdown.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Jerry Jeudy is WR20 by points but, like his cheap quarterback, leaps to WR5 by value on DraftKings at just $4,400. The $8,800 pairing makes at least a reasonable argument for shares on the pure savings and purchasing power provided at very low popularity. While Jeudy will be owned in the mid-single-digit range, Gabriel is unlikely to crest more than 1.5-2.0 percent popularity at most, and should land below those marks in large public contests. There is no reliability involved, Jeudy has not been good this year with zero touchdowns despite 8.0 targets per game and a team-leading 24.6% first-read share with Gabriel. The receiver manages a mere 0.98 yards per route run over a terrific 40.8 routes per game, drawing a 20.6% target share on routes run but just a 60.42% catchable target rate on his 39.2% air yards share and 13.1-yard ADOT. Jeudy is far more appealing as a value play than for raw scoring but he can be utilized both in and out of stacks across DraftKings in Week 7, he is a less valuable but still playable WR24/14 on FanDuel.
Harold Fannin Jr. should stand tall at the tight end spot with David Njoku ruled out for Week 7. Fannin Jr. has a touchdown on the board despite a limited 16.3% target share on routes run over his 28.5 routes per game to start his career. The tight end sees a 6.4-yard average depth of target for a 14.64% air yards share, ranking third among primary pass catchers for the Browns this week. The tight end is coming off a good Week 6 game that saw him post season-high marks of 66 snaps, seven catches, 81 yards, and 44 routes run, drawing 10 targets that also ranked as a season-high. Overall, Fannin Jr. sees 6.3 targets per game, ranking second to only Jeudy, his 1.49 yards per route run easily leads this low-end bunch. Fannin Jr. is TE8 by points and TE4 by value on DraftKings, he is TE6 by points and TE2 by value on FanDuel and is interesting on both sites. Gabriel-Jeudy-Fannin stacks cost a total of $12,700 on DraftKings this week, though they remain a low-end raw scoring option.
Isaiah Bond is WR45/42 and WR41/41 across sites on 0.76 yards per route run for the season. Bond does draw a 10.9-yard ADOT that puts him in big play range but he has not found the end zone on the season. The receiver’s 18.18% explosive plays on receptions falls flat against his 1.8 yards below expectation after the catch per reception on the year. Jamari Thrash is an even longer-shot of a dart throw, the two receivers are limited depth options for light stack padding at best in Week 7.
Given the extreme bargain bin pricing on DraftKings, the Browns are at least worthy of a few shares in lineups that pay up for production and chalk in essentially every other spot. Gabriel + Jeudy + Fannin is a cheap angle into that slate, though there are no promises for production. The path of least resistance is clearly standalone Quinshon Judkins shares from the top of the heap. The Browns are Stack 16 by points but Stack 4 by value on DraftKings, they are Stack 16/12 where there is less value in play on the FanDuel slate.
Dallas Cowboys
Game Total: 54,5 / DAL +1.0 (26.75)
Offense: 37.4% rush / 62.6% pass / 29.7 ppg / 4.9 ypa rush / 7.1 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.2 ypa rush / 8.2 ypa pass / 21.0 ppg / 8.87% sack / 1.08% int
Key Player: Dak Prescott
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: CeeDee Lamb (Q), George Pickens, Jake Ferguson, Ryan Flournoy, Javonte Williams (on/off), Jalen Tolbert (on/off; large field), KaVontae Turpin (Q; on/off; large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Deebo Samuel (Q), Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, Zach Ertz, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Jeremy McNichols
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The DFS game of the week stands out from the crowd with a season-high 54.5-point game total and both teams among the best stacks of the day. The high-powered Cowboys offense lands in the top overall spot for fantasy scoring, though they rank differently by points-per-dollar across sites. Dak Prescott is no small part of that equation, the Cowboys quarterback slots in as QB5 by points on both sites this week and is among the best in the business for scoring potential given 38.17 pass attempts per game. Prescott is tops on the slate with 269.5 passing yards per game, good for 7.1 yards per pass attempt on 7.1 intended air yards per attempt with 13 touchdowns against just three interceptions. With this game expected to shootout in all corners of the industry and in Vegas, Prescott and his talented group of skill players will be in high demand across DFS lineups, still, they are easily embraced chalk with compounded ownership across +2 stacks and capable bring-back plays creating natural differentiation. Dak Prescott is QB5 by points and QB10 by value on DraftKings, he is QB5/7 on the FanDuel slate at the head of the site’s most appealing overall stack.
Running Backs
Javonte Williams somehow feels underdiscussed despite plenty of talk of his breakout campaign. The running back gains an excellent 5.2 yards per rush attempt on 15.3 carries per game, posting a strong 2.9 yards after contact per attempt, though his 6.52% explosive rush rate is somewhat limited. Williams has five rushing touchdowns on the board in six games and has drawn regular chances in the passing game as well. The running back has at least 18 potential touches in each of the last three games, with more than 20 in two of those contests. Williams posted just 29 yards on 13 carries and gained only five more on five catches against Carolina in a disappointing effort the last time out, he is likely to do better against a middling Washington defense that will have to cover for being even worse against the pass. Prior to last week’s dud, Williams had back-to-back solid DFS weeks with 85 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and another 15 yards on three catches in Week 4 followed by a season-high 135 yards on just 16 carries with a touchdown in Week 5 against the lousy Jets. Williams is also carried somewhat by a rising tide effect in this game, he rates as RB4 by points and RB1 by value on DraftKings and lands as RB4 by points and RB2 by value on FanDuel. Given the regular looks in the passing attack – Williams has seen at least three targets in all but one of the team’s games and 4.7 per game overall – the running back operates well both in and out of stacks in Week 7.
Jaydon Blue is a distant second on the depth chart, he played just five snaps with the offense last week with Williams dominating touches and very little is expected to change this week.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Star receiver CeeDee Lamb is due to return to the Cowboys after three straight missed contests due to an ankle injury. Lamb is a premium option in any matchup and looks special with the team highly-projected in Week 7. Given the expected pace and scoring potential of this game, Lamb shines as WR1 by points on both sites, he should have no issues picking up with the 2.52 yards per pass attempt we saw from him earlier in the season. Lamb is a no-brainer play in any stack of Cowboys or as a standalone star receiver, he is a true top option who has four straight seasons of better than 1,100 yards and six touchdowns on his resume. The receiver will see competition for touches from George Pickens, who truly found his footing in this passing game with Lamb out over the last few weeks, but there should be plenty of looks to go around and still have room for the productive tight end and running back to get theirs. Lamb is WR1 by points and WR6 by value on DraftKings, he is WR1 by points and WR3 by value on the FanDuel slate.
George Pickens is not far behind his star teammate as WR7 by points on DraftKings and WR6 in the category on FanDuel. Pickens slips somewhat when rated for value but one big play or a touchdown erases that margin in a hurry, he is no worse than 1A to Lamb’s lead in this offense. Pickens has a tremendous six touchdowns on the board while drawing a 32.26% air yards share on a 12.1-yard ADOT, numbers that should hold for opportunity and shape even with Lamb back in the fold, giving Dak Prescott two major downfield weapons. Pickens gained 302 yards on 19 catches with four touchdowns in the three games that Lamb missed, he had five catches for exactly 68 yards and a touchdown in each of Weeks 2 and 3 prior to Lamb’s exit and has now scored in five straight contests.
Jake Ferguson is another premium scorer at his position. The tight end has four touchdowns hwile drawing a 22.3% target share on routes run and eight red zone looks overall this season. Ferguson sees a short 4.3-yard average depth of target and just a 13.46% air yards share but his touchdown-scoring upside makes him an easy second-click in Prescott +2 stacks alongside either of the wide receivers or even as an alternative approach to “skinny” stacks of Cowboys. The most differentiated approach to a Prescott build that is not grasping at straws down the depth chart could be utilizing Ferguson and Javonte Williams at running back while fading the two premium wide receivers, at least in a build or two across 150 entries. This approach is far less appealing in small fields, single entry, or other more limited formats.
Ryan Flournoy stepped forward somewhat in Lamb’s absence and he could continue to see chances in the revamped passing attack. Flournoy gains an excellent 2.36 yards per route run on limited chances this season but has yet to score a touchdown. KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Tolbert are similarly low-ranked darts in the Dallas and Dak quiver in Week 7, they lack true appeal but could hit the wildcard scoring board as cheap stack filler. Turpin has a touchdown catch on the board already this season and both receivers see 3.3 targets per game with Tolbert drawing more snap share.
The Cowboys are a go-to stacking option this week, they have excellent plays in +2 builds with four or five options that clear every position on the board. Dallas lands as Stack 1 by points on both sites, they are Stack 8 by value on DraftKings and an excellent Stack 2 by value on the FanDuel slate where they have the most appeal
Denver Broncos
Game Total: 40.5 / DEN -7.5 (24.0)
Offense: 44.21% rush / 55.79% pass / 21.7 ppg / 4.6 ypa rush / 6.2 ypa pass
oppDEF: 5.1 ypa rush / 6.9 ypa pass / 24.0 ppg / 5.46% sack / 1.78% int
Key Player: Bo Nix
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Courtland Sutton, JK Dobbins (on/off), Evan Engram, Marvin Mims Jr., RJ Harvey (on/off), Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant (large field), Trent Sherfield Sr. (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Wan’Dale Robinson, Cam Skaettbo, Theo Johnson, Tyrone Tracy Jr. (on/off), Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Jalin Hyatt (on/off), Beauc Collins (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Denver quarterback Bo Nix ranks near the bottom of the league’s pool of qualified passers in most advanced metrics, including catchable targets and yards per pass attempt. Nix gains just 6.2 yards per attempt on 34.33 tries per game, completing 65.0% of his passes for a CPOE mark 1.5 points below expectation. The quarterback does have nine touchdown passes this season but that comes with four interceptions and just one rushing touchdown on his 5.5 rush attempts per game. Nix padded fantasy scoring with four rushing touchdowns to his 29 passing touchdowns last season, he should run a few additional scores in throughout the season and stands a fair chance against a Giants defense that allows 5.1 yards per rush attempt overall to sit 29th in the league. Otherwise, the Giants pass defense has been steadily improving, their season long marks rank mostly in the middle of the league, like a 6.9 yards allowed per pass attempt that sits 13th, but they have picked up the pace in recent weeks, limiting passers to bottom-10 rankings and steadily pressuring the quarterback. Nix will be challenged for quality but his defense should keep the Giants very much in check and seems likely to deliver additional chances as-needed. Nix rates as another interesting slate value as QB8 by points but QB2 by value on both sites at the head of a stack that rates similarly.
Running Backs
JK Dobbins gains a strong 4.9 yards per rush attempt over 15.2 carries per game this season, posting a 10.99% explosive rush rate and 6.59% broken tackle rate while finding the end zone four times on the ground. Dobbins is hardly involved in the passing game, that work has gone to RJ Harvey but it amounts to just three targets per game for the backup. Dobbins is the lead option on the ground, Harvey carries the ball a mere 5.5 times per game and has not seen the end zone this season despite a few elusive runs. Dobbins rates as RB9 by points but RB2 by value on DraftKings, he is RB10 by points and RB5 by value on FanDuel against the leaky Giants rush defense.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Courtland Sutton is a strong mid-board option at the wide receiver position, he ranks as WR12 for raw scoring and WR16 by value on DraftKings but loses position as just WR30 for value at a pricey $7,700 on FanDuel. Like much of their recent output, the ongoing viability of the Giants pass defense remains very much in doubt, the team is likely to allow more big games against than not in the coming weeks and it would be best to be early to the situation. Sutton is the go-to option for Nix, he had a lousy game in Week 6 but that was on the heels of three strong performances in a row. Sutton had his best game in Week 3 with 118 yards and a touchdown on six catches, he added 81 yards and another score on five grabs in Week 4, and another 99 yards on a season-high eight catches in Week 5 against the Eagles. The receiver’s dip to just one catch for 17 yards can primarily be blamed on seeing just three targets over 26 routes on 48 snaps, all season-low marks by a fair margin. Sutton is pulling a 12.2-yard average depth of target and more than 35% of the team’s air yards, he has the ability to quickly improve upon the three touchdown catches he posted over six games thus far.
Troy Franklin has been only moderately productive on a fair 18.6% target share on routes run over his 30.0 routes per game, returning just 1.39 yards per route run. Franklin has one touchdown on the season, drawing an 8.8-yard average depth of target for a 24.27% air yards share. Franklin has played more snaps and run more routes than Marvin Mims Jr. in every game this season, he is the number two wide receiver in the offense despite being the less flashy play.
Marvin Mims Jr. sees 22.03% of the air yards in Bo Nix’s passing attack. Mims Jr. gains 1.27 yards per route run but has been running only 19.5 routes per game early in 2025. The receiver has a touchdown on the board and works at game-breaking potential depth with a 12.8-yard average depth of target and an excellent 1.1 yard over expectation after the catch per reception for 6.8 yards after the catch per reception. Mims is capable of making one big slate-bending play and he will be one of the lower-owned options in this offense. The receiver is a lottery ticket as WR28 by points, for just $3,500 he flies to up the board by value on the DraftKings slate. Mims Jr. is far less valuable at $5,100 on FanDuel.
Pat Bryant saw more snaps but fewer targets than Mims in recent games, he is no more the a dart throw option this week.
Evan Engram has 13 catches in the team’s three most recent games, following a missed contest in Week 3 against the Chargers. Engram posted a season-high 42 yards on five catches over six targets and 15 routes last week, though his lone touchdown came in his four-catch 33-yard performance last week. The tight end has 19 targets over the same three-game stretch, he sees regular chances in the offense and gains 1.32 yards per route run. Engram is TE9 by points but TE8 by value on DraftKings, he is TE11/9 on the FanDuel slate.
The Broncos are a mid-board stack with value potential as Stack 9 by points but Stack 2 by value at cheap pricing on DraftKings, they are Stack 9 by points and Stack 6 by value on FanDuel with the best case scenario being a Nix rushing touchdown bolstering a bit of scoring in the passing attack. Any combination of Nix and his pass-catchers should be relatively low-owned on both sites.
Green Bay Packers
Game Total: 44.5 / GB -6.5 (25.5)
Offense: 49.68% rush / 50.32% pass / 26.2 ppg / 4.0 ypa rush / 8.6 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.2 ypa rush / 6.5 ypa pass / 21.2 ppg / 4.44% sack / 1.69% int
Key Player: Jordan Love
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Romeo Doubs, Josh Jacobs (Q; on/off), Matthew Golden, Tucker Kraft, Dontayvion Wicks (Q), Malik Heath (large field), Savion Williams (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. (Q), Michael Wilson, Zay Jones (Q), Zonovan “Bam” Knight (on/off), Michael Carter (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The Packers pick up the slate’s fifth-highest implied team total at 25.5 points with quarterback Jordan Love heading up a solidly mid-ranked stack with upside against a middling Cardinals defense. Green Bay’s signal-caller throws for just over 250 yards per game and an excellent 8.6 yards per pass attempt on the season, with nine touchdown passes against just two interceptions. While the nature of his passing is tremendous, the volume is not, Love plays somewhat lighter volume with only 29.4 pass attempts per game, though his completion percentage sits 6.2 points over expectation despite the deep targeting. Love is an excellent quarterback by all measures, the only concern is volume, a 31-43 performance in Week 4 was the only time that Love threw more than 31 passes this season. The Cardinals slot in with a defense that ranks ninth with just 6.5 yards allowed per pass attempt but dips to a bottom-10 mark in yards per game against the pass. Love ranks as QB9 by points on both sites, he is QB14 by value at a $6,200 DraftKings price tag but QB9 by value for $7,800.
Running Backs
Josh Jacobs is questionable as of Saturday afternoon but seems likely to play after getting a full practice in on Friday. Jacobs is dealing with a calf issue and an illness but should see his typically tremendous volume if he takes the field. The running back carries the ball 19.6 times per game, though he is gaining just 3.7 yards per rush attempt on the season. Jacobs picks up another 3.8 potential touches via targeting in the passing game each week, gaining 9.3 yards per target overall. Volume is king for fantasy production, all of those touches lead to yardage totals and scoring events, even with the relatively low YPA number and limited marks for yards per attempt over expectation (-0.2), explosive rush rate (7.14%), broken tackle rate (4.08%), and yards after contact per attempt (1.9). Jacobs projects as one of the top running backs again in Week 7, landing as RB2/5 on DraftKings and RB2/6 on FanDuel.
Given their limited involvement behind the hefty Jacobs workload, neither Emanuel Wilson nor Chris Brooks warrants much consideration unless Jacobs is out. If the starter sits, Wilson would seemingly be the first man up out of the backfield, and would check in as a value-based consideration in this offense. The running back gains 4.7 yards per rush attempt but sees just 3.6 carries and 0.8 targets per game in typical action.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Romeo Doubs ranks as a mid-board scoring option with premium value marks across sites this week. The wide receiver leads this group with four touchdowns on the season, while gaining 1.64 yards per route run over 28.6 routes per game in the lower-volume passing attack. Doubs has drawn just a 64.29% catchable target rate on his deep chances, seeing the typical target at a 12.9-yard ADOT for 32.7% of the air yards. Doubs draws a team-leading 20.6% target rate on routes run for the season, he is the top option in the eyes of Jordan Love but tends to go lower-owned than he should. Doubs is WR17 by points but WR9 by value on DraftKings, he ranks the same WR9 for value on FanDuel while slotting in as WR13 by raw point-scoring on that site.
Matthew Golden is the next man up, sitting right next to his teammate by DraftKings value as WR23 by points but WR10 by value, he is a highly-rated option as WR22/16 on the FanDuel slate as well. Golden draws a 14.0% target rate on routes run over 23.8 routes per game on the season, gaining 1.78 yards per route run on a 14.6-yard average depth of target that leads the team’s regular group. Golden has yet to find the end zone this season but the 25.28% air yards share should keep him in big scoring play territory. The rookie has a pair of red zone targets on the season, though that ranks behind the seven that Romeo Doubs has seen as well as the six thrown toward the tight end. Golden is a strong mid-board receiver play who can operate in a standalone role but probably carries a bit more value in +1 or +2 builds with Love, he should be heavily involved and productive against Arizona’s defensive approach.
Tucker Kraft has three touchdowns on the board already this season, and has seen six total targets in the red zone, giving him plenty of upside for scoring on a weekly basis. Kraft works at a 6.0-yard ADOT that lands as the most conservative route package on the team, he has been tremendous with 10.1 yards after the catch per reception so far this season, a full 2.3 yards after the catch over expectation per catch. Kraft scored in each of the season’s first two games before a quite two weeks and a bye, he hit the board again in Week 6 against Cincinnati, though his touchdown grab was one of only two catches on the day, on a season-low two targets. Kraft, like all of the Packers pass-catchers, is mostly limited by the team’s approach to the passing game, they are entirely capable of paying off +2 builds with explosive DFS scoring days. Kraft leads the team’s pass-catchers with 1.90 yards per route run over 28.2 routes per game, he is a premium target for a good quarterback and he rates as TE4 by points but TE15 by value on DraftKings and TE3 by points and TE7 by value on FanDuel.
Dontayvion Wicks gains 1.26 yards per route run over 20.4 routes per game. The receiver draws just a 13.2% target rate on routes run but those chances come at a significant 14.0-yard average depth of target that gives him big play potential for DFS scoring events, despite the limited chances overall. Wicks is more of an any-given-slate dart throw than a priority, he has not found the end zone this season but he scored five times on 39 catches last year and four times on 39 catches the season before. Wicks is questionable to play but practiced on a limited basis every day this week, he should take the field but the team has similarly talented options in Malik Heath and Savion Williams if he sits.
The Packers are a strong but somewhat restrained offense that leans heavily into the ground game. Josh Jacobs stands on his own, assuming he suits up. The running back can operate in stacks, particularly given the significant ability to soak up touchdowns and his involvement in the passing game, but he is also an easy option in lineups that are not built around Love and the Packers. Both Romeo Doubs and Matthew Golden can operate in and out of stacks, as can the team’s tight end Tucker Kraft, and builds around Love with a +1 or +2 approach are viable as Stack 6 by points and Stack 7 by value on DraftKings and Stack 4 by points and Stack 8 by value on FanDuel
Indianapolis Colts
Game Total: 48.0 / IND +1.5 (23.25)
Offense: 47.92% rush / 52.08% pass / 32.3 ppg / 4.6 ypa rush / 8.3 ypa pass
oppDEF: 5.0 ypa rush / 6.2 ypa pass / 20.8 ppg / 7.88% sack / 3.21% int
Key Player: Daniel Jones
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell, Anthony Gould (large field), Mo-Allie Cox (on/off; large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, Kimani Vidal (on/off), Hassan Haskins (on/off), Oronde Gadsden (on/off), Will Dissly (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Daniel Jones ranks just 10th among quarterbacks for fantasy scoring on both sites this week, slipping further down the board when it comes to value. The Colts quarterback had a strong start to the season, particularly for fantasy scoring with the help of a handful of rushing touchdowns, but he draws a Chargers defense that has been tough against the pass in Week 7. Los Angeles allows just 6.2 yards per pass attempt, ranking them third in the league. The team picks up a solid 20.0% pressure rate and has put 16 sacks and six interceptions on the board already this season. This is not the ideal opponent for continued exploitation of the Danny Dimes fantasy points funnel. Jones ranks in the top-10 by fantasy points per game this season and rates highly in advanced accuracy metrics to our continued surprise. The quarterback has been excellent with 250.3 yards per game, 8.3 yards per pass attempt, and a CPOE mark that sits 5.4 points above expectation. Jones has thrown eight touchdown passes to his talented group of pass-catchers while losing only three interceptions to opposing defenders, but this week is a steep hill for a quarterback we have seen produce a few good games before evaporating in the past. The Colts will also be without both Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin in Week 7. Jones is QB10/16 and QB10/11 across sites, he is highly playable but the Chargers have been excellent against the pass this season and the Colts have a Hulk.
Running Backs
Jonathan Taylor is the top running back in football this season. Taylor ranks as RB1 on by fantasy points on both sites, though his points-per-dollar mark slips to RB10 on DraftKings and RB9 on FanDuel. The raw scoring potential is well worth both the price and the public popularity, Taylor gains a fantastic 5.2 yards per rush attempt and 100.5 yards per game and has seven rushing touchdowns on the board already this year. His 2.7 yards after contact per attempt and 11.3% broken tackle rate are both strong marks, and Taylor sees massive involvement with 19.2 carries and 3.7 targets per game. The running back has another touchdown in the passing game while gaining 6.7 yards per target for the year. Taylor is an easy option at any price in any matchup, with the Colts likely to push the run somewhat, he has major scoring potential once again.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Michael Pittman Jr. hit 80 yards on six catches over eight targets in Week 1 and has yet to return to that threshold. The receiver did score in each of three straight games from Week 3-5 and has four touchdowns on the season, with the other coming in that Week 1 contest. Pittman Jr. sees an OK but unspectacular 22.1% air yards share over his 21.1% target rate on routes run over 28.7 routes per game. The receiver has been adequate with 1.70 yards per route run but his fantasy production has come mostly through touchdown catches, which can come and go. Pittman Jr. has four red zone targets on the season, sitting second on the team behind the highly-productive tight end. This is a top receiver in and out of stacks on the right week, even with the talented Chargers on the other side, Pittman Jr. ranks as WR14 by points but WR8 by value on DraftKings and WR17/6 on the FanDuel slate.
Tyler Warren is TE2 by points on both sites despite the challenging pass defense he and Daniel Jones will face on Sunday. Warren has been a revelation at the tight end position in this offense, gaining 2.23 yards per route run over 22.7 routes per game while drawing a team-leading seven red zone targets and hauling in a pair of touchdowns. Warren sees a team-leading 22.2% target rate on routes run, working mostly underneath at a 6.4-yard ADOT. The tight end is an excellent option for volume with 6.7 targets per game, he drew nine last week and could land similarly if Jones is challenged by Chargers defenders. Tyler Warren rates as TE2/6 on both sites this week, he is a strong standalone option and a high priority player when stacking Colts.
Alec Pierce is one of our favorite DFS deep threats at typically low ownership. Pierce rarely gets popular despite slate-bending abilities, the receiver drew a 21.4-yard average depth of target for the season last year, catching 37 of 69 targets for 824 yards and seven touchdowns over 16 games. Pierce has only played in four of the Colts games this season, he missed Weeks 4 and 5 and returned to his typical involvement with 48 yards on two catches over four targets on 29 routes run. In his four games this year, Pierce draws a 19.2-yard average depth of target and has a 36.36% explosive play rate on receptions, though he has not managed to find the end zone. His 2.05 yards per route run is a tremendous mark for a largely overlooked option. The receiver will continue seeing deep looks, if Jones is able to find time against the defense the quick-strike deep pass is an option. Pierce is WR29 by points but WR12 by value on DraftKings, he is similarly ranked as WR27/12 on the FanDuel slate.
Adonai Mitchell saw a chance in Week 4 with Pierce out and nearly turned it into something with three catches for 96 yards, his ridiculous unnecessary celebration-based fumble at the goal line was a gaffe that cost him the following week, Mitchell went from 54 snaps and four targets on 30 routes run to six snaps and one target on his lone route in Week 5 while Pierce remained out, he was inactive in Week 6. Mitchell should have a chance to redeem himself with both Downs and Dulin out of action, the receiver is another deep threat with big scoring potential, if he hangs on across the goal line. Mitchell has a fantastic 18.7-yard ADOT on limited action this season, returning a team-leading 2.58 yards per route run, though the actual production beyond the Week 4 game amounts to 41 yards on four catches, all of which came in Weeks 1 and 2. Mitchell is a limited dart throw as WR61/61 and WR62/59 across sites this week.
The Colts rate as a surprising Stack 3 by points but Stack 9 by value on DraftKings while sitting as Stack 3/10 on the FanDuel slate, though part of that is an uplift from the raw projection carried by the team’s superstar running back, who is easily played on his own. The passing game has to be somewhat knocked down after that, given the challenging matchup and the need for Jones to add a rushing touchdown to truly make value in most of his performances. The quarterback and his group of pass-catchers do have big-play potential and can be stacked together, but the team’s points ranking on Saturday afternoon could be a bit of a trap.
Kansas City Chiefs
Game Total: 45.5 / KC -13.0 (29.25)
Offense: 40.85% rush / 59.15% pass / 25.8 ppg / 4.6 ypa rush / 7.1 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.0 ypa rush / 6.9 ypa pass / 24.8 ppg / 6.51% sack / 1.49% int
Key Player: Patrick Mahomes
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce, Hollywood Brown, Isiah Pacheco (on/off), Kareem Hunt (on/off), Noah Gray (large field; on/off), JuJu Smith-Schuster (large field; on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Ashton Jeanty, Jakobi Meyers (Q), Brock Bowers (Q), Tre Tucker, Jack Bech
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The already productive Chiefs passing game gets a major upgrade with Rashee Rice returning in Week 7. Patrick Mahomes is already among league leaders with 252.3 yards per game on strong volume at 35.5 passes per contest, though he takes a bit of dip at 7.1 yards per attempt. The quarterback has an outstanding 11 touchdown passes against just a pair of interceptions and he has already added four rushing touchdowns to his tally. Mahomes runs 6.3 times per game, gaining 5.8 yards per attempt and regularly putting the ball in the end zone or carrying it in big spots. The quarterback should benefit from the addition of a premium target, Rice has been extremely productive in the limited time we have seen him on the field over the past season-plus. Mahomes has strong options down the board as well, the quarterback should be able to spread targets against a defense allowing 6.9 yards per pass attempt on the season. Patrick Mahomes ranks as QB2 by points and QB7 by value on DraftKings, he is QB2 by points and leaps to QB1 by value on the FanDuel slate in Week 7.
Running Backs
Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Brashard Smith all rate outside of the top-20 by fantasy point scoring in Week 7, with Pacheco leading the way as RB20 by points on both sites. The running back gains 4.2 yards per attempt but sees just 8.5 carries per game while another 8.2 go to the less productive Hunt at just 3.8 yards per attempt, though Pacheco did out-draw Hunt with 12 carries to Hunt’s six in Week 6, while playing 77.0% of the snaps. Of course, given similar volume the week before, it was Hunt who put the ball in the end zone for a pair of rushing touchdowns. The running back has three rushing touchdowns to Pacheco’s one touchdown catch for the year but Pacheco should continue seeing more snaps and a few extra touches each week.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Rashee Rice has been productive when he is available. The receiver gained 288 yards and caught two touchdowns on 29 targets in the four games he played last season, he has not suited up this year but did have 938 yards and seven touchdowns in a more complete 16-game season as a rookie in 2023. Rice should return to a lead role, though there are a few lingering questions about exactly what his snap share will look like in his initial return. Rice is WR4 by points and WR3 by value on DraftKings, he is WR4 by points and WR5 by value on FanDuel but those rankings are worth monitoring alongside projections if things change with reporting about the receiver’s involvement in Week 7 plans.
Xavier Worthy gains 1.51 yards per route run but sees just a 10.7% target share on 24.0 route per game and has drawn a measly 59.09% catchable target rate from his star quarterback, severely limiting his chances at elite fantasy production. Worthy has a touchdown on the board this season and has still managed a 15.38% explosive play rate on receptions, given an 11.6-yard average depth of target. The speedster could shine with eyes diverted elsewhere, he checks in at a higher price than Rashee Rice on DraftKings, which should render him far less popular in public lineups on that site. FanDuel has Worthy priced $500 below Rice’s $7,500 tag, which should have more of a leveling impact on the ownership on the also-strong play. Xavier Worthy is WR15 by points and WR30 by value on DraftKings, he is WR18/27 on the FanDuel slate.
Travis Kelce has two touchdowns and six red zone targets in six games this year, like it or not the potential for production remains on a weekly basis. The star tight end gains 1.67 yards per route run, second on the team behind Tyquan Thorton’s 1.77-yard mark on lighter volume. Kelce is also the team’s most frequent route runner with 32.0 routes run per game. The tight end has been far from spectacular this season but his price has dipped from its zenith and Kelce can easily surpass his value requirements given an 18.0% target rate on routes run. The tight end led his team with 78 yards on six catches in Week 6 and had a 61-yard day on seven catches, including a touchdown, in Week 6. Kelce is a steady hand as TE3/3 on DraftKings and TE4/3 on FanDuel, he is a good option as a standalone at the position as well as a priority in stacks of Chiefs in +1 or +2 builds.
Hollywood Brown made the most of four targets over his 24 routes in Week 6, hauling in all of the chances for 45 yards and two touchdowns. Brown has three scores on the season but has been held below 50 yards in every game but his Week 1 surprise when he caught 10 passes for 99 yards. Brown is another receiver who could benefit from focus being elsewhere, particularly for low-owned DFS scoring potential in a desirable stack, he gains a fair 1.64 yards per route run and was drawing a team-leading 21.5% target share on 30.7 routes per game before the receiver room shifted coming into this week. Brown is WR35/38 and WR37/38 across sites with a bit of ceiling beyond those marks.
JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton could get involved for a deep chance or two, depending on the game script. Thornton has three touchdowns and an outrageous 23.9-yard average depth of target for the season, though he fell off the map with zero targets in Week 6. Smith-Schuster has been the an involved option as well, drawing 4.0 targets per game for 1.24 yards per route run over 30.3 routes per contest. Thornton is the greater big play threat while Smith-Schuster is more likely to provide a couple-few fantasy points.
The Chiefs are a premium option for passing points in Week 7, ranking as Stack 5/5 on the DraftKings slate and Stack 6/7 on FanDuel. Patrick Mahomes +1 or +2 stacks should be commonly built with a variety of constructions available around the deep group of receivers, the more lightly involved running backs benefit stacking pass-catchers as the primary option. Among the skill players, Travis Kelce remains easily the most reliable standalone option, the spread out nature of the passing attack and unpredictable impact of Rice’s return cast doubt over the remaining options as standalone plays for anything more than a few shares.
Las Vegas Raiders
Game Total: 45.5 / LV +13.0 (16.25)
Offense: 43.80% rush / 56.20% pass / 17.2 ppg / 4.0 ypa rush / 7.3 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.7 ypa rush / 6.9 ypa pass / 20.7 ppg / 7.41% sack / 2.29% int
Key Player: Geno Smith
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Ashton Jeanty, Jakobi Meyers (Q), Brock Bowers (Q), Tre Tucker, Jack Bech
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce, Hollywood Brown, Isiah Pacheco (on/off), Kareem Hunt (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Geno Smith has been extremely limited for fantasy production in 2025. The Las Vegas quarterback has seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions in six contests and is probably lucky that it is just Kenny Pickett lurking as an understudy. Smith throws the ball for fair but unspectacular volume with 31.0 pass attempts per game, delivering an average 7.3 yards per pass attempt on a completion percentage that sits a point below expectation. Without much appeal in the ground game and only 225.0 yards per game overall on the season, there is only so much expectation for fantasy production, Smith is a low-end play as QB15/17 and QB15/14 against a Kansas City defense that will apply pressure throughout the game.
Running Backs
Ashton Jeanty could stand tall where his team’s passing game is more limited. Jeanty has not been great as a rookie with just 4.0 yards per rush attempt on 17.5 carries per game but his 20.2 potential touches each week have plenty of appeal. The running back will face a Kansas City defense currently allowing 4.7 yards per rush attempt to rank 24th in football. The Chiefs are vulnerable to running back production and allow a touchdown per game on the ground. Jeanty has a solid 2.8 yards after contact per rush attempt with a 14.29% broken tackle rate for the season and has found the end zone three times in six contests. The running back has another two scores in the passing game while gaining 3.8 yards per target with a 12.38% explosive play rate on receptions. Jeanty is a strong option both as an affordable standalone running back and as a bring-back play in Chiefs stacks, he is a more limited piece when forcing unnecessary stacks with Smith and other Raiders. Ashton Jeanty is RB6 by points and RB8 by value on DraftKings, he is RB6 by points and RB4 by value on FanDuel in Week 7.
Raheem Mostert picked up a surprising 32 snaps in Week 5, carrying the ball seven times for 22 yards after a productive 62 yards on four carrires over eight snaps in his return to action the week before. Mostert dipped back to limited production and involvement with -4 yards on five carries over just 13 snaps in Week 6. The running back’s lack of predictable involvement badly dents his fantasy scoring projections, while he remains a potentially explosive option on any touch, Mostert is just RB33/31 on both sites.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Jakobi Meyers is WR26/31 and WR26/23 across sites, his appeal is limited by the overall quality of this offense and his quarterback’s play. Meyers draws a 23.6% target share on 31.3 routes run and gains 1.75 yards per route run for the season, fine but not overly appealing numbers. The receiver has a 29.66% air yards share on a 9.3-yard average depth of target, sitting just behind Tre Tucker for the team lead in average depth with a higher overall air yards share. Meyers has not found the end zone in 2025, despite leading the team’s available pass-catchers with 4.8 catches per game. Meyers is a low-end mixer in any lineup format in Week 7, he needs to find a touchdown to make value. Meyers is questionable after returning to practice on a limited basis on Friday.
Tre Tucker works at a 10.2-yard average depth of target that sits behind the 10.6-yard mark carried by less-involved teammate Jack Bech. Tucker is the team’s primary deep threat but Smith has managed just a 72.73% catchable target rate on his chances, with the receiver bringing in 4.0 of his 5.5 targets per game for 1.93 yards per route run. Tucker drops in with four touchdowns on the board in the passing game – though three of those came in his big Week 3 game – doubling Jeanty’s mark with only Michael Mayer’s lone touchdown spread among the remaining pass-catchers. Tucker is WR30/41 and WR29/32 across sites but would see a bit of an uptick if Jakobi Meyers does not play.
Michael Mayer fills in with Brock Bowers still out of action in Week 7. Mayer caught five of seven targets over 20 routes run on 56 snaps with the offense after returning from a two-week absence of his own last week. The tight end racked up 50 yards and his first touchdown catch of the season and could see similar involvement and production in Week 7. Mayer has truly only been partially involved in the offense through most of the season but his 2.16 yards per route run easily lead this group. The tight end is middling DFS option as TE16/14 and TE13/12 across sites.
Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. both fall outside of the top-50 across the board among wide receiver options, they are nothing more than dart throws at one big scoring play.
The Raiders are a low-end Stack 15/17 on DraftKings and Stack 15/14 on the FanDuel slate, there is not much appeal beyond Ashton Jeanty, who can easily be rostered for standalone running back shares in any lineup.
Los Angeles Chargers
Game Total: 48.0 / LAC -1.5 (24.75)
Offense: 37.70% rush / 62.30% pass / 21.2 ppg / 5.0 ypa rush / 7.0 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.3 ypa rush / 6.8 ypa pass / 19.3 ppg / 6.78% sack / 3.18% int
Key Player: Justin Herbert
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, Oronde Gadsden II, Kimani Vidal (on/off), Hassan Haskins (on/off), Will Dissly (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Warren, Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Justin Herbert rates as a playable option across sites on the high side of a 48.0-point game total against the Colts in what profiles as a strong DFS spot in Week 7. With the Colts drawing a bit of an inflated rating from their premium running back’s projection, the best approach to this game may well be in stacking the Chargers’ passing game with the Colts’ running back coming back the other way. For his part, Herbert has led a strong passing attack with 248.8 yards per game and 10 touchdown passes, though that amounts to just 6.9 yards per pass attempt on his 36.0 attempts per game. The volume is targetable for DFS upside, Herbert has a CPOE mark 2.6 points above expectation on 7.5 intended air yards per attempt and he has a strong group of receivers with just backup running back options in play. The Chargers could take to the air early and often in Week 7, pushing this game and their opponents up the board for fantasy production. Herbert is QB6/9 on DraftKings and QB6/5 on FanDuel and he comes with several strong clicks at wide receiver.
Running Backs
With Omarion Hampton out and Hassan Haskins questionable, more of the running back role could be thrust upon value option Kimani Vidal in Week 7. The running back stood out with 124 yards on 18 carries over 43 snaps with the offense last week and the job seems like his to lose for the moment. Vidal had 155 yards on 43 carries over 10 games all of last year after the Chargers selected him in the 6th round out of Troy, so the production last week represents a bit of an uptick. The running back also caught three of four targets for 14 more yards, adding a receiving touchdown to his Week 7 scoring tally. Vidal is RB15 by points and RB12 by value on DraftKings, he is RB13/10 on the FanDuel slate and is playable on both sites, though expectations for a repeat performance are probably best kept in check.
Hassan Haskins played 20 snaps with the offense and gained 14 yards on six carries, adding another nine on his lone reception. The running back is dealing with injury issues and remains questionable but he practiced in full at the end of the week and should see the backup role again. Haskins has little-to-no value unless a surprise role change drops.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Ladd McConkey slots in as our top-rated receiver among the productive group of Chargers pass-catchers in Week 7 after spending a couple of weeks behind his teammates. McConkey scored for the second straight game and posted his first 100-yard performance of the season, hitting that mark exactly on seven catches over nine targets last week. The receiver caught five of seven targets on 29 routes with a touchdown but only gained 39 yards in Week 5, and he had been held out of the scoring game prior to that contest. McConkey is a talented option who sees a 20.0% target share on 37.0 routes per game, good for 7.2 targets per contest, though that ranks behind both Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston overall. The receiver’s 1.41 yards per route run are also third in that mix of receivers, but he is coming on strong and has has been at similar target levels to his peers over the past few games. McConkey is WR9/13 and WR11/20 across sites this week.
Keenan Allen had a touchdown in each of the Chargers’ first three games this season but has now failed to score in three straight while also falling short of the 60-yard mark in every contest. Allen caught four passes for 27 yards on seven targets over 27 routes in his lowest-end game of the year in Week 6 against a gettable Miami defense, the lackluster performance was a major disappointment for DFS production but the veteran is having a strong season and he sees major volume in this heavy passing attack. Allen is drawing a team-high 8.5 targets per game, he has three touchdowns but a whopping nine chances in the red zone, and works to a 28.04% air yards share. At a reasonable price on both sites, Keenan Allen is WR16/19 and WR14/8.
Quentin Johnston leads the talented receiver group with four touchdowns, his 30.82% air yards share is also tops among the three lead wide receivers, while his 12.1-yard ADOT leads that group but falls short of a few dart throw options from down the depth chart. Johnston is the big play receiver in this offense, he has five targets in the red zone and sees frequent chances at big plays, he has a 26.92% explosive play rate on receptions while posting 5.3 yards after the catch per attempt for 1.0 yards after the catch more than expectation per reception. Johnston gains 2.02 yards per route run over 37.4 routes per game, leading the team in both categories. He is second with 8.2 raw targets per game for a 19.1% target share, but his 63.41% catchable target rate from Herbert dips a bit by comparison on the deeper overall chances. Quentin Johnston is WR22/34 and WR16/28 across sites this week.
Oronde Gadsden II leapt to relevance with a seven-catch performance on eight targets over 30 routes in the Week 6 game against Miami. The tight end played 48 snaps with the offense, a 75.0% snap share compared to the 41.0% mark played by Will Dissly. With Gadsden getting involved and producing 68 yards in the game, there seems to be a bit of separation between the two options, though neither has found the end zone this season and there are only so many targets to go around with three heavily-involved wide receivers. Gadsden II is TE15 by points but TE5 by value at a cheap $3,300 on DraftKings, he is TE10/10 on the FanDuel slate.
The Chargers are an interesting option for stacking a quarterback and a pair of pass-catchers in an appealing game with good bring-back plays, Los Angeles rates as Stack 8 by points on both sites, they are Stack 10 by value on DraftKings but see more appeal as Stack 5 by value on the FanDuel slate
Miami Dolphins
Game Total: 37.5 / MIA +3.0 (17.25)
Offense: 36.65% rush / 63.35% pass / 22.3 ppg / 4.6 ypa rush / 6.6 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.1 ypa rush / 7.1 ypa pass / 24.3 ppg / 7.65% sack / 1.18% int
Key Player: Tua Tagovailoa
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle, Darren Waller, Malik Washington, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Quinshon Judkins, Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, Jamari Thrash, Harold Fannin Jr.
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Coming off of a season-worst single-touchdown three-interception game in which he threw for 205 yards on 21-32 passing, Tua Tagovailoa slots in as a low-ranked quarterback in an offense going mostly nowhere this season. The Dolphins have a top-rated option at running back and receiver Jaylen Waddle ranks as an easily playable pass-catcher, but stacks around Tagovailoa lack significant upside against what has been a fairly competent Browns defense. Cleveland has been excellent at stopping the run with just 3.0 yards allowed per rush attempt to rank first, they yield 7.1 yards per attempt in the passing game while sustaining a 20.9% pressure rate, though they have allowed a bottom-10 touchdown total and rank only in the middle of a variety of pass defense categories. Tagovailoa has 11 touchdown passes against seven interceptions this season, throwing for just 6.7 yards per pass attempt on 30.3 attempts per game. The quarterback has limited upside with just 6.8 intended air yards per attempt and a short stack of pass-catchers. Tagovailoa is QB17/17 and QB17/18 across sites in Week 7.
Running Backs
Despite the quality of Cleveland’s rush defense, De’Von Achane rates as RB3 by points on both sites in Week 7. The volume for the running back is undeniable, Achane sees 12.7 carries and another 6.3 targets per game and gains 5.1 yards per rush attempt and 5.1 yards per target. The running back gains 2.9 yards after contact per attempt with a 10.53% broken tackle rate, though that has helped him to just three touchdowns on the ground this season. Achane has another three scores in the passing game on four red zone targets, he is a premium option for explosiveness and opportunity against a tough defense, this should be an interesting matchup but we lean strongly toward the running back. Achane is RB3/11 on DraftKings and RB3/8 on FanDuel this week.
Ollie Gordon II barely registers for quality landing right around RB40 across the board on both sites, he has very little involvement with Achane soaking up so many touches. Gordon peaked with nine carries for 38 yards and a touchdown in Week 3, he has 11 carries for nine yards total in three games since.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Jaylen Waddle is the top option in the passing game in the absence of Tyreek Hill. Waddle has been productive over the past two contests, posting 110 yards and a touchdown on six catches over nine targets in Week 5 against Carolina before dipping slightly to 95 yards on six catches and eight targets last week. Waddle should see ongoing chances in that range of targeting with a handful of catches each week, he is a reasonable shot for yardage bonuses as by far the most productive receiver in this offense. Waddle gains a terrific 2.23 yards per route run over 29.2 routes per game on the year with three touchdowns in six games. The productive receiver has dominated first-read share in the past two games with Hill out of action, drawing a 35.6% rate while putting up a ridiculous 3.66 yards per route run in the two games. Waddle is a premium player by any measure, he is a priority in stacks around Tagovailoa, he makes for a good pairing with Achane in +2 builds, and also functions as a playable standalone as WR11/24 on DraftKings and a better WR10/13 on the FanDuel slate.
Darren Waller has four touchdowns in three games this season, exceeding his scoring total from each of the last three seasons and just two shy of the combined total. Waller was last relevant in 2020 when he had 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns on 107 catches in his best year. With just three targets over 27 routes run last week, Waller got all of his scoring through the touchdown, he gained a dozen yards on two catches overall in the game, similar to the 27 yards he gained on three catches but two of them for touchdowns in Week 4. The Week 5 game stands out a bit with five catches on five targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. Waller still has ability and the team has demonstrated a desire to target him in scoring territory, he is TE12/18 and TE12/16 across DraftKings and FanDuel but has the potential to add quick steps up with touchdown scoring.
Malik Washington played 44.0% of the team’s snaps last week while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was on the field for 63.0%, out-snapping Washington 37-26 overall. Washington still picked up five targets on 18 routes run, catching four of them but gaining just 22 yards in the effort but still outdoing Westbrook-Ikhine who went without a catch for the second-straight game and third in the last four. The receiver had one catch on one target for one yards in Week 4 against the Jets and has been a ghost on the field. Between the two, Washington has been more productive and we can simply ignore the dip in snaps last week, given the relatively similar target volume. Washington is WR31/21 and WR32/24 putting him in the mix for a few value-based shares, while Westbrook-Ikhine is ranked outside of the top-50 across the board.
The Dolphins are a limited stack option with better individual player upside among the top of the skill positions, they rank as just Stack 12 by points and Stack 16 by value on DraftKings and do not sit much better as Stack 12/13 on FanDuel. De’Von Achane is the most playable piece, he rates like a strong option despite a tough matchup.
Minnesota Vikings
Game Total: 43.5 / MIN +1.5 (21.0)
Offense: 41.61% rush / 58.39% pass / 24.6 ppg / 4.5 ypa rush / 7.7 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.7 ypa rush / 6.4 ypa pass / 23.8 ppg / 4.27% sack / 1.49% int
Key Player: Carson Wentz
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, Jordan Mason (on/off), Jalen Nailor (large field), Adam Thielen (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Jahan Dotson
Game Notes:
Quarterback
After three games of mixed results stepping into the featured role, Carson Wentz will get at least one more shot at the helm of the Vikings offense as oft-injured second-year man JJ McCarthy lingers as questionable and will, at best, be the third quarterback for Sunday’s game. Wentz had a low-end game against Cleveland in Week 5, throwing for 236 yards and a touchdown on 25-34 passing ahead of the team’s Week 6 bye. The quarterback totaled a terrific 350 yards on 30-46 passing in a Week 4 shootout against the Steelers but he threw two interceptions alongside two touchdown passes to take the shine off of his final total. Overall, Wentz has five touchdown passes and two interceptions while throwing for 253.0 yards per game and 7.6 yards per attempt and he comes fully equipped with excellent skill player weapons. The quarterback heads up a stack that ranks as just a mid-board option with a high ceiling this week, Wentz is just QB14 by points and QB11 by value on DraftKings and QB14/12 on FanDuel.
Running Backs
Running back Jordan Mason has seen only marginal production over the past two games, he gained 52 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown against a stout Cleveland rush defense last week and 57 empty yards on 16 carries the week before. Mason had a big day in Week 3 against a lousy Cincinnati squad, posting 116 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries in by far his most productive day of the season. Mason has been good overall, he gains 4.7 yards per rush attempt and has an 8.7% broken tackle rate while scoring three times on the ground this season. The 2.2 targets per game leaves something to be desired but at least keeps him on the board for a few passing plays per game. Mason is a viable option as RB13/18 and RB12/15, while he does not pop for value the difference created by simply adding a touchdown to his projection would significantly skew his appeal. Mason is an interesting access point to this game, the Eagles have been effective at limiting passing while leaking for 4.7 yards allowed per rush attempt this season.
Receivers & Tight Ends
With Wentz throwing the ball 33.3 times per game in his three outings, there is plenty of upside in the passing attack for these Vikings, led by superstar Justin Jefferson, who gains a top-shelf 2.55 yards per route run over 35.2 routes per game. Jefferson rates as one of the top receivers on any given slate, his production comes via both volume and talent, he sees 8.4 targets per game and brings in 5.8 of them on a 12.4-yard average depth of target that keeps him in scoring territory. Somehow, the receiver has managed to hit paydirt just once this season, but given the frequency and nature of his targeting a multi-score game is only a matter of time. The Eagles are a challenge defensively, the team holds opponents to just 6.4 yards per pass attempt to sit seventh overall with just 1.17 passing touchdowns allowed per game. Despite the tough opponent, Jefferson ranks as WR2 by points and WR20 by value on DraftKings and WR3/17 on the FanDuel slate, he is an expensive proposition with slate-breaking potential against anyone.
Jordan Addison ranks as a playable second option in the passing attack. Addison gains 1.85 yards per route run on a team-leading 42.0 routes per game (51 in Week 4 and 30 in Week 5) while playing 87.0% of the snaps across the two games since his return. Addison caught a touchdown among his five receptions for 41 yards on six targets in the Week 5 matchup at Cleveland, a productive day following his 114-yard return on four catches in Week 4. Coming out of the Week 6 bye Addison should hit the ground running, the receiver caught 19 touchdown passes over 32 games between 2023 and 2024, he should not be forgotten with the team already calling his number in scoring territory. Jordan Addison is WR27/25 and WR23/22 and looks like a good play both in and out of stacks this week.
TJ Hockenson picks up just 1.0 yards per route run while catching 3.8 of 4.8 targets per game but gaining just 6.4 yards per target on a 5.3-yard ADOT. Hockenson has one touchdown on the board this season, though he has drawn four red zone targets in five games. The tight end’s 17.0% target share on routes run is second on the team, though Addison will likely correct that in coming weeks. Hockenson is a playable option but he is less appealing than his teammates at wide receiver as TE13/13 and TE16/15 this week.
Jalen Nailor and Adam Thielen check in ranked outside of the top-50 on both sites. Nailor gains just 0.89 yards per route run over 28.2 routes per game while the veteran Thielen has been even more limited with just 0.4 yards per route run. Both players have been working down the field, Nailor has a touchdown on the board while picking up a 21.58% air yards share on his 10.4-yard ADOT over 4.2 targets per game but he dipped to just 4.0 targets in each of the last two contests with Addison back in the fold. Thielen has drawn looks at a 12.9-yard average depth of target but he has four catches all season and went untargeted over 10 routes on 14 snaps last week. Thielen played just 26 snaps over the past two games after playing a season-high 45 in Week 3 and more than 30 in each of the first three contests, his ongoing involvement seems shaky.
The Vikings are just Stack 11 by points and Stack 15 by value on DraftKings, they are Stack 10 by points and Stack 15 by value on the blue site but they have an appreciable ceiling given the star power involved and the overall nature of the close spread in a premium game. Minnesota offers excellent individual options among the pass-catching group at worst but the stack is also in play from the mid-board, depending what it is played with across sites.
New England Patriots
Game Total: 42.0 / NE -7.0 (24.5)
Offense: 44.38% rush / 55.62% pass / 25.0 ppg / 3.5 ypa rush / 8.5 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.5 ypa rush / 7.3 ypa pass / 26.8 ppg / 4.74% sack / 2.21% int
Key Player: Drake Maye
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Stefon Diggs (Q), Hunter Henry, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Rhamondre Stevenson (on/off), TreVeyon Henderson (on/off), DeMario Douglas (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Tony Pollard (on/off), Tyjae Spears (on/off), Elic Ayomanor, Van Jefferson (Q), Chig Okonkwo
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Drake Maye and his Patriots have been rampaging to 25.0 points per game this season, with the quarterback completing passes at a rate 8.5 points better than expectation for the season. Maye has been tremendous, throwing for 8.5 yards per pass attempt on 29.83 attempts per game on his way to 10 touchdown passes with just two interceptions. The quarterback has two rushing touchdowns on the board while carrying the ball six times per game for 3.8 yards per attempt. The Patriots offense presents a few headaches with a collection of B-caliber pass-catchers and a two-headed running back but their quarterback play has been unquestionably high-end this season with Maye ranking fourth among quarterbacks on this slate by fantasy-points per game. At 20.9, Maye is tied with Jalen Hurts behind only Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes for quarterback production among available options, elite company by any measure. The Patriots quarterback is QB4 by points and QB5 by value on DraftKings at a similar price to those star-caliber peers, he rates as QB4/6 on the FanDuel slate.
Running Backs
Rhamondre Stevenson carried the ball 13 times over 45 snaps last week, gaining a ridiculous total of just 18 yards for the opportunity. Stevenson was coming off of 14 yards on seven carries against Buffalo but he at least scored twice in that game. The running back was exceptionally bad against New Orleans in Week 6 and manages just 3.1 yards per rush attempt overall this season but he draws a strong matchup this week. Stevenson and his counterpart, TreVeyon Henderson, will face a Titans defense that yields 4.5 yards per rush attempt to rank 21st in football while giving up 1.5 rushing touchdowns per game. The split is not ideal, Henderson carried the ball nine times but only played 19 snaps with the offense in Week 6, drawing two targets on six routes run which means he was directly involved in 11 of the 19 plays (57.9%) for which he was on the field to Stevenson’s 14 chances over 45 plays (31.1%). Despite calls for more touches, Henderson has not exactly stood out with 3.6 yards per rush attempt, 1.2 yards per attempt below expectation. Henderson has one rushing touchdown to the primary option’s two scores, neither running back has a touchdown in the passing game. Stevenson slightly edges out Henderson as RB17/14 and RB16/11, he is playable against a bad defense but he is also not very good. Henderson, meanwhile, is RB21/20 and RB22/20 on far less volume, he will be the lower-owned play and could see a few additional opportunities with the Patriots likely to cruise as seven-point favorites.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Stefon Diggs is questionable but returned to practice to end the week and seems likely to take the field on Sunday. Diggs gained just 28 yards on three catches over the same number of targets on 20 routes run last week, a disappointing game after the prior weekend’s performance. In a Week 5 matchup at Buffalo, the former Bills receiver put up a throwback performance with 146 yards on 10-12 receiving over 22 routes run, though he failed to score and has not posted a touchdown in six games this season. Diggs does have four targets in the red zone and he has seen a terrific 89.19% catchable target rate on 21.4% targeting over his 18.8 routes per game, he is not heavy on volume but the efficiency and quality of his chances have been premium, the veteran gains a ridiculous 3.42 yards per route run over six contests. Diggs is WR13/17 on DraftKings for a mid-board $5,600, he is a high-value option for just $5,800 on FanDuel and lands as WR15 by points but WR4 by value on the blue site.
Kayshon Boutte would step up to fully dominate the lead role in this passing attack in the absence of Diggs. As things stand, Boutte is on the field for more chances with 22.7 routes run per game but just a 13.3% target share on those routes. The receiver has been very good, putting up 2.21 yards per route run and finding the end zone three times while drawing an appealing 15.5-yard average depth of target for a 27.16% air yards share. Boutte is a strong second option with big play scoring potential on a standard day for this offense, if Diggs sits he would gain a bit of upside but he is not alone for scoring potential. Boutte is WR31/35 on both sites in Week 7 with upside beyond that level.
Hunter Henry is a touchdown-dependent tight end option who rates as TE10/16 and TE9/13 across sites this week. Henry has three touchdowns while drawing a 9.1-yard average depth of target for a 22.1% air yards share, but his most interesting mark by far is seven red zone targets in six games. Henry is a go-to scoring option when things get up close and personal for New England, the sure-handed tight end hauls in 3.3 of 5.2 targets per game overall and sees ongoing potential for low-owned low-cost positional upside.
DeMario Douglas had a “remember me?” game in Week 6 with 71 yards and a touchdown on three catches over four targets but that production came on just 16 snaps and 14 routes run. Douglas last played more than 20 snaps in Week 3 and is a bit of a dart throw, at best. The receiver has two touchdowns this season, the first acme in Week 1 when he lost two yards on two catches over seven targets, by far his highest target volume of the year. With Boutte taking a step forward and Diggs drawing chances in the offense there has been less opportunity for Douglas, who has lost ground despite catching 66 passes on 87 targets for this team last year. Douglas is WR42/45 and WR45/46 across sites.
Mack Hollins is WR54/51 and WR50/49, he has two touchdowns on the board this season but those have come on limited chances. Hollins gained 28 yards on 2-3 receiving in Week 6 against New Orleans after going untargeted over 15 routes the week prior. The receiver’s touchdowns each came in one-catch games in which he gained eight and four yards. Hollins has big play ability, he saw a 12.6-yard ADOT and scored five times on just 31 catches in his lone season in Buffalo last year but has been slightly more limited with a still-robust 10.7-yard ADOT this year.
The Patriots have options in the passing attack against a bad Titans defense that sits 22nd with 7.3 yards allowed per pass attempt this year. Drake Maye+1 or +2 builds are entirely viable as Stack 13 by points and Stack 11 by value on DraftKings and a strong value as Stack 11 by points and Stack 4 by value on FanDuel in Week 7
New Orleans Saints
Game Total: 46.5 / NO +5.5 (20.5)
Offense: 43.23% rush / 56.77% pass / 18.5 ppg / 4.0 ypa rush / 6.0 ypa pass
oppDEF: 5.7 ypa rush / 7.8 ypa pass / 28.2 ppg / 5.41% sack / 5.71% int
Key Player: Spencer Rattler
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Chris Olave, ALvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, Juwan Johnson, Kendre Miller (on/off), Brandin Cooks, Taysom Hill (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, D’Andre Swift (Q), Cole Kmet, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III
Game Notes:
Quarterback
With the Saints as 5.5-point underdogs in a 46.5-point game against the Bears, Spencer Rattler and company are drawing interesting value marks at cheap pricing across sites this week. With a bit of hope that the team can keep things more competitive than Vegas seems to think they will against a defense allowing 7.8 yards per pass to rank 27th and 5.7 yards per rush to sit 31st, there could be reason to consider a few value stacks or at least shares of cheap skill players with scoring upside. Spencer Rattler has been slightly more interesting than one might have expected or otherwise given him credit for so far this season. The quarterback has a completion percentage that sits 3.4 points over expectation on 33.8 attempts per game but he throws for a very limited 6.0 yards per pass attempt on 7.2 intended air yards per attempt. Rattler has six touchdown passes against just one interception while throwing for 202.8 yards per game, none of which screams “play me”. At just $4,800 on DraftKings and $6,600 on FanDuel against a paper defense, however, Rattler gains a bit of appeal. The low-end quarterback i s just QB13 by fantasy points on both sites but he is QB4 by value on DraftKings and QB8 when it comes to FanDuel points-per-dollar potential, with his team ranking similarly as a stack.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara gains just 3.8 yards per rush attempt and 4.7 yards per target this season but still draws 18.1 potential touches per game with 13.8 on the ground and 4.3 in the passing attack. Even with the lack of efficiency, it is surprising to see Kamara with just one touchdown on the board, given the ongoing involvement. Even with a few touches lost to backup Kendre Miller, Kamara should have found the end zone a few times, he has five red zone targets on the season but has not caught a touchdown pass, while his lone rushing touchdown came in Week 1. Kamara gained 99 yards on a season-high 21 carries in Week 2, he has not been over 18 carries or 70 yards since. The running back is in an excellent get-right spot against the pliable Bears defense, Kamara is RB11 by points and RB9 by value on DraftKings and RB14/14 on the FanDuel slate where his $6,500 price gets in the way somewhat.
Kendre Miller gains 4.0 yards per rush attempt and has clawed his way to minor relevance with 7.7 carries per game and a rushing touchdown this season. Miller has a solid 15.22% broken tackle rate and gains 2.6 yards after contact per attempt but the limited chances in a lousy offense lack true DFS appeal with Kamara at mostly full strength.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Chris Olave remains a fixture in the New Orleans pass game, the receiver draws a slate-high 10.7 targets per game, second to only Puka Nacua league-wide. Olave produces an underwhelming 1.61 yards per route run over 35.5 routes per game, resulting in just one touchdown in the lousy Rattler-led attack. The receiver has seen just a 65.63% catchable target rate despite drawing a 32.3% target share on routes run his chances have been cut down by Rattler’s throws. Olave can flip the story on any given slate on volume alone, he offers a bit more upside in full-PPR scoring formats but is a sound play on any slate both in and out of stacks. The New Orleans wideout ranks as WR6 by points and an excellent WR2 by value on DraftKings, he is also strong as WR7/2 on the FanDuel slate.
Rashid Shaheed is a deep threat with more to give beyond just the 10.9-yard average depth of target at which he has been targeted by Rattler to this point in the season. Shaheed drew a phenomenal 17.4-yard ADOT in limited action last season, scoring three times in six games while gaining 349 yards on 20 catches. He had five touchdowns the year before and two as a rookie, while drawing deeper average targeting than he has this season. Shaheed has still found a bit of production, he caught a big touchdown pass in Week 5 and gained 114 yards overall on 4-5 receiving but was held to just 28 yards on four catches last week. In a statistical oddity, Shaheed has exactly four catches in every game from Week 2 through 6. Overall, the receiver sees an 18.2% target share on routes run while drawing a 72.2% catchable target rate from the low-end passer, he has a pair of touchdowns over six contests and is WR21 by points but WR7 by value at just $4,500 on DraftKings. He is WR21/10 for $5,700 on the FanDuel slate and remains a favored dart throw for the big scoring play potential.
Juwan Johnson is not having a particularly strong season at 1.22 yards per route run over his 32.3 routes per game. The tight end does have a touchdown on the board while seeing a 6.1-yard average depth of target and an 18.7% target share on routes run, most interestingly he has five total red zone targets on the season, putting him on the map when the team gets in scoring territory. Johnson has some big play ability, he worked further down the field in years past and peaked with seven touchdowns in 16 games in 2022. Johnson is a touchdown-dependent TE19/11 on DraftKings and TE18/19 on FanDuel this week.
Brandin Cooks drops outside of the Top-60 across sites and has very little appeal while seeing just 2.8 targets per game. Cooks has one catch in each of the past two games, though he did have three catches and mid-20s yardage totals in three of the first four contests, with two catches for 26 yards in Week 2. Cooks has yet to score this season, he managed just three touchdowns over 10 games in Dallas last year and is working toward the back-end of his run.
The Saints are a weird value mixer against a bad defense, they have strong skill options with one of the best volume-based wide receivers, a formerly tremendous multi-faceted running back who remains a threat, a deep explosive play waiting to happen in Shaheed but all of it riding on Spencer Rattler. And it was all going so well. The Saints are Stack 10 by points but Stack 3 by value on DraftKings this week, they are slightly less appealing as just Stack 13 but still Stack 3 by value on the FanDuel board.
New York Giants
Game Total: 40.5 / NYG +7.5 (16.5)
Offense: 45.94% rush / 54.06% pass / 20.2 ppg / 4.2 ypa rush / 6.6 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.9 ypa rush / 6.2 ypa pass / 15.8 ppg / 13.70% sack / 0.53% int
Key Player: Jaxson Dart
Setting: at most two (this allows for “naked” Dart lineups)
Team Group: Cam Skattebo (on/off), Wan’Dale Robinson, Theo Johnson, Tyrone Tracy Jr. (on/off), Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Jalin Hyatt (large field), Beaux Collins (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Courtland Sutton, JK Dobbins, Troy Franklin, Evan Engram, Marvin Mims Jr.
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Did you remember to cash your Jaxson Dart vouchers at the end of Week 7? They came with a lightly advertised expiration date with the team likely to run head long (we mean that literally with Cam Skattebo involved) into the wall that is the Denver defense in Week 8. Dart captured the hearts of New York Giants fans with upset wins against the Chargers and Eagles since taking over. Still, when it comes to production, outside of a bit of rushing ability Dart has been challenged to truly show appeal. The quarterback threw for 195 yards on 17-25 passing with one touchdown pass against Philadelphia, with a big chunk of his fantasy points coming from 58 yards over 13 carries, including a rushing touchdown. Dart had a similar 54 yard day on 10 carries with a rushing touchdown in the win against the Chargers in Week 4, a game in which he threw for just 111 yards and one touchdown on 13-20 passing. The quarterback completed 26 of 40 passes in his highest volume day in the middle game against the Saints, throwing for a career-high 202 yards with two touchdowns but also two interceptions and, crucially, 55 yards but zero rushing touchdowns. Dart can find fantasy scoring if he finds the end zone in the ground game, the quarterback leads the NFL in designed rush rate and scramble rate on the season but has been mostly lousy by CPOE on first and second down, forcing the issue into making plays to convert 3rd downs to keep the magic going. Dart is just QB15/18 and QB15/19 across sites against a Denver defense that ranks 8th against the run at 3.9 yards allowed per attempt and 3rd against the pass with 6.2 yards allowed per attempt while pressuring the quarterback at a league-high 33.8% rate and coming away with a ridiculous 30 sacks in six games for a 13.7% sack rate. The Giants are in trouble this week, they do not offer much for DFS scoring potential.
Running Backs
Cam Skattebo is like the friend you had as a kid who you could dare to eat a slug and who would actually do it, then would spend six weeks in the hospital overcoming a rare parasitic infestation but come back ready for more. Skattebo runs headlong through walls for his team, his NFL comet may burn bright but it remains to be seen how long it will occupy the skies. Skattebo has five rushing touchdowns while gaining 4.1 yards per rush attempt with a surprisingly light 1.8 yards after contact per attempt, despite the reputation. The running back sees 13.7 carries and another four potential touches from targets in the passing game, though he has zero touchdown receptions to this point in his NFL career. Skattebo is a fun story, an OK talent, and RB14/21 and RB15/16 on our DraftKings and FanDuel boards in Week 7 against a very strong Denver rush defense that should stuff him at every turn.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. returned to just a 30.0% snap share for 21 snaps with four carries for six yards and an empty eight routes run in Week 6 against the Eagles, he does not rate for shares in Week 7.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Wan’Dale Robinson is this team’s nominal top option in the passing attack, he gained 84 yards with a touchdown on 6-7 receiving last week, a refreshing change after just 30 yards on 5-7 receiving the week before and three catches for 14 yards on five targets in Week 4. Robinson had his best game of 2025 against the Cowboys, much like anyone who has faced Dallas this season. In that Week 2 game, the one big contest as a Giants quarterback for veteran Russell Wilson, Robinson caught eight of 10 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. The receiver is a steady target with 6.8 opportunities per game representing a team-leading 21.9% target share on routes run but he gains just 1.73 yards per route run and has just the two touchdowns this season. Wan’Dale Robinson is just WR25/28 and WR25/25 across sites, he is playable but mostly as a last receiver option or a bolt-on piece in lightly stacked Giants lineups.
Theo Johnson has been interesting this season. The tight end caught 29 of 43 targets in limited action across 12 games last year, gaining 331 yards and scoring once, he has already tripled that touchdown total in 2025. Johnson has 17 catches for 126 yards on 26 targets, gaining 0.72 yards per route run overall. The tight end has been a favored target for Jaxson Dart early in the quarterback’s career, Johnson has a fantastic eight red zone targets already this season, rivaling some of the most productive positional options on the slate. The Giants tight end is a touchdown-dependent TE17/17 and TE17/18 across sites against the challenging Denver defense.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey slots in with an uncertain role after getting elevated from the practice squad for the second consecutive week. Humphrey ran 29 routes over 53 snaps with the offense, seeing immediate surprise volume in the passing game and coming away with four catches for 55 yards, including an explosive play. The receiver worked at a 14.8-yard average depth of target in his debut, putting him on the map for a few deep chances along less talented options like Jalin Hyatt and Beaux Collins, who were both less involved despite being on the actual roster.
The Giants are a lousy stack against a very good defense, there is next to no appeal here as Stack 19/19 on both sites. One would be hard-pressed to extract a good individual play from this team in Week 7, let alone a stack.
New York Jets
Game Total: 42.0 / NYJ +1.0 (20.5)
Offense: 45.68% rush / 54.32% pass / 20.5 ppg / 5.0 ypa rush / 6.2 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.1 ypa rush / 7.1 ypa pass / 24.3 ppg / 2.60% sack / 2.14% int
Key Player: Justin Fields
Setting: at most one (this allows for “naked” Fields lineups)
Team Group: Breece Hall, Mason Taylor, Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard, Arian Smith, Tyler Johnson
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Chuba Hubbard (on/off), Rico Dowdle (on/off), Teairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Landing second-best among New York Metro Area football teams is an accomplishment in futility that the Jets managed on a regular basis. This New York squad has been limited to just 20.5 points pre game with Justin Fields at the wheel in 2025 and they will be without their best receiver in Week 7. Fields ranks poorly among quarterbacks on this slate, he has lousy volume with a slate-low 24.6 pass attempts per game on the season and manages a completion percentage that sits slightly below expectation with a -0.2 CPOE mark. The quarterback still has ability on the ground, he gains 6.2 yards per rush attempt over 7.6 carries per game and has found the end zone three times on the ground but that has not been enough to save this offense, though he has played partial games twice already and missed all of Week 3, limiting some of his numbers and overall chance to find a pace for the season. Fields threw for 283 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his best performance against – you’ll never guess who – Dallas in Week 5, completing 32 of a season-high 46 pass attempts in an outlier volume game. The quarterback has otherwise failed to throw more than 27 passes in a game this season and has not been beyond 226 passing yards in other games. Fields is QB11/19 and QB11/16, he has loose playability with scoring potential based mostly on his acumen for running the ball into the end zone but this is an unappealing stack against a mid-board Carolina defense.
Running Backs
Breece Hall is the best option from the Jets this week. The running back gains an excellent 4.7 yards per attempt on 14.7 carries per game, posting 0.6 yards over expectation per attempt with a 14.77% explosive rush rate and 2.3 yards after contact per attempt, it is borderline inexplicable that Hall is yet to score a rushing touchdown this season, an early season poach by Braelon Allen has proved a harbinger of a scoring drought in early returns. Hall’s weekly output has been a bit up-and-down despite the good overall numbers, he gained just 59 yards on 22 carries against the stout Denver defense last week but had 113 yards on just 14 tries against Dallas the week before. The running back has two hundred-yard rushing performances this season and steady involvement in the passing attack with 4.0 targets per game. Hall dropped out with zero targets last week, despite running 13 routes in the game, he had seen six targets in each of Weeks 3 and 4 and five targets in Week 5 so a bounce-back for target volume is almost certain. Hall will eventually find the end zone, when he does he will bend a slate and hopefully surprise those who are not paying attention, that could happen this week but Carolina has been playing surprisingly competent football against the run in recent weeks. Breece Hall is RB7 by points and RB3 by value on both sites this week.
Receivers & Tight Ends
With Garrett Wilson doubtful and almost certainly out of action, Josh Reynolds is expected to serve as the nominal top option in the passing game. Reynolds drew three targets and caught them all for a whopping 25 yards last week, he had a similar game with 29 yards on 3-4 receiving in Week 5 against Dallas and has barely been involved after missing Weeks 2 and 3. Reynolds does not have a game with more than three catches and he has failed to gain even 30 yards or score a touchdown in the four games he played. Reynolds’ most relevant season came in 2023 with Detroit, he put up 608 yards and scored five times on 40 catches. The 30-year-old had five touchdowns on 29 catches over 16 games in his second season in 2018 but has otherwise never caught more than three touchdown passes in a season. Reynolds is an extraordinarily thin option with a bad quarterback in play, he is a shaky WR43/47 and WR43/43 and is less appealing than the Jets tight end.
Mason Taylor slots in as a playable Te17 by points but TE7 by value on DraftKings, he has less value appeal on FanDuel as TE15 by points and TE11 by value on that site. Taylor will live and die with Fields’ performance, the tight end sees 4.8 targets per game for a 17.7% share over 29.3 routes per game but delivers just 1.01 yards per route run. While that mark technically leads available Jets pass-catchers by more than double the next-closest option, it is limited in the grand scheme of the position. Taylor has not scored this season but he does have a pair of red zone targets and peaked with nine catches for 67 yards in Week 5.
Arian Smith has four catches all season despite playing 50.0% of the snaps overall on the year. Smith sees just 1.0 target per game, a 3.7% target rate on routes run over 22.2 routes per game. The receiver is almost unfairly discarded in the team’s plans, but he could pick up a few chances with Wilson out of action. Smith draws an 8.8-yard average depth of target that rates as OK overall but strong in this mix, he is a low-end WR62/64 and WR56/58 which should mostly serve to put the lousy nature of this passing game in perspective.
The Jets are Stack 18 by points and Stack 14 by value on DraftKings and Stack 17/16 on FanDuel, most of the value on display in those marks is created by Breece Hall who can easily – and preferably – be played on his own independent of stacking.
Philadelphia Eagles
Game Total: 43.5 / PHI -1.5 (22.5)
Offense: 46.02% rush / 53.98% pass / 23.7 ppg / 3.5 ypa rush / 6.8 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.5 ypa rush / 6.3 ypa pass / 19.4 ppg / 8.61% sack / 1.45% int
Key Player: Jalen Hurts
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Jahan Dotson
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, Jordan Mason, Jalen Nailor, Adam Thielen
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts leads his Eagles into a Week 7 matchup against a capable Vikings squad while looking to rebound from an ugly loss to an upstart Giants team last week. The Eagles are better than they have been playing this season, while their win-loss record is fine they are mostly doing just enough to succeed while failing to stand out for fantasy scoring like they did throughout the 2024 campaign. Jalen Hurts still ranks third in fantasy points per game, given his prodigious scoring on the ground when things get up close. Hurts has punched the ball in five times on the ground while throwing eight touchdown passes for the season. The quarterback is a bit light on overall pass volume with just 28.67 attempts per game but that has clearly not hurt his fantasy scoring potential as the primary DFS option from this offense. Hurts gains 6.8 yards per pass attempt and 3.9 yards per rush and has endless value when it comes to scoring time. The quarterback lands at QB7 by points but QB15 by value on DraftKings, he is QB7/10 on the FanDuel slate against a Minnesota defense that has held passers in check to the tune of just 6.3 yards per pass attempt while pressuring the quarterback at a 30.2% clip and coming away with 13 sacks.
Running Backs
Running back Saquon Barkley saw endless opportunities at posted superhuman numbers throughout the team’s march to the title last season, he has been lackluster by comparison in 2025. Barkley gains just 3.4 yards per rush attempt this season while carrying the ball 15.8 times per game and drawing another 3.7 chances from targets in the passing game. The running back drew 21.6 carries per game over 16 contests last season, gaining a stunning 2,005 yards and scoring 13 times on the ground with another 278 yards and two touchdowns in the passing game. To say that volume and production are down is an understatement, last year’s Barkley has fallen into the abyss and may never return. Despite that, fantasy gamers should still continue to expect more from the excellent running back. Barkley has three rushing touchdowns in six games this season and has yet to gain 100 yards from scrimmage despite ongoing involvement in both aspects of the offense. Barkley picked up 58 yards on 12 carries and another nine on two catches against his former team last week, he lasts scored in Week 4 but has a good chance to get back on the board against a defense yielding 4.5 yards per rush attempt and 1.0 rushing touchdowns per game. Barkley is RB5 by points and RB13 by value on both sites in Week 7.
Will Shipley is a lightly involved option with Barkley dominating touches most of the time. Shipley played fewer snaps with the offense than fellow backup AJ Dillon last week, getting involved more on special teams plays, but neither running back is on the board for DFS production in Week 7.
Receivers & Tight Ends
AJ Brown continues to bounce along below expectations after six weeks. The wide receiver has one touchdown despite a dominant 35.56% air yards share on an 11.1-yard average depth of target over his 27.4% target share on routes run. Brown runs 32.8 routes per contest, second on the team to Devonta Smith’s 33.2 but with a far more significant overall opportunity in targets. The star receiver is gaining just 1.39 yards per route run while disappearing for large stretches of games over the first six weeks. Brown’s lone touchdown came in his only 100-yard performance of the season in a Week 3 matchup against the Rams, outside of that game he has not racked up more than the 80 yards on six catches that he posted in last week’s game against New York. Still, Brown’s volume is among the best on the slate at 8.8 targets per game when ignoring a one-target outlier in Week 1. AJ Brown is WR10 by points and WR11 by value on DraftKings, he is WR9 by points but falls to WR21 by value at a hefty $7,600 price tag on the FanDuel slate.
DeVonta Smith rates as a strong 1A to AJ Brown’s top option in the passing game. Smith draws 5.8 targets each week for a 21.3% share on routes run with Hurts delivering an 85.71% catchable target rate compared to the limiting 55.56% rate that AJ Brown has seen to date. Smith operates on slightly more conservative routes but still sees a sharp 9.6-yard average depth of target for 24.76% of the air yards, however he also is stuck at just one touchdown catch on the season. Smith slots in as WR19 by points and WR26 by value on DraftKings, he is WR19 by points and WR18 by value on the FanDuel slate in Week 7 and is playable both in and out of stacks, with +1 and +2 viability.
Both of the big play receivers and the team’s star running back have been limited for output, Hurts accounts for a handful of the missing touchdowns on his own and the team’s tight end picks up the slack with a group-leading total. Dallas Goedert has five touchdowns in as many games this season, with all of his scores coming in four straight games following his Week 2 absence. Goedert has seen an uptick in targeting in the last two contests, first drawing nine targets but catching only three of them for 19 yards and a touchdown against Denver, then picking up a huge 11-target day and catching nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against New York in last week’s letdown. At some point, the Eagles are sure to try to turn over the engine with this offense, at which point some of the scoring chances will swing back toward the receivers and Barkley, Goedert’s five red zone targets match the share that Smith has seen with Brown drawing four on the season, they have simply not converted into touchdowns. Overall, Goedert sees just a 20.1% target share on routes run while running 28.4 routes per game and posting 1.71 yards per route run. The tight end is in the mix as TE5 by points on both sites, he is TE12 by value on DraftKings but lands comfortably for value as TE5 on FanDuel.
Jahan Dotson barely clings to relevance with a 61.0% snap share (75.0% last week) and 2.0 targets per game for a 7.3% target share over 25.5 routes per contest. The receiver has managed just 0.73 yards per route run but he is the next man up for chances after the team goes through the extreme workload across the top four skill players and the elite quarterback, which is not good for much. Dotson ranks outside of the top-70 wide receivers on this slate on both sites.
The Eagles will always add up to a strong overall fantasy total given a set of four elite skill players plus a bit. Philadelphia is a more difficult option when it comes to salary, with their most desirable pairings coming at luxury price points. The Eagles rank as Stack 4 by points but Stack 13 by value on DraftKings, they are Stack 5/11 on the FanDuel slate with all of the key pieces also in play in standalone shares on both sites.
Tennessee Titans
Game Total: 42.0 / TEN +7.0 (17.5)
Offense: 35.88% rush / 64.12% pass / 13.8 ppg / 3.9 ypa rush / 5.5 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.5 ypa rush / 8.3 ypa pass / 20.0 ppg / 6.67% sack / 2.20% int
Key Player: Cam Ward
Setting: exactly one
Team Group: Elic Ayomanor, Chig Okonkwo, Tony Pollard (on/off), Tyjae Spears (on/off), Tyler Lockett (large field), Van Jefferson (Q)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Stefon Diggs (Q), Kayshon Boutte, Hunter Henry, Rhamondre Stevenson (on/off), TreVeyon Henderson (on/off), Mack Hollins
Game Notes:
Quarterback
It would not be right to say that the Titans have been disappointing this season, because that would imply that anyone had any hopes at all for the Titans’ season. Tennessee checks in with a bottom-ranked mark for stack scoring again in Week 7 with quarterback Cam Ward continuing to mostly scuffle. The rookie signal-caller threw for 222 yards on 26-38 passing with a touchdown and an interception against Las Vegas last week, he is yet to throw for more than one touchdown in a game, though he has three games with zero touchdowns this season. Ward is unimpressive thus far with a completion percentage that sits five points below expectations while throwing for just 5.5 yards per pass attempt, which is closing in on the production of premium running backs in yards per rush attempt it is so low. Ward has three touchdown passes against four interceptions with the team not asking him to do much, he totals just 183.5 yards per game for the season and ranks among the worst options in most advanced metrics. The rookie is QB16 by points but QB8 with a $4,600 price point on DraftKings, he is QB16/13 against a more appropriate price on the FanDuel slate. Ward has very little appeal despite the blip for value, particularly with Calvin Ridley out of action this week.
Running Backs
Tony Pollard gains just 3.9 yards per rush attempt but sees a fair amount of opportunity in the low-end Titans offense at an affordable price. Pollard lacks number one option appeal but he gets into lineups when it comes time to find a capable flex option from the $5,400/$5,900 price range. Pollard’s 15.3 carries and 2.3 targets per game should lead to production in spots, though eh has managed just 1.8 yards after contact per rush attempt and two rushing touchdowns on the season. The running back has not found the end zone on a passing play, his 5.6 yards per target rate as simply fine. Pollard is entirely playable but in no way a priority as RB19/19 and RB19/18 across sites in Week 7.
Tyjae Spears failed to make much of an impact in his first two appearances of the season, first carrying the ball four times for 14 yards on 17 snaps in Week 5 against Arizona then picking up nine touches in the following contest but not doing much with them. Spears carried the ball five times for a productive 31 yards last week, adding 19 yards on 4-4 receiving in the passing game, with 26 routes run over 36 snaps, he was involved but did not pay off much DFS scoring value with the performance. Still, the player is talented and the uptick in chances is good to see in an offense that would do anything for a bit of production. Spears is no more than a dart throw as RB26/26 and RB26/25 across sites this week.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Elic Ayomanor should move up the board to the top receiver spot in Calvin Ridley’s absence. Ayomanor caught two of the three touchdown passes his quarterback has thrown this season, though his overall marks of 2.8 catches on 5.7 targets per game are less than special. Ayomanor works at a strong 13.6-yard average depth of target and has seen three opportunities in the red zone while drawing an 18.5% target rate on 31.2 routes per game, marks that should go up slightly this week. The unfortunate reality, however, is that the 52.9% catchable target rate that Cam Ward has managed when throwing to Ayomanor is unlikely to immediately improve by very much, leaving the receiver a bit in the wind even with more chances. Ayomanor gains just 1.05 yards per route run and lands as just WR34/32 and WR33/33 across sites, he is playable but only just.
Chig Okonkwo is TE11 by points on DraftKings and TE14 by points on FanDuel but he rates better for value. The tight end rockets up the board to TE2 by points-per-dollar for just $3,300 ahead of any Sunday updates. Okonkwo is less appealing on FanDuel but still rates as TE8 when it comes to value. The tight end has zero touchdowns and a lousy 3.7-yard average depth of target that fails to put him into big play territory with any predictability. Okonkwo does have one red zone target on the season and his 83.3% catchable target from Ward is second to only backup Gunnar Helm who has drawn an 87.5% catchable rate on a handful of targets. Helm slots in as a reasonable alternative to Okonkwo if one is forced to roster a Titans tight end, which we definitely are not. Helm has seen eight targets over the last two contests, catching six passes for 49 yards but failing to score. The tight end does not see anything beyond that level of involvement but if we are throwing darts there are always longer shots to attempt.
Tyler Lockett sees just a 10.3% target share on routes run over a mere 21.5 routes per game, he could see more involvement in Week 7 with Ridley out but those chances could easily go to Van Jefferson or Chimere Dike, who have drawn 9.8% and 5.4% target shares respectively. Jefferson peaked for the season with four catches and 75 yards on six targets over 32 routes run on 45 snaps last week, he had not caught more than two passes in a game prior to that and was coming off of a game in which he went untargeted and ran only six routes, the uptick was welcome. Jefferson will likely start across from Ayomanor, with Lockett and Dike seeing more limited opportunities. Dike played 34 snaps with the offense last week and 33 the week before, catching two passes in each game for a total of 25 yards. The receiver has not scored this season and has only caught nine passes all year.
The Titans are a bad team facing a defense that has held opponents to just 3.5 yards per rush attempt to sit 3rd in football, while New England has been more vulnerable to the pass, the Titans have shown very little acumen for exploiting such an opportunity. Tennessee ranks as Stack 20 by points and Stack 12 by value on DraftKings, they are worse as Stack 20/18 on FanDuel where there is next to no potential.
Washington Commanders
Game Total: 54.5 / WAS -1.0 (27.75)
Offense: 46.86% rush / 53.14% pass / 26.3 ppg / 5.5 ypa rush / 7.2 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.7 ypa rush / 8.3 ypa pass / 30.7 ppg / 5.07% sack / 0.97% int
Key Player: Jayden Daniels
Setting: at most two (this allows for “naked” Jayden Daniels lineups)
Team Group: Deebo Samuel Sr., Zach Ertz, Luke McCaffrey, Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt (on/off), Jeremy McNichols (on/off), Jaylin Lane (large field), Robbie Chosen (very large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Javonte Williams (on/off), Jake Ferguson, Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin (large field)
Game Notes: Deebo Samuel is out.
Quarterback
The final team of the list makes up the second-half of the slate’s most appealing game, with the Commanders ranking next to the opposing Cowboys as one of the top stacking options on both DFS sites. Washington draws a 27.75-point implied team total that ranks second to only Kansas City but the far closer point spread in what is expected to be a shootout against Dallas should make all the difference compared to a game in which the Chiefs are favored by 13. Washington and Dallas should play a close high-scoring contest that puts multiple players into the winning lineup, with possible contributions from a number of angles on either side. Paramount among them all could be Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is the leading player by projected fantasy points on the entire Week 7 slate, ranking as QB1 by points and QB3 by value on both sites. Daniels gains 7.1 yards per pass attempt with steady volume at 31.0 tries per game. The quarterback has seven touchdown passes against just one interception this season, though he has yet to run one in for a score. Daniels ceded the job to Marcus Mariota for two weeks while dealing with an injury, he had an encouraging step forward with his best performance of the season last week against Chicago and could surge this week against a Cowboys defense that keeps yielding big games. Daniels threw for 211 yards on 19-26 passing with three touchdowns against the Bears last week, while he did lose an interception along the way the touchdowns were a season-high and Daniels added 52 yards on 10 rushing attempts for his best ground game since Week 1. Daniels is the top play at his position this week but he will also be crushingly popular, varying the configuration of Daniels +1 and +2 builds and mixing in some “naked” lineups with the quarterback could be a strong approach, there are plenty of skill players to fill out rosters on both sides of this contest and the opposing quarterback is a major figure on this slate as well.
Running Backs
Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt finally hit the board with an impact in Week 5 against the Chargers, gaining 111 yards and scoring twice on 14 carries and adding 39 more yards on two catches. The rookie running back slipped back to just average production with 61 yards on a season-high 17 carries and 43 snaps last week with the weight of expectations, he should see a chance at redemption against a gettable Cowboys defense that ranks 24th against the run with 4.7 yards allowed per rush attempt. Croskey-Merritt has had a few explosive plays on the season, gaining 5.7 yards per rush attempt overall while carrying the ball just 10.0 times per game in the run up to more recent involvement, he has four rushing touchdowns on the season despite the lack of full opportunity early in the campaign. Croskey-Merritt is RB8 by points and RB4 by value on DraftKings, he looks even better as RB8 by points and RB1 by value on FanDuel.
Jeremy McNichols is just a dart throw at a cheap touchdown as RB29/29 and RB28/28 across sites. McNichols played 32.0% of the snaps in Week 6, catching three passes for 30 yards and carrying the ball twice for five more. The running back outdrew Chris Rodriguez on the day, with Rodriguez seeing just one snap and not touching the ball, though he had five carries the week before and put up a few yards in Weeks 3 and 4. Overall, neither running back is very appealing in this week’s contest.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Lead options Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel will both be out in Week 7, leading to a major uptick in chances for Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, and Chris Moore, as well as tight end Zach Ertz. The receivers will find new projections and rankings in our Saturday-Sunday night update with Samuel coming out of projections, McCaffrey could be expected to take the lead role among the wide receivers after a touchdown last week and a few big plays on the season but Chris Moore picked up five targets on 26 routes over 44 snaps with the offense last week and turned them in to three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. The receiver had not caught a pass since Week 3 and has only three other catches all year, so the volume is not necessarily predictive of ongoing success. McCaffrey, meanwhile, caught his only target over 14 routes last week but he made it count for a 33-yard touchdown. The receiver has three touchdowns on the board this season despite not catching more than three passes in any of his six games. McCaffrey is the most likely contributor among the team’s pass-catchers in our estimation but it is close. Jaylin Lane is a fourth round rookie receiver who has drawn just a 9.5% target share on 14.7 routes per game with an even more limiting 46.67% catchable target rate inbound. The receiver has not been productive in limited action but could see gains with missing pieces in a still-premium spot in Week 7.
Zach Ertz may be the best option in the passing attack, he is surely the guy that Daniels will know by sight in the huddle anyway. The veteran tight end has had a strong start to 2025, putting three touchdowns on the board in early action while seeing an 81.48% catchable target rate over a 17.1% target share on 27.8 routes run per contest. Ertz has three red zone targets on the season and is a part of the plans when things get into scoring range. With the team’s most reliable and talented receivers out of the mix we could see a big spike in chances for what will be one of the most popular tight ends of the week at a fair price. Ertz is currently TE7 by points and TE1 by value on DraftKings and TE8/1 on FanDuel and he will climb for points in adjustments for Samuel’s absence.
The Commanders are missing bodies but they still rate as a go-to stacking option that is now showing significant value appeal. This is a premium play for DFS on both sites, Washington currently rates as Stack 2 by points and Stack 1 by value on both sites, with Samuel’s total dipping and no one player fully making up the slack the team may come down slightly in Saturday night re-ranking at a lower aggregate scoring total but they will hold strong in value rankings with an outstanding scoring opportunity and an abundance of cheap options of varying quality.
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