The struggle is real in fantasy football when the bye weeks and injuries are all piling up at the same time. As we piece together our broken rosters that include David Montgomery and Kyren Williams, we find light at the end of the tunnel knowing some guy we aren’t talking about ends up as a weekly top back. With a whopping six teams (Bengals, Cowboys, Panthers, Jets, Texans and Titans) on a bye, it’s survival of the fittest in these fantasy streets. Last week, players like Jaleel McLaughlin, D’Onta Foreman, Michael Gallup and (most definitely) Emari Demercado did not cash in, but we ride on, let’s get to Week 7.
RB - Jahmyr Gibbs or Craig Reynolds, Lions at Ravens
This one you’ll have to monitor because of Gibbs’ lingering hamstring issue, but if he’s healthy you can feel confident about throwing him into your lineups. However, Reynolds should stand to see most of the Lions’ backfield carries if Gibbs misses another game. With Montgomery set to miss his second game of the season, either Gibbs or Reynolds could benefit against the Ravens on sheer volume. While the Ravens come into Week 7 with the 13th best defense against running backs in fantasy, Derrick Henry was RB5 against them in Week 6. Furthermore, the Titans backup running back Tyjae Spears came in at RB30. A back like Gibbs who also doubles as a receiving threat in addition to running in between the tackles will have a chance to thrive in this matchup.
RB - Jerome Ford - Browns at Colts
While Ford surrendered some touches to Kareem Hunt in Week 6, he was more than serviceable against a tough 49ers defense (17 carries for 84 yards). With this game coming in at the low Over/Under of 39, I expect there to be plenty of running, especially on the Browns side if they don’t get Watson back this week. The Colts are the eighth worst team in terms of defending running backs in fantasy and are coming off a game in which they gave up 83 total yards and two touchdowns to Travis Etienne in Week 6. Look for Ford and perhaps Hunt, to have some success against the Colts in Week 7.
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WR - Curtis Samuel - Commanders at Giants
Samuel has simply been getting it done for the Commanders and is easily the team’s WR 2 (not Jahan Dotson). Samuel has scored in each of his last two games and has been WR 9 over the past three weeks. That is a staggering number and he’s consistently playing on 67% of the offensive snaps this season. Sam Howell is a player who, to this point, prefers to spread the ball around to all of his pass catchers and Samuel has benefited. In Week 7, Samuel will face a Giants defense that gives up the 10th most fantasy points per game to receivers. Samuel may be touchdown dependent, but knowing he’s averaged 6.3 targets a game over the last three week shows he’ll at least get his opportunities
RB - Zach Evans, Rams vs. Steelers
The Rams are all of a sudden down their top two running backs and the rookie Evans has been thrust into the fantasy spotlight. With Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers likely out in Week 7, it’s expected that Evans will handle the lion’s share of the workload in the Rams’ backfield. However, Evans only has 4 carries and 10 yards on the season and that production came in Week 6 after the other backs went down. In Week 7, there will be opportunities for him against a Steelers’ defense that ranks the seventh worst in fantasy against running backs. The Rams’ passing game should be hitting on all cylinders and that’ll give Evans a chance to punch one into the end zone. The Rams have also signed Royce Freeman to their active roster and Darrell Henderson (who hasn’t played in an NFL game since November 2022) to the practice squad, but neither should see more work than Evans.
WR - Romeo Doubs, Packers at Broncos
Coming off of a bye week and before that a dud where he caught one pass for four yards, Doubs may be flying under the radar in Week 7. In his two games prior, he received a whopping 25 targets. Now, those numbers may go down a bit with Christian Watson now fully healthy, but the matchup is too good to ignore. The Broncos’ defense has actually been decent over their last two games against receivers only giving up a combined 122 yards to the team’s leading receivers, but they’re still the 12th worst against them in fantasy. Doubs has played 77% of the offensive snaps this season.
WR - Rashee Rice, Chiefs vs. Chargers
Rice is slowly coming into his own as the Chiefs’ leading receiver, outside of Travis Kelce. In Week 5, he scored his second touchdown and in Week 6 posted a career-high 72 receiving yards in his young career. While he only played 49% of the offensive snaps in Week 6, he made the most of them catching all four of his targets. In Week 7, he’ll face a Chargers defense that is the worst against receivers in fantasy football. The Chargers gave up 14-177-1 to Cowboys’ receivers in Week 6 and aided in CeeDee Lamb getting back on track. As always, expect the Chiefs/Chargers game to be a track meet with a game total of 48.5 points.
