Steichen: Daniel Jones to remain starter

The yardage total goes down as Odunze’s second highest mark of the season as the third-year receiver was held out of the end zone for the seventh straight game to start the 2026 season. He did make three massive catches on third downs to help extend drives, making his mark felt more with quality than quantity. That doesn’t necessarily benefit fantasy managers that chased his big play abilities this offseason as Odunze has largely been a fantasy dud outside of the Week four win over the Jets in which he returned 15.4 PPR points. He remains best left on fantasy benches ahead of another difficult test against the Seahawks in Week 8.

Loveland found himself dancing in the end zone for the second consecutive week when he muscled his way in for a score from 12 yards out in the third quarter. The team-leading 12 targets also came on only 33 Caleb Williams pass attempts, with no other player on the team recording more than five targets to their ledger. Furthermore, backup tight end Cole Kmet departed in the fourth quarter with an apparently serious knee injury as he had to be carted off the field, potentially setting Loveland up for more consistent volume moving forward. Loveland finally appears to be making good on his lofty draft capital from the summer after returning fantasy TE1 weeks in two straight games, something managers hope will continue in another difficult matchup on paper against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 8.

Burden erupted on the scene with a 58-yard, catch-and-run reception on a crosser in the first quarter to set up a four-yard score for D’Andre Swift. He would tack on another 24 yards and his touchdown late in the second quarter to push him over the century mark in yards on an improbable touchdown reception, taking a quick screen to the house on third-and-17 with only 14 seconds remaining before the break. Burden would largely fall victim to a more reserved offensive stance after the Bears pushed their lead to 13 points on their first possession of the second half, adding just one additional reception in the final 30 minutes of play. That matters not to fantasy managers that had been waiting for a marquee performance from a player they chased up draft boards this summer. Burden appears to be heating up now further removed from the offseason injury he carried into the start of the regular season and can continue to be started as an upside WR2 ahead of a difficult matchup against the Seahawks in Week 8.

Swift shook off an early injury scare when he took a helmet directly to his knee to earn a season-high 26 opportunities in the absence of Kyle Monangai. This game had an entirely different feel than the previous game played without Monangai, during which Roschon Johnson was much more involved in a game the Bears held at 31-7 lead in the fourth quarter. The back-and-forth nature of Week 7 kept Swift on the field for more of the game, allowing him to return a legitimate RB1 performance on the backs of elite volume. Monangai could return as early as Week 8 considering the Bears now have 10 days until they play the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, potentially sending Swift back into the RB2 range in fantasy circles.

The enigmatic signal caller also took three sacks, the last of which almost placed the Bears in position to hand the keys to victory to the Patriots. Ben Johnson called a pass play on third-and-five with under two minutes to play in Patriots territory, placing another nod of support toward his franchise quarterback. Things turned dire when Williams took a sack that appeared to take the Bears out of field goal range in a six-point game, with veteran kicker Cairo Santos hitting a career-long 58-yard field goal to dispel the worries. That sequence of two plays displayed Johnson’s unrelenting trust in his players considering the 58-yard field goal was not only the longest of Santos’ 12-year career, but the third longest field goal in Soldier Field history. Either way, Williams and the Bears escaped with the victory and move to 5-2, now 1.5-games behind the Vikings for the division lead in the most competitive division in football. The Bears get a mini-bye ahead of a Week 8 meeting with the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, where Williams will remain a back-end QB1 in fantasy.

The magic of the previous two games quickly evaporated for the diminutive slot receiver as Hunter Henry and Rhamondre Stevenson stepped into the primary security blanket role for Drake Maye, the latter of whom faced consistent pressure from the aggressive Dennis Allen Bears defense. Starting Douglas on a weekly basis is akin to reaching your hand into a brown paper bag found on the side of the road. It feels exhilarating at the time but you never know what you’re going to get.

Brown has not yet clicked with his new team after going down with injury in Week 1 and spending the subsequent four games on injured reserve. He committed yet another drop against the Bears after three drops the week prior, this time on what would have been a long gain down the left sideline. Brown’s burst off the line and at the top of routes appears to remain hampered, something the both the Patriots and Brown’s fantasy managers hope will remedy in short order. You can’t really sit Brown at this point, but fantasy managers have to be growing impatient of their first or second-round selection. Brown remains a teeth-gritting start ahead of a Week 8 matchup with the Dolphins.

Henry operated as the clear safety blanket for quarterback Drake Maye, the latter of whom was under constant duress in the face of unrelenting pressure from Dennis Allen’s Bears defense. The team was largely unable to move the football on the ground and fell into an early hole, leading to Josh McDaniels utilizing the short passing game as an extension of the run. That’s where Henry made his presence felt, although it was rookie right end Eli Raridon that caught the touchdown at the position. Week 7 goes down as the first game with more than a modest five targets for the veteran tight end, who has quickly become a difficult weekly start in a more crowded New England pass offense. Fantasy managers might want to consider alternatives when the Patriots face the downtrodden Dolphins in Week 8.

Henderson continues to play second, or third, fiddle behind Rhamondre Stevenson when the Patriots are forced into “gotta have it” mode, with Stevenson the back most trusted in key situations. The Patriots feel into an early hole and were playing catch-up throughout against the Bears, something that could help to explain the lowly opportunity total for the back widely considered the more explosive of the two. Furthermore, the team continued to rotate Corey Kiner through the opportunity pecking order, placing another sizable dent in the weekly floor of Henderson. Although he could find more opportunities in a softer matchup in Week 8, he’ll be a difficult click to insert into fantasy lineups against the Dolphins.

Stevenson scored one of the more improbable touchdowns you will see late in the second quarter. After taking possession with just 14 second remaining on the clock, Drake Maye completed an 18-yard pass to A.J. Brown to place the ball near midfield with three seconds remaining before the half. Instead of heaving the ball deep on a Hail Mary, Maye dumped the ball off to Stevenson in the flat with blockers out front. Stevenson would do the rest on his way to a 48-yard score as time expired in the second frame on a score that never really should have happened. The six carries go down as a season-low for the veteran back, although 11 opportunities handily led the team. Stevenson has not seen more than 14 carries since Week 1 and is not finding paint frequently enough to remain a consistent RB2, making him a shaky weekly start moving forward. That holds true ahead of a Week 8 meeting with the Dolphins.