Fantasy sleepers NFL Week 7: Ten high-upside lineup plays

Rodgers has been the fantasy quarterback we thought he’d be through six weeks. Apart from his four-touchdown explosion against the Jets in Week 1, he’s averaged just over 13 fantasy points per contest. The season-opener is the only game in which he’s topped 240 passing yards, and he has six TDs and three INTs in his other four games. In short, there’s a reason Rodgers wasn’t heavily drafted and is only rostered in 22 percent of NFL.com leagues. 

But this week brings a matchup against the Bengals. Cincinnati has been an easy fantasy mark this year. For good reason. The only starting quarterback to throw for fewer than 250 yards was Carson Wentz -- and he still finished Week 3 as the QB12. Four of the six signal-callers to face the Bengals this season have thrown multiple touchdown passes. With that as the backdrop, Rodgers could have one of his better fantasy performances of the year. 

Based strictly on the numbers, this weekend’s matchup against the Rams looks to be a negative one. Los Angeles has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to the quarterback position. But a deeper dive into the Rams' season would lead you to question those totals. Four of their first six games have been against some of the most pass-challenged offenses in the league. The Texans, Titans, Eagles and Ravens rank in the bottom 11 in aerial production. To make matters worse, Jalen Hurts’ best fantasy day came when he threw three touchdown passes against the Rams in Week 3. 

That’s reason to believe Lawrence and the Jaguars offense can stay hot. Jacksonville’s QB1 has posted consecutive 19-plus point games for the first time since the middle of last season. And he’s done it in vastly different ways. In Week 6, he put the game on his arm with 258 yards and two scoring throws. In Week 5, he shined with his legs, rushing for 54 yards and two TDs. The latter could happen again against a Rams defense that has given up rushing yards to mobile quarterbacks. Lawrence is in play as a low-end QB1 this week. 

Just when we thought Judkins was locking down a workhorse role, the Browns pulled the rug out from under us. In Weeks 3-5, the rookie played nearly 60 percent of the snaps and took more than 80 percent of the rushing attempts. Then in Week 6, Judkins found himself in an even timeshare with Jerome Ford on a day when the Browns scored a season-low nine points. 

Let’s hope last week was an anomaly because this week’s matchup against the Dolphins is extra tasty. Miami has the NFL’s worst run defense and has been particularly bad the past two weeks. Kimani Vidal and Rico Dowdle have each gone over 120 rushing yards, with Dowdle ripping the Fins for more than 200 yards in Week 5. Game scripts have forced Cleveland to throw the ball a lot, but this week could offer a more balanced approach. If Kevin Stefanski wants to load up his rookie back with touches, he could have a weekly RB1 finish. 

We expected the Steelers backfield to be frustrating. Pittsburgh’s offense has been mediocre for the past several years. Adding an aging Aaron Rodgers wasn’t going to change that. Nor was offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, notorious nemesis of fantasy managers everywhere. About the only thing we got wrong was the duo that would battle for touches. Instead of Kaleb Johnson, it has been Kenneth Gainwell. At least we were on point with Warren as Pittsburgh’s RB1. 

When he’s healthy, he’s had the lion’s share of the backfield snaps and touches. No one starting Warren ever feels excited about it. But the process for it is sound. This week, however, you could have a little more confidence. The Bengals have been a fantasy running back’s best friend. No team has allowed more fantasy points per game to the position. Cincy has allowed the second-most rushing yards and fourth-most receiving yards to running backs. Whether by land or air, Warren is in prime position to produce in Week 7. 

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Rice in action. He suffered a season-ending knee injury early in Week 4 last season. Then he began this season serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. At long last, the Chiefs will have their full complement of receivers with Rice’s return. 

After all this time, it’s easy to forget how much of a target monsterhe was. In the three full games he played last year, Rice had 29 targets. He converted them into 24 catches for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was apparent early on that he was Patrick Mahomes’ new top option. Pair that with a Raiders defense that has been a top-five matchup for opposing wide receivers and Rice is in position to return with a bang. 

Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant have been in a months-long battle to be Bo Nix’s second option behind Courtland Sutton. While it appears that Bryant is closing the gap, Franklin is still in the lead. The problem for the second-year receiver has been consistency. His target share and yardage totals have been all over the map. In fairness, the Broncos have also had tough matchups in recent weeks. 

Things should open up for Denver’s passing game in Week 7. The Giants have been one of the more WR-friendly fantasy matchups. Big Blue is allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to receivers, in part because they’ve surrendered the most receiving yards to the position. New York has been equally generous to slot pass catchers, with the fourth-most yards given up to that alignment. With Franklin taking about half of his snaps from the slot, he could post one of his better outings of the season. 

It’s been a slog for anyone relying on the Houston Texans offense in fantasy this year. No Texan ranks inside the top 20 at their respective positions. Only C.J. Stroud and Dalton Schultz crack the top 25. Yes, having an early bye week has something to do with it. The bigger culprit is a passing offense that ranks 29th and averages fewer than 200 passing yards per game.  

Fear not, for there is hope! It comes in the form of Schultz, who is the No. 2 target in the offense. He’s also second to Nico Collins in receptions and receiving yards. This week, the Texans travel to Seattle to visit a Seahawks defense that has been good overall, but weak against tight ends. The 'Hawks have allowed three different tight ends to post a weekly top 12 finish. With Schultz’s target share and a favorable opponent, he should be started as a TE1 this week. 

We’ve been trying to make “fetch” happen with Taylor for the past few weeks. It seemed like things were going our way when he posted double-digit fantasy points in Weeks 4 and 5. Things fell apart in Week 6 when he had just one catch for two yards. In his defense, the entirety of the Jets offense was terrible against Denver. We can give Taylor a pass. 

He is poised for a rebound in Week 7 against a much less stout opponent in Carolina. No team has allowed more receiving yards to tight ends. Only two teams have surrendered more touchdowns. With Taylor emerging as the second option in the passing game behind Garrett Wilson, the rookie has some low-end TE1 value this week. 

The football world (and especially the fantasy world) has been agog at the development of Drake Maye and the ascension of the Patriots back to the top of the AFC East. Don’t let that distract you from a defense that currently sits in the top 10. On the fantasy side, the Pats have been even better. New England has the DST7 after the first six weeks despite being middle-of-the-pack in sacks and takeaways. 

This is a week for New England to pump those numbers up. The Titans are in disarray, having changed play-callers and then firing their coach in consecutive weeks. It might not be enough to turn around an offense averaging a league-low 3.9 yards per play. The Titans also have turned the ball over 10 times (third-most) and allowed 25 sacks (T-most). For anyone streaming defenses, the Patriots are a top option in Week 7. 

Speaking of sacks and turnovers, I present to you the Las Vegas Raiders. The arrival of Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly have done nothing to spark the Silver and Black’s offense in 2025. They’ve turned the ball over 11 times -- 10 on Geno Smith interceptions -- tied with the Bengals for the most giveaways in the NFL. The offensive line has been little help. Smith has absorbed 18 sacks this year. Only Cam Ward and Justin Fields have been sacked more.  

Kansas City’s defense this season has been ... well, just kinda there. Not terrible. But not great, either. However, the Chiefs did record multiple sacks in five of their first six games. They also had a three-game stretch with multiple takeaways. If that version of K.C.’s defense returns against a dysfunctional Raiders offense, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them post a top 10 number this week.