Fantasy & Betting

10/16/24

5 min read

Fantasy Football 2024: Week 7 Rankings For Every Position

By C.H. Herrmann

Fantasy Writer

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Once the fantasy season starts, it feels like it never stops. The marathon of keeping up with injuries, all sorts of different stats, and the latest news is a challenge in and of itself.

Fortunately, you have the help of the insight and analysis provided in the articles you read here at The 33rd Team. 

One thing to remember headed into Week 7 is that the NFL has scheduled each of the following teams to go on bye:

• Chicago Bears
• Dallas Cowboys

That means CeeDee Lamb and D’Andre Swift will not be available for lineups. It's a bummer, but the good news is that all teams play in Week 8, and Week 9 also only has two teams on a bye. This little break in the schedule will allow for a wider breadth of lineup options, which is good for everyone.

Now let’s get down to business and talk some Week 7:

NFL Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings

Week 7 Quarterback Rankings

Quick Takeaways

• Spencer Rattler didn’t light the world on fire in Week 6 (22 completions, 243 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, he put together some solid rushing efforts (27 yards on four carries) and displayed the requisite athleticism to sneak into the top 24 of the quarterback rankings this week. I wouldn’t sprint to start him in 1-QB lineups, but he’s a sound Superflex option.
• At this point, it’s rather clear that the Indianapolis Colts’ offense runs better with Joe Flacco under center. This is not to suggest that the franchise should move on from starter Anthony Richardson but to merely point out what the eye test has told us. Should Richardson (oblique/hip) miss out again in Week 7, Flacco would be considered a high-end QB1 somewhere around 15th, going up against a poor Miami Dolphins unit (24th in team defense DVOA, according to FTN.)

Trending Up

• Since returning from a Week 1 knee injury, Jordan Love is going off for fantasy managers. The young signal-caller leads the position in passing touchdowns per game (3.3), ranks third in passing yards per game (290.3), and fifth in fantasy points per game (23.2) in four-point per passing touchdown scoring in the past three weeks, per FantasyData. It almost doesn’t seem to matter which of his receivers are healthy or not. Love is that guy, and will be a top-five option until further notice.
• Drake Maye received plenty of praise in this week’s waiver wire article, and rightfully so. Considering the obstacles he faced in his debut, the efforts of the former North Carolina gunslinger should be lauded. This week, he gets a tremendous opportunity to go up against a Jacksonville Jaguars secondary that ranks last in pass defense DVOA.
• Bringing up this fact is more for future value than anything else, considering that the Chicago Bears are on bye in Week 7. Despite that, it’s vital to note that Caleb Williams is averaging the fifth-most rushing yards per game (34.0). The scoring floor provided by his running is an excellent supplement to the 21.2 fantasy points per game he’s averaged in that window. If you’re considering dropping Williams to stream a quarterback this week, don’t. Find another way.

Trending Down

• Geno Smith is one of the most efficient passers in the NFL this year. Unfortunately, none of that success has translated to fantasy. Per TruMedia, while the veteran stands 11th in first downs per pass attempt (35.5 percent), Smith only accounts for a 0.04 EPA per dropback and a 2.4 percent touchdown rate, which ranks 29th among quarterbacks this season. 
• You’d think a team that boasts the highest Pass Rate Over Expectation (PROE) in the league (+5.3 percent, according to NFELO, and the fifth-most red zone passing attempts (98) would yield more substantial aerial scoring numbers, but the Seahawks are falling short in that area. Regression to the mean suggests there’s room for an upswing, but being in the business of guessing when that will happen feels foolish.

Week 7 Running Back Rankings

Quick Takeaways

• Jordan Mason (AC joint) is presently ranked under the assumption he plays in Week 7. If he doesn't play, then rookie Issac Guerendo would be the favorite to receive heavy work. He’s tentatively slated at RB19 but would ascend to around RB15 at the highest. I hope you scooped Guerendo off the waiver wire, just in case.
• One of the players I was most wrong about early in the season is Chase Brown. I’ve written plenty about him recently, but there’s a fun fact I wanted to pass along regarding the second-year runner’s success. Brown is a hyper-efficient scorer who should be locked in, at least as a flex, in all lineups.

Trending Up

• Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Austin Ekeler hasn’t had a weekly finish lower than RB26 in point-per-reception (PPR) scoring since Week 1. Sure, he missed a game with a concussion in that span, but this is still an incredibly notable achievement. The veteran is averaging 73.8 scrimmage yards per game in tandem with Brian Robinson Jr. and ought to be given more respect by the greater fantasy community. Ekeler isn’t what he used to be, but he’s valuable.
• It’s looking like Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr. will miss some time with the hamstring injury he picked up in Week 6. Doug Pederson said Monday that the former first-round pick is “week-to-week” with this ailment. Should that be confirmed, Tank Bigsby would likely elevate from RB24 to somewhere in the high-end RB2 range.

Potential Breakout

• What happened with second-year RB Sean Tucker on Sunday is interesting. In a game without Rachaad White (foot), the former Syracuse standout exploded with 192 scrimmage yards and a pair of scores on 17 touches. Tucker is a name that should be speculatively added, but not without concern. 
• The Bucs stayed with their foot on the gas pedal against New Orleans, posting 20 points in the fourth-quarter blowout that ended with a 51-27 final score. In the first half, Tucker did rip a 36-yard receiving touchdown but had only received one rushing attempt for 11 yards. Some could look at these results and reasonably conclude the team took it easy on Bucky Irving, but we have seen offensive coordinator Liam Coen lean toward a tandem backfield this season.
• Should White continue to miss time, Tucker does stand to be a beneficiary, but there are enough reasons why it’s uncertain that I have him ranked on the fringe at RB50 for now.

Week 7 Wide Receiver Rankings

Trending Up

• There’s plenty to dig into regarding the recent trade that’s sending WR Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets in exchange for a conditional third-round pick. First, regarding the team he leaves behind, this vacancy is huge for Jakobi Meyers. Though he was out with an ankle issue this past weekend, Meyers still leads the Raiders in target share (31.3 percent) and air yards share (38.9 percent), per Fantasy Points Data, since Adams exited the lineup in Week 4.
• Assuming that Meyers' health is good by the end of the practice week, he’d elevate far higher than WR44, going up against a Los Angeles Rams defense that ranks 30th in pass defense DVOA in 2024. This matchup would also spell sneaky good news for Tre Tucker, another Raiders receiver who’s seen at least five targets in three games this season (mainly without Adams in tow).
• Without Nico Collins in the lineup, Tank Dell led the team in route participation (91.4 percent), targets (nine), and first-read target share (42.9 percent) vs. the New England Patriots — the patience required to wait for Dell paid dividends.

Trending Down

• On the other side of the Adams trade is his new teammate, Garrett Wilson. Granted, Wilson leads all receivers in targets (67) by nine. He’s an integral part of this Aaron Rodgers-led offense. Unfortunately, the years of rapport built between Rodgers and Adams in Green Bay will likely diminish Wilson’s role. I’m not saying he’ll be unusable, but I am tentatively considering Wilson a WR2 now.
• Another note about the bye week Chicago Bears: Keenan Allen has earned preference in the passing game ahead of rookie Rome Odunze in the past three weeks. The veteran is logging a route participation 8.4 percent greater while earning 4.7 targets per game to Odunze’s 3.7. It’s not a massive gap, but enough to be concerned about Odunze’s relevance coming out of the bye in Week 8.
• George Pickens is in a weird funk. His 76.2 percent route participation is just a tick higher than teammate Van Jefferson’s (75.2) and not exactly a far cry from TE Pat Freiermuth's (73.3 percent).
• Watching offense coordinator Arthur Smith and company take the team’s top wideout off the field during competitive games is infuriating. On and off-field antics aside, Pickens is the best pass-catcher on the team and really has only seen two games of high-end production. But don’t focus too much on the playing time; follow the cursory numbers. The breakout is coming:

Week 7 Tight End Rankings

Quick Takeaways

• Coming off their bye week, the Minnesota Vikings are having T.J. Hockenson (ACL) practice. The superstar pass-catcher injured his knee late in the 2023 season and looks poised to return soon. The only reason he doesn’t appear in these rankings is that when a player comes off of IR, there’s a 21-day practice window in which the team can decide at any point within it to activate the player. This could mean Week 7, or it could mean Week 8; we don’t know. Be sure to keep an eye on this, and also look and see if Hockenson is available in your league for some reason.

Trending Up

• The great thing about the Rams coming off their bye is that fantasy managers now have Colby Parkinson available to them again. Though the looming return of star WR Cooper Kupp could impact Parkinson’s volume, he’s seen fewer than five targets in a game just once this season so far.
• While Week 6’s performance wasn’t outstanding, remember that Tucker Kraft is averaging six targets and the team's second-highest route participation (74.2 percent) since Jordan Love returned from injury. Kraft is a vital piece of this offense. Take the down weeks as they come.

Trending Down

• It’s hard to come up with a great example of a downward-trending tight end, considering the position is pretty crummy as a whole. That said, it’s probably worthwhile to talk about Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta.
• The last two games (Week 4, Week 6) have been kinder to the second-year receiver, but he’s only logging a 59.3 percent route participation (third on the team) and a 10.9 target share that ties with teammate WR Tim Patrick in that span. You’re probably not dropping LaPorta for anyone on waivers… but he’s also not necessarily worth a start all the time, either. It’s frustrating, and you’re probably stuck with him.

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C.H. Herrmann

Fantasy Writer

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C.H. 'Herms' Herrmann is a fantasy writer for The 33rd Team, leveraging his extensive experience from previous roles as a fantasy analyst and NFL writer at Draft Sharks, FantasyPros, ClutchPoints, and SB Nation. A respected voice in the fantasy football community, Herms' insights and accuracy have earned them the distinction of being the No. 1 most accurate DST ranker in FantasyPros’ ECR Draft Rankings in the 2023 season. Herms has worked in media since 2020.