Which under-the-radar players might be able to give your fantasy team a lift? Which chalky players might not be as safe as they seem? Our featured analysts name some potential sleepers and underachievers along with start/sit advice for Week 7.

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Fantasy Football Week 7 Start/Sit Advice

Q. Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is a good sleeper start and why do you think he has upside this week?

Jonnu Smith (TE – ATL)

“Most managers worried the Falcon’s pass game could not support multiple options, and yet somehow Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith were all valuable in Week 6. Jonnu Smith is my choice for a sleeper in Week 7. Smith has five or more targets in each of his last five games and has 9.2 1/2 PPR fantasy points in each of those games. Somehow Smith continues to produce despite poor quarterback play and low pass volume. Fire him up again in Week 7, even against the Buccaneers.”
– Aaron St Denis (The League Winners)

Darius Slayton (WR – NYG)

“Darius Slayton finished second among wide receivers on the team in targets in Week 6. Yet, according to Fantasy Points Data, Slayton ran the most routes (39) and had the highest air-yards share (44%) against the Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders have struggled against the deep ball, giving up the third-most attempts this season. Slayton totaled at least 90 receiving yards or a touchdown in three of the past four matchups against Washington. With six teams on a bye this week, the veteran is a solid dart throw replacement option.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

“Darius Slayton’s role for fantasy has been built on weeks where multiple teams are on Bye and lots of WRs are injured. That’s about the only time you’ll hear his name as sleeper start. This season he is second on the team in targets (only behind Waller) and is the clear top WR option. Although Wandale Robinson has been taking the short work, Slayton has a good chance at some deep catches this week. He is facing a Commanders’ team that is being torched by the WR position. Allowing three straight WRs to have 125 or more yards. It’s gross, but both Tyrod Taylor and Daniel Jones will give him the opportunity to make a splash play or two.”
– Ellis Johnson (RotoBaller)

Michael Mayer (TE – LV)

“Michael Mayer is a strong player to grab at tight end this week, as he faces the Bears’ defense, and he also feels on the rise. He is coming off a solid Week 6 outing with 6 targets for 5 receptions for 75 yards. I think with Jimmy Garoppolo injured, Mayer will continue to be a safety net for the Raiders’ offense, and he is such a talented player, I think he only gets better and better as the weeks go on. The tight end position is depleted right now, too, so Mayer is a great add and high-risk/high-reward play in Week 7.”
– Smitty (TheFantasyFootballShow)

“Michael Mayer is the answer that every single fantasy player struggling at the TE position is craving. After his first four weeks produced next to nothing, Mayer has finally arrived in the last two weeks including playing 81% of the snaps for the Raiders in Week 6 with a near 19% target share. There is no denying that Mayer is much more secure with Jimmy G at the helm, but even with Brian Hoyer/Aidan O’Connell, Mayer still is a very appealing start this week.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

Rashee Rice (WR – KC)

“Rashee Rice is flex-worthy this week. As Rice is gaining the trust of his QB, because he catches everything, his targets will continue to grow. He is averaging 5 targets a game over the last 4 weeks, has a terrific matchup, and has finished as WR 33 and 21 the last two weeks. With all the injuries and bye issues…Rice has a solid floor.”
– Ken Zalis (FantasyPros)

Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB – MIA)

“Someone I’m excited to start this week is Jeff Wilson. The Dolphins are on a tear and dominating opponents this season. Week 7, they face the Philadelphia Eagles and will need all of their options available to win. Wilson should be removed from IR ahead of the matchup, and with only Raheem Mostert and Salvon Ahmed as the healthy RBs ahead of him, I expect Wilson to outperform his RB42 ranking in Week 7.”
– Andrew Hall (FantasyPros)

“Assuming Jeff Wilson is active this week, he is a quality sleeper. Miami has shown all season that they can produce two top running back options within any given week. Jeff Wilson will give Tua Tagovailoa another experienced runner in the backfield. I totally expect Miami to deploy both Wilson and Mostert this weekend against the Eagles in what could be a shootout on Sunday night.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)

Rondale Moore (WR – ARI)

“After stumbling out of the gate, Rondale Moore seems to be improving. He saw a season-high seven targets last week and carried the ball three times for the second straight week. It wasn’t as fruitful as his 50 rushing yards in Week 5, but you love to see the usage. Seattle gives up more fantasy points to WRs than any team in the league, and Moore could take advantage of the secondary while they focus on Marquise Brown.”
– Ryan Weisse (Club Fantasy FFL)

Jordan Mason (RB – SF)

“Jordan Mason was a hot pickup this week, and this all relies on Christian McCaffrey. We saw McCaffrey leave and not return. Mason handled the workload and looked great. Fantasy managers are having to guess between Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. Mason has been playing over Mitchell and, even in split duty, could put up flex-worthy production this week. With so many teams out, you might have to take some shots, and I would take a shot on Mason.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)

Jalin Hyatt (WR – NYG)

“Hyatt set season highs last week in snaps, routes run, targets, and catches. Next up is a Commanders pass D allowing the fifth most PPR points per game to enemy WRs.”
– Kevin English (Draft Sharks)

Trey Palmer (WR – TB)

“Week seven has six teams on bye, so a player like Trey Palmer stands out in his matchup. Trey Palmer plays the slot for this Bucs offense, and the Falcons struggle against slot receivers this year. Palmer is coming off a seven-target game where he had 47 yards. I think the Falcons will try to limit Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, which will allow Palmer to see more targets in the middle of the field. He has good sleeper appeal in week seven.”
– Steven Pintado (The Fantasy Coaches)

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Q. Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?

Gus Edwards (RB – BAL)

“Gus Edwards is my choice to disappoint in Week 7. He has topped 10 PPR points only once this season, despite the absence of JK Dobbins. This week he faces off against a Lions defence that hasn’t allowed more than 43 rushing yards to a running back and has allowed only one running back rushing touchdown this season. He simply has no upside this week and is a must-avoid.”
– Aaron St Denis (The League Winners)

Zack Moss (RB – IND) & Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)

“Zack Moss and Jonathan Taylor each had 13 touches in Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yet, fantasy players shouldn’t want to start either running back this week. The Cleveland Browns have held running backs to only 14 half-point PPR fantasy points per game this season, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Furthermore, they held Christian McCaffrey only only 3.9 yards per rushing attempt. Fantasy players should avoid starting either running back this week. Unfortunately, that might be challenging with six teams on a bye in Week 7. At the very least, temper your expectations.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

“Zack Moss could be a trap play this week. Not only is he going to lose more and more ground in the volume department (on a weekly basis), as the team just signed Jonathan Taylor to a huge new contract, he faces the Browns in Week 7, a brutal match-up. The Browns injured CMC last week, and they will be looking to completely demolish that Colts rushing attack in Week 7. I’m not saying to sit JT, that would depend on your alternatives, but Moss feels like a trap this week.”
– Smitty (TheFantasyFootballShow)

“Zack Moss is an easy sit for me this week. Taylor has been back for two weeks, and Moss saw his rushing attempts go from 23 to 7 week over week. Yes, he got in the endzone, but each week Taylor will eat more and more into Moss’s workload. The match-up vs Cleveland doesn’t help this week.”
– Ken Zalis (FantasyPros)

“The entire offense in Indianapolis is in flux right now, so I’m a little hesitant about starting Zack Moss (RB21) this week against Cleveland. It looks like Richardson might be done for the year, forcing the team to lean on Gardner Minshew in his place. Jonathan Taylor has returned and hasn’t looked stellar, but I expect Moss’ role to be reduced each week Taylor plays. On top of all that, I just don’t know if any IND RB, let alone Moss, can put up RB2 numbers against this Browns defense right now.”
– Andrew Hall (FantasyPros)

“The fantasy world is riding high on Zack Moss, but he has two things working against him in Week 7. First, Jonathan Taylor is getting better every week. He out-touched and out-gained Moss in Week 6. Second, the Browns defense is tough. They give up the 8th-fewest points to RBs, and no back has crossed 60 rushing or 90 total yards against them. They’ve also only allowed two RB touchdowns this year, meaning Moss’s upside is severely capped this week.”
– Ryan Weisse (Club Fantasy FFL)

“Zack Moss split snaps with Jonathan Taylor in Week 6. But the bigger problem this week looks like the Cleveland defense, which has allowed just 3.82 YPC to RBs and sits fourth in rush DVOA.”
– Kevin English (Draft Sharks)

Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)

“This makes me sad, but I think Puka Nacua as a top-flight fantasy WR1 is going to have to wait until Cooper Kupp is no longer paired with Matthew Stafford. Puka is a great player and will learn a lot from Kupp, but he will not give the output expected as the #25 ranked player in Half PPR (#12 WR). He is still worth playing as a low-end WR2, but more comfortably as a WR3. ”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)

Raheem Mostert (RB – MIA)

“Raheem Mostert is number 7 in the FantasyPros flex rankings. This week he faces an Eagles defense that has yet to allow a touchdown to the RB position. Additionally, they are allowing the second-fewest RB rushing yards per game and yards per carry. This Dolphins offense is like no other. However, Mostert will most likely need receiving work to come through for fantasy. Considering he has only one game with more than 3 receptions, it might be a regression game for the explosive veteran.”
– Ellis Johnson (RotoBaller)

D.J. Moore (WR – CHI)

“D.J. Moore is currently the Flex 30, and there is very little chance that Justin Fields plays. Moore came back to earth last week and went 5 for 51 on eight targets. Moore’s fantasy finishes this year WR74, WR25, WR33, WR5, WR2, and WR35. If I were to bet on any of the top 40, Moore gets my vote with the quarterback questions.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)

“D.J. Moore could disappoint us in week seven with Tyson Bagent at quarterback. The Raiders have been so-so against fantasy receivers this year, but in the last few weeks, they have tightened up. DJ Moore finished week six with just five catches for 51 yards. Bagent is a D2 quarterback who will have a tough day on Sunday. It could be a limited offensive day for the Bears, as we saw Bagent with two turnovers in a half. I have concerns Moore won’t see the production we have loved the last few weeks. He is likely to finish outside the top 24 receivers in week seven. ”
– Steven Pintado (The Fantasy Coaches)

Javonte Williams (RB – DEN)

“No, no, no. I beg you, please do not start Javonte Williams under any circumstances. Is the matchup enticing? Yes, it is. However, the Denver Broncos stink, and his usage is not consistent enough. Williams has not finished as an RB2 in any week yet this season (his highest finish is RB27 in half-PPR), and has not recorded more than 13 carries in a game yet. I am also not in the business of being involved in a situation where Jaleel McLaughlin continues to look good and get work that reflects that. I am so out on Javonte. He is an easy sit for me this week.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

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