Fantasy Football Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Advice (Week 7)

Perhaps the best thing about fantasy football is how much it demands of us as game players.

We are required to assess player performance.

We are required to interpret coaching decisions and front-office decisions.

We are required to dive into the medical world to decipher the effects of injuries.

We are even sometimes required to dive into the legal world to determine how a player’s troubles with the law might affect his availability.

Phew. We don’t get those kinds of variables in Scrabble, do we?

In the span of a few hours on Tuesday, there were two major trades that will have myriad effects on player value. What will the changes of venue do for Davante Adams and Amari Cooper, and how will their arrivals/departures impact the value of new and former teammates? We’re forced to make educated guesses.

And now that we’re a month and a half into the season, injuries are piling up. Sometimes it’s not just the injuries to offensive players that affect the fantasy environment. Take the season-ending injury to Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson, for instance.

Hutchinson sustained a gruesome lower leg injury last week against the Cowboys and will miss the rest of the season. It’s a major blow to the Lions and their Super Bowl aspirations. Hutchinson has been one of the best defensive players in the game.

From a fantasy perspective, the most obvious effect of the Hutchinson injury is that it makes the Lions a less daunting matchup for the players — and especially the quarterbacks — who face Detroit. But the Hutchinson injury could have subtle or perhaps not-so-subtle effects on members of the Lions’ offense.

Detroit is 4-1 and has been playing with leads for much of the season. As a result, the Lions have been one of the run-heaviest teams in the league. They have run the ball on slightly more than half of their offensive plays.

With Hutchinson out, opponents will likely have an easier time moving the ball and scoring on the Lions, which means the Detroit offense may be forced to throw more frequently to keep pace. Lions QB Jared Goff has averaged just 23.5 pass attempts in the Lions’ four wins. He threw 55 passes in the Lions’ sole defeat, a 20-16 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 2.

A weakened Detroit defense could mean juicier numbers for Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and possibly Jahmyr Gibbs. It could also deflate the numbers of David Montgomery, who’s currently RB8 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring in part because favorable game scripts have him averaging 15 carries a game even though he shares snaps with Gibbs.

Fantasy football gives us a lot to chew on, friends. As a special teams coach might tell you if you’re on the kick-coverage team, keep your head on a swivel.

Feel free to use these tiered rankings as a tiebreaker for your difficult lineup decisions. Beneath the tiers, I’ll offer a few brief thoughts on some of the borderline start/sit guys and some other interesting cases.

Fitz’s Fantasy Football Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Advice (Week 7)

QUARTERBACKS

Tier 1

Lamar Jackson
Jayden Daniels
Jalen Hurts

Tier 2

Jordan Love
Josh Allen
Joe Burrow
Baker Mayfield
C.J. Stroud
Brock Purdy

Tier 3

Kyler Murray
Sam Darnold
Anthony Richardson
Jared Goff
Patrick Mahomes
Geno Smith
Kirk Cousins
Drake Maye

Tier 4

Andy Dalton
Trevor Lawrence
Matthew Stafford
Daniel Jones
Aaron Rodgers
Justin Herbert

Tier 5

Bo Nix
Deshaun Watson
Tyler Huntley
Aidan O’Connell
Russell Wilson
Will Levis
Spencer Rattler

Fantasy managers were gnashing their teeth en masse over the struggles of Kyler Murray in the run-up to Week 5, and Murray responded by dropping 25.1 fantasy points, thanks largely to 83 rushing yards and a TD run against the 49ers. Murray laid an egg last week against the Packers, and the teeth-gnashing has begun anew. The Arizona quarterback has a tricky Week 7 matchup against a Chargers defense that has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to QBs, but Murray’s rushing upside always gives him a path to weekly success. Murray has a boom/bust profile that some fantasy managers might not be able to live with. If don’t have the stomach for weekly risk, you might want to shop for a new quarterback. I’m ranking Murray above consensus this week at QB10, although I’ll drop Murray at least 2-3 spots if WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is unable to clear the concussion protocol and doesn’t play.

It’s pretty amazing that we’re now confidently ranking Sam Darnold as a low-end QB1 in a week where there are only two teams on bye. But, hey, we love Darnold’s pass catchers, we love Kevin O’Connell as a play caller, and the matchup against the Lions this week isn’t bad — especially with Aidan Hutchinson no longer around to harass quarterbacks. Darnold has topped 20 fantasy points in three of his five games this season.

Drake Maye put up 21.5 fantasy points last week in his first NFL start, finishing QB10 in fantasy scoring for the week. It’s not always going to be pretty for Maye as a passer. While he threw three TD passes last week, he also threw two interceptions and has some bad misfires in his first few series. But Maye had 38 rushing yards last week, and I thought that was almost a disappointing total for him. Maye has substantial weekly rushing potential. Although I think Maye is a risky start this week, he’s playable for fantasy managers who are in a pinch at quarterback. He gets a nice matchup against a Jaguars pass defense that ranks last in the league in DVOA and is giving up a league-high 24.1 fantasy points a game to quarterbacks.

RUNNING BACKS

Tier 1

Saquon Barkley
Kyren Williams
Derrick Henry

Tier 2

Bijan Robinson
Kenneth Walker
Joe Mixon
Chuba Hubbard
Tony Pollard
Breece Hall
Jordan Mason
Alvin Kamara

Tier 3

Josh Jacobs
J.K. Dobbins
Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Brian Robinson Jr.
De’Von Achane
Kareem Hunt

Tier 4

Bucky Irving
Ty Chandler
James Cook
Rhamondre Stevenson
Chase Brown
Najee Harris
James Conner
Tyrone Tracy

Tier 5

Tank Bigsby
Javonte Williams
Zack Moss
Austin Ekeler

Tier 6

Tyler Allgeier
Alexander Mattison
Devin Singletary
Nick Chubb
Tyler Goodson
Jaylen Warren
Ray Davis
Isaac Guerendo
Trey Sermon
Zach Charbonnet

Tier 7

Zamir White
Antonio Gibson
Justice Hill
Braelon Allen
D’Onta Foreman
Raheem Mostert
Sean Tucker
Jaleel McLaughlin

Tier 8

D’Ernest Johnson
Emanuel Wilson
Jaylen Wright
Kimani Vidal
Blake Corum
Trey Benson
Miles Sanders
Audric Estime

Kareem Hunt has played two games with the Chiefs this season and already has 41 carries. Hunt carried the mail 27 times last week against the Saints and finished with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown. The 29-year-old Hunt is clearly the lead back in the Kansas City and is close to a must-start in fantasy. Don’t hesitate to start him this week against a San Francisco run defense that was once a feared matchup but is now merely average by pretty much every metric.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said early last week that Jaylen Warren was doubtful for the Steelers’ game against the Raiders because of a knee injury that had already cost Warren two games. Warren wound up playing and was in on only six fewer offensive snaps than starter Najee Harris. Although Najee had 106 rushing yards and a touchdown and Warren had 18 yards from scrimmage vs. Las Vegas, I still think Warren’s return devalues Najee, dropping him from a solid RB2 to more of a high-end RB3/flex play. Warren looked better and more explosive than Najee last season, and it’s possible this will end up being a split backfield.

Sean Tucker quickened pulses with 14-136-1 rushing and 3-56-1 receiving last week in the Buccaneers’ 51-27 win over the Saints. Rachaad White missed that game with a foot injury, and Tucker was out-snapped by Bucky Irving 49-29, with a lot of Tucker’s touches coming late in the game. The only Tampa Bay RB I’m interested in is Irving, who’s looked terrific this season. Irving had a spectacular 31-yard run last week on which he ran wide left, broke one tackle, stiff-armed another defender to the ground, then cut back across the field to set up a series of blocks and wound up going out of bounds on the right sideline. Assuming White misses another game, I’m ranking Irving RB19 and Tucker RB47. If White returns, I’ll have Irving ranked as a high-end RB3 and White as a low-end RB3.

It’s hard to tell what’s going on in the Arizona backfield. James Conner sustained an ankle injury last week against the Packers, which might be the sole explanation for the weird RB rotation Arizona used in the second half of last week’s loss to Green Bay. Or maybe Coner is losing his grip on this backfield. Trey Benson started the second half for the Cardinals and ripped off a 20-yard run on a drive that ended with a field goal. Conner played the Cardinals’ next series and quickly lost a fumble. He didn’t play the rest of the game, and Emari Demercado handled most of the mop-up duty in the late stages of a lopsided loss. I’m proceeding with caution and have Conner ranked RB25 against a Chargers defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to RBs.

How should we handle the Buffalo backfield after a Ray Davis breakout game in Week 6? With James Cook out with a toe injury on Monday night, Davis ran for 97 yards and added 55 receiving yards in the Bills’ 23-20 win over the Jets. But Cook got in a full practice on Thursday, and Davis was listed as limited with a calf injury. As good as Davis looked on Monday, he’s not going to dislodge the talented Cook from his starting gig — at least not yet. I have Cook ranked RB21 this week in a matchup against the Titans, Davis RB37.

Even if Giants RB Devin Singletary is able to return from a groin injury that kept him out of action in Week 6 (he got in a limited practice on Thursday), Tyrone Tracy might be the proverbial genie who can’t be stuffed back into the bottle. Tracy had 130 yards from scrimmage against the Seahawks in Week 5, then 107 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown against the Bengals last Sunday on a night when the Giants’ offense had almost nothing else working. I’m ranking the Giants RBs as if Singletary will return and have Tracy ranked RB26 against the Eagles, Singletary RB33, two tiers lower.

Nick Chubb is set to make a triumphant return to action this week after recovering from the grotesque leg injury he sustained in Week 2 of 2023. Some fantasy managers might have little choice but to start Chubb due to byes and injuries. My concern is that Chubb might be on a snap count in his first game back. And it doesn’t help that the Cleveland offense has been a toxic waste dump so far this season. I’m slotting Chubb in at RB34 in this week’s rankings.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Tier 1

Justin Jefferson

Tier 2

Ja’Marr Chase
A.J. Brown
Malik Nabers
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Cooper Kupp
Chris Godwin
Jayden Reed
Drake London

Tier 3

DK Metcalf
Stefon Diggs
Diontae Johnson
Terry McLaurin
Mike Evans
Deebo Samuel
Zay Flowers
DeVonta Smith
Garrett Wilson
Tyreek Hill
Tee Higgins

Tier 4

Brandon Aiyuk
Jameson Williams
Tank Dell
Brian Thomas Jr.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Darnell Mooney

Tier 5

Jaxon Smith-Njigba
George Pickens
Jaylen Waddle
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Christian Watson
Jordan Addison
Davante Adams
Amari Cooper
Ladd McConkey

Tier 6

Khalil Shakir
Christian Kirk
Xavier Worthy
Wan’Dale Robinson
Romeo Doubs
DeMario Douglas
Josh Downs
Tyler Lockett
Courtland Sutton
DeAndre Hopkins
Jerry Jeudy
Michael Pittman Jr.

Tier 7

Calvin Ridley
Xavier Legette
Allen Lazard
Quentin Johnston
Tre Tucker
Darius Slayton
Jauan Jennings
Rashod Bateman
Michael Wilson
Bub Means

Tier 8

Jordan Whittington
Gabe Davis
Greg Dortch
Tutu Atwell
Ray-Ray McCloud
Alec Pierce
Keon Coleman
DJ Turner
Kayshon Boutte
Demarcus Robinson
Noah Brown
Andrei Iosivas
Ja’Lynn Polk

Once Davante Adams gets settled in with the Jets, I’ll probably be ranking Adams and new teammate Garrett Wilson in close proximity most weeks. I’m taking a cautious approach with Adams this week simply because I’m not sure how many snaps he’ll play. Adams reportedly has been dealing with a hamstring injury, although the cynics suggest that it may have been a phantom injury meant to force a trade. I have Wilson ranked WR18 this week and Adams WR33.

As I mentioned last week, I think some fantasy managers are still sleeping on JuJu Smith-Schuster even though he had a 130-yard game against the Saints in Week 4 just before the Chiefs went on bye. JuJu has replaced Rashee Rice as QB Patrick Mahomes’ primary short-area receiver. It’s a valuable role, and while JuJu isn’t going to do it as well as Rice did, it’s worth remembering that JuJu actually held the same role for the Chiefs in 2022 before Rice came along and had 78 catches for 933 yards that season.

I initially ranked Amari Coooper as a high-end WR3 for his Buffalo debut but now have him as a low-end WR3. He’s probably not going to walk right into 12-13 targets, and he has a difficult matchup against the Titans, who have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. But it’s worth noting that Cooper has been traded in-season once before. He went from the Raiders to the Cowboys in 2018, and that deal also took place in Week 7. Cooper played right away for Dallas, logged an 85% snap share and had five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Christian Watson returned from an ankle injury last week after missing only one game and had three catches for 68 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown. Watson has a boom/bust profile, but I’m generally eager to bet on the boom when we’re talking about a 6-foot-4 receiver who has sub-4.4 speed and is tied to QB Jordan Love. Watson is my WR32 this week.

I’m below consensus with my WR41 ranking for Demario Douglas. Yes, Douglas had six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown last week, and he’s had nine targets and six catches in each of his last two games. But the touchdown Douglas scored last week was Douglas’s first in 20 career games. And while I’m generally bullish on Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye, there are bound to be games where the rookie takes his lumps and the New England passing game is ugly. Granted, this week’s matchup against the porous Jacksonville pass defense is a good one, but I’m still not anxious to dip a toe into the water with Douglas.

It looks as if Anthony Richardson will probably be back at quarterback for the Colts this week after missing the last two games with a hip injury. With Joe Flacco quarterbacking the Colts for the last two games, Josh Downs had 21 targets and 16 catches. But Downs failed to reach 70 receiving yards in both games and averaged 8.4 yards per catch. With the switch from Flacco back to Richardson, there’s going to be a decrease in passing volume for the Colts, and probably a decrease in passing efficiency as well. I have Downs ranked WR42, well below consensus.

TIGHT ENDS

Tier 1

Travis Kelce
George Kittle
Brock Bowers
Trey McBride
Evan Engram

Tier 2

Sam LaPorta
Dalton Kincaid
Kyle Pitts
Tucker Kraft

Tier 3

Zach Ertz
Dalton Schultz
Hunter Henry
Mark Andrews
Pat Freiermuth
Cade Otton
David Njoku

Tier 4

Isaiah Likely
Jonnu Smith
Colby Parkinson
Tyler Conklin
Noah Fant

Tier 5

Erick All Jr.
Mike Gesicki
Grant Calcaterra
Juwan Johnson
Theo Johnson
Will Dissly
Ja’Tavion Sanders
Noah Gray
Foster Moreau
Chig Okonkwo
Johnny Mundt

Dalton Schultz had a pedestrian stat line last week for the Texans: four receptions for 27 yards. But Schultz saw a season-high eight targets, and his weekly target outlook remains elevated with star WR Nico Collins on injured reserve. I’m ranking Schultz as a low-end TE1 this week vs. the Packers, who have yielded the third-most fantasy points to tight ends.

Mark Andrews finally scored his first touchdown of the season last week. Yay! He also had a season-high 66 yards. But Andrews only played half of the Ravens’ offensive snaps. I still have concerns about Andrews’ role, so I can’t rank him any higher than TE13. (And quite frankly, even that feels a little too high.)

Could Amari Cooper’s departure from the Browns mean an uptick in target volume for David Njoku? Maybe. I’m still not eager to play the big tight end. The Browns’ offense is stuck in the mud. Cleveland is the only NFL team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game this season. The Browns have generated fewer than 250 yards of total offense in all but one of their games. And Njoku and Deshaun Watson have never really clicked together. All of Njoku’s 2023 heroics came with Joe Flacco at quarterback, not Watson. I have Njoku ranked TE16 this week.