With Week 7 of the fantasy football season now in the books, managers should turn their focus toward the playoff push. The path to long-term success will have its fair share of bumps along the way. Injuries, bye weeks and other unforeseen issues are inevitable. Those who seamlessly navigate these obstacles will be primed to claim the championship when it’s all said and done.
Part of dealing with these ever-present roster issues is having a proper gauge on each player’s rest-of-season outlook. Fantasy value, much like in-game production, fluctuates wildly on a week-to-week basis. It’s important to adapt to new data points with each passing week. At the same time, managers must remain level-headed and not overreact to outlier performances.
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In what follows, I’ll highlight players whose Week 7 performances certainly raised some eyebrows. In each case, I’ll pinpoint the underlying factors causing this shift in perceived value and project the long-term outlook for the player, which can aid in fantasy start sit decisions.
NFL Players Trending Up & Down
Fantasy Football Risers
It was certainly a tumultuous start to the year for George Pickens. In the run-heavy offensive scheme operated in Pittsburgh, the former Georgia receiver struggled to produce consistently. He failed to eclipse three receptions in half of the team’s first six games of the 2024 season. What’s more, inexplicably low snap shares and cryptic interviews had many wondering whether Pickens had found himself in head caoch Mike Tomlin’s doghouse.
Following Pickens’ five-catch, 111-yard performance on Sunday Night Football, it would appear the latter simply needed a quarterback change to restore his fantasy value. Despite Russell Wilson‘s struggles in recent years, there’s no doubt that the veteran signal-caller is an accurate deep-ball thrower. He’s continued to support excellent fantasy value for the primary “X” receiver in his offenses. The likes of Courtland Sutton and DK Metcalf enjoyed their most productive seasons with Wilson under center. As the connection between Wilson and Pickens continues to grow stronger, we may witness a year three breakout for the young pass-catcher.
Pickens’ talent is undeniable. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), he ranks ninth in yards per route run among wide receivers with at least 20 targets. He remains one of the league’s best in contested catch situations, as exhibited by the incredible play he made in Week 7.
With Wilson now leading the Steelers’ offense, fantasy managers can safely rely on a healthy amount of accurate deep targets headed Pickens’ way. Given his raw talent and ability, he will relish the opportunity and provide excellent fantasy value. He should be ranked as a WR2 until further notice.
Thanks to a mid-week trade that saw Amari Cooper dealt to the Buffalo Bills, the veteran wide receiver’s fantasy value saw a drastic uptick. Cooper had been a frustrating player to roster up until last week. Despite consistently getting separation and seeing an elite target share, his output was limited by Cleveland’s putrid offense. He was the WR39 in half-PPR formats during that span.
That said, Cooper’s first game as a Bill gave managers plenty to be excited about. Despite not being fully integrated into Joe Brady’s system, he put together an impressive outing. He accumulated 66 yards and scored his first receiving touchdown since Week 3. Cooper’s touchdown upside will remain high as the presumed No. 1 WR in one of the league’s most enticing offenses.
The Bills experienced their fair share of offensive woes in the early stages of the 2024 season. Simply put, the team struggled to sustain drives as they lacked a go-to pass-catching weapon in key situations. While the likes of Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid are all intriguing options, none were capable of emerging as the bona fide alpha receiver in this system. The team traded for Cooper to fulfill this role. The veteran is a proven commodity in the NFL and has surpassed 1,100 receiving yards in four of the past five seasons. While he may not see the raw target volume he garnered in Cleveland, he will still be given plenty of looks in this offense.
Fantasy managers should not overthink Cooper’s fit in Buffalo. This is an undeniably elite receiver who will now be paired with one of the league’s most impressive quarterbacks in Josh Allen. Cooper will perform as a rock-solid WR2 for the remainder of the season.
Fantasy Football Fallers
Throughout his five-year NFL career, Devin Singletary has never been able to keep the starting role for the entirety of a season. Whether it’s due to inefficiencies or lingering health issues, the veteran has struggled to maintain a workhorse role. History appears to have repeated itself in New York, as rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. figures to play a featured role in the Giants’ offense from here on out.
Before the Giants’ Week 7 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Singletary missed two consecutive games as he tended to a groin issue. In his absence, Tracy stepped into a workhorse role and performed admirably. He produced as the RB3 in half-PPR formats during that span. These showings sparked speculation the rookie may have taken over the backfield.
This speculation was proven to be true as Tracy operated as the No. 1 RB against the Eagles. He had more carries, more receptions and more scrimmage yards than Singletary. While this didn’t amount to much in the form of fantasy football production, we can expect this touch distribution to skew heavier in the rookie’s favor in the coming weeks.
Singletary has been far less effective in 2024. Through seven weeks, he’s averaged fewer yards per carry and has earned a lower PFF rushing grade than his rookie counterpart. Tracy has also proven to be the more effective pass-catcher, as he’s accumulated more receptions and receiving yards up to this point.
As an inefficient runner in an underwhelming offense, Singletary’s fantasy value is entirely contingent on volume. With these touches being distributed elsewhere, the veteran is no longer a startable asset when making fantasy start sit decisions.
After an electric rookie season, Tank Dell simply hasn’t delivered on the breakout season many fantasy managers were hoping for. He’s currently the WR69 in half-PPR formats and is yet to surpass 65 receiving yards in a game this season. Since the opening kickoff, it’s become abundantly clear Dell will occupy a secondary role to the likes of Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs.
Dell managers were given a glimpse of hope when it was announced Collins would be headed to injured reserve (IR) with a hamstring issue. With Collins sidelined for a minimum of four games, it was presumed Dell would step into a more prominent role in the offense. However, this hasn’t come to fruition over the past two contests during which he totaled an uninspiring seven receptions and 57 receiving yards. In Collins’ absence, the Texans have adopted a run-heavy offensive system that’s heavily reliant upon Joe Mixon‘s prowess as a downhill runner. Given the success they’ve had on the ground, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is unlikely to veer away from this scheme.
From an efficiency standpoint, Dell has had a steep decline in his sophomore season. Per PFF, his yards per route run, yards per reception and receiving grade have all decreased since his promising rookie year. The team now has a much wider variety of weapons to exploit on offense. As long as Dell’s inefficiencies persist, he’ll continue to be an incredibly disappointing fantasy asset.
While Nico Collins remains out of the lineup, Dell can still be started. He and C.J. Stroud have displayed great chemistry in the past and the two are bound to connect for a few explosive gains. That said, the lack of volume is still a massive concern for Dell fantasy managers. He should be ranked as a mid-tier WR3 for the time being.
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