Analysis
10/20/22
8 min read
Wheeler’s Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings
The fantasy football season is in full swing, and the tension is high among my students. Some are taking victory laps about being 5-1, but don’t realize how fortunate they have been with injuries, match-ups and not running into bye-week issues.
The data is getting sticky, meaning we can be fairly confident with certain statistics, but we also have to keep in mind situations can pivot on a dime. I generally use the past five weeks of a player's data as a baseline. At this point, what happened in Week 1 is of little relevance to us. Entire team dynamics have changed for most squads.
Injuries are the main reason for adjustments in the fantasy landscape now, and not just players going down, but we are starting to see players coming back. Make sure to check our News and Notes daily.
Arizona is expecting a boost with DeAndre Hopkins coming back from suspension, and they traded for Robbie Anderson, but they lost Marquise Brown to injury.
Dallas could get Dak Prescott back from injury after going 4-1 with Cooper Rush at the helm.
The New Orleans Saints will be without Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry and Adam Trautman for Thursday Night Football against the Cardinals. Coach Dennis Allen also remains uncommitted on whether Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston will start at quarterback, but NFL Media is reporting signs point to Dalton.
Check this link throughout the week and on Sunday morning for the latest updates.
When examining these rankings, consider that I am only looking at positional ranks, not flex or overall rankings. When it comes to whom you start in the flex, a lot will depend on your specific league rules and roster construction. If players are ranked within three spots of each other, the difference between them is negligible. They are expected to score the same amount of points; in those cases, go to our Discord.
Quarterback
Quarterback is the least volatile position when limiting the data to only the past five games. The only noticeable change is Justin Herbert dropping from the QB9 to the QB14 in fantasy points scored. Keep an eye on that, though; Herbert needs a strong outing against the Seahawks, or we will need to throw up some red flags on him.
| Rank | QB | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | vs. CLE |
| 2 | Patrick Mahomes II | KC | @ SF |
| 3 | Justin Herbert | LAC | vs. SEA |
| 4 | Joe Burrow | CIN | vs. ATL |
| 5 | Kyler Murray | ARI | vs. NO |
| 6 | Tom Brady | TB | @ CAR |
| 7 | Dak Prescott | DAL | vs. DET |
| 8 | Geno Smith | SEA | @ LAC |
| 9 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | @ WAS |
| 10 | Derek Carr | LV | vs. HOU |
| 11 | Jimmy Garoppolo | SF | vs. KC |
| 12 | Tua Tagovailoa | MIA | vs. PIT |
| 13 | Russell Wilson | DEN | vs. NYJ |
| 14 | Trevor Lawrence | JAC | vs. NYG |
| 15 | Matt Ryan | IND | @ TEN |
| 16 | Daniel Jones | NYG | @ JAC |
| 17 | Marcus Mariota | ATL | @ CIN |
| 18 | Justin Fields | CHI | @ NE |
| 19 | Jared Goff | DET | @ DAL |
| 20 | Jacoby Brissett | CLE | @ BAL |
| 21 | Ryan Tannehill | TEN | vs. IND |
| 22 | Zach Wilson | NYJ | @ DEN |
| 23 | Andy Dalton | NO | @ ARI |
| 24 | Davis Mills | HOU | @ LV |
Running Back
If we only take the past five games into account, Saquon Barkley drops from the RB2 to the RB8. A boom game in Week 1 against the Titans is boosting his stat line. Meanwhile, the Titans have given up the fewest points per game to the RB position since.
| Rank | RB | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | vs. SEA |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | TEN | vs. IND |
| 3 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | @ JAC |
| 4 | Kenneth Walker | SEA | @ LAC |
| 5 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | vs. TB |
| 6 | Leonard Fournette | TB | @ CAR |
| 7 | Josh Jacobs | LV | vs. HOU |
| 8 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | @ TEN |
| 9 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | vs. CHI |
| 10 | Nick Chubb | CLE | @ BAL |
| 11 | Alvin Kamara | NO | @ ARI |
| 12 | Joe Mixon | CIN | vs. ATL |
| 13 | Breece Hall | NYJ | @ DEN |
| 14 | Dameon Pierce | HOU | @ LV |
| 15 | D'Andre Swift | DET | @ DAL |
| 16 | Travis Etienne Jr. | JAC | vs. NYG |
| 17 | Jamaal Williams | DET | @ DAL |
| 18 | Aaron Jones | GB | @ WAS |
| 19 | Najee Harris | PIT | @ MIA |
| 20 | David Montgomery | CHI | @ NE |
| 21 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | @ SF |
| 22 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | vs. DET |
| 23 | Jeff Wilson Jr. | SF | vs. KC |
| 24 | James Robinson | JAC | vs. NYG |
| 25 | Raheem Mostert | MIA | vs. PIT |
| 26 | Tony Pollard | DAL | vs. DET |
| 27 | A.J. Dillon | GB | @ WAS |
| 28 | Eno Benjamin | ARI | vs. NO |
| 29 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | @ BAL |
| 30 | Melvin Gordon III | DEN | vs. NYJ |
| 31 | Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS | vs. GB |
| 32 | J.K. Dobbins | BAL | vs. CLE |
| 33 | Latavius Murray | DEN | vs. NYJ |
| 34 | Tyler Allgeier | ATL | @ CIN |
| 35 | Michael Carter | NYJ | @ DEN |
| 36 | Antonio Gibson | WAS | vs. GB |
Wide Receiver
Allen Lazard's splits against man coverage and the blitz suggest that he is the Packers WR to target in Week 7.
CeeDee Lamb is lined up for a fantastic Week 7 against the Detroit Lions. Dallas has a 28-point implied team total, Prescott should be returning and Lamb has had a 33.5 percent target share and 39.1 percent air-yard share.
| Rank | WR | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Ja'Marr Chase | CIN | vs. ATL |
| 2 | Tyreek Hill | MIA | vs. PIT |
| 3 | Deebo Samuel | SF | vs. KC |
| 4 | Mike Evans | TB | @ CAR |
| 5 | CeeDee Lamb | DAL | vs. DET |
| 6 | Mike Williams | LAC | vs. SEA |
| 7 | Michael Pittman Jr. | IND | @ TEN |
| 8 | DK Metcalf | SEA | @ LAC |
| 9 | Jaylen Waddle | MIA | vs. PIT |
| 10 | Courtland Sutton | DEN | vs. NYJ |
| 11 | Chris Godwin | TB | @ CAR |
| 12 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | @ LAC |
| 13 | Amari Cooper | CLE | @ BAL |
| 14 | Christian Kirk | JAC | vs. NYG |
| 15 | Diontae Johnson | PIT | @ MIA |
| 16 | Allen Lazard | GB | @ WAS |
| 17 | Jakobi Meyers | NE | vs. CHI |
| 18 | Tee Higgins | CIN | vs. ATL |
| 19 | Terry McLaurin | WAS | vs. GB |
| 20 | Jerry Jeudy | DEN | vs. NYJ |
| 21 | Romeo Doubs | GB | @ WAS |
| 22 | Curtis Samuel | WAS | vs. GB |
| 23 | Drake London | ATL | @ CIN |
| 24 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC | @ SF |
| 25 | D.J. Moore | CAR | vs. TB |
| 26 | Brandon Aiyuk | SF | vs. KC |
| 27 | George Pickens | PIT | @ MIA |
| 28 | Rondale Moore | ARI | vs. NO |
| 29 | Tyler Boyd | CIN | vs. ATL |
| 30 | Garrett Wilson | NYJ | @ DEN |
| 31 | Darnell Mooney | CHI | @ NE |
| 32 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | KC | @ SF |
| 33 | Alec Pierce | IND | @ TEN |
| 34 | Michael Gallup | DAL | vs. DET |
| 35 | Davante Adams | LV | vs. HOU |
| 36 | Devin Duvernay | BAL | vs. CLE |
| 37 | Joshua Palmer | LAC | vs. SEA |
| 38 | Elijah Moore | NYJ | @ DEN |
| 39 | Corey Davis | NYJ | @ DEN |
| 40 | Zay Jones | JAC | vs. NYG |
| 41 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET | @ DAL |
| 42 | Chase Claypool | PIT | @ MIA |
| 43 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | CLE | @ BAL |
| 44 | Russell Gage | TB | @ CAR |
| 45 | Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG | @ JAC |
| 46 | Darius Slayton | NYG | @ JAC |
| 47 | Keenan Allen | LAC | vs. SEA |
| 48 | Mecole Hardman | KC | @ SF |
| 49 | Noah Brown | DAL | vs. DET |
| 50 | Brandin Cooks | HOU | @ LV |
Tight End
Gerald Everett will be ranked higher than usual, as he faces Seattle, the worst defense against the TE position. You will hear Juwan Johnson’s name again a few times this week, as the Saints face the second-worst team at defending tight ends in the Arizona Cardinals.
| Rank | TE | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Mark Andrews | BAL | vs. CLE |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | @ SF |
| 3 | George Kittle | SF | vs. KC |
| 4 | Zach Ertz | ARI | vs. NO |
| 5 | David Njoku | CLE | @ BAL |
| 6 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | @ CIN |
| 7 | Gerald Everett | LAC | vs. SEA |
| 8 | Taysom Hill | NO | @ ARI |
| 9 | Robert Tonyan | GB | @ WAS |
| 10 | Hayden Hurst | CIN | vs. ATL |
| 11 | Evan Engram | JAC | vs. NYG |
| 12 | Hunter Henry | NE | vs. CHI |
| 13 | Daniel Bellinger | NYG | @ JAC |
| 14 | Mike Gesicki | MIA | vs. PIT |
| 15 | Noah Fant | SEA | @ LAC |
| 16 | T.J. Hockenson | DET | @ DAL |
| 17 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT | @ MIA |
| 18 | Tyler Conklin | NYJ | @ DEN |
| 19 | Darren Waller | LV | vs. HOU |
| 20 | Greg Dulcich | DEN | vs. NYJ |
| 21 | Cade Otton | TB | @ CAR |
| 22 | Juwan Johnson | NO | @ ARI |
| 23 | Cole Kmet | CHI | @ NE |
| 24 | Will Dissly | SEA | @ LAC |
| 25 | Mo Alie-Cox | IND | @ TEN |
Rest of Season Rankings
Way back before I started ranking players and writing about fantasy, I would search for analysts' “Rest of Season” rankings. At the time, there were few people doing that, so when I started writing, it became a large part of my process. Rest of Season rankings help me with waiver wire or free-agent pick-ups before Sunday game-time.
Waiver Wire
| Name | Team | Position | Opp |
| Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG | WR | @ JAC |
| Alec Pierce | IND | WR | @ TEN |
| Greg Dulcich | DEN | TE | vs. NYJ |
| Rachaad White | TB | RB | @ CAR |
| Corey Davis | NYJ | WR | @ DEN |
| Rondale Moore | ARI | WR | vs. NO |
| Jahan Dotson | WAS | WR | vs. GB |
| Robert Tonyan | GB | TE | @ WAS |
| Tyquan Thornton | NE | WR | vs. CHI |
| Latavius Murray | DEN | RB | vs. NYJ |
Good luck this week!
Watch More: Best Fantasy Trades for Week 7
