Winners and losers from fantasy football in Week 7

Did you survive? As advertised, the bye-pocalypse was a brutal endeavor for fantasy football managers trying to weave their way through Week 7 to a victory.

Brighter days should be ahead now that the biggest bye week of the season has passed. But before we look ahead, we have to look back at the week that was. Wacky, wild and even worrisome at times. Week 7 was a roller coaster of emotions for fantasy football managers.

As we will do every week, it’s time to take a look at the winners and losers from Week 7. Breaking down three players from each position, we won’t only look at the top scorers but those who may have also helped or hurt their stock.

Pending the Monday night game between the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks, here are the winners and losers from Week 7 in fantasy football:

QB Winners

Syndication: Detroit Free Press

Matthew Stafford | 27.2 fantasy points

Matty Snapback came through in a big way for fantasy football managers. The revenge game against the Lions proved to be enough motivation to finish as the QB1 on the week (pending MNF). Stafford completed 68% of his passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to breakfast mate Cooper Kupp. This is Stafford’s fourth QB1 (top-12) finish and third inside the top-five on the season.

Tua Tagovailoa | 26.5 fantasy points

For the second week in a row, Tagovailoa finds himself in the “winners” column. After finishing Week 6 as the QB11, Tagovailoa gave an encore performance by posting a QB3 finish entering Monday night. Against a porous Falcons defense, Tua completed 80% of his passes for 291 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added four carries for 29 rushing yards. He may be best to play in favorable matchups, but it’s nice to see the second-year southpaw show high upside as a fantasy asset.

Mac Jones | 22.2 fantasy points

Welcome to the QB1 club rook! For the first time in his career, Jones finishes a week as a top-12 fantasy option. Tearing apart the lowly Jets, Jones completed 66.7% of his passes for a career-high 307 yards and two touchdowns. For immobile quarterbacks like Jones, it’s vital for them to be explosive through the air because they don’t get that added rushing bonus. It’s nice to see Jones have that kind of upside even if it did come in arguably the most favorable matchup for quarterbacks.

QB Losers

Syndication The Tennessean

Patrick Mahomes | 7.7 fantasy points

What is going on in Kansas City? The Chiefs offense has been erratic while Mahomes posted the worst fantasy day of his career. The 7.7 fantasy points in Week 7 were the fewest points he’s recorded since becoming the starter in 2018. This was a low point for the Chiefs in a favorable matchup for the offense. Expect a bounce-back in Week 8 against the Giants, but that still won’t help the managers who likely lost because of this performance.

Justin Fields | 1.2 fantasy points

This one stings because I listed Fields as a sleeper against the Bucs defense in Week 7. I could not have been more wrong. The development for the rookie passer has been slow. Some of it is his fault. Some of it lands on Matt Nagy and the Bears offensive line. Still, Fields cannot be trusted as a fantasy asset moving forward after three interceptions and three fumbles (two lost). I still believe in the talent and upside as a fantasy quarterback, but he needs to earn the trust back.

Sam Darnold | 2.4 fantasy points

It just keeps getting worse for Darnold. After a strong start to the season, Darnold finds himself back on the fantasy waiver wire with this latest disappointment. Darnold has now finished outside the top-12 in fantasy for five of his seven games. Over the last three games, he’s averaging 7.9 fantasy points per game. It got to the point where Matt Rhule decided it was best to bench Darnold in favor of XFL star P.J. Walker. When you put up a dud like this against the Giants defense, it will be hard for fantasy managers to shake it off.

RB Winners

AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio

D’Ernest Johnson | 23.8 fantasy points

From DM’ing AAF teams for a chance to play football to dominating a strong Broncos run defense. Stories like Johnson’s don’t get much better. Stepping in for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who were inactive due to injuries, Johnson posted elite numbers. Entering Monday night, he is the RB3 on the week after taking 22 carries for 146 rushing yards and a touchdown. His 79% running back rush share is higher than any rush share Chubb has posted since 2019.

Khalil Herbert | 15.8 fantasy points

The rookie out of Virginia Tech continues to impress while David Montgomery heals on the injured reserve list. Even with Damien Williams returning, the Bears backfield belonged to Herbert. The sixth-round pick is the first player to go over 100 rushing yards against the Bucs this season and only one of two backs to do so over the last two seasons. He’s posting elite usage right now coming off of a rush share of 86% and a 16% target share. We’ll probably get one more week of elite usage before the Bears bye week.

Javonte Williams | 14.2 fantasy points

Another rookie, Williams continues to be in a timeshare with Melvin Gordon. This is a true timeshare as both backs are splitting carries equally. However, Williams may be getting an edge in the receiving department. He only saw four carries on Thursday night but posted a career-high seven targets, which was good for a 21.9% target share. That was tied with Noah Fant for the highest share on the team. As the second half approaches, don’t be surprised if Williams begins to take over the backfield.

RB Losers

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Antonio Gibson | 6.6 fantasy points

It was expected that this game might turn into a J.D. McKissic type of script, but Gibson still disappointed in a big way. Gibson has proven to be an extremely touchdown-dependent running back in fantasy, especially considering he hasn’t seen more than three targets in a game since Week 1. He was also outsnapped by McKissic 64%-42%. The talent is immense but between the injuries, lack of receiving usage and touchdown dependency, Gibson is falling on fantasy radars.

Mike Davis | 1.0 fantasy point

Yep, you read that right. Davis scored just one lone point despite the Falcons scoring 30 points. It was the Cordarrelle Patterson show again, and it seems that’s becoming the norm. Despite playing 60% of the snaps, Davis took just four carries for 10 yards. He posted a season-low running back rush share of 21% without seeing a target for the first time this season. It was a favorable matchup and Davis came up with a dud.

Aaron Jones | 6.4 fantasy points

Such is the life of rostering Jones in fantasy football. In one week, he can single-handedly provide your team with a win. Then you get performances like Sunday’s against Washington. Even with a 15% target share and five receptions, Jones still found a way to finish outside the top-30 running backs in fantasy football. Better days are ahead, but this was a tough watch.

WR Winners

Syndication: The Tennessean

A.J. Brown | 23.3 fantasy points

All it took was for Brown to eat some bad Chiptole and contract food poisoning in order to return to his elite fantasy status. Brown easily had the best game of his season thus far looking like his old self with eight receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown. He’s posted a 36% and 33% target share in each of the last two weeks respectively. The young stud is back.

Ja’Marr Chase | 30.1 fantasy points

It’s been the norm this season but how do we not talk about the historic start to Chase’s career? The rookie has already entered the God Tier with his latest performance of eight receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens. His 28% target share in Week 7 is tied for his season-high, which he’s hit three times now. Just sit back and enjoy watching Chase make history this season.

Michael Pittman Jr. | 18.5 fantasy points

Putting the team on his back, Pittman Jr. snared the dagger touchdown on Sunday night against the 49ers despite playing in horrid weather. He has a clear connection with Carson Wentz, who is beginning to trust the second-year wideout more downfield with each passing week. It helped that T.Y. Hilton was inactive, but Pittman Jr. should continue to be a solid WR2 with WR1 upside for fantasy purposes.

WR Losers

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Brandin Cooks | 4.6 fantasy points

It’s hard to trust the Texans offense, but this was a solid matchup with potential for Cooks to see a high target share. While a 23% target share is fine, it only led to five receptions for 21 yards. Cooks has shown the ability to command a high target share combined with explosive plays, but this was a massive disappointment for fantasy managers amid the bye-pocalypse. Hopefully, things get better when Tyrod Taylor returns.

Allen Robinson | 2.6 fantasy points

It’s just sad at this point. His entire career, Robinson has been putting up near-elite numbers with horrid quarterback play. Now, he gets a promising rookie and can’t finish better than WR45 in any game this season. In a plus matchup for wide receivers, Robinson posted yet another dud. Unfortunately, it may be time to cut bait.

Amon-Ra St. Brown | 0.0 fantasy points

The good ol’ goose egg. The rookie wideout had been a steady contributor in the passing game for the Lions, but crushed any manager who threw him in the lineup amid the bye weeks. Despite playing 62% of the snaps, St. Brown didn’t see a single target on Sunday. Big yikes.

TE Winners

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C.J. Uzomah | 22.6 fantasy points

Currently the TE1 on the week, Uzomah continues to be a steady asset in a poor tight-end landscape. Though he only had three receptions and an 8% target share, he made the most of it with 91 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It’s hard to bank on the low usage but it’s clear he has touchdown upside and the ability to finish as the top tight end on any given week, which he’s done twice now (pending MNF).

Kyle Pitts | 19.8 fantasy points

The rookie sensation is looking just like that. Coming off the bye week, Pitts led the Falcons offense by grabbing seven receptions on eight targets for a career-high 163 yards. Though Calvin Ridley led the way with 10 targets, Pitts posted a 21% target share—a mark he’s hit in each of the last three games and four times total this season. We’re watching another rookie make history as long as he stays healthy.

Zach Ertz | 14.5 fantasy points

Despite this being the first game with his new team, Ertz proved to be fantasy relevant in Week 7. His 14.5 fantasy points are currently a season-high and he’s the TE5 on the week entering the Monday night game. He also did something he’s never done before, which is set a career-long touchdown reception. An 18% target share is solid enough to warrant Ertz as a viable option every week. There were some kinks to work out, like a miscommunication that led to an incompletion instead of a touchdown. But as he gets more acclimated into the offense, Ertz should be a solid starting tight end in a poor fantasy landscape.

TE Losers

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Mark Andrews | 6.3 fantasy points

He probably didn’t tank your team, but this is not what we expect out of Andrews, who has been uber-consistent for fantasy purposes this season. In his worst finish since Week 1, Andrews caught just three of seven targets for 48 yards. His 17% target share on Sunday was the lowest it’s been since hitting the same mark in Week 1. He’ll bounce back because he’s the focal point of the offense, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the emergence of Marquise Brown and Rashod Bateman make Andrews a bit more inconsistent.

Noah Fant | 6.4 fantasy points

Another tight end who probably didn’t crush your lineup but didn’t help either. The Thursday night game was boring for the most part, and Fant had trouble making plays after the catch. He was tied for the team lead with seven targets and had five receptions. However, they turned into just 39 yards. Fant will be streaky because of quarterback play but still possesses the upside to win you a week (a la Week 6).

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