Dynasty Fantasy Football Stat Pack: Week Seven
If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed a series of tweets I share on a weekly basis regarding player and team defensive performances, all from a fantasy lens. I’m going to be sharing some of that same information with you here.
I use this each week as I am making my own lineup and waiver wire decisions and thought you might find this valuable as well.
Note: The scoring system used for this data is always PPR with four points for passing touchdowns.
All year to date fantasy ranks are based on total points.
Quarterbacks
Week Seven QB1s (top 12 scorers)
The Bengals and Joe Burrow did it again! It was back to back weeks as the overall QB1 thanks to an undermanned Falcons defense. Burrow passed for 481 yards and three scores and even added a rushing touchdown. Daniel Jones and Justin Fields stayed hot, thanks in large part to their rushing ability. Jones ran for over 100 yards while Fields rushed for 80+ yards for the second straight week. Tua Tagovailoa was back in the lineup for the Dolphins and picked up where he left off, finishing with a solid 261 yards and two scores.
Year to Date QB1s
Patrick Mahomes and Burrow each climbed a pair of spots on the season-long list and Jones jumped all the way to QB9 through seven weeks. Most fallers were injury or bye week related, including Jalen Hurts, Kirk Cousins and Carson Wentz. Lamar Jackson is the most notable mover, dropping from QB2 to QB4 after his fourth straight game outside of the top-12 fantasy scorers. After beginning the season with a QB8 finish and a pair of QB1 games, Jackson has posted weekly ranks of QB21, QB15, QB13 and QB20 entering this week’s matchup against the Buccaneers.
QB1 Games this Season
Most QB1 Games Allowed
The Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders have emerged as clear teams to target when looking for a fantasy quarterback. Those matchups may not help fantasy managers much this week though. The Falcons face the Panthers, who are expected to stick with PJ Walker once again. The Chiefs are on bye and Las Vegas will try to slow down Andy Dalton and the Saints. Although Dalton’s struggled led to a Cardinals win last week, he also took advantage of garbage time and eventually had a big fantasy day, passing for 361 yards and four touchdowns. The Steelers have allowed five QB1 games and face the tall task of stopping a rested Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
A trio of teams have yet to allow a single QB1 game through seven weeks and given the matchups they each face in Week Eight, I expect the streaks to continue. The Bengals and Browns will face off in an all-Ohio battle on Monday night and despite some solid early play this season, Jacoby Brissett has struggled recently. The Broncos have had their way with quarterbacks and now face the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence in this week’s London game. Lawrence has shown flashes of greatness this season but has struggled with consistency. This might be the week to sit him if you have other options. Finally, the Eagles are not only undefeated but they have handled opposing quarterbacks and will now look to stop Steelers rookie Kenney Pickett, who has thrown only two touchdowns to go along with his seven interceptions.
Running Backs
Week Seven RB1s (top 12 scorers)
Easily the three hottest running backs in the game in recent weeks sit atop the Week Seven fantasy ranks. Austin Ekeler posted his third overall RB1 game of the short season, while Josh Jacobs dropped 30+ fantasy points for the third consecutive week. Rookie Kenneth Walker is flying up dynasty rankings after taking over for an injured Rashaad Penny in dominant fashion.
Gus Edwards made his season debut after fully recovering from his 2021 ACL injury. Edwards was leaned on as the Ravens lead back and rushed for a pair of scores. With JK Dobbins now on the injured reserve list, this backfield belongs to Edwards.
Year to Date RB1s
Jacobs was the major mover among the season-long RB1 group. With his third-straight game as a top-three fantasy back, Jacobs moved up three spots to the RB4 on the year. The bye week claimed the RB1 spot for both Dalvin Cook and Miles Sanders, both of whom will likely be right back in the top-12 soon.
RB1 Games this Season
Most RB1 Games Allowed
Three teams have allowed five RB1 games through the first seven groups. The Chargers and Seahawks have really struggled, allowing the third and fifth-most fantasy points to opposing backfields, respectively. The Chargers are on bye this week, which is much-needed considering all of their injuries. Seattle faces off with the Giants, a chance for Saquon Barkley to go nuclear.
The Steelers are a bit of a different story. Although they too have allowed five RB1 games, they have only given up one top-five game to an opposing runner. They’re also middle of the pack among all NFL teams, surrendering the 13th most fantasy points to running backs. Still, expect Sanders and the Eagles backfields to have a solid day against their in-state rivals.
With six teams still allowing only one RB1 game, let’s dig a little deeper. The Cowboys, Bengals, Rams and Bills have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing backs. This could mean a below-average Week Eight performance for these runners: David Montgomery (vs. DAL), Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt (vs. CIN), Christian McCaffrey (vs. LAR) and Aaron Jones (vs. BUF.)
Wide Receivers
Week Seven WR1s (top 12 scorers)
It is easy to see where the elite production came from in Week Seven. The Bengals and Chiefs combined to produce the top-four fantasy scorers for the week at the receiver position. Tyler Boyd broke free for a long 60-yard score early in the game while Mecole Hardman scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground for Kansas City.
DeAndre Hopkins made his season debut after serving a six-game suspension. It came at the perfect time for the Cardinals, who lost top wideout Marquise Brown to an injury the previous week. Hopkins dominated the target share for Arizona and produced like his pre-2021 self.
Year to Date WR1s
Ja’Marr Chase climbed up a pair of spots in the season-long receiver ranks following his second straight overall WR1 game. Chase is now the WR4 on the year, but will miss the next 4-6 weeks with an injury he aggravated during the game. Mike Williams and Christian Kirk each rejoined the WR1 tier but that stay will also be short-lived for Williams, who suffered an ankle injury and will miss the next month, at a minimum. AJ Brown, out on his bye week, fell from the top-12, as did CeeDee Lamb.
WR1 Games this Season
Most WR1 Games Allowed
The Falcons and Steelers have each given up five WR1 games. This week, that could help Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore continue his turnaround as he faces Atlanta. It’s also good news for the Eagles wideouts, Brown and DeVonta Smith, who face the Steelers. Other receivers with matchups to target include Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle (vs. DET) and Davante Adams (vs NO.)
The Raiders and Patriots are the only teams yet to allow a WR1 game through seven weeks, though the Patriots have given up six WR2 performances and the Raiders have allowed five. This week, Las Vegas looks to stop rookie Chris Olave while New England matches up with the young, talented and inconsistent receiver corps of the Jets. It’s not an ideal spot for Garrett Wilson or Elijah Moore to get things back on track.
Tight Ends
Week Seven TE1s (top 12 scorers)
It took a few weeks, but George Kittle finally delivered, on National Tight End Day as a matter of fact. Travis Kelce also enjoyed another solid game, finishing as the TE3 for the week. Juwan Johnson had a huge game on Thursday night with teammate Adam Trautman out of the lineup. The Broncos may really have something with rookie Greg Dulcich. In just his second career game, he was again a top-12 fantasy scorer for the week.
Year to Date TE1s
The tight end position saw tons of movement in Week Seven, with David Njoku, Taysom Hill and Gerald Everett each climbing two spots. Pat Freiemuth took advantage of garbage time stats and climbed into the top-12 scorers for the season, taking the place of Mike Gesicki.
TE1 Games this Season
Most TE1 Games Allowed
The Seahawks have struggled to contain the tight end position all season long, which bodes well for the Giants, although they will be without rookie Daniel Bellinger. That is good news for little-known Chris Myarick, who is expected to see an increased workload. The Falcons are another team to target and Tommy Tremble is coming off a TE1 game last week. Other tight ends with plus matchups this week include Cade Otton (vs. BAL) and Irv Smith (vs. ARI.)
The Saints have still not given up a TE1 game and they will look to continue that stream against the Raiders, who hope to have Darren Waller back in the lineup. Other players to avoid, based on matchups include Robert Tonyan (vs. BUF), Dalton Schultz (vs. CHI), Hayden Hurst (vs. CLE) and Dawson Knox (vs. GB.)
Finally, here is the chart summarizing how teams have fared against each position. I’ve also included the schedule for this week for reference.
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