Before we get into my favorite Week 7 fantasy football wide receivers, let's take a look back at some of the guys I liked in Week 6.

I'm just trying to set expectations appropriately low.

As of Tuesday evening, here's an early look at my (preliminary) favorite Week 7 fantasy plays — the guys who (in some combination) …

  • Might be high in my fantasy rankings relative to the industry consensus.
  • Need to be started in most season-long leagues.
  • Must be added if they are on waivers.
  • Possess underappreciated upside.
  • Have advantageous matchups.
  • Should be considered in daily fantasy.
  • Make for desirable dynasty acquisition targets.
  • Are on teams with player-friendly betting odds.
  • Catch my eye with their player projections.
  • Stand out in our Fantasy Life Player Prop Tool.

Some notes.

Updates: After I submit this piece, any changing opinions I have will be reflected in my rankings and my projections (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription), which I will update throughout the week.

Scoring & Ordering: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated. Players are ordered within position roughly (but maybe not precisely) according to my rankings.

Abbreviations: Check out the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.

Bye Week: This week, the Bears and Cowboys are off. That's great news for me as a Cowboys fan: They're guaranteed not to lose on Sunday.

Sports Betting Data: Odds are as of 10:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and based on the consensus lines in our Fantasy Life Odds Page.

Freedman's Favorites: Although we publish this piece as four separate articles broken out by position, I think of it as one cohesive whole and write it as such. With that in mind, please be sure to check out the rest of my favorite Week 7 fantasy football plays in the other positional previews:

Best WRs for Fantasy Football Week 7

A.J. Brown (Eagles) at Giants

  • Eagles: -3
  • O/U: 43
  • TT: 23

The sample is small, but in his two games this season Brown has looked every bit like the alpha monster that he is, putting up 11-235-2 receiving on 19 targets with a 98% route rate, 28% target rate, and 35% target share with an NFL-high 54% share of air yards.

Although he missed Weeks 2-4 with a hamstring injury, he showed no ill effects last week as he returned to action out of the bye, and with TE Dallas Goedert (hamstring) unlikely to play, Brown could maintain his similarly sizable workload this week.

I like his matchup against perimeter CBs Cor'Dale Flott and Deonte Banks, both of whom will probably be outclassed. For the season, Flott has allowed 9.7 yards per target; Banks, 9.3 (per PFF). Those are painfully high numbers — and for his career Brown has averaged 10.0.

Terry McLaurin (Commanders) vs. Panthers

  • Commanders: -7.5
  • O/U: 51.5
  • TT: 29.5

I've mentioned McLaurin every week this year in this piece. I'm not about to stop now that he's absolutely playing like one of the best receivers in the league.

He was absolutely dreadful in Weeks 1-2 (39 yards, 3.3 yards per target) … but there was no way — given his talent and the high-functioning offense he's in — that his production would continue to disappoint so markedly, and in the four games since, he's made amends with fantasy investors by amassing 319 yards and four TDs on 31 targets and two carries.

The Panthers are dreadful, ranking No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA (29.1%). Every week, they've allowed a perimeter WR to go off:

This week, that perimeter WR will be McLaurin.

Tank Dell (Texans) at Packers

  • Texans: +3
  • O/U: 47.5
  • TT: 22.25

Like McLaurin, Dell is getting a second week of shine in the spotlight, and it's warranted.

Before the season started, I wrote up Dell to lead the league in receiving yards at +10000. Clearly, I was wrong. I picked the incorrect Texans WR to back.

But that guy — Nico Collins (hamstring, IR) — left early in Week 5, and in his absence Dell had 7-57-1 receiving on nine targets and a 91% route rate in Week 6.

While Dell still must compete with WR Stefon Diggs, to this point in the season they have had similar opportunities.

  • Dell (5 games): 84% route rate | 25% air share | 18% endzone target share
  • Diggs (6 games): 86% route rate | 23% air share | 21% endzone target share

And last year Dell was impressive. If we remove the games he missed or played less than half the snaps (so his NFL debut in Week 1 and his injury-shortened appearances in Weeks 5 and 13), he averaged 77.3 yards receiving per game with a smoking 9.2 yards per target as a rookie.

And in the seven games in which he and Collins both had a 50% snap rate, they were comparably productive and involved in the offense.

  • Dell (With Collins): 80.3 ReYds per game | 7.6 targets per game
  • Collins (With Dell): 85.9 ReYds per game | 7.4 targets per game

And I like that Dell often gets 1-2 extra opportunities each game via the rushing attack.

As underdogs, the Texans might have more of a pass-leaning game script than they usually do, and QB C.J. Stroud when getting points is 6-3 ATS (27.7% ROI) and 5-4 ML (50.7% ROI).

The Packers are No. 30 in defensive dropback SR (51.4%).

DeMario Douglas (Patriots) vs. Jaguars (in London)

  • Patriots: +5.5
  • O/U: 42.5
  • TT: 18.5

In Weeks 1-2, the slot-bound Douglas was minimally utilized in the offense (2-12-0 receiving, 3 targets), but in the month since then he has emerged as the team's No. 1 pass catcher, leveraging his 75% route rate, 32% target rate, and 30% target share into a livable 22-233-1 receiving (with a nine-yard rush).

And last week, with the insertion of rookie QB Drake Maye into the starting lineup, Douglas had his best game of the season with 6-92-1 receiving on nine targets.

This week could be even better: The Jags are No. 1 in largest fantasy boost allowed to WRs (+9.8), and they might be without starting slot CB Darnell Savage (concussion), who exited last week early and did not return.

In Savage's absence, rookie CB Jarrian Jones has manned the slot, but he has done so with little success, as evidenced by his 54.7 PFF coverage grade and 9.8 yards per target allowed. 

Where available, Douglas is a priority target on waivers.

The Deep Route

Mike Evans (Buccaneers +3.5, TT: 22.5) vs. Buccaneers: Evans disappointed last week with just 34 scoreless yards, but he spent much of the game facing off with archnemesis CB Marshon Lattimore. This week, he's in a bounceback spot against the Ravens, who are No. 1 in most fantasy points allowed to WRs (37.0).

Diontae Johnson (Panthers +7.5, TT: 22) at Commanders: With QB Andy Dalton, Johnson has 24-306-3 receiving on 43 targets in four games, and for the season he has an NFL-high 10 endzone and eight green-zone targets. The Commanders are No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 1 WRs (41.3%).

George Pickens (Steelers +1.5, TT: 18.25) vs. Jets: After seeing a Week 5 decrease in playing time (65% route run), Pickens rebounded in Week 6 (85% route rate, 29% target rate, 35% target share), and the quality of his targets might improve if the team switches to QB Russell Wilson. The Jets are ordinarily not a defense to target, but this week they could be without three secondary starters in CBs D.J. Reed (groin) and Michael Carter II (hamstring) and SS Chuck Clark (ankle).

Michael Wilson (Cardinals +2.5, TT: 20.75) vs. Chargers: No. 1 WR Marvin Harrison (concussion) is uncertain to play. For the Chargers, No. 1 CB Asante Samuel Jr. (shoulder, IR) is out, and they could also be without CBs Deane Leonard (hamstring), Kristian Fulton (knee), and Ja'Sir Taylor (leg).

Darius Slayton (Giants +3, TT: 20) vs. Eagles: No. 1 WR Malik Nabers (concussion) has been out the past two weeks, and in his absence Slayton has balled out with 14-179-1 receiving on 22 targets and a 95% route rate. The Eagles are No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 1 WRs (56.5) and could be without No. 1 CB Darius Slay (knee). 

Bub Means (Saints +2.5, TT: 17.25) vs. Broncos: The Saints could be without WRs Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee) given the quick turnaround to Thursday Night Football, and Means did a decent Olave impersonation last week with 5-45-1 receiving on an amplified eight targets and 71% route rate. The Broncos could be without No. 1 CB Patrick Surtain II (concussion). 

More Fantasy Football Plays for Week 7

Abbreviations

  • Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
  • Against the Spread (ATS)
  • Over/Under (O/U)
  • Team Total (TT)
  • Moneyline (ML)
  • Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
  • Expected Points Added (EPA)
  • Success Rate (SR)
  • Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
  • Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
  • AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
  • Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
  • Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
  • Short Down and Distance (SDD)
  • Long Down and Distance (LDD)