Fantasy Football Storylines for Week 7: Ian's Manifesto

And just like that: Week 7 is upon us. Let's break down some ball!

Every week I will be going through 10 key storylines ahead of all the NFL action, focusing on key fantasy-related trends, the week's biggest mismatches, my personal rankings of every game, bold predictions, and much more.

This week we'll actually have 11 storylines because Tuesday was absolute madness and I already had 10 written before the Browns decided to trade Amari Cooper to the Bills. Cool? Cool.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

1. Davante Adams is a New York Jet. Now what?

The Jets wasted no time upgrading their team following a disappointing flag-filled Monday night loss to the Raiders, as Aaron Rodgers general manager Joe Douglas pulled the trigger on a trade to acquire longtime stud WR Davante Adams in exchange for a 3rd-round pick that could upgrade to a 2nd rounder if certain performance thresholds are hit.

While taking on the rest of the 31-year-old veteran's contract might not be the best long-term idea, there's little argument that the Jets are a better football team today than they were last week. Adams' performance hasn't been up to his usual elite standards during his last 20 games, but it's fairly easy to point the finger at his subpar QB play: Both Gardner Minshew (+0.046, 26th) and Aidan O'Connell (+0.012, 31st) rank outside the league's top-25 signal-callers in EPA+CPOE composite score this season, which is one of the better advanced metrics we have to evaluate any QB's per-play success and overall accuracy.

Now, Rodgers ranks just 24th (+0.054) in that metric; it's not like the 40-year-old ayahuasca fanatic is necessarily still playing at the top of his game. Still, this addition suddenly pushes him up into the borderline QB1 conversation alongside names like Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins, as A-aron is suddenly working with his best one-two punch at WR since the Adams-Randall Cobb days.

Updated Fantasy Life Projections firmly expect Adams to work as Rodgers' new No. 1 WR in New York:

• Adams (144 target projection)
• Garrett Wilson (129)
• Allen Lazard (73)
• Mike Williams (49)

Fire up Adams as a mid-tier WR2 the rest of the way assuming his "hamstring" injury was more discontent than anything, while Wilson should be downgraded to more of a low-end WR2 option without the benefit of weekly double-digit target total. It'd be surprising if Lazard maintains too much fantasy relevance with the potential to now be splitting snaps with Williams (who is reportedly on the trade block for what it's worth).

As for the Raiders: Brock Bowers' back-to-back sterling 8-97-1 and 9-71-0 performances without Adams look like a sign of more goodness to come; the only TE I'd confidently rank ahead of the stud rookie the rest of the way is Travis Kelce. It's also fair to be encouraged about Jakobi Meyers, although his existing ankle injury isn't ideal, and the aforementioned suspect (to be nice) QB play leaves him as more of a weekly low-end WR3 as opposed to someone who will NEED to be in fantasy lineups of most shapes and sizes.

Speaking of longtime baller WRs being traded…

2. Amari Cooper is a Buffalo Bill. Now what?

The Browns are getting a 3rd-rounder and a late-round pick swap, the Bills get the 30-year-old veteran with seven 1,000-plus yard seasons to his name.

It wasn't that long ago that Cooper was putting up some serious numbers on the gridiron. In fact, he gained a career-high 1,250 yards literally last season, notably going absolutely bonkers (11-265-2!) in his final regular-season game of the year.

Of course, 2024 hasn't been nearly as kind to the ex-Raider/Cowboy/Brown. Pick any efficiency or counting stat and you'll find a career-low mark for the longtime No. 1 WR. Overall, Cooper sits as just the WR46 in PPR points per game through six weeks of action.

That said: Deshaun Watson is most people's idea of the NFL's worst starting QB at the moment, and accordingly Cooper hasn't exactly received a steady dose of catchable passes. He actually leads the NFL in unrealized air yards at the moment (many of which have been of the uncatchable variety). Watching the ol’ film has also shown a player who doesn't appear overly thrilled to be on the football field (can't exactly blame him), which has likely contributed to him dropping 6 passes already–tied for the most in the league. Overall, ESPN Analytics' advanced receiver ratings have Cooper ranked as the NFL's single-worst WR after six weeks of action.

Age and on-field evidence tell us that the Bills probably aren't getting the best version of Cooper, but maybe the massive QB upgrade will be enough to outweigh that. After all, Josh Allen (deservingly) is on pretty much anyone's short list of the very best signal-callers in the NFL, and we certainly saw what Stefon Diggs was able to do as his No. 1 WR over the years.

Here's the big question: Is the current edition of this Joe Brady-led Bills offense even interested in overly enabling a high-end fantasy WR? Diggs' second half of last season was memorably brutal as far as production was concerned, and this year hasn't been much better for the involved parties (Khalil Shakir as the WR40 in PPR points per game leads the way). It's not a stretch to now call Cooper easily the best WR on the Bills roster, but this is still an offense with a 49.3% pass-play rate on the season–the fifth-lowest mark in the NFL ahead of only the Packers (skewed by Malik Willis starts), Chargers, Steelers, and Ravens.

How I'm now approaching the involved parties in fantasy land:

• Bills QB Josh Allen: Still very much locked in as a top-three fantasy QB with enhanced potential for another overall QB1 finish.
• Bills WR Amari Cooper: Low-end WR2 with upside for more *if* his 2024 failures prove to be completely nothing and the Bills open up the passing game (not guaranteed).
• Bills WR Khalil Shakir: Downgrades to more of a low-ceiling WR4.
• Bills WR Keon Coleman: Was already battling Mack Hollins for snaps and targets; the rookie now projects as a boom-or-bust WR5 at best and might not even be a full-time player in an offense that loves using two-TE formations.
• Bills TE Dalton Kincaid: Low-end TE1 with less reason for spike week optimism than ever.
• Browns QB Deshaun Watson: Still very much locked in as one of the single-worst QBs in the world.
• Browns WR Jerry Jeudy: Suddenly locked in as the WR1 … in one of the NFL's worst passing offenses. It'll be tough to rank 48 receivers ahead of him each week, but that doesn't mean the 25-year-old veteran is someone fantasy managers should be dying to get in the lineup as long as Watson remains under center.
• Browns WRs Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman: Become DEEP FLEX options for desperate managers in large leagues. But again: Nothing close to recommended fantasy starts until a QB change is made.
• Browns TE David Njoku: Been banged up throughout the 2024 season and has suffered from the aforementioned issues under center. That said: The ceiling here is the roof (wait for it) if the Browns eventually decide to go full Jameis.

Whew, what a Tuesday. Oh wait, there was another big news story?

3. What exactly are the Steelers doing at QB?

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports the Steelers plan to give Russell Wilson first-team reps in practice this week, "putting him in line" to make his season debut and start Sunday night against the Jets.

Now, I won't sit here and say the Steelers have been a high-flying aerial masterpiece with Justin Fields under center this season. They wouldn't rank 20th in scoring and 27th in total passing yards if they were.

That said: The ex-Bears signal-caller has put forward respectable marks in completion percentage over expected (+2.5%, 13th ahead of C.J. Stroud and Josh Allen) and EPA per dropback (+0.101, 16th ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts) in addition to his usual goodness on the ground. Mind you this has been inside of a passing game with *one* pass catcher who most people would consider good at football and behind an injury-riddled offensive line that has hardly made life easy.

Does this version of Fields hold a candle to prime Russell Wilson? Nope, but we also haven't seen that version of DangeRuss for quite some time. The 35-year-old veteran is fresh off averaging a career-low 6.9 yards per attempt and ranked lowly in both EPA per dropback (+0.020, 29th) and PFF pass grade (69.8, 24th) during his two-year stint in Denver.

Subbing in Wilson for Fields might raise the immediate floor of the passing game, although it remains to be seen if that will be an actual improvement to the offense as a whole considering how lacking the team's receiver cupboard is at the moment. Reminder: Van f*cking Jefferson is a full-time WR for Pittsburgh in the year 2024.

Move George Pickens and the team's RBs up the ranks, but even then we aren't exactly cooking with gas ahead of a matchup with Sauce Gardner and the Jets. The Steelers are currently implied to score just 18.25 points (3rd lowest) this week; close start/sit decisions involving anyone in this sad excuse for an NFL offense should continue to go to the other guy.

Of course, certain matchups can always upgrade or downgrade these sorts of situations during any given week. This takes us to our next question… 

4. What passing games look ready to explode thanks to upcoming fantasy-friendly schedules?

It's certainly always a plus to get a good matchup for our fantasy players, although we shouldn't necessarily let a perceived on-paper advantage completely rewrite our rankings. Use good or bad matchups as more of a tiebreaker; it's still preferable to follow volume, individual talent, and good offensive environments above all else.

That said: The following five passing attacks sure look ready to explode over the next month or so of action thanks to both their own inherent goodness as well as an awfully enticing and smashable schedule:

Houston Texans (GB, IND, NYJ, DET, DAL): The Packers and Jets matchups aren't ideal, but then again the potential for both spots to turn into fantasy-friendly shootouts hardly makes them matchups to avoid. Ultimately, this C.J. Stroud-led passing game is capable of putting up points on anyone; both Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell need to be started in lineups of all shapes and sizes as long as Nico Collins (hamstring, IR) remains sidelined. Also, don't be surprised if Dalton Schultz breaks out of his early-season slump before too long—perhaps even this Sunday against the league's third-worst defense in PPR points per game allowed to opposing TEs.

Minnesota Vikings (DET, LAR, IND, JAX): Not only are Sam Darnold and Co. set up well coming out of their bye with four consecutive matchups against secondaries that fantasy managers should be salivating to attack, but the Vikings offense is also tentatively expected to welcome back stud TE T.J. Hockenson this week. Don't be surprised if the clock doesn't strike midnight on Darnold's Cinderella story for at least another month or two: He has the potential to work as possibly THE fantasy QB1 during this stretch; it's pretty wild to see him rostered in only 56% of Yahoo and 45% of ESPN leagues at the moment.

New York Jets (PIT, NE, HOU, ARZ, IND): No, T.J. Watt and Co. aren't exactly the sort of "welcome to New York!" matchup that Adams' fantasy managers would prefer, but after that? Giddyup: The Patriots already brought out the best of Rodgers back in Week 3, while the Texans, Cardinals, and Colts each rank 10th or worse in passing TDs allowed this season.

Philadelphia Eagles (NYG, CIN, JAX, DAL, WSH, LAR, BAL, CAR): Credit to the Giants for now allowing more than 21 points in a game this season, but otherwise? This stretch is borderline erotic for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith fantasy managers. Overall, each of these defenses rank 20th or worse in EPA allowed per dropback this season; don't be surprised if AJB works as THE fantasy WR1 for the better part of the next two months, while Smith also has weekly upside WR2 potential–especially with Dallas Goedert (hamstring) currently banged up.

Green Bay Packers (HOU, JAX, DET): A shootout with C.J. Stroud and the Texans is followed by back-to-back pristine matchups with pass-funnel defenses that are sturdy enough in the front-seven to incentivize the opposition to attack their flimsy secondary. Further helping matters is a passing game that is suddenly more condensed than usual due to injury.

Speaking of that latter point …

5. Who will benefit the most from the latest key WR injuries?

Three offenses unfortunately look like they'll need to operate with a WR room at less than 100% in Week 7 and potentially beyond:

New Orleans Saints: Neither Chris Olave (concussion) nor Rashid Shaheed (knee) managed to practice on Monday or Tuesday ahead of their Thursday night matchup with the Broncos. While Denver's formidable secondary is banged up itself with Pat Surtain II (concussion) probably sidelined, it's tough to be TOO confident in the likes of Bub Means or Mason Tipton (real people, I swear) in an offense led by promising, albeit erratic, rookie QB Spencer Rattler. Ultimately, I'd place my chip on Means being the most FLEX-worthy play of the WRs; the rookie deserves credit for tying Shaheed for the team lead in targets last week (8), but perhaps the real winner will be TE Juwan Johnson–someone who has flashed tantalizing receiving ability in past years and posted a season-high route rate of 75% last week. He's a quality waiver wire fill in for teams that need a one-week answer at the position with Jake Ferguson and Cole Kmet on bye.

Arizona Cardinals: Could be without No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. (concussion) if the league's seemingly longer-than-usual concussion protocol practices continue. While Kyler Murray and the passing game as a whole have disappointed, the absence of Marv would be a nice boost for Michael Wilson and (to a lesser extent) Greg Dortch as well as recently reinstated Zay Jones. Give the Cardinals' second-year talent credit for already posting usable PPR WR26, WR27, and WR35 finishes this season; Wilson deserves to be in the low-end WR3 conversation ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Chargers, even if TE Trey McBride still profiles as the lead target.

Green Bay Packers: Fantasy managers simply can't have nice things: Dontayvion Wicks (shoulder) is considered week to week and seems unlikely to suit up ahead of the Packers' potential shootout with the Texans. Obviously, Jayden Reed was a weekly locked-in starter before Wicks' injury, but don't discount the potential for Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson to build off their respectively solid Week 6 performances during the Packers' aforementioned cozy upcoming stretch. Fantasy Life Director of Analytics/all-around baller Dwain McFarland highlighted both as viable "Not available in my league, pal!" waiver wire options for those of us not playing in complete sicko leagues.

Man, the injury Gods really have been dickheads this year, huh? Let's continue breaking down some of the sad ramifications.

6. What should we expect out of this potential ETN-less Jags backfield?

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne (hamstring) is considered week to week and looks unlikely to suit up for the Jaguars' London-themed matchup with the Patriots this Sunday.

While you might be ready to pencil in waiver wire darling Tank Bigsby for a workhorse role, we did see some troubling utilization out of this backfield in Week 6.

You're reading that right: D'Ernest Johnson easily outpaced Bigsby in both snaps (57% vs. 27%) and (especially) routes (56% vs. 12%) during the Jags' blowout loss to the Bears.

Of course, that game script is probably our best explanation for why this happened. Reminder: Bigsby has been fantastic as a rusher this season on his way to averaging an NFL-high 7.2 yards per carry. He still out-carried Johnson 7-to-6 despite the discrepancy in snaps; it'd make sense if a more neutral or even positive game script leads to 15-plus touches for the second-year talent—something that should be on the table with the Jags currently sitting as 5.5-point favorites over the lowly Patriots.

Note that this Patriots defense has hardly been a unit to overly fear this season. Overall, they've allowed the fourth-most PPR points per game to opposing RBs, specifically already allowing solid afternoons at the office to more than a few individuals:

• 49ers RB Jordan Mason (24 carries-123 yards-1 TD)
• Texans RB Joe Mixon (13-102-1) and Dameon Pierce (8-76-1)
• Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright (13-86-0) and Raheem Mostert (19-80-0)
• Jets RB Braelon Allen (11-55-0) and Breece Hall (16-54-1)

While we aren't exactly looking at a locked-in top-10 option at the position–there's too much risk for the Jaguars to suck or in fact split things more evenly than expected–I will be firing up Bigsby as a recommended top-15 start ahead of guys like De'Von Achane, Chase Brown, Najee Harris, and Bucky Irving among other RBs who also aren't exactly looking at clear-cut workhorse roles in Week 7.

Sadly, this is just one of MANY backfields that fantasy managers need to monitor this week.

7. Who are the preferred backups among the league's MANY injured RBs?

At the risk of making this article too depressing/long, we'll devote a maximum of two short sentences to the following injury-riddled backfields and what fantasy managers should do IF the starter does, in fact, miss Week 7:

• Browns RB Jerome Ford (hamstring): Considered week-to-week, but luckily Nick Chubb (knee) is tentatively expected to make his return this week anyway. If only, you know, he wasn't returning to the league's 30th-ranked scoring offense.
• Dolphins RB De'Von Achane (concussion): This offense is still at least a week away from getting Tua Tagovailoa (concussion, IR) back, so expectations for Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright should be tempered if Achane is, in fact, sidelined. Still, keep an eye on Wright in deeper leagues—he's impressed with his opportunities in recent weeks.
• Vikings RB Aaron Jones (hip): Was said to be week to week during the team's Week 6 bye, although the decision to trade for old pal Cam Akers doesn't inspire a ton of confidence in a Week 7 return. If out, Ty Chandler will suddenly be a volume-based RB2 inside of a Vikings offense currently implied to score 26 points—tied for the third-highest mark of Week 7.
• 49ers RB Jordan Mason (shoulder): Shouldn't be expected to handle his usual workhorse role even if healthy enough to suit up. Look for Isaac Guerendo to lead the way, although Patrick Taylor should also be involved—particularly on passing downs.
• Bills RB James Cook (foot): We saw Ray Davis run away with this backfilled during Cook's absence on Monday night; the rookie would be a recommended start as an upside RB2 if again thrust into the featured role in a home matchup against the Titans that should feature plenty of leading game script if the matchup's week-high 8.5-point spread means anything.
• Giants RB Devin Singletary (groin): Rookie Tyrone Tracy played a legit every-down role in Singletary's absence last week; he'd be tough to keep out of the top-15 conversation if "Motor" is again sidelined, even if boom expectations should be softened against the Eagles' solid front-seven.
• Cardinals RB James Conner (ankle): We would likely see Emari Demercado plenty involved in pass-first situations should Conner miss any game action, although it remains to be seen if that will be more at the level of someone like Dare Ogunbowale or Ty Johnson. Either way: Trey Benson is the recommended handcuff here, even if a true Connor-esque workhorse role seems unlikely.
• Bucs RB Rachaad White (foot): The continued absence of Shaun Alexander's favorite RB would (again) lead to Bucky Irving being a recommended RB2 start, although Sean Tucker also deserves RB3-level consideration coming off his massive Week 6. That said: Tucker's touches and, accordingly, production were heavily aided by the blowout game script at hand, something that seems far more unlikely ahead of this week's matchup with the Ravens.
• Titans RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring): Firmly expected to be sidelined for at least a week, meaning Tony Pollard should see something close to a three-down role and accordingly should be started in fantasy lineups of most shapes and sizes.
• Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (foot): Unclear if he'll be ready for the Patriots' London-themed matchup with the Jaguars. If not, Antonio Gibson should again work as the quasi-workhorse RB, even if that role isn't as sexy as it might be elsewhere inside the Patriots' low-scoring offense (as we saw last week).
• Commanders RB Brian Robinson (knee): The Commanders largely refrained from keeping Jeremy McNichols overly involved last week, leading to Austin Ekeler (73% snaps) playing as much as any reasonable fantasy investor could hope. Ekeler would be a legit top-12 play at the position against the lowly Panthers in Week 7 should B-Rob remain sidelined.
• Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle): While Trey Sermon should again be the favorite to soak up most of the available early-down carries, Tyler Goodson has looked a lot like the better backup over the past two weeks. Neither RB will be cracking the top-24 if JT is again sidelined due to the reality that the return of Anthony Richardson should lower the available goal-line and pass-game opportunities for both.

Yikes. That was rough to get through. It sure seems like that RB position deals with a lot of injuries. I wonder if there are any lesser-owned handcuffs that fantasy managers could look to be ahead on?

8. What low-owned handcuff RBs might be on the cover of NEXT week's waiver wire articles?

While the following backfields are lucky enough to not actively be dealing with an injury to their starter, that doesn't mean the associated RB2 couldn't be relied on at some point should disaster strike. Don't be afraid to dig deep on these potential *future* waiver wire darlings should you have the available bench space in deeper leagues:

• Texans RB Dameon Pierce (6% rostered in Yahoo leagues): Looked VERY healthy in his return to action after missing Weeks 2-5 with a hamstring injury. While Pierce's production behind Joe Mixon was heavily aided by a blowout game script, his involvement ahead of both Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale reflects the reality that he's likely one injury to Mixon away from soaking up 15-plus weekly opportunities inside a Texans offense that knows how to put up points. The trade of Akers to the Vikings thins out the Houston RB room.
• Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright (9%): I mentioned Wright in Question 6 as part of the potential solution to De'Von Achane (concussion) being out, but the presence of Raheem Mostert and this lowly rostership rate is worth highlighting here as well. The rookie has looked a lot like the team's best RB over the past few weeks and happens to be playing behind two RBs hardly known for maintaining good health. The ceiling here could be HIGH once Tua Tagovailoa is back under center.
• Packers RB Emanuel Wilson (12%): Has largely made the most out of his opportunities all season behind Josh Jacobs, and it remains unclear if/when MarShawn Lloyd (ankle, IR) will return. Lloyd is indeed eligible to return this week, but Wilson has played well enough to potentially hold on to the RB2 job, thus making him one injury away from working as the lead back in the league's eighth-ranked scoring offense.

OK, enough of looking at the future: Let's dig into some juicy matchup nuggets ahead of Week 7 specifically.

9. What are the biggest on-paper mismatches in Week 7?

Every week I put together a group of charts meant to provide easy-to-decipher matchup advantages on both sides of the ball in a handful of categories. This includes combined explosive pass/run-play rates, pressure, yards before contact, pass yards per dropback, and EPA per play. The idea is to have one metric to show a mismatch instead of always going, "Offense ranks X, defense ranks Y."

Without further adieu: The week's biggest mismatches in these ever-important categories. Feel free to click on any of the below categories for a full chart.

• Explosive passing offense: The Buccaneers, Ravens, and Lions passing games appear to be set up quite well. However, the Browns, Saints, and Seahawks aren't looking too hot at the moment ahead of their tough respective matchups.
• Explosive running offense: The Eagles, Colts, Packers, and Cardinals all look poised to do good things on the ground this week. Meanwhile, the Chiefs and Rams, in particular, look to have their work cut out for them.
• Pressure: The Dolphins, Commanders, Jets, and Buccaneers look ready to provide plenty of clean pockets this week, while the Eagles, 49ers, Saints, and Steelers could be facing more pressure than they'd prefer.
• Yards before contact per carry: RBs from the Ravens, Eagles, and Chiefs might have more clear runways than usual this week, but the opposite is true for the Jets, Steelers, and Lions.
• Pass yards per dropback: The best set up passing attacks look like the Commanders, Buccaneers, Ravens, 49ers, and Lions this week, while the worst look like the Browns, Titans, and Steelers.
• EPA per play: Ravens-Buccaneers stands out as THE shootout of the week, whereas Broncos-Saints looks like the marquee defensive slugfest.

10. Ranking every game of the week from a biased entertainment perspective

I remain steadfast in the idea that no NFL game is inherently "bad." Complaining about specific matchups is ignoring the reality that relatively *bad* football is so much better than *no* football; we should NEVER dismiss any given 60 minutes of professional action on the gridiron.

With that said: Some matchups are indeed more awesome than others, so let's take a quick second to rank every matchup of the week in terms of what I'm looking forward to most through my own biased lenses:

1. Lions-Vikings. A battle not only between the top two teams in the suddenly loaded NFC North, but also between the top two teams in overall point differential in the entire league! I can't imagine telling someone three years ago that I literally can't wait to watch Jared Goff and Sam Darnold duel, but here we are.
2. Texans-Packers. A battle between two of the league's brightest young stars under center in C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love. Get your popcorn ready for this potential shootout.
3. Chiefs-49ers. The Super Bowl rematch is surrounded by otherwise meh games in the late Sunday afternoon time slot, making round two of Patrick Mahomes vs. Brock Purdy that much more of a treat. Here's to hoping both offenses really find their footing after an injury-riddled, up-and-down first six weeks of the season.
4. Ravens-Buccaneers. There's a bit of a tier drop after this one, but make no mistake about it: A matchup pitting two of the league's three highest-scoring teams is must-watch television, even if the other Monday Night Football game also has the potential to be pretty damn good.
5. Eagles-Giants. This Philly offense becomes quite a bit more fun to watch with both of its top-tier WRs (funny how that works), and how could you not be pumped about the Saquon Barkley revenge game. Meanwhile, the Giants should be getting stud rookie WR Malik Nabers back soon, which is bad news for an Eagles secondary that has hardly limited opponents from flying this season.
6. Chargers-Cardinals. The other Monday Night Football game: Justin Herbert and Kyler Murray will kickoff at 9 p.m. ET next Monday in a battle between two of the league's highest-paid QBs. Of course, neither signal-caller has exactly been putting up big-time numbers through the air this season, which is the only reason why this one is as low as it is.
7. Panthers-Commanders. The Jayden Daniels experience has become weekly must-watch TV, especially with the Commanders defense being bad enough to also usually keep both offenses keeping the pedal to the metal for 60 minutes. Vegas certainly thinks that will be the case again this week: No matchup has a higher game total (51.5) than this one.
8. Titans-Bills. Will Will Levis' generational meme run continue? We'll find out against Josh Allen and Co. Allen is probably the sort of QB that Levis sees when he looks at himself in the mirror. Extra points here for Amari Cooper's Buffalo debut.
9. Jets-Steelers. Sunday Night Football wouldn't be ranked this high if it weren't for the newfound presence of Davante Adams in green and white, as well as Russell Wilson likely under center in Pittsburgh. The latter situation certainly flamed out in a major way considering the rough matchup, but then again that would still be entertaining for everyone except Steelers fans.
10. Seahawks-Falcons. The Ryan Grubb-led Seahawks offense has aired the ball out to their heart's desires this season and they suddenly need a win to snap a three-game skid. Of course, that won't come easy against Kirk Cousins and Co., who seem to have finally caught their stride and now look to seize control of the NFC South should the Bucs fall to the Ravens.
11. Bengals-Browns. Joe Burrow and Co. put on a good show on offense more weeks than not, and the Deshaun Watson experience has become so bad that it's *almost* fun to watch. Look for the Browns to SHOOT up these rankings on a weekly basis if/when Jameis Winston gets the nod.
12. Patriots-Jaguars. Another early-morning London kickoff features Drake Maye (fun!) vs. Trevor Lawrence (not so fun!). Don't expect overly good football here—these are two of the league's four 1-5 teams—but the potential to watch Doug Pederson get fired in another country is admittedly intriguing.
13. Dolphins-Colts. The expected return of Anthony Richardson under center provides more volatility for better or worse to this Colts offense. That's about all this one has going for it, as the Greatest Show on Surf has been a rather miserable experience without Tua Tagovailoa (concussion, IR).
14. Raiders-Rams. The hopeful return of Cooper Kupp (ankle) may ignite the Rams' 24th-ranked scoring offense, while the Raiders … have Brock Bowers? That's all I got, but yeah, he is awesome!
15. Broncos-Saints. Bo Nix vs. Spencer Rattler is the exact sort of shitty QB matchup that Thursday Night Football deserves. The week-low 37-point game total reflects the reality that we shouldn't expect anything close to "good" football, which is exactly how I like my bad Thursday night matchups.

11. Three bold predictions for Week 7:

Every week I'll put my reputation on the line regarding a handful of players I believe could outperform their general fantasy-related expectations. The majority will NOT work out—they wouldn't be bold otherwise—but will that stop me? Hell no!

Without further adieu: Let's get weird.

• Giants WR Malik Nabers. Travis Scott concert rumors and comments on Nabers' sideline fit have distracted from the fact that we're looking at one of the game's most exciting rookie WRs here. Brian Daboll has already proven willing to force-feed the 21-year-old talent, which makes the matchup with the Eagles' already meh secondary before potentially losing Darius Slay (knee) awfully appetizing. I'm calling for 150 yards and two trips to the end zone for the No. 6 overall pick.
• Rams RB Kyren Williams. Don't let the potential return of Cooper Kupp distract from the fact that Williams has served as the engine of this Los Angeles offense all season long. This offense should be healthier than it has been in a minute coming off the bye, which could be a tall task for a Raiders team seemingly lacking motivation to live at the moment. I got Kyren going for 150-plus total yards and finding the end zone not once, not twice, but three times against Maxx Crosby and Co.
• Commanders WR Noah Brown. I know I've gone a bit chalky with the first two, so let's get really wonky now: Brown is coming off a season-high 8 targets and leads the NFL in DPI yards gained this season. The matchup is pristine, and we fully expect Jayden Daniels to throw for quite a few yards. I'm sure Terry McLaurin will get his, but don't sleep on Brown making the most out of his opportunities as well. I'm calling for a 6-80-2 performance from the same man who boomed on several occasions for the Texans last year.

Players highlighted last week and results: David Montgomery (12-80-2), Dontayvion Wicks (1-9-0, injured after 10 snaps), and Tank Dell (7-57-1).