It's vacation week in the NFL. A league once comprised of 32 teams is now down to just 26 in Week 7, and that number is cut down to 20 for DFS main slate lineups thanks to the six squads on bye and another six in prime time. Planning a vacation can be difficult, especially in terms of money, as your once-meticulous budget quickly becomes a "guideline" more than anything else.
That's where we find ourselves with our FanDuel lineup. We're left with $60,000 to spend and very few great options to spend it on to make it all work. Since crafting a great DFS lineup is like conducting an orchestra, we'll need to be crafty with our approach.
WEEK 7 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Before we break down our picks and strategy, here are the most notable scoring rules for FanDuel contests: four-point passing TDs and half-point PPR.
WEEK 7 DFS:
DK lineup | Best values | Best stacks
FanDuel Picks Week 7: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $60,000 budget
QB Geno Smith, Seahawks vs. Cardinals ($7,000). Smith failed to throw a touchdown pass against the Bengals in Week 6, marking the first time he didn't this season. It was a tough game for the Seattle offense; however, they are set to return home in a perfect get-right spot against the Cardinals. Arizona has been frisky thus far, but the wheels are coming off slowly but surely. The Cards own the 28th-ranked defense and are allowing 27 points per game. Smith and the Seahawks should get back on a roll at home, making Geno our preferred quarterback option in what is a brutal week for DFS lineups.
RB Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks vs. Cardinals ($8,800). Our first stack of the Week 7 lineup comes in the form of Smith and Walker, who get sa defense that was just shredded for 158 yards and a TD by Kyren Williams in Week 6. Walker is still the preferred back in Seattle's offense, averaging just under 17 carries per game. However, he is yet to hit the century mark this season. Against a defense that is giving up 133.3 rushing yards per game, Walker should get there in Week 7, making him worth his price.
RB Saquon Barkley, Giants vs. Commanders ($8,300). Barkley returned from a high-ankle sprain earlier than expected in Week 6, causing many to wonder if he'd be on a snap count. Considering his workload, it's fair to assume that maybe the sky would've been the actual limit. Barkley carried the ball 24 times for 93 yards against a top-tier Buffalo defense. Despite the Bills missing their star linebacker Matt Milano, they still had an advantage over the Giants' porous offensive line. Barkley made the line look much better at times, giving us confidence heading into this divisional matchup with the Commanders. Washington is 23rd against the run, giving up 129 yards per game. Barkley also found the end zone against the Commanders in both games last season. Although the Giants didn't score a touchdown in Buffalo, they managed to hang around and almost win. Expect them to realize their best chance for success is relying on Barkley's legs.
WR Davante Adams, Raiders @ Bears ($8,000). As we've noted, there are plenty of teams on a bye in Week 7. The Raiders aren't among them, but they are part of the handful that will be dealing with injury concerns instead. Jimmy Garoppolo's status is up in the air, leaving Adams as an option that might be a bit underrated in the Windy City. Adams hasn't put together a season that we're used to seeing from him, but if we've learned one thing over the years, it's that he is quarterback-proof. That means we can start Adams with confidence if it's Garoppolo (back), Brian Hoyer, or Aidan O'Connell on Sunday. Without Jimmy G in Week 4, Adams still collected eight catches on 13 targets for 75 yards, and that came with a first-half that saw him mostly on the sideline thanks to injury. He famously told The Ringer in May, “A quarterback doesn’t make me...I make me," Adams said. "And I can do it consistently at this level."
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Mike Evans, Buccaneers vs. Falcons ($7,300). Evans didn't have the best showing in his return from a hamstring injury after the Buccaneers' bye week. However, the volume remained turned up, and that's what we care about. He managed just four catches for 49 yards, but the 10 targets have us thinking the arrow is pointing up heading into Week 7. Facing the Falcons doesn't represent the greatest matchup, but big-time players make big-time plays, and we have to have faith with the pickings being slim. Evans can be a boom-or-bust player at times, but as long as Baker Mayfield keeps throwing his way nearly 10 times a game, we'll trust the production to keep up with the volume. Also, Week 6 marked the first time Mayfield failed to connect with Evans for a touchdown in a game in which the receiver finished. After a sloppy game following the bye, Tampa will get back on track at home.
WR Zay Flowers, Ravens vs. Lions ($6,300). Much like Evans, we will trust talent more than matchup. The Lions boast an improved defense this season that hasn't truly received the credit it deserves. Plenty of people still remember Detroit for playing in tons of shootouts in 2022, failing to recognize the strides it's made. While the Lions deserve props, Flowers possesses a body of work that is also tough to ignore. He is clearly cemented as the Ravens' WR1 and just collected his first touchdown catch of his career. Considering Lamar Jackson and Flowers have left big plays on the field at times, we anticipate this connection will continue growing as the season continues. Now that he's broken the ice, expect more to come from this budding star.
WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
TE Luke Musgrave, Packers @ Broncos ($5,000). There's a new No. 1 in town, but not in a good way depending on your perspective. The Broncos have been one of the league's worst teams, but they also now own the worst TE defense in fantasy, allowing 13.7 fantasy points per game. Musgrave has gradually carved out a spot in the passing attack for the Packers, seeing 15 targets in his past two full games. As a player who's yet to find the end zone in his career, this is a prime spot for Musgrave to collect a souvenir and make a memory.
FLEX Rashee Rice, Chiefs vs. Chargers ($5,600). Rookies, rookies, and more rookies. Our third consecutive newcomer is another player who's seeing continued success. On a Chiefs team that might own the worst receiving room in the league, Rice rises above the rest as the true standout player thus far. All he does is produce, and it's time for K.C. to reward that. He just posted 72 yards on just four catches in Week 6, catching 21-of-28 targets on the season. With two touchdowns, the receiver has become a factor in the red zone and should continue that against a poor Chargers' secondary.
DEF New York Giants vs. Commanders ($3,400). There aren't a lot of defenses that excite us this week, so we're using all $3,400 of our remaining budget on the Giants at home. This is a defense that's been heavily criticized this season and rightfully so, but New York's offense has done it no favors. Wink Martindale's troops surprised with a big-time performance in Buffalo in a game that had many wondering how high they could bet the Bills' alternate spread. Against a division opponent and with Barkley back on offense, we like the Giants to control the clock and put forth another solid effort in front of the home crowd that's yet to see a touchdown at MetLife Stadium this season.
Best SuperDraft NFL DFS Picks for Week 7
This year, we're also listing our favorite DFS plays on SuperDraft.
For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.
MORE: Win BIG with SuperDraft! Get a free $10 deposit when you use promo code "TSN"!
Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft
- QB: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (Multiplier 1x)
- RB: Saquon Barkley, Giants (Multiplier 1.05x)
- RB: Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks (Multiplier 1.15x)
- WR: Cooper Kupp, Rams (Multiplier 1x)
- WR: Amari Cooper, Browns (Multiplier 1.35x)
- WR: Mike Evans, Buccaneers (Multiplier 1.25x)
- TE: Travis Kelce, Chiefs (Multiplier 1x)
- FLEX: RB Austin Ekeler, Chargers (Multiplier 1x)
For our SuperDraft lineup, we're thanking our lucky stars that there isn't a salary cap. With this week being one of the more difficult for DFS, we are going heavy on the chalky options from the Week 7 slate. We'll hope that the stars shine bright as the sleepers are mostly wide awake, leaving us with very few multiplier options who are worth taking big swings on.
