Fantasy Football WR Rankings Week 7: Who to start, best sleepers at wide receiver

Nick Musial

Fantasy Football WR Rankings Week 7: Who to start, best sleepers at wide receiver image

We’re approaching the midway point of the fantasy football regular season, and navigating injuries and bye weeks is inevitable for every fantasy owner. Although wide receiver is far and away the deepest position in fantasy football, a large chunk of the wide receiver pool is depleted with six teams on bye, casting a pall on our Week 7 fantasy WR rankings for standard leagues.

Fortunately, it's not all bad news, as there were very few new WR injuries last week and we'll likely be getting one key receiver back from the IR. Still, there's no doubt plenty of fantasy owners will be digging deep this week, and they might have to rely on more boom-or-bust options than usual.

With that in mind, let's break down our rankings and try to find Week 7's top breakouts and potential busts at receiver.

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Which WRs are on bye in Week 7?

With the Cowboys, Panthers, Texans, Titans, Jets, and Bengals on bye, fantasy owners must make do without several fantasy-relevant WRs in Week 7, most notably Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Adam Thielen, Garrett Wilson, Tee Higgins, DeAndre Hopkins, and Nico Collins. That's a murderer's row of WR1s and WR2s.

WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

In deeper leagues, fantasy owners won’t have the services of DJ Chark, Tyler Boyd, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Robert Woods, and Allen Lazard.

WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Who are the best fantasy WRs in Week 7?

Tyreek Hill (@ Eagles in Week 7) returns to the top spot in our Week 7 rankings, facing a Philadelphia defense that entered Week 6, allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to WRs. Stefon Diggs (@ Patriots) is always a threat to end the week as the overall fantasy WR1, especially facing a Patriots defense that allowed plenty of chunk gains to the Raiders in Week 6.

Davante Adams (vs. Bears) might not have his QB1 out there with him, but even with backup Brian Hoyer running the offense, Adams is capable of going nuclear against a lackluster Bears coverage unit. Expect a big bounce-back after a quiet couple of weeks for Adams.

Cooper Kupp (vs. Steelers) hasn’t skipped a beat through two weeks, while A.J. Brown (vs. Dolphins) has been an aDOT monster. Keenan Allen (@ Chiefs) could have a vintage performance against the Chiefs in another potential shootout between two AFC West foes. 

WEEK 7 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em

Who are the best fantasy WR sleepers, waiver pickups in Week 7?

For fantasy owners in need of viable bye-week or injury fill-ins, consider Kendrick Bourne (vs. Bills), Josh Downs (@ Browns), Rashee Rice (vs. Chargers), Rashid Shaheed (vs. Jaguars), Jameson Williams (@ Ravens), and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (vs. Cardinals). Bourne draws a challenging matchup against a stout Bills defense, but a pass-heavy offensive approach plays into his hands in what's likely a negative game script. Downs is in a similar situation, but with fellow WR Alec Pierce dealing with a shoulder injury, Downs could assume a high target share.

Rice's role within the Chiefs offense is steadily increasing, as he has sleeper appeal in Week 7 and is a the rest of the season. Shaheed's big-play ability makes him a worthwhile free-agent acquisition in standard formats. Ditto for Williams. Smith-Njigba had his best game of his young career and looks to one-up his Week 6 performance against a struggling Cardinals defense.

In deeper leagues, fantasy owners should consider Mack Hollins (@ Buccaneers), Jauan Jennings (@ Vikings), Trey Palmer (vs. Falcons), and Michael Wilson (@ Seahawks).

WEEK 7 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks

Who are the biggest potential WR busts in Week 7?

Although the Browns' defense entered Week 6 allowing the FPPG to WRs, not many fantasy owners will bench Michael Pittman Jr. or Downs because of a tough matchup. We're not advising you to bench either wideout, but given how sound Cleveland's defense is, it won't be overly surprising if either WR has an off game.

That said, we'd be cautious to start Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton (vs. Packers) in Week 7. Yes, Sutton had a solid Week 6 fantasy showing, but a garbage-time touchdown boosted his day, which is rather unsustainable. 

Josh Reynolds (@ Ravens) saw his role decrease with Amon-Ra St. Brown back in the fold, and with Jameson Williams becoming more of a factor within Detroit's offense, Reynolds' fantasy value in standard formats is slowly evaporating. 

Other WRs to watch in tough matchups include Gabriel Davis (@ Patriots), DeVante Parker (vs. Bills), George Pickens and Diontae Johnson (@ Rams), and Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston (@ Chiefs).

What are the biggest WR injuries in Week 7?

Among WRs on teams not on bye in Week 7, Zay Jones (knee) is the lone WR who could return to action after missing Week 6. Jones has some flex appeal in standard leagues, but if Trevor Lawrence's knee injury is more severe than we expect, Jones might be worth benching if he's active for Thursday night's matchup against the Saints.

Thankfully, we mostly avoided the injury bug at the wide receiver position in Week 6, as Deebo Samuel (shoulder) and Pierce (shoulder) were the most notable WRs to get banged up during game action. For now, we've omitted both from our initial Week 7 rankings but will monitor their respective team's injury reports during the week to get a feel for their playing statuses.

Additionally, fantasy owners should expect Diontae Johnson (@ Rams) to return from a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1. If we receive news that Johnson isn't on a snap count, he's worth starting this week despite a tough matchup.

As usual, we'll update these standard WR rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.

Fantasy WR Rankings Week 7: Who to start, sit at wide receiver

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring

Rank    Player
1    Tyreek Hill, Dolphins @ Eagles
2    Stefon Diggs, Bills @ Patriots
3    Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. Steelers
4    A.J. Brown, Eagles vs. Dolphins
5    Davante Adams, Raiders vs. Bears
6    Keenan Allen, Chargers @ Chiefs
7    Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions @ Ravens
8    Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers @ Vikings
9    DK Metcalf, Seahawks vs. Cardinals
10    Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins @ Eagles
11    Chris Olave, Saints vs. Jaguars
12    DJ Moore, Bears vs. Raiders
13    Mike Evans, Buccaneers vs. Falcons
14    Michael Pittman Jr., Colts vs. Browns
15    George Pickens, Steelers @ Rams
16    Christian Watson, Packers @ Broncos
17    Amari Cooper, Browns @ Colts
18    Terry McLaurin, Commanders @ Giants
19    Drake London, Falcons @ Buccaneers
20    Puka Nacua, Rams vs. Steelers
21    DeVonta Smith, Eagles vs. Dolphins
22    Jordan Addison, Vikings vs. 49ers
23    Calvin Ridley, Jaguars @ Saints
24    Marquise Brown, Cardinals @ Seahawks
25    Gabe Davis, Bills @ Patriots
26    Tyler Lockett, Seahawks vs. Cardinals
27    Zay Flowers, Ravens vs. Lions
28    K.J. Osborn, Vikings vs. 49ers
29    Christian Kirk, Jaguars @ Saints
30    Jakobi Meyers, Raiders @ Bears
31    Chris Godwin, Buccaneers vs. Falcons
32    Joshua Palmer, Chargers @ Chiefs
33    Diontae Johnson, Steelers @ Rams
34    Michael Thomas, Saints vs. Jaguars
35    Kendrick Bourne, Patriots vs. Bills
36    Jerry Jeudy, Broncos vs. Packers
37    Rashee Rice, Chiefs vs. Chargers
38    Courtland Sutton, Broncos vs. Packers
39    Romeo Doubs, Packers @ Broncos
40    Curtis Samuel, Commanders @ Giants
41    Michael Wilson, Cardinals @ Seahawks
42    Rashid Shaheed, Saints vs. Jaguars
43    Kadarius Toney, Chiefs vs. Chargers
44    Josh Reynolds, Lions @ Ravens
45    Josh Downs, Colts vs. Browns
46    Jameson Williams, Lions @ Ravens
47    DeVante Parker, Patriots vs. Bills
48    Darnell Mooney, Bears vs. Raiders
49    Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks vs. Cardinals
50    Marvin Mims Jr., Broncos vs. Packers
51    Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants vs. Commanders
52    Elijah Moore, Browns @ Colts
53    Jahan Dotson, Commanders @ Giants
54    Nelson Agholor, Ravens vs. Lions
55    Darius Slayton, Giants vs. Commanders
56    Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chiefs vs. Chargers
57    Quentin Johnston, Chargers @ Chiefs
58    Jauan Jennings, 49ers @ Vikings
59    Skyy Moore, Chiefs vs. Chargers
60    Trey Palmer, Buccaneers vs. Falcons
61    Jayden Reed, Packers @ Broncos
62    Mack Hollins, Falcons @ Buccaneers
63    Odell Beckham Jr., Ravens vs. Lions
64    Jalin Hyatt, Giants vs. Commanders
65    Tyquan Thornton, Patriots vs. Bills
66    Rondale Moore, Cardinals @ Seahawks
67    Tutu Atwell, Rams vs. Steelers
68    Allen Robinson II, Steelers @ Rams
69    Jake Bobo, Seahawks vs. Cardinals

Week 7 WR fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks

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Nick Musial

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Nick Musial is a Content Producer at The Sporting News. He recently joined the team after studying sport management and journalism at the University of Kansas. Nick’s an avid sports bettor who’s always looking for value.