Week 7 Fantasy WR Rankings: Must-starts, sleepers, potential busts at wide receiver

Matt Lutovsky

Week 7 Fantasy WR Rankings: Must-starts, sleepers, potential busts at wide receiver image

This is about as good as it gets for wide receivers during a four-team bye week. The Dolphins, Vikings, Colts, and Ravens being off takes away a few key guys (Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, DeVante Parker, Marquise Brown), but overall, our Week 7 fantasy WR rankings aren't affected too much -- and there are plenty of potential sleepers out there who can pick up the slack for them.

You could actually argue our rankings are as strong as they've been since Week 1, as Michael Thomas, Chris Godwin, Davante Adams, Julio Jones, and A.J. Brown are all healthy and safely slotted in the top 12. With Keenan Allen (back) and Diontae Johnson (back) both expected to return this week, our rankings are both top heavy and deep. (Update: We spoke too soon: Thomas, along with Emmanuel Sanders and John Brown, have been ruled out for Week 7.)

WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

The outlook isn't rosy for every notable receiver, though. The Rams duo of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp have a tough matchup against the Bears, while Julian Edelman faces a banged-up-but-still decent 49ers defense. Of course, Edelman has bigger worries in the form of the Patriots stagnant offense, but he's still seeing a steady amount of targets (and his two pass attempts last game didn't hurt either). Dallas' WRs get a tough matchup with Washington, and San Francisco's Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are also in tough spots against the Patriots. Henry Ruggs (vs. Buccaneers) could also be a stayaway after his breakout game.

WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Fortunately, a host of young WRs continue to play well, including Chase Claypool (@ Titans), Tim Patrick (vs. Chiefs), Tee Higgins (vs. Browns), and Travis Fulgham (vs. Giants). Claypool and Higgins look like must-starts at this point, especially in their respective matchups this week, and Patrick and Fulgham aren't far behind after each turning in three straight good games. Their matchups aren't quite as strong on paper, but they're tough to sit. Fulgham's outlook could change if either DeSean Jackson (hamstring) or Alshon Jeffery (foot) finally return, though. Christian Kirk (vs. Seahawks), Keelan Cole and Laviska Shenault (@ Chargers), Damarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman (@ Broncos), Cole Beasley (@ Jets), A.J. Green (vs. Browns), and, if you're really looking for a deep pull, Dontrelle Inman (vs. Cowboys) also have the look of potentially worthwhile sleepers. 

WEEK 7 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

Speaking of returns, Sterling Shepard (toe) has a good chance of taking the field for the first time since Week 2, and given Golden Tate's lack of involvement in the offense, Shepard could produce like he did in Week 1 when he caught all six targets for 47 yards. It's tough to recommend starting him with how poor New York's offense has looked, but he's a potential flex in PPR leagues if you need him. 

WEEK 7 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKingsFanDuel

Overall, it should be another strong week for WRs. Fantasy owners took some duds from a few marquee guys last week (Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Evans), but when it comes to players that talented, it's safe to expect a quick bounce back. Keep them in your lineups and enjoy the production.

MORE WEEK 7 DFS: Best stacks | Best valuesLineup Builder

Note: Check back all week leading up to kickoff, as we'll continue to update our WR rankings and add analysis based on the latest news and injuries.

Week 7 Fantasy WR Rankings (Standard)

These rankings are for non-PPR leagues.

Rank Player
1 DeAndre Hopkins, ARI vs. SEA
2 Kenny Golladay, DET @ ATL
3 Calvin Ridley, ATL vs. DET
4 Davante Adams, GB @ HOU
5 Tyreek Hill, KC @ DEN
6 DK Metcalf, SEA @ ARI
7 Julio Jones, ATL vs. DET
8 Chris Godwin, TB @ LV
9 Mike Evans, TB @ LV
10 Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. DAL
11 A.J. Brown, TEN vs. PIT
12 DJ Chark, JAX @ LAC
13 Stefon Diggs, BUF @ NYJ
14 Robby Anderson, CAR @ NO
15 Keenan Allen, LAC vs. JAX
16 Tyler Boyd, CIN vs. CLE
17 Odell Beckham Jr., CLE @ CIN. OBJ caught just two-of-four targets for 25 yards last week, but when he faced the Browns in Week 2, he hauled in four passes for 74 yards and a TD. Beckham's targets had been steady until last week (7.8/game in Weeks 1-5), so he's in a good spot to bounce back in a neutral-to-favorable matchup. 
18 Tyler Lockett, SEA @ ARI
19 Amari Cooper, DAL @ WAS
20 Allen Robinson, CHI @ LAR. Fantasy owners always get nervous when their WRs are facing "shutdown corners" like Jalen Ramsey, but No. 1 receivers have had some success against the Rams this year. Amari Cooper (10-81), Stefon Diggs (4-49, TD), and Deebo Samuel (6-66, TD) had decent games, and while Cooper racked up some numbers in garbage time and most of Samuel's completions came behind the line of scrimmage, it's still fair to expect a decent game from someone who's targeted as often as Robinson (at least nine in every game this year). 
21 Will Fuller V, HOU vs. GB
22 JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT @ TEN. We might have Smith-Schuster overranked here, as his season high is 69 receiving yards, and over the past four games, he's averaged 4.3 catches for 31.3 yards. He's saved his value, or at least the perception of his value, with three total TDs and a two-point conversion on the year. Still, it's troubling that JuJu has seen a decline in production with Diontae Johnson (back) out, and it seems as if rookie Chase Claypool has passed him as the primary down-field threat. We're not going to completely write off JuJu, especially in a favorable matchup against a Titans defense allowing over 26.2 fantasy points per game to WRs, but his WR2 status is hanging by a thread. 
23 Christian Kirk, ARI vs. SEA
24 Darius Slayton, NYG @ PHI. Slayton has had three good games and three poor games, and given the staleness of the Giants offense, it's tough to make him much more than a WR3 in anything but the most favorable matchups. Philadelphia technically qualifies as a favorable matchup, as it allows the seventh-most FPPG to WRs, though it's important to note that those numbers are a bit inflated because of a couple WR rushing touchdowns. Nonetheless, Slayton remains New York's top wide receiver (even if Sterling Shepard returns from his toe injury) and most likely to score, so he's worth using this week. 
25 Tee Higgins, CIN vs. CLE. Higgins has averaged 4.4 catches and 7.6 targets per game since the start of Week 2, and he's coming off the first 100-yard game of his career. Cleveland has been better against the pass the past two weeks, but it still ranks it the top five in FPPG allowed to WRs. Higgins has earned his spot as a WR3, especially in favorable matchups like this. 
26 Diontae Johnson, PIT @ TEN. Johnson (back) is expected to return after a week off, but it's unclear if he'll have the same role that netted him 17 targets in the only two full games he's played this year. Chase Claypool has emerged and will continue to siphon targets, but Johnson still figures to get the most looks on underneath routes. That doesn't always translate to a lot of yards, but Johnson still has upside in this favorable matchup. 
27 Marvin Jones, DET @ ATL. Jones has turned in two straight games with single-digit yardage, so this ranking is all about the matchup. Atlanta entered Week 5 allowing the seventh-most FPPG to WRs and promptly gave up a combined 217 yards and three TDs to Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. Jones is overdue for one of his patented big plays, and this is the type matchup he typically does it in. 
28 Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. CHI. Kupp busted in Week 6, but he dropped a sure touchdown and lost another potential long gain in the lights. He still had nine targets, though, giving him an average of 8.5 over the past four games. Kupp will get going again eventually, and even though Chicago boasts a top-10 pass defense, it gave up at least 77 yards to both of Carolina's top receivers last week. The Rams have a similar 1-2 punch, so both Kupp and Robert Woods are in play as WR3s. 
29 Mike Williams, LAC vs. JAX. Williams is coming off a five-game, 109-yard, two-TD game prior to the Chargers' bye, and while he was certainly aided by Keenan Allen (back) exiting early, Williams still showed off his big-play/jump-ball ability on several occasions. He's a classic "it only takes one" receiver, and against the Jags, who were just burned for over 100 yards by the similarly skilled Kenny Golladay, Williams will have at least a few chances to make big plays. 
30 Robert Woods, LAR vs. CHI. See Cooper Kupp. 
31 Tre'Quan Smith, NO vs. CAR. 
32 CeeDee Lamb, DAL @ WAS
33 D.J. Moore, CAR @ NO
34 Travis Fulgham, PHI vs. NYG
35 Tim Patrick, DEN vs. KC
36 Cole Beasley, BUF @ NYJ
37 Chase Claypool, PIT @ TEN
38 Brandon Aiyuk, SF @ NE
39 Jerry Jeudy, DEN vs. KC
40 Jarvis Landry, CLE @ CIN
41 Deebo Samuel, SF @ NE
42 Henry Ruggs III, LV vs. TB
43 Keelan Cole, JAX vs. LAC
44 Laviska Shenault Jr., JAX @ LAC
45 Julian Edelman, NE vs. SF
46 Brandin Cooks, HOU vs. GB
47 Corey Davis, TEN vs. PIT
48 Russell Gage, ATL vs. DET
49 N'Keal Harry, NE vs. SF
50 A.J. Green, CIN vs. CLE
51 Dontrelle Inman, WAS vs. DAL
52 Breshad Perriman, NYJ vs. BUF
53 Sterling Shepard, NYG @ PHI
54 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB @ HOU
55 Jeff Smith, NYJ vs. BUF
56 Demarcus Robinson, KC vs. DEN
57 Michael Gallup, DAL @ WAS
58 Larry Fitzgerald, ARI vs. SEA
59 Mecole Hardman, KC @ DEN
60 DeSean Jackson, PHI vs. NYG
61 Greg Ward Jr., PHI vs. NYG
62 Denzel Mims, NYJ vs. BUF
63 Marquez Callaway, NO vs. CAR
64 David Moore, SEA @ ARI
65 Randall Cobb, HOU vs. GB
66 Danny Amendola, DET @ ATL
67 Hunter Renfrow, LV vs. TB
68 Golden Tate, NYG @ PHI
69 Nelson Agholor, LV vs. TB
70 Damiere Byrd, NE vs. SF
71 Andy Isabella, ARI vs. SEA
72 Scotty Miller, TB @ LV
73 Darnell Mooney, CHI @ LAR
74 James Washington, PIT @ TEN
75 Adam Humphries, TEN vs. PIT
76 John Hightower, PHI vs. NYG
77 Curtis Samuel, CAR @ NO
78 Josh Reynolds, LAR vs. CHI
79 Gabriel Davis, BUF @ NYJ
80 Kendrick Bourne, SF @ NE
81 Anthony Miller, CHI @ LAR

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.