It has been an emotional roller coaster in the fantasy football world so far this season. Through six weeks of ups and downs, fantasy managers are now used to the continuous shuffling of rosters due to newfound and lingering injuries and the emergence of bye weeks. Enter Week 7, which has been dubbed ‘Bye Week Armageddon’, where six teams are on a bye. So where can value be found among some of the lesser valued fantasy football assets? Here’s a rundown of the key players in the top four skill positions that will play above their value in fantasy football in Week 7.
Fantasy Football: Value Players to Target in Week 7
Quarterback: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
A few weeks ago, the thought of having Matt Ryan as a starting quarterback on a fantasy roster would have been incredibly laughable. The Atlanta Falcons offensive production has been thoroughly disappointing this season, even when playing in mostly negative game-script situations. While the likes of the highly sought-after pass-catching weapons of Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts have not quite met expectations, there have been some other interesting surprises along the way.
With big-named leaders such as Dak Prescott and Josh Allen on a bye this week, as well as Russell Wilson doing a stint on injured reserve, fantasy managers are running to the waiver wire to help their Week 7 chances of taking home a victory. Yet, over the past two weeks this quarterback has played, he has thrown for six touchdowns, no interceptions, over 600 yards, and averaged slightly over 25 fantasy points per game. That quarterback? Matt Ryan. His opponent this week? The defense that has allowed the fourth-most passing yards on the season: the Miami Dolphins.
Coming in as a low-end QB2 on the season (while only playing five games, as Atlanta’s bye week was last week), expect Ryan, who finished QB3 and QB11 over his past two games, to keep up his mid-to-low range QB1 performance this week as a great value start; potentially even a waiver wire add as a nice streaming option.
#MattRyan on 3rd Down (2021)
116.5 PR
43 of 58
74.1%
432 yards
7.4 YPA
5 TDs, 1 INT#Falcons #RiseUpATL pic.twitter.com/jfqDOwFqhB— Ryan Michael (@theryanmichael) October 13, 2021
Other Value Quarterbacks for Week 7: Tua Tagovailoa; Carson Wentz; Ryan Tannehill
Running Back: J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team
One of the most prolific pass-catching backs in recent fantasy football memory, J.D. McKissic is a great option for starting lineups in Week 7. The Washington Football Team running back recorded 80 receptions last year – behind only Alvin Kamara – while primarily being used as a passing-down tailback. In a year expected to be dominated by Antonio Gibson touches, McKissic already ranks eighth among running backs with 21 receptions through six games.
Although his usage has been all over the place in terms of fantasy value (three games with under five total fantasy points and three with 14 or more), McKissic should see more consistent production in PPR leagues going forward as Gibson has continued to give up pass-catching opportunities to him. On top of that, Gibson has been battling a stress fracture in his shin which has been causing him to be limited in recent games and could soon lead to missed time. While McKissic isn’t a three-down back by any means, he is continuously used out of the backfield in the passing game, and could see an uptick in playing time until Gibson is healthier.
Rookie Jaret Patterson has been an increasingly popular add off of waivers, as he projects to take the early-down work if Gibson were to miss any time. However, McKissic – who is currently ranked RB29 in half PPR leagues – is the more trusted back with the most value going into Week 7, in a game their lousy defense will have them surely playing from behind in versus Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. After leading the team in catches (eight) and receiving yards (65) in Week 6, McKissic is a great FLEX option that could jump to RB2-status if Gibson were to miss this week (and beyond).
JD McKissic target share per game since Week 1: 14.6%
Antonio Gibson target share per game since Week 1: 6.4%— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) October 17, 2021
Other Value Running Backs for Week 7: Miles Sanders; Chase Edmonds; A.J. Dillon
Wide Receiver: Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
Want to know who leads the NFL in receiving percentage (77.8%) for wide receivers that have had 35 or more targets thrown their way? Sterling Shepard is turning out to be a fantasy bright spot on a decimated New York Giants offense. Coming into 2021, there were a lot of potentially decent pass-catching options for the mostly lackluster Daniel Jones, and it was hard to get behind any of them in particular during drafts. However, with an uptick in Jones’ performance early on in the season, Shepard became a favorite weapon out of the slot for the Giants signal caller.
In the three full games he’s played in this season, Shepard averaged 11 targets and 8.7 catches per game, and accumulated 283 yards and a score. Reeling in a 23.8% target share, with essentially all of New York’s other offensive weapons at risk of missing Week 7, Shepard is a locked-in FLEX option with WR2 upside with an enormous workload coming against the Carolina Panthers.
🚨Week 6 – WR Targets🚨
Leaders in WR targets in Wk 6:
Sterling Shepard (14)
Courtland Sutton (14)
Justin Jefferson (14)
Antonio Brown (13)
Adam Thielen (13)
Brandin Cooks (13)
D.J. Moore (13)
Diontae Johnson (13)
Jaylen Waddle (13)— FanShare Sports (@FanShareSports) October 20, 2021
Other Value Wide Receivers for Week 7: Jakobi Meyers; Jaylen Waddle; Tim Patrick
Tight End: Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins
At the sparsest position in football, along with some bye weeks and injuries over the first six weeks of the season (i.e. George Kittle, Dawson Knox, and Dalton Schultz), Mike Gesicki of the Miami Dolphins has been a quietly productive breath of fresh air at the tight end spot. Topping at least 13.5 fantasy points (half PPR) in three of his last four games, Gesicki hasn’t seen less than six targets since Week 1. His most impressive (and reliable) feat has been his ability to gain yards through the air, where his 342 receiving yards ranks fifth among tight ends. Even being limited to just one touchdown this season, Gesicki is currently sitting at TE8 on the year. Gesicki has an enticing matchup against a vulnerable Atlanta Falcons defense in Week 7 and is poised to continue his run as a mid-tier TE1 with top-5 upside at the position.
Mike Gesicki had 4 catches of 20+ yards in Week 6
Most in a game by a TE this season pic.twitter.com/llwEpIJQsk
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) October 18, 2021
Other Value Tight Ends for Week 7: Ricky Seals-Jones; Zach Ertz; Tommy Tremble
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
