Fantasy Football: Week 7 predictions to count on

The Yahoo team highlights several players they feel will deliver memorable Week 7 performances in your fantasy football lineups.

All in on Josh Downs

Josh Downs is a guy I’m playing this week even with Anthony Richardson back in the lineup. Joe Flacco brings a bit of stability but was far from perfect himself. He was prone to overthrowing pass catchers and turning the ball over, even if the misses weren’t as egregious as Richardson’s. It’s also worth noting that we have yet to see a healthy Downs and Richardson play together for any extensive action this season, as Downs was coming off a preseason high ankle sprain.

Downs is the type of layup receiver who can ease accuracy woes for a quarterback. The coaching staff is likely to prioritize those throws in Richardson’s return and dial back his admirable early-season aggression. This will be especially critical against a tough Dolphins defense that specializes in interior pressure. A guy like Downs, who is ultra talented and had been targeted on over 35% of his routes run the last three games, per Fantasy Points Data, is a tough player to put on your bench. There’s a real chance he’s the best receiver on the Colts roster and still isn’t viewed that way by the fantasy community. — Matt Harmon

Tank Dell continues his bounce-back campaign

Tank Dell may not yet be fully back to his pre-injury rookie form, but he certainly appears to be mostly back. Dell was excellent last week against the Patriots, catching seven of his nine targets with a short TD included. He also ranked among the leaders in first-read target share according to Fantasy Points Data — a promising sign.

At his best, Dell is an explosive playmaker with freakish change-of-direction ability. He won’t lack opportunities this week in a potential shootout with Green Bay, a defense that’s allowed the eighth most passing yards per game. Dell’s best stat line of the season is about to drop. Fire him up ahead of a potential top-10 positional finish. — Andy Behrens

Another big game for JuJu Smith-Schuster is in order

The Chiefs offense is driven by a shorter passing game these days, and that fed directly into JuJu Smith-Schuster’s wheelhouse back in Week 5. The only reason JuJu’s roster tag remains so low is because the Chiefs didn’t play in Week 6.

So long as Smith-Schuster is hale on game day — monitor his status closely, as he popped up on the injury report with a hamstring issue — I suspect he’s headed for another 6-8 catches, in part because the 49ers would prefer not to get beaten for deep connections elsewhere. I’ll dial up Smith-Schuster as a confident WR3 with his WR2 upside this week. — Scott Pianowski

Sam Darnold … a top-three QB?

Sam Darnold’s TD rate (8.0%) is sure to regress moving forward, but he’s also likely to average more than 27.4 passes per game on an offense with the fourth-highest PROE (+3.7%). An increase in volume should start Sunday against a pass-funnel Detroit defense that will miss Aidan Hutchinson tremendously. Darnold has averaged a whopping 12.1 YPA against man this season, a coverage the Lions have used at the league’s sixth-highest rate. Aided by a pass-heavy, fast-paced matchup, Darnold finishes as a top-three fantasy QB this week. — Dalton Del Don

Chuba Hubbard stays hot

Hubbard continues to be one of the best backs in all of fantasy. In Week 6, he earned a season-high 82% of the snaps and 86% of the backfield opportunities. He turned this strong usage into 103 total yards on 23 touches. Over the past four games, Hubbard ranks second in fantasy points behind only Derrick Henry. Hubbard has been great, and his success should continue this week.

Hubbard will take on the Washington Commanders. They allow the fourth most rushing yards per play and the most explosive runs of 10+ yards this season according to NFL Pro. This is a great spot for Hubbard, who is averaging 5.4 yards per touch on the season. Expect another strong showing from the former Oklahoma State back. — Sal Vetri