Fantasy Football Week 7: Rankings, Stat Projections and Top Waiver-Wire Adds

There are a lot of tough matchups for elite fantasy players in Week 7, which will cause fantasy owners headaches going into the week’s games.

The Pittsburgh Steelers-New England Patriots matchup looks to be a fantasy gold mine whether you own players on the Steelers or Patriots—as long as you don’t own either defense. However, the news of Ben Roethlisberger missing time due to a torn meniscus suffered against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook, affects the entire Steelers offense.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has a torn meniscus in left knee and will have surgery Monday morning. No timetable for his return.

— Ron Cook (@RonCookPG) October 17, 2016

With Landry Jones starting in Big Ben’s place, Antonio Brown’s numbers might fall. Same goes for Sammie Coates, Eli Rogers and Markus Wheaton. Le’Veon Bell may see a lot of action, but all the Patriots have to do is stop Bell from gaining any momentum. Let’s be realistic here: Jones won’t beat the Patriots using his arm. 

Being realistic in a game surrounded by projections and fantasy points is a difficult thing to do, but here we’ll take a look at Week 7’s top 10 players at each offensive position with projections from Yahoo Sports. 

Note: Roethlisberger is not listed below because of his injury, nor is Jay Cutler. Cutler may be healthy next week, but he’s not guaranteed to play due to the surprising play of backup Brian Hoyer. 

      

Quarterbacks

     

Boom: Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Outside of Tom Brady, Matt Ryan is the best fantasy option at the quarterback position, and in Week 7, Ryan is projected to score the most points at his position with 23.36. 

Ryan scored 22.60 points against a tough Seattle Seahawks defense in Seattle and will have a much easier time next week against a poor San Diego Chargers defense that has surrendered the sixth-most points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

While the Chargers defense looked like an entirely different unit last Thursday against the Denver Broncos with rookie Joey Bosa proving his worth as a pass-rusher, the Falcons are a much better offensive team than Denver.

Throw in the fact that the Chargers won’t have anyone to cover Julio Jones or Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman out of the backfield, and Ryan could easily score over 30 fantasy points. Start him with confidence. 

    

Bust: Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Some of the mystique surrounding Carson Wentz may have worn off after a poor showing against the Washington Redskins, even though it wasn’t his fault.

The Eagles offensive line was poor, giving up five sacks and leaving Wentz with no time to throw all game. Completing 11 of 22 passing attempts against a mediocre defense is not a good sign. It’s definitely a red flag going into Week 7, when Wentz will face the terrifying defense of the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off a bye week.

#Vikings Pass Defense on 3rd down allowing 27.2 QB Rating (0 TDs, 5 INTs, 5 Sacks). For perspective, the Lions are last w/ 140.9 QB Rating

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) October 12, 2016

The Vikings defense punishes quarterbacks and doesn’t give up any big plays. Wentz is projected to score 16.93 points, but even getting that is going to be difficult. 

      

Sleeper: Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Alex Smith has a great matchup against the New Orleans Saints next week, and he’s projected to score 19.34 fantasy points. Having Jamaal Charles back in the fold helps a lot, but the Chiefs offense has blossomed into something more than just a one-man show.

Spencer Ware is also a great option out of the backfield, and Travis Kelce is arguably a top-five tight end in the NFL when healthy. Add Jeremy Maclin to the mix against a Saints defense that gives up a ridiculous amount of points each week, and Smith could have himself a day.

On defense, the #Vikings give up the fewest points per drive (1.11), while the #Saints are the NFL’s worst, giving up 2.95 points per drive.

— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) October 14, 2016

Owned in just 28 percent of Yahoo leagues, Smith is a steal. If he’s an option on the waiver wire, pick him up and plug him in. 

       

Wide …

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