Week 7 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Matthew Stafford, Jaylen Wright, Bub Means and More
These sleepers could help you win your fantasy week.
Quarterbacks
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Maye made his first NFL start last week, and while he certainly wasn't without flaws, he also flashed some fantasy upside that Jacoby Brissett could only dream of having. Against the Houston Texans defense, he threw for 243 yards and three TDs, but with two INTs as well.
This week, he gets the Jags, who have given up more fantasy points to quarterbacks than any team in the league by a significant margin, at almost four points per game more than the team allowing the second most.
We expect them to let Maye sling it and he could give you a strong week if you're looking for a quarterback. It may be similar to the Jameis Winston experience when you have to take the good with the bad, nevertheless, this matchup has allowed a lot more good than bad this season for opposing QBs.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Stafford draws the Raiders this week and we expect them to look like a defeated team out there. They weren't good to begin with, allowing the sixth-most points to quarterbacks this season, but things are spiraling quickly for Vegas.
Injuries to key players have hindered this team on both sides of the ball, which they are still dealing with. However, this team also benched their quarterback and traded their biggest star player in the past two weeks. The Raiders could be completely demoralized on top of already not being very good.
Running Backs
Pierre Strong, Cleveland Browns
Jerome Ford is fully expected to sit out this week, which could lead to a hefty workload for Strong, especially if the Browns start losing, as they so often do, and they have to throw the ball to compete. We aren't worried about Nick Chubb getting much work even if he returns.
If Chubb is out there, he'd be taking more of D'Onta Foreman's touches anyway. There is a decent chance Strong gets close to or the majority of carries while also chipping in with his PPR upside this week against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are in the bottom half of the league when it comes to stopping fantasy running backs.
Tyler Goodson, Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor and Trey Sermon both sitting out this week is looking like a real possibility. If that were to happen, Goodson would be in for a gigantic boost in volume. He already has been serving as the primary pass-catching back, but would also default to the lead rusher as well.
The Colts are playing the Dolphins, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Playing Miami will also give Goodson a favorable game script as it's very unlikely they jump out to a big lead without Tua Tagovailoa around.
Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
With Tua out and De'Von Achane struggling to find any space in the offense without him due to the defense keying in on him, Wright is serving as the RB2 behind Mostert and not the RB3 behind Achane.
In their last game, Wright led the team with 86 rushing yards on 13 carries. He had 13 carries compared to Mostert's 19 and Achane's three. Granted, Achane was knocked out of the game early and will still be the pass-catching back, but Wright will be the second option on the ground.
Look for him to play up around 30% of the snaps and carry the ball about 10 times. That's more than enough opportunity for him with his big-play ability.
Audric Estime, Denver Broncos
The Javonte Williams experiment has to be ending sooner rather than later in Denver. We're guessing it ends this week.
There is a strong chance that after returning last week, Estime serves as the lead back on Thursday Night Football. The Broncos can't just keep letting Williams bog down the offense.
Wide Receivers
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots
It's only a one-game sample size, but Douglas went off last week with Maye at the helm. He led the team with nine targets, which he turned into a breakout game of six receptions, 92 yards, and a TD.
We have always championed Pop's talent, but he hasn't had a quarterback that can get him or anyone else the ball. If he is Maye's WR1 and this trend continues, Douglas could be a league-winning type of player and a solid start this week against the Jags, who are allowing the second-most fantasy points in the league to opposing wide receivers.
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
Marvin Harrison Jr. will likely sit out this week due to a concussion and Wilson should serve as the WR1. That will cause a large uptick in volume.
We've seen him be very good in the past when targets come his way. We don't view him as a must-start or anything, however, he's probably on your waiver wire and will be the WR1 for a competent quarterback.
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns
With Amari Cooper gone, Jeudy is now the top guy in Cleveland. Starting anyone in that offense is scary because of how bad Deshaun Watson has been, but Jeudy has quietly had a decent season as the WR2 of the Browns. Now that he'll be getting WR1 volume, he should be viewed as a sleeper.
Bub Means, New Orleans Saints
This is digging deep. Desperate times call for desperate measures though. Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Taysom Hill have all been ruled out for Thursday Night Football.
Means is the apparent WR1 for this game after seeing eight targets out of nowhere in Week 6 once injuries hit these wideouts. He finished with five catches for 45 yards and a TD. The targets should be there if he can make the most of his opportunities.
