Fantasy Football Week 7 Last Minute Streamers: Drake Maye, Jeremy McNichols, Xavier Legette and More

Fantasy players at each offensive position who are probably available in your free agent market and have positive outlooks in Week 7.

The desperate don’t like to show how hopeless they truly are; our egos keep us from being honest about the help we need. That’s true in fantasy football trade talks, where owners don’t start negotiations by letting others know how truly screwed they might feel.

Keeping a brave face isn’t possible late in the week, though, when you need to fill the hole left by your quarterback on the bye. If you wait until the last minute to set your lineup, an inevitable crunch that will come up eventually. Luckily, there are potentially valuable fantasy players available even at the last minute.

Let’s run through two players at each offensive fantasy position who are probably available on your free agent market as of Saturday or Sunday morning and have reasons for optimism. I usually use 25% ownership as a cutoff, but that’s not a hard line, and I’ll mention below where a few guys are a little less available.

I used NFL’s defensive stats and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to help determine which teams are best to target. I will reference those numbers often.

Quarterback

Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers @ Washington Commanders

I’m not sure if anyone envisioned Dalton being the one to end Bryce Young’s career, but we’re headed that way. Young was bad when on the field, but we could excuse it because he was a rookie with no help around him. When he started this season poorly, there was still time for Young to improve and become a good QB; his teammates weren’t up to par.

Then Dalton took the same underwhelming group and made the offense look not just functional, but efficient and explosive at times. Dalton is a professional quarterback, and it’s not a surprise to see him play professional football. This old, middling backup has severely outplayed last year’s top overall pick, though, something that now hangs around Young’s neck like an anchor.

Specific to this game, Washington was tied for the most points scored and second-most points per game coming into Week 7. They also have allowed the eighth-most points per game, fifth-most yards per pass attempt, and seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

A team with a fantastic offense and poor defense is a fantasy dream for opposing offensive players. There’s a likely outcome in which Dalton throws the ball a lot while the Panthers try to keep up with the Commanders, resulting in big volume. It might not look pretty, but Dalton has circumstances that give him top-10 upside this week.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (in London)

Maye made his first start last week against the Texans. Fantasy value isn’t real value: Houston blew out the Pats (41-21 final), and Maye didn’t do a lot of work toward actually winning the game. He did put up a big enough day to finish as QB10, with 243 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and 38 rushing yards.

Now he faces maybe the worst pass defense in football. The Jags have allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Over the past three games, C.J. Stroud, Joe Flacco, and Caleb Williams have averaged 310 yards per game with nine total touchdowns and one interception against Jacksonville.

There’s always the risk of a low floor with an inexperienced player, and the team around him isn’t very good, but Maye is set up for a good fantasy Week 7.

Running Back

D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong Jr., Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals

This is all about opportunity. Jerome Ford has been ruled out for Week 7, leaving the work to be split amongst the active backs. Foreman has gotten the most touches aside from Ford and is likely to play more than Strong, but the latter played 30 snaps to Foreman’s 20 last week when Ford went down early.

Oh, and one more thing: Nick Chubb is set to make his return after more than a year off due to a brutal knee injury! That’s great for Chubb, whose career was in question; it seems like things looked worse than they actually were, putting him back on the field after around 13 months.

Chubb is the lead back when healthy, but I have to imagine the team will ease him back into game action, especially with the team 1-5 and having just traded Amari Cooper. There’s no reason to throw him into 20 carries immediately, leaving hope for the other backs that they could still lead the way with Chubb getting carries intermittently.

Foreman and/or Strong are low-end flex streamers (that’s what we’re looking for here is guys who are available). I don’t want either of them in my lineup, but Foreman might be in line for a decent number of touches if you’re desperate.

Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders vs. Carolina Panthers

While I expected Jayden Daniels to be a good fantasy player, I didn’t think Washington’s whole offense would turn into a fantasy football factory. Brian Robinson Jr. leads the backfield when he’s healthy, but Austin Ekeler and McNichols have both produced whether Robinson is in the lineup or not. Robinson is questionable for Week 7.

While the Cleveland running backs were listed here because of the opportunity for touches, McNichols is here because of his opponent. Carolina has allowed the most rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and fantasy points per game to running backs. No team is more giving on the ground.

McNichols played his most snaps in Weeks 4 and 6, when Ekeler then Robinson missed a game apiece; that’s not a surprise. He also received seven carries (for 44 yards and a touchdown) in Week 5’s blowout win over Cleveland when all three backs were healthy.

That’s the formula that could lead to fantasy production in Week 7. If Robinson does play (he said he feels good), he could see his work limited to avoid aggravating his knee injury. If the game follows what I laid out above in the Dalton section, Washington will have the lead and run the ball, something that could open touches for multiple backs.

McNichols has a very low floor, as he could be squeezed out by the RBs ahead of him on the depth chart, but he is a flex option if you’re desperate. He also plays with two backs who have dealt with injuries, so there’s a chance McNichols will have a role at points throughout the season.

Wide Receiver

Demario Douglas and Ja'Lynn Polk, New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (in London)

If Maye is a good option, then why not his wide receivers? Douglas has been the top receiver on the team through six weeks, leading the Pats in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns (five players are tied with one TD reception).

He’s available in more than half of leagues, though Douglas is owned more (around 40%) than most guys listed here. If you need a deeper option, Polk is the potential future WR1, drafted in the second round and standing a more traditional 6’1 (Douglas is listed at 5’8, 192 pounds).

Neither Douglas nor Polk is a high-level fantasy player, but they are both on the WR3/4/flex streaming radar given the matchup. Maye is a rookie and will need time to settle in as a consistent player; he was drafted third overall because he has high-level traits, though, and good matchups are a chance to see his upside.

Don’t count on New England to save your fantasy week, but they have a few fill-ins who can give you a bump if you’re missing CeeDee Lamb or D.J. Moore on the bye. Douglas has a better floor, but Polk probably has a higher ceiling.

Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers @ Washington Commanders

I just said it about the New England guys: Dalton is a good option, so his receivers must have upside too, right? Legette was the last pick of the first round this year; he has the pedigree. His performance has been a little unsteady, as can be expected with every rookie.

Legette has struggled against the best pass defenses he’s faced, combining for just one catch and eight yards against the Bears and Chargers, for instance. In his softest matchup, though, against the Bengals, Legette had the biggest day of his career, catching six of 10 targets for 66 yards and a touchdown.

With the matchup in his favor in this one, Legette has a chance to challenge those career highs. Diontae Johnson is probably the only guy clearly above him in the pecking order right now, so volume could add up if Carolina does indeed have to throw to stay in the game.

Tight Ends

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (in London)

I didn’t mean to make this all about the Patriots; in fact, if you asked me to write an entire article about fantasy players I love, New England would be one of the last teams I’d focus on. That’s the magic of the Jaguars, though, is that they give fantasy value to all comers (just form an orderly line).

In Maye’s first start last week, Henry was targeted the second most (five, behind Douglas’ nine). Three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown was enough to put him among the top 10 tight ends in both formats. That’s a repeatable stat line, though he won’t always get into the end zone.

Facing one of the worst pass defenses, Henry has an opportunity to further solidify his connection with his rookie quarterback. That could make him an appealing option in future weeks, but Henry is likely to ebb and flow with the matchup.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Baltimore Ravens

We make assumptions about players and teams before the season, and it’s hard to change some of those thoughts when they are firmly entrenched. Baltimore always has a good defense, right? Well, six weeks is enough to show that they have fallen short against the pass.

The Ravens have given up the third-most yards per pass attempt and the fifth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. While they’ve been stout against the run, Baltimore is sieve-like against the pass, and it’s not just because teams throw to keep up; the efficiency marks are poor also.

Otton has been involved over the past month after starting the season slow: He combined just one catch for five yards on four targets over the first two weeks. From Weeks 3-6, Otton averaged 4.5 receptions on about seven targets for 40 yards. That’s not great, and he’s only scored one touchdown on the season, but it’s functional for a fantasy tight end streamer.

He’s only a low- to mid-level streamer, but Otton is in position to have a decent Week 7 given his usage and matchup.

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