5 Fantasy Football Sleepers Week 7: Undervalued Starts
Arguably, the most frustrating part of fantasy football is setting your lineup each week, which is why identifying fantasy football sleepers is important. Everyone hates seeing a player you almost started go off on your bench, leading to your opponent taunting you all weekend.
Starting your superstar players every week, regardless of the matchup, is an easy call. However, what about the rest of your roster?
Fantasy Football Sleepers Week 7
Let’s look at five fantasy football sleepers and undervalued start options for Week 7.
Drake Maye (QB – NE) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The former North Carolina star had low expectations, making his first career start last week. Yet, Maye surprised everyone against a solid Houston Texans defense, totaling 243 yards, three touchdowns, and 19.5 fantasy points on 33 pass attempts. His three passing touchdowns last week were one more than Jacoby Brissett had in five games. More importantly, the rookie’s 243 passing yards were the most allowed, while his three touchdowns were the second-most allowed by the Texans this season.
Meanwhile, Maye couldn’t have asked for a better matchup in Week 7. He faces a Jaguars defense that allowed Caleb Williams to complete 79.3% of his pass attempts for 226 yards, four touchdowns, and 28.6 fantasy points last week in London. Furthermore, they have surrendered the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season (24). Over the past four weeks, Jacksonville has given up 299 passing yards, 3.3 touchdowns, and 27.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
Austin Ekeler (RB – WAS) vs. Carolina Panthers
Ekeler was a bust in Week 6 with Brian Robinson Jr. out of the lineup because of a knee injury. However, the matchup was awful for the veteran running back against the Baltimore Ravens. Yet, he has scored over 8.1 half-point PPR fantasy points in every game this year. Furthermore, Ekeler had double-digit fantasy points in three consecutive games before last week’s matchup despite having over eight touches only once in those three contests.
While Robinson should play this week, Ekeler is still an excellent flex option against the Panthers. Carolina has surrendered 31.9 fantasy points per game to running backs, the most in the NFL. They have given up at least 26.6 fantasy points to every backfield they’ve faced except an awful Las Vegas Raiders unit. More importantly, the Panthers have given up double-digit fantasy points and a rushing touchdown to multiple running backs in back-to-back weeks.
Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC) vs. Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles has one of the heaviest run-first offenses in the NFL. However, McConkey has had a solid season. He is the WR50, averaging 8.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, a higher average than Michael Pittman Jr. (8.7) and Courtland Sutton (8.4). More importantly, McConkey has become Justin Herbert’s clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, totaling six or more targets in all but one game this year, including a career-high eight in Week 6.
The rookie receiver has had at least a 29% target per route run rate and 1.86 yards per route run average in all but one game this season (per Fantasy Points Data). Meanwhile, the Cardinals have surrendered 30. 4 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the eighth-most in the NFL. Last week, Arizona gave up double-digit fantasy points to Romeo Doubs (18.4), Christian Watson (14.3), and Jayden Reed (11.8), including four combined receiving touchdowns.
Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baltimore’s rushing attack is the best in the NFL, with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in the backfield. Yet, Zay Flowers is a WR2, while Bateman is a flex option in deeper leagues. The former Minnesota star has had at least four targets in all but one game this season. More importantly, he has averaged nine half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the past four weeks, totaling at least 9.1 in all but one contest.
Bateman’s Week 7 matchup is outstanding. The over/under for this game is 49.5, the fourth-highest this week. Tampa Bay has surrendered 31 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the seventh-most in the NFL. Furthermore, the Buccaneers gave up 29 receptions for 392 receiving yards, four touchdowns, and 77.7 fantasy points to the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver core two weeks ago. Bateman only needs one big play downfield to score double-digit fantasy points.
Dalton Schultz (TE – HOU) vs. Green Bay Packers
Fantasy players who need a bye-week replacement for Jake Ferguson or Cole Kmet should add Schultz off the waiver wire. The veteran has low-end TE1 appeal with upside in Week 7. He has averaged only 5.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the past two weeks, with Nico Collins out of the lineup with a hamstring injury. However, Schultz had at least six targets in both games.
The veteran tight end has the second-most targets over the past two weeks (13). Furthermore, he has the same target per route run rate (25%) as Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell with Collins out of the lineup (per Fantasy Points Data). Meanwhile, Schultz faces a Packers defense that has given up the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season (10.8), including 10.5 or more in four consecutive weeks.
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