NFL Week 7 fantasy football preview, TNF: Jaguars at Saints

In Week 7, we saw plenty of injuries at the quarterback position. Fields, Lawrence, Garoppolo, and Tannehill all went down on Sunday. Be sure to keep an eye on all of them come closer to game time. They’ll play a significant factor for the position players on those teams.

Week 11 fantasy advice: Player rankings | Players to add | WRs to start

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Week 6 Game Ball: Travis Kelce – 9 catches for 124 receiving yards

We didn’t get the high-flying Kansas City offense we were all hoping for. You got to give it to the Broncos; they didn’t go down without a fight. Regardless, there was nothing they could do about Travis Kelce. He had one of his signature games where he was the focal part of the Chiefs’ offense.

TNF fantasy football preview: Week 7 starts

Week 7 TNF: Elite Starts

These are my locked-in starts that you never need to think twice about. Just put them in and watch the magic happen.

Travis Etienne – Etienne may have just entered RB1 status for the rest of the year. He has back-to-back multi-touchdown outings and has yet to have a game with less than 2 catches. Currently the #3 running back in full PPR formats, Etienne doesn’t look like he will slow down anytime soon.

Going into the season, there was concern floating around the fantasy community that Tank Bigsby would be a thorn in the side of Etienne’s managers. So far this season, Etienne is averaging 57 (ranking 2^nd in the league for running backs) snaps per game versus the 11.6 Bigsby is getting. Have no fear this year with Etienne in your lineup. Teams may be only averaging 69 yards on the ground against the Saints, but I anticipate an uptick in that number for Etienne.

Projection: 3 catches for 105 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown

Alvin Kamara – After serving his 3-game suspension, it looks like Kamara is back on track. Until Jamal Willimas returns, expect Kamara to continue getting most of the work in the backfield.

Rookie Kendre Miller has seen some field time here and there, but nothing enough to scare Kamara managers. Miller’s lone double-digit carry game came against the Patriots, in which the Saints were already in cruise control. As long as the Saints are staying competitive, Kamara’s usage should stay the same. With only 1 touchdown on the year, he is due for another.

Projection: 5 catches for 98 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown

Week 7 TNF: Solid Starts

These are the starts you shouldn’t be nervous about but certainly aren’t locked in for top-tier production.

Trevor Lawrence (Knee) – Coming off a short week, I have concerns Lawrence will be out there for the Jags. If he is, he is starting to put together some serviceable games for fantasy managers. He’ll face a tough Saints passing defense that has only given up 182 passing yards per game this year.

I would love to see Lawrence get more production on the ground. He’s a mobile quarterback, so I hope this knee injury doesn’t hinder him. As long their defense can keep the Saints off the field, Lawrence should see plenty of opportunity to be in the QB10-14 range this week. Just be sure to monitor his injury closer to Sunday.

Projection: 260 passing yards, 29 rushing yards, and 2 total touchdowns

Christian Kirk – While everyone had their eyes on Calvin Ridley during draft time, Kirk has steadily had himself a solid year so far. Outside of his disappointing week 1, he has averaged 16.4 fantasy points in full PPR formats from weeks 2-6. He isn’t the flashy or shiny pick, but he gets the job done. Managers should have known this would be the case after he passed the millennium mark for the first time in his career last year. Expect a nice steady game from him once again against the Saints.

Projection: 6 catches for 78 receiving yards 

Chris Olave – Olave has had some highs and lows this season. Lucky for him, Jacksonville is the second worst in the league against the pass and giving up 270 yards per game. There was plenty of hype around Olave this offseason, as many expected him to make a big second-year leap. The yards and targets have been there for him most of the season, but the touchdowns have not. I’m calling for him to make it in the end zone this Thursday to add to his sophomore campaign.

Projection: 7 catches for 92 receiving yards and 1 touchdown

Evan Engram – In a sea of tight-end uncertainty, Engram has brought some soothing consistency to fantasy managers. You can’t ask for much more at the position, as he’s been averaging 6 catches per game and has the same number of targets as Calvin Ridley on the year. I anticipate he’ll have a very serviceable day against a Saints defense that just gave up 72 yards and a touchdown to the tight end position against the Texans last week.

Projection: 6 catches for 52 receiving yards and 1 touchdown

Week 7 TNF: Flex Worthy Starts 

They are worth a start, but no one is going to blame you if you want to bench them.

Michael Thomas – Thomas is in the running for the Mr. Consistent award this year. Consistent at getting you 9-12 points, that is. He certainly won’t win you a week, but he won’t lose you one, either. He doesn’t have the upside anymore like Calvin Ridley on this list, but he’s certain to put up some points for you. He’s an important piece in this Saints passing attack and should be due for his first touchdown of the season. I just don’t think that will happen this week.

Projection: 5 catches for 57 receiving yards 

Rashid Shaheed – He is as boom or bust as they come. So far this season, he has just as many single-point games as double-digit point games for fantasy. The one perk about him is that he is used in the return game, and it’s possible he could sneak one in for a touchdown if you’re lucky. He also gets used on some run plays, which is also promising to see — very Taysom Hill-like.

Projection: 4 catches for 60 all-purpose yards 

Calvin Ridley – Ridley started his 2023 season hot with 8 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Not bad for someone who hasn’t played since 2021. Unfortunately, this production has not stuck for Ridley. Over the next 5 weeks, he produced a top-24 performance at the position one other time. It’s certainly not for the lack of talent; there’s just a lot of mouths to feed in Jacksonville. Facing a tough Saints defense, I don’t see WR2 in store for him this Thursday. Start him if you are looking for a safe play with a midlevel floor. 

Projection: 4 catches for 48 receiving yards 

Week 7 TNF: Break Glass in Case of Emergency Starts

Starts that will have questionable usage, and you are just hoping you can sneak a touchdown out of them. Pick your poison.

• Kendre Miller
• Derek Carr
• Taysom Hill
• Tank Bigsby
• Zay Jones (If Healthy)

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