Fantasy Players Who Are Trending Up Ahead Of Week 7

Some players get off to slow starts, some find their groove later in the season, and yet others have a string of fluky games before falling back to their usual production. Whatever the reason may be, many players have strings of good games after being relatively quiet to start the season.

Digging into the context of these stretches is important for fantasy managers. It's never fun to give up a lot in a trade for a player on a hot streak only to have them fall back down to earth. It also stings to trade away players who are hitting their groove when their great performances should be expected to continue.

So which players are trending up lately? Which ones are set up for long-term success, and which could be less reliable? Are any set up to be top players at their position? Let's find out!

Tee Higgins (WR, CIN)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins didn't start the season slowly through fault of his own. He dealt with a hamstring injury before the season started and was held out of the first two games. After a quiet Week 3, Higgins has now seen 10, 14, and seven targets in his last three games.

Tee Higgins in 4 games since returning from injury
*25.7% Target Share
*36.6% 1st read Target Share
*38.1% Air Yard share
*1.98 YPRR
*27% TPRR
*15.7 FPPG
25-259-2 on 37 targets (stats via @FantasyPtsData) pic.twitter.com/5JFNJ1R13J

— Andy (@andy_buckler) October 14, 2024

The Bengals aren't going to waste what is likely their last year with an elite receiver. Despite the presence of WR Ja'Marr Chase, Higgins has earned an impressive proportion of the receiving work for the team. They are forming a one-two punch feared by many defenses around the league.

The trouble with the former Clemson Tiger has always been his health. He's a fantastic receiver and could be a dominant WR1 on many teams, but he's especially struggled with keeping his hamstring healthy. Many of his past dud games could likely be explained by his nagging ailments.

Joe Burrow on Tee Higgins: "I think he is playing with a chip on his shoulder this year. His level of urgency since he came back (from 2023) has been high."

Adds: "You really saw him fighting for extra yards on Sunday." pic.twitter.com/ANEXilumZu

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) October 16, 2024

Understandably, he would want to run and play as if his hair were on fire. He's in a contract year, and if he's able to dominate for a full season without his injuries coming back to haunt him, he could earn an even more lucrative contract than he's currently set for.

Expect him to continue playing at a high level. The Bengals offense is humming, and he's a huge part of it.

Brock Bowers (TE, LV)

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers is already one of the best in the business, and the offense he's on will certainly suffer after the loss of wide receiver Davante Adams to a trade, but that may mean even more targets for the rookie. He's now the best option to throw the ball to.

Brock Bowers appreciation post.

1st in multiple tight end categories. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/GHQ9gyb1P5

— THE NATION (@TheNAT1ON_) October 17, 2024

There aren't any flukes involved here. He was widely regarded as the best tight end prospect ever, and since the beginning of the season, the Raiders are now sans both Adams and tight end Michael Mayer (personal), who was placed on the reserve/NFI list and will miss at least three more games.

It's looking like Bowers, and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers will be the only two reliable pass-catchers Las Vegas will have for a while, and the former Georgia Bulldog could have a huge PPR scam season. In college, he played with Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey and dominated many advanced receiving metrics.

Called back for a hold but this is a sick catch from Brock Bowers. The Raiders rookie is already one of the best tight ends in the NFL pic.twitter.com/rB7nkWasns

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) October 13, 2024

He was a special prospect and he is a special player. If he stays healthy, he's a near-lock to finish in the top five at his position and is in a great position to finish as the TE1 overall.

Demario Douglas (WR, NE)

We love to see a good receiver finally get a good quarterback. New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas now has rookie quarterback Drake Maye, one of the best quarterback prospects in recent years who only fell to No. 3 overall in the NFL Draft because the class was so loaded.

Drake Maye has found his guy 👀 pic.twitter.com/6267hsNehW

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 16, 2024

Maybe they'll become best friends too. Maye loves Douglas. He's his favorite receiver, and expect him to be the primary target on plenty of plays each week. Pop was excellent in his rookie year but was held back by very poor quarterback play and ineffective offensive coaching and scheming.

Look at this catch by Demario Douglas.

He’s got a bright future.
pic.twitter.com/SBIElHOJnU

— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) December 25, 2023

He was a beast last year. He flew under the radar for the reasons described above, but he's here to stay, and he has a very valuable role in taking significant slot snaps. He should be a league-winner in PPR if he stays healthy. Expect a big game in Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars swiss-cheese secondary.

D'Andre Swift (RB, CHI)

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift has lit up the stat sheets after a miserable start to the season. He's scored 20+ PPR fantasy points in his last three games. He's faced a litany of soft defenses, but thankfully there are more to follow in the coming weeks.

D’Andre Swift has a streak of 4-5 games every year where he looks unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/XfQ4Fj5hZx

— Alfredo Brown (@AlfredoABrown) October 13, 2024

Judging by his career so far, he fits into the archetype of players who can dominate bad teams but struggle against sound defenses. The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have solid run defenses and stymied him in Weeks 1-2. He fell flat in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, who don't boast a particularly good defense.

But in Weeks 4-6, he faced the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars, easily three of the bottom-10 defenses in the league and arguably all in the worst five.

Would love to not nitpick a positive run (especially cause Swift cut upfield at a time where he was not early in the season)

But this looks like it was a strong side C gap run that Swift abandoned for no reason at all.

Blocking was actually beautiful pic.twitter.com/AL4PmR18Ys

— Logical Bears Fan (@LogicalBears) October 15, 2024

Sometimes, going against the grain is a great idea in fantasy football. Players do have hot streaks that die down and sometimes never come close to their previous production as the season goes on. Usually, there are warning signs like this. Swift is gaining good yardage doing things that won't work against disciplined defenses.

As a fantasy manager, if you assume a few big games mean a full season of great production is coming, you're going against history, which tells us that's not always the case. One example of a player who's done this before is... well, Swift.

The Bears face a gauntlet of good defenses in Weeks 12-16. You should trade away the former Lions RB before that time comes.

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