Key Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Week 7 Include Isiah Pacheco, Terry McLaurin, Robert Tonyan

Every week, I share some of my favored choices and players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions. These selections are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the 2022 fantasy football season.

We feature players that you should lean to in tough calls, and guys who may exceed expectations this week are also highlighted, so you can feel even more confident about starting them.

Skill position analysis here is based on my PPR rankings. When considering each player for your lineup, check my rankings to see exactly where they are positioned when compared to your other possible lineup choices.

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Running Backs – Fantasy Football Week 7

SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: Isiah Pacheco will now start at RB for the Chiefs and In my updated rankings, I have him ranked as a low-end RB2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is now outside the top 35 and might play a complementary role. Don't think too much about this one if you need an RB2 or flex option, just treat Pacheco like he will get a healthy workload. Edwards-Helaire has proved he cannot be a dependable lead RB and it appears to be Pacheco's time now.

The matchup against the 49ers is not a friendly one, but the Chiefs average the most points per game in the league and Pacheco has a better shot at goal-line opportunities now.

Tony Pollard

The Dallas RB has 50+ scrimmage yards in four of his past five games.  He is aiming for his third game in a row with 50+ scrimmage yards. This is a prime week to play both Cowboys running backs, especially Pollard for upside as an RB2 or fill-in flex option.

The Lions have the worst rush defense in the NFL and have also allowed eight rushing TDs to RBs, tied for the most in the league. Detroit averages 5.5 yards per carry allowed, which is the second-highest mark in the NFL. Pollard averages 5.3 yards per carry and he has long runs of 57 and 46 yards this season, so you can see the potential for some big gainers that lead to an end zone visit in Week 7.

Brian Robinson

The rookie had 60 rushing yards and registered his first career TD run in Week 6. We also saw Antonio Gibson show some spark as he totaled 53 yards from scrimmage on nine touches. Afterward, Ron Rivera expressed regret that he did not get the ball to Gibson more in the first half, when he had no touches at all.

Robinson averaged 3.5 yards per carry, which left many fantasy leaguers unimpressed, and Rivera’s comments only added to skepticism about Robinson. But we have to remember that Robinson is still a rookie, and he has missed significant time. Washington’s decision-makers were reportedly quite high on him during the preseason and Robinson still has a path to being the true lead RB for the Commanders.

BRIAN. ROBINSON. 🙌
pic.twitter.com/h29zzjH4y2

— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) October 14, 2022

Robinson's play can improve with more reps, especially this week against the Packers, who allow the second-most rushing yards to RBs. I would certainly consider playing Robinson as a bye week fill-in.

Raheem Mostert

Mostert has 80+ scrimmage yards in two of his past three games. He has a rushing TD in two of three career games on Sunday nights. Mostert is shooting for his fourth game in a row vs. the AFC North with 75+ scrimmage yards. He should play an important role in the Miami offense against Pittsburgh in Week 7.

Having strong support from his running game will be an essential factor for Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins likely do not want to overwork their No. 1 QB in his return to action. Having a balanced attack will only further challenge the Steelers' defense. Pittsburgh ranks 22nd in rushing yards allowed to RBs, so Mostert has a pretty good matchup. I would definitely consider using him as an RB2 in Week 7.

D'Onta Foreman

When Derrick Henry went down heading into the second half of the 2021 season, Foreman stepped in and had a trio of impressive outings. He was inconsistent overall, but Foreman rushed for over 100 yards three times and he had rushing TDs in two of his final three games. He was not involved much as a receiver, catching nine passes in nine games.

Although the Panthers have not publicly named a starter, Foreman should be the lead RB against Tampa Bay, which ranks 10th in rushing yards allowed to RBs. It’s not a friendly matchup and the Carolina offense is not going to give Foreman much of a chance to score from short range. The Panthers rank last in the NFC with 2.2 red zone scoring attempts per game.

Chuba Hubbard may operate as the top complement to Foreman, but undrafted rookie Raheem Blackshear, who looked good in the preseason with Buffalo and has some receiving promise, could make a push for playing time. If you have to start one guy out of desperation, Foreman is the obvious choice, but you cannot expect any statistical promise at all. The best move here may be to add Blackshear as a deep sleeper flier.

Wide Receivers – Fantasy Football Week 7

Chris Godwin

We are seeing Godwin start to regain his better form, and this will be a very good week to start him. He led the Buccaneers with six catches for 95 yards last week. He has 6+ catches in six of his past seven games and is aiming for his fourth game in a row with 6+ catches and 50+ yards. Godwin has 465 yards (116.3 per game) and two TDs in his past four games vs. Carolina.

Godwin does not have a TD reception or a 100-yard game yet this season, but his surge back to fantasy prominence may have begun last week and should continue in Week 7. Carolina ranks 23rd in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to WRs and the Panthers' defense may spend a lot of time on the field this week. Godwin should get the call in most tight lineup decisions involving him.

Drake London

The first-year wideout had only 40 receiving yards in Week 6. London had a TD catch in each of his first two games, but he has only nine receptions for 92 yards with no TDs in his last three games. Recent performances make it hard to consider starting London this week, but he could come through with his best outing since Week 2, when London caught eight passes for 86 yards.

Atlanta has the worst pass defense in the NFL, and Cincinnati will certainly take advantage of the matchup. The Falcons will be in a position to either keep up with the Bengals offensively or work from behind, so game script should encourage you enough to consider London as a fantasy WR3 or flex option this week.

Terry McLaurin

McLaurin has 50+ scrimmage yards in eight of his past games. He is shooting for his fifth game in a row at home with 50+ receiving yards. McLaurin had seven catches for 122 yards and a.TD in his last meeting with the Packers in 2021. With Taylor Heinicke back at QB, there may be hope for McLaurin to post better fantasy totals. He only has one TD catch (Week 1) this season and just 10 receptions for 132 yards in his past three games.

Terry McLaurin has caught a pass from 9 different players in Washington (can you name them?). He was targeted on 24.7 percent of his routes with Heinicke in the past -- his highest % with QBs he's played more than 5 games with.

— John Keim (@john_keim) October 20, 2022

Heinicke started 15 games last season, and McLaurin finished with 1,053 receiving yards. He is the pass-catcher that Heinicke is most familiar with, and Washington needs to start getting McLaurin back into the main flow of the offense. Green Bay ranks seventh in yards allowed to WRs, so it’s not a friendly matchup for McLaurin, but he could see a decent amount of volume and finish with adequate fantasy totals in Week 7.

JuJu Smith-Schuster

In his best performance with his new team, Smith-Schuster had five catches for a season-high 113 yards and he caught his first TD pass of season in Week 6. He has five receptions in three of his past four games. Many fantasy players naturally want to consider starting a guy coming off a good game, but Smith-Schuster should still be approached with fantasy skepticism.

The matchup against the 49ers is not the issue here, as even though they will get back some pieces on defense, the Chiefs average the most points per game in the league and can move the ball against any opponent. The concern is that Smith-Schuster did not crack the 50-yard mark in three of four games prior to Week 6 and he finally caught his first TD pass last week.

It is possible Smith-Schuster could just be starting to get comfortable at this point of the season with a new team, and you may be dealing with bye week concerns, so it does make sense to start him as a fill-in fantasy WR3 or flex option in such situations.

Quarterbacks And Tight Ends – Fantasy Football Week 7

Marcus Mariota

Mariota completed 13 of 14 attempts and had three TDs (two passing) in Week 6, and he became the third player in NFL history with a 90+ completion percentage, 2+ TD passes, and a rushing TD in a single game. Mariota ranks 26th in the NFL in passing attempts and he has just six TD passes, but he does have 206 rushing yards, and three rushing TDs, which ranks second in the NFL among QBs. Mariota has the obvious dual-threat appeal, plus the game script possibilities we mentioned with London, so he is a respectable Week 7 streaming option.

Derek Carr

The Las Vegas QB is not an inspiring option, but he should provide quality fantasy production in Week 7. Carr passed for 241 yards and two TDs vs. 0 INTs for a season-high 110.6 rating in Week 5. He has two TD passes in each of his first three road starts in 2022 and Carr has just one INT in his last four games. Carr is a viable QB streamer against Houston’s 22nd-ranked pass defense.

Robert Tonyan

Tonyan had a career-high 10 receptions for 90 yards last week. He had a TD catch in his last meeting with Washington last season and he has scored in his last two matchups with Washington. Tonyan has the trust of Aaron Rodgers and he may have signaled that is truly putting last year’s ACL injury behind him. Tonyan should receive strong fantasy starting consideration in Week 7.

Scott Engel's fantasy and betting analysis is also featured at The Game Day.

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