X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Under-the-Radar Booms/Busts: Week 7

Craig Rondinone analyzes the under-the-radar booms and busts for Week 7 in fantasy football. These players could be high upside flex plays or players to bench and sit in Week 7.

Fantasy football owners are going to be hurting during Week 7. There will be no Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks or Oakland Raiders to use in fantasy lineups this week since the four teams are on bye.

Fantasy owners will need to find replacements for Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, James Conner, Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and countless other fantasy stalwarts. Don’t fret, fantasy owners. There are plenty of under-the-radar booms and busts to put in their places this week in standard and DFS leagues!

Here are some under-the-radar booms and busts for the seventh week of NFL action to help you set a winning lineup. Good luck RotoBallers!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Week 7 Under-the-Radar Booms

Joe Flacco (QB, BAL) vs. NOR

Flacco is on pace to destroy his career high in passing yards after six games. He is averaging almost 300 yards per game and has thrived with an entirely overhauled receiving corps led by veteran Michael Crabtree and speedster John Brown. His only fantasy drawback has been that all of his yards have not translated into tons of touchdowns (nine TD passes).

New Orleans’ defense has improved in recent weeks, probably because running back Mark Ingram returned and has kept the Saints defense on the bench while the offense has had more time-consuming drives. Their pass defense is still 29th in the league, though, and playing at Baltimore where the Ravens have outscored opponents 74-17 sounds like a recipe for 300 yards and three TD darts for Mr. Flacco.

Jordan Howard (RB, CHI) vs. NE

Howard has been viewed as a disappointment in most fantasy circles with only 272 rushing yards and one touchdown over his first five games. Chicago’s offense has centered around Mitchell Trubisky’s arm and not Howard’s legs like the past two years. Howard has not even caught a pass over the last two contests as Tarik Cohen has been Trubisky’s full-time safety valve.

I think Chicago is going to try and establish the running game against New England’s 18th-ranked run defense in an attempt to keep Tom Brady off the field and away from the Bears’ suddenly spotty secondary. Do not be shocked if this is the week Howard breaks out for 120 rushing yards and a touchdown or two and re-establishes himself as a fantasy force.

Jermaine Kearse (WR, NYJ) vs. MIN

Kearse easily had his best game of the season last week with a season-high nine receptions for 94 yards against hapless Indianapolis. Quincy Enunwa’s high-ankle sprain opened the door for more targets from Sam Darnold, and Kearse converted as well as Chris Paul converts free throws. With Enunwa out for a couple weeks, Kearse will be featured more prominently in the Jets passing attack this week than he has all season.

Minnesota does not have the pass defense it had in 2017 when it was ranked second in the NFL. The Vikings are now 19th and riddled with injuries and inconsistent play. Running on the Vikes probably will fail miserably for the Jets due to their below-average offensive line, so look for them to throw over the top and for Kearse to receive more targets than Robby Anderson and Terrelle Pryor and score his first touchdown of the 2018 campaign.

 

Week 7 Under-the-Radar Busts

Devin Funchess (WR, CAR) at PHI

Funchess is a hard book to read. While tight end Greg Olsen was out and Funchess was primed to be Cam Newton’s top target, Funchess could not muster up an 80-yard game and caught one touchdown toss in three contests. Then Olsen returns from his foot injury last week and Funchess proceeds to have five catches for 74 yards and a score. The only thing more frustrating for fantasy owners than an inconsistent player is when their stat service goes down on a football Sunday due to the servers being overloaded by millions of visitors.

Fantasy owners might be fooled into thinking Funchess is finding his stride and should do well against Philadelphia’s 23rd-ranked pass defense, but the Super Bowl champs held Odell Beckham to 44 yards in their last game and look to be rounding into championship form. Look for Olsen to get more targets this week and for Funchess to get less while he battles for 50-60 yards against the Eagles.

Cameron Brate (TE, TB) vs. CLE

Brate has fallen off fantasy radars as fast as a bungee jumper hops off a cliff. He has made a wonderful turnaround in recent weeks, however, by catching touchdown tosses in three consecutive contests. With Jameis Winston, the quarterback instrumental in Brate having 14 touchdown receptions between 2017 and 2018, back under center, it sure seems like Brate’s fantasy needle is pointing upward.

Brate has two things going against him this weekend, though. One is that O.J. Howard has returned from injury and is Tampa Bay’s top tight end, so Brate will be on the field for fewer snaps and will be looked at less by Winston. The second is that Cleveland has not allowed a tight end to have 20 yards receiving against its secondary in four of its past five games. Check for other low-cost tight end options this weekend.

Brock Osweiler (QB, MIA) vs. DET          

I know what some of you are thinking. Osweiler has finally put it all together and is ready to be the best Miami quarterback since Dan Mario was slinging bullets at Mark Duper and Mark Clayton. Ryan Tannehill will have fun sitting on the sideline while Osweiler leads the Dolphins and thousands of fantasy owners to the playoffs.

Yes, many of you are probably feeling this way after Osweiler’s 380 passing yards and three touchdowns this past Sunday.  Just remember that Osweiler was credited with two long touchdown passes on short throws that Albert Wilson turned into award-caliber scores. The bottom line is that Wilson, Kenny Stills and Danny Amendola are an average-at-best receiving trio, and Osweiler did not drink a magical potion that suddenly turned him into an Aaron Rodgers clone. If Detroit’s seventh-ranked pass defense can hold Tom Brady to 133 passing yards, the Lions (coming off a bye) are not going to let Osweiler and Wilson wreak havoc against them.

 

That's it for me, RotoBallers! Follow me on Twitter at @craigrondinone!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eugenio Suárez5 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Go-Ahead Grand Slam Tuesday
A.J. Puk5 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Michael King5 hours ago

Fans 11 In Five Shutout Innings Tuesday
Christian Yelich5 hours ago

Hits First Homer Of Season, Steals Base Tuesday
Evan Engram5 hours ago

Sean Payton Excited About Evan Engram In Joker Role
Anthony Bender5 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Robert Hassell III5 hours ago

Has Three-Hit Day At Triple-A
Thomas Harrington6 hours ago

Hit Hard In MLB Debut Tuesday
Gunnar Henderson6 hours ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer6 hours ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams6 hours ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge6 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews6 hours ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones6 hours ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin6 hours ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice7 hours ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep7 hours ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson7 hours ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell7 hours ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao7 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry7 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey7 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt7 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz8 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman8 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford8 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi8 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen9 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick9 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners9 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay9 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López9 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland9 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia10 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti10 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL10 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette10 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus10 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants10 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears10 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Sam Ehlinger10 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Guerschon Yabusele11 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns11 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals11 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Jevon Carter11 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry11 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips11 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Jalen Smith11 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball11 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter11 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey11 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton11 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale11 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant12 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal12 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II12 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons12 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young12 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser12 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo12 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud12 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart12 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba12 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga12 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry12 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown12 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault12 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere12 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn13 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro13 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions15 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans15 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders15 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear16 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins16 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL16 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä16 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway16 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys16 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal16 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy16 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Josh Norris16 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk16 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth18 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp18 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim19 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood19 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau19 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole19 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith23 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment23 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka23 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov23 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov23 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes23 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl2 days ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg2 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober2 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall2 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara2 days ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez2 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.2 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez2 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas2 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez2 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman2 days ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres5 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer5 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]