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
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 7 Rankings Analysis: Nick Mariano vs. Industry Consensus

Editor's Note: Last week, Nick was ranked #7 overall on the experts accuracy results. And two weeks ago, he was ranked #3 overall. His rankings have been among the most accurate in the fantasy football industry. Pretty impressive stuff. 

Below he compares his ranks to the rest of the industry again for Week 7, and tells you who he likes more or less than the other experts. So read up, take this man's advice, and be sure to follow all of his rankings for Week 7 (PPR, Half-PPR and Standard leagues).

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

 

Week 6 Recap

Week 6 went pretty well, as we talked up Eli Manning as a bounceback candidate, tempered expectations on Jamaal Charles’ usage, said Cameron Meredith was for real and even picked out C.J. Fiedorowicz as a nice low-owned TE play.

It wasn’t all sunshine though, as Joe Flacco failed to find paydirt despite our call of him hooking up with Mike Wallace on a deep bomb, Willie Snead was the odd man out in the CAR-NO shootout and Devontae Booker couldn’t really deliver thanks to Denver falling on their face against San Diego. While the #7 finish overall out of the 140+ FantasyPros expert isn't as good as the #3 from Week 5, we'll take it!

Now it’s time to review my rankings for Week 7 and look at how they stack up against the Expert Consensus, commenting on any standouts or points of contention. Assume standard rankings when I say that a player is X spots ahead or below consensus.

 

Week 7 Quarterbacks - Rankings Analysis

There really aren’t that many great plays at the top this week, but headlining things is Mr. Matt Ryan. He’s under center for the best offense in the NFL thus far (33.2 PPG) and gets to play at home against a poor SD defense in a game that boasts the highest Vegas point total of the week at a whopping 53.5 points. That’s why Philip Rivers is #3 of course.

Outside of that I’ve got Andy Dalton a couple spots higher than the field, currently at #7 vs. their #10 consensus ranking. They’re facing Cleveland, who rank a “blah” 19th against the run per FootballOutsiders' DVOA, but are an embarrassing 30th against the pass. With Jeremy Hill likely not at 100%, look for Dalton to whip it himself.

I’ve also swapped Alex Smith and Russell Wilson at #13 and #15, because Arizona is looking a bit revamped out there (though playing the Jets helps) and gets to play at home versus a version of Wilson that clearly isn’t full strength. Meanwhile Smith gets to take on the Saints at home, and while KC’s commitment to the conservative run game can be maddening, the opportunity is still ripe here for a guy who has performed better at home thus far. Aside from that SD-ATL game, this is the only other one with a point projection of over 50.

 

Week 7 Running Backs - Rankings Analysis

*Doug Martin was listed here, but with the news of his injury setback we've removed that portion. As of this update on the night of 10/19, I have Jacquizz Rodgers at #18 compared to a the consensus ranking of #26, but that may be more from my fellow experts not updating their rankings yet.

My cohorts also have Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon back-to-back at #29 and #30, respectively. I think Ivory deserves a little more separation given that he out-touched Yeldon 13 to 7 in Jacksonville's Week 6 victory, including the one goal-line carry. When dealing with a committee, I'm going to give much more of a nod to the guy with the best chance at scoring six, let alone when he's also the one getting more touches.

So who is slipping in the ranks? How about Chicago’s Jordan Howard (#18 vs. #13 consensus), who is coming off of a disappointing Week 6 that saw his snap count go down to 69% from 95% with the return of Ka’Deem Carey. So his usage was scaled back, but the icing on the “uh-oh” cake here is that the Bears are on the road for a gritty divisional game against a Green Bay defense that ranks third against the run per DVOA. None of that is ideal, and despite Green Bay's recent struggles, I doubt Chicago controls this game enough to "put the game away" with their rushing attack.

 

Week 7 Wide Receivers - Rankings Analysis

Brandon Marshall was listed at #7 according to the consensus, but I’m not willing to put that much confident in the Jets offense, no matter how many targets Marshall gets flooded with in lieu of Eric Decker’s absence. As a result, I’ve got him at #11 outside of the top-10, and he’ll likely drop as the week progresses. It's not Marshall's fault and honestly the matchup against Baltimore is good (25th in DVOA against opposing #1 WRs), but the QB situation is hot garbage personified. Sigh.

Ty Montgomery (+9) and Adam Humphries (+14) are also both late movers who are likely buried a bit in the consensus rankings due to their respective situations being connected to recent injury news. Eddie Lacy is reportedly out for several weeks and James Starks has already been confirmed as such, so the Packers traded for Knile Davis and will likely lean on Montgomery out of the backfield for the foreseeable future. This may not mean rushes, but double-digit targets out of the flat are well within his range of outcomes. As for Humphries, he’ll also benefit a bit from Vincent Jackson heading to the IR and should see upwards of seven targets.

 

Week 7 Tight Ends - Rankings Analysis

So that whole Humphries benefiting from Jackson’s injury? It also goes for Cameron Brate, who I’ve got four slots higher than the consensus at #11 now that he should get an extra target or two. With Jackson on the shelf, Brate is now the only real sizable threat alongside target monster Mike Evans, who is likely to draw lots of coverage in the red zone (though he’ll still be a beast). Look for Brate to regularly see 7-10 targets from Jameis Winston from here on out.

Gary Barnidge is also a sneaky upside guy, as Terrelle Pryor is dealing with a hamstring injury (I’m sure he’ll be fine, but still) and Cincinnati has quietly been awful against tight ends this season (28th per DVOA). Barnidge has also topped 50 yards with at least five targets in each of his last four games, so he has a lot going for him despite not scoring a touchdown yet.

I’d rather talk more about the skill positions than include kicker or defense, as they are far less interesting to me. Feel free to send me a vitriolic message should you want them back, I’ll listen I swear.


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jerry Jeudy2 hours ago

Sets Browns Record In Week 18 Loss
Bogdan Bogdanovic2 hours ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jalen Johnson2 hours ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Trae Young2 hours ago

To Play On Saturday
Kawhi Leonard2 hours ago

To Make Season Debut On Saturday
Gabe Vincent2 hours ago

Tagged As Doubtful For Sunday
Alex Caruso2 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Sunday
Jeremy Sochan3 hours ago

Will Suit Up Saturday
Jalen Brunson3 hours ago

Will Play Saturday
Anthony Davis4 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Sunday
LeBron James4 hours ago

Probable For Sunday
Khris Middleton4 hours ago

Will Face The Blazers
Giannis Antetokounmpo4 hours ago

Cleared For Action On Saturday
Bradley Beal4 hours ago

Will Play Saturday
Cade Cunningham4 hours ago

Available for Saturday
Chase Brown5 hours ago

Inactive For Week 18
Dejounte Murray5 hours ago

Questionable for Sunday
Zay Flowers5 hours ago

Won't Return In Week 18
Noah Clowney5 hours ago

Upgraded To Available On Saturday
Joel Embiid5 hours ago

Active For Saturday Night Matchup Against Nets
Brandon Miller6 hours ago

Questionable Heading Into Sunday Against Cavaliers
LaMelo Ball6 hours ago

Questionable For Sunday's Game Against Cleveland
Trendon Watford6 hours ago

Resumes On Court Workouts, Will Be Re-Evaluated In One Week
Kelly Oubre Jr.6 hours ago

Officially Ruled Out For Saturday's Game Against Nets
Dallas Goedert7 hours ago

Eagles Activate Dallas Goedert From Injured Reserve
Austin Ekeler7 hours ago

Activated From IR Ahead Of Week 18
Chris Olave7 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 18
Green Bay Packers8 hours ago

Jaire Alexander Placed On Injured Reserve
Jameis Winston8 hours ago

Inactive For Week 18, Serving As Emergency Quarterback
Nelson Agholor8 hours ago

Inactive For Week 18
Tee Higgins8 hours ago

Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins Hope To Play Together For "Years To Come"
Amari Cooper9 hours ago

Downgraded To Out For Week 18
Thatcher Demko10 hours ago

Joining Team For Five-Game Road Trip
Pyotr Kochetkov10 hours ago

Starts Against Wild On Saturday
Joseph Woll11 hours ago

In Maple Leafs Net On Saturday
Scott Wedgewood11 hours ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Jack Drury11 hours ago

Back For Hurricanes Saturday
Auston Matthews11 hours ago

Returns To Action On Saturday
Jordan Binnington14 hours ago

Shuts Out Senators
Brandon Saad14 hours ago

Ends Goal Drought With A Hat Trick
Mike Matheson14 hours ago

Records Two Assists Friday
Nick Foligno14 hours ago

Pots Two Goals In Friday's Win
Juuse Saros14 hours ago

Logs Fourth Shutout Of The Season
Leon Draisaitl15 hours ago

Nets Game-Winner On Friday
Chase Brown1 day ago

Needs To Improve To Have A Shot At Playing On Saturday
Tee Higgins1 day ago

Expected To Play Against Steelers
Charlie Morton1 day ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore
Chris Olave1 day ago

Saints List Chris Olave As Questionable For Week 18
Jaylen Waddle1 day ago

Dolphins Optimistic About Jaylen Waddle Despite Questionable Tag
Tyreek Hill1 day ago

Questionable To Face The Jets
Jared Spurgeon1 day ago

To Miss 2-3 Weeks
A.J. Brown1 day ago

DeVonta Smith Doubtful For Week 18
Oskar Sundqvist1 day ago

Unavailable Friday
Justin Faulk1 day ago

Iffy For Friday's Action
Colton Dach1 day ago

Set For NHL Debut On Friday
Tua Tagovailoa1 day ago

Doubtful For Week 18
Jalen Hurts1 day ago

Officially Ruled Out
Connor Murphy1 day ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Deebo Samuel Sr.1 day ago

Won't Play Against Cardinals
David Savard1 day ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Brock Purdy1 day ago

Officially Ruled Out In Week 18
Jack Eichel2 days ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Thursday
Alex DeBrincat2 days ago

Tallies Three Points On Thursday
Jonathan Quick2 days ago

Leads The Way On Thursday
Pete Alonso2 days ago

Angels "Looking At" Pete Alonso
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Hoping To Find Success Again At Majors In 2025
Chris Kirk3 days ago

Starts 2025 Defending The Sentry Title
Max Homa3 days ago

Hopes To Rebound After Disappointing 2024 Season
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Looks To Build On Impressive Rookie Season
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Heads To The Sentry After Excellent 2024 Season
PGA3 days ago

Sungjae Im Hoping To Start 2025 Season Strongly At The Sentry
Russell Henley3 days ago

Closes Out 2024 Season Strong
Jason Day3 days ago

Looks Ahead To 2025 Season At The Sentry
Akshay Bhatia3 days ago

To Repeat Last Year’s Sentry Performance?
Ludvig Aberg3 days ago

Returns To The Sentry
Jesús Luzardo3 days ago

Jesus Luzardo Feeling 100 Percent
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

Making First Career Start At Kapalua
Corey Conners3 days ago

Making Third Consecutive Start At Kapalua
Viktor Hovland3 days ago

A Gametime Decision For Year's First Event
Tony Finau3 days ago

Making Sixth Start At Kapalua After Rumor-Filled Offseason
Justin Thomas4 days ago

Looks To Get Off To Fast Start In 2025 At Kapalua
Patrick Cantlay4 days ago

Looks For Hot Start In 2025
Sam Burns4 days ago

In Top Form Ahead of Kapalua
Cameron Young5 days ago

Needs To Avoid Bad Rounds In Hawaii
Sahith Theegala5 days ago

Looking For Big 2025 Start In Hawaii
Hideki Matsuyama5 days ago

Always A Threat In Hawaii
Billy Horschel5 days ago

Seeks To Build Off Great 2024 Campaign
Jack Flaherty5 days ago

Orioles Interested In Reunion With Jack Flaherty
Alex Bregman6 days ago

Tigers "All-In" On Alex Bregman
Trevor Williams6 days ago

Returning To Washington On Two-Year Deal

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Michael Penix Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 Superflex 2QB Rankings for Fantasy Football: Updates for Sam Darnold, Bryce Young, Michael Penix Jr., Joshua Dobbs, Drew Lock, Drake Maye

The Week 18 slate is here, meaning several teams who are eliminated from postseason action or have already locked up a playoff spot are set to rest some key starters. We're here to help you sort through it all with our Week 18 fantasy football Superflex rankings (2QB) for 2024. If you're still chasing a […]


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 PPR Rankings for Fantasy Football Playoffs: Overall Updates Include Isaac Guerendo, Zach Charbonnet, Blake Corum, Jerry Jeudy, George Pickens

If your league championship is in Week 18, you surely already know it's a difficult week to navigate. Below, you'll see our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football PPR rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players like Isaac Guerendo, Zach Charbonnet, Blake Corum, Jerry Jeudy, and George Pickens stand for the must-win Week 18 […]


Jalen McMillan - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 FLEX Rankings for Fantasy Football (RB, WR, TE) - Updates Include Jalen McMillan, Adam Thielen, Rico Dowdle, Ray Davis, J.K. Dobbins, Zay Flowers

The closing week of the 2024 NFL regular season has arrived, and we're here to help your lineup or DFS calls with our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football FLEX rankings for 2024. Comparing two flex options at different positions can be a tough task, so let's see where key FLEX options like Jalen […]


Ray Davis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 18 Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football: RB Updates Include Rico Dowdle, Zach Charbonnet, Ray Davis, Blake Corum, Isaac Guerendo, more

Week 18 is here, and many backup running backs will be in featured roles this weekend as several teams are resting starters. That said, let's get to crucial start-or-sit decisions with help from our updated Week 18 fantasy football running back rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players such as Rico Dowdle, Zach Charbonnet, […]


Jameson Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 18 Wide Receiver Rankings for Fantasy Football: WR Updates Include Tyreek Hill, Jalen McMillan, Adam Thielen, Jameson Williams, Jauan Jennings

Week 18 is here, and several teams will either not play starters or pull them early in the game. That said start-or-sit decisions are tough when comparing two flex-level wide receiver options, so we're here to assist with our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football wide receiver rankings for 2024. Let's see where key […]


Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans - Tampa Bay Bucs, Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 18 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 18! This Week 18 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em will help you make the right lineup decisions in the final week of the regular season.  Whether you play in a Week 18 fantasy football championship or are looking for some DFS […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Inactives Week 18 (Updated): Which Teams Are Resting Starters? Who's Sitting or Playing in Week 18

If your fantasy football league extends to Week 18, you either forgot to change that setting, or you love living on the edge. The final week of the NFL regular season is always tricky to navigate, as several teams either do not play their key starters or pull them early. Many teams have already clinched […]


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, WR, Waiver Wire, NFL DFS, Rookies

Key Starters and Tough Calls - Week 18 Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football And DFS Include Blake Corum, Marvin Harrison Jr., Ricky Pearsall

For the final week of the 2024 season, those who are still participating in Week fantasy football Super Bowls must do two things. First, vote in a new league commissioner for next season. Secondly, consult our rundown of our best streamers and lineup pluggers to win a league championship. Using RotoBaller’s Week 18 Lineup Rankings […]


Joe Burrow - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS and Betting Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Steelers vs. Bengals Showdown (Week 18)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! It is the final week of the regular season, and we have a couple more showdowns left, including a big game for the AFC North. The Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) host the Cincinnati Bengals (8-8). The Bengals are still alive for a playoff spot but need some help, along with a win. The […]


Derrick Henry - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Browns vs. Ravens Showdown (Week 18)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have an AFC North Showdown on the docket as Bailey Zappe and the Cleveland Browns (3-13) head to Baltimore to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (11-5). While Cleveland doesn't have anything to play for, they can still play spoiler for their division rival as Lamar and the Ravens are […]


Chig Okonkwo - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football: TE Updates Include Sam LaPorta, Jonnu Smith, Zach Ertz, Chig Okonkwo, Mike Gesicki, Tucker Kraft

Tight ends got out to a slow start in 2024, but several players at the position have become productive fantasy and DFS assets. Below, you'll see our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2024 to help you make tough start-or-sit decisions. If your league extends to Week 18, it's time […]


Zach Charbonnet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Running Back Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Fantasy Football Playoffs - Week 18

While most fantasy football leagues crowned a champion last week, there are still a handful of leagues deciding their title this week. That means we’ve got one last weekend of work left before we can finally put up our feet and relax. Week 18 can be tricky for fantasy managers as many teams have already […]


Bryce Young - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 Quarterback Rankings for Fantasy Football - QB Updates Include Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Michael Penix Jr., Bryce Young, Justin Herbert, more

At last, Week 18 has arrived. Whether your league extends to Week 18 or you are looking for an extra resource for DFS lineups, we're here to help with our updated Week 18 fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2024. Let's see where quarterbacks such as Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Michael Penix Jr., Bryce Young, Justin […]