RADIO
The fantasy football landscape this season resembles the Billboard Top 40, as the hits keep coming. Except here, when I say Top 40 songs, I think of 1996 when the "Macarena" reached number one on the charts. It stayed at the top of the charts for 14 weeks and here's hoping the hits to the wide receiver position don't last that long.
In Week 6, we saw both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Chris Olave exit early with concussions. We also witnessed Dontayvion Wicks give way to a shoulder injury. As always, be sure to monitor those injury reports leading up to kickoff. Fantasy managers catch a break this week. Instead of four teams hitting their bye weeks as they have in the previous two, we have just two teams resting: the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, it's time to discuss the players available for your fantasy football lineups. Some you need to get in there, and a few you should fade if possible. Here are the week 7 starts and sits for the wide receiver position.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Week 7 Starts - Fantasy Football WR Booms
Mike Evans - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Baltimore Ravens
Last week, Terry McLaurin made the must-start list thanks to a date with the Baltimore Ravens, and he ended up with two touchdown grabs in that week 6 contest. This week, here's to another pair of future touchdown grabs, this time for Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans.
Baltimore is currently allowing 43.8 fantasy points per game, the most to date. They have also yielded 10 receiving touchdowns, which ties them with the Washington Commanders for the most, and the 1,122 receiving yards allowed are the second most.
Before Monday Night Football closed out Week 6, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found themselves atop the NFL with 178 points. Baker Mayfield ranks among the top 10 in passing yards (1,489) and has tossed a league-best 15 touchdown passes.
We know Chris Godwin will get his, but this is the matchup for Mike Evans to get going once again. It's not that Evans has been bad. He ranks 26th in receiving yards with 310 and has accounted for 5 of Mayfield's 15 touchdowns.
Last week's fantasy dip was to be expected. Since cornerback Marshon Lattimore came into the league, Evans has averaged just 9.2 fantasy points per game against the Saints. Against the rest of the league, 17.1 fantasy points per game. Marlon Humphrey is no Marshon Lattimore. Start Mike Evans.
Updated: Mike Evans vs. the Saints since Marshon Lattimore was drafted.
9.2 PPG vs. the Saints
17.1 PPG vs. everyone else pic.twitter.com/DWVZCJt1fD— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) October 13, 2024
Ladd McConkey - WR, Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals
If you're looking for a solid flex option in those PPR leagues this week, Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey may fill that fantasy void. This Chargers offense, which ranks in the bottom five in drop backs per minute over expectation, is preventing McConkey from becoming a viable WR2 option moving forward.
In four of five contests, McConkey has seen a 25% or greater target share and has never seen less than 21% in any game thus far. Perhaps even more impressive is the 32% air yards share last week.
Ladd McConkey is third among NFL WRs in Y/RR against man coverage, trailing just Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb.
Of those 39 NFL players with 10+ targets vs man, the rookie is seventh in YAC/REC, third in passer rating when targeted, and first in missed tackles forced.#dude pic.twitter.com/idip47yRGl
— Tyler Schoon (@tylerjschoon) October 14, 2024
McConkey is tough to trust every week, but this week the Chargers are heading to the desert to face an Arizona Cardinals team that just surrendered nearly 20 fantasy points to one Romeo Doubs. A Cardinals team that is currently allowing the 10th most fantasy points this season opposing receivers as they are allowing almost 37 fantasy points per game.
While it may not happen again, considering this is still Greg Roman's offense, coming out of their bye, the Chargers and Justin Herbert dropped back 38 times, that's nine more than any other contest this season.
Diontae Johnson - WR, Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders
While the Commanders' defense has been playing much better as of late (7th the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing receivers over the last two weeks at 22.4 PPG), they still have allowed those 10 touchdown receptions and over 1,000 yards in six contests.
Diontae Johnson is as solid of a play this week as anyone. In three of his last four contests, he has received at least 75 yards, along with six receptions and 10 targets. Add that all up, and you will get at least 19 fantasy points in each of those games.
Diontae Johnson and Andy Dalton are a perfect match for each other 🤝 pic.twitter.com/7tmQ7zuwFT
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) October 13, 2024
Looking back at a week that was, you see that Johnson was once again Andy Dalton's primary option in the passing game. Only six other receivers earned a higher first-read target share than Johnson's 39.1%. Johnson is among the elite through six weeks with his 54 targets, 43 of which came after Dalton took over under center in Week 3.
Sleeper alert: After accounting for a 13% first-read target share before week 6, Tank Dell has taken advantage of Nico Collins' stint on the IR, which saw a first-read share of 42% last week. Dell should be in your flex with no questions asked.
Week 7 Sits - Fantasy Football WR Busts
Brandon Aiyuk- WR, San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Heading into Week 7, only George Pickens of the Steelers has more receiving yards (363) without a touchdown grab than Brandon Aiyuk's 351 receiving yards.
In six contests, Aiyuk has only recorded double-digit fantasy production once. In 2023, he failed to record 10 fantasy points on just four occasions. I hate to be that guy, but Jared Goff has more receiving touchdowns than Pickens and Aiyuk combined.
Part of the reason for the early-season struggles can be directly tied to Aiyuk's holdout. Last season, Aiyuk's first-read target share was 27.4%. early on in 2924, that first-read target share is down to 22.1%.
This week's opponent is the Kansas City Chiefs, whose defense has allowed the eighth fewest fantasy points per game to receivers this season.
Garrett Wilson - WR, New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers
Garrett Wilson came through last week for fantasy managers with some much-needed fantasy production in a less-than-favorable against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, a game in which Wilson took over the lead in targets yet again.
Well, another day, another difficult matchup awaits. While the Steelers have allowed the tenth fewest fantasy production to the position, the real challenge is Joey Porter Jr., who has surrendered the sixth-fewest fantasy points per route run and the seventh-fewest yards per route run to opposing wide receivers this season.
There is a good chance you cannot sit Wilson this week, considering his routes per team drop back is over 90%. Still, fantasy managers should temper their expectations in what is, on paper, another problematic matchup this week. Get your popcorn ready, these are the matchups I live for.
George Pickens - WR, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets
I touched on Pickens' struggles in fantasy being due to his lack of touchdown production early on. On the season, Pickens has assumed a 28.9% target share and seen at least a 22% target share in every contest. He is coming off a game in which he was Justin Fields' first-read 46.2% of the time.
While the targets are there, and that's good, the matchup against Sauce Gardner, DJ Reed, and Michael Carter could be better. New York sits among the five most difficult matchups for receivers in fantasy football, allowing less than 25 fantasy points per game. Unless Pickens can channel his inner Mack Hollins, I don't see Pickens hitting pay dirt this week.
With Pickens' lack of touchdown production and facing a tough matchup this week, fantasy managers are best to fade the Steelers pass catcher this week in favor of another receiver with a more favorable matchup. On a points-per-game basis, Pickens 10.1 ranks him 48th.
Some receivers worth considering would include Jordan Addison, Brian Thomas Jr., Josh Downs, Darnell Mooney, and Wan'Dale Robinson.
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