Week 7 of the 2025 fantasy football season featured breakout performances by some names who have been quiet this season, as well as several disappointing season-low efforts.
Who were the big winners and losers?
Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analyses.
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Ranking winners | Ranking losers
Biggest injuries and what’s next
Ranking fantasy winners of Week 7
1. Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos: Nix’s 39.96 points in the comeback win over the Giants are a season-high for a quarterback. After a rough start, Nix took over in a 33 point fourth quarter for Denver, throwing for 174 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 46 yards rushing and two more scores in the final frame. Aggressive with the ball in the pass game here, while creating as runner on designed carries and scramble attempts. Nix finished 27 of 50 passing for 279 yards, and he gets the Dallas defense up next in Week 8. Lock him in as a lower-tier QB1 there. — Bowen
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers: For the seventh consecutive week, he scored at least 22 fantasy points, and his 39.1 on Sunday Night Football represented his best single-game effort to date this season. McCaffrey was a one-man wrecking crew for the 49ers in their 20-10 victory, and he now has a league-leading 187.1 points for the season. That’s the most by any running back through his team’s first seven games since Alvin Kamara’s 195.7 in 2020, and it’s tied for the ninth-most at the position this century. McCaffrey will be hard-pressed to repeat the effort against a tough Houston Texans defense in Week 8, but he should still be a top-five option at his position for that game. — Cockcroft
3. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: We can’t call the Eagles’ passing game disappointing anymore, as for the first time together, Brown and Smith each scored as many as 28 PPR fantasy points, Smith finishing with 33.3 and Brown with 28.1. Jalen Hurts delivered his best passing performance to date in the process, continuing to target both receivers on deep throws — all three touchdowns he threw to them (Brown two, Smith one) traveled at least 20 yards downfield — and frequently in the seams (two of the scores and six of their catches). Perhaps it’ll bring some momentum into their Week 8 meeting with the New York Giants, a team that contained both wide receivers in their Week 6 matchup, as Brown should be a borderline WR1 and Smith a low-end WR2. — Cockcroft
4. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: If Thursday’s game was representative of what fantasy managers can expect from Chase with Joe Flacco as his quarterback for most, if not all, of the remainder of 2025, color them thrilled. Flacco targeted Chase 23 times, a career high for the wide receiver and the third-most targets for any player in a game since the NFL began tracking them in 1992, resulting in 38.1 PPR fantasy points for the No. 1 pick on average in ESPN drafts. That came on the heels of a 25.1-point performance in Flacco’s Bengals debut in Week 6, back-to-back scores that are all the more remarkable if you consider that Chase, who has scored 21% of his career fantasy points on throws at least 20 yards downfield, hasn’t yet caught such a pass from his new quarterback and has seen only one target on those. There’s every reason to think that Chase’s potential as his position’s top scorer going forward has been restored following the trade. — Cockcroft
5. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts: For the third time in the past five weeks, Taylor exceeded 30 PPR fantasy points, scoring a season-best 34.2 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s quickly transforming into a prospective fantasy league-winner, despite being drafted at (or after) the Rounds 1-2 turn in ESPN leagues during the preseason. Taylor now has 179.2 points for the season, the most by any running back through his team’s first seven games since Derrick Henry in 2021 (186.5). Taylor should be in for a huge game next week in an extremely favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans, against whom he tallied 32.8 points in Week 3. — Cockcroft
6. Matthew Stafford, QB; Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams: Without Puka Nacua (foot), both Stafford (27.38) and Adams (26.5) posted season-high points in the blowout win over the Jags. Stafford finished with only 182 yards passing, but he threw five touchdowns, with three of them going to Adams on end zone targets. And Adams reminded us just how good he is versus press coverage by being sudden and explosive off the release. With Nacua expected to return after the upcoming bye, Adams will slide back into the WR2 ranks for the Week 9 matchup versus the Saints, and I’ll have Stafford (25 or more points in three of his past four games) as a fringe QB1. — Bowen
7. Patrick Mahomes, QB, and Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs:
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For the fourth consecutive week, Mahomes exceeded 26 fantasy points (26.24), and this one was significant in that it marked Rice’s 2025 debut following his serving a six-game suspension. Rice, despite running only 16 routes, instantly snapped back to the role of Mahomes’ go-to guy, seeing a team-high 10 targets, catching two short touchdown passes and totaling 23.2 PPR fantasy points. This is suddenly a much, much scarier Chiefs passing offense than we’ve seen in several years, with Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce, Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Lock these two into all of your lineups for what could be a huge scoring day for each against the Washington Commanders in Week 8. — Cockcroft
8. Justin Herbert, QB, and Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: Saddled with a 20-point deficit on the scoreboard entering the second half, Herbert attempted a whopping 55 passes, his most in a game in three years and two days, “volume-ing” his way to 27.9 fantasy points. He made effective use of Allen out of the slot, as the wide receiver scored 28.9 PPR fantasy points on 14 targets. It’s not something you should expect every week, as the Chargers, entering the week, had run only 36% of their offensive plays while trailing (any time and any amount in the game). Herbert has been made more of a focal point of the offense this season, however, so he’s a capable fantasy QB1 against a Minnesota Vikings offense that surrendered 326 yards and three touchdowns on only 23 passes by Jalen Hurts on Sunday. — Cockcroft
9. Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants: I was a little down on Dart heading into Week 7 because of the defensive matchup with the Broncos. However, Dart scored a season-high 28.42 points in the last second loss to Denver. Yes, Dart only completed 45.5% of his throws, and his 41 yards touchdown pass to Theo Johnson was off a deflection. But we are watching a quarterback with playmaking traits here. Dart finished with three touchdown throws in this one, plus a rushing score, and he has posted 19 or more points in three of his four pro starts. With his dual-threat ability, Dart should be played as a QB1 in 12 team leagues for the Week 8 game versus the Eagles. — Bowen
10. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals: McBride had a season-high 29.4 points in the Week 7 loss to the Packers, catching 10 of a team-high 13 targets for 74 yards and two touchdowns. McBride now has over 20 points in back-to-back games – with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback – and at least one touchdown grab in each. Remember, McBride always carries a high-floor in the Arizona offense due to his consistent target volume (9.3 targets per game), but the touchdown production separates him as the top TE in fantasy. The Cardinals head into the bye next, and starting quarterback Kyker Murray (foot) should be expected to return for the Week 9 matchup versus Dallas, where McBride will be ranked as my overall TE1. — Bowen
11. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints: Olave’s 26.8 points in the Week 7 loss to the Bears were a season high, as he caught 5 of 7 targets for 98 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints schemed for Olave on both of his touchdown grabs, moving him to inside/slot alignments. Olave’s first score was on a seam route versus Cover 2, and he found the end zone for a second time by running away from man coverage on a crosser. Olave has now posted back-to-back weeks with 98 yards receiving, and he’s seeing an average of 10.1 targets per game. We know the Saints’ offense has limitations, but Olave’s target share (31%) keeps him as a fringe WR1 for the Week 8 home game versus Tampa. — Bowen
12. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns
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With poor weather in Cleveland and a positive run game matchup, Judkins had a season-high 26.4 points in a blowout win over the Dolphins. Although Judkins didn’t produce efficient numbers (3.4 YPC), he saw a career high in carries (25) and cashed in on low red zone touches, as he scored three touchdowns on attempts from inside the 5-yard line. Judkins gets a much tougher matchup in Week 8 versus the Patriots’ defense, but with at least 19 touches in four of his past five games, he will stick in my ranks as a volume-based RB2. — Bowen
Ranking fantasy losers of Week 7
1. Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears: He set a career worst with his 4.68 fantasy points, and although it’s true that he wasn’t needed to do a whole lot in a game his Bears commanded for the near entirety, it’s a concern nevertheless that he attempted only 26 passes, his fourth fewest in a game. The Bears were perfectly content to lean heavily on their running game, but Williams couldn’t get much of anything done from the pocket or on deeper throws. If this is indeed an indication of the team’s future offensive strategy — and it certainly seems to be the case — Williams won’t be a slam dunk starter for what would otherwise be a favorable Week 8 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. — Cockcroft
2. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: Jeanty’s 4.4 points in the blowout loss to the Chiefs were a season low, and his role was reduced because of the Chiefs’ ability to control tempo. With Kansas City scoring three first-half touchdowns on drives of nine, 16 and 17 plays, Jeanty saw just four touches in the first two frames. That’s it. And Jeanty finished the game with six carries for 21 yards, while adding a reception for 13 yards. The Raiders head into the bye next, before returning in Week 9 to play the Jags. Let’s see if Vegas can make some offensive adjustments during its time off. — Bowen
3. Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets: The question of if he should continue to start was loudly raised last week, after he lost more yards on sacks (55) than he totaled on throws (45), and on Sunday, we got our answer. Fields began the day just 6-for-12 passing for 48 yards and 4.04 fantasy points, before being benched for Tyrod Taylor early in the second quarter. Though Taylor didn’t fare much better (2.14 points on 22 passing attempts and three carries), chances are that this is a permanent rather than single-day switch. Downgrade all your Jets skill players because although Taylor brings more to the team from a passing perspective, he’d still rate among the league’s bottom half at the position. He’s a tough sell as a superflex/2QB starter even with a matchup with Cincinnati up next. — Cockcroft
4. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints: Kamara remained inefficient as a runner in Week 7 despite a positive matchup versus the Bears’ defense, averaging 2.5 YPC on 11 attempts. And without the receiving numbers (three catches, 1 yard), Kamara posted his worst game of the season, finishing with just 5.9 points. With very limited scoring upside (one touchdown this season), Kamara needs to give you the receiving totals to create some sense of upside in the lineup. Kamara will look to rebound in Week 8 versus the Bucs’ defense. — Bowen
5. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders: He (and his team) disappointed in a big way facing one of their softest matchups, as Croskey-Merritt scored 4.2 PPR fantasy points on 14 touches, while the Commanders surrendered 44 points and 409 total yards to the Dallas Cowboys and were left to throw for most of the second half. The Commanders’ defensive woes have become a serious impediment to Croskey-Merritt’s success, as they finished the late games having allowed the league’s sixth-most total yards per game (364.3). He’s a tough sell as anything more than a low-end fantasy RB2 ranking for Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs. — Cockcroft
6. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins: The weather in Cleveland impacted the Dolphins’ pass game. That Browns defense can play, too. But this Miami offense looked rough in the blowout loss on Sunday. In a game where quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for just 100 yards — with three picks — Waddle caught 1 of 4 targets for 15 yards (2.5 points). Tagovailoa has now thrown three interceptions in back-to-back games, and we have to wonder about the direction of this offense (and this football team) moving forward with the Falcons up next in Week 8. Stay tuned here. — Bowen
7. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers: In his return to the lineup following a five-game absence due to a hamstring injury, Kittle was notably quiet. He played 82% of the offensive snaps and ran 22 routes, third-most among the team’s receivers, but saw only two targets and failed to catch either. It wasn’t an easy matchup for Kittle, however, as the 49ers entered the week having afforded tight ends the fewest PPR fantasy points per game (5.2), and opponents as a whole the fewest passing yards per game (139.4). Unfortunately for Kittle, next up are the Houston Texans, who have allowed the fifth-fewest points per game to tight ends (8.7). — Cockcroft
Injury impact
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
What we know: Daniels left the game in the second half versus Dallas after injuring his hamstring when he was sacked inside the pocket. He did not return. Daniels threw for 156 yards and a touchdown, plus he had 35 yards rushing and a score (17.74 points).
What’s next: If Daniels can’t play next week at Kansas City, Marcus Mariota would get the nod. Mariota averaged 18.8 PPG in two starts for an injured Daniels back in Week 3 and 4. However, due to the wide receiver injuries in Washington, and the matchup versus the Chiefs’ defense, Mariota would have limited fantasy value here. –Bowen
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
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What we know: He left Sunday’s game in London in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury and was unable to return. Thomas appeared to be dealing with the injury for much of the game.
What’s next: Travis Hunter had a huge second-half performance, albeit in garbage time, scoring all 24.1 of his PPR fantasy points on 11 targets after halftime, and would vault to the top of the depth chart should Thomas need to miss more time. The Jaguars have a Week 8 bye, so we might not get a firmer read on the 2024 breakout star for another week or so. — Cockcroft
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers:
What we know: Young left Sunday’s game versus the Jets in the third quarter with an ankle injury, and he did not return. Before exiting, Young threw for 138 yards and a touchdown, and added 10 yards rushing (10.52 points).
What’s next: If Young can’t go for the Week 8 matchup versus Buffalo, veteran Andy Dalton would be in line to start. Dalton completed 4 of 7 passes for 50 yards in relief of Young on Sunday, and he would carry minimal value in deeper, 2QB Superflex formats. — Bowen
