Week 7 of the 2024 fantasy football season featured big surprises. Who were the big winners and losers? Which players received "A" and "F" grades?
Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis, and Seth Walder provides his grades. We also asked NFL Nation reporters to answer questions about what happened in the Thursday, Saturday and Sunday games.
Jump to a topic:
Ranking winners | Ranking losers
Who got an A | Who got an F
Biggest injuries and what's next
Top questions from Week 7
Ranking fantasy winners of Week 7
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
Gibbs dropped a season-high 32.0 points on the Vikings' defense, and that total led all players in the early window. Gibbs displayed his home run ability on a 45-yard touchdown run, and he added another score on a low red zone carry. Gibbs, who finished with 116 yards rushing on 15 carries, also flashed his receiving traits, as he logged four catches for 44 yards. I thought Gibbs played at a faster clip than anyone else on the field in this game. Up next for Gibbs is the Titans' defense in Week 8, where he'll stick as an upper-level RB2. -- Bowen
2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Revenge is a dish best served with 26.7 PPR fantasy points, second best among all players from the 1 p.m. ET games. In his first game against his previous team, facing the New York Giants on their home field at that, Barkley dominated his former mates, breaking off a trio of 30-plus-yard runs, totaling 92 more rushing yards than expected per Next Gen Stats, and turning in his third 20-plus-mph carry of 2024. He has, by many measures, been the second best-performing running back behind only Derrick Henry, and he'll face nothing but above-average-to-great matchups into the month of December. -- Cockcroft
3. Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans
Though his Texans suffered a heartbreaking 24-22 loss -- one in which his own 29 yards on 12 carries across the team's final three drives contributed -- Mixon delivered the goods for his fantasy managers for a second consecutive week. His 26.4 PPR fantasy points came on the heels of a 27.2-point score in his Week 6 return from an ankle injury, and he continues to get the football regularly in scoring position. Mixon has back-end RB1 value, which is where he'll surely rank for next week's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. -- Cockcroft
4. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Walker scored 23.3 points in the road win over the Falcons, and he continues to find the end zone. Walker logged two touchdowns on Sunday (one rushing, one receiving), and he has at least one score in three of his past four games. Plus, with Walker playing more as a dual-threat option in this Seattle offense (21 receptions over his past four games), fantasy managers can get a boost here on days when the rushing efficiency doesn't pop. Walker gets a positive matchup versus the Bills' run defense in Week 8, where he'll remain a mid-tier RB1.-- Bowen
5. Jared Goff, QB; Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
Started in just 13.3% of ESPN leagues, Goff scored 18.8 points in a tough matchup versus the Vikings' defense, and he's averaging 22.0 PPG over his past three. Goff continued to throw the ball with decisive accuracy in this one, completing 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards and two scores. And Amon-Ra St. Brown was his main target versus Minnesota. St. Brown's 25.2 points led all receivers in the early window, as he caught all of his team-high eight targets for 112 yards and a touchdown. With a Week 8 matchup versus Tennessee, St. Brown will remain an upper-tier WR1, while Goff should be viewed as a potential QB1 in 12 team leagues. -- Bowen
6. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Davante Adams' trade locked Bowers into the Raiders' No. 1 target role in the offense, and he enjoyed his third consecutive game with at least 10 targets and 15 PPR fantasy points, turning 14 of the former into 19.3 of the latter. With it, Bowers now has 101.9 points through his first seven career NFL games, the fourth most by any tight end through that point in a career and only 3.4 shy of Jordan Reed's mark of 105.3. Bowers is having a Sam LaPorta-in-2023-esque TE1 fantasy campaign. -- Cockcroft
7. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Thomas posted 22.1 points in the Week 7 win over the Patriots, and he has now scored 20 or more points in three of his past four games. Thomas caught all five of his targets for 89 yards and a score (on a red zone throw), and the Jags tried to manufacture some touches for him here, as he saw two rushing attempts (for 2 yards). With his third-level stretch ability and recent run on production, Thomas remains the Jags wide receiver you want in the lineup ahead of the Week 8 matchup versus the Packers. -- Bowen
8. Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Given his first career start with Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) inactive, Bigsby broke through with a 23.8 PPR fantasy point performance in a game that initially seemed to go rather badly for the Jaguars, down 10-0 and with 106 fewer total yards at the start of their second drive of the game in the second quarter. Bigsby took command during the Jaguars' third possession, rushing for all three of the teams' red zone plays for the go-ahead (and winning) touchdown, and finishing the day with four carries of 10-plus yards, 4.5 yards per carry and 19 rushing yards above expectation, per Next Gen Stats. It confirmed his ability to be a fantasy difference-maker when he's called upon to exclusively start, but even when Etienne returns, there should be enough of a backfield partnership to keep Bigsby in the low-end RB2/high-end flex class most weeks. -- Cockcroft
9. David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
There's the high-volume, locked-in fantasy starter he was in 2023, and it coincided with the week that Amari Cooper was traded to the Buffalo Bills, clearing a slew of targets for Njoku. Game flow had quite a bit to say about Njoku's 23.6 PPR fantasy points, as the Browns attempted 34 passes on 41 offensive plays after halftime, but we'll take 14 targets from a tight end however they come. Deshaun Watson's injury will probably also result in Jameis Winston's installation as Browns quarterback come Week 8, a switch that should only boost Njoku's top-eight positional appeal. -- Cockcroft
Ranking fantasy losers of Week 7
1. Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
His sophomore season continues to be stupefyingly subpar, as Richardson again fell short of 10 fantasy points, scoring 8.76 in a game his Colts still somehow managed to win. To put his struggles into perspective, Richardson now has four games of fewer than 10 fantasy points in his five starts, after having been selected 53rd overall on average in the preseason, and that makes him the eighth quarterback this century -- spanning the years for which we have available ADP data -- to have that many or more such games through seven weeks of a season, among those selected that early or earlier in fantasy football drafts (Brett Favre 6 in 2010, Daunte Culpepper 5 in 2005, Trent Green 4 in 2001, Peyton Manning 4 in 2015, Matt Schaub 4 in 2010, Vinny Testaverde 4 in 2000 and Vince Young 4 in 2007). Richardson's passing skills have been sketchy at best this season, as he has been at or beneath a 50% completion rate in four of five starts. He's only superflex/two-quarterback league starting material at this point, especially with a tough stretch of matchups upcoming (@HOU, @MIN, BUF, @NYJ). -- Cockcroft
2. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
If this game represented rock bottom for his fantasy production, at least know that there's some hope for him ahead, as Tua Tagovailoa might be ready to return from his concussion in Week 8. Hill's 2.3 PPR fantasy points are the fewest he has scored in any game in which he played more than 12 offensive snaps, and he accrued them on only two targets, tied for his third fewest in a game. The Dolphins' offense has been a flat-out mess under quarterback Tyler Huntley, who left this game early due to injury, and Tim Boyle, who didn't perform much better in relief. Fingers crossed Tagovailoa can play next week as well as remain healthy for the remainder of the year. -- Cockcroft
3. C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
Stroud had a season-low 5.34 points in the Week 7 loss to the Packers, as he completed just 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards, while adding 19 yards rushing on five carries. Sure, the Texans were more run heavy in the game plan, but I felt that Stroud, who failed to throw a touchdown for the first time this season, never developed a sense of rhythm versus an aggressive Green Bay secondary. Stroud will look to rebound next week against the Colts' defense. -- Bowen
4. Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans
A week after scoring a season-high 18.7 points, Dell was shut out by the Packers' defense on Sunday, as he failed to record a reception on four targets. Yes, Dell had opportunities, and he did see two end zone targets in this one. However, on a day when Stroud and the entire Houston pass game looked disjointed at best, Dell didn't answer the bell for fantasy managers. With Nico Collins (hamstring) still on IR, Dell will continue to see work opposite Stefon Diggs for the Week 8 matchup versus the Colts. -- Bowen
5. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
After four straight games of double-digit fantasy production, Smith had a season-low 0.8 points in the win over the Giants. With the Eagles using an extremely run-heavy game plan (45 rushing attempts), and quarterback Jalen Hurts attempting only 14 passes, Smith had two targets and he finished with just one catch for minus-2 yards. That's rough. Smith will look to bounce back in the Week 8 matchup against the Bengals. -- Bowen
6. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
His return to the lineup following a two-week absence due to a concussion didn't go well, as the Giants' offensive funk made him easy to defend, resulting in 8.1 PPR fantasy points on his eight targets. Simply put, when Daniel Jones is bad, he's bad, as has been the case now in back-to-back favorable matchups (CIN, PHI). Whether the Giants would consider a quarterback switch is a fair question, but Jones seems more likely than not to start against a much tougher foe in the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8. Plan accordingly, as Nabers should see plenty of targets but might struggle somewhat in coverage. -- Cockcroft
7. Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons
In Week 6, the excuse could be levied that his mediocre fantasy point total facing a soft matchup (12.50) was the result of his team building an early lead, then running out the clock. This week, Cousins had no such excuse, as facing a struggling and injury-depleted Seattle Seahawks defense, he could muster only 7.18 points, mostly the result of committing three costly turnovers. It served to remind of his inconsistency so far in 2024, which is why he belongs in the fantasy backup/superflex starter category. Cousins does get another good matchup in Week 8, at least (@TB). -- Cockcroft
Injury impact
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
What we know: Daniels left the game in the first quarter against the Panthers with a rib injury, and he did not return. Daniels rushed for 50 yards on three carries and completed both of his passes for six yards before exiting.
What's next: We'll continue to monitor the reports on Daniels throughout the week. If he can't go for the Week 8 game versus the Bears, however, veteran Marcus Mariota would get the start. In relief of Daniels on Sunday, Mariota scored 19.6 points, throwing for 205 yards and two scores, while rushing for 34 yards on 11 carries. -- Bowen
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
What we know: Metcalf suffered a knee injury during the fourth quarter against the Falcons. Metcalf eventually headed to the locker room on a cart, and he did not return. Before exiting the game, Metcalf caught 4 of 7 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown, which was good for 19.9 points.
What's next: If Metcalf is out for the Week 8 game at Buffalo, both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett would elevate in the wide receiver rankings, with Jake Bobo potentially carrying value as a deeper league streaming option. -- Bowen
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
What we know: Aiyuk left the game versus the Chiefs with a knee injury after taking a hit on a throw to the middle of the field. Aiyuk was taken to the locker room on a cart, and he did not return.
What's next: If Aiyuk is out for an extended period of time, multiple 49ers wide receivers will have opportunities to elevate on the depth chart. Veteran Jauan Jennings, who missed the Week 7 game with a hip injury, is available in over 50% of ESPN leagues. Let's monitor that injury. Ricky Pearsall (5.5% rostered) and Jacob Cowing (0.1% rostered) could both factor into the Week 8 game plan versus Dallas. A lot to sort through here. -- Bowen
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, San Francisco 49ers
What we know: Though he was cleared to play after dealing with a wrist injury entering the week, Samuel entered Sunday's game battling an illness. He would play only three offensive snaps before exiting for the day.
What's next: That it was an illness rather than a recurrence of the wrist issue offers optimism that Samuel should be able to play in Week 8. He'll be a high-end WR2 for the 49ers' matchup with the Dallas Cowboys if cleared. -- Cockcroft
Deshaun Watson, QB, Cleveland Browns
What we know: Watson left on a cart in the second quarter after suffering a noncontact injury versus the Bengals, which was later confirmed as an Achilles injury. Watson did not return to the game, and he is expected to miss significant time.
What's next: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who dressed as the No. 2 quarterback instead of Jameis Winston, replaced Watson in the lineup on Sunday. However, Thompson-Robinson struggled, throwing for only 82 yards with two interceptions. Let's see if the Browns turn to Winston, who threw for a late touchdown against the Bengals, in the Week 8 matchup versus the Ravens. -- Bowen
Who earned an A this weekend?
Tyson Campbell, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars
In his return to action from a hamstring injury that has kept him out since Week 1, Campbell was a badly needed asset for a Jacksonville secondary that has struggled to stop the pass. In Sunday's 32-16 win over the Patriots in London, Campbell allowed zero receptions and was targeted only a single time over 27 coverage snaps. That helped this week, and is a good sign going forward (though the opponent surely made it easier, granted).
Sam Hubbard, Edge, Cincinnati Bengals
I often cite advanced numbers that indicate a player's performance on a play-to-play level over the course of the game in this spot. But huge plays that do show up on the box score can matter a ton, too, and that's where Hubbard delivered. The Cincinnati pass rusher strip-sacked Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and also picked off Thompson-Robinson on a batted pass.
Who earned an F this weekend?
Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Tennessee Titans
Petit-Frere, the Titans' right tackle, recorded a pass block win rate of just 73% in Sunday's blowout loss to the Bills. That was the worst PBWR in Sunday's early window. Petit-Frere was beaten consistently by Buffalo pass rusher Greg Rousseau, who on one occasion pushed Petit-Frere straight back in what ended up a half-sack for Rousseau.
New York Giants running backs
All three of Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary and Eric Gray (and Daniel Jones too!) managed negative rush yards over expectation in the Giants' 28-3 home loss to the Eagles. Combined, the running backs averaged 3.6 yards per carry and negative-25 rush yards over expectation. It was far from the only problem for the Giants -- Jones taking seven sacks comes to mind -- but it was one of them.
Lingering questions from Week 7's games
How did Amari Cooper fit into the offense during his first game with the Bills, and how did it impact the other pass-catchers in this offense?
Despite only playing 18 snaps, not including penalties, Cooper made a significant early impression on the offense catching four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. That's while only knowing part of the offense on a short week, so his involvement will only increase. He also opened opportunities for other players as the offense kicked into high gear in the second half with rookie Keon Coleman's career day -- four receptions for 125 yards -- and two other players going for over 50 receiving yards -- Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid.
"Any time you have a player of [Cooper's] caliber, he demands extra attention," said Josh Allen. "If you don't, we're probably going to throw him the ball. But again, our guys did a good job of getting open, making plays. I know Khalil's still not 100%, he's battling through it and played his tail off. I think Keon went over for 100 yards, his first time in his career. So, that was pretty awesome to see, too." -- Alaina Getzenberg