NFL Fantasy Football Week Seven Sleepers

NFL FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK SEVEN SLEEPERS — A player gets injured, or someone breaks out and earns more opportunities. These players can make or break your fantasy season. No one can predict the future, so drafting a perfect team is out of the question.

Depth never hurts, so it is best to evaluate your roster weekly. This article is a great place to look and will feature the best waiver wire additions each week. (Rostered Percentages from ESPN)

Quarterback

Sam Howell – 19.1% Rostered

When you look at Sam Howell’s stats, they are not that bad. He had one bad week against the Bills in week three and has been a top-15 fantasy quarterback every other week. He threw four interceptions in that game and suffered nine sacks.

If you take away that game, he has nine TDs and two interceptions while being sacked 25 times. He is under duress constantly but still putting up solid numbers. He has the makings of a QB1 and could improve immensely if his offensive line progresses.

He also has a friendly schedule over the next five weeks and could be used if you are in need of a start.

Baker Mayfield – 20.3% Rostered

Baker Mayfield has not been spectacular this season, but he has a solid matchup this week. He faces the Falcons, who just got picked apart by Howell. Howell would be my first option, but if he is unavailable, I would use Mayfield.

Gardner Minshew and Joshua Dobbs are others that I would consider this week.

Running Back

Zach Evans – 0.4% Rostered

The Rams had a couple of unfortunate injuries in the backfield last week. Kyren Williams injured his ankle and should miss at least a week, and Ronnie Rivers sprained his PCL, which should sideline him for at least a month. It looks like Evans will step into a role with a high workload and opportunity.

The Rams also have Royce Freeman on their practice squad, who will likely get promoted to be the backup. Evans only ran four times for 10 yards last week but did not play many snaps. He should receive more volume this week and be viable as a plug-and-play running back.

Kareem Hunt – 26.8% Rostered

Kareem Hunt finally got enough volume for him to be fantasy-relevant. Jerome Ford played 50% of the snaps and received 17 carries for 84 yards and two targets. Hunt played 37% of snaps and contributed 12 attempts for 47 yards with a touchdown.

He also got targeted three times. That is enough volume to make his fantasy relevant. He would become an immediate RB2 or higher if Ford were to miss any time but remains a matchup-based flex until proven otherwise.

Wide Receiver

Rashid Shaheed – 13.5% Rostered

Shaheed had not scored a TD since week one but found the end zone last week. He played 76% of snaps, which is his most this season (61% avg.). He is a deep threat for the Saints and a problem for defenses when on the field with Chris Olave.

Derek Carr’s shoulder seems healthier, which helps Shaheed’s viability for fantasy purposes. His next couple of matchups (Bears and Jaguars) give up a lot of deep passes, which makes Shaheed a decent flex play with lots of upside.

Rashee Rice – 30.4% Rostered

Rice has only played 38% of snaps this season for the Chiefs but has received the second-most targets on the team. He is also second in receiving yards, behind Travis Kelce in both categories. His longest catch this year is 28 yards, but his average yards per reception is 11.7.

He has moved the chains on 13 of his catches and is getting open on intermediate routes. Mahomes is building chemistry with him, and should he get more snaps, he might be a weapon for this offense.

Tight End

Michael Mayer – 1.5% Rostered

Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a back injury last week, and his status for this week is uncertain. Brian Hoyer took over when he left, but Aidan O’Connell started for Garoppolo in week three. It may not matter who is the starter for Mayer.

He has been earning more playing time and is receiving more targets over the past two weeks. Through the first four weeks, he did not play more than 50% of snaps and only was targeted twice. He played 61% of snaps in week five and 81% last week.

Over those weeks, he received nine targets and seven receptions for 114 yards. He has upside for the rest of the season and good matchups for the next few weeks.