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Unexpected fantasy football performances and waiver wire sleepers and trade targets for Week 8 (2023). Will these NFL players sustain their Week 7 success?
Thank goodness some watchable football was made available. After a low-scoring Week 6 plagued by countless injuries to notable players, Week 7 made up for it with a slate that had some solid variety, even with six teams on bye.
There were shootouts, defensive battles, blowouts, and many close games that went down to the wire. With plenty of diversity in matchups, there were some great unexpected boom performers this week as well.
After the lackluster list from Week 6 had mostly low point totals, this week had much higher scoring, which translates to better fantasy numbers and better boom performers. With that being said, let’s get into the five best unexpected boom performers from a competitive Week 7.
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Surprise Fantasy Football Performances
D'Onta Foreman, Chicago Bears
With nearly the entire Chicago Bears running back room under the weather, D’Onta Foreman had to step into the starting role for the second week in a row. Only this week, the odds were stacked against the Chicago offense as quarterback Justin Fields was ruled out with an injury.
That left undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent to lead the offense. However, for Foreman, none of that mattered as he took over this offense for the day.
Against the Las Vegas Raiders, the veteran running back had 16 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns along with three receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown. Not only did he hit 120 scrimmage yards, but he added three touchdowns as a bonus.
Foreman’s strong outing led to a finish as the RB1 overall with 31.5 half-PPR points on the day.
As long as he’s leading this backfield, Foreman is looking like a must-start from now on. With the Los Angeles Chargers’ suspect run defense coming up on the schedule, he could be in for another strong performance in Week 8.
Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants
It’s not often that an offense performs better without its starting quarterback, but that’s how it felt with Tyrod Taylor leading the New York Giants against the Washington Commanders. Without Daniel Jones on the field, the Giants’ offense appeared to be working much smoother than normal, as Taylor’s mobility was a constant threat to Washington’s defense.
As the leader of the offense, the journeyman quarterback completed 18-of-29 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns, along with eight carries for 25 yards. His solid day resulted in 21.66 fantasy points, making Taylor the QB6 of the week.
Not only did the offense look better, but the Giants held on and claimed their second win of the season as well. The team may have looked dead in the water prior to the start of Week 7, but they proved they could find some life without Daniel Jones.
Although he probably won’t be seeing the field with Jones’ return looming, Taylor was a solid fill-in for those in a pinch, and he should be a trusted option if he were pushed into the starting role once again.
Jake Bobo, Seattle Seahawks
While this is probably the most unknown name listed here, some may recognize Jake Bobo as the player who’s been keeping Jaxon Smith-Njigba from having a true rookie breakout to this point of the season. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll clearly likes the guy, and he’s been playing valuable snaps despite being an undrafted rookie out of UCLA.
In Week 7, D.K. Metcalf, Seattle’s top wide receiver, was ruled out with an injury which opened the door to more work for the rookie. With increased opportunity, he did not disappoint.
During the Seahawks' win over the Arizona Cardinals, Bobo caught four of five targets for 61 yards and a huge touchdown. His strong outing resulted in 14.1 half-PPR points, making Bobo the WR16 in Week 7.
Now, as long as Metcalf returns next week, it’s unlikely that people will mention Jake Bobo as a name to look out for on waivers. However, if there are further injuries to any of the top three Seattle wide receivers, his name would be the first that needs to be monitored on the waiver wire.
He might not be extremely relevant now, but Bobo is a player to keep on the back burner.
Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts
Week 7 was the week for backup quarterbacks, and none had a crazier performance than Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew. With a season-ending injury to rookie phenom Anthony Richardson, Minshew has been entrusted with this offense, and he’s certainly entertained during his time as the starter.
Minshew Mania was on full display in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns as the quarterback completed 15 of 23 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception along with three carries for 29 yards, two touchdowns, and three lost fumbles.
That mouthful of a stat line resulted in 27.1 fantasy points, making Minshew the QB3 in Week 7.
Although he carved up Cleveland’s menacing defense, turnovers impeded what could’ve been an even better performance. Hopefully, he’s more careful with the ball in Week 8 when the Colts take on the New Orleans Saints, as he could be a solid streamer for rosters in need of a quarterback replacement.
Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens
This doesn’t seem like it should be an unexpected performance. I don’t know if I’m in the minority, but Gus Edwards seemed like a player who had some solid performances up to this point. Apparently, I’ve been mistaken, as his outings have been fairly underwhelming.
But in Week 7, along with the rest of the Baltimore Ravens offense, the Gus Bus took his performance to another level against the Detroit Lions.
The Lions seemed like they’d be a tougher matchup, but Edwards took advantage with 14 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown along with one reception for 80 yards. The one reception is doing a lot of work for his totals, but he finished with 20.9 half-PPR points, making Edwards the RB3 on the week.
While this was nice from the veteran running back, it’s not the norm. Edwards lacks usage in the receiving game, and an 80-yard reception isn’t happening every week.
However, he could turn into a better option if this Baltimore offense builds off this outing and provides him with more touchdown opportunities. With an upcoming matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, Edwards is a candidate for another solid performance.
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