October 24, 2015

RotoBaller's 2015 Week 7 fantasy football rankings analysis and tiered ranks, for both PPR and non-PPR leagues, and all NFL positions (QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF). Rankings advice for your Week 7 matchups.

What's up RotoBallers. Week 6 is complete and we hope you managed to secure the win! To celebrate, today we are bringing you our Week 7 fantasy football rankings to help prepare you for your Week 7 matchups.

Below you will find both PPR rankings and standard league rankings for Week 7, brought to you by Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades) and Edward Gorelik (@EdwardGorelik).

Lead fantasy football columnist Edward Gorelik also highlights some rankings analysis for Week 7, broken out by position, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 7. You can also check out our 2015 fantasy football ranking dashboard, for more in depth rankings analysis on all positions including rookies and dynasty leagues.

Rankings are subject to change throughout leading up to the games.

Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings - All Positions

Week 7 Quarterback (QB) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

If Ben Roethlisberger does end up playing this week, he re-enters the rankings as an immediate top eight option. The Kansas City chiefs have been beaten by air all season long, currently ranking as the 26th passing defense on DVOA.

They're doing poorly against all opponents: WR1s, WR2s, Slots, TEs, RBs - you could probably put in a fullback as a full-time passing option and see a fantasy relevant day out of them in PPR. However, if Roethlisberger doesn't play, I'm still feeling Landry Jones as a potential high-upside, "regrettable floor" start.

Matthew Staford had a horrible three week stretch where he faced the Broncos, Seahawks, and Cardinals defenses. All three of those defenses rank amongst the best in the ability to create pressure and cover receivers, so when Stafford finally got a break against the Bears, he was ready to go off.

The Vikings are good in both facets of the passing game too, but not nearly as good as any of those three defenses. When Stafford played the Vikings earlier this season, he was able to have a decently fantasy relevant day with 286 passing yards, two TDs, and an INT. If he's still got anger to blow off, he might be looking at another QB1 week.

Week 7 Running Back (RB) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

The Rams aren't afraid of feeding Todd Gurley, and against the Browns it should be expected that they do it very, very often. The Browns rank at 31st in DVOA against the run, and the Rams are coming off a bye-week after feeding Gurley 30 carries against the Packers. Gurley is firmly entrenched in RB1 city for the remainder of the year.

LeGarrette Blount enjoyed a lot of relevance last week against the Colts - which should have been expected given that he's killed them plenty of times before, and the Patriots have never had an issue running all over Pagano's defenses. However, against the Jets, it is Dion Lewis' turn to shine.

The Jets struggled against Darren Sproles when facing Philadelphia - and had Sam Bradford been more accurate, there's a good chance that Sproles would have finished with over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown or two. Lewis will be matched up against two linebackers that can't handle him, while Belichick smartly chooses to keep Blount away from the interior line of the Jets defense.

Melvin Gordon and Ameer Abdullah have fumbled way too often this season, and it's very likely their backups (Theo Riddick, Danny Woodhead, Branden Oliver) will see increased playing time as a result. If you're looking for a punt play this week, Oliver will have a chance to shine against an Oakland defense that just lost one of it's best run defenders.

Week 7 Wide Receiver (WR) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

It's possible Antonio Brown moves back up in my rankings, but until it's 100% that Roethlisberger is back in the lineup he's staying below Martavis Bryant. Neither Vick nor Landry Jones have the accuracy necessary to make use of Brown's skill set, but Bryant is a much bigger and easier target to hit.

In his first week back from suspension, Bryant had a huge game going off for 145 total yards and two touchdowns. Kansas City has been so bad throughout the season against WRs that no matter which QB starts, Bryant should be looking at a top WR game.

Reports are that Julian Edelman will be drawing coverage from Darrelle Revis this weekend, and that's enough for him to drop out of my top ten. Darrelle Revis is still elite, and the Jets are averaging 56 yards per game allowed to opposing WR1s. Expect this to be a Rob Gronkowski / Dion Lewis heavy matchup.

Detroit's defense hasn't been anything close to what it was last year (I don't think that's a surprise, personally), and so far they've been allowing 91 yards per game to opposing WR1s. Enter Stefon Diggs, the newly appointed starter for the Minnesota Vikings, and surprisingly their most competent WR.

Diggs has earned the trust of Teddy Bridgewater over the last two games, making some hard catches (and attempts) and gaining separation easily even against the Broncos star-studded defense. I have Diggs just inside the low WR2 area, but I'm expecting even better from him.

Week 7 Tight End (TE) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

The Tight Ends this week are straightforward with two exceptions, Ladarius Green and Charles Clay.

Green has seen a lot of time on the field even with the Antonio Gates return (although he is still a complete target hog with 27 targets the last two weeks) - and in standard scoring, even managed to match him last week despite six fewer catches. With Keenan Allen injured, if he's in any way limited, there's a chance that Green sees more time on the field against a Raiders defense that allows 16 catches and 80 yards on average to opposing tight ends.

Charles Clay sits two spots lower than Green despite being in what seems like a better situation. Jacksonville has been another bad team against tight ends, allowing 60 yards per game to them while being ranked 30th in DVOA against them.

However the Bills will be playing without either of Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin - meaning Clay becomes the only competent receiver, and therefore the only one who will gather coverage, most likely. In a similar situation as Week 1, these same Jaguars were able to hold Greg Olsen to a one catch for 11 yards game. The upside is there in this game for Clay, but I'm wary of trusting the only competent target on a team when that target isn't elite.

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