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Week 7 Busts - Overvalued Players to Avoid In Fantasy Football

Top 10 potential lineup busts to avoid starting in fantasy football. Justin Carter lists NFL players to consider sitting or benching as Week 7 lineup disappointments.

Unless you play in a league with a Week 17 playoff round, which...no, no, no, stop it...then Week 7 represents the midway part of the fantasy football regular season, which feels shocking. It's gone so fast!

But why has it gone so quickly? Football feels like it just barely returned and now it's already Week 7! Here's my theory: football has been better this year after last year's weird offensive implosion, and when things are better they feel more fleeting. Every exciting touchdown pass makes it feel like football has only briefly existed. (It's why baseball is somehow still happening -- I stopped caring about it and thus it will never end.)

Anyway, you came here for the busts. Below are 10 lineup busts and avoids for Week 7 of NFL action.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Top 10 Busts - NFL Week 7

Jameis Winston (QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Fun fact: the Browns have held opposing quarterbacks to two or fewer touchdowns in all but one game this season. They've held them under 300 yards in all but two games. They've held them to under 20 fantasy points in all but one game. Cleveland quietly has a decent defense that just, uhh, happened to get carved up by Derek Carr once. Rookie defensive back Denzel Ward has been a revelation. I know Winston is coming off a pretty good game and I also know that if Winston has a strong game here I'm going to abandon ship and go jump on the "defense doesn't matter" bandwagon, but for now I'm not betting on him, even if his intended air yards and second only to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

C.J. Beathard (QB, San Francisco 49ers)

Beathard has put up decent numbers since becoming the starter in San Francisco, but Sunday's meeting with the Rams, who allow the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, coupled with Beathard ranking last in intended air yards, suggests a low ceiling for the former Iowa quarterback this week.

(By the way, I'm not putting Deshaun Watson on here because last week's poor performance was aided by a lack of rushing yardage. A healthier Watson will run more, Jacksonville showed last week that quarterbacks can run on them, and I think while he may not be a top-five quarterback this week, he should still put up solid numbers.)

Jordan Howard (RB, Chicago Bears)

In my home league, I chose Jordan Howard as my keeper this year after I built a depth-heavy team to win last year's title, so now I'm uncomfortably sitting at 4-2 with one of the lowest point totals in the league because of it. Howard has been a disaster this season, and the Patriots high scoring attack means we'll see plenty of Tarik Cohen in the passing game this week. Howard's best bet for doing anything will be the Bears getting into the red zone early and letting him carry it across the goal-line because he's bound for a small number of touches as Chicago tries to keep up with New England.

Lamar Miller (RB, Houston Texans)

Houston's had a funky red zone offense this year, which has led to Miller having just four carries for three yards inside the 10-yard line. He's seen Alfred Blue both eat into his touches and perform better than him on a per touch basis, and Jacksonville's defense has held him in check before.

Isaiah Crowell (RB, New York Jets)

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how Crowell can make things happen once he gets past the initial line of defense, but the Jets offensive line has made that a very difficult task. Minnesota isn't the defense that Crowell wants to encounter if he's trying to have another of his breakout games, so I've got him pretty low this week on my list of running backs.

Will Fuller (WR, Houston Texans)

We enter the third week of not trusting Fuller based on his hamstring issues, and this time we add the Jaguars defense to the mix. I think Keke Coutee could have a really strong game based on what Cole Beasley was able to do from the slot in Week 6, and DeAndre Hopkins is a must-start, but a banged-up Fuller screams trouble for fantasy owners. He'll get back to those boom games at some point, but I don't think it's this week.

Calvin Ridley (WR, Atlanta Falcons)

I've really liked Ridley this year and have regretted passing on him in my rookie drafts, but Ridley gets a double dose of "stay away" this weekend: a bone bruise on his ankle that will limit his effectiveness, and a matchup with a Giants defense that's allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Demaryius Thomas (WR, Denver Broncos)

Thomas found the end zone in back-to-back weeks, but the Cardinals have been good against wide receivers this season thanks to the presence of Patrick Peterson. Peterson hasn't allowed a touchdown yet when targeted and is allowing a catch rate of just 55.3 percent. Per PlayerProfiler, Peterson ranks seventh in fewest fantasy points allowed per target and eighth in total fantasy points allowed per game. If he's on Thomas, don't expect much from Thomas.

Cameron Brate (TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

I started Brate in a dynasty league where injuries have ravished me -- I started the season with Delanie Walker and Jack Doyle at tight end -- and was happy with his touchdown, but that was the only time he was targeted, and was on the field just 33 percent of the time. Brate's a touchdown or bust option at this point, which is just grrrr-eat for those of us who are forced to start him.

Greg Olsen (TE, Carolina Panthers)

The Eagles allow the fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends and while Olsen's return from a broken foot wasn't a disaster, I don't love starting him against this Philadelphia defense. (I will, though. He's solidly in my lineups wherever I have him despite a little lower floor this week because the tight end position in 2018 is my least favorite thing ever.)

More Weekly Lineup Prep




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Joe Burrow

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Headlines Rams Receiving Corps Sunday
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Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Lamar Jackson

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James Cook

Scores Two Touchdowns in Rout of Jets
Joel Embiid

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Scores Twice in Loss
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Throws for 450 Yards, Three Touchdowns in Loss
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Throws Five Touchdowns
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Scores Three Touchdowns
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Suffers Turf Toe and Torn Ligaments in Win
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Seen with Boot and Crutches Postgame
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Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
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Joe Burrow

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Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
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Leaves Week 2 Game with Apparent Leg Injury
Quinshon Judkins

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Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
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John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
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Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
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Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
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Exits Early on Saturday
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Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Salvador Perez

Reaches 300 Home Runs, 1,000 RBI
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Exits Early With Foot Discomfort
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Will Smith

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
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Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
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Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

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Tanner Bibee

Fans 10 in Two-Hit Shutout
Zach Neto

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Masyn Winn

Shut Down for Rest of Season
Tarik Skubal

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Tyler Soderstrom

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Tarik Skubal

Exits with Side Tightness
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
Ketel Marte

Scratched From Friday's Lineup
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CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
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Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

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Kyle Tucker

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Diego Lopes

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Ketel Marte

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David Martinez

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Malcolm Brogdon

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David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

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Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Jesús Luzardo

Jesus Luzardo Strikes Out 10 in Win
Aaron Judge

Matches Yankees Legend with Two-Homer Game
Anthony Volpe

Playing Through Partially Torn Labrum in his Shoulder
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
Charles Oliveira

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Ryan Williams Expected to Play Against Wisconsin
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Billy Edwards Jr. Unlikely to Play on Saturday
P.J. Washington

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David Sanders Jr. Questionable to Make Debut Against Georgia
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Cam Reddish Expected to Move to Europe
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Trey Lyles Joins Real Madrid
Charles Bassey

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Terence Davis Waived by Kings
Matthew Knies

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Jack Eichel

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Sidney Crosby

Not Thinking About Leaving Pittsburgh
SJ

Michael Misa Signs Entry-Level Contract With Sharks
Rutger McGroarty

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Cameron Champ

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