Fantasy football 2024: One QB, RB, WR and TE primed for huge Week 7 performances

Week 6 of NFL action is now behind us, which means that it’s time to look ahead to Week 7 fantasy football matchups.

This upcoming week features a number of exciting games. We have the Lions and Vikings in a game that’ll really test how good Minnesota’s defense is. We have the Texans and Packers in a game that showcases two of the league’s up-and-coming quarterbacks. We get the Chiefs and 49ers, a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl.

And then we have the weirdness of the Jets and Steelers game. The Jets traded for Davante Adams this week in an attempt to infuse some life into an offense that simply hasn’t lived up to expectations. Aaron Rodgers has looked his age at times — can adding Adams get the Jets over the hump.

Then there’s whatever is going on in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are 4-2, but the team looks set to start Russell Wilson at quarterback over Justin Fields in Week 7. Is swapping quarterbacks on a 4-2 team a good idea? Wilson definitely has a shot to improve the team’s passing attack, but Fields provides a lot of versatility because of his ability to run the football. I don’t know. I trust Mike Tomlin’s decision making based on his track record, so maybe it’ll work out

Anyway, let’s take a look at one player at each skill position who is set to have a strong 2024 Week 7 performance for fantasy football.

Quarterback: Drake Maye - New England Patriots

I don’t really know what I was expecting to see out of Drake Maye against the Texans in his first NFL start. Houston’s pass defense has its moments, allowing the fifth-fewest passing yards this season but also allowing the second-most passing touchdowns

Maye responded to that by basically taking advantage of exactly what the defense allowed. Maye threw for 243 yards in the loss and threw three touchdown passes, but he was picked off twice. There were ups. There were downs. It was about what you expect a quarterback to do against that defense, which is impressive when you consider Maye was making his first NFL start.

Now, he gets a really plus matchup in Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a defense that allows an NFL-most 276.7 passing yards and 2.33 passing touchdowns per game. There’s no defense that’s done a worse job when it comes to stopping the pass game this season.

Sure, there’s a part of me that worries Maye’s lack of NFL experience could come back to bite him in this spot, but the Jaguars have allowed 300-plus passing yards in half of their games this season, including allowing Joe Flacco to throw for 359 yards and three touchdowns two weeks ago. This should be a great opportunity for Maye to showcase what he can do, especially with Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte both coming on strong lately as receiving threats for this Pats offense.

Running Back: Chuba Hubbard - Carolina Panthers

Chuba Hubbard has quietly been one of the NFL’s best running backs over the past four games, surpassing 90 rushing yards in each contest. While the assumption is that Hubbard loses this role at some point once injured rookie Jonathon Brooks is back in the fold, that might not happen if he keeps being as productive as he’s been.

Hubbard ranks third in the NFL with 485 rushing yards, behind only Derrick Henry and Jordan Mason. He should continue this pace in Week 7 against the Washington Commanders, who allow the 11th-most rushing yards per game and, maybe more notably, the sixth-most rushing yards per attempt.

It helps that Hubbard doesn’t have much competition for touches. Miles Sanders carried the ball just three times in Week 6 and he was…well, bad. He finished with just one rushing yard in the contest. Hubbard played 54 snaps while Sanders played just 15. Hubbard is an RB1 option this weekend.

Wide Receiver: Chris Godwin - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When you think about the Baltimore Ravens, you think about defense, right? The whole history of the team is filled with strong defensive team after strong defensive team. Ray Lewis. Ed Reed. Terrell Suggs.

So what a surprise that the Ravens are allowing the second-most passing yards per game this season, giving up 275.7 to opposing teams.

Of course, that number needs some context. Baltimore has faced a number of good quarterbacks this season, taking on Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels. The only “bad” one they played was Gardner Minshew in Week 2, but he still managed to throw for 276 yards in the game.

Is Baker Mayfield on the same level as those guys? Honestly…he might be. Mayfield ranks eighth in the league in passing yards and has thrown an NFL-best 15 touchdown passes this season. And a full third of those touchdowns have gone to Chris Godwin, including two touchdowns in last week’s 51-27 win over the New Orleans Saints.

This Buccaneers offense has been incredible and Godwin has been a huge part of that success, leading the NFL with 43 receptions. He’s averaging 85.2 receiving yards per game, his best mark since 2019. 

Tight End: Kyle Pitts - Atlanta Falcons

Kyle Pitts has gone over 50 receiving yards in three of the last four games. Of course, the one where he didn’t was a game that saw him catch exactly zero passes, but let’s just ignore that and focus on the bigger picture.

It’s Year Four for Pitts and it seems clear that we’re never going to get the elite tight end that people were expecting him to become, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a valuable fantasy player. He still has big-play upside, with two 50-plus yard receptions this season.

Sunday, he faces a Seahawks defense that’s allowed the third-most receiving yards to the tight end position this season as well as two touchdowns to the position. It’s a good week to have Pitts in your lineup.